UNION COUNTY - “State of the Union” - 6-8 December 2024

One of the sacrosanct rules of County Trippin’ involves the avoidance of interstates and/or divided highways. The reasoning being that you don’t see anything during the rapid transit on freeways, and one of the goals of these trips is to see the county.

Unfortunately, on a dark December evening, there isn’t much to see regardless of what route one might take, so in deference to expediency, we received special dispensation to enter Union County from the south along U.S. Route 33. For thirteen miles, our views were limited to headlights and tail lights of commuters heading home on a Friday night. If I possessed some sort of supernatural x-ray night vision, I could have spotted the headquarters of The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company off to the west. The multinational corporation got its start in 1868 when Civil War veteran and Marysville resident Orlando McLean Scott began selling weed-free seed to local farmers. (Feel free to insert your own fertilizer/weed/plant similes here to describe the eventual growth of the company.)

We left the highway at Exit 93 and turned onto Delaware Street. It becomes 5th Street as the road enters downtown Marysville, the county seat and only city of Union County. (For sticklers, Dublin is also a city, but only a small bit of its area spills into the county.)

Between Plum and Main Streets, we turned down an alley and parked our car behind the building housing our Airbnb apartment. Billed as an “historic downtown loft apartment,” our accommodation was a renovated second floor space with 7-foot tall windows that looked out onto the business strip on East 5th Street. We immediately fell in love with it, but stayed only long enough to drop off our bags because we had dinner to get.

It was a chilly, but dry evening with temperatures hanging around the freezing mark. We walked east for a couple of blocks to Leon’s Garage, a popular restaurant that often features live music. Unfortunately for us, we arrived on a busy night and got the shut-out. An Eagles tribute band from Seattle called Victims of Love was on stage. I would have been curious to see in what era facial hair the band members performed, but the restaurant was “sold-out” in a manner of speaking.

We backtracked a block and found a table at The Half Pint, a friendly burger joint that also boasts a large selection of Ohio craft beers. We began with an appetizer of white cheddar cheese curds that came with a sriracha ranch dipping sauce. For our main entrees of freshly made burgers, Michele went with one of the daily specials that featured fried pickles, while I selected from the menu the 211 Burger consisting of wagyu beef, mozzarella, roasted garlic mayo and fried onions on a brioche bun.

While our tasty meal may have been missing live music, the couple seated at the next table provided a diversion for our surreptitiously nosey ears. They appeared to be on a first date. She was probably in her 30s or 40s while he appeared to be about 30 years older. He did most of the talking. She appeared only mildly engaged. After their departure, we compared notes and doubted that a love connection was made.

After dinner, we walked three blocks south to East 8th Street where we found Walking Distance Brewing Company. Our timing was poor as we arrived just after the final set by Appalachian Country Blues singer/songwriter Micah Kesselring, but we were still intent on sampling some beer. Michele chose a pint of their Squash Goals pumpkin ale and I had the Hazy Headspace New England IPA. (“Little sweet, little hoppy, not bitter”) Since we were there so late, we couldn’t fully assess the establishment’s vibe, but the beer was good. Its Facebook tag brags: “Your favorite third space. Locally owned brewery focused on community and a warm sense of whimsy.” That may be so, but I still have to ding them for not having any brewery stickers in stock.

A feeling of contentment filled us as we strolled up Plum Street, past the Marysville Public Library, and back to our apartment. I binge-watched Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds music videos on YouTube TV until midnight.

The next morning, we didn’t have far to go for our breakfast. McKinley’s Grille was located directly below our apartment. The personalities of the two servers working that morning resembled stock police drama characters of a good cop/bad cop duo. Unfortunately, the bad cop was our server. On the rare occasion she paid attention to us, her demeanor bordered on terse surliness. To be fair, she acted the same toward all the tables she waited on. Regardless, my scrambled eggs, bacon, hashbrowns and toast were good and I’m nearly 100% positive no one spit on any of it.

The center of Marysville is an attractive district with well-kept commercial buildings, many of which must be over a century old. One gem that really stands out for its architectural design is the Liggett Building, 120-122 East 5th Street, across the street from our apartment. It was built in 1897 on plans created by the premier Columbus team of Yost & Packard. The three-story structure features tall arched windows fronting the second floor, accented by terra cotta and brown brick. The steep red tile roof contains a dormer in front and stepped gables on the side.

