BROWN COUNTY OHIO - Historical Notes - Part 2 (published 1954)
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A Look At Georgetown Around 1860
by Jess Bier - March 11, 1954

     While Many of us may have tried to imagine what Georgetown was like 
75 to 100 years ago, it may be nice to really know what it was like as we 
are endeavoring to show in these articles gleaned from writings, history 
and newspapers of the day.

     In 1860, There was no Fulton.  All beyond Fulton bridge was woods and
pasture land.  There was no bridge, but a culvert and it was a dirt road, 
as the pike was not built until 1872.  Only two houses were beyond the run 
and inside the corporate limits, which, as we stated before was at East 
alley at the side of the Ted Moyer home.  They were the original Harvey 
King, afterward home, afterwards the Rufus Fite home, which was on the 
brow of the hill facing the run and which has now been turned around and 
faces State St., and the Victor King home, afterwards the home of the 
Brunners and later the Dave Ashmores on the south side of State St.

     All the land from East Alley south of State St. to about the Woods 
garage, south to a line about 500 feet south of where they Home Lane meets 
Ripley Pike and west to Free Soil Pike, and then north and up East Alley, 
was known as the Phillips Farm comprising 136 acres.  The owner was F.J. 
Phillips, the town's first banker and was the father of "Duce" Phillips 
who donated the site for the high school, the schoolhouse being on the 
site of the old Phillips home.  

     It was not until several years later that homes were built in that 
section and up to as late as 1900 there were only 15 or 20 houses, but 
since then it has grown considerably and is now a section of neat cottages. 
The Brown County Hospital occupies the site of the Children's Home and the 
most imposing home was that of W.J. Jacobs, built in 1887.

     South of the southern corporate limits there were only two houses.  
The large Buckner home, mentioned previously, and a small brick building 
just opposite the beginning of Free Soit Pike, and was used as a toll 
house.  The Ripley Pike did not exist but "Plank Road" had been built by a
stock company and toll gates were the only means of collecting pay from 
those traveling thereon.

     Up Town Run about where the Farm Bureau is today, was a saw mill 
operated by a Mr. Rishforth, and in this mill was sawed much of the timber 
which stood adjacent as the land was cleared.

     On the brow of the hill at the bend of Grant Ave., above Town Run was 
the White home, who was General Grant's teacher. This house is standing 
today and in our day we knew it as Brown's Hill, it being one of the 
original houses of the town.  Also the little house on the run just above 
Fulton Bridge is quite old.


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