HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEST CHESTER

On June 2, 1823, a 35-square-mile section near the southwest corner of Ohio was established as Union Township. The County Commissioners met and petitioned for the division of Liberty Township in order to create the new township. In the year 2000, residents voted to claim the name West Chester Township.

From humble beginnings rooted in agriculture, neighborhoods like Gano, Pisgah, Maude, Mechanicsburg, and Port Union established along transportation roots with churches and schools building sense of community. Families, shopkeepers and entrepreneurs built a community that continues to thrive today.

Starting in June 2023, West Chester will celebrate its bicentennial year! The entire community is encouraged to be a part of planning our year-long party. If you have ideas or want to be part of a volunteer team dedicated to this celebration, please reach out to mdexter@westchesteroh.org president Mary Jo Bicknell. “Families have been sharing bits of our history with us for years and now there is a permanent place to share our story.”

The West Chester School (often referred to as the Station Road Schoolhouse) was constructed on the foundation of a one-room schoolhouse that was destroyed by fire in 1900. The original one-room schoolhouse was built in the 1870s.

The two-room West Chester School, which will now be the West Chester History Center, was constructed in 1900 and served as a school until 1916 when the larger school building in Olde West Chester was constructed.

Former Schoolhouse Transforms to History Center

The two-room West Chester School on Station Road has a long storied past and soon it will be open as a center to celebrate and share our community history.

The West Chester – Union Township Historical Society has been busily working to ready displays and resources that visitors will experience when they visit the West Chester History Center, 6670 Station Road, later this year.

“Our displays are curated from the collections of our community’s earliest families,” said historical society

The West Chester School building on Station Road was then sold as a private home and was occupied by several different families until West Chester Township purchased the building in 1999. West Chester preserved the property, working with the historical society and others to make some restorations; and in 2019 sold the property to the West Chester – Union Township Historical Society for $1.00 for the purpose of creating a local museum.

“So many residents think of West Chester the way it is now, but a lot of things came before,” Bicknell said. “Our community history is often overlooked, but I think many people would find it quite interesting.”

With the opening of the History Center coinciding with Ohio Open Doors weekend (September 2022) and West Chester Township bicentennial year (2023), volunteers of the historical society hope the community becomes more engaged in learning about our local history.

Learn more about how to get involved in the West Chester – Union Township Historical Society, by connecting with them on Facebook.