Incredible Amounts of Fun

Last Friday we had a fantastic day with our friends Amanda, Owen and Eli and wouldn't you know it, I forgot my camera! Here is Amanda's account of the day, if you'd like to see some of the cool shots she got of the park and of the kids.

We started the day off similar to when we were here with Daddy a couple of weeks before by flying kites. It was extremely chilly, but the sun and blue skies made it very enjoyable! I had so many great memories of being a kid in the park and it was fun watching the boys make their own memories.

I've known a little bit about the park but not much, just kind of took it for granted as the giant-wooded park not far from my childhood home. I found some more details about it on Cincinnati's website and I've copied it to share with you. Interesting stuff!

Herbert Greer French House

Once the home of Herbert Greer French, this structure is the focal point of a 276-acre property, which he bequeathed to the Board of Park Commissioners. Mr. French was a top Procter & Gamble executive from 1893 until his death in 1942. About 1910, French acquired a group of farms and selected one of the farmhouses to use as a lodge. Calling it Reachmont Farm, he moved there full-time in 1931.

This brick house appears to be early-19th-century and was altered and expanded in the early 20th century. The original section is the four-bay west wing. Between 1908 and 1916, architect David D. Davis (who completed the design of the facade of St. Mary's Cathedral-Basilica of the Assumption in Covington, Ky.) drew up plans for Mr. French for an east addition (New kitchen, dinning porch,two bedrooms and sleeping porch).

In 1930, architects Garber & Woodward further expanded the east addition, which required the demolition of a smokehouse and a greenhouse. Garber & Woodward are known for Dixie Terminal, Central Trust Tower, Cincinnati Gas & Electric Co. headquarters, and many schools and libraries. (For more about these architects, see appendix.)

In the mid-1970s, Savage, Chappelear, Schulte Associates carried out a major renovation. The house remains an excellent example of Federal and Colonial Revival architecture.