Editing Hamilton, Ohio (section)

==History==
{{refimprove section|date=August 2023}}

===Fort Hamilton===
[[File:Image from page 7 of "The centennial anniversary of the city of Hamilton, Ohio" (1892) (14591442890).jpg|thumb|An 1892 depiction of Fort Hamilton in the 1790s]]
Hamilton originated as Fort Hamilton, named to honor [[Alexander Hamilton]], first [[United States Secretary of the Treasury|Secretary of the Treasury]]. The fort was constructed in September through October 1791 by General [[Arthur St. Clair]], governor of the [[Northwest Territory]]. It was the first of several built north from [[Fort Washington (Ohio)|Fort Washington]] into Indian territory. The fort was built to serve as a supply station for the troops of St. Clair during his campaign in the [[Northwest Indian War]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Fort_Hamilton |title=Fort Hamilton |website=Ohio History Central |access-date=October 1, 2019}}</ref> Later, it was used by General "Mad" [[Anthony Wayne]]. It was located {{convert|28|mi|km}} upstream from the mouth of the [[Great Miami River]], where the river is shallow during normal flow and easily forded on its gravelly bottom by men, animals, and wagons. In 1792, the fort was enlarged with a stable area by General Wayne. The fort was abandoned in 1796 after the signing of the [[Treaty of Greenville]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hamilton, Ohio - Ohio History Central |url=https://ohiohistorycentral.org/w/Hamilton,_Ohio |access-date=February 23, 2023 |website=ohiohistorycentral.org}}</ref>

===Settlement and growth===
A settlement grew up around Fort Hamilton and was platted as Fairfield in 1794. By 1800, Hamilton was becoming an agricultural and regional trading town. The town was platted, government was seated, and the town named by 1803.

Hamilton was first incorporated by act of the [[Ohio General Assembly]] in 1810, but lost its status in 1815 for failure to hold elections. It was reincorporated in 1827 with Rossville, the community across the Great Miami River in [[St. Clair Township, Butler County, Ohio|St. Clair Township]]. The two places severed their connection in 1831 only to be rejoined in 1854. Designated the county seat, this became a city in 1857. On March 14, 1867, Hamilton withdrew from the townships of [[Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio|Fairfield]] and [[St. Clair Township, Butler County, Ohio|St. Clair]] to form a "[[paper township]]", but the city government is dominant.<ref>{{cite court|litigants=The State ex rel. St. Clair Township Bd. of Trustees v. Hamilton|vol=156|reporter=Ohio St.3d|opinion=272|pinpoint=18|court=[[Ohio Supreme Court|Ohio]]|date=March 5, 2019|url=https://www.supremecourt.ohio.gov/rod/docs/pdf/0/2019/2019-Ohio-717.pdf#page=8}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=City Might Owe Township Tax Payments, But Court Will Not Order It|first=Dan|last=Trevas|work=Court News Ohio|publisher=[[Supreme Court of Ohio]] Office of Public Information|location=Columbus, Ohio|date=March 5, 2019|access-date=July 18, 2021|url=http://www.courtnewsohio.gov/cases/2019/SCO/0305/170563.asp}}</ref>

On the afternoon of September 17, 1859, [[Abraham Lincoln]] arrived at the [[Hamilton station (Ohio)|Hamilton Station]] (the station is on the city's Historic Preservation list). He gave a campaign speech in support of his fellow Republican, [[William Dennison, Jr.|William Dennison]], who was running for [[List of governors of Ohio|Ohio governor]]. Lincoln's speech concentrated on popular sovereignty. He began: "This beautiful and far-famed [[Miami Valley]] is the garden spot of the world". It was during this campaign that the relatively unknown Lincoln was first mentioned as a possible presidential contender.<ref>[http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohwarren/Bogan/bogan045.htm "Abraham Lincoln Visits Southwestern Ohio"], Rootsweb</ref>

====Hamilton Hydraulic====
[[File:Ohio - Hamilton - NARA - 68146809 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Ford Plant in 1927]]
The Hamilton Hydraulic, also called the Hamilton & Rossville Hydraulic, was a system devised to supply water power to shops and mills; it spurred one of Hamilton's greatest periods of industrial and population growth from 1840 to 1860. Specially built canals and natural reservoirs brought water from the Great Miami River north of Hamilton into the town as a source of power for future industries.

