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Crosby Township is a township of northwestern Hamilton County, Ohio. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the total population is 2,748, and the total area is 20 mi² (52 km²). The township retains much of its original area and rural character, as there are no incorporated villages within it.
History
The lands in Crosby Township were opened later and more slowly than its southern neighbors. While good land remained for sale in the more accessible townships there was little incentive to move this far away from the Ohio River. The difficulties with Indians contributed to this delay.
Joab Comstock was the first settler. He came from New Haven, Connecticut in 1801 and purchased several sections leading up from the banks of the Great Miami River. When the township was organized in 1803, he named it for his wife's family.
An interesting element of Crosby township's role in history is related to the pacifist beliefs of the Shakers and some of their neighbors. During the Civil War, a subscription fund was raised and held by the township clerk, with the funds used to pay a bounty to a volunteer to replace any drafted subscriber. When the war and the draft ended in 1865, the remaining $1,200 was used to erect the frame building that has served as the Crosby Township Hall ever since.
Settlements While there are no formally organized villages in the township there have been three settlements.
New Haven was platted as a village by Joab Comstock in 1815. In the 19th century the village had a post office, but was known as Preston. This was necessary since there was already a New Haven, Ohio, and the name was assigned by the first postmaster, Alexander Preston Cavender.
New Baltimore is situated on the Miami River about five miles southeast of New Haven. It was formed in 1819 by Samuel Pottinger. In July 1863 Morgan's Raid used a ford at New Baltimore to cross the Miami River.
Whitewater Shaker Village In 1824 settlement was accelerated by the founding of Whitewater Shaker Village as a commune of the Shakers. This was the fourth and last village founded by the Shakers in Ohio. Starting with 18 members and 20 acres (81,000 m²), they eventually grew to over 125 members and occupied 1,400 acres (5.7 km²). This remained an active community until it was abandoned in 1916 as a part of the general decline of the sect. Today the village's Shaker Cemetery is maintained by the township trustees and is open to the public. While most of the settlement's buildings remain along Oxford Road they are all privately owned.
Law and government Crosby Township has four elected officers: three trustee's and the township clerk, who serve staggered four year terms. As of 2003 the trustees are Jane Harper, Gary Storer, and Warren Strunk, Melody Inman is the clerk, while Jane Pirman is the (part-time) administrator.
A major issue in the township is the ongoing activity related to the clean-up of the Fernauld plant site. Fernauld was built during World War II and was used gaseous diffusion to refine Uranium isotopes needed for the atom bomb. Due to the secrecy involved, the depleted uranium ore was ploughed into neighboring farm fields, making them radioactive.
Geography The terrain rises in a series of hills from the Great Miami River in the southeast and the becomes more regular in the north and west. As of 1990, only 9% of the township's land had been developed for suburban use, while 60% was agricultural and 27% remained wooded. Most of the extensive County Park, Miami Whitewater Forest, is located in Crosby Township.
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