Expedition Team: Dave Miller
Date: April 11, 2026
The house sits on land near the remains of the Keifer cabin (built around 1824) and two monuments about the Battle of Piqua or Picawey in August 1780 between Kentucky militiamen under Col. George Rogers Clark vs. Shawnee and other Indian tribes. The house sits upon a small hill overlooking the main battlefield.
The brick house was built circa 1854 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Daniel and his wife Catharine lived in the house with their ten children. Daniel Hertzler moved to the area in 1834 and became wealthy. He made his money operating a sawmill, grist mill and distillery. In 1855 he established the Old Clark County Bank. In the fall of 1867, he was nearing the completion of construction on a new milling business.
On October 10, 1867, Hertzler was murdered. During the night, the Hertzler Family was awakened by a gang of robbers. During a fight, Daniel Hertzler was shot and killed. Records indicate that four people were arrested but two were acquitted and two escaped from jail.
As the urban legend goes, the ghost of Hertzler haunts his house, unsettled that he died, that no one was arrested and the killer roamed free. In addition, in the land surrounding the house dozens of Native Americans and militiamen were killed in the battle of Piqua/Picawey. So, there is a belief that ghosts and spirits roam the house and grounds. Although I have found no evidence on the internet to support these paranormal claims, I hope that my ghost hunting group may be allowed access some day to conduct an investigation here.
