The Retailer

    Swallen’s . . . just the name brings back a flood of memories. The new furniture smell of the Wooster Pike store when my parents dragged us kids along to shop for new appliances or furniture. My pining after the most incredible bike any 11-year-old girl could ever imagine, a purple five-speed with a funky ‘70s floral pattern on the seat. My dad taking forever to decide between two nearly identical pairs of blue work pants. Checking out the latest albums because Swallen’s had the best record department. Even when I was a kid with no money, we neighborhood kids “shopped” at Swallen’s, dragging discarded appliance boxes home to construct play houses.

    If you lived in Fairfax back in the day, if you didn’t work at Swallen’s, chances are you had family members, friends, or neighbors who did. My sister worked there for a while as a cashier and my brother worked at the Super Warehouse for a few years. Many Swallen’s employees were fiercely loyal to the owner and founder of Swallen’s, Pat Swallen.

    Wilbur Homer Swallen, known as Pat, was born in Washington Township in Stark County, Ohio on October 29, 1913, the son of Homer and Martha Swallen. His father, who was a farmer, died when Pat was a child and his mother then married a man named John Boyd, who was also a farmer. Pat graduated from Alliance High School in 1931 and continued his education at The Ohio State University. In an interview late in his life, Swallen said that he was told at OSU that he wasn’t college material. Nevertheless, he received a degree in Dairy Production in 1935. He began a career in the dairy industry, taking jobs in Columbus, Zanesville, and Hamilton, Ohio.

Wilbur "Pat" Swallen, 1931 Alliance High School Yearbook

    In 1936, Pat married a young Indiana woman named Coyla Burnell and over the next several years they had four children, Donald, Joyce, Dale, and Bruce. In 1941, Pat and Coyla purchased a home on Old Red Bank Road in Cincinnati.

    Pat realized that the dairy industry wasn’t for him and began looking for “something more.” In 1946, he took a 70 cent per hour job as stockperson in the floor covering and small appliance department at Sears Roebuck. He learned to lay floor coverings there, but wanted the opportunity to sell, which he finally got during a sales rush. From that point forward, he worked hard to become the most successful salesman in the department. Each morning he stopped at the store’s candy counter and bought a bag of roasted peanuts. While his coworkers went to lunch, Pat stayed and helped lunchtime customers and ate his peanuts. Well into his Swallen’s years, Pat was still known for walking his sales floor, eating and sharing peanuts.

    While still at Sears, Pat began installing floor coverings for friends and acquaintances on his own time. In time, friends began asking him for kitchen cabinets, appliances, and furniture. Pat and Coyla began selling this merchandise out of their Old Red Bank Road home. Merchandise was displayed throughout their house and even lined the driveway. Neighbors would help the Swallens by assisting with sales or caring for their children. The Swallens gained a reputation for giving customers a good deal and service after the sale. By 1951, the home-based business had become profitable enough that Pat left his job at Sears. He said that he never took a customer or lead from Sears when he left.

    So, legend has it that Pat Swallen started his business in the basement of his home in Fairfax. Please allow me to nitpick a little. First, he sold merchandise on display throughout the interior and exterior of his home, not just his basement. You liked the nightstand in Pat and Coyla’s bedroom? You could buy it and the matching bedroom set! Second, that house on Old Red Bank Road is, technically, in (gasp!) Hyde Park, not Fairfax.

    Not far from the Swallen residence, an old gravel pit on Wooster Pike in Fairfax had been vacant and for sale for some time. Coyla and Pat purchased the lot in 1953 and built their first store with a 10-room apartment for the family above it. Pat and Coyla sold their home on Old Red Bank Road in 1955, but some of their former neighbors were among the first employees at the new store. As the store grew, additions were made to the building. 

Swallen's Store No. 1 on Wooster Pike in 1993. The Swallen family apartment is the red brick portion.

From Hamilton County Auditor website

Early Swallen's ad from the November 8, 1956 Cincinnati Enquirer

    In November 1959, Swallen’s opened its second store on Red Bank Road in Fairfax, across the street from the former Swallen residence. The new store featured merchandise like toys, bicycles, housewares, hardware, records, clothing, and sporting goods. The expanded Wooster Pike store carried merchandise like furniture, major appliances, televisions, and rugs.

Store No. 2 opening ad, November 8, 1959 Cincinnati Enquirer

Exterior of Store No. 2 on Red Bank Road, November 8, 1959 Cincinnati Enquirer

Interior of Store No. 1 on Wooster Pike, November 8, 1959 Cincinnati Enquirer

    With the success of the first two stores in Fairfax, expansion was inevitable. In the 1960s, Swallen’s opened stores in Western Hills, Winton Place, Tri-County, and Downtown Cincinnati. To help finance these new locations, Swallen’s sold debentures, which are unsecured bonds, to both employees and non-employees. Pat Swallen promoted the debentures to employees as a retirement investment that would help them share in the growth and success of the company. Investors received interest payments on an annual basis. Employees received a bonus interest payment, receiving up to 13 percent interest. Non-employees received a merchandise discount in addition to the interest payment. In 1974, the Cincinnati Post said, “Swallen is . . .  an innovative businessman - innovative in financial matters and employe relations.”

