In town in the mid-1800’s you’d have found a General Store and blacksmith shop as well as the pictured New Germany School #11, which burned down in February 1920 while the teacher and pupils were eating lunch - no reported injuries.  Much of the land in 1874 was owned by members of the Harshman Family.

During the early twentieth century, the social lives of those in northern Beavercreek Township revolved around New Germany Hall, famous for their 50/50 dances - 50% round dancing and 50% square dancing.  The Hall clothing store was also a popular local shopping destination.

If you continued west northwest through Wright Patterson Air Force Base, you would have found yourself in a town known as Harshmanville, found opposite the National Museum of the United States Air Force (and their AWESOME virtual tours) on Springfield Street.  In the late 1800’s the Gerlaugh, Zink, Glaser, Barr, Kraft & Bates families were prevalent.

Our geographic neighbor, Fairborn, has a truly unique story of how it ‘came together’!  There’s a short documentary describing how the towns of Fairfield and Osborn became Fairborn.

• National Road and Col. Glenn Highway National Road and Col. Glenn Highway
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1961 Description of New Germany - New Germany in the northwest corner of the township was a settlement of farmers of German extraction. It has two blacksmith shops, two grocery stores, dry goods store, a saloon, a school house and an Old Stage Coach Inn. The main thoroughfare running from Cincinnati through Dayton, Fairfield, Springfield and Columbus, passed through New Germany using the Old Stage Coach Inn as a stopping place. New Germany had a band organized in 1896, which played at political rallies, picnics and many other places where they were in demand.

Present Day - The town of New Germany has been consumed by progress, but its remnants are still there to see. Located at the current intersection of Colonel Glenn Highway and Grange Hall/National Road, a portion of the land is now Federal property allocated to WPAFB, other portions have become part of the Meijer Superstore and the business park adjacent to Home Depot.

Many of the streets indicated on the inset map are still there, and homes from the 1930’s and 1940’s can still be found along National Road and Germany Lane. Colonel Glenn Highway was formerly known as Zink Road and boomed as Dayton’s “Third Street Extension”.