Editing Norwood, Ohio (section)

===Sharpsburg settlement===
In 1787, the United States Congress established the [[Northwest Territory]], and [[John Cleves Symmes]], Congressman from New Jersey, purchased {{convert|311,682|acres|abbr=on}} of the territory (the [[Symmes Purchase]]), within which the future Norwood is located. One year later, the first permanent settlement on the banks of the Ohio River in what would later become Cincinnati was established. In 1793, [[Anthony Wayne|General "Mad Anthony" Wayne]] led several companies of troops from [[Fort Washington (Cincinnati, Ohio)|Fort Washington]] in Cincinnati to advance against a hostile tribe of Native Americans encamped on the banks of the nearby [[Mill Creek (Ohio)|Millcreek]] in what is now [[St. Bernard, Ohio|St. Bernard]]. Historians believe that a company of troops under the direction of General Wayne made their way through Norwood during this campaign and widened an old [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] trail, which followed the path of present-day Smith Road, Montgomery Road, and Carthage Avenue.<ref name="Brief History of Norwood, Ohio">{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohnhs2/BriefHistory.html |title=Brief History of Norwood, Ohio |publisher=Norwood Historical Society |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="Norwood, Her Homes and Her People, Pages 3-6">{{cite book |last1= Mulford |first1=Ren Jr. |last2=Betty |first2=Werter G. |date=1894 |title=Norwood, Her Homes and Her People |url= https://archive.org/details/norwoodoherhomes00mulf |pages=[https://archive.org/details/norwoodoherhomes00mulf/page/3 3]–6|publisher=Cincinnati, Press Knight & Co. }}</ref>

In 1794, a pioneer named Peter Smith settled on Duck Creek in or near the current location of Norwood. It is believed he is one of the earliest Norwood settlers, if not the first.<ref name="Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1780s & 1790s">{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohnhs2/date1700s.html|title=Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1780s & 1790s|publisher=Norwood Historical Society |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref> Soon after, a road was built connecting the early settlement of Columbia on the Ohio River near the [[Little Miami River]] with the settlement of [[Carthage, Cincinnati|Carthage]], just north of Cincinnati. This road cut through Norwood along the old Indian Path widened by General Wayne's troops.<ref name="Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1780s & 1790s" /> Anthony Wayne's victory over the Indians at the [[Battle of Fallen Timbers]] the same year signaled the end of the [[Northwest Indian War]] which enabled pioneers to begin settling former hostile lands such as the future Norwood. In 1795, another road was built along the present-day path of [[Ohio State Route 3|Montgomery Road]], connecting Cincinnati with [[Montgomery, Ohio]] and beyond.<ref name="Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1780s & 1790s" /> Montgomery Road was known as the "State Road" and Smith Road/Carthage Avenue was known as the "County Road."<ref name="Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1800s-1850s">{{cite web|url=http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ohnhs2/date1800s.html|title=Historical Dates for Norwood, Ohio. 1800s-1850s|publisher=Norwood Historical Society |access-date=9 March 2016}}</ref>

In 1809, a settler named Samuel D. Bowman purchased land near the crossing of the State Road and the County Road, where he established a tavern and coach stop for travelers. He was soon joined by John Sharp, who built a cabin and country store at the opposite side of the intersection. The community of half a dozen houses soon became known as "Sharpsburg", after Sharp.<ref name="Brief History of Norwood, Ohio" /> For the next half century, the coach stop along the road between Cincinnati and Columbus remained small.<ref name="Norwood, Her Homes and Her People, Pages 3-6" />

[[File:Original Map Norwood Ohio Founded 1888.jpg|thumb|Norwood, as it first appeared c. 1888 when the city was incorporated as a village. Prior to incorporation, "Norwood" was only a collection of loosely organized subdivisions (Norwood Heights, East Norwood, South Norwood, Elsmere, etc.). Much of the city at the time of this map had yet to be developed.]]