    Swallen’s stores had a distinctive aesthetic. Actually, they had no aesthetic. The stores had bare cement floors, exposed duct work, concrete block walls, and metal shelving. Pat Swallen himself said, “You couldn’t make our stores more ugly if you tried.” Customers didn’t seem to care, as long as they were getting good values and finding the merchandise they needed. As their later jingle declared, “Anything you want, everything you need, you’ll find it at Swallen’s.”

The Swallen's aesthetic, from the February 14, 2011 Cincinnati Enquirer

Ad for telescopes for the moon landing, July 4, 1969 Cincinnati Enquirer

    Pat Swallen was a Christian. He said he was hesitant to speak about his faith because he didn’t want to appear to “exploit my religion for financial gain.” During his lifetime, Pat Swallen’s stores never opened on Sunday in honor of the Sabbath. At one time he was president of the Gideon Society, a Christian organization best known for distributing free Bibles and New Testaments and placing Bibles in hotel rooms. He kept copies of Bibles and Christian texts in his office to distribute to employees and customers. A Presbyterian, Pat Swallen was a lay preacher who frequently spoke in churches of various Christian denominations throughout the Cincinnati area. Swallen’s also had a full-time chaplain on staff.

Sketch of Wilbur "Pat" Swallen from January 26, 1974 Cincinnati Enquirer

    Swallen’s continued to expand into the 1970s, opening two stores in Columbus, a store in Mansfield, and a store in Middletown.  Not every Swallen’s store was a success. The Downtown Cincinnati store closed in 1979, hampered by an inadequate setup for vendor deliveries and customer pickups. Swallen’s never gained a solid footing in the Columbus area and those stores closed in 1982 due to disappointing sales. Nevertheless, Swallen’s continued to expand in the Greater Cincinnati area in the 1980s with the opening of the Northgate and Florence, Kentucky stores.

Pictures of Red Bank Road store in 1985; from Facebook, used with permission of Jim Linne

    Despite being millionaires, Pat and Coyla had a fairly humble lifestyle. They certainly could have moved to Indian Hill (or at least to Mariemont), but continued to live in their apartment over the Wooster Pike store in Fairfax. No limousine or luxury car for Pat Swallen; he drove the same kinds of cars other Fairfax residents drove. Ever the farm boy, he kept an orchard and garden here in Fairfax. He would can or freeze some of the fruit and give away the rest. One of the Swallens’ few indulgences was travel.

     On June 15, 1986, Pat and Coyla Swallen celebrated their 50^th wedding anniversary with an open house given by their children. Pat had a debilitating stroke in March 1987. On June 27, 1987, Coyla passed away after a lengthy illness. Pat Swallen suffered another stroke on February 21, 1988 and passed away at his home above the store on Wooster Pike. Longtime employee and friend, Vito Sylvester, said, "If the word Christian could be used to describe anyone it was Pat. He was friendly, thoughtful, compassionate, generous, and had a wonderful sense of humor. His creed was the Golden Rule to which he lived by more than anyone I've ever known."

     Don Swallen succeeded his father as president of the company. Shortly after Pat Swallen’s death, the company moved furniture, major appliances, and televisions from the Wooster Pike store to the expanded Red Bank Road store. Later in 1988, the company announced an expansion of the Western Hills store.

After-Christmas shoppers at Swallen's Red Bank Road store, from December 27, 1989 Cincinnati Enquirer

    What may have been the biggest change after Pat Swallen’s death occurred in 1990 when the stores began opening on Sunday. Swallen’s chaplain Ed White said, "I think they would have done anything to not open on Sunday. But they were forced into it."

     The first signs of trouble with Swallen’s came in 1993. Large national retailers like Walmart, Kohl’s, and Best Buy were moving into the area. A local market research executive was later quoted in the Cincinnati Enquirer as saying, "The ability to go out and buy a can of peas, a case of diapers, a desk, and a shotgun all in one place is not very important . . . what is important is carrying a variety of television sets."

     The company hired Brian Wygle, an outside retail consultant, who stepped into the role of acting CEO. He found the company’s culture to be “a little sleepy” and likened their business model to walking backwards on an escalator, "As long as you're moving a little faster, you're OK, but you're not really getting anywhere . . . I don't think they kept up with the times.” He suggested changes that included hiring staff from other retailers, reconfiguring the sales floors, implementing a low-price guarantee, employee incentive programs, and computerizing operations. They also engaged local broadcaster Bob Braun as their spokesman and created a new corporate logo.

New Swallen's logo, from September 17, 1995 Cincinnati Enquirer

    On August 16, 1993, there was a five-alarm fire at Swallen’s floor covering warehouse on Wooster Pike. 75 percent of the building and its contents were destroyed. The fire was caused by lightning striking a transformer. The Cincinnati Post reported that 300 or 400 people blocked the roadway to watch the fire. (I have said before that Fairfax really turns out when catastrophe strikes.) Unbelievably, lightning struck again on May 1, 1994, causing a much smaller fire at the Swallen’s heating and air conditioning building across from the Red Bank store. There were no injuries in either fire.

Thank You ad from Don Swallen, August 23, 1993 Cincinnati Enquirer

    In February 1995, the news broke that the Swallen family was negotiating to sell the company to Yogis Burry, an investment firm led by Swallen’s former Vice President of Finance, Sharad Buddhev. Despite reducing workforce, inventory, and operating costs, vendors were reporting that Swallen’s was struggling to pay them on time.

