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Hamilton! - Gallery 14 - Historic Images of City Life and Atmospheres

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The Lane Library has over 3000 historic images of Hamilton on their website www.lanepl.org (scroll to bottom of page). I've gone through them several times and decided I would post 75 of my favorites.

 

These images envoke many emotions for me: dispair from all thats been lost (physically and socially), joy and pride of what was, and a great desire to see the city rise once again. But one things for sure, I can't imagine not making history here myself; I love Hamilton.

 

 

The courthouse before the tower caught fire

court2.jpg

 

The first courthouse buildings

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Zham54.jpg

 

A beautiful suspension bridge spanned the Great Miami connecting High & Main from 1867 to 1896

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Replaced by a truss bridge which washed out in the Great Flood of 1913, notice the newly completed Soldier and Sailors Monument constructed in 1904

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Opening of the replacement concrete arch bridge in 1913, this bridge was demolished in April 2005

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A look south around 1895 from the courthouse roof, the old Central High School sits on the left

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The old wooden bridge for the CH&D Great Miami Crossing

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Washed out in 1913 as well

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Mercy Hospital, the first hospital in Butler County

mercy.jpg

 

The hospital closed in 2002, but this lovely building was gone long before

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Little privacy

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Worshipers leave St. Stephens Catholic Church, the Cincinnati Archdioses merged three congregations here, renaming it St. Julie

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Homes along Main Street that now have crummy retail storefront constructed where the porch once stood

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The old YMCA

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A rally outside the new YMCA which was constructed in 1915 and is still a downtown landmark

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Inside

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An old store

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Firemen at the Schuler Avenue Station which still operates

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Snow on High, courthouse lawn on left

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The NW corner of Third & Court Streets, now the site of the Journal-News printing center

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Looking down High from the Monument

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Snow on Second Street

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High Street

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Market Street

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Third and High, the building at the corner is now 5/3 bank

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North sidewalk on High

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Some Parades down High

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The Anthony Wayne in the distance

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North side of High Street, some of this is left

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From another perspective

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Now part of the 1935 municipal complex

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Looking towards the river from the courthouse

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High Street

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Campbell Avenue in the Dayton Lane Historic District

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Niles Tool Executives, this entryway is bricked up today

niles.jpg

 

The Palace Theater opened around 1925 on S. Third, the building is now being renovated

palace1928.jpg

 

The Hooven house on S. Second in the Southeast Neighborhood

Hoovenhouse.jpg

 

The Lindenwald Fleet

zbus.jpg

 

North side of High at Third Street during the 1913 flood

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First National Bank replaced the above building in 1932

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Youths

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The old Malthouse which still survives in the Rossville Historic District

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Another old store

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Aerial of the High-Main Bridge at the east bank

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This is now the site of the GSC & Hamilton Municipal Building Towers

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More firemen at the First Ward Station, still in operation

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The SE corner of High & Second, site of the Rentschler Building, Hamilton's first "skyscraper," built in 1906

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New streetlights with art deco bases and elaborate fixture arms were installed in the 30's. A few of the complete lights grace Twin Run Golf Course today, and a new streetscape has somewhat imitated these poles which were taken out in the 60's.

Zham31.jpg

 

My favorite lost building in Hamilton, the old Masonic Temple, luckily it was replaced with a beautiful art deco bank

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Lobby of Citizens Bank

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Apparently there was no room in the living room

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The Jefferson Theater held over 1000, sadly it burnt in 1928

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A look down Second Street from Ludlow, the Jefferson(Smith) sits at the left

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Construction crews outside the new Masonic Temple on High Street

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The Paramont Theater on Second Street exists only in the retail to the right

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Readin', writin', and 'rithmatic

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One of two matching firestations, this one sits on Laurel Avenue, again still operating today

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Mosler Safe Company, one of the founding industries of Hamilton giving the Hamilton name a reputation for quality safe making. The site is now being developed into a Kroger.

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Park Avenue on the Westside

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Trees

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A (1950's?) Photo-op, looks to be on Pleasant Avenue in Lindenwald

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Flooded High

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Random street

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Both overlook the High Street underpass today

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More snow on High

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The Republican News Building, now the site of a parking garage

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High and Second, site of the "Center Punch"

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The "Center Punch" involved taking down the block across from the courthouse for Elder-Beermans and a county office building

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From the west bank

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Aerial

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The Grandview/Prospect Hill/Main Street area

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From the west bank, the Anthony Wayne and Monument

Zham1930.jpg

 

 

Hamilton Core Galleries

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 1 - Downtown

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=10975.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 2 – Main Street Business District

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5108.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 3 - Dayton Lane Historic District

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5269.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 4 - Rossville Historic District

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=5417.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 5 - Glorious Old Industry

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6730.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 6 - German Village Historic District

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=6958.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 7 - Historic Highland Park

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=7208.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 8 - Southeast Neighborhood

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=7309.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 9 - Prospect Hill and Grandview

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8025.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 10 - Forest Hills and Oak Park

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8107.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 11 - Greenwood Cemetery and St. Stephen's Cemetery

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8438.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 12 - Lindenwald

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=9336.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 13 - Hyde Park and Verlyn Place

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8424.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 14 – Historic Images of City Life and Atmospheres

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8668.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 15 – Art Deco etc.

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=8830.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 16 - The Gardens of Rossville

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=9262.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 17 - The Northend and Fordson Heights

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=9501.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 18 - The East Avenue Ghetto and Jefferson

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=10146.0

 

Hamilton! - Gallery 19 - Butler County Soldiers, Sailors, and Pioneers Monument

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=10205.0

Bring the courthouse tower back!

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

You've got Hamilton covered Ink!!!  Hamilton put me in the right track......what a wonderful kindergarten program!.... .  .. ..

my goodness what a great tresure trove of a find.  :clap:

 

elyria sure was something back in the day wasn't it?  :wink:

 

I love old photos.  Thanks for putting this together, Ink!

Excellent collection!  That old suspension bridge is so cool!  Too bad it's gone.

Very nice.

This thread makes me wish for the ability to time-travel.

^ me too!

  • 9 months later...

Ink:

 

Just revisiting this thread and I think you can see the back of old St veronica's Church/School in the picture of the firehouse on Shuler Ave.  There was a garage in the back and that remained on school grounds long after the school was gone.  My mom said that's where they used to keep the bus (back when they maintained their own bus).

 

And if we ever do a "Hamilton Meet" I want to see if I can get us in the house on the left . . .

IMG0031.jpg

Wow, some incredible buildings in there.  These are the kind of photos that make me envy my grandparents for experiencing a more positive and beautiful time for cities.  Thanks for posting these.

  • 2 years later...

Wow! I'm really glad I moved to Hamilton now. Don't get me wrong, I liked it before but I had no idea it had so much history.

 

I love this picture. I just makes the city look alive.

Zham13.jpg

I like Hamilton because it is an urban city with a very storied past (as these photos clearly show) yet it is surrounded by bland Cincinnati suburbs.  When you're driving up there, it's always cool to go from strip malls and subdivisions to old, dense neighborhoods and a real downtown.

  • 4 years later...

I grew up in the house on the far left in the photo 'Park Avenue on the Westside'. Corner of Eaton and Park. Boy, that ol' girl has seen better days. I HAVE to have a copy of this photo. Can I get this at Lane?

  • 1 year later...

I seen a pic of my Grandfather and Great Grandfathers theater.

Thought i would share a few I have of the Smiths Theater and

one of my Great Grandparents in 1911 at the Butler County Fairgrounds

sorry missed one

That is just awesome.

"You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers

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