Kicking off the Williamsburg Section

Shops are housed in historic buildings in
downtown Milford.

I cannot think of a better way to start this section of Blue Blazing Ohio than with an early morning coffee and walk around old downtown Milford. As you may recall from an earlier post, the Loveland Section continues through Milford to Camp Dennison, Loveland to just shy of Caesar Creek State Park. This is also where the Williamsburg Section begins. The two trails meet just outside of downtown, across the bridge, on the other side of the Little Miami River.












Each time I visit Milford to work on Blue Blazing Ohio I stop at the May Café in the heart of old downtown Milford. For breakfast you may want to try the toasted focaccia bread topped with prosciutto, fried egg, feta cheese, arugula and diced tomato. For lunch their Walnut Chicken Salad served on croissant or a Honeydew Melon & Grilled Salmon Salad with arugula, blackberries, feta and topped with grilled salmon and honey ginger dressing will make a good impression. May Café is warm and friendly and always busy with locals; exactly what I look for when traveling.

Shops lining Main Street

After your visit to May Café, take a short stroll through historic Milford. Many great little shops line Main Street and while I have seen a few come and go over the years, the town is always moving forward with fewer vacant storefronts, more shops appealing to a wider audience as well as wonderful places to eat. I am weak when it comes to Sugar Cupcakery housed in the purple building on the corner of Main and Garfield. Seeing that the cupcakes are organic, I decided I am eating healthy and in fact it is good for me to eat one or two cupcakes whenever I am in Milford!  Did I mention we should take a walk?

My healthy cupcake from Sugar Cupcakery

A Little History:  The Reverend Francis McCormick, a Revolutionary War soldier, was the first to settle in the area in 1796. He built a log cabin and went on to found the first Methodist Class in the Northwest Territory. The Village of Milford itself (not known as Milford at the time) was settled on land owned by John Nancarrow, another Revolutionary War veteran. The area was originally called Hageman’s Mill. Mills were prevalent in town thanks to the river. A ford in the river, the first safe place north of the Ohio River to cross the Little Miami River, made access to the town easy for residents and Early Americans.  In February of 1806, the name of the village was changed, thanks to the local newspaper, to Milford. 

cemetery gates

If you have time, walk Main Street to the north, then left on High Street which takes you to Carriage Way Park. I wrote a bit about this park in an earlier post, Let us not Forget Their Final Resting Place.  Here you will find an old cemetery, or at least what remains of it, for the Milford Independent Order of the Odd Fellows.  If you prefer strolling around neighborhoods with older homes on tree-lined streets, simply head uphill (east) on Garfield Avenue from Main Street downtown for such a place.  Immediately you will come upon some lovely older homes. Head right on High Street, right on Mill Street and venture down Cleveland Avenue. Colorfully painted timber homes, as well as a few stone houses, most with inviting front porches overlooking shady lawns and small gardens create a Norman Rockwell like feel to the street. If you are short on time (which begs the question, why travel Ohio in this manner?) or you simply do not have the ability to walk the neighborhood, no worries! Our route out of Milford is via Cleveland Avenue.

Blue Blazes stand out well against fall foliage to mark the trail in Valley View.

Continue down Cleveland Avenue, south out of Milford and then left on South Milford Road.  You will see a sign to your left for Valley View, our next stop. There is no easy parking here but hikers of the Buckeye Trail will descend into the woods at this point. We will continue our drive with the Terrace Park Country Club hugging the road on our right and the entrance to Valley View via Pattison Elementary School on our left. The open lawn and adjoining field, woods and paths are a haven to song birds, birds of prey, butterflies and a symphony of insects. I am sure if I were to arrive early one morning I would see deer and perhaps a coyote or fox as well. 

Fields and woods of Valley View

This morning a man was standing in the open lawn, playing fetch with his dog. His throw of the dog toy was strong and relaxed. There was a sense of calm and being in the moment as he repeatedly threw the toy out further and further for his companion. I was curious to know the breed of the dog but I didn't want to interfere with their morning.  Taking the unpaved drive to the right I left them undisturbed and made my way to the field and a Buckeye Trail interpretive sign.

Gathering for hike and ribbon cutting ceremony last fall.

Last October I joined other hiking enthusiasts for a two mile community hike and ceremony dedicating Milford as the first official Trail Town along the Buckeye Trail. We met at the bike path across the Water Street Bridge for a ribbon cutting ceremony followed by a tour of the Buckeye Trail through Milford and into Valley View. 

Andrew Bashaw and onlookers at installation
of interpretative sign last fall.

Then we all pitched in, well mostly the men, in digging the post hole for the new interpretive sign at the trailhead behind Pattison Elementary School.

The Buckeye Trail Town program was started as a way to highlight communities along the trail that support hikers with services as well as promote and preserve the Buckeye Trail. In the press release for the event Andrew Bashaw, the Executive Director of the Buckeye Trail Association, had this to say, “Milford is a perfect example of a community that embraces the Trails as an asset, and for this reason we are happy that Milford is working with us to become the first official Trail Town in the program. The views of the Little Miami River valley from the ridges, community efforts to preserve and improve historic buildings and greenspaces, and the local businesses highlighting the uniqueness of Milford are all a great combination of natural and cultural offerings that our State Trail is looking to discover.”

View of Little Miami as you cross the bridge from the trailhead into downtown Milford.

Up Next:  A Closer Look at Valley View