1787 Northwest Territory is created including land that becomes Ohio.
1790 Hamilton County is formed and named for Secretary of Treasury, Alexander Hamilton
1795 Killing of Benjamin Cox & Thomas Walter, as last significant act of violence on settlers by Native Americans.
1795 Treaty of Greenville is signed clearing the way for squatter settlements
1795 Jermiah Chandler builds first cabin in Elizabethtown area. (Near Sand Run Road)
1795 John Bonham builds second cabin in Elizabethtown area. (Near Sand Run Road)
1795 Charles Bartlow builds third cabin in Elizabethtown area. (Near Sand Run Road)
1797 Hugh Dunn builds first cabin on land that would become Elizabethtown platt.*****
1799 First minister of the gospel, a Baptist, Rev. Lewis Dewees preaches near town.
???? Bonham’s Schoolhouse located in Big Bottoms near Elizabethtown
1800 First Methodist, Rev. Lower, preaches in Elizabethtown area
1800 Schoolhouse 1/2 mi. NW of town. Dennis Clark was the first teacher.
1800 Schoolhouse recorded on the west bank of the Whitewater River near Etown. Billy Jones was teacher.
1801 Land to the west of the Great Miami River is made available for sale
1801 John R. Mills purchases one hundred acres of land that became Elizabethtown. Deed recorded in 1810.
1803 Ohio becomes a state.
1803 Whitewater Township is designated as all land in Hamilton County west of Whitewater River.
1803 Late in year the northern portion of Whitewater Township become Crosby Township.
1804 Dunn Cabin Built - First cabin located in what became Elizabethtown******
1807 Schoolhouse reported 1/8th mile east of Elizabethtown.
1803 First Methodist class forms at home of Alexander Guard, ultimately Elizabethtown United Methodist Church.
1808 First grave in Elizabethtown Cemetery Abraham Piatt
1810 Deed issued for Mills claim
1817 Issac Mills receives court approval of Elizabethtown platt and names town for his wife Elizabeth.
1818 First Methodist Church building built in Elizabethtown. Cost was $800.00
1819 Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth and Berea is organized - Originally met in Berea (Hooven)
1820 Elizabethtown Post Office opens. Was open for 99 years.
1826 First School House on Elizabethtown platt is built.
???? Stretch of Whitewater Canal built
1835 Completion of Thomas Miller Jr. home. Added to National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
1838 First Prime Meridian Marker is erected. Later recognized as Stateline.
1843 Presbyterian church is built in Elizabethtown.
1847 Great Miami River changes course in bottoms during great flood
1850 First rail lines laid. A depot and switch line for loading grain added later.
1852 Wagon train with 54 men departs for California during height of Gold Rush
1853 Portions of both Whitewater and Crosby Townships were used to create Harrison Township.
1854 Ohio and Mississippi Railroad opens
1856 Elizabethtown Female Seminary formed
1861 One class of Western Female Seminary is held in Elizabethtown for one year
186? Civil War Home Guard reported as drilling
1862 Bridge over Whitewater River burns down (Lost Bridge)
1863 I &C (later Big Four) Railroad opens
1865 Streets of town are graveled
1866 The Miami and Whitewater Valley Pioneer Association formed in Elizabethtown
1866 Lot for present day church is bought from Eliza Parrish and Keturah Bonham
1867 Elizabethtown postal address is known as Riverdale for three years
1867 Second Elizabethtown Methodist Church is completed and dedicated
1867 "Lost Bridge" (wood structure) is built
1868 Tornado damages many buildings in town and destroys new Methodist church
1868 Suspension Bridge is erected.
1870 New Methodist Church (present day church) is dedicated
1877 “Work commenced on the foundation of the new school house” The Lawrenceburg Press
1878 “Town Hall progressing finely” – Dearborn County Register
1878 “New Town Hall about completed” _ Lawrenceburg Press
1885 Fire destroyed first train depot. Only the platform was saved.
1900 Telephone poles erected
1900 First CL&A (urban railroad) begins regular runs through town.
1903 Elizabethtown two story school opens (located in middle of town)
1903 "Lost Bridge" (wood structure) burns down
1904 First Mt. Nebo Reunion (later divided into two reunions, one being Hayes)
1907 Flood
1907 First Hayes book is released
1907 First newspaper mention of telephones being installed
1909 Rumors of a lion/tiger roaming Bond Road/Miller Township, Indiana area. Rumor continues for fifty years.
1909 "Lost Bridge" rebuilt as longest single span bridge in the world
1910 Major fire that took Barrow Saloon, Train Depot & Early & Daniels Grain Elevator
1912 Presbyterian Church of Elizabeth and Berea is dissolved
1913 Flood; washes out recently built "Lost Bridge"
1913 "Lost Bridge" is rebuilt as three tier structure
1919 Post office closes
1920 Suspension Bridge is torn down
1921 Last school in Elizabethtown opened
1921 A great fire wipes out many buildings in town
1921 Road from Stateline to Lost Bridge is paved
1923 Elizabethtown School opens (Dedicated may 27, 1923, assumed it opened that fall)
1924 Last High School class graduated from Elizabethtown High School
1925 Methodist Church becomes part of the Ohio conference
1926 Our old school house will be sold at auction February 20th
1934 Presbyterian church in Elizabethtown is demolished
1937 Flood - Wise spread damage in Miami Valley.
1952 Stained glass windows in church are dedicated
1954 Southwest Local School District is formed
1964 Last year both Elizabethtown and Hooven Elementary schools had first through eighth grades
1968 Elizabethtown Methodist Episcopal Church becomes United Methodist (worldwide change)
1971 Dunn cabin moved to Shawnee Lookout Park
1968 Last eighth grade graduating class (Hooven now had K-4th grades and Etown 5th-8th Grades).
1973 Elizabethtown artist, Chester Cornett, builds a chair he presents to President Nixon in Oval Office.
1978 Lewis & Clark Trail through town officially established by Congress as a National Trail
1980 "Lost Bridge" closed to traffic due to poor condition of structure
1980 Cremated ashes of historian, Tony Collins, spread over Elizabethtown area from hot air balloon.
1981 Addition to back side of church is dedicated
1986 Oxbow Incorporated is formed to protect migratory birds in the bottom lands (East end begins at Etown)
1990 Lost Bridge is torn down
1990 American Discovery Trail established, with Eizabethtown as one of only two north/south trailheads.
1998 Ohio River Scenic Byway through town designated by congress as a National Scenic Byway