Yellow Springs is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

in Greene County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States. The population was 3,697 at the 2020 census. It is part of the

Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. It is home to Antioch College.

History

The area of the village had long been visited and occupied by the

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

Native Americans well before European-American settlement. In 1825, the village was founded by William Mills and approximately 100 families, followers of

Robert Owen Robert Owen (; 14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh people, Welsh textile manufacturer, philanthropist and social reformer, and a founder of utopian socialism and the cooperative movement. He strove to improve factory working conditio ...

, who wanted to emulate the

utopian A utopia ( ) typically describes an imaginary community or society that possesses highly desirable or nearly perfect qualities for its members. It was coined by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book ''Utopia'', describing a fictional island socie ...

community at New Harmony, Indiana. The village was named after nearby natural springs with waters high in iron content. The

communitarian Communitarianism is a philosophy that emphasizes the connection between the individual and the community. Its overriding philosophy is based upon the belief that a person's social identity and personality are largely molded by community relati ...

efforts dissolved due to internal conflicts. The completion of the

Little Miami Railroad The Little Miami Railroad was a railway of southwestern Ohio, running from the eastern side of Cincinnati to Springfield, Ohio. By merging with the Columbus and Xenia Railroad in 1853, it created the first through-rail route from the important ma ...

in 1846 brought increased commerce, inhabitants, and tourism to this area of Greene County. Many regular visitors of the

19th century The 19th (nineteenth) century began on 1 January 1801 ( MDCCCI), and ended on 31 December 1900 ( MCM). The 19th century was the ninth century of the 2nd millennium. The 19th century was characterized by vast social upheaval. Slavery was abolish ...

came for the springs, as these were believed to have medicinal benefits. The village of Yellow Springs was incorporated in 1856.

Antioch College

Antioch College was founded in 1850 by the Christian Connection, and began operating in 1853 with the distinguished scholar

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...

as its first president. In 1920, Arthur E. Morgan became president of Antioch College; he was known for his innovations and implemented a much-imitated work-study program for students. An engineer by training, Morgan left Antioch to become head of the

Tennessee Valley Authority The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned electric utility corporation in the United States. TVA's service area covers all of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small areas of Georgia, North Carolin ...

during President Franklin D. Roosevelt's administration. Upon his return to Yellow Springs, Morgan was a key leader of

Quaker Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abili ...

intentional community developments in Ohio and

North Carolina North Carolina () is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 28th largest and List of states and territories of the United ...

. In 1926, the Antioch Publishing Company was founded by two then-current Antioch College students as "The Antioch Bookplate Company". It expanded and began selling children's books, gifts, and craft products before selling the publishing company in 2008 to rebrand as Creative Memories and focus on gift items. The remaining Yellow Spring facility of Creative Memories closed in 2012. Antioch College expanded beginning in 1964, to include 38 "centers" around the country by the end of 1979. Its by-laws were changed to define Antioch as a "network", not a college, owned by Antioch University Corporation. In 1986, 32 of its units around the country were closed, leaving six campuses, which included both its original College campus in Yellow Springs and the college's School of Adult and Experiential Learning there. It operated separately as Antioch University McGregor. That adult and graduate education school was renamed as

Antioch University Midwest The now-closed Antioch University Midwest (AUM) was a private institution of higher education serving adult students in Yellow Springs, Ohio. Previously the school was named "Antioch University McGregor" after the management professor and theori ...

in 1988. It closed in late 2020. In 2008, citing financial exigency, the university closed the college campus in Yellow Springs. College alumni, forming the Antioch College Continuation Corporation, bought back the college's name and campus. They reopened in 2011 as the independent Antioch College. Now, Antioch University and Antioch College are wholly separate institutions.

