Lying between Twin Creek on the east and Elk Creek on the west is a lively stream known as Browns Run. It enters the Great Miami River just north of Middletown airport and its sandy mouth can be seen from Carmody Boulevard. This rocky, bubbling creek reaches up into Montgomery County, draining one of the most picturesque valleys in Ohio. Each fall its hillsides are clothed in a myriad of colors matched only in the mountains and hills of southern Indiana and eastern Kentucky and Tennessee or even could be mistaken for a scene in Switzerland. Local residents drive thousands of miles to catch such beauty not realizing nature provides a similar display in northern Madison Township.

Richard Brown wouldn't recognize his Brown's Run of today. This pioneer came to the Miami Valley in 1798. With a group of settlers he had left the east for Kentucky, but hearing of a new land available in Ohio crossed the river. Brown was a member of a party headed by Samuel Hawkins, a Colonel in the American Revolution.

At that time the land had not yet been surveyed, and the men became squatters. Brown found the vallev, which was to bear his name, very primitive, covered by forests and filled with wild beasts. A few Shawnee Indians still lived along the creek. Brown built the typical log cabin, cleared patches of land for farming, and hunted in the forest for wild game. He found the trees largely those of hickory, ash and birch. Then there were the cedar trees, one of which was reported to be 4 feet in diameter. It stood on a hill 200 feet above the creek on what became the Wagner farm.

For cash income Brown and fellow pioneers trapped for furs, and once or twice a year went to Cincinnati to sell the skins and bring back staples.

Later there was a trading post near the intersection of Meyers and Browns Run Roads. Among the items sold were potash, tobacco, rum, whiskey, corn meal and flour. The post accepted wheat and oats in trade as well as muskrat hides at $.25 each, raccoon pelts at $.35 deer skins at $.50 to $ 1.00.

When a land survey was completed in 1801 by Israel Ludlow, a few of the squatters on Browns Run stayed on, purchasing their property. Most of the original group moved on, either too poor or not wishing to remain. However Richard Brown and a friend, Conrad Eisele, a German from North Carolina, stayed. Most of their original party had settled the land in the neighboring Twin Creek valleys, and one founded Germantown.

A very early historian. Rev. J. P. Hentz, wrote: "Richard Brown lived on Browns Run. It is from him that stream has received its name. This Run was then a mere rivulet, and was confined to a narrow channel. The bottoms adjoining it were quite as rich and productive as those of the Twins, but when the trees along its banks were cut down, it began to widen, until its adjoining rich surface soil was washed away."

Early pioneers sought out the level and most fertile farmland. The bottom land along Browns Run was good, although very limited in acreage. First to have been settled was the land along the Great Miami River but, once claimed, settlers had to search for new lands. Such was the situation in 1805 when Henry Huffman, whose father, Joseph, had settled in Liberty Township, set out looking for a farm of his own. By foot lie trudged up Browns Run, finding an attractive piece of land. fie purchased it from the U.S. government at the going rate of $1 per
acre--320 acres.

When the first Atlas of the county was published, it shows no road along Browns Run itself, although to the north was an unimproved road known today as Hetzler Road. The late Calvin Long was able to explain this from a story told him by his father, Wilson Long. The early pioneers simply used the creek bed itself as a roadway. It was graveled and rough, but during the day a horse could make Its way down to the mouth and pick up the turnpike to Middletown. One didn't travel in rainy weather or at night when the horse might break its leg. Long said, "the further upstream you went, the rougher it got."

In section 3, Madison Township near Thomas Road at the south end of the old Williamson farm, (later Bowlus), a millrace took off down through the neighboring Gebhart farm (See 1875 Atlas of Butler County.) A dam had been built just north of Thomas Road to feed the race. Paul Bowlus recalled that his grandfather, Peter Gebhart, had once operated a grist mill along the race. Farther south was another mill site for a saw mill, but adjacent to the grist mill was an old woolen factory. Thus in this area along the millrace were three industries to supply basic human needs. The grist mill provided food, grinding wheat into flour, and corn into meal; the saw mill provided lumber for building; and the woolen mill produced cloth for clothing. The dam and race were built sometime during the decade of the 1830's. Some may wonder how Browns Run could have had enough water to run mill wheels. It should be remembered that once the stream was fed by a forest-covered land, which served as a natural reservoir providing a more even and larger flow.

The woolen mill must have done a good business and turned out a surplus of cloth for sale. The hilly nature of the area led to its being good sheep country, so there would be a wool surplus. It is thought that William Emelilte built the mill, for he advertised in the "Middletown Mail"--the local newspaper, on May 11, 1839, that he did country carding, fulling and manufacturing of cloth. He requested that wool he purchased, be in good order, with one pound of lard to every 8 pounds of wool. It is likely he sold the mill, for by Aug. 24, 1839 another advertisement appeared in the "Mail" which read: "Country Weaving--T. Lagget, respectfully informs his old customers and the public generally, that he has removed to Browns Run, about 5 miles north of Middletown ... where he is prepared to execute all orders in his lines with neatness and dispatch. fie would also inform the public that his brother, James Lagget, is prepared to attend to all orders in the above business at Middletown, his establishment is situated on Broad St..."