     The sale was completed in April 1995. Buddhev became the company’s CEO and William Kagler, formerly president of Kroger and Skyline Chili, chairman of the board. Don Swallen remained with the company as president. The new ownership planned to emphasize service and eliminate less profitable product lines. In the weeks that followed, the workforce was further reduced. Vendors were now not only complaining that they weren’t being paid, but that their phone calls weren’t being returned. Some vendors had stopped selling to the company at all. William Kagler resigned from the company on October 25, 1995. On October 31, Swallen’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection and immediately closed its Middletown and Mansfield stores.

From April 15, 1995 Cincinnati Enquirer

    In a November 3, 1995 article in the Cincinnati Enquirer, a Swallen family member indicated that Don Swallen had left the company weeks before the bankruptcy filing and no member of the family had served in a decision-making capacity since the company was sold in April.

     On November 30, 1995, the company notified employees that they had been without health insurance since October 19. Swallen’s self-insured their health insurance plan, but had failed to reimburse their administrator, Anthem, for claims paid on their behalf. Then, upon reporting to work on December 7, 1995, employees were handed notices that the five remaining stores were closing immediately. Notices were taped to the doors to notify customers. A going out of business sale began the following week. On January 24, 1996, the Red Bank Road store closed its doors for the last time. Fittingly, it was the final Swallen’s store to close.

    For the next several years, issues pertaining to the company’s debts were contested in the courts. The company’s secured creditors had priority according to bankruptcy law and were first in line for debt collection. Unsecured creditors would receive the scraps after the secured creditors’ debts were satisfied. Unsecured creditors included customers who purchased merchandise that hadn’t been delivered and the folks who purchased the debentures that helped build the company. The debenture holders, mostly Swallen’s retirees, filed suit against the company’s estate, but ultimately received only a small percentage of their investment.

     There are a lot of opinions about why Swallen’s failed, mostly focused on management missteps following Pat Swallen’s death and the changing retail landscape. Whatever the reason for Swallen’s downfall, a recurring theme was that it wouldn’t have happened this way if Pat Swallen had been living. Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Laura Pulfer may have said it best. Pat Swallen, “who sent letters to employees reminding them of the true meaning of Christmas would never have canned people three weeks before the holidays with a cheesy Dear John letter handed to them by a security guard. . . . It was common knowledge that he had offers to sell his company, but he said he was worried a new owner might not take care of his employees.”

     I can empathize with Swallen’s employees. Although I didn’t work for Swallen’s I worked for another much-loved local retailer, McAlpin’s, and endured the closing of a store where I had worked for 10 years and later the purchase of the company by another retailer. Both announcements caused employees, especially longtime loyal employees, pain. Over time, though, it seems we remember the good times much more than the bad. It is also encouraging that so many customers have such fond memories of McAlpin’s.

     Swallen’s had an unfortunate and painful ending, but hopefully customers and former employees look back on the company fondly. I know I do. And hopefully the sad story of the company’s demise doesn’t overshadow the success story of the innovative, loyal, hard-working, Christian man who founded it, Wilbur Homer Swallen.

The Quiz

 

    I have downloaded, photographed, scanned, and otherwise accumulated thousands of items related to Fairfax history. A lot of them can be neatly divided into topics that I can use to compose a blog article. Other topics are interesting, but I don’t have enough information for an entire article. So, rather than just listing a bunch of random Fairfax history facts, I have created a quiz. I will share (and elaborate on) the answers after the quiz. Good luck!

1.    Fairfax has had only six mayors in its 67-year history. Who was the first mayor of Fairfax?

2.    Let’s step back in time to 1932. You and a friend have plans to take the street car from Madisonville to Downtown for a day of window shopping. You are going to meet your friend at the corner of Washington and Dresden and then walk to the streetcar stop. Using modern-day street names, where are you planning to meet your friend?

3.    In the early days, Fairfax had a somewhat unflattering nickname that street car operators would sometimes announce at the Bramble and Whetsel stop (the stop closest to Fairfax). What was the nickname and why was Fairfax called this?

4.    Fairfax is comprised of a few different subdivisions. Some people refer to the subdivision that includes Chickadee Court, Nightingale Drive and Court, Meadowlark Lane, and Oriole Court as the “birdcage.” What is its official name?

5.    Speaking of subdivisions, what is the official name of the area south of Wooster Pike? (Hint: One of the street names in that area is part of the subdivision name.)

6.    The American Legion building on Southern Avenue was previously home to some churches. Which church built and originally occupied this building?

7.     For several years, before Fairfax was an incorporated village and before the Firemen's Festival or the FairFAX FESTival, there was an annual festival at the corner of Southern Avenue and Wooster Pike. What organization held this annual festival?

8.    Prior to the municipal parking lot, what was located at the corner of Germania and Hawthorne Avenues?

9.    In May 1972, a group of college students, including an owner/manager named Jim, opened Farm Fresh Produce in a lot at the corner of Wooster and Carlton. Whatever happened to Jim?

10.    There is construction at the corner of Wooster and Watterson that will soon be home to Bryan Medical, Inc. It previously housed a bank, but was originally built as a restaurant. There are still two locations of this restaurant in the Cincinnati area. What was the name of the restaurant?

