Page 116 - A Flood of Memories
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Hamilton: Looking north between Second and Third streets from High Street
Above: From the Rentschler Building on High Street, the photographer captured Great Miami River waters lling the streets around St. Stephen’s Catholic Church and school at Second and Dayton streets. St. Stephen’s was the rst and oldest Catholic parish in Butler County. Construction of the YMCA building across the street began in February of 1913. The foundation had just been completed when the ood washed it away. Peter Thomson, owner of Champion Paper
in 1913, was in Europe during the ood. When Thomson – who had donated $10,000 to kick-start construction of the YMCA – received a telegram about the ood, he pledged another $10,000 to the project.
1913
