{{Unreferenced, date=December 2009
Mad River Road was the first overland route between
Dayton, Ohio and
Cincinnati, Ohio. It was cut by
Daniel C. Cooper in 1795 to provide access to the new town of Dayton and the "Mad River Country" northeast and north of Dayton. It was located at the mouth of the
Mad River in the
Symmes Purchase
The Symmes Purchase, also known as the Miami Purchase, was an area of land totaling roughly in what is now Hamilton, Butler, and Warren counties of southwestern Ohio, purchased by Judge John Cleves Symmes of New Jersey in 1788 from the Continen ...
. The survey, entered into the record by Cooper and
Dr. John Hole, extended Harmer's Trace north from near Cunningham's Station on the Mill Creek to the mouth of the Mad River, establishing the earliest road between Cincinnati and Dayton. Cooper, a surveyor and miller, was instrumental in the early settlement of Dayton, and Dr. Hole, the first physician in
Montgomery County, established his cabin in 1796 near the now-extinct town of Woodburne on Mad River Road.
"Be it remembered that pursuant to an order of Court to Daniel Cooper, Daniel Griffing and John Hole on a petition of more than twelve citizens of the County aforesaid, the following survey of a road in the said County was made and reported, to wit: Beginning at Cunningham's Station, thence along the old road four miles and a half, thence North eleven miles, thence North twenty-five degrees East thirteen miles; thence North forty degrees East three miles and a quarter, thence North three miles and a half, thence North ten degrees West one mile and a quarter to the road leading from
Hamilton Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilto ...
to Dayton town, at the mouth of Mad river, the whole distance being thirty eight miles and three fourths of a mile." (1797 Survey for part of Mad River Road recorded in the
Hamilton County, Ohio
Hamilton County is located in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 830,639, making it the third-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cincinnati. The county ...
, Road Book B-1.)
The five-mile segment between David Road in
Kettering, Ohio
Kettering is a city in Montgomery county in the U.S. state of Ohio. Almost entirely in Montgomery County, it is an inner suburb of Dayton, Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 57,862 (down slightly from 58,453 in 2010), ma ...
and
State Route 725 in
Centerville, Ohio
Centerville is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States. A core suburb of Metro Dayton, its population was 24,240 as of the 2020 census.
Geography
Centerville is located at (39.638709, -84.148087). Although the city is located primari ...
that runs through
Washington Township is the last remaining traceable portion retaining the original name and following the original route. It is still in daily use more than 200 years later.
Pre-statehood history of Ohio
Transportation in Montgomery County, Ohio