While the Browns Run woolen mill produced a common cloth widely used for everyday work clothes, calicoes and fancy yard goods were obtained from peddlers. One peddler well-known in the township was a Mr. Mason, who often stayed with the Huntsbargers on Browns Run. Before setting up his own store in Middletown in 1852, Simon Goldman canvassed the countryside. Peddlers were welcome guests for they brought, not only needed items, but the latest news from the outside world.

It is also known that linen was woven perhaps on farms, for a sample of the material is found at the Canal Museum in Middletown. Linen was made from flax.

Artisans and craftsmen also lived on the Run. They set up small shops on their farms-there were blacksmiths, shoemakers, carpenters who built furniture and even coffins when needed. There was a buggy and wagon maker. These had all disappeared by 1900, but a few
still living can recall in later years the cider press and sorghum making mill on Browns Run ... these are described in detail elsewhere in the book.

During the 1920's the hilly nature of Browns Run led some to speculate that there might be oil hidden under that rough terrain. A few wells were drilled and some natural gas was discovered but not enough to warrant development. Lest this seems far-fetched, some people in Middletown drilled wells and actually capped them and ran out gas lines to heat homes.

Old Browns Run was essentially a farming community. The typical Browns Run farmer kept three horses, two for work and one to put] the buggy. The usual destination on Saturday afternoon was Middletown where farmers went to trade farm produce, eggs and butter, and perhaps fruit and vegetables for staples. They also made other necessary purchases. Some farmers attended market. Some of the names on the mail boxes in the early part of the The 20th Century read: Myers, Cass, Williamson, Hauselman, Crout, Huntsbarger, Gephart, Hetzler, Bowlus, Temple, Selby, Banker, Kemp, Hinkle, etc.

At times the people of Browns Run seemed quaint to the sophisticated citizens of a growing Middletown. They often came to the city in outdated buggies and old-fashioned clothes.

Madison Township historian, the late Alice Hollenbaugh wrote of the bad condition of the Browns Run roads in the early 20th century. Although farmers had automobiles, they had to use their horse and buggy to get to Middletown during the winter months. Hollenbaugh noted that a group went to the County Courthouse, begging for a bridge across Browns Run.

The standard practice then being for horses and even automobiles to ford the creek. Bridges along with improved roads finally came after George M. Verity, Armco president in 1935 began buying up land along the Run for his progressive Niderdale farms project. Verity's interest in the area and the establishment of the golf course and riding stables eventually changed peoples' perception of the Run.

Many of the sons and grandsons of the first settlers of Madison volunteered for the Civil War. Middletown, Lemon and Madison townships sent about 500 men to that war, most joining the Ist, 2nd, 35th and 69th Ohio Volunteer Infantries. The isolated hills of Browns Run provided a safe meeting place for those opposed to the war, Lottie Moon often visited the area as the "Ambassadress of the Northwest." She emerged as the South's most valuable and clever spy and courier, spiriting contraband- -secret documents, letters and drugs for the wounded--across the Mason-Dixon line. Newspapers described this as "commerce between Butler County, Ohio and Dixie."

The Moon family had migrated to Oxford from Virginia, and still had close relations there, so they were naturally Southern sympathizers. When the Civil War broke out, James Clark also supported the Southern cause. Both firmly believed the South had a right to secede, and both willingly aided the Confederates.

Lottie became involved in the secret, and illegal activities of the Knights of the Golden Circle, also known as the American Knights and Sons of Liberty. In Ohio in 1864 under the name of Knights of the Golden Circle their estimated number was 40,000 members. Illinois claimed 84,000 and Indiana 50,000 with more scattered throughout the states of the Northwest. The members were all involved in a major conspiracy to erect a new nation in the Northwest by secession. The plan was to establish another Confederacy--a new Republic. Thus
there would have been three nations on the territory once occupied by the United States.

The Knights of the Golden Circle, had a secret Constitution providing its national head would be the supreme commander, thus commander- in-c hief of all military sources belonging to the order. There was a state grand commander, and the military order funneled down to the township, with its leader a captain.

Madison Township had an active chapter of the Knights of the Golden Circle, and the hills of Browns Run, with its almost inaccessible roads provided sites for secret meeting places. their contact with the main organization was through Lottie Moon. Lottie would often speak at their meetings.

The grand commander of the Knights in 1864 was Clement L. Vallandingham, who had been the Butler County and Third Congressional District Representative in Congress, and who had made a good showing running for governor in 1863. He asked for the "cessation of hostilities" and support for the Northwestern Confederacy, of which he would have been president.

There is now a large settlement of professional people living in the area of the chic country club and golf course. But many middle-income citizens have also discovered the valley which offers beauty, peace, quiet and clean air. They can be found along the main drag of Browns Run--Hetzler roads on out to Rocky Road and Montgomery County. Even NoMan's Road, separated into two parts by no road, has residents, most on the western end, however.

For the writer of this text Browns Run Road and Hetzler Road, named for a great grandmother are roads of memory, for this is the land of forefathers on both the maternal and paternal sides. The shadows of their lives still haunts those hills and give life to the family stories dating back to the American Revolution and even beyond that to beginnings in the old country.

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