Folks Used To Flock To This Tiny Ohio Town As A Refuge From The Cholera Epidemic
Ohio has a fascinating history and reputation that precedes it. While Ohio is best known as The Birthplace of Presidents and its role in the Underground Railroad, there’s much more to discover in the Buckeye State. For instance, the small town of Mt. Healthy is home to just under 7,000 residents and is, by all appearances, a sleepy inner-ring suburb of Cincinnati. But it wasn’t always that way; when the cholera epidemic struck Ohio in 1849, Mt. Healthy became a refuge and haven for the healthy.
When the country grappled with the mounting realities of COVID-19 in 2020, there was a small town in Ohio that braved the pandemic with the calm confidence that can only come from experience.
When the cholera epidemic struck Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1849, many residents fled north to Mt. Healthy -- nee Mt. Pleasant -- which had proven to be a sanctuary from the disease due to the lack of urban crowding and its distance from the Ohio River, two factors that had caused its rapid proliferation in Cincinnati.
For this reason (and due to another Ohio town of the same name), Mt. Pleasant was renamed Mt. Healthy, a moniker that reflects its history as a safe haven during the cholera epidemic of the 1800s.
Mt. Healthy's history as a safe haven is multifaceted, in fact. During the Civil War, many homes in Mt. Healthy served as stations on the Underground Railroad, and the city was quite involved in the abolitionist movement.
Today, Mt. Healthy's history is an extricable part of the town's identity, and the Mt. Healthy Historical Society proudly documents and displays artifacts and totems from times long ago.
Today, Mt. Healthy continues to be a refuge for families and folks looking for a slice of small-town life just a stone's throw from one of the state's largest cities.
Did you know the role Mt. Healthy played in the Ohio cholera epidemic? What a fascinating part of Ohio history!
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Address: Mount Healthy, Mt Healthy, OH 45231, USA
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I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