Freed slaves

The Conway Colony, a group of 30 freed slaves who were transported by Moncure D. Conway, the abolitionist son of their former owner, were settled in this village in 1862. Wheeling Gaunt, a former slave who had purchased his own freedom, came to Yellow Springs in the 1860s. By his death in 1894, he owned a substantial amount of land. Gaunt bequeathed to the village a large piece of land on its western side, requesting that the rent be used to buy flour for the "poor and worthy widows" of Yellow Springs. Although the land was used to create Gaunt Park, and thus does not generate rent, the village expanded the bequest to include sugar. It still delivers flour and sugar to the village's widows at Christmas time, a tradition that generates annual media coverage.

Activism

During the

Red Scare A Red Scare is the promotion of a widespread fear of a potential rise of communism, anarchism or other leftist ideologies by a society or state. The term is most often used to refer to two periods in the history of the United States which ar ...

of the 1950s, Yellow Springs and Antioch College came under scrutiny for alleged sympathies of faculty and students to the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of '' The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engel ...

, due to many locals' support of

left-wing politics Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in ...

. After being questioned by the Ohio

House Un-American Activities Committee The House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA), popularly dubbed the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), was an investigative United States Congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives, create ...

, Antioch president Douglas McGregor released a statement in 1952 that "Antioch upholds the American tradition of academic freedom. This means the right to hear and investigate all sides of any question, including the question of Russia and Communism". By the late 1960s and early 1970s, the village became a center of activity for the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

and

anti-war movement An anti-war movement (also ''antiwar'') is a social movement, usually in opposition to a particular nation's decision to start or carry on an armed conflict, unconditional of a maybe-existing just cause. The term anti-war can also refer to p ...

in southwestern Ohio. Villagers have retained a progressive cast in their politics, attracting new residents with similar ideas and establishing a unique

sociopolitical Political sociology is an interdisciplinary field of study concerned with exploring how governance and society interact and influence one another at the micro to macro levels of analysis. Interested in the social causes and consequences of how ...

demographic element in a primarily conservative region of the state. In 1979, Yellow Springs held the distinction of being the smallest municipality to pass an

ordinance Ordinance may refer to: Law * Ordinance (Belgium), a law adopted by the Brussels Parliament or the Common Community Commission * Ordinance (India), a temporary law promulgated by the President of India on recommendation of the Union Cabinet * ...

prohibiting discrimination based on

sexual orientation Sexual orientation is an enduring pattern of romantic or sexual attraction (or a combination of these) to persons of the opposite sex or gender, the same sex or gender, or to both sexes or more than one gender. These attractions are generall ...

. As of 2014, it had the largest

LGBT ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term ...

population of all Ohio's villages.

Geography

Yellow Springs is located at (39.801723, −83.892662). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the village has a total area of , all of it land. The village takes its name from a nearby natural spring whose waters are rich in iron, leaving a yellowish-orange coloring on the rocks. Now included within the nearby

Glen Helen Nature Preserve The Glen Helen Nature Preserve is a nature reserve immediately east of Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. The initial 700-acre parcel was given to Antioch College by Hugh Taylor Birch in memory of his daughter Helen Birch Bartlet in 1929, an ...

, in the mid-19th century, it became the center of a resort. In this period, many individuals traveled to areas of such springs, believing the waters had medicinal benefits.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses inc ...

of 2010, there were 3,487 people, 1,672 households, and 902 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 1,805 dwelling units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 78.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White ...

, 12.0%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.6% Native American, 1.5% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 7.3% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 1,672 households, of which 25.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.4% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 46.1% were non-families. 39.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.70. The median age in the village was 48.5 years. 19.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.6% were from 25 to 44; 33.1% were from 45 to 64; and 21.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.0% male and 54.0% female. According to the

US Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

's 2006–2010

American Community Survey The American Community Survey (ACS) is a demographics survey program conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau. It regularly gathers information previously contained only in the long form of the decennial census, such as ancestry, citizenship, educati ...