The hydraulic began about {{convert|4|mi|spell=in}} north of Hamilton on the river, where a dam was built to divert water into the system. Nearby, two reservoirs stored water for the hydraulic, whose main canal continued south along North Fifth Street to present Market Street. There it took a sharp west turn to the river at the present intersection of Market Street and North Monument Avenue, between the former Hamilton Municipal Building and the present Courtyard by Marriott. The first water passed through the system in January 1845. As the water flowed through the canal, it turned millstones in the hydraulic. The project had been a risky one because there were no shops along its course to use the power when the company was organized in 1842, but the gamble paid off. Several small industries were built on the hydraulic in the 1840s. One was the Beckett Paper Company, established in 1848, the oldest paper mill west of the [[Allegheny Mountains]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Gasbarre |first=April D. |title=Beckett Papers |url=https://www.encyclopedia.com/books/politics-and-business-magazines/beckett-papers |access-date=August 15, 2024 |website=Encyclopedia.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Butler County Historical Society |date=2000 |title=Beckett Paper, Hamilton (Miami Paper Mills) |url=https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~butlercounty/history/beckett.html |access-date=August 15, 2024 |website=RootsWeb Freepages}}</ref>

The hydraulic remained a principal source of power for Hamilton industries through the 1870s when stationary steam engines became practical and affordable. Later, most of the hydraulic canal was covered and/or filled. The hydraulic attracted auto manufacturer [[Henry Ford]] to Hamilton after [[World War I]], when he sought a site for a tractor factory. Ford built a plant—which soon converted to producing auto parts—at the north end of North Fifth Street so it could take advantage of power provided by a branch of the hydraulic.

===Industrialization===
[[File:Niles Tool Works, Hamilton, Ohio, 1896.jpg|thumb|[[Niles Tool Works]] in Hamilton, 1896<ref>[[Arnold, Horace L.]] "[https://archive.org/stream/factoryindustria11newy#page/262/mode/2up Modern Machine-Shop Economics. Part II]" in ''[[Engineering Magazine]]'', 1896, p. 11</ref>]]
By the mid-19th century, Hamilton had developed as a significant manufacturing city. Its early products were often machines and equipment used to process the region's farm produce, such as [[steam engine]]s, hay cutters, reapers, and threshers. Other production included machine tools, house hardware, saws for mills, paper, paper making machinery, carriages, guns, whiskey, beer, woolen goods, and myriad and diverse output made from metal, grain, and cloth.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hamilton County, Ohio |url=https://www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov/home |access-date=February 23, 2023 |website=www.hamiltoncountyohio.gov |language=en-US}}</ref>

By the early 20th century, the town was a heavy-manufacturing center for vaults and safes, machine tools, cans for vegetables, paper, paper-making machinery, locomotives, frogs and switches for railroads, steam engines, diesel engines, foundry products, printing presses, and automobile parts. During the two World Wars, its factories manufactured war materiel, [[Liberty ship]] engines, and gun lathes. Manufacturers used [[coke (fuel)|coke]] to feed furnaces. Its by-product, gas, fueled street lights. The Great Miami River valley, in which Hamilton was located, had become an industrial giant.

The [[Butler County Courthouse (Ohio)|Butler County Courthouse]], constructed between 1885 and 1889, was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] because of its monumental architecture. The city has three historic districts: Dayton Lane, German Village, and Rossville. Like Cincinnati, Hamilton attracted many German and Italian immigrants from the mid-19th century on, whose influence was expressed in culture, food, and architecture. Hamilton also had a [[American Jews|Jewish]] community; with increased immigration by [[Eastern European Jewry|Eastern European Jews]], they founded [[Beth Israel Synagogue (Hamilton, Ohio)|Beth Israel Synagogue]] in 1901 as an [[Orthodox Judaism|Orthodox]] alternative to Hamilton's [[Reform Judaism|Reform]] synagogue, which had been founded by German Jews in the 1880s, when nearby Cincinnati was a center of Reform Judaism in the United States. At the time around 250 Jewish families lived in Hamilton.<ref name=Jones2011>Jones, Richard O. [http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/beth-israel-celebrates-100-years-1273529.html "Beth Israel celebrates 100 years"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120601061424/http://www.journal-news.com/news/hamilton-news/beth-israel-celebrates-100-years-1273529.html |date=June 1, 2012 }}, ''[[JournalNews]]'', October 24, 2011.</ref><ref name=history>[http://www.bethisraelcongregation.net/history1.html Beth Israel History] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100331024645/http://www.bethisraelcongregation.net/history1.html |date=March 31, 2010 }}, Synagogue website, retrieved November 4, 2008.</ref>

