Dakota Lefker Lefker 1
Mrs. Terry
English Composition
December 5, 2014
Historical Buildings in Milford From The Ground Up
Milford has a very long history dating back to the early 1800’s, and the driving force behind the town has always been it’s businesses. There have been many businesses come and go, but they have all made Milford into what it is today. It doesn’t matter what kind of business it is, the citizens have always been supportive and kept them thriving. Milford has come a very long way since it’s beginning, and has grown into one of the biggest towns in the Cincinnati area.
People from all over the area have come to Milford to shop and get things that they can not get themselves in their hometowns. Milford became an official village of Ohio on January 23, 1836, and then on March 28 later that year the first town elections were held. Some of the most famous buildings in Milford history are the first mill, the Milcroft Inn, Adam’s Bakery, Balzhiser’s Ice
Cream Shop, Gatch’s General Store, the Ernst Family Theatre, the Milford Shopping Center, and the Promont house.
MILL FORD
The very beginning of Milford dates back to 1818 when John Hageman decided to build a mill close to the East Fork of the Little Miami River. This is where Milford first got it’s name when it was originally known as Mill Ford. According to The History of Milford Ohio, “The name
“Milford” had come into wide use; attributed to the newspaper changing it in Feb.1806 as it was the first safe ford north of the Ohio River across the Little Miami River. The ford is still a shallow place recognizable today as it was when one had to ford the stream to get to the mill.”
This was the only mill in the area, and many people came and settled around it. Even people that

Dakota Lefker Lefker 2
Mrs. Terry
English Composition
December 5, 2014 didn’t live around the mill came to use it, because it was the closest one to them. Once people started to settle around it, the businesses began to spring up and a small town was formed. The old mill was the catalyst for starting Milford off to what it has become today almost 200 years later. After starting a very bright future for a great town, the old mill that was the icon of Milford burnt down in 1920, 102 years after it was built.
The old Milford mill attracted many settlers to come and live in Milford, and these people started businesses to make money and help the community. This was the beginning of a long road for the businesses of Milford, and a road that is still being paved today by all of the new businesses going up, and the old ones coming to an end. This is a road that will never come to an end, as long as the citizens of

Milford continue to support and

endorse these businesses. The

business world has completely

evolved since 1818 and

Milford has always been up to

date with the technology of the

rest of the country. They have

kept up with the times and

have always been a leader in the

business world for the

communities around them. This

is a picture of John Hageman,

who built the old Mill Ford and

helped start the great town of Milford.
MILCROFT INN
When Milford first started there were 46 plots laid out by John Hageman. He laid these 46 lots in between eight streets. Three of the these streets ran parallel to the river, and the other five

Dakota Lefker Lefker 3
Mrs. Terry
English Composition
December 5, 2014 crossed the others towards the river. The very first lot was the most expensive lot in the whole town because that was where the Milcroft Inn was located, which was built in 1806.