We roamed up and down 5th and Main Streets, popping into various shops including Union Station 1820, the official welcome center for the city and county as well as a shop specializing in locally produced items. I picked up a 12 oz. bottle of honey from Bokes Creek Orchard out of Richwood. Michele selected five pounds of wild bird seed bagged by Ohio Till Farmstead in Marysville.

Across the street, we found more items to purchase at Plumm Home Vintage & Gifts, co-owned by the mother and daughter team of Paula Lynch and Maggie Mulling. Since it was the holiday season, a trio of glass Christmas trees called to us. They were manufactured by Mosser Glass of Cambridge, but Paula told us there are Mosser family members currently living in Marysville.

While we were out shopping, I walked a block out of the way to take a look at the gorgeous Union County Courthouse. Designed by Toledo architect David W. Gibbs and built in the early 1880s, it incorporates elements of Italianate and Second Empire architectural styles. I learned from the historical marker on its lawn that the county was established in 1820 and named for the “union” of the portions it took from Delaware, Franklin, Logan, and Madison Counties, as well as a section of former Native American territory.

On South Main Street, we strolled past the Avalon Theatre, another successful example of a community’s renovation and preservation of a former house of entertainment. Its marquee exhibits an art deco style reminiscent of 1936, the year it opened.

We returned to our car and left the city behind, driving north along Ohio Route 4. At the crossroads community of Pharisburg, we turned east onto Ohio Route 347 for two miles and then north onto Ohio Route 37 into the village of Magnetic Springs. An historical marker in front of the Magnetic Springs Baseball & Softball Association Park told the story of its resort town past:

Near this site in 1879, J.E. Newhouse discovered a magnetic spring in his park, Green Bend Gardens. It was found that a knife blade dipped in the water could pick up small metal objects like a magnet. The spring became known for its curative powers and was advertised as a treatment for ailments including rheumatism, gout, insomnia, and diseases of the kidneys, bladder, and nerves. To share the health-giving water, Mr. Newhouse opened the Magnetic Bath House, which became famous for its water cures. To reach a larger market, the magnetic water was sterilized and bottled and sold under the Magnetic Springs label. Advances in medicine after World War II led to the decline in the popularity of mineral baths.

Our next destination was only a mile away, but the road was closed in Magnetic Springs at Bokes Creek due to bridge construction, so we had to detour for nearly seven miles back to OH-4 and north to Askins Road. Down that country road, we found Red Fox Farms where they were hosting “An Olde Fashioned Christmas Market.” (You can tell it’s authentic when they spell “old” with that extra letter!) We were hoping to experience some holiday activities on this county trip and this was our first.

The market was held inside a giant horse barn. Vendors were scattered about in individual stalls and around the vast interior. String band The Mighty Troubadours were providing musical entertainment as we entered. We meandered about and made purchases of spices, chocolate, handmade soap, and a T-shirt.

We drove back down Askins Road and paused at its intersection with OH-4 so I could take a photograph of the Union County Bicentennial Barn. The logo appears on the north-facing end of the 1929 barn. I’d guess that the Clady family, who owns the 75-foot-tall farm building, has had the logo touched up since it was originally applied by barn painter Scott Hagan over 20 years ago. The lettering still appears strong and vibrant.

Returning south on OH-4 to OH-347, we turned west and drove nearly five miles across the county before turning north onto Ohio Route 31. We’d brought a curated selection of Christmas cds to play in the car. The festive holiday tunes were helping to alleviate the Sturm und Drang I felt every time we passed a Trump yard sign; a prevalent sight in rural Ohio, especially in Union County, where voters favored the former president in the recent presidential election by a 2-to-1 margin.

In the northwest corner of the county, at the unincorporated community of Byhalia, we turned onto Treaty Line Road. Do you ever wonder how roads get their names? Well, a mile and a half farther, at its intersection with Hoover-Moffitt Road, there was an historical marker that explained this one. (If only it were always so easy!) The treaty being referred to here is the Treaty of Greenville, the 1795 agreement between representatives of the United States and leaders of twelve Native American tribes including Wyandots, Delawares, Shawnees, Ottawas, and Miamis. The latter group didn’t have much choice after their defeat the year before at the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The treaty created a boundary between the warring factions. It runs through today’s Union County along part of Treaty Line Road and all of Boundary Road. It also separates Washington and York Townships and Jackson and Claibourne Townships.

