Historical Walking Tours Offered
The Piqua Tourism Council, in cooperation with the Local History department of the Piqua Public Library and Mainstreet Piqua have teamed up to offer four different walking tours of Piqua to occur this spring and fall. The tour series starts on Saturday, April 22 with a tour of the Jewish Cemetery and Hollow Park. The tour will begin at 10:30 AM at the main entrance to Hollow Park located on Scot Drive (Off East Ash Street by the Cracker Barrel). The tour will explore the Hollow Park area and go into the history of the naturally spring fed Hollow Park swimming area and how the construction of Interstate 75 impacted the area. The tour will include discussion of the park as it is today and a visit to the historic Jewish Cemetery site in the area.
The second tour in the series will be on Saturday, May 20 and will be a Johnston Farm Cemetery Tour. Tour participants will meet at the main parking area at Johnston Farm and Indian Agency, 9845 N. Hardin Road. The Johnston Farm cemetery is filled with members of the Johnston family and this tour will be a fascinating look at their family tragedies and the challenges of living in Ohio in the 1840s. You will be able to learn about the family, their role in Piqua’s development and how the cemetery is preserved today. This tour will include lots of walking.
The next tour, entitled “Go West to Wilder and the surrounding area architectural tour” will be on Saturday, September 9 at 10:30 AM. The tour will begin at the site of the former Wilder Intermediate School at 1120 Nicklin Avenue and this tour will look at the architecture of the homes in the twentieth century neighborhood surrounding the former Wilder school (1925) and discuss the development of the entire area. Participants will learn the fascinating history of the Nicklin eagle and learn about the many neighborhood businesses that dot the area.
The final tour in the series will be on the “Unknown John Johnston and his land” and will be Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 a.m. Once again participants will gather in the main parking lot of the Johnston Farm & Indian Agency, 9845 N Hardin Road. The tour will discuss how John Johnston was a man of many facets and impacted many parts of Ohio and America’s history. This tour will highlight the varied aspects of the man, his contributions, and the rich history of the place he and his family called home.
Each tour in the series will last approximately two hours. Tickets are available for the tours at $5.00 each. Tickets may be purchased at the Mainstreet Piqua office at 326 North Main. A 2017 walking tour brochure is also available from the Mainstreet Piqua office. The tours will be led by Piqua historian Jim Oda and Johnston Farm & Indian Agency director Andy Hite. This project is sponsored by the Piqua Tourism Council with additional assistance from Mainstreet Piqua and the Piqua Public Library. Call Mainstreet Piqua at 773-9355 for additional information.
