Known in his lifetime as a suffering “one-hit wonder,” Johnny Black was raised and died in Hamilton before achieving his greatest hit, “Paper Doll.” Local historian Richard O Jones explores Black’s legacy and his death in a bar fight over a quarter.
Category Archives: HEY! Hamilton! Exclusive
Hamilton 1916: A Year in Review
Find out what the big news was in Hamilton 100 years ago in this presentation by historian Richard O Jones at Miami University Hamilton Downtown, February 11, 2016.
Here’s the slide show that accompanied the lecture so that you may follow along.
A Light in Lindenwald: A Chat with Debbie Doerflein
People Helping People/Making a Difference
CLICK HERE to go to the audioBoom host page
HEY!Hamilton! Contributing Editor and Correspondent Emily Simer Braun sits down with Debbie Doerflein, owner and proprietor of Heaven Sent on Pleasant Ave. in Lindenwald to discuss the celebration of the 21st anniversary of the neighborhood anchor business, Heaven Sent, and of her own trials, tribulations, and triumphs through the years.
Heaven Sent is a multi-faceted business with a history and a heart for home. A cafe, gift shop/bookstore, floral shop, bakery, catering service, banquet hall, and wedding chapel, are occupied in the two buildings on Pleasant Avenue. Debbie customizes all orders and services to personal needs, requests, and budget. Her policy is a very personal touch.
Friday Gospel Fest is a new venue, and the bookstore/card and gift shop are brightly revitalized.
Twenty-one years ago, Debbie Doerflein felt called to be “A Light in Lindenwald”. She continues to shed light in the community and has dreams for a Heaven Sent future.
For further information, check www.WeddingsbyHeavenSent.com, or call (513) 856-7368.
Photos by Grace Sandlin
Bill Klaber says ‘Thanks for the memories’
Photos by Donna J. Burns.
Hamilton Whodunit: Who Killed Tom Myers?
Hamilton eagle ‘scouts’ scan the trees for majesty
HEY! Hamilton! Correspondent Emily Simer Braun has been following the trails of the people she calls “Eagle Scouts,” a group of amateur naturalists who have been tracking the comings and goings of the families of bald eagles now living  around the Great Miami River.
The podcast begins with an interview lifelong Hamilton resident Chuck Wells, who said, “I believe the eagles actually chose this area.”
She also spoke to Marcia Hunker Henderson, Kim Hunker and Lisa Glasgow, a formidable trio of scouts. Both Marcia and Lisa made mention of their Native American heritage and felt more connected in their pursuit of the perfect photo–or just an eagle sighting.
For all of them, the eagle is part of their American cultural heritage, giving their new hobby a patriotic mission as well as a photographic one.
These “scouts” are all members of the Bald Eagles of Hamilton Facebook group.
Photos by Lisa Glasgow, Matt Bryant and Chuck Wells. Feature photo by Chuck Wells.
HHS football team ruins Middie homecoming, 34-22
Alberto Zapata carries the American flag, Joey Reece the team flag, as Hamilton takes the field for their game at Barnitz Stadium in Middletown Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Hamilton ruined the Middies homecoming with a 34-22 win.
Hamilton quarterback Steve Cunningham eludes the tackle of Middletown linebacker Jamar Thomas to score a Big Blue touchdown during their game at Barnitz Stadium in Middletown Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Hamilton ruined the Middies homecoming with a 34-22 win.
Hamilton wide receiver A’Shon Riggins escapes the Middletown Middies for a big gain during their game at Barnitz Stadium in Middletown Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Hamilton ruined the Middies homecoming with a 34-22 win.
Hamilton wide receiver John Zapata catches a touchdown pass despite the efforts of Middletown’s Jaevan Wright during their game at Barnitz Stadium in Middletown Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Hamilton ruined the Middies homecoming with a 34-22 win.
Hamilton running back Isaiah Murph tries to avoid Middletown defensive back Marquis Petty during their game at Barnitz Stadium in Middletown Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. Hamilton ruined the Middies homecoming with a 34-22 win.
Photo Gallery: New Miami Homecoming
A Chat at the Father’s House with the Gunnarsons
HEY! Hamilton! Exclusive
Correspondent Emily Simer Braun chats with Daryl and Roxann Gunnarson of The Father’s House, “a place for families to unite in heart and live in community for the common purpose of loving children through foster care and adoption.”
We are restoring The Hamilton Children’s home [on South D Street] that was in service to the Hamilton community from 1860 – 1980. We are making this historic facility into a Foster Community where 6 foster families will live, taking in 12 – 20 foster children.
