History of Crestview Hills

Just minutes south of Cincinnati and along Dixie Highway, sits the City of Crestview Hills. All too often, community members hear about our city being such a nice place to live and work, but many do not realize that the outstanding quality of life the Crestview Hills offers is the result of the time, effort, and passion of its residents throughout the years.  

Once part of the Old Buffalo Trail to Big Bone Lick and used by Indian hunters and the earliest pioneers in this region, this locality was settled at a period earlier than either Cincinnati or Covington. Although the exact date of the area’s first inhabitants is unknown, it is believed that the first settlements formed in 1785 and were centered around the creek. From there, the city became a center of wealth and culture, including families like the Buckners, the Sandfords, the Leathers, etc.

Originally part of a 999 acre land grant to the Leathers Family, Crestview Hills at the time consisted of certain tracts of land situated in Kenton County—lots 8 and 9 and the estate of John B. Casey. The John Casey land contained 80 acres in lot 8 "after deducting out the graveyard" and 40 acres in lot 9. John Casey owned and operated a dry goods store at 3rd and Scott Street and served as a Councilman for the City of Covington in 1834. 

Crestview Hills saw some of its most eventful days during the Civil War. In early 1862, Confederate General Heth was dispatched by General Kirby-Smith to lead a 6,000 troop march on Cincinnati. By the time they reached Fort Mitchel (now Fort Mitchell), in September 1862, they ran into 72,000 Union troops stretching 8 miles from Ludlow to Fort Thomas along encampments in the hilltops. However, after two nights of scouting the area and finding all of the Union troops, General Heth and his troops withdrew their forces and saved Cincinnati from falling under Confederate control. 

After the Civil War, the Casey property became acquired by Barney Bungener. Although the exact time is unknown, records indicated that the estate was bequeathed to his wife, Elizabeth, on June 16, 1884. By the time of her death in November 1922, a group of Northern Kentuckians led by William Hoppenjans formed a corporation to purchase 120 acres of farm land from her estate with the purpose of starting a subdivision for better class homes. Collectively, the investors subscribed to 650 shares of stock at $100 per share for a total of $65,000 and additional cash was borrowed from a bank. 

In 1924, the first home was built and opened to the public as the "Model Home" completely furnished and decorated by some of the larger, local businesses. After a year this home was acquired by the Emmett Woods family who remained there until the end of 1973 when the highway department purchased the homes facing the Dixie Highway between winding Way and Rosemont Ave. to widen the highway for the traffic from the new interstate being built (I-275). 

In the 1920s, the acres of land open to residential development, a number of building sites were sold. From the sale of the lots and money borrowed from the bank, the Kenton County Development Company was able to complete the initial development of the lots. 

Crestview Hills now began to take shape.  The original ad describes it well. "Beautiful, smooth, permanent concrete driveways extend through the broad expanse of one hundred and twenty acres, not in the usual stereotyped conventional manner, but in a series of graceful winding curves and circles, with here and there spacious park areas of an occasional flower plot, sparkling lakes and beautiful shrubbery."