After our history lesson, we backtracked south on OH-31 before turning eastbound onto Ohio Route 47. As we drove along the bucolic landscape, we listened to JD McPherson sing about his disappointing childhood Christmas gifts.

Tiptoe to the mantle/ A scowl upon my brow/ I reach up to my stocking/ Hanging from a holly bough/ I reach right in and feel around/For Santa Claus' loot/ But all I find is something there to insulate my boots/ Socks (Kneeeeee high)/ Santa how could you let me down?/ It doesn't slip or slide or spring or make a sound that rocks/ Hey, why'd you stuff my stocking with a lousy pair of socks?

--“Socks” by JD McPherson

We arrived at the village of Richwood with a little time to spare before our second planned holiday event: the Richwood Christmas Parade. This community of about 2,200 residents really knows how to put on a parade. The procession stepped off at 4 pm from the North Union Middle School, north of town, and followed a 2 ½ mile loop as far south as Gill Street. The main viewing area was a strip of Franklin Street through the center of town where an announcer with a microphone and speaker introduced each float as it went by.

A new element to parades that was missing from the ones I remember from my childhood is the practice of throwing out candy from the floats to the children along the parade route. Today’s kids know what to expect, though, because they all came prepared with plastic bags and Halloween pumpkin pails. I’m sure they hauled in more sweets from this parade than from an average Beggars Night.

Float sponsors promoted many local businesses and organizations including the Richwood Bank, a local restaurant, and the departments of fire, police, and EMS. There were Clydesdale horses, tractors, Shriners driving tiny cars, library staff dressed as sheep, and the always appreciated high school marching band (those brass instruments have GOT to be cold!).

There was also a float put together by the “Citizens Against Richwood Solar.” Who doesn’t like the sun and appreciate the potential energy it can provide? Before I could get my liberal panties in a bunch though, I saw that members were handing out bags of popcorn.

I do like popcorn.

Hey, can’t we all just get along?! I’m sure there are some very fine people on both sides of that debate. Isn’t there some argument about how solar farms can disrupt local ecosystems? Maybe I should just eat my popcorn and shut up.

After a jolly Santa Claus rode by on the final float, we followed the parade’s tail to Richwood Lake Park where a “Light Up the Park” event was scheduled to immediately follow the parade. There was a warm fire burning in the shelter house and cookies and hot chocolate on offer. We waited around a little while, but it looked like nothing was going to happen until all the children got their pictures taken with Santa. We were getting cold and hungry, so we bagged that event and walked back to Smoky Bears Grill & Chill for dinner.

We would have wound up at this restaurant anyway, but we appreciated the community mindedness of this BBQ restaurant that closed during the parade so that it could participate. Their float consisted of a chef standing in the back of a pick-up truck, using tongs and a spatula to fling candy from a grill out to the kids.

It turned out that their food is delicious, too! Michele and I shared the Covered Bridge sampler (one pulled pork slider, one brisket slider, a half order of BBQ chicken nachos with cheddar cheese, tomato, onion, jalapenos, and sour cream, and four mozzarella sticks with marinara), and two pulled pork street tacos. Pieces of pecan pie and peanut butter whisky pie provided a sweet tasty finish to our meal.

Smoky Bears opened in Richwood in 2017. According to the owner’s mission statement on his website, “Our barbecue joint is an homage to the southern influences of my western Tennessee youth, where I learned 2 critical truths: 1) The little things we all do for our community add up to mean something; 2) Without great food, what’s the point?”

Night had fallen by the time we were back on the road, and in December, night can get awfully dark. We drove back west on OH-47 and then south on Claibourne Road. Those country roads become BLACK at night. (“It's like, how much more black could this be? And the answer is none. None more black.”) We were feeling deep in the boonies when at last we spotted the eerily underlit sign for Rhetoric Brewery. It’s located on a “multi-generation family farm in rural Union County.” Had there not been other cars in the parking lot, we might have had second thoughts about entering, but those were just needless scaredy cat feelings. We stepped into a well-lit and festively-decorated taproom where a few other friendly folks were already bellied-up to the bar.

