Legacy Preservation and The Creation of Dayton's First MetroPark: The Place History of Carriage Hill
Five Rivers MetroParks. "Carriage Hill in 1970". 2020. (Originally taken in 1970).
Pictured above is an image of Carriage Hill MetroPark in 1970. This image appears to show a man, probably a farmer, riding on a wagon full of sheep that is being dragged by oxen back into the main area of the farm. This image is a great visualization of the early days of the park, when it was slowly transitioning from a family farm into a preserved historical site. One can’t help but notice the barn in the center of the image. What’s interesting is that Carriage Hill looks very different today, but the barn is still standing some 50 years later. The barn at Carriage Hill is a great representation of how much the property has changed throughout its varying ownerships, while still staying true to its roots. I could go on and on about how much Carriage Hill has changed since this image was taken, but I first must begin with how different this property was, long before it was ever a MetroPark and the name “Carriage Hill” was ever even a thought.
Arnold Family Ownership
The story of Carriage Hill begins all the way back in 1830, when Daniel and Catharine Arnold of Rockingham County, Virginia, along with their five children decided to move west. The Arnolds sold their land, packed all of the possessions an oxdrawn wagon could carry, and set off for the great state of Ohio. After the long and brutal journey, the Arnolds settled along Dry Run, a stream that branched off from the much larger Mad River. The property that the Arnolds settled on was first purchased by Henry Harshbarger, Catherine’s father, in 1830. Upon arrival, the Arnolds took up shop in a log cabin that had previously been built on the property. In the spring, Daniel purchased 158 acres from Henry for $2000. By 1836, the Arnolds built their very own house using lumber and bricks from a nearby kiln.
Before his father’s death in 1864, Henry H. Arnold, the youngest of the Arnold boys, purchased 144 acres of the family farm from his father. With Henry at the helm, the Arnold family farm went through tremendous growth and prosperity in the following years. In 1878, Henry completed two major additions to the farm. First, a new barn was built to house both crops and livestock. Second, a new addition was added to the original Arnold family house, featuring a winter kitchen. Throughout the 1880’s, the farm was consistently productive and prosperous.
In 1891, Henry C. Arnold, the son of Henry Arnold, married Sally Deeter, and the couple then moved into the brick house that was built by his grandfather Daniel 55 years earlier. In the meantime, Henry Arnold moved back into the log cabin where his parents first settled some 60 years earlier. Henry C. Arnold looked after the family farm until 1908, when he moved to Covington, Ohio to start his own farm.
With her brother Henry C. gone and her father aging into his elder years, Emma Arnold assumed the duty of taking care of the family homestead. In 1910, Henry Arnold, the man who carried on his father’s legacy and made the family farm a much bigger success than his father could have ever dreamed of, passed away. In 1916, Emma Arnold sold the family farm and moved to Dayton. After being sold and bought between several different families, the farm was eventually acquired by the Dayton-Montgomery County Park District, now known as Five Rivers MetroParks, in 1965.
Five Rivers MetroParks. "The Arnolds". 2020. (Originally taken some time in 1800s).
Transitioning to a Park
Carriage Hill was the first park established by the new park district back in April 1965, when the district purchased 224 acres with donated funds, the majority of which were donated by Eugene Kettering. The land that makes up Carriage Hill was targeted in particular, because of its close proximity to Huber Heights, the fastest growing section of the metropolitan area, and the most in need of an open space preservation.
Originally, the park was known as Drylick Run, which got its name from the small stream that ran through the property. The rolling terrain, which contained 70 acres of mature forest and meadows, was perfectly suited for outdoor activities like camping, picnics, hiking, horseback riding, and other nature related activities. However, the main focus of purchasing the property was to preserve animals, birds, trees, and flowers on the land, and to provide local schools a place to study nature. In 1968, the adjacent 97 acre property including a historic farm was purchased and converted into an outdoor education center intended to educate the public on the Dayton area’s agricultural heritage. At the time, Richard Lawwill, the director of the farm, decided that Drylick Run needed a new name. While driving down the road one day he saw a sign with the words “Carriage Hill” on it. Lawwill liked the name and the rest is history.
Since 1976, the park has expanded to over 900 acres of land rich in natural and cultural history. In 1995, an adjacent horse farm was added to the park, enabling the district to offer a riding center to the public. In addition to horseback riding, Carriage Hill also offers fishing in Cedar Lake, which is known for its abundance of crappies and sunfish. Carriage Hill is also home to a tall grass prairie which contains sun-loving flowers that can grow up to ten feet tall. Not to be forgotten are the wet lands at Carriage Hill, which are the breeding grounds and nurseries for many different species of birds and animals. Though it started out as the Arnold family farm, in the 50 years that it has since been known as Carriage Hill, the park has become so much more. Carriage Hill continues to offer a glimpse of living farm history as well as opportunities for environmental education and recreation on its woodlands, nature trails, croplands, and meadows.
