History of Camp Dennison 1796-1956

n 1794, Revolutionary War veteran Christian Waldschmidt settled on the Little Miami River just east of Cincinnati and founded a community called New Germany. In 1804, he built his home which included a store. Waldschmidt actively encouraged settlement and New Germany grew to include a church, school, sawmill, blacksmith shop, distillery, and a paper mill.

During the Civil War, the grounds and house became part of Camp Dennison, a Union training center and hospital post named for Governor William Dennison. The main house, now known as Waldschmidt House, served as headquarters for General Joshua Bates.

Following the Civil War and into the twentieth century, the house fell into disuse and disrepair. In 1941, the Ohio Society Daughters of the American Revolution assumed ownership of the property and undertook its restoartion. In 1953, the property was dedicated and opened to the public as a museum.