History of Mills Lawn

“The measure of any great civilization is its cities and a measure of a city's greatness is to be found in the quality of its public spaces, its parks and squares.” — John Ruskin
(Ruskin was the leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, philosopher, prominent social thinker and philanthropist. He wrote on subjects as varied as geology, architecture, myth, ornithology, literature, education, botany and political economy.)

Citizens enjoying the public park space provided on the Mills property 1855 (from the Julius Cone map).

Citizens enjoying the public park space provided on the Mills property 1855 (from the Julius Cone map).

The Vision of William Mills
While many of us take for granted the charm which draws incomers and tourist alike to our village, the “bones” of the village owe much to the vision of our earliest settlers. Although the plan that resulted in much of the present-day configuration of the village is credited to William Mills, the vision of a town characterized by accessible public spaces predates Mills by nearly three decades.

As early as 1804, the Yellow Springs was being promoted for its purported health benefits, drawing tourists to the Spring. Lewis Davis, one of the original settlers of the area, advertised tracts for sale in 1812. Among the many attractions of the site touted in his ad were “Streets, squares, court, and public walks- all of which are to be kept open forever”.  Long before there were enough settlers to constitute even a tiny village, a vision for land use and village development was articulated - if only in the words of our earliest development advocate. 

By the 1830’s the Spring had been developed into a “water cure spa” and tourism, as today, became a central element of the local economy.  It was not until the 1840’s that the Village as we know it today began to take shape, due largely to William Mills, who had not only the vision but the means to implement it.  In 1842, Elisha Mills deeded 600 acres to his son, William, who immediately began building a home on the property and devising his plan for the town. Intent on developing the property consistent with his vision, he employed surveyors to plat out 300 acres with building lots, and at his own expense, bore the costs associated with creating graveled streets.

The Philadelphia Plan
Village residents who are not history buffs may be surprised to learn that the Mills Lawn tract was central to Mills’ planned development of village neighborhoods.  Unlike many small Ohio communities that developed during this time, the layout of our village was intentional.  Residential areas were located adjacent to the business district utilizing similar principles as set forth in the City Plan of Philadelphia. The “Philadelphia Plan”, as it is sometimes called, has been recognized as a “seminal creation in American city planning” (ASCE website). Among the key features of the plan, which remain evident in today’s village, are a planned gridiron street pattern, a central public square, street widths appropriate to the street’s functions, and foresight to provide ample land for future development.  (ASCE website). Among the most striking features of the Philadelphia Plan is the inclusion of public areas for the recreational pursuits of residents.      

1855 Residence and Garden Spaces of William Mills

The 1855 map above shows much of his vision for planned development actualized.  The Mills Lawn of 1855 was comprised of a large (approximately 20 acres) rectangular tract in the heart of the growing village.  Larger than today’s square, it was bounded by Walnut Street and Xenia Avenue on the east, Phillips Street to the west; Elm Street on the north, and Davis Street to the south. By 1855, the lots surrounding Mills Lawn had been sold, and churches and schools began locating on the periphery of the Lawn. Thanks to Mills’ activism, the railroad linking Cincinnati and Springfield was routed through Yellow Springs (bikers, be grateful!), increasing the attractiveness of the village for settlement.  Through the efforts of Judge Mills, the village was chosen as the site for Antioch College, a coup that would have a profound, ongoing impact on the community and the Mills Lawn property.

The Mills House itself sat among old growth trees; brush was cleared, old growth trees preserved and extensive formal gardens and pathways established. The upkeep of the gardens and park-like environment required an on-site gardener; the 1855 map identifies a gardener’s cottage on the property. Part of that cottage can be seen today in the modern home on Limestone Street. Consistent with the tenets of the Philadelphia plan, the grounds of Mills Lawn were open to the public and they were encouraged to enjoy the gardens and pathways.  The detailed 1855 map indicates the property was accessible through entrances on Xenia Avenue, Elm, Phillips, and Davis Streets. In later years, the beauty of the property was widely recognized with comparisons to New York’s Central Park. 

Mill Lawn Property Changes Hands
By the end of the Civil War, Judge Mills was in dire financial straits, and the Mills Lawn property was sold in 1866 to satisfy creditors.  William Means, a wealthy industrialist from Cincinnati, purchased the property as a second home and enlarged the house, adding a third floor and a tower. Archival photos reveal a large, gracious home, surrounded by large trees and extensive lawns.  The property continued to host a number of distinguished visitors. While there is some indication that the Means family did not allow unrestricted public access to the grounds, archival maps from 1874, 1895, 1901, 1924, and 1937 designate the Mills Lawn property as a “Park”.     

