Springfield, Ohio: The City at the End of the Road

SPRINGFIELD, OHIO was founded by white folk in 1801 but was originally home to the Shawnee, who had a major village closer to the nearby town of Piqua.

Springfield is situated in southwestern Ohio along the Mad River, with around 60K people in the city proper and more than twice that many in the greater Springfield metro area. It is located 25 miles north of Dayton and 45 miles west of Columbus.

Allegedly, the city was named after Springfield, Massachusetts but some say the wife of Simon Kenton named it in honour of all the natural springs nearby.

A CITY WITH MANY NAMES
Springfield has many nicknames like the “City at the End of the Road” because the notorious National Road runs through it.

It is known as the “Floral Center of the World” and the “City of Roses” because of the millions of roses and rose bushes grown there and shipped globally. During the 1910s and 1920s there were around three dozen greenhouses that produced more roses than any other place in the world, and the city remains a top producer today.

Springfield is also known as the “Champion City” after the famous Champion Reaper Company that produces farm equipment was founded there in the mid-1800s. In 1902, Champion was bought out by International Harvester which became the country’s leading manufacturer.

SUPER FUN FACT (For me, anyways)
The most interesting thing I learned about Springfield so far, is that Champion is also the name of an embalming solutions company founded and based there. It was founded in 1878 and is still in operation, making it the oldest embalming fluid company in the world.

Its ENIGMA products are marketed as “ultra-low enviro-impact Chemo stasis Infusion Chemicals” and, when released around 2010, were the first and only of its kind to meet the Green Burial Council’s eco-certification criteria for natural and green burials.

As an advocate for home funerals and natural burials, and being horrified by the damage embalming fluid does to the environment, I will still acknowledge a step in a much better direction.

They also have their ongoing body of work, Champion Expanding Encyclopedia of Mortuary Practices, if you also like to keep up with modern deathcare practices.

FAMOUS PEOPLE & PLACES
Some of Springfield’s major attractions are the Wittenberg University liberal arts college, the Gammon House that is famous for being a stop on the Underground Railroad, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House, and the Little Miami Scenic Trail which is an 80-miles long paved rail-trail that connects to Milford, Ohio.

Springfield is the birthplace of several respected scientists like physical anthropologist/biologist Edward Eyre Hunt, Jr., botanist/ecologist/natural historian, Hugh M. Raup, and cryologist/lichenologist Carolyn Wilson Harris.

It is the original home of musician John Legend, silent film stars Lillian & Dorothy Gish, Grey’s Anatomy actor Justin Williams Chambers, and my very own late paternal grandparents.

Actor/comedian Jonathan Winters grew up in Springfield. Albert Belmont Graham, founder of the 4-H Movement in 1902, was from around those parts as well.

The iconic Weimar Era and Interwar Period photographer, Berenice Abbott, holds a special place in my Weimar-obsessed heart and she was born in Springfield.

Several murals around Springfield pay homage to its great scientists, entrepreneurs, athletes, and artists.

ART & CULTURE
Speaking of art, the Springfield Museum of Art is the only Smithsonian Affiliate museum in Ohio at this time. Stop in to visit the current exhibits in any of its eight galleries.

For more art, check out Project Jericho and this Springfield Public Art Walking Tour.

Springfield is the county seat of Clark County which has 40 listings on the National Register of Historic Places. A few of those include the Clark County Heritage Center, the Masonic Temple, and the Westcott House.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s famous Westcott House was built over the span of a decade and completed in 1926. The home was a literal work of art and was named for its owner, Burton J. Westcott of Westcott Motor Car Company.

The home is often described as a sprawling two-story stucco house and features a “prairie style” low pitched roof with broad eaves. Out of all of Wright’s famous homes, this is his only prairie style house in Ohio.

It was taken over by the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy in 2000 then sold to the Westcott House Foundation in 2005. It serves as a museum now and you can book a guided tour.

The Clark County Heritage Center & Historical Society is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and interpretation of Clark County’s history. Check out their archives and events calendar for more info.

Pennsylvania House Museum and the Simon Kenton Inn are two more places to visit for learning Springfield’s history.

OUTDOORS
Buck Creek State Park, George Rogers Clark Park, Cedar Bog Nature Preserve and, Mad River Gorge & Nature Reserve are some of the most beautiful spots in and around Springfield.

Snyder Park along Buck Creek is definitely a local favourite.

The Hartman Rock Garden is an infamous local oddity, and the stuff that Atlas Obscura and Roadside America are made of.

Back in the 1930s and 1940s, a self-taught artist named Ben Hartman built this miniature city of stones, found objects, and toys.

After his passing, the Kohler Foundation purchased and restored the work of art. Today it is maintained by Friends of the Hartman Rock Garden and volunteer gardeners.

The website says that this small but fascinating masterpiece has drawn hundreds of thousands of visitors over the years. It is located in a quiet neighbourhood outside of town and parking is mostly along the side of the road between homes.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK
Mother Stewart’s Brewing is a local favourite, and the building’s alley is full of rad mixed media music murals (check out that alliteration!) to the right.

Speakeasy Ramen was just voted “Best Ramen in America” by Family Destinations Guide and is known for its ramen flights, so you can have it all.

Stella Bleu Bistro is one of the top rated restaurants in Springfield and it is also known for its Springfield postcard mural I shared at the start of this blog.

Perhaps next time I go back to visit grandma in Ferncliff Cemetery, I will know a little more about Springfield’s nightlife. Any suggestions?

In the area for a while? Follow me to Dayton, Tipp City, Troy, Yellow Springs, Hamilton, Middletown, and Cincinnati.

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