Ye Old Colerain Farm House

So I mentioned in my first post about the farm house I grew up in located Colerain Township, Hamilton County, Ohio. Here is a little bit more about that house.

The Farm House in 2005. Many days spent on that wonderful porch swing.

The land was part of the Symmes Purchase and was bought by Benjamin Davis, sometime before 1834. He is shown in the 1840 U.S. Census living in Colerain Township with his wife, Mary (Corson) Davis and their two daughters. They eventually had seven children. Mary passed away in 1881 and Benjamin in 1887 and are both buried in the United Bethel Cemetery across the street from the house. Benjamin Davis was a founder of the local Bethel United Brethren Church:

"The Bethel United Brethren Church was established by Rev. Thomas Thompson meeting at William Shipman's wagon shop. In addition to Shipman early members were Parmenus, Ithamar and Swain Corson, John Dean and Benjamin Davis, who gave the land for the church and cemetery. It was built in 1855..."  (Wells, Ruth J.; Colerain Township Revisited; Colerain Township Historical Society, Cincinnati, 1994; pg. 46)

It then passed to Elias Frey, who was a blacksmith. He was living here during the Civil War, when Morgan's Raiders came through Hamilton County. Pictures can be seen here: Colerain Township By Frank Scholle, Don Linz

"Mr. Elias Frey, Marty Frey’s grandfather, operated a shop in the 1850's. During the Civil War, Morgan’s Raiders passed through this area, and forced the Frey's at gunpoint to shoe their horses. Elias, Jr. took over the business later. Another son, Louis, operated a “wagon maker” shop next to the blacksmith shop."
Researched by Dennis Haskamp and published in the October 2009 Coleraine Historical Society Pageant. Reference

Here is a map from 1869, showing E. Frey, J. Lebrock (Leibrook) and Benjamin Davis' properties:

David Rumsey Historical Map Collection; 1869; Authors – Harrison, Robert H.; Titus, Clarence O., C.O. Titus, Philadelphia

The U.B. Church is at the corner where the cemetery still exists today. You can also see other members of the Davis family owned property in this area as well. We believe the house was actually on the Liebrook property here.

In the 1930's, the Kress family lived here. We had the opportunity to interview two of the sisters, who gave us lots of information. In the late 1940's, the Teuschler family owned it and at some point, turned it into a two family house. The living room was divided so a bedroom would be on the first floor and a kitchen was added on the second floor. There was a separate side door entrance to the upstairs.

My mom always dreamed of owning a "big, old farmhouse" and in 1979, her dream came true. We finally had enough space for all of us; Dad and Mom and five kids. The house came with almost an acre of land, since the building of I-275 was built on the northern part of the original parcel. It also had a barn for us to explore (and for my brothers to turn into the "party barn") and an old garage that had once held pigs. The garage had originally been a building from the Lotspeich School (which is now part of the Seven Hills School) which was dismantled and brought to the land and rebuilt as a animal pen and garage.
 
The house stayed in my family until 2005. Mom had passed away suddenly in 2002. Dad was getting remarried and moving to his new wife's home. I think most of my siblings would have loved to buy it, but none of us were in the position to do so at the time. The current owners have made some nice improvements that I see when I drive by, like adding a wooden fence to the front yard. It's nice to see someone taking good care of "her". 

One last look before it was sold.