The ownership of Mills Lawn was again transferred in 1921 when it was purchased by Arthur Morgan, then President of Antioch. It was during this time that the original property was subdivided as part of an Antioch expansion project to provide new housing for Antioch faculty.  A road (Limestone Street) was built in front of the gardener’s cottage linking Phillips Street with Xenia Avenue.  By 1922 six new houses, including the present-day Morgan House, had been completed with additional houses planned. The Mills/Means mansion was remodeled to serve as a boys’ dormitory for the Antioch prep school. Newspaper articles from the period note that the remaining property was “a wooded tract ideal for dormitory space”.  The property was open for public enjoyment and William Mills’ vision for a central, publicly accessible green space was once more operative.  A former resident who grew up on Phillips Street recalls treating the Mills Lawn property as a front yard playground for neighborhood children. Over the next 25 plus years, the Mills House was utilized for a number of activities, including the Antioch School, an elementary education laboratory for teacher education, and the site of a government-funded jet research lab.

Transfer of Mills Lawn to Miami Township School Board

“The uniqueness of Mills Lawn, a forest tract located in the center of a growing, busy village led former president Algo D. Henderson of Antioch to suggest the program” that led to a proposed gift of the tract. “Trustees agreed that the College would give the tract to a local official or unofficial body that would see that its unusual value to the community be preserved and made available indefinitely to the local citizenry.” Newspaper accounts indicate that as the township school board began exploring the need for a more modern grade school, Antioch College was approached about the possibility of locating the school on the Mills Lawn property.

The initial position of Antioch was that the “use of the ten-acre tract for a school alone would hardly justify its presentation to the community”. This led to conversations about what would be considered a full and effective use of the tract.  Although the College stated that it had no preconceived plan for the property, it clearly communicated its desire that for the property to be surrendered, it needed to be utilized in a way to maximally benefit the community as a whole.  Contemporaneous newspaper accounts identify, in addition to a grade school, several suggestions: a civic center with a “well-designed stage and auditorium to house community and college dramatic activities and community gatherings, recreation and meeting rooms”, as well as recreational facilities such as tennis courts and a swimming pool.

By 1947 discussions between Antioch and community leaders about the future of Mills Lawn had progressed to the point that the tract was offered to the Village. The Village subsequently declined this offer in favor of the Miami Township School Board. In May 1947 it was reported that “Mills Lawn, the 10 acre tract in the center of the village was offered as a gift to the Miami Township School Board Saturday by the Board of Trustees of Antioch College. The trustees explained that they “were interested in seeing a genuine community center” and expressed “interest in the School Board plans to date and desire to co-operate with them”. 

Discussions between the donors and the School Board continued throughout the year to hammer out the details of the deed transfer. A December 1947 letter is particularly instructive as to the intent of the donors and specifically states that “the spirit of the mutual understanding” related to the gift should provide guidance for future school boards. The letter clearly states that the donors “are interested in having it utilized for any non-commercial purposes that will promote the welfare of the community generally. Included in such purposes are such things as schools, athletic and recreational facilities space for meetings of various civic groups, etc.” The letter goes on to state that subsequent community officials should give “genuine consideration to the preservation of a park utilizing as many as possible of the trees”. Clearly, the “mutual understanding” agreed to by both parties was for the land to be was consistent with the Philadelphia Plan upon which the village was based.

In 1949 the Mills Lawn property was officially transferred to the Miami Township School Board, a precursor to the current Board which oversees Yellow Springs Exempted School District.  Reporting at the time of the official deed transfer clearly indicates that the terms of the transfer were well understood: “Antioch College makes no conditions in the deed as to the use which the Board of Education will put Mills Lawn…. an exchange of letters between the college and the School Board recognize the wish of the College that the Lawn’s facilities be available to the whole community and not limited to any particular group (and) as large a part of the natural park area be reserved as such”. “Conversations between the School Board, The Yellow Springs village council and the Miami township trustees and other local official bodies have indicated support for making both the Lawn itself and any buildings created there available for all organizations which wish to use them in the manner of a community center.” (Dayton Journal Herald, 4/16/49)

