Milford Township High School was located in Darrtown, during the 1920's and 1930's.

The school grounds were bordered on the north by Oxford Street, on the west by West Street, on the south by Mulberry Street / Schollenbarger Road, and on the east by the alley that runs from Oxford Street to Schollenbarger Road. (This is the land parcel where the Darrtown Baptist Church stands in 2008).

The school's main entrance was located on the north side of the building, facing Oxford Street.

School Colors and Mascot?

From the time that this website was established, the following question has been frequently raised regarding the Milford Township (aka Darrtown) high school:

"What were the school colors and what was the school mascot?"

Based on two pieces of history (shown at the right), both of which surfaced in the summer of 2012, it appears that the MIlford Township school colors were blue and yellow.

We have one lead on the school's team nickname. See "Darrtown Braves?," below.

ABOVE: This image of a Milford Township HIgh School blue and yellow varsity letter was taken from an actual varsity letter owned by Donald Falk.

Additional Confirmation of School Colors!

In September 2013, Mrs. Madonna Burke donated a varsity letter that she found among items that belonged to her father, Alvin Alford.

Alvin Alford was a member of the class that graduated from Darrtown High School in 1937.

The letter "M" refers to Milford Township High School, which was the official name of the high school that many called Darrtown High.

Alvin Alford's varsity letter measures 8.5 inches by 8.5 inches.

The two images of varsity letters (Alvin Alford's at the right and Donald Falk's above) seem to confirm that the colors of Darrtown High School were blue and gold.

Darrtown Braves?

Several people have asked, "What nickname or mascot was associated with the Milford Township High School?"

We do not have any documented information to answer that question. However, on November 11, 2013, Bruce Guiler sent an email to the Darrtown webmaster regarding that question. In his email (seen at the right), Bruce shared a recollection from his father, Fred Guiler.

From: Bruce Guiler

Date: Mon, 11 Nov 2013

To: Fred Lindley

Subject: Darrtown School

Fred,

Dad had said that the nickname for Darrtown School was "Braves." He also told me the school colors were ________, but I cannot remember.

Dad did not hesitate about the Braves. He did think about the colors for a minute, I think he said gray and something. He remembered the colors on a baseball cap. He transferred to Hanover for the senior year, and he wore that cap. He said someone threw his cap into the toilet. It had the "M" on it.

Bruce

RIGHT: Schoolhouse Postcard

The image at the right shows the back of the postcard that displayed the Darrtown School image (seen above). The postcard is stamped with an Oxford, Ohio postmark and displays a 1 cent stamp. The postmark date cannot be determined. The postcard was addressed to "Mr. Guy Dynes - Collinsville, Ohio - R.F.D. #1 - c/o John Shaw." The card, which was unsigned, included a message that read  "I've got a crow to pick with you."

We trust that this was a good-natured prank!

LEFT:

Darrtown HIgh School

In the undated photo at the left, the Darrtown High School is seen from the area near the intersection of West Street and Oxford Street.

The commencement program cover (RIGHT) reads:

Ninth Annual Commencement

of the

Milford Township Schools

to be held at

The Lutheran Church, Darrtown

Tuesday evening, June the Eighteenth

Nineteen Hundred and One

Eight O'clock

The third page (RIGHT) reads:

PROGRAMME

-------------

MUSIC ............................................................... OKEANA QUARTETTE

INVOCATION ....................................................... REV. O.P. HOFFMAN

RECITATION - "St. Peter at the Gate"............... MARY EDNA SCHWAB

ESSAY - "Common Things" ................................... JESSE K. MANROD

SONG

RECITATION - "A Maiden's Dream" ........................... GLADYS HARRIS

ESSAY - "The Two Enterprising Frogs" ............ CHARLES DALE DEAM

MUSIC ............................................................... OKEANA QUARTETTE

ESSAY - "Time" ............................................................... OTTO MILLER

RECITATION - "Flash" ............................................. MARY E. COOMBS

DUET ......................................... MESSRS CAMPBELL AND SIZELOVE

ESSAY - "Duty" ......................................................... FRANK M. HINKLE

RECITATION - "Pierre Barnard, the Dusky Soldier" .... FRED A. HINKLE

ESSAY - "The Influence of Kind Words" ........... FRED P. BRINCEFIELD

ADDRESS ............................................. REV. C. E. SCHENK, HAMILTON

MUSIC ............................................................... OKEANA QUARTETTE

RIGHT:

1928 Butler County Baseball Champs!

The 1928 Darrtown High School baseball team won the Butler County championship.