11.    During primary season in 1984, Fairfax received a visit from a Democratic candidate for president. Who was the candidate and where exactly did he visit?

12.    This isn’t strictly a Fairfax question, but when Plainville High School became Mariemont High School in the 1949-50 school year, the sports teams’ name also changed. In 1949, we became the Mariemont Warriors. What was Plainville High School’s team name?

ANSWERS

1.    John R. Dinkel (1903-1976) was the first mayor of Fairfax, holding office from July 28, 1955 to December 31, 1959. At the time of his election, Dinkel was an estimator at Cincinnati Milling Machine. In his inaugural speech, Dinkel said “May our work bring us our share of life, freedom, truth and love into our community. May we work in harmony with one another toward the fulfillment of the aims set.” He was defeated for reelection in 1959 by Ralph Mitchell.

John Dinkel, from January 2, 1956 Cincinnati Enquirer

2.    You would meet your friend at the corner of Watterson and Murray. In May 1933, the Hamilton County Commission renamed 56 county roads that had duplicate names or more than one name leading in the same direction. In Fairfax, Washington Road was renamed Watterson and Fairfax Avenue was changed to Simpson. At some point, Central Avenue became South Whetzel. Dresden Avenue and Ruth Avenue (a block long street that ran parallel to Dresden) were renamed Murray when village council passed a resolution in June 1960.

3.    Fairfax had the nickname “Dogtown” because so many residents had dogs. According to the June 30, 1970 Cincinnati Post and Times Star, “Legend has it that two youths walking through the village from downtown Cincinnati, seeing all the dogs, scrawled ‘Dog town’ in the dirt road.”

4.    The official name is Audubon Park Subdivision. Named in honor of ornithologist and artist John James Audubon, the streets were named after birds, with the exception of the western block of Grace Avenue. The first section of the subdivision, which included Meadowlark, Oriole (originally named Robin Court), and Grace, was platted in 1940 and building began in the 1940s. The other sections, which included Nightingale Drive and Court and Chickadee Court, were developed in the mid-1950s to early 1960s.

Audubon Park Subdivision Plat from November 10, 1946 Cincinnati Enquirer

5.    The Dublin Springs Subdivision was platted in 1913. It includes Spring Street, Eleanor Street, Arrow Point Way, and Mary Street. By the way, there was once actually a spring on Spring Street near Wooster Pike.

6.    Fairfax Church of the Nazarene started in a tent on a corner on Wooster Pike in March 1929 with services conducted by 20-year-old Reverend George Galloway. The church was formally organized on March 24, 1930 and the congregation purchased land on Southern Avenue and built a church. The building now houses Edward C. Gehlert Post 554 of the American Legion.

7.    Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in Mariemont held an annual festival at the corner of Wooster Pike and Southern Avenue from 1948 to 1953. The festival included a reunion for former patients, “homecoming” for babies born there, a parade, a flag raising, games, booths, rides, food, and some impressive prizes. The festival moved to St. Margaret of Cortona Church in 1954.

Ad for Mercy Hospital Festival from July 17, 1953 Catholic Telegraph Register

8.    As a kid, I hit up Lucky’s grocery store to buy my favorite “candy”, cherry-flavored Smith Brothers’ Cough Drops. I have never seen the store referred to as “Lucky’s” in print, but that’s what we called it in my neck of the woods and I discovered that a man named Lucke once owned the property. The formal name of the establishment was Fairfax Food Shop. I miss the little grocery stores we had in Fairfax when I was a kid!

Fairfax Food Shop ad from April 19, 1946 Cincinnati Catholic Telegraph Register

9.    James Bonaminio, now better known in the greater Cincinnati area as Jungle Jim, was the owner and manager of Farm Fresh Produce. There are now two Jungle Jim’s International Markets in the area, one in Fairfield and one in Eastgate, each with more than 200,000 square feet of shopping space. I have heard someone claim that Jungle Jim’s got its start in Fairfax, but this isn’t accurate. At the time the Fairfax location opened, Jim already had a market on a lot in Fairfield.

Farm Fresh Produce coupon from May 24, 1972 Eastern Hills Journal

10.    The Bryan Medical building, in its original form, was built as a Sugar ‘n’ Spice restaurant in 1957. It operated in that location for around 15 years, closing in 1973. As I recall, the building was pink. I never ate there; my dad was horrified at the thought of his kids eating in a restaurant after a particularly messy spaghetti dinner at the Howard Johnson’s in Kenwood. These days, you can visit Sugar ‘n’ Spice on Reading Road or in Downtown Cincinnati.

From the December 8, 1957 Cincinnati Enquirer

11.    On April 27, 1984, Democratic presidential candidate Senator Gary Hart visited Probity, Inc., a small, woman-owned defense contractor located in the old Berling Dairy building on Lonsdale Avenue. Fairfax Elementary staff walked third through sixth grade students up Hawthorne Avenue to see a presidential campaign in action. Hart lost the Democratic nomination in 1984 to former Vice President Walter Mondale.

Fairfax Elementary School children awaiting Gary Hart's arrival, from May 2, 1984 Eastern Hills Journal

12.    The Plainville High School team nickname was the Blue Devils.

The 1945 Plainville High School Blue Devils baseball team, state champions.

From the 1946 Plainville High School yearbook.