Five Rivers Metroparks. "Historic Carriage Hill Barn". 2020.
Through the eyes of Henry H. Arnold
It has been over twenty years since my father, Daniel Arnold, passed away. This farm has meant so much to my mother, father, siblings and I. I’ll never forget the day when my mother and father told us that we were moving to my grandfather’s farm in the fertile lands of Ohio. Ohio was a word that I had heard in passing, but I never really knew what it was or how it looked. We were all so anxious when we packed into that wagon, but once I stepped foot on that property, it was love at first site.
As soon as we got off the wagon and walked into the property, my siblings and I spotted a giant, furry creature with two horns extending from its head. We had never seen an animal like that back home in Virginia, so we decided to move closer to get a better look at it. Once we approached the beast, it let out a loud snarl, and a pack of ten more circled around us. My father had to shoot a warning shot out of his musket just to get the pack to leave us alone. Afterwards, father told us that those monsters were known as bison, and he strongly advised us not to go near them without his permission. Scared, but still excited to find more wildlife, my siblings and I explored the rest of the area while mother and father unpacked the wagon, and moved our belongings into grandfather’s log cabin. Before we knew it, it was sundown and mother yelled for us to head back into the cabin for supper. While eating, father told us of the plans he and mother had to save up money and buy the rest of the property from granddad. My father went on to explain how he even dreamed of us building a house of our own and starting a family farm. I brushed it off as just another one of father’s dreams, but by the time spring came, I found out that my father always held true to his word.
It was early April when father first began building the foundation on the site that he and mother had picked for the house some months earlier. I was very young at the time, so my mother and father did not want me laying brick with my older brothers, but they did let me chop some wood. One day while out in the woods chopping logs, I came across a baby black bear snacking on some berries. At first, I thought about approaching the bear and attempting to rub its head, but then I remembered my experience with the bison a few months prior and thought better. I chopped the logs, took another glance to make sure that the bear had kept its distance, and I was on my way back to the cabin. Not too many eventful things happened in the years it took to build the house. I mainly just remember my daily chore of chopping logs until father deemed that I was finally old enough to lay brick myself.
It took us six years in total to build that house, but when we laid the final brick I never saw a bigger smile on my father’s face. Not only did he make the daring decision to sell his land and move hundreds of miles away from everything he ever knew, he had the dedication and willpower to build his own house and start his own farm, all in pursuit of building a better life for his family.
Five Rivers MetroParks. "Arnold Homestead". 2020.
For the next 16 years, life was great. My siblings and I worked the farm with mother and father to the best of our abilities, and it even proved quite profitable. In 1852, however, mother passed away at the age of 57. She lived a great life and was proud of everything that her, father, and my siblings and I had accomplished. In the next decade, my father was slowly beginning to realize that he was getting old. The man who could once chop hundreds of logs and shuck tons upon tons of corn in a day couldn’t so much as work for an hour without having to stop and take a rest. For the last few years, father began selling more and more acres of the property to my siblings and I so that we could support our own families and eventually take over the farm.
In 1864, the day that I had always feared finally came. My father passed away due to injuries he sustained from falling off a wagon at a friend’s farm. After the loss of my father, my siblings were too scared to take over the family farm in fear of tarnishing his legacy, but I was determined to carry it.
For the next decade and a half, business was booming. In fact, the farm was much more profitable than my father could have ever dreamed. While the business side of the farm was doing great, I felt that the infrastructure of it was starting to show its age. I made the decision that the farm should have two additions to improve its aesthetic. First, a winter kitchen would be added to the brick house. Second, a new and improved barn to house our ever-growing number of livestock and crops. I was very proud to have accomplished both of these feats by 1878.
In the next 10 or so years, I myself had to come to terms with the fact that I was growing old much like my father had some 30 years earlier. In 1891, my son Henry C. Arnold married his wife Sally Deeter, so I decided to let them take over the brick house while I moved back into the very same house that my parents, siblings, and I lived in while we built the brick house. Eventually, I sold all of the farm to Henry, because I have the utmost confidence in his abilities. I know my days are short, but I do not care if Henry carries on my father’s or even my own legacy, I want him to create his own and let the world know about Henry C. Arnold.
Works Cited
“History.” Five Rivers MetroParks, 18 Oct. 2019, www.metroparks.org/about/history/.
Meyer, Janel. “The History of Carriage Hill Farm.” Janel Meyer, 4 June 2009, nellie104.wordpress.com/2009/06/04/the-history-of-carriage-hill-farm/.
Around Ohio. “The Arnold Homestead - Carriage Hill MetroPark.” Historic Ohio, 9 Oct. 2017, historicohio.net/2016/10/the-arnold-homestead-carriage-hill-metro-park/.
“Country Fair at Carriage Hill MetroPark.” Dayton Local, www.daytonlocal.com/things-to-do/country-fair-carriage-hill-metropark.asp.