Places to See: Yellow Springs, Ohio
Yellow spings, Ohio is an interesting city, that has a quaint and artisan village vibe. Less than 4,000 citizens call this Dayton suburb home, according to the latest census data. Host to many events such as art shows, the Yellowstone Street Fair; many activities such as a scenic trail, nature preserve, Young’s Dairy, a Flower farm; and a vibrant and diverse shopping district. Yellow springs is a great adventure that you can lose many hours enjoying.
The area started as Shawnee Native American land before European settlers moved in. In 1852, William Mills founded the village with about 100 families and wanted to create a utopia community. This was to match New Harmony, Indiana another utopia community. They named it after high iron natural springs in the area. Internal conflicts caused the efforts to fail. The village grew in 1846 when the Little Miami Railroad brought tourism and new families to the area. The springs were also considered to have medicinal properties which brought in many visitors. By 1856 Yellow Springs became incorporated.
Moncure D. Conway brought the Conway Colony, which was a group of 30 slaves freed from his father and settled in 1862. Wheeling Gaunt gained a bunch of land after moving in during the 1860s as well, after he purchased his own freedom and bequeathed a section of the land, on his death, to the village so the rent could benefit poor and worthy widows by providing flour. The land became one of the scenic destinations of Gaunt Park that has a still alive annual tradition of providing the flour and sugar to widows at Christmas time.
We would be remiss to not include Antioch College founded in 1850 and grew famous with their liberal arts approach to education that received attention during the Red Scare and the State government placed them under scrutiny and review. They maintained this view through questioning by the state and maintained their integrity.
Yellow Springs is also a historical site for the civil rights and LGBTQ movements. In 1803, Ohio was established and outlawed slavery from the get go, but they did have worries about being a slave haven. The law was written to allow former slaves that had proper freedom paperwork, and were required to register with local courts when they chose a town for settling. These laws were called the Ohio Black Codes and was intended to dissuade Africans from settling in Ohio. They still couldn’t vote or attend schools with white people, however. They also needed to post a $500 bond as a sort of insurance that could be forfeit if they became destitute. The underground railroad and Wilberforce College, a private black college in the area, still brought many to the area and into Yellow Springs.
As civil war and more went on, more Black communities moved in and the first Black churches started being established as well. Yellow Springs became host to former slaves and Black communities that were farmers, craftsmen, laborers and more. They had segregated schools until 1887, and as mentioned their own private college.
The 1900s has larger populations moving in as the area was very friendly to integrated communities because the shops hired African Americans. The Wright Patt Air Force Base also brought in African American military families and the police and schools had African American members serving them. It’s said that many white community members made it a point to include the African American population in town discussions and all opportunities to have their voices heard. This was before the later civil rights movements and ahead of many and most places in America. It was actually the Fair Housing Act of 1968 that gave African Americans more options outside Yellow Springs that reduced the community numbers.
Yellow Springs today still shows its vibrant diversity and tolerance in the shops, eateries, and events that are mostly artisan and locally sourced. You’ll find places like Dark Star Books that boasts 40,000 quality used books with comics and arts. The shelves are lined with all manner of genres from many ages and epics of writings. You’ll find poetry, classics, romance, mystery, biography, kids, young adult, and more.
You’ll find diverse shops that sell things from pottery to art galleries from local artists. The Little Art Theater that hosts independent and foreign films. I was able to view the masterful Yerma staring Billie Piper at special showings only in this theater. I lost a lot of time in Tibet Bazaar that had imported goods from regions such as Nepal, Tibet, India, and more. They have clothing, jewelry, art, flags, and more. You can also find yoga studios, herb shops, a fair garden, and a boutique with a tattoo shop inside. There’s multiple comic and games shops, many coffee shops, hidden shops down most alleys, old school hardware stores, and things I have not found yet. Yellowsprings has a history of diversity, tolerance, and community integrity and all of this is bleeding into every inch of the shopping district to remind you of the values of this town. Street buskers and performers, the street fair, and more bring artisans from so many places here to share their gifts and wares. You can find so much to do and lose so much time.
While I’ll write more about it in another post, (Restaurant Review: Ye Olde Trail Tavern,), the Tavern is the oldest tavern in Ohio and maintains a lot of its history in it’s walls.
Not all activities are limited to the town center, as you can also find peace and serenity in the various parks and nature walks that surround Yellow Springs . You can also play mini golf and visit the batting cages at Young’s Jersey Dairy, or enjoy the petting zoo and homemade ice cream. You can also visit seasonal activities like corn mazes, pumpkin picking, wagon rides, and Christmas tree cutting.
There’s always more to explore and discover with Yellow Springs. Don’t let the small population and village size deceive you. There’s something to celebrate, enjoy, be surprised by when you visit this unique location. Yellow Springs is as rich in spirit today as it has been throughout history.