The Creek

    When I was a kid, Little Duck Creek had a different name at my house, the “StayAwayFromThat” Creek. If my brother mentioned going to the creek or my dad thought he might be contemplating a trip there, Dad would warn him to “stay away from that creek!” It was a constant temptation for my brother, who could spend hours exploring there and even my mom played along the creek in the 1940s. I suspect that most Fairfax kids have been tempted by the allure of the creek. As idyllic as it seemed in childhood, the Little Duck Creek has really been a thorn in the side of people who live near it for decades.

     Although we speak about “the creek” in Fairfax, there are actually two primary creeks here. Little Duck Creek (which I will abbreviate as LDC) originates in Madeira and roughly follows Camargo Road south into Madisonville. It enters Fairfax at Murray Avenue, just east of St. Margaret-St. John Parish and meanders through the village until it empties into Duck Creek south of Red Bank Road. Duck Creek (which I will abbreviate as DC) flows several miles through Cincinnati before it reaches Fairfax, running south along Red Bank Road before ultimately flowing into the Little Miami River.

Map showing the flow of Duck Creek and Little Duck Creek through Fairfax

    Over a hundred years ago, Madisonville residents complained to the City of Cincinnati about the deplorable condition of LDC. Sewage was dumped into LDC at Bramble Avenue and there was a dump on the creek farther upstream. The smell was unbearable and there was an abundance of flies, mosquitoes, and rats. Sewage in the creek was still a cause of concern with the early Fairfax village council in the mid-1950s. Flooding, though, has historically been the major problem.

     Virmorgan Ziegler, longtime village resident and elected official, recounted in the 1976 book A History of the Village of Fairfax by Elizabeth Steele and Patricia Kuderer, that when she and her parents moved to Washington (now Watterson) Road in Fairfax in 1921, their new home overlooked a “very small creek.” Fairfax was a rural area then and many families kept chickens. Some residents who had cows pastured them in “the bottoms,” which would later become Warren and Simpson Avenues. Mrs. Ziegler recalled the following incidents from her youth:

I was looking out our back window and suddenly saw great rolling waves of water surging down through the channel and before it was over, the creek had covered the entire bottoms. We had two huge sycamore trees on the other side of the creek and a Brahma hen had gotten caught in the sudden storm but had found shelter directly against one of these trees on a slightly raised root section and was marooned there until the water receded. Another time when the creek was a raging river, Charlie Hartzel was drug across the fields behind their cow which had been tethered in the bottoms and he had gone to take her back to the barn. As soon as she was unleashed from the stake, she streaked for the barn taking Charlie on his stomach.

    Fairfax became an incorporated village in 1955 and in 1956 voters approved a bond issue for an improvement project. Flood control was one of the priorities. The project included straightening LDC at Bancroft, construction of bridges on Bancroft Street, Bedford Street, and Murray Avenue (the roads were not contiguous, but separated by LDC), and rerouting of Watterson Road with a new bridge over the creek.

August 1957 street improvement map showing Watterson's original route (outlined in blue)

and current route (outlined in red).

    Through the years, flooding and other issues with LDC primarily impacted Fairfax, but many of the problems originated upstream. In 1960, the village hired consulting engineers to study flood prevention on LDC. Recommendations included constructing a series of three small check dams on LDC along Camargo Road to control runoff during heavy rains; creation of a joint flood control conservancy district with Hamilton County, Cincinnati, Madeira, and Indian Hill; and removing concrete floors under bridges and deepening the channel to allow water to flow more freely. In March 1961, Fairfax Mayor Ralph Mitchell met with officials from the county, Cincinnati, and Madeira about LDC flood control measures. He reported to village council that although they sympathized, those officials declined to take any action, saying that it was up to Fairfax to solve the flooding problem.

     Around the same time, there was something else going on in the northern part of Fairfax (the portion from Bancroft to Murray) – a building boom. There had been homes in that area for decades, going back to the old farming days, but in the years between the end of World War II and the early 1970s, the number of homes there nearly doubled. Undeveloped space that had absorbed water was replaced by structures and pavement that didn’t.

     In 1973 there were a couple of heavy storms. A June flood of DC caused a temporary closure of Red Bank Road. A July storm caused flash flooding of LDC, especially in the area east of Watterson. DC also flooded in the July storm, impacting businesses near Red Bank Road. Frustrated residents appeared at the July 1973 village council meeting demanding action. One resident pointed out that the flash flooding wasn’t a new problem and asked what council was doing about it. Another said that residents sustained $50,000 to $60,000 in losses that were not covered by insurance.

     A couple of residents expressed the opinion that the Watterson bridge was at fault, pointing out that debris caught on the center pier, damming the water. Councilmember Jim Finan introduced a motion to instruct Village Engineer Arthur Andrews to make a study of the problem. Residents were also concerned about items that were dumped or had fallen into the creek upstream. Finan suggested that the village clerk contact the communities upstream to encourage them to keep a closer eye on dumping. 

Watterson bridge with center pier from the Cincinnati Enquirer August 16, 1980

    Citizens also asked about a warning system to alert them to rising waters. The police had been monitoring the creek level for several hours prior to the flooding, but issued no warning; neighbors warned each other. Residents further said the police were dismissive and rude when they reported to the scene.

