COVINGTON VILLAGE - OHIO
Location: 40.11912 North,
84.35089 West
Zip codes: 45318
Population in 1990: 2,603
(2,575 in 1970)
Number of dwellings: 1,032
Land area: 2.649 sq. kms.
Population History:
Median Age: 34.6, Persons under 18: 25.4%, Persons over 65: 18.7%, Median home: $52,100
A village in Miami County,
West Central Ohio, between Greenville & Piqua, 20 miles North of Dayton,
at junction of Stillwater River and Greenville Creek, 73 miles North by East
of Cincinatti, South of Lima on U.S. Route 42.
Settled 1807 and incorporated
1835 it's main trades are Grain, tobacco, dairy products, livestock, poultry,
sawmills. The largest financial concern in the area is The Covington Savings
& Loan Association, 117 N.High St who appear in The Million Dollar
Directory, 1988.
When Mad Anthony Wayne's army
marched off to the Indian Wars, one of its campsites was at present-day
Covington. The site was called Fort Rowdy, and is the name behind Covington's
Annual Fort Rowdy Day festival.
In the area's early days, it was the site of Fort Buchanan, a
frontier outpost. The Covington armory stands on the site where the fort was
originally located.
In 1816, Daniel Wright
surveyed the area and along with partner Jacob Ullery, made the first steps
toward starting a settlement. Those names -- Wright and Ullery -- are familiar
to Covington residents today as the names of streets in the vicinity of the
original settlement.
Covington was known by various names, including "Friendship," "Newberry," and Stillwater." There were just two families living there in 1826. That number increased to 451 in 1850 and 1,791 by 1900.
Operated by the Covington-Newberry Historical Society, the Fort Rowdy Museum is located on Spring Street across from the village of Covington's fire station and post office. The building itself dates back to about 1850 and has served many tasks for the town, including a schoolhouse. What you will find inside is an impressive mix of Covington/Newberry Township artifacts.
The walls of the downstairs are covered with early photographs that date from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s. Display cases are full of products and promotional pieces from local merchants and political campaigns. Some of the products represented are, soap, talcum powder, cigars and Rogers drums.
101 Spring Street Covington, OH (937) 473-2270 Open by appointment and during special events |
Not to be missed, the upstairs contains a collection of antique toys and clothes, as well as kitchen items once produced in the Covington and Piqua areas. The museum also has a collection of vintage clothing, including military uniforms that were donated by longtime residents.
The Museum is open by appointment and on special occasions - like the Fort Rowdy Days Festival. The Covington-Newberry Historical Society holds an annual Bean Supper Fund Raiser every year in September on the Saturday following Labor Day.
Covington is located on the Stillwater River, and the surrounding
countryside includes a number of scenic areas, including Greenville Falls, a
nature area managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, and several
preserves operated by the Miami County District Council
Special Events
Fort Rowdy Gathering,
Covington Community Park, October 4th & 5th , 1997
"The whole weekend
starts off at 10:00a.m. Saturday morning with our Fort Rowdy Gathering Parade
- Rep. John Boehner will hold open door sessions in Covington, Oct. 7,
1997"
THE
COVINGTON STORY
– copy of a letter received
from the Covington-Newberry Historical Society, Feb26 1992
Dear Mr. Covington;
I am writing in answer to your
inquiry about the name Covington; Please accept my apology for taking so long
to answer, I will try to be brief, the following is some of what we have in
the Fort Rowdy Museum, sponsored by the Covington - Newberry Historical Group.
In 1793 Leonard Covington a
lieutenant in the Calvary was sent north on the Ohio River from Fort
Washington, which is now Cincinnati, Ohio and Covington, Kentucky, to this
area where Greenville Creek and the Stillwater River meet and made an
encampment on the east side of the river. Here he established Fort Rowdy,
named after one of the men who helped to build the fort, It was also rumored
that it could have been named after the behavior of the men. A short time
later General Wayne and his troops moved in and soon they signed The Treaty of
Greenville with the Indians. The town of Greenville where this took place is
located about 15 miles from here.
