Elmer Hess House
Historic context
Historic context
----------------

Good transportation is a leading reason for Wyoming's prosperity. The city lies near the old pre\-statehood road that connected [Cincinnati](/wiki/Cincinnati "Cincinnati") with locations farther north, such as [Fort Hamilton](/wiki/Hamilton%2C_Ohio "Hamilton, Ohio") and [Fallen Timbers](/wiki/Battle_of_Fallen_Timbers "Battle of Fallen Timbers"). Curves in the road were cut off in 1806, forming a new road that is today followed by [Springfield Pike](/wiki/Ohio_State_Route_4 "Ohio State Route 4") through central Wyoming. Improvements in the 1830s only enhanced its importance.McCauley, Jennifer. **. [National Park Service](/wiki/National_Park_Service "National Park Service"), 1985\-08\-16\. Accessed 2011\-02\-26\. By this time, another mode of transportation had become significant: the [Miami and Erie Canal](/wiki/Miami_and_Erie_Canal "Miami and Erie Canal") was built a short distance to the east in 1828, and the village of [Lockland](/wiki/Lockland%2C_Ohio "Lockland, Ohio") grew up along its side. Railroads reached the city in 1851 with the construction of the [Cincinnati, Hamilton, and Dayton Railroad](/wiki/Cincinnati%2C_Hamilton_and_Dayton_Railway_%281846%E2%80%931917%29 "Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railway (1846–1917)") on the border between Lockland and Wyoming.

Because of Wyoming's proximity to the industry of Lockland, its easy transportation to the booming city of Cincinnati, and its pleasant scenery, many wealthy industrialists purchased local farms and built grand country houses. Most such houses were built in the Wyoming Hills area, west of Springfield Pike; growth in this area continued until the coming of the [Great Depression](/wiki/Great_Depression "Great Depression"). Hess was typical of these industrialists, being the president of the Spring and Axle Company in Cincinnati's [Carthage neighborhood](/wiki/Carthage%2C_Cincinnati "Carthage, Cincinnati"); he lived in the house from its construction in 1900 until 1911\.


Why did many wealthy industrialists purchase farms and build country houses in Wyoming?