We felt welcomed right away as the friendly bartender poured our beers: the Rusty Bucket rye pale ale for Michele and the Haplessmare, a dampfbier, for me. I wasn’t familiar with dampfbier, which apparently is a common brew in rural Bavaria. The brewery owner, a friendly gent sporting the prerequisite trim brewmaster’s beard, came over to chat with us for a bit and explained that the dampfbier has a dark amber color and contains a sweet malty, caramel taste with a dry finish. It sounded good to me and tasted even better. We liked everything about Rhetoric Brewery including the fact that they made available complimentary stickers!

We continued south in the dark on Claibourne Road to Ohio Route 347, and then west to Ohio Route 31, and south back to Marysville, but before returning to our apartment, we had one more attraction to seek out.

Union County is home to seven covered bridges. Two of them were decked out in lights for the holiday season. We drove west on Ohio Route 245 in search of one of them, rocking out to Old 97’s “Love the Holidays” cd along the way. About seven miles west of Marysville, we turned onto Inskeep Cratty Road. Just one hundred yards later, the Spain Creek Covered Bridge narrows the road to a single lane for its 64-foot length. The original bridge was constructed in the 1870s, although a newer bridge-within-a-bridge was put in place in 1988 to ensure modern traffic could continue to safely pass over the covered bridge. Unfortunately, this was not the lit up bridge, so we couldn’t make out many of its details.

The bridge we’d traveled to see was another mile down the road. The Pottersburg Covered Bridge was originally located on North Lewisburg Road, but moved in 2006 to its present location off of Inskeep Cratty Road at the start of a walking trail. Some sources put the year of its construction at 1868, but 1873 is the year marked above its entrance. The bridge was festooned with white lights all along the edges of its roof and further lit up with a chandelier inside at its center. A shining half moon appearing directly above the bridge added to its picturesque appearance.

With the day’s sightseeing accomplished, we returned to our Marysville apartment and binge-watched old episodes of “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” (Don’t you judge me!)

The following morning, after waking up with a pot of coffee in the apartment, we packed up our belongings and stowed them in our car by the 11 am check-out time.

We ate brunch at Yeasty Boys Delicatessen, on the southeastern corner of 5th and Main. Michele had the breakfast tacos and I had the shrimp and grits. Mine was not the spicy dish I’m used to, but the grits had rather a slight sweet taste that made them delicious. The shellfish just provided a pleasant accompaniment.

As we ate at the outer counter and looked out at the main downtown intersection, we spotted Santa Claus turning from 5th onto South Main Street. He was wearing his telltale red & white hat and fur coat and was waving at passersby. In case you’re wondering what kind of car Santa drives, it was a blue Honda SUV. That came as no surprise as the Honda of America Manufacturing plant is the largest employer in the county. If Santa wants to continue receiving milk and cookies from the good boys and girls on Christmas Eve, he recognizes the importance of supporting the local economy.

Just outside the restaurant, we paused to read an historical marker commemorating Marysville native Robert Sprague Beightler who led an illustrious military career, rising from Private to Major General in the Ohio National Guard. In World War II, he was one of the most successful National Guard Generals, training and leading in combat the famous 37th Ohio National Guard Buckeye Division. That division endured 700 days of fighting in the South Pacific Theater.

After a quick perusal through one of the 2nd Chances thrift stores (where 100% of profit is reinvested in Union County), we returned to our car and drove south out of Marysville where we connected to Ohio Route 4. About a mile and a half past the village of Milford Center, we turned onto Connor Road where we found the Milford Center Prairie Preserve hiding in plain sight. The green space is a narrow strip of land that runs under power lines between corn fields, along a former railroad line. It’s said that the path supports 57 different species of prairie plants, but not much was flowering during our visit. Still, it was a sunny day and a pleasant one for a walk.

We hiked the mown path for a mile and a half where it comes to an abrupt halt at OH-4. That was our sign to turn around. On our return, we spotted a dog on the path in the distance. It walked toward us for a while until it picked up speed and turned a trot into a run. Loose dogs can be problematic anywhere, but we felt especially vulnerable out among the flat fields. It didn’t help that as it got closer, we could see it had some pit bull in its family tree.

Long story, even longer, the dog turned out to be more or less friendly. It didn’t attempt any aggressive moves and, basically, just led or followed us until we passed a nearby farmhouse that we assumed must be its home. Near the end of our hike, we passed another walker just starting out. He was grateful for the heads up regarding the dog.

