Historic Sites

Visitors can explore several historic sites and cemeteries located in or near the parks. Unless otherwise noted, all historic sites are open to the public during regular park hours. 

The Augspurger House

The Augspurger Historic Home at Chrisholm MetroPark
  • The Chrisholm MetroPark Historic Farmstead and the Augspurger House are remnants of a once thriving Amish agricultural community in Butler County. 
  • The Augspurger House is managed in partnership with The Friends of Chrisholm and the house's interior is open the third Sunday of every month from April-September. The house is also open to the public during various programs and special events. 
  • For more information about the farmstead's history, visit the Friends of Chrisholm's website.
  • To explore the property's historic marker, click here.

Pioneer Church & Burial Grounds

Pioneer Church and cemetery at Indian Creek MetroPark in fall
  • The Indian Creek Regular Baptist Church was founded in 1810 and construction of the brick church began in 1829.
  • The burial grounds adjacent to Pioneer Church contain the graves of early settlers to Reily Township.
  • The property is managed in partnership with the Pioneer Church & Burial Grounds Restoration Committee. 
  • The burial grounds are open April 15-November 15, and Pioneer Church is open during the annual Salute to Pioneers and during scheduled programming.
  • Click here to view the Indian Creek Baptist Church Digital Records at Miami University. 
  •  To explore the property's historic marker, click here.

Bunker Hill Cemetery

Headstones in Bunker Hill Cemetery at Indian Creek MetroPark
  • The Bunker Hill Cemetery is the final resting place for settlers of Bunker Hill and Reily Township, as well as Revolutionary War, War of 1812 and Civil War veterans. 
  • Although the Bunker Hill Universalist Church that once stood on this site burned in 1924, the church's cemetery remains.
  • The cemetery is burial site for the Bressler brothers, one of whom fought and died for the Union Army, and one who fought for the Confederacy. 
  • To explore the property's historic marker, click here.

The Black Covered Bridge

Bridge and Field at Mill Race
  • Visitors to the Mill Race Area of Four Mile Creek MetroPark will walk through the Black Covered Bridge to access the park's trails. 
  • The Black Covered Bridge is the only covered bridge in Butler County still located on its original site and was built circa 1868.
  • The bridge is managed by the City of Oxford.  For more information about the bridge click here.
  • To explore the property's historic marker, click here.

Pioneer Village

Bebb Cabin in snow at Governor Bebb MetroPark

The Voice of America Bethany Relay Station

Paddling access for ponds at Meadow Ridge

Miami Canal

Remnants of the Miami Canal Rentschler
  • Ohio's canals were an important means of transportation for both goods and people in the 1800's.
  • Around 1827, boats were utilizing a portion of the Miami-Erie Canal constructed near the Great Miami River in Rentschler Forest MetroPark.
  • By 1845, the Miami-Erie Canal had grown substantially and joined Toledo and Cincinnati by water, significantly speeding up the flow of goods, communication and people between the two cities.
  • To explore the property's historic marker, click here.

Fairfield Baptist/Line-Shafer Farm Cemetery

Historic Cemetery at Rentschler Forest
  • The Fairfield Baptist Church/Line-Shafer Farm Cemetery is located in Line Hill Mound MetroPark.
  • The cemetery's graves date from the 1810's-1850's. 
  • For more information about the cemetery, click here.