     In 1978, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced the results of a flood insurance study of DC and LDC. Previously, property owners in flood-prone areas had been able to participate in the federally subsidized Emergency Program of the National Flood Insurance Program, which limited payments to $35,000 for residences and $100,000 for commercial properties. With the study, the flood-prone area was moved to the Regular Program, with premiums subject to actuarial underwriting, but an increase in the maximum benefit payable. Existing properties could continue to purchase the federally subsidized coverage, but all new construction in the 100-year flood plain would need to meet National Flood Insurance standards before any federal loans could be secured.

     On September 13, 1979, the outer bands of Hurricane Frederic hit the Greater Cincinnati area with three to six inches of rainfall. LDC flooded and there were emergency evacuations of residents living near the rapidly rising creek. Water and sewage flooded into approximately 60 homes.

     The September 1979 council meeting was contentious, with around 100 residents in attendance with questions and comments about the flooding and complaints about council’s inaction regarding LDC. Some residents were upset, saying that council told them six years earlier that the creek would be cleared and the Watterson bridge replaced. One frustrated resident said he didn’t expect anything to ever be done to address the flooding because the village had a “do-nothing council” and then promptly exited the meeting.

     Residents said the creek was littered with fallen trees, utility poles, shopping carts, and other debris. They related how they had to shovel raw sewage out of their basements and tear out carpeting and said that advance notification of rising water, like police sirens or a loud speaker, would have helped them salvage more of their belongings from their homes before the flooding began.

     Councilmember Gary Hodge introduced a motion that the village finance immediate dredging of LDC, replacement of the Watterson bridge, and a study of the flood area. Although the bridge was the property of Hamilton County, Hodge suggested that the village replace it immediately and seek reimbursement from the county later. The village had applied to the county for work on the Watterson bridge earlier in the year, but the county commission would not fund it.

    Resident Kenneth Martin opined that all of this work would be in vain if something wasn’t done at the Norfolk & Western Railroad bridge downstream, where trash and debris accumulated and blocked the culverts. Council said they would contact the railroad to clear the culverts at their bridge. Council also voted to dredge the creek within the next 30 days, replace the Watterson bridge, and get a new study of the flood area. 

Debris accumulated at the N & W Railroad culverts,

from February 24, 1982 Eastern Hills Journal

    Some residents were upset that the only assistance available to them might be a Small Business Administration loan, if there were to be a disaster declaration for the area. At least one of the residents in attendance expressed disappointment that the only help available was a loan with interest. Earlier in the meeting Councilmember Jim Finan pointed out to those in attendance that residents in the flood area were eligible for federal flood insurance, as was stated in previous council meetings and published over a year earlier in the Eastern Hills Journal. He urged residents to get flood insurance.

     Around 70 residents attended the October 1979 council meeting. A Metropolitan Sewer District representative attended and explained how the water from the flooded LDC backed up into the overwhelmed combination sanitary and storm sewer system and then into the basements of homes on seven Fairfax streets.  He said the sanitary and storm sewer combination was not designed for the current usage level and that there was nothing MSD could do about it at that time, except routine maintenance.

     A citizen questioned why permits were given to build homes in the flood area and an official explained that at the time the structures were built there were no federal flood plain regulations. This was followed by a discussion of how development caused an increase in runoff because there was a decrease in green space to absorb excess water.

     As an update from the previous meeting, village officials reported that the N & W Railroad had agreed to clear their culverts on a monthly basis and after heavy rains. The village was working on clearing the creek bed, but was awaiting the required permission from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to dredge the creek.

     After the 1979 flood, residents who lived near LDC were energized and not going away. In February 1980, Hodge introduced a motion to council to immediately advertise for bids for rebuilding the Watterson bridge. The motion was defeated; an engineering study of the creek had just started. In response to claims from residents that it was a “do-nothing” council, councilmembers who voted against the motion explained that they just wanted to make sure the work was done properly. Many residents wanted quick action, fearing spring floods.

     There were a number of opinions about what caused the flash flooding, who was responsible, and what the solutions might be. Some said that the water rushed into Fairfax from the north, so upstream communities needed to be involved in the solution. Others said that inadequate culverts at the N & W bridge over DC caused flooding upstream on LDC. Some said that the LDC needed to be dredged regularly. Others said that the problem was the center pier of the Watterson bridge, where debris lodged during storms. 

    In March, residents again appeared at the regular monthly council meeting. They were frustrated that the only action council had taken since the September 1979 flood was clearing the creek. Residents learned at the meeting that Engineer Andrews had not yet completed his study of the creek. Councilmember Hodge was not satisfied with this and pressed Andrews on what could be done to prevent future flooding. Andrews said he would recommend rebuilding the Watterson bridge, replacing the street, and straightening the creek. Hodge wanted to introduce a motion to advertise for bids to replace the bridge and straighten the channel, but there wasn’t a full council in attendance, so he postponed until the next meeting.

     At the following meeting, Andrews made formal recommendations to reconstruct the bridge, realign, rechannel, and/or dredge the creek, pipe the creek and/or line the creek banks, construct ponding areas, and miscellaneous maintenance work. Council deadlocked on a vote to authorize Andrews to prepare a report on what it would take to realign LDC at the Watterson bridge. Mayor Cribbet, who had previously resided in the flood area and experienced flooding himself, broke the tie in favor of authorizing the report.