Less than a mile south of Connor Road, we again turned off OH-4, south onto Homer Road, and then east onto Winget Road. That’s where we found the Culbertson Covered Bridge over Treacle Creek. The 94-foot-long span was originally constructed in the early 1870s about a mile away, but moved to its present location in 1922. It was built by Reuben L. Partridge who was the contractor on hundreds of bridges throughout Ohio. He even had a truss design named for him, the “Partridge Block,” for which he received a patent. In the 1930s, covered windows were cut out from the sides of many of the Union County bridges, including this one, to improve visibility.

To get to our next bridge, we had to backtrack north on OH-4 so we could turn east onto Sabine-Bigelow Road. Farm fields and horses, barns and silos filled our sight-seeing for the next couple of miles. At Streng Road, we turned north for a short distance, pulling off just before the Streng Road Iron Bridge. The 200-foot-long steel truss bridge was constructed 110 years ago, replacing a covered bridge that had been built by Reuben Partridge (who else?) in 1869, but that had been damaged during the floods of 1913. The replacement bridge was renovated in the early 1990s, so it should continue to carry vehicles over the Big Darby Creek for many years to come and serve as a working historical monument to bridgebuilding.

After a quick picture, we drove across the bridge and then connected to Ohio Route 38 which returned us to Marysville. On West 6th Street, across the road from the back of the Courthouse, the Veterans Memorial Auditorium was hosting a production of “Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, the Musical.” The Union County Singsations, a community singing group, in conjunction with The Academy, a local dance studio, presented the musical based on the 1954 movie that starred Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney, and Vera-Ellen.

The 2 pm show was the final of three shows that were performed over three days. Admission was free, but donations were accepted. We didn’t know quite what to expect and so were caught a little off guard when we found a packed auditorium. We managed to find seats in the back row, which we thought might be advantageous if we felt the need to escape during intermission. I mean, you never know what to expect from community theater.

I’m happy to report, though, that we stayed for the entire show and enjoyed it thoroughly! No, not all the vocals were stellar, but on the whole, the singing was good and some of the singers were very good! I didn’t find the story of the musical (and movie) so particularly compelling that I’ll be adding it to my annual movie-watching, but it was holiday-oriented and so another event to help us achieve Christmas spiritedness.

Who knew one could work up a mean thirst from watching a musical? Fortunately, there was brewpub we hadn’t yet visited only a few blocks away on East 4th Street, so that became our next destination. Happenstance Brewing Project is one of the newest breweries in town, having just opened its doors in 2024. It’s big, friendly, well-lit, and best of all, it has good beer. Michele had a chocolatey-tasting nut brown ale and I had a satisfying oatmeal stout. We enjoyed our adult beverages while daylight gave way to dusk, which in turn gave way to night.

With darkness once more upon us, we drove south out of Marysville for the final time. Following OH-38 almost all the way out of the county, we turned west on Ohio Route 161 for nearly two miles to Axe Handle Road. The Bigelow Covered Bridge can be seen from OH-161, especially during the holidays since it was the other bridge the county had decided to decorate with white lights.

Named for Eliphas Bigelow (I wonder why more parents aren’t naming their sons Eliphas?), an early resident of Union County, the 102-foot-long span over the Little Darby Creek is another Partridge construction. Its original construction was in 1873, although a new support system was installed around 1990. I’d say the lights on the Pottersburg Covered Bridge were prettier, but any covered bridge lit up in the night is going to paint a lovely rural scene

Before leaving the county, I was thinking of making one more detour to Unionville Center for the sake of the historical marker on its village green at Cross and Main Streets, but it’s really difficult to read a sign in the dark. I already knew what it said anyway. It pays homage to Charles W. Fairbanks who was born nearby in a log cabin in 1852. He spent four years just a heartbeat away from the presidency when he served as Theodore Roosevelt’s VP.

A 2011 article in The Columbus Dispatch drew attention to this “tiny town” with a population of only about 200 people. A long-time resident was quoted as saying the stereotype about small towns was true for Unionville Center, “You really can leave your doors unlocked.” That may sound like a quaint selling point for living there, but I wonder what the Sheriff’s Department thinks about it.

I was rather tired of driving along the inky darkness of country roads, so we stayed on OH-161 and drove east, staying just above the county’s southern border. In the village of Plain City, the state route becomes West Main Street and dips below the county line and that’s where our county trippin’ came to an end.

Time spent in the county: 47 hours, 4 minutes

Miles driven in the county: 144

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