Settlers had begun to come to
this territory but the first to stay was in 1802-03-04, but as the war of 1812
started, and this section was effected, some of the families moved about 15
miles to the east. They then returned after the treaty was signed and the
troops and Indians moved to other areas. The Michael Ingle family was the
first to stay. In 1816 David Wright and Aaron Ullery laid out 36 plots and the
influx of people was good as three main roads come to this point. These men
called the town Friendship and later Oldtown, then Newberry, Trade became
quite accessible and many of the people brought special skills and vocations
with them like wheelwrights, blacksmiths, weavers, bankers etc.
The mail also ran these
routes. One of these roads was called the Pikes Peak and Ocean to Ocean
highway and now state route 36, going east and west. State route 48 starts at
the Ohio River and ends about about 40 miles north of here, running north and
south. State route 41 runs from the southeast to route 48, but used to run
farther west I believe to Greenville. The first post office was named
Stillwater, but in 1835 they adapted the name Covington and it is incorporated
as such. There were soon woolen mills and grist mills and seven stone
quarries. Stone from these quarries were used to form the railroad arches and
several small business buildings still in existence today.
When these people came they
brought with them their faith and desire for education, They started churches
and schools even if there were only a few students at first building larger
ones as the need arose. We now have a building that house kindergarten through
sixth grade, another for 7th and 8th grade and the High School that houses 9th
through 12. For the 11th and 12th grade they can choose to stay at the home
school and take subjects to help them enter college or they can go to a Joint
Vocational School located about six miles away in Piqua to learn a trade and
work part time as they learn. There is also off campus branches of Wright
State and Edison State Universities located in Piqua, We have a Church of the
Brethren and three branches of it, a Grace Brethren, Lutheran, Presbyterian,
United Church of Christ, Catholic and old German Baptist. One of the branches
of the Brethren has their own school. Since 1895 there has been a women's
Literary Club, Other clubs are Avocation, Grandmothers, and 2 garden
clubs. Other organizations include Oddfellow and Rebeccas, Masonic, Eastern
Star, Eagles, Kiwanis, and Optimist.
Service organizations include
American Legion, Amvets and Veterans of Foreign Wars. There is a Ministerial
Association that helps the needy on a short term basis.
The town’s slogan is
"In Covington We Care"
These are the more important
things I can think of at this time.
The following is the important
part of a letter received from a historian at Sackets Harbor, New York in
1988:
General Covington was
stationed at Sackets Harbor, New York and along with General Wilkenson’s
army went to invade Montreal They engaged the British in battle on the
Canadian shore of the St. Laurence River on a location known as Chryslers (Chrystlers)
Farmland on November II, 1813. General Covington fell mortally wounded, and
was buried at French Mills, New York, At American winter quarters and
they named the town Fort Covington, New York
In the early 1800's a
permanent garrison at Sackets Harbor and the new commanding officer
consolidated all burials into one cemetery. Due to the expansion of Madison
Barracks in 1909 and the old cemetery was moved to outside the reservation. In
the transfer confusion set in and records were lost or none were found along
with the deteriorating wooden markers and. some were not located,
The name of General Covington
had remained in obscurity as far as the local people were concerned but in
1988 a movement began to erect a memorial for General Pike but not for
Covington although a marker was placed for him and 11 other notable officers.
In 1989 one of the historians was to try to have a memorial placed by Pikes.
Another letter in 1988 from a
Historical Society in Prince Georges County, Maryland stated that on April 23,
1989, The Prince Georges County Hall of Fame would induct General Covington as
a member at the St. Georges Day Dinner, Riverdale, Maryland.
Hope this may help you in some
small way.
Sincerely, Mary Nickel
Member of Covington-Newberry
Historical Society
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