     Fairfax officials and residents met with county commissioners on May 1, 1980. The county declined to fund a new Watterson bridge, saying that replacing the bridge would only have a minor impact on flooding and that the bridge was structurally sound. They did agree to have the county director of public works review the situation. In late June, the director of public works recommended a reservoir be placed in Bramble Park to capture excessive water flow upstream and release it gradually. The City of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Parks Board rejected this plan.

     In July, LDC flooded again. The village had recently cleared debris from the creek, but the debris was coming from upstream, outside the village. Police Chief Paul Ferrara explained at the July council meeting how quickly the water rose and that a heavy wrecker had been called in to remove debris that accumulated at the Watterson bridge. Debris then flowed downstream to the N & W Railroad bridge where it accumulated and a heavy wrecker was also used to remove the blockage there. 

From the July 30, 1980 Eastern Hills Journal

    Council was in special session on August 14, 1980 when a police officer entered the meeting and announced that the creek was flooding. Mayor Cribbet and others present rushed to the creek and saw a tree lodged against the center pier of the Watterson bridge. Maintenance workers removed the debris from the creek and the fire department pumped out basements. Around 10 homes in the area of Simpson and Bedford were flooded. 

    LDC-area residents felt that county and village officials were dragging their feet about doing anything about the creek. Not only were they in frequent danger of property loss, but the flooding problem made it virtually impossible for them to sell their homes. Longtime Simpson resident Jo Lakeman said that residents had “pleaded, begged, and cried” for help to no avail. Residents in the flood zone said that Fairfax officials, most of whom lived in the “upper” section of the village, were insensitive to their plight.

     At the regular August council meeting, council authorized Engineer Arthur Andrews to work with county engineers on a plan to remove the center pier from the Watterson bridge, though there was concern that this would only push the problem downstream to the N & W Railroad bridge over DC.

     In a September 1980 letter to the editor of the Cincinnati Post, Councilmember Jim Finan called out the City of Cincinnati over their lack of cooperation in addressing the flooding problem in Fairfax. He said that the logs, tires, appliances, debris, and soil from bank erosion that clogged the creek in Fairfax were coming from upstream in Madisonville.

     Around this time, some residents engaged legal counsel and formed a group called “Citizens for Flood Control.” They were skeptical that council would do anything and said if they did it would only be because their group was threatening litigation. Citizens for Flood Control attended council meetings for at least six consecutive months, and contacted county, state, and federal officials to plead their case.

     In November, after receiving authorization from the county, the village awarded a contract for removal of the center pier of the Watterson bridge. The county would split the bill with the village. Village officials cautioned that this wouldn’t solve all of the problems and that flooding was still possible in the event of heavy rain. By February of 1981, the bridge modification had been completed.

Watterson bridge as it is today, without a center pier.

    In the meantime, N & W was conducting a study to determine if the culverts under their bridge were adequate to handle heavy water flow. They ultimately increased the flow under the bridge at no cost to the village.

N & W Railroad culverts after work was completed 

from February 24, 1982 Eastern Hills Journal

    Life along LDC appeared to return to some degree of normalcy and in early 1990, attention turned to DC. In the previous 10 years, flooding along DC had cost local businesses, including those in the Red Bank Road area, $3 million. Council voted to join USACE and the City of Cincinnati in financing a three-year study of DC that would lead to a flood control project. Officials were concerned that if Fairfax didn’t participate in the project that the Red Bank Road area would become more prone to flooding. Council approved participation in the study at the April 1990 meeting at a cost of $87,000 over three years. 

     Less than a month later, LDC flooded for the first time in several years when four to five inches of rain fell over the course of three days. DC flooded as well. Water was waist-high in some places. 30 families were temporarily relocated, three of whom spent the night at the Recreation Center. 40 homes in the area sustained damage. A basement wall collapsed at one house. A USACE project manager said that the level of work needed to prevent flooding of LDC would be cost-prohibitive. The only solutions he could offer were to jack up the houses, relocate them, or seal up the basements.

     Not surprisingly, residents in the flood area were upset. They complained that removing the center pier of the Watterson bridge had not solved the flooding problem. The most frequent question was why the village was financing a study of DC that would benefit businesses, but wouldn’t invest in a study of LDC that would benefit homeowners. Residents were so upset by the DC study funding that they circulated an initiative petition to repeal the ordinance authorizing it. This initiative later failed at the ballot box.

     In the early 1990s, USACE released its plans for DC, which would involve construction of flood walls, removal of a couple of bridges, and other improvements. The federal government would cover 75% of the $14 million price tag with Cincinnati and Fairfax responsible for the remainder. Without intervention, USACE estimated that businesses and residences, mostly in the Madison Road area in Cincinnati, would face around $1.8 million per year in losses. Fairfax businesses were also impacted by flooding, just not to the same extent. If funded and approved, the project would begin in 1996 and take three years to complete.

     In May 1994, three years after applying to the Ohio EPA and USACE, the village finally received permission to clean up LDC. Workers removed sandbars, debris, and rocks from the creek. Gabions (wire baskets filled with rocks) were placed at some spots along the creek bed between Murray Avenue and Watterson Road to prevent erosion. Installing gabions between Watterson and Nightingale Court was too expensive at the time, though they were installed sometime later. In late June the Cincinnati Enquirer declared that LDC “has been tamed.” Mayor Ted Shannon was a little more realistic, saying, “We can't eliminate the flooding completely, but this will help out a lot." 

