Want a postcard? Send me your address!
Hi! I just got a batch of postcards from the awesome people at vista print. I’d like to send you one! I’m grateful to everyone who has given me feedback and followed along with my sunrise adventures and this is a way for me to say thank you. Everyone loves getting things in the mail, right? Email me your name and address if you’re interested and you’ll receive a hand written post card from yours truly. I’ll send anywhere in the world. Have at it! There’s a limited supply and I can’t guarantee when it’ll show up, but as long as this message is still on the homepage that means there are still postcards available. aultparksunrise@gmail.com (Please note: this post is “sticky” which means it is always on top of the front page. For the latest sunrise post, scroll down!)
Ault Park Sunrise 
I grew up right next to Ault Park and saw my fair share of sunrises there (most after being up all night). I’m living in Michigan now and grad student at Eastern Michigan. I’m studying Native earhworks in the Little Miami valley. When visiting home over the holidays I went to the Cincinnati History archives at the Museum Center where I came across a map and extensive notes of the area by Charles Metz in 1878 that clearly shows and references a number of earthworks in what is now the park (he also claims that the southwestern slopes of the hill the park sits atop were terraced). I’m pretty sure of the general location, but need help connecting the dots. How well do you know the history of that area before it was a park? Any insights on where property or buildings were or anything you might already know would be very useful. Drop me a line if you can. I enjoy your blog. Keep enjoying those sunrises.
January 10, 2012 at 7:11 pm
Hi Matt. I’d love to help you out where I can. I’m very interested in the history of the area before Ault Park was created. I can tell you that Alms Park (which also has old ties to Native Americans) and Ault Park were all vineyards before Prohibition. They were created in 1911 and 1916, respectively. The vineyard at Alms Park goes back to at least 1865 because there is still a wine cellar that has the keystone engraved with that year.
During Sunrise 25 I covered Crusade Castle which was once the old Jacob Feck Winery & Vineyard (1851-1917). http://wp.me/p1tFrf-eg (for Sunrise 25). There are signs of the old vineyard in various pockets around the park, and your comment about the Southwest hills being terraced makes perfect sense. The land under the overlooks have no old growth trees, and often I imagine that the grapes were grown on this hill. Eden and Alms Park also have this common feature (no old growth trees in the land under the overlooks).
Unfortunately I don’t have your email address, otherwise I’d email you with more details. Please let me know how I can help, and if you have any specific places you’d like me to check out I’d be more than happy to do so (and also include it in a sunrise post). One last tidbit: The Pioneer Cemetery down by Lunken Airport was supposedly built on top of an old Native American graveyard that dates back at least 400 years. They can’t excavate it due to the existing 200 year old graveyard.
Please email me if you don’t mind. aultparksunrise@gmail.com take care -Blaine
January 11, 2012 at 1:54 pm