Pisgah Memories

By Margaret Pearl Irwin Bryan

 

I lived on the Moore family farm off of Cox until I was seven years old and we moved to Mason. My mother was Lucille Moore Irwin. She was born in 1896 and died in 1999 just short of her 103 birthday. Richard Douglas Moore, Lucille's father and my grandfather, was born in 1847. He was something of a pioneer in the area. He owned the 87 acre family farm off of Cox road. This is the house I lived in as a child. The original house is still there, but is has been changed a lot and all done over. Even the access has been changed. The original lane was on Cox Road, but now the house is on Steleta Drive.

 

Richard Moore also had two sisters.

One was Laura and married a Comer and had three sons. They lived at the top of the hill where the rest home and P.Y.O. is now.

 

Richard Moore also had a sister named Ruth Moore Irwin Stitt. She was my aunt and my great grandmother. She lived to age 84 and I remember her well.

 

Richard Moore attended the old school that was located on John Road. This was torn down when the hardware was built. My Mother Lucille and I both went to the old Pisgah schoolhouse that burned. The skinner family burned it. It was located on 42 where Denny’s Barbershop is now.

 

The Irwin side of the family owned 1000 acres. All the way to Dimmick Road and along Irwin Simpson Road. My grandfather William Harper Irwin Sr. owned the farm on Mason Montgomery Road. The house was torn down and was located where the Proctor and Gamble Research Center is now. They are probably cousins to the David Irwin family that owned the property across from the Ell Farm and by the cemetery off Dimmick Road .

 

The Hollands owned up 42 by the Butler/Warren County Line. They were from the Netherlands and had a stage coach stop.

 

Sertles had a mop and broom factory located on 42 where Smyth Auto Parts is now located. They were from the Netherlands.

 

There was a funeral director in Pisgah by the name of Conover or Conrey or something like that. He hanged himself.

 

I attended Bliss Business College in Columbus, Ohio between 1939-1940. I worked for the Ohio State Government for a year then my husband, William Bryan and I were married in 1941. While my husband was in the service, I lived with my husband’s parents in Belmont, Cty. My young daughter, Sandy lived with them while I went to Columbus and worked for the U.S. Government. After the government job, I lived in Belmont County working for the railroad as a clerk stenographer. We have 4 children and 6 grandchildren.

 

Sandra McKense lives in Mainville, Ohio. Her children are James Sparnall, Brian S. Sparnall., and Dr. Joann Sparnall.

Michael R. Bryan lives in Wichita, Kansas. His daughter is Laura Bryan.

David Bryan lives in Louisville, Kentucky. His children are Leah and Christopher.

Patricia Bryan lives in Wyoming, Ohio

 

In 1949 my husband built this place and I quit my job with the railroad and moved back to Pisgah. We opened Mi-San Pottery and named it after my two oldest children Mike and Sandy. Operating this business out of our home allowed me to stay home with the children while my husband worked. We sell pottery, but we don’t make any. I take care of the inside selling the collectibles. I have spent a lifetime gathering my collection of Fenton Glass. The outside pottery and aquatic garden store are operated by my grandson James Sparnall.

 

About 40 years ago, I helped start the Crestview Presbyterian Church on Rt. 42. When I was about 40 years old, I was Clerk of the Session. Rev. Doerbaum was good at visiting people and building the church up.

 

My mother Lucille told me the stories of the house on 42 that is now called Seven Chimneys. These stories came down through our family to my mother who passed them on to me. My mother told me the house was used as a railway for the colored people. Slaves were sent through the back field to where the underpass on  West Chester Road. That was a scary place. There was a murder in the backfield over there. There are all homes there now.

My daughter Sandy was friends with one of the Painters kids and spent the night there once. Painters owned the house and also owned a restaurant in Sharonville.

 

The Seven Chimneys had a party barn in the back. The Pisgah Improvement Association started there about 1953 or 1954. Meetings were held about once a month in the basement of the house or in the party barn. We worked on improving the area and getting more services for Pisgah. Occasionally P.I.A. would also hold a dance in the party barn. P.I.A. started with about 12 people and eventually grew into what is now called the Chamber of Commerce.

 

I am 81 years old now and I can’t remember all the names, but some of the original members were:

William Bryan (my husband)

Bill McCowan

Mr. Hagar

Charlie Losekamp was a builder.

David Washburn

Don Perkins owned the Perkins Store on the corner of John Road. He is still living in Florida.

Mrs. Beatty helped start the Union Township Library and died of cancer.

Betty McGinnis

Art Brown

Harry Wise Sr. and his son Harry Wise Jr. along with another son were very active. He was a builder and lived on Sunburst Drive

Mrs. Woosty also attended, but often opposed improvements because she felt it would increase taxes.

 

P.I.A. helped get improvements in services to the area. One of the biggest problems we had was water. The people here had wells and cisterns and had to haul water in all the time. It was a real problem and people needed water bad. P.I.A. got water service installed for Pisgah residents. We also got the Cincinnati phones and gas installed. Another accomplishment of P.I.A. was the Pisgah Youth Organization. Our kids need a place to play ball. P.Y.O. and the ball field is still located north of Pisgah on the east side of Rt. 42. Also, gas lines were the best improvement to heat our homes and work places.

 

P.I.A. did a lot for the Pisgah area.

 

Margaret Pearl Irwin Bryan

March, 2001

Mi-San Pottery

8701 Cincinnati-Columbus Road

West Chester, Ohio 45069