Gabions can be seen along the left side of the creek bank in this photo 

taken from the Bedford St. bridge.

    In April 1997, village council voted to spend up to $200,000 to help pay for the USACE project to address DC flooding. Hamilton County would kick in $600,000 and the remainder of the 25% local share would be Cincinnati’s responsibility. Although DC hadn’t flooded in several years, Fairfax officials thought this was an important project. The Swallen’s stores had gone out of business two years earlier and they hoped that flood-proofing the area might help spur business development in the Red Bank Road area.

     In June 1997, two inches of rain fell in two hours, causing both DC and LDC to flood. Fairfax was the hardest-hit area in Greater Cincinnati with damage to dozens of homes and businesses.

From the June 19, 1997 Cincinnati Enquirer

    By September 1998, the USACE DC project still hadn’t started. Fairfax was still negotiating with a business for easement rights so an abandoned bridge could be removed. After filing suit against the business, an agreement was reached. However, Cincinnati was still working on getting easement rights from a property owner.

     The DC project was included in the Water Resource Development Act of 2000, which President Bill Clinton signed into law in December 2000. In the decade or so since the project was first proposed, the price had increased from $14 million to $36 million. The increased cost was blamed on delays in obtaining easement rights and changes in design and specifications. The local contributions to the cost of the project were capped; if they weren’t, Fairfax would have been unable to pay its portion.

     The evening of July 17, 2001 into the following morning, a heavy line of storms hit the area, with lightning, strong winds, and as much as eight inches of rain in a three-hour period. During the storm, 21-year-old Anna Davenport, a resident of Simpson Avenue, went to the basement of her flood-prone home to retrieve her computer. When she didn’t return, her father, Ron, called to her. When he didn’t receive a response, Ron went to the basement to help her. Ron’s wife Debbie and the other two Davenport children evacuated their home safely, but Ron’s and Anna’s bodies were later found in the basement in seven feet of water.  

    Residents reported this was the worst flood in memory and as bad as the flooding had been in the past, there had never been loss of life. Understandably, residents again had questions and complaints. Some residents questioned why millions of dollars were being spent for DC flood protection for businesses, but not for LDC flood protection for homes.

     Governor Bob Taft declared a state of emergency in Hamilton County and toured the Fairfax flood area on July 20, where residents continued their cleanup, removing personal belongings, mud, and sewage from their homes. Concrete foundation walls were damaged; foundations of several homes had collapsed or failed, including the Davenports’. 

From the July 21, 2001 Cincinnati Enquirer

    Members of the community and businesses came together to help those affected by flooding. The fire department pumped out basements and hosed down yards and streets to remove mud and sewage. The Mariemont High School football team helped residents with cleanup. Several organizations held fundraisers. Local restaurants and businesses donated food, drinks, and cleaning supplies. St. Margaret of Cortona church served as a drop-off and distribution site for donations. The Red Cross set up a disaster service center that remained in the village for over two weeks.

     On July 27, Roger Setters from USACE visited the flood area and said the best solution might be to remove homes from the flood zone. He said that improving the creek channel or erecting flood walls would probably be impractical and cost-prohibitive.

     On August 3, a meeting was held for residents who had been affected by the flood. Representatives from a variety of federal, state, and county agencies attended to answer questions, address rumors, and let residents know how to seek assistance.

     At a September 5 press conference, a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representative announced that FEMA would help pay for damage caused by the July flood. They also announced that FEMA and Ohio EMA would help fund possible home buyouts and flood protection measures.

     In mid-October, USACE formally announced their recommendations for buyouts of dozens of homes, environmental restoration, and creek channel modifications. Homes in the flood zone would be demolished and the area restored to a flood plain. Funding for this project would primarily come from the federal government with the village responsible for the rest.

     Fairfax didn’t have money on hand to instantly fund their part of the project; they were placing a .5 percent earnings tax increase on the ballot just to maintain current village services. While funding was being cobbled together, LDC continued to flood. Residents were growing increasingly frustrated and felt that the village wasn’t doing anything to help. Many residents were willing to sell their homes to the village and relocate.

     Residents who wanted to get rid of their flood-prone homes continued to question why the village was helping to fund the DC project instead of using those funds to buy homes. However, that money was pledged to the DC project, which had been in process for some time, and couldn’t be diverted from that purpose.

     In conjunction with a FEMA grant, the village ultimately purchased and demolished a couple of dozen homes on South Whetzel Avenue, Warren Avenue, Simpson Avenue, Bedford Street, and Nightingale Court. Other homes were flood-proofed. The properties purchased by the village cannot be developed. They are now green space and part of the flood plain. 

Simpson at Bedford, July 22, 2001 Cincinnati Enquirer

Simpson at Bedford, Spring 2022

    During a dry spell, LDC might be little more than a series of puddles. It can't even be found on some maps. But during a heavy rain, it has become destructive and, tragically, deadly. What caused the flooding?  My (admittedly) uneducated opinion is that most, if not all, of the factors mentioned through the years, worked together to create the “perfect storm.” Whatever the reasons, let’s all hope and pray that we have seen the last of the destructive flooding along Little Duck Creek.