Shandon in Butler County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Paddy's Run
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., August 3, 2009
1. Paddy's Run Marker (Side A)
Inscription.
Paddy's Run. . The foundation for the first Welsh settlement in Ohio was laid on June 29, 1801, when William and Morgan Gwilym purchased land in what is now Morgan Township at the Cincinnati Land Office. The Welsh, who settled in Pennsylvania beginning in the late eighteenth century, moved westward and settled here in 1802. This area was also the major terminus for the 1818 migration from Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire in Wales. In 1803 a Congregational Church was organized and services were held in members' homes or outdoors. A brick Meetinghouse, complete with a Welsh death door leading to the cemetery, was constructed in 1824. The building now serves as the Community House. The present brick church was built in 1854. For many years, the library, formed in 1852, was housed in the New London Special School District building that stood on this site., A post office, established in 1831, was named for a nearby stream called Paddy's Run, the local name of New London having been rejected by the Postmaster General. Objecting to being called "Paddies" outside the community, younger residents lobbied for a name change. The community became Glendower in 1886 and again Paddy's Run in 1888 after citizens staged a boycott of the Post Office in 1887. As a compromise, the name was changed to Shandon in 1893. From this first Welsh settlement came Gomer and Venedocia in northwest Ohio and communities in northeastern Indiana. Welsh communities located in east Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin can trace their roots back to Paddy's Run. Paddy's Run was the birthplace of influential Ohioans including Murat Halstead, journalist and editor well-known as a war correspondent; Albert Shaw, editor of the Review of Reviews; Dr. Mark Francis, pioneer in the field of veterinary medicine; and Dr. Edward Francis, researcher with the U.S. Public Health Service.
The foundation for the first Welsh settlement in Ohio was laid on June 29, 1801, when William and Morgan Gwilym purchased land in what is now Morgan Township at the Cincinnati Land Office. The Welsh, who settled in Pennsylvania beginning in the late eighteenth century, moved westward and settled here in 1802. This area was also the major terminus for the 1818 migration from Montgomeryshire and Cardiganshire in Wales. In 1803 a Congregational Church was organized and services were held in members' homes or outdoors. A brick Meetinghouse, complete with a Welsh death door leading to the cemetery, was constructed in 1824. The building now serves as the Community House. The present brick church was built in 1854. For many years, the library, formed in 1852, was housed in the New London Special School District building that stood on this site.
A post office, established in 1831, was named for a nearby stream called Paddy's Run, the local name of New London having been rejected by the Postmaster General. Objecting to being called "Paddies" outside the community, younger residents lobbied for a name change. The community became Glendower in 1886 and again Paddy's Run in 1888 after citizens staged a boycott of the Post Office in 1887. As a compromise, the name was changed to Shandon in 1893. From this first Welsh settlement came Gomer
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and Venedocia in northwest Ohio and communities in northeastern Indiana. Welsh communities located in east Tennessee, Illinois, Iowa, and Wisconsin can trace their roots back to Paddy's Run. Paddy's Run was the birthplace of influential Ohioans including Murat Halstead, journalist and editor well-known as a war correspondent; Albert Shaw, editor of the Review of Reviews; Dr. Mark Francis, pioneer in the field of veterinary medicine; and Dr. Edward Francis, researcher with the U.S. Public Health Service.
Erected 2003 by The Ohio Bicentennial Commission, The Longaberger Company, Morgan Township Historical Society, and The Ohio Historical Society. (Marker Number 17-9.)
Location. 39° 19.554′ N, 84° 42.845′ W. Marker is in Shandon, Ohio, in Butler County. Marker is on Cincinnati-Brookville Road (Ohio Route 126), on the right when traveling east. Marker is about 50 feet east of the
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., August 3, 2009
2. Paddy's Run Marker (Side B)
Morgan Township Fire Department's Shandon Station. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Shandon OH 45063, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Benjamin Chidlaw and Paddy's Run. (Submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Photographed By William Fischer, Jr., August 3, 2009
3. Paddy's Run Marker
Looking SE from near fire station.
Credits. This page was last revised on November 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 2,652 times since then and 139 times this year. Photos:1, 2, 3. submitted on November 2, 2009, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.