, the median income for a household in the village was $56,000 and the median income for a family was $71,379. Males had a median income of $52,208 versus $52,019 for females. The per capita income for the village was $32,886. About 6.7% of families and 15.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 10.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Yellow Springs Exempted Village School District (Yellow Springs Schools) operates three schools in the village: Mills Lawn Elementary, McKinney Middle School, and

Yellow Springs High School Yellow Springs High School is a public high school in Yellow Springs, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Yellow Springs Exempted Village Schools district, teaching grades 9-12. Their mascot is a bulldog. The school is part of the Metro Bucke ...

. The only private elementary school in Yellow Springs is the Antioch School, a

democratic school Democratic education is a type of formal education that is organized democratically, so that students can manage their own learning and participate in the governance of their school. Democratic education is often specifically emancipatory, with ...

for students in preschool through sixth grade. It was founded by

Arthur Ernest Morgan Arthur Ernest Morgan (June 20, 1878 – November 16, 1975) was a civil engineer, U.S. administrator, and educator. He was the design engineer for the Miami Conservancy District flood control system and oversaw construction. He served as th ...

as a laboratory school of Antioch College. Antioch College was founded at Yellow Springs in 1850. The city was also home to

("AUM"), part of the

Antioch University Antioch University is a private university with multiple campuses in the United States and online programs. Founded in 1852 as Antioch College, its first president was politician, abolitionist, and education reformer Horace Mann. It changed its n ...

network. By late 2020, AUM had been eliminated as a separate campus. Its functions were absorbed into Antioch University's Online division, and its building put up for sale. However, Antioch University's administration, as well as its Online division and Graduate School of Leadership & Change, remained headquartered in Yellow Springs. Yellow Springs has a public library, a branch of the

Greene County Public Library The Greene County Public Library serves the communities of Greene County, Ohio (located east of Dayton, Ohio). The library system's administrative offices are in Xenia, and other branches are located in Beavercreek, Cedarville, Fairborn, Jame ...

Media

Yellow Springs is the home of public radio station

WYSO WYSO (91.3 FM) is a radio station in Yellow Springs, Ohio, near Dayton, community owned and operated; formerly licensed and operated by Antioch College. It is the flagship National Public Radio member station for the Miami Valley, including the ...

, which is a member station of

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

and was licensed to the Board of Trustees of Antioch College until WYSO became independently owned and operated in 2019. The station continues in collaboration with the college, such as by working with college students as interns. Local news and events are covered by an independent weekly newspaper, the '' Yellow Springs News''.

Arts and culture

Relative to its size, Yellow Springs has a large arts community. Local organizations include: * Yellow Springs Arts Council * Yellow Springs Theater Company * Yellow Springs Kids Playhouse * Chamber Music Yellow Springs (CMYS) * The World House Choir * The Yellow Springs Chamber Orchestra

Attractions

Little Miami Scenic Trail The Little Miami Scenic Trail is the fourth longest paved trail in the United States, running through five southwestern counties in the state of Ohio. The multi-use rail trail sees heavy recreational use by hikers and bicyclists, as well as the ...

John Bryan State Park John Bryan State Park, in Greene County, Ohio, is a state park, of . It surrounds Clifton Gorge, a deep cut of the Little Miami River, between Yellow Springs and Clifton. The park contains a campground, and hiking and biking trails. The park als ...

Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve, in Greene County, Ohio, is located three miles east of Yellow Springs, Ohio, and immediately southwest of Clifton, Ohio. The preserve constitutes 268 acres of gorges along two miles of the Little Miami River. ...

* Young's Jersey Dairy * Various parks are owned by The Village of Yellow Springs and run through its Parks and Recreation department. The Village's largest park is Gaunt Park, which has two baseball diamonds and a pool. Just north of the Village is Ellis Park, which has a picnic area and a pond. Several additional neighborhood park areas are scattered through the Village. *

Antioch Hall, North and South Halls Antioch Hall, North and South Halls are a group of historic buildings on the campus of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. They were the college's three original buildings, and were listed together on the National Register o ...

