Expedition Team: Ron Elter, Rosie Miller, Dave Miller
Expedition Date: February 2016
This was our third trek to the excavation site on a unseasonably beautiful 68-degree day. Our team was joined by resolute and impregnable explorer Ron Elter. We continued to clear the three inches of dirt, moss and weeds to uncover the original brick road once traveled by horse and wagon. Rosie and Ron cleared the end bricks and measured a road width of 16 feet 11 inches. I continued to clear and expose a larger section of brick. Ron chiseled away at two end bricks for over 15 minutes before removing them. They are much heavier than today’s bricks and were sent away for analysis. They will be part of an eventual historical display at Moraine’s recreation centers and at local schools. After 140+ years, that brick road is solid.
For you Moraine history buffs look closely at the early 1920’s map that we used to find the buried road and note these interesting things that were different almost 100 years ago: Blanchard Avenue was called Edison Avenue after famous inventor Thomas Edison; Vance Road in front of Frank Nicholas School was called Apple Road (and the future homes Apple Plat); Pensacola Blvd. was called Broadmoor Blvd; Lauderdale Drive was called Orlando Drive; Lehigh Place was called Lansing; Notice a short road called Carroll Drive off of Edison Ave. where Treasure Island Supper Club is today. The Cincinnati & Lake Erie Interurban Transit electric rail line ran parallel to South Dixie. Notice the Lindbergh Blvd. plat in West Carrollton today was called South Moraine area back then. Alexandersville was the area that eventually became West Carrollton. East River Road was called Eby Road and that Dryden Road (which ran parallel to the Miami-Erie Canal was shaped different.
Did You Know: South Dixie Drive was two-way traffic until after World War II. (Notice Kettering Blvd. Runs into Springboro Pike, not like today). In 1941 Frigidaire stopped making refrigerators, began war production and built airplane parts, machine guns and bullets. An extra lane was added to westbound Dixie Drive to accommodate increased truck traffic.