Members of the Championship team included (L-R):

Back row: Fred Finkbine (coach), Walter Alston, Clarence Wright, Cecil Pierson, and W.H. Ogden (principal).

Middle row: Eldon Betz, James Harris, Wilbur Smith, and Clifford Alexander.

Front row: Clifford Decker, Raymond Wiley, and Glen Elliot.

LEFT:

Darrtown High School - 1930 Senior Class

Left to right (standing):

W. Hobart Ogden (principal), Clarence Gillespie, Wilbur Smith, Raymond Wiley, Howard Fox, and Cecil Pierson.

Left to right (seated): Katherine Grothaus, Jessie Lindley, Emma Cartwright, Edna Weibel, Marie Pierson, and Myrtle Tabor.

RIGHT:

Darrtown High School - 1932 Senior Class

Clockwise from top left:

Dorothy M. Havens; W. H. Ogden, Principal; Claribel G. Devine; Louise M. Guiler; Clifford A. Alexander; John E. Dome; Donald Fisher; Wilbur L. Pierson; Wayne C. Withrow; Rollin O. Ledwell; Mary E. Schlabach

Photo contributed by Bob and Frances Young - December 2014 (Bob's mother, Louise Guiler, was a member of the 1932 class)

LEFT (L-R):

Darrtown High School Class of 1933

Front row: Bernice Phares, Gustabel Bradbury, and Ruth Long.

Back row: Carl Geisler, Glen Ward, Robert Harris, Walter Null, Garland Wyckoff, Andy Popst, and Ralph Reynolds

Photo and names contributed by Andy Popst - June, 2009.

RIGHT:

Darrtown High School Class of 1934

Andy Popst contributed the following image, which shows the members of the Darrtown High School Class of 1934.

(Left to right):

Top row: Woodrow Whitehill, James E. Guillaume, Harold Shaw, W. H. Ogden (principal), Adrian Geist, and Robert W. Fisher.

Second row from top: Mabel B. Carpenter, Dorothy Harris, Dorothy Lackey, Mary Beiser, Naomi E. Baecker, and Florence Gault.

Third row from top: Ruth Bowers, Raymond E. Schlabach, James Irwin, and Helen Bufler.

Fourth row from top: Ray Bannon, William Withrow, Harry A. Summers, and William Weber.

LEFT:

Darrtown High School - 1935 Senior Class

Class members (clockwise

from bottom center)

Minerva Curtis

Dwight Harris

Fred Grothaus

Frances Lang

Arthur Fulmer

John Smith

Verna McMillian

Albert Lindley

William Miller

1935 Senior Class Honored By Junior Class

According to the information that appears at the right, in the spring of 1935, the Junior Class of Darrtown High School honored the Senior Class with a reception in Eaton, Ohio at the Seven Mile Inn.

The dinner cost was 75 cents per plate and the Jewell Brothers five-piece orchestra received $8.00 for musical entertainment.

The handwritten notes indicate that the following persons attended:

William Miller, Edyth Taylor, Verna McMillian, Mr. Ogden, Martha Grothaus, Miss Clark, Fred Grothhaus, Frances Lang, Mildred Harris, Gladys Ledwell, Luella Bowers, Donald Irwin, Verna Pfaff, Dwight Harris, Hazel Pfaff, Miss Rubel, Mr. Burkhardt, Mrs. Burkhardt, Minerva Curtis, Mr. Hamilton, Helen Geisler, Freda Marshall, Charles Witherby, James Ramsey, Arthur Fulmer, Mr. Bulow, John Smith, Albert Lindley, and Dorothy Bowman.

RIGHT:

Darrtown High School Class of 1936

Top Row: Mildred Harris, Vice President; James Ramsey, President; Gladys Ledwell, Sec.

Second/Bottom Row: Donald Irwin; Edythe Taylor; and Charles Witherby

Left Side: top, Martha Grothaus; bottom, Luella Bowers

Right Side: top, Hazel Pfaff; bottom, Verna Pfaff

Naomi (Witherby) Fea, daughter of Charles Witherby, contributed this image in early August 2009.