===1913 flood===
[[File:1st National Bank Building (16772859777).jpg|thumb|The Great Flood in Hamilton, at left is North 3d Street]]
Geographic and geological evidence shows that floods have occurred throughout the valley since prehistoric times. Since European-American settlement, diaries, anecdotes, folk tales, letters, and official records have provided documentation of relatively common severe floods in 1814, 1828, 1832, 1847, 1866, 1883, 1897, 1898, and 1907.

In March 1913, the greatest flood occurred in Hamilton.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Silver Jackets |title=The Great Flood of 1913. Community Profiles: Hamilton, Ohio |url=https://mrcc.purdue.edu/1913Flood/communities/hamilton |access-date=August 15, 2024 |website=Midwestern Regional Climate Center}}</ref> Heavy rain fell over the entire watershed, and the ground was frozen as well as saturated from previous lighter rains. This resulted in a high rate of run-off from the rain: an estimated 90% flowed directly into the streams, creeks, and rivers. Between 9 and 11 inches (23 to 28&nbsp;cm) of rain fell over five days, March 25 to 29, 1913. An amount equivalent to about 30 days' discharge of water over [[Niagara Falls]] flowed through the Miami Valley during the ensuing flood. In the Great Miami River Valley, 360 persons died, about 200 of whom were from Hamilton. Some drowned, some were washed away and never found, others died from various diseases and complications, and some committed [[suicide]] because of severe losses. Damage in the valley was calculated at $100 million, the equivalent of $2 billion in 21st-century value. The flood waters were so powerful that within two hours they destroyed all four of Hamilton's bridges: Black Street, High-Main Street, Columbia, and the CH&D railroad.

In Hamilton, the flood waters rose with unexpected and frightening suddenness, reaching over 3 to 8 feet in depth in downtown, and up to 18 feet in the North End, along Fifth Street and through South Hamilton Crossing. The waters spread from D Street on the west to what is now Erie Highway on the east. The waters' rise was so swift that many people were trapped in the upper floors of businesses and houses. In some cases, people had to escape to their attics, and then break through the roof as the waters rose even higher. Temperatures hovered near freezing. The water current varied, but in constricted locations it raced at more than 20 miles per hour. Dead people, more than 1,000 drowned horses, other drowned livestock and pets, and sewage tainted the water. Nearly one-third of Hamilton's population (10,000 of 35,000) was left homeless and displaced. Thousands of houses were destroyed by the flood; afterward, many were too damaged to repair had to be demolished by city workers.
[[File:Pontoon Bridge Wrecked (16989462761).jpg|thumb|Wrecked pontoon Bridge]]
Following the 1913 flood, residents realized that the only way to prevent future flooding was to deal with protection on a [[Drainage divide|watershed]] basis. Citizens from all the major cities in the Miami Valley—[[Piqua, Ohio|Piqua]], [[Troy, Ohio|Troy]], [[Dayton, Ohio|Dayton]], [[Carlisle, Ohio|Carlisle]], [[Franklin, Ohio|Franklin]], [[Miamisburg, Ohio|Miamisburg]], [[Middletown, Ohio|Middletown]], and Hamilton—gathered together to find a solution and worked with legislative representatives to draft enabling legislation to create the [[Miami Conservancy District]]. The legislation was passed by the state and signed into law by Governor [[James M. Cox|James Cox]]. The Miami Conservancy District withstood several legal challenges, and by 1915 it hired an engineering staff to develop plans for valley-long channel improvements, [[levees]], and storage basins to temporarily retain excessive rains. The system was designed to withstand rains and flows that would be up to 40% greater than those of the 1913 flood. It was completed in 1923. Since then, the system has retained excess water more than 1,000 times, thereby preventing flooding. The Miami Conservancy District was the first of its kind in the nation and has been an example of flood control protection. It is unique for having been developed, built, and supported financially just by those who benefit. The Miami Conservancy District is financially supported by an assessment on each property that was affected by the 1913 flood, related to the present value of the property because it is not at risk of flooding. All the other areas within the District are assessed because they benefit by reducing or eliminating danger to infrastructure, commerce, and transportation.

