Linda Smith-Walker

Batavia and Williamsburg Linda Smith-Walker

Just a few miles from Cincinnati's eastern suburbs are the small towns of Batavia and Williamsburg in Clermont County, Ohio, the seventh county established in the state and the 11th oldest in the Northwest Territory. In 1793, William Lytle and his brother John came from Kentucky to the scenic area on the East Fork of the Little Miami River to do surveying work. A short distance from their camp, a tornado had leveled many trees, making it easier for Lytle to clear 40 acres with the help of James Kain and his two sons, who were to become Williamsburg's first citizens. In 1796, a site for Williamsburg was platted by William and John Lytle and Adam Bricker. In 1801, Williamsburg was established as the county seat, and it remained so until the seat of government moved to Batavia in 1824. William Lytle also played a part in Batavia's early history, having purchased a 1,000-acre tract on which the town is located and then selling it to George Ely, an early settler. In 1814, Ely and partner David Bryan, deciding the settlers in the area "should be bound together in a more tangible manner than the bonds of brotherhood," recorded the plat for the town of Batavia, eight miles to the west of Williamsburg.