SITE STILL UNDER CONSTRUCTION
City of Hamilton, Ohio
The City of Hamilton, Ohio has three officially designated historic districts: 1) Rossville Historical District, 2) German Village Historical District, and 3) Dayton/Campbell Historical District. However, there are other historically significant areas which perhaps some day might get their own historic district designation or be "annexed" into existing historical districts.
This website is being set up by a homeowner on Prospect Hill.
Who first developed Prospect Hill?
A local historian wrote that "Prospect Hill" was developed around 1893 by Peter Thomson, founder of Champion Paper Co. for housing for factory workers. Historical data confirms that in 1891 Mr. Thomson purchased the Thomas Rhea farm west of the Great Miami River along North B Street (formerly Seven Mile Pike) extending westward and divided it into two subdivisions.... "Grand View" and "Prospect Hill". The Black Street Bridge was then built in 1893 and Champion Paper began production in 1894.However, early historical data in a 1919 book Memoirs of The Miami Valley stated that five years earlier "all thirty-five lots on "Prospect Hill" were purchased by Joseph W. Doron from Asa Shuler in 1888". (In 1888 Peter Thomson's "Prospect Hill" was undeveloped.) Obviously, there is a discrepancy regarding who really developed "Prospect Hill".
Old city plat books show the area on the hill bordered by Jackson Street (formerly Smith Street) on the south, by North D Street on the west, by North C Street on the east (formerly Terrace Avenue), and by the small park where North D and C Streets meet on the north was named "Doron's Addition". The plat books also show at least thirty-five lots in the addition which confirms the 1919 historical literature that stated "all thirty-five lots on Prospect Hill were purchased by Joseph W. Doron".
In 1889 Joseph Doron built the family home at 329 N C Street on three of the thirty-five lots he bought from Asa Shuler in 1888. According to a second historical reference, the house was the second house built on "Prospect Hill". Joseph W. Doron's obituary in 1922; a third historical source; also stated "he erected a beautiful home on Prospect Hill".
Thus, the historical data shows that the land Joseph Doron bought was the original "Prospect Hill" but when he filed his plat for development in 1888-1889 it was called "Doron's Addition". Three years later Peter Thomson used the name "Prospect Hill" when he filed his plat for development of the land he bought years later.
The Doron Home
Who was Joseph Doron? NEXT PAGE
