Butler County: Our Home

Silver Award Project

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Jackie Hadley

Jackie and her husband were both born and raised in California; her in San Diego and him primarily in San Anselmo. In 1979, her husband's job for Ford Motor Company moved them to Hamilton County, OH. Right before their daughter started school, they moved to their current house in Fairfield because of the praise they heard about Fairfield Schools. - Jackie says her favorite thing about our community is "all the family activities available", especially the sports teams, library, and YMCA. She notes that Fairfield has developed a "nice downtown area with a beautiful park area and library" since she moved here.

Kristin Foley

Kristin moved here when she was engaged. Although she was born in Cincinnati, her husband lived in Chicago, IL for 13 years before moving to Richmond, IN with his family. He attended college in Cincinnati, and never left. When they bought their first house, they wanted a place where they could get "more for their money". They ultimately decided Trenton was the best place to do that. They built a house in Trenton, but when their kids neared school age they moved to Liberty Township so their children could attend Lakota Local Schools. - They continue to stay in Butler County because of the farming community, the deep history of many Butler County families, and her pride for her school district/educational staff.

Beth

Beth currently lives in Oxford, OH. Despite having lived in Ohio during the 70s and 80s, she had previously lived in Colorado starting in 1987. She moved to Oxford in 2022 due to a job opening at Miami University for her husband. In addition to the job opportunity, she and her husband were inspired to move by the green landscape, a contrast to Colorado's dry environment and brownness. She praises Butler County's many animals and states our county is "very pretty" - Beth says her favorite things about our community are the many activities we have to celebrate rural life.

Jessie (Jones) Kunkel

Jessie's father came north from Kentucky during the search for employment. - Jessie states that our community reminds her of a "beautiful dysfunctional family", in the sense that even if she gets mad at her family, she still loves them and would be the first to defend them. Jessie says that Hamilton has "a wonderful fabric woven that includes loyalty, history and respect." She praises the fact that one's maiden/last name could "spark a history lesson at any turn", and says that Hamilton will forever be a part of her story.

What is this project?

This project was completed for my Silver Award - the second highest award a Girl Scout can achieve. Hours upon hours, many rough drafts, and passion was put into the creation of what you are reading now.This project was meant to connect our community through the one thing we all have in common - the love for our home. Now more than ever, our world is so divided. Through telling the stories of our people, I hope to heal some of that division.We also keep the spirit of our city alive through the memories we share and the tales we tell. Although the physical buildings and relics may have some damage, the emotions and memories we have will never fade.

Who am I?

Hi! I'm Lizzie, a Butler County Girl Scout. On top of scouting, I love reading, writing, listening to/making music, fashion, and dancing. But above all, I love learning about history. The history of our world, our country, our state, our community. And the untold stories - the hidden pillars of the stories that get told over and over again - are my absolute favorites. I mean, what's not to love about secrets?I hope to make an impact in this world through what I love - connecting with people, telling both real and fiction stories (though I can promise there is no fiction on this site), and making the puzzle pieces fit together.