"Class of 1936 50th Reunion"

Among the artifacts contributed by Naomi (Witherby) Fea was a "Class of 1936 50th Reunion" folder created by Gladys (Ledwell) Spaulding.

From the handwritten note that appears in the image at the right, it seems that Gladys presented the folder to Naomi's parents, Charles and Jean Witherby, after plans for the reunion failed to materialize.

The "Moments From the Past" image at the right displays the cover that Gladys prepared for the 50th Reunion.

The 1936 Class Will appears below.

LEFT:

Darrtown High School - 1937 Senior Class

(Left to right, top to bottom)

Harold Baeker

Leroy Brown, Pres.

Edith Geisler

John Burkhart, Supt.

Robert Moyer

Harold Witherby

Charles Uhl

Elsie Hunkler

David Hollowell

Alvin Alford

Mary Elizabeth Harris

Bernice Weiss - Treas.

Martha Summers

Elmer Sheard

Warren Beiser

Jean Bradbury

Arnold Cornelius

Robert Betz

George Hansel - V.P.

Goldie Bowman

LEFT: 1937 Senior Class

Front row (L-R): Bernice Weiss, Edith Geisler, Jean Bradbury, Esther Ledwell, Mary Bannon, Martha Summers, Mary Harris, and Elsie Hunkler.

Middle row: Harold Baecker, Elmer Sheard , John Burkhardt (Superintendent), George Hansel, and Charles Uhl.

Back row: Robert Betz, David Hollowell, Leroy Brown, Arnold Cornelius, and Alvin Alford.

Mrs. Madonna Burke donated the 1937 class photo (right) and the graduation program (below) in September, 2013. Mrs. Burke's father was Alvin Alford, a member of the 1937 Darrtown Senior Class.

The 1937 commencement program cover

(RIGHT) reads:

ANNUAL

COMMENCEMENT

EXERCISES

MILFORD TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL

DARRTOWN LUTHERAN CHURCH

THURSDAY EVENING, MAY 27, 1937

The first page of the 1937 commencement program (BELOW) reads:

PROGRAM

Processional - March Romaine ... Gounod

Overture - On the Volga ... Akimenka

Invocation ... Rev. Roger Imhoff

Class Oration ... Edith Geisler

Intermezzo - Shades of Night ... Freedman

Orchestra

Address... Dr. W. R. McChesney

President: Cedarville College

Violin Solo ... Betty Lou Finlay

Presentation of Diplomas ... C. H. Williams

County Supt. Schools

Hungarian Dance, Nos. 7 and 8 ... Brahms

Benediction

The second page of the 1937 commencement program (BELOW) reads:

CLASS ROLL

Harold Witherby

BOARD OF EDUCATION

John Bradbury

FACULTY

Herbert Todd, Ind. Arts

C. H. Williams, County Superintendent

Alvin Alford

Harold Baecker

Warren Beiser

Rogert Betz

Goldie Bowman

Jean Bradbury

Leroy Brown

Arnold Cornelius

Edith Geisler

George Hansel

Mary E. Harris

David Hollowell

Elsie Hunkler

Robert Moyer

Elmer Sheard

Martha Summers

Charled Uhl

Bernice Weiss

John Burkhardt, Supt.

Paul Miller, Math.

Margaret Clark, Eng.

Jane Stewart, Home Ec.

Fred Kramer, Pres.

B. M. Wyckoff, Clerk

Luima Bowers

George Baecker

Estel Davis

Roberta Russell

Marie Schmidt

Herbert Pepper, Music

Darrtown teacher

Paul Miller

Seven Mile principal

Cincinnati superintendent

RIGHT: This is an undated photo of Darrtown High School teacher   Mr. Paul Miller and students.

Mr. Miller became the high school principal at Seven Mile, Ohio and Superintendent of Schools in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Row 1: Beecher Clark, Bill Bowers, Bob Lemmons, unknown, unknown, ____ Geisler, and Leonard Reynolds.

Row 2: First three unknown, Robert McMillian, Dorothy Glardon, Treva Cunningham, Betty Mae Alston, and Anna Schlabach.

Row 3: ____ Leeds, Gertrude Kettman, Paul Miller, teacher, Dorothy Alston, and unknown.

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