St. Bernard

In 1793, John Ludlow settled and built mills along Mill Creek in a hilly, forested area 10 miles north of Fort Washington, Cincinnati, and the Ohio River. The Ludlows survived Indian raids and military incursions, and when the family later sold their land to William Cooper Procter and James Gamble, Ludlow Grove became Ivorydale, where industrial innovation and ingenuity fostered the development of global products that changed the world. The adjacent hilltop was platted and named St. Bernard in 1850 by John Bernard Schroeder. It became home to hardworking German immigrants who created farms, churches, cemeteries, saloons, and shops. The turnpikes, Miami and Erie Canal, and the railroads provided employment, goods, services, recreation, and profits. St. Bernard was established as a village in 1878, boasted waterworks and a light plant in 1895, and incorporated with Ludlow Grove/Ivorydale in 1912 to become a city in 1912. Today Interstate 75 artery brings motorists from north and south through St. Bernard to Cincinnati and beyond. The city remains a great place to live, work, raise, and educate families"some for generations.

Marjorie N. Niesen, longtime resident of St. Bernard, was cochairman of the 1978 centenary village project with local volunteers, cofounded St. Bernard-Ludlow Grove Historical Society, and was appointed historian by former mayor Barbara Siegel. Her ongoing research of local history continues as a volunteer with Cincinnati Museum Center Heritage Programs.