Alex History | Village of Alexandria Ohio

History of
Alexandria

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In 1830 Alexander Devilbiss, the founder of Alexandria, came to Central Ohio from Frederick County, Maryland. He and his family travelled in a covered wagon and purchased 300 acres of land in St. Albans Township to build a mill. Devilbiss platted out the village of Alexandria, creating a business center to serve the needs of the new community. He even platted out the Old Cemetery where two of his nephews are buried.

Prominent physician and the "Father of Modern Dentistry," Willoughby Dayton Miller, was born in Alexandria in 1853 and received his early education in a nearby one-room schoolhouse. The first oral micro-biologist, Miller studied in Edinburgh, Scotland and continued his research in Berlin, Germany, but never forgot his Ohio roots. Recognized throughout the world for his research, he was offered and accepted the deanship of the University of Michigan College of Dentistry in 1907, but died prior to his appointment.

There are many additional historical and pre-historical sites throughout the Village and township, including Indian mounds, an Indian trail known as the Buffalo Trail, houses, churches, and stores. UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks, is ten miles east of Alexandria.

Alexandria continued to grow with churches, including some that gave shelter to the anti-slavery movement; a hotel called the "Old Tavern," whose Bar Room provided a meeting place for arbitration and an occasional lawsuit; a post office that collected twenty-five cents from the recipient of the letter; a dry goods store selling flour for four dollars a barrel; a bank that survived while thirty-nine others in the state failed; and even a tobacco factory. The village has survived three bank robberies and numerous fires while still maintaining its rural character.

Alexandria is the home of the first Community Council in the State of Ohio. The council was created in the fall of 1830 to promote the community welfare. The establishment of the Alexandria Library is just one of the accomplishments of this group.