Not Only For School Use

Additionally, the president of Antioch College, Dr. McGregor shared the mutual understanding with Mr. Birch, the president of the Miami Township Board of education, that it was “the college’s wish and the board’s desire to use the property in such a way that it will be of value to the whole community and not the pupils of the school system alone. The letters also agree that as much as possible of the natural park area shall be preserved.”(Springfield News, 4/22/49)

The Elementary School
Documents from 1952 suggest that there was some community pushback for locating the proposed elementary school on the eastern edge as it would require the destruction of seven old trees as well as eclipse the charm of the historic mansion and lead to its ultimate removal. It was argued that “the school should be located in relationship to community use of the whole Mills area”.  Community concerns about trees and the historic mansion notwithstanding, the elementary school was constructed at the east side of the property, fronting Walnut Street. The school opened in 1953 and the Mills mansion remained in use, behind the school, as a community center for the next thirteen years.

By 1966, the Mills House was in need of significant repair. Citing the $30-40,000 repair estimate as prohibitive, the mansion was quickly razed, the basement filled with stable fill and covered with 12 inches of topsoil. Lacking the resources that today support the preservation of our architectural heritage, the Mills House was lost to the community forever. All that remains are archival photos and homage paid in the architectural design of the Mills Park Hotel.  

Mills Lawn Green Space for the Community
The Mills Lawn property has been treated by the community as more than a schoolyard for many decades. Evidence of efforts to honor the donor’s vision for the property remains in the somewhat neglected tennis court that faces Elm Street. The park-like qualities have been enhanced in collaboration with the Yellow Springs Tree Committee. The acreage behind the school is home to more than 30 memorial tribute trees, serving to remind us that a community remembers and owes a debt to the values and contributions of those who have come before.  More recently, the installation of the disc golf course as a project-based learning endeavor has further encouraged community utilization of the Mills Lawn green space.  Activities that benefit and encourage a sense of community such as Shakespeare on the Lawn, Art on the Lawn, and the Book Fair have contributed to the community’s perception that Mills Lawn is more than a schoolyard.  The “three sisters”, the three ancient oak trees gracing the northwest quadrant of the property, have been witness to the friendships made, secrets told, ideas shared, imaginations expanded and comfort provided for generations of Yellow Springs children.

Since 1921 the Mills Lawn property and greenspace has steadily decreased in size.  First split for development by Arthur Morgan for faculty housing, the southern boundary shrunk from Davis Street to Limestone Street.  In 1952, the Mills’ green space again decreased in size with the addition of the elementary school. What remains today from Mills’ original green square is less than 5 acres of greenspace behind the school. The greenspace that is Mills Lawn has been central to the identity and development of our community for over 200 years.



Citations

Various historical articles provided:
Scott Sanders, College Archivist, Antiochiana - Olive Kettering Library

Various historical articles & short summary of Mills Lawn history provided:
David A. Neuhardt, Yellow Springs Historical Society

William Mills - The Yellow Springs Man, Jane Baker (2007) Yellow Springs Historical Society

Yellow Springs Historical Society: https://www.yshistory.org/
Mills Property Then and Now  (posted April 2014)
Our Town — as it Was - Part 2  (posted December 10, 2019)
Mills Gate on the Fence Art Gallery (posted April 2014)
Memories of a Yellow Springs Family-Part 19  (posted November 25, 2017)
Memories of a Yellow Springs Family-Part 8  (posted October 17, 2017)
Pearl Means – Three Events  (posted October 20, 2018)
Memories of a Yellow Springs Family-Part 14  (posted November 7, 2017)
Know Your Town — Part 4: Education  (posted March 27, 2018)
Early History of Yellow Springs Schools  (posted May 5, 2015)

Yellow Springs Heritage: https://ysheritage.org/mills-lawn/
Layout of Yellow Springs: Yellow Springs Heritage: https://ysheritage.org/william-mills/

History of William Mills Home: https://www.millsparkhotel.com/

American Society of Civil Engineers: https://www.asce.org/project/city-plan-of-philadelphia/


Historical Maps Online:
https://www.greenecountyohio.gov/DocumentCenter/View/238/1855-Map-of-Yellow-Springs-PDF?bidId=
http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/63699/Yellow+Springs/Greene+County+1874/Ohio/
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084ym.g4084ym_g069651895/?st=gallery
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084ym.g4084ym_g069651901/?st=gallery
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084ym.g4084ym_g069651924/?st=gallery
https://www.loc.gov/resource/g4084ym.g4084ym_g069651937/?st=gallery
https://www.yshistory.org/?p=2767