Families came a long way from Pennsylvania to settle in the Miami Valley. They followed their neighbor, Benjamin
Wilhelm, who had started a little village ten miles north of Dayton. They decided to come to this village to settle
and take up land for a home. After paying a toll at the toll gate opposite what is now known as the Larsh estate,
they arrived just in time to make a bid on one of the 33 lots up for sale. These lots went to the highest bidders.
The first buildings to be built in this new town were Mr. Wilhelm's home and store.
He had seen the need of a stopping place for travelers going west, for this town, christened Vandalia, was on the
famous National Highway, the only accredited road to the west at this time 1838. William Baggot opened a tavern
the next year, and that was so successful that another was soon opened by a man named Kent.
During the next ten years a score of more of houses were erected and in 1848 the citizens of the village filed
incorporation papers and Vandalia as an incorporated village was born. Wilhelm was elected the first mayor of the
village. Vandalia was now a thriving town, for businesses were starting to come into town. Johnathan Skinner had
erected a blacksmith shop at Vandalia in 1838 and it proved to be so prosperous an occupation that a second blacksmith,
Abraham Earhart, located his shop here. The taverns did a flourishing business with the stage coaches when they
came into existence. Just when it seemed as if Vandalia were here to stay, the first and greatest disaster in the
village occurred.
An epidemic of Cholera swept the whole country but Vandalia was hit harder percentage wise than any other town.
Whole families died. Fifty of the 200 people fled from the town. Of the 150 remaining, 50 died of the plague. The
town was isolated from the rest of the country for many weeks. Mrs. Benjamin Wilhelm was one of those who died
during the dark days and was buried in the cemetery which Benjamin Wilhelm had given to the town when it first
settled.
Mr. Wilhelm, who was now recognized by towns people as the godfather of Vandalia, had provided land for a school
but a building was not built for sometime. The children were taught in different homes. The need for a school building
soon became apparent so a small, two-room frame building was built on the land at the corner of Nelson and S. Perry
Strs. In 1869 Vandalia was organized as an independent school district and a two story brick building was erected.
The cost of this building was $3,300.
There were three different church groups among the residents, United Brethren, Lutheran and German Lutheran. After
a time the Lutheran and German Lutheran churches united to make the Lutheran Church.
Vandalia continued to grow. National Road was gathering in importance as a road to the west. New people were coming
into the village to make there homes here.
The fraternal spirit of the settlement was never lagging from the town's first moments, and in 1876 the Vandalia
Lodge of Odd Fellows was organized with 12 charter members. A lodge building, operated by the Davis Brothers, until
William Surrell took over. Mr. Surrell also had charge of the town library. Business were springing up almost overnight.
Two hotels soon opened for business, for the stagecoaches was in its glory, and the travelrs needed a place to
stay at night. These two hotels were soon known throughout the state for their good food. The Eagle House was kept
by Lafayette Westerman and the Emery House, by J. M. Ahenbroud.
There were two carriage shops in the town, one operated by J. T. North on West National, who also operated a paint
shop on S Dixie. The other carriage shop was operated by D. J. Brandenburg at 17 West National.
J. I. Anderson (James Isaac Anderson) operated a stream sawmill and cider press along the streams at the southwest
end of the village. There were two doctors in this small town, Dr. Corbin, who had his office at 5 North Dixie,
and Dr. Patton, located at 25 West National.
This tractionline traversed the old trail known as the New Troy Pike and with its opening, home sites in the village
were in great demand by people in Dayton who found it an ideal place to make their home and rear their children.
In 1911 Vandalia was again in the news, for trail blazers from Detrot sought to establish a lake to gulf highway
by way of Chicago. They accomplished their purpose, but quickly found that shortest and most direct way was to
go directly south from Detroit, through Toledo and Lima to Dayton and Cincinnati. This road was named the "Dixie
Highway" and crossed the National Highway at the center of the town of Vandalia.
Schools
The first class to graduate from Bulter High SChool had all of three members, Lee Anderson (Foster Lee Anderson),
Lee Macy and Eugene Stoner. They graduated from the high school at the corner of Route 40 and Peters Road on April
29, 1903.
The first classes were held in this new high school in January 1900. That first year these subjects were included
for first year students: First semester; algebra, Latin, composition and rhetoric and botony and during the second
semester geology was substituted for botony. Second year students took first semester, algebra, Latin, American
Literature and Physics, with prose composition - Caesar and Ciceri, general history and chemistry or bookkeeping.
The fourth year, first semester they had higher arithmetic, Virgil, U. S. History and Physical Geography with
Grammer and Civil Government the second semester.
The first principal was J.E. Peterson, the only teacher at the High School for several years. He received the
sum of $750 per year.
School was held only seven months a year. In 1902 High School was held for eight months a year in accordance with
state regulations.
Last modified
July 24 2001