Brand New Elmwood Place Survived A Civil War Between Two Feuding Mayors

The essential sourcebook for local history, the WPA-penned “Guide to Cincinnati and Its Neighbors,” had few kind words for Elmwood Place as late as 1943:“Elmwood Place is notorious for its gambling establishments. Bets are placed in several shops along Vine Avenue, where all kinds of gambling devices are available. The Cincinnati papers often carry advertising, and even items in their social-events columns, intended to lure ‘suckers’ to Vine Avenue.”Nestled as it is in the heart of an industrial valley, Elmwood Place has never claimed to be “quaint,” but the village has retained a soupçon of small-town charm. It might be the last place you’d expect scandals, misfeasance or a civil war, but that’s pretty much what happened in the brand-new village in 1895.As Hamilton County municipalities go, Elmwood Place is relatively young. The village was not incorporated until 1890. With fewer than 2,000 residents, village government got chartered despite a plague of feuds and dissension.The…

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