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Rugby, continued from page 37

Hughes, who invested his fortune in the colony. moved his
his elderly mother and his niece, there. He had hoped that
the Cincinnati Southern Railway would build, as it had
promised, a spur to Rugby but it failed to do so. This was a
serious setback.
The communication with the London-based management of
the town was also poor. Over time Hughes was unable to
continue funding the investment in the town from his own
finances and this further endangered the colony's future.

Rugby was also a tough act. Clearing the soil required back
breaking labor over rocky terrain, with virgin woodlands,
and brushy undergrowth. This all had to be done by manual
labor and primitive tools.

The first winter in the colony was unusually severe. This was
followed by a severe drought the following summer. Then Above: The bell still calls believers to prayer in
came a typhoid epidemic. the 1880s Episcopal Church.
Fire, too, periodically destroyed buildings in the town, but
from the 1700s share the quiet space with
what really sealed its fate was the unsuitability of many of memorials from more modern times. On
the people who came to Rugby to live. They did not
Sundays you can attend a service at the
anticipate living as American pioneers had lived on the original Episcopal Church , with pews made
frontier. It was inevitable that immigration to Rugby would
on site from virgin timber and other
slow. Only 20 years after its founding, by 1900 only 125
decorations imported from England. Since
people still lived in the area.
it's opening in 1880, the Church has
Hanging on continued services each Sunday to the
present day. Visit one of the town's two
From 1920 through the 1950s some of the children of the
businesses and stay in an original home or
original colonists, as well as some local people, cared for the
try one of the nearby B&Bs. Mostly, enjoy the
town's remaining public buildings, kept the river gorge trails
peace of the area and marvel in this little bit
cleared, and watched over the cemetery. The original
of what Hughes hoped would be heaven on
Pioneer House where Hughes had stayed before there was a
earth and perhaps see a car show, too.
colony became a private residence but many buildings were
lost to fire and to neglect.

The idea of Rugby as a utopia had clearly failed. Then in
1960, a local boy, Brian Stagg, 16, took it upon himself to
begin a permanent preservation and restoration of what still
remained of the village. Aided by his neighbors and others
from Tennessee, in 1966 he formed The Rugby Restoration
Association and in 1972 the town was listed on the National
Registration of Historic Places.

Rugby had been saved and is now waiting for you to enjoy
the 12 original buildings that have been restored, the
visitors' center, and look at the 20 original buildings still
awaiting restoration. You can walk down to the Gentleman's
The Rugby library was the first , free , public
Swimming Hole and tour the town's cemetery, where stones
library in the south and still operates.
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