Located in the Mid-Miami River valley of southwestern Ohio, Middletown was perfectly situated by five major railway lines and a canal, enabling it to play a leading role in the steel industry that flourished throughout much of the 20th century. This book recounts one hundred years of steel-making in Middletown, and defines the cooperative alliance between the city and the American Rolling Mill Company, which employed roughly half of the workers in the metropolitan area at its peak. George M. Verity incorporated his then-small company in Middletown on December 27, 1899. It rapidly grew into...

Over the years, Middletown has grown from a simple
village of 50 people to a city of over 50,000. Located
along the Great Miami River, Middletown developed
from a farming community into an industrial city located
on I-75, a major national highway.
The Miami-Erie Canal helped speed Middletowns
progress and provided a link between northern and
southern Ohio. The canal allowed for further industrial
growth with such businesses as grist and saw mills, porkpacking
plants, and paper and tobacco plants. Today,
Middletown is a steel-producing community with...