‘Davidson Woods:’ New 168-acre MetroPark with history opens in Hanover

As a young girl, Jessica Shafer ran around her family’s land along Hogue Road in Hanover Township and rode horseback alongside Isabelle Davidson, affectionately known as her “Auntie Ibby,” every weekend. 

“We would ride, just get on the horse and just ride, ride, ride,” Shafer said, adding Auntie Ibby took her “under her wing” following her mother’s passing. “There were patches of hepatica around, and that was one of (Davidson’s) favorite things was, ‘Let’s go see the hepatica.’ So we’d hop on the horse and run through the woods and find hepatica.”

Growing up, she said she played in the swimming hole near Four Mile Creek and walked in the creek often, although she’s since moved and hasn’t been back to the land since she was 18.

Davidson’s grandson, Roy McCluskey, said although he never lived on the portion of the land owned by his grandmother, his family used to visit every Christmas, Easter and for the entire month of June every year.

He called the land “a special family place” and reminisced about memories of picnics on the bluff – an “awesome place” with an “incredible view” – riding his bike on the trails, ice skating on the creek and Christmas hikes.

The land formerly owned by the Davidsons and Shafers is part of the larger Southwest Ohio region that Myaamiaki, or the Myaamia people, and the Shawnee people called home before their forced removal by American colonists following the Battle of Fallen Timbers and the Treaty of Greenville in 1795.

The land was acquired in 1809 by Colonel Matthew Hueston, whose family is the namesake of the nearby Hueston Woods State Park, and was passed down through female relatives ending with the late Davidson and her sisters. The part of the property owned by the Shafer family was used for agricultural and timber production until they sold the property to Davidson in the 1980s.

MetroParks of Butler County, a land management conservancy agency responsible for keeping numerous green spaces and historical sites in the area, purchased the area, now called Davidson Woods, from the Davidson family in 2007 for more than $1.4 million, partially with a Clean Ohio grant awarded through the Ohio Public Works Commission.

MetroParks later received funding from the American Rescue Plan Act through Butler County Commissioners and another Clean Ohio grant to put toward planning and construction.

Nearly 20 years later, Davidson Woods, a 168-acre MetroPark, is open for visitors to hike, fish and creek from dawn to dusk.

The new park, which was introduced during a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Oct. 22, includes an accessible trail into Davidson Woods accented with wooden carvings and benches, as well as natural hiking trails, a scenic overlook of Four Mile Creek and creek access. 

“(Isabelle Davidson) wanted to preserve (the land), so she’d be so thrilled that this is happening,” McCluskey said of the park opening. 

Shafer said Auntie Ibby was a “force to be reckoned with,” and the preservation of the land and creation of Davidson Woods MetroPark would’ve been “a beyond-dream” to her.

“She loved her preservation of pretty much everything and anything,” Shafer said. “This would be beautiful – perfect – (to her).

In the summer and fall of 2023, MetroParks posted online surveys and hosted public meetings for Hanover Township residents to provide feedback about what they wanted to see at the new park.

“It was really important to the community that it remained as undeveloped as possible,” Katie Ely-Wood, communications manager for MetroParks, said of the land. “We did very minimal construction to get the park open – we paved the entry drive, we did the parking lot – but the rest of the park is going to look pretty much like it would have 200 years ago.”

Davidson Woods includes one of the largest stretches of old growth forest left in Butler County, including two keystone species – shagbark hickories and maple trees – which thrive on the property and host an ecosystem of native plants and animals. Ely-Wood said visitors may spot bald eagles, and there are wildflowers in the spring.

“You’re really going to get a kind of state-park feel when you come and visit the park,” Ely-Wood said. “You’re not going to find a playground. You’re not going to find anything that’s super structured. It’s a park to just come and walk and explore.”

Ely-Wood said, while a small amount of trail work might still be happening as the park opens, larger construction on the trails, entry drive and parking lot is complete. MetroParks has also added features for accessibility, including an ADA-accessible trail that leads to an overlook and a portalet next to the parking lot. 

“If people love nature and wildlife, this is a fantastic park to check out,” Ely-Wood said, adding the park is secluded and minimizes traffic noise and other loud disturbances you may hear in suburban parks. “If you really want to take a step into nature and get away from the busy day-to-day, it’s a fantastic park to do that at.” 

Diana Ramsey, Hanover Township Trustee and resident, said of the new park, “It’s a great asset to the community, not just to Hanover Township, but the whole surrounding area.”

“It’s awesome the way they … had the foresight to preserve (the) beautiful woods that (have) been here,” Ramsey said. “We have many beautiful MetroParks within the county, but to have one right here in our neighborhood that gives us the opportunity to walk the trails … go fishing, enjoy the nature – I think it helps broaden (people’s) knowledge of our beautiful asset: this nature.”