Also on the scene: Don Reilly, host of the Life of Reilly segment on the entertainment news magazine “X on TV,” airing 1 a.m. late night Fridays on STAR 64. Reilly is also the foster father of three girls, owner of Elegant Home Exterior and one of the benefactors of The Father’s House.
The Jim Blount History Resources at the Lane Library provides an early history of the building:
Orphanages began opening in the United States in the 1830s, encouraged by increased urbanization and immigration. There were few until the Civil War, a bloodletting which quickly multiplied the number of children without food and shelter.
In Butler County more than 300 men lost their lives in the 1861-1865 conflict. The suffering caused by that war extended to thousands, including orphaned children. It was “the sad condition of many fatherless children” which led to creation of the Butler County Children’s Home, explained Mrs. Thomas (Mary) Moore, a member of its first board of trustees.
In January 1869, several Hamilton women met with a goal of “not only giving the children shelter and food, but training their minds that they may become useful men and women.”
That meeting led to incorporation of the Children’s Home Association of Butler County under the leadership of eight trustees. They were Margaret E. Leiter, Jane C. Skinner, Martha Beckett, Ann M. J. Matthias, Anna A. M. McFarland, Emma Phillips, Catherine Sohn and Margaret Dyer.
In May 1869 a house on North C Street was rented at $25 a month. The eight-room house on the west side of C Street between Park and Wayne avenues was placed under the supervision of Mrs. William Tweedy, the first matron.
Later that month, five fatherless boys became the first residents of the home, which served the youth of the area for more than 115 years.
Charitable contributions and a variety of fund-raising events — including concerts and lawn fetes — sustained the home, which soon was too small to handle the demand for its service.
In 1875, the generosity of two Hamilton industrialists and philanthropists enabled the association to expand operations. Clark Lane and E. J. Dyer, partners in business, offered $10,000 if the women could raise $2,000. (Lane also was responsible for starting the Lane Public Library, which still serves the Hamilton-Fairfield-Oxford area.)
After the successful finance campaign, the group bought the Dyer farm near the top of the South D Street hill. The stone house, built about 1850, became the center of what would be the campus of the Butler County Children’s Home for 110 years. The home moved to its new quarters in September 1875.
By the mid 1880s, the home had a staff of more than 20 adults serving 210 children.
Starting in 1872, the association had received some financial support from the Butler County commissioners. But throughout its history — as facilities were modernized and expanded and as services changed — the home relied heavily on public donations of money and time.
For several years “one of the main sources of revenue,” reported Kathleen Neilan Stuckey in a 1936 Journal-News article, “was the dining hall at the fairgrounds where, during the week of the fair each year for almost 20 years, the ladies took charge and worked successfully at the gigantic task of feeding the hundreds who thronged the hall, sure of excellent fare.
“This project netted usually amounts from $300 to $600 — enough to carry the home through the winter months with the donations that were sure to come in around the holidays,” Mrs. Stuckey noted. Contributions ranged from jelly, eggs and sauerkraut to firewood, second-hand clothing and straw for mattresses.
“These bountiful supplies,” Mrs. Stuckey said, “came from all over the county, wakened to the need of its children by the enterprising ladies who did not fail to solicit cooperation, interest and material aid from auxiliary societies” in the county.
In its final years in the 1970s and 1980s, the home’s mission changed to helping about 50 to 60 abused and neglected children, including some from outside the county. It also acquired houses in other Hamilton neighborhoods.
The name was changed to Miami Valley Children’s Home in 1977. It closed in September 1985.
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PHOTO GALLERY: HHS boys soccer loses squeaker to Fairfield
It was a tough loss for Big Blue, but E.L. Hubbard got some amazing photos.
Fairfield striker JP Partlow and Hamilton forward Maycol Castillo battle for the ball during their game at Virgil Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton Tuesday. Fairfield won the GMC contest, 1-0.
Fairfield defender Adam Halsey heads the ball away from Hamilton forward Mark Harris during their game at Virgil Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton Tuesday. Fairfield won the GMC contest, 1-0.
Hamilton forward Mark Harris is pressured by Fairfield defender Brady Bell during their game at Virgil Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton Tuesday. Fairfield won the GMC contest, 1-0.
Hamilton defender Luis Cruz and Fairfield midfielder Brennan Gallo try to head butt the ball during their game at Virgil Schwarm Stadium in Hamilton Tuesday. Fairfield won the GMC contest, 1-0.
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