===20th century to present===
[[File:Hamilton OH Historic High ST.jpg|thumb|High Street in downtown Hamilton, 2016]]
In the 1920s, many [[Chicago]] [[gangster]]s established second homes in Hamilton. This gave Hamilton the nickname "Little Chicago". Some of these men appeared to have invested in what became an active district of gambling and prostitution. During [[World War II]], the military declared the entire city off-limits to its enlisted personnel because of its numerous gambling and prostitution establishments.{{Citation needed|date=August 2024}} Madame Freeze's and the long row of prostitution houses along Wood Street (now called Pershing Avenue) were notorious among soldiers. Factories in Hamilton converted their operations to support the war effort, manufacturing military supplies, such as tank turrets, [[Liberty ship]] and submarine engines, and machined and stamped metal parts.

With the 1950s came the construction of the new interstate highway, [[I-75]], part of the nationwide system. It bypassed Hamilton after a decision made to reduce traffic through the city. As a result, businesses were drawn to areas outside Hamilton with easier access to I-75. Until 1999, when the [[Butler County Veterans Highway]] was built, Hamilton was the second-largest city in the United States without direct interstate access.<ref name="GR3">{{cite web|url=http://geonames.usgs.gov|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=US Board on Geographic Names|publisher=[[United States Geological Survey]]|date=October 25, 2007}}</ref>

In the late 20th century, industrial restructuring in heavy manufacturing resulted in widespread loss of jobs in older industrial cities, as operations were merged, relocated, and finally moved offshore. Like other [[Rust Belt]] cities in the northern tier, Hamilton has struggled to develop a new economy after such wide-scale changes, but it has retained more of its population than many such cities. In addition, since the late 20th century it has attracted new immigrants, primarily from [[Mexico]] and [[Central America]].

On March 30, 1975, Easter Sunday, [[James Ruppert]] murdered 11 family members in his mother's house at 635 Minor Avenue in Hamilton, in what is referred to as the "[[Easter Sunday Massacre]]". The murders shocked the town of Hamilton and the entire country. This was the deadliest shooting inside a private residence in American history.<!--Cause? Was he prosecuted? -->{{citation needed|date=July 2020}}

{{anchor|Renaming}} On May 28, 1986, as part of a plan to increase publicity about Hamilton and boost its revitalization, the City Council voted 5 to 1 in favor of adding an exclamation point to the city's name, similar to the popular musical ''[[Oklahoma!]]''. Thus, Hamilton officially became '''Hamilton!'''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hamilton-city.org/DocumentCenter/View/410|title=Preliminary Feasibility Report |date=June 12, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160612041759/http://www.hamilton-city.org/DocumentCenter/View/410|archive-date=June 12, 2016}}</ref><ref>[http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/09/21/loc_citys_gimmick_made.html "City's Gimmick"], ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'', September 21, 2001</ref> While at the time used extensively in the city's documents, letterheads, business cards and on local signage, the [[United States Board on Geographic Names]] did not include the exclamation point; nor did [[Rand McNally]] maps.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hamilton! (Cont'd.) |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/opinions/1986/08/15/hamilton-contd/dd31958b-0e75-4a0e-affb-a4d589686c16/ |access-date=September 11, 2018 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=August 15, 1986}}</ref> The exclamation point is generally no longer used. It is not in use on the Hamilton municipal website.<ref>[https://www.hamilton-city.org/ City of Hamilton] Retrieved February 14, 2020.</ref>

In 2009 and 2015, the city won the [[Berkeley Springs, West Virginia|Berkeley Springs]] International Water Tasting Awards for best-tasting municipal water for the United States; and in 2010, the gold medal for the best tasting water in the world. They also placed 3rd (2nd best in America) in 2014, 2017, and 2018; and 5th in 2022.<ref>[https://berkeleyspringswatertasting.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Winners91-2023.pdf "Water Awards Winners 1991-2023"], Berkeley Springs, West Virginia website, Accessed: October 2, 2024</ref><!-- Expand - where does its water come from; how is it treated?-->