* South School *

Yellow Springs Historic District The Yellow Springs Historic District is a large historic district that encompasses the majority of the village of Yellow Springs, Ohio, United States. Development Yellow Springs began to grow in the 1840s. Until 1846, the community was compo ...

Notable people

* Paul Abels, clergyman *

Noah Adams Noah Adams is an American broadcast journalist and author, known primarily since 1987 from National Public Radio. Career A former co-host of the daily ''All Things Considered'' program, Adams is currently the contributing correspondent at ...

public radio Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

journalist and author * Arnold Adoff, poet and author * Cindy Blackman, jazz/rock drummer *

Dave Chappelle David Khari Webber Chappelle ( ; born August 24, 1973) is an American stand-up comedian and actor. He is best known for his satirical comedy sketch series ''Chappelle's Show'' (2003–2006), which he starred in until quitting in the middle of p ...

, American comedian and actor * Suzanne Clauser, screenwriter and novelist *

Mike DeWine Richard Michael DeWine (; born January 5, 1947) is an American politician and attorney serving as the 70th and current governor of Ohio. A member of the Republican Party, DeWine began his career as a prosecutor before being elected to the O ...

, former

US Senator The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and powe ...

, former Ohio Attorney General, current 70th Governor of Ohio * Monica Drake, assistant managing editor,

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

* Jewel Freeman Graham, educator, social worker, attorney, and World

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

president *

Richie Furay Paul Richard Furay (born May 9, 1944) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member (with Buffalo Springfield). He is best known for forming the bands Buffalo Springfield with Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Bruc ...

, singer, songwriter, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame member *

Virginia Hamilton Virginia Esther Hamilton (March 12, 1936 – February 19, 2002) was an American children's books author. She wrote 41 books, including '' M. C. Higgins, the Great'' (1974), for which she won the U.S. National Book Award in category Children's Bo ...

, children's author *

Anne Harris Anne Harris may refer to: *Anne Harris (journalist) Anne Harris (born 25 August 1947) is the former editor of the '' Sunday Independent''. Her daughter Constance Harris writes for the newspaper as a fashion writer. She is the former wife of Eogha ...

, musician and actor * Jon Barlow Hudson, sculptor *

Mike Kahoe Michael Joseph Kahoe (September 3, 1873 – May 14, 1949) was a catcher in Major League Baseball. Kahoe was one of the first catchers to wear shin guards. Kahoe was born on September 3, 1873 in Yellow Springs, Ohio, and made his Major League Base ...

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player *

Coretta Scott King Coretta Scott King ( Scott; April 27, 1927 – January 30, 2006) was an American author, activist, and civil rights leader who was married to Martin Luther King Jr. from 1953 until his death. As an advocate for African-American equality, she w ...

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

leader and wife of

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

John Lithgow John Arthur Lithgow ( ; born , 1945) is an American actor. Lithgow studied at Harvard University and the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art before becoming known for his work on the stage and screen. He has been the recipient of numerous ...

, actor * Neal Vernon Loving, racing pilot and aeronautical engineer *

Michael Malarkey Michael Karim Malarkey (born 21 June 1983) is a British-American actor and musician. He is best known for playing the role of Enzo in the series ''The Vampire Diaries''. Early life Malarkey was born in Beirut, Lebanon, to an Irish American f ...

, actor and musician * David Nibert, sociologist, author and animal rights activist *

Catherine Roma Catherine Roma (born 1948) is an American choral conductor and activist. She was a founding conductor and organizer of the US women's choral movement. She founded the feminist Anna Crusis Women's Choir in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1975, the MUS ...

, choral conductor * David Wilcox, American folk musician

References

External links

Village website

Yellow Springs Chamber of Commerce
* {{Authority control Villages in Greene County, Ohio Villages in Ohio Utopian communities in the United States Populated places on the Underground Railroad Populated places established in 1825 1825 establishments in Ohio