Wilder History
Wilder is a community that includes the original Johns Hill
German community, with the Ohio River on the west side and Highland Heights on
the east. Johns Hill was the part of the history of the pioneer German Catholic
settlements in rural Campbell County, prior to the mid-1800s. Wilder
traces its roots to Leitch's Station, which comes from
David Leitch.
The Wilder name dates to a railroad station for the Louisville, Cincinnati and
Lexington Railway, built in the mid-1800s. An 1883 Campbell County atlas
shows, "Wilder Station" on what is now part of Newport Steel property.
Other 1883 landmarks were the Licking Turnpike and J Hahn's ice house.
Development of the Wilder area began in earnest in 1895 with the construction of Queen City Race Track. The track closed in January 1905 and was sold to pay debts. A steel plant was built on the site and has operated under various names-Swift, Andrews, Interlake and since 1891 Newport Steel. The area also was known for dairies including Jansing Dairy and Feldman Dairy both on Licking Pike. The Feldman Dairy Barn now serves as the Wilder police station.
Wilder was incorporated March 14, 1935 and
appointed trustees were:
A J Graf-chairman
Raymond B Keuper
Henry J Feldman
Fred Sauerbeck
Albert Luersen
Frank Torline-Police judge
Fred Luersen-town marshall
Denis Haley-city assessor
Johns Hill Elementary School #1 was an original log one room school building. It became unsound and was torn down in 1907. In 1908, Johns Hill Elementary School #2 was built. It was a one room frame and it closed in 1936. Located on Johns Hill Road, right past Northern Kentucky University, it is today used as a home.
Saint John the Baptist Catholic Church
at 641 Licking Pike. A group of nine Catholic families from
southern Germany, who had settled at the present site of Johns Hill, were
eagerly seeking the consolation of religion. This group consisted of the
families of:
Simon Burkhardt
Xavier Koss
John Lahner
Adam Reibel
Ignazt Ruschman
Adam Siebert
Jacob Sendelbach
Lawrence Weingartner
Steffney
St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery-dedicated in 1870 by the Corpus Christi parish and still is use today, and is located next to St. John the Baptist Church. For listings see the Cemeteries Index
In 1847 a log house was built on the present Johns Hill Road and where a priest from Newport could offer mass. During the succeeding ten years, it also served as a school. On June 24, 1857, lightening struck this building and it burned to the ground. School was temporarily conducted in the home of John Eligh. A new church was built and dedicated November 25, 1858 at Johns Hill Road and Licking Pike next to the St. Josephs Catholic Cemetery. Its called the St John The Baptist Catholic Church.
Wiggins Battery named for Samuel Wiggins, a Cincinnati banker and developer and Holt Battery named for Kentucky born Union Brig. General Joseph Holt, a secretary of war under President James Buchanan, were built in the Wilder area during the Civil War.