For the Record: The Village of Frederick Part 2
In 1916, J.P. Miller started a limestone business and opened Millers' Grove, which provided 40 acres of family entertainment. He was the postmaster when the village was known as Fidelity. The post office was closed between 1910 and 1916.
In 1935, he sold his interests to his sons William H. and Dale, who expanded the sand and gravel business. In 1949, they built one of the nation's finest drive-in theaters, which had a capacity of 500 cars.
Steve Boyd has lived in the area since 1949. The building where his machine shop is took two and half years to build. The cement blocks were made along the Stillwater River and had to be carried up to the site. He remembers a baseball diamond and a football field behind the drive-in.
Don Anderson shared numerous funny stories and pranks that went on at the service station he and his partner, Norman "Slim" Curtis, owned in downtown Frederick. It is now a drive-thru.
Bud Snell had a grocery and asked John Wheelock to help him butcher his New Zealand beef, half of which weighed 300 pounds. A steak could be up to 18 inches long, which he sold for 10 or 12 cents a pound. The store was always full, and people came from all over.
The Miller and Snell families were the heart of Frederick. All those on the panel praised Bill and Dale Miller for all the many ways they helped people and supported the community. Richard Smith stated that "Frederick was bigger than Tipp and West Milton until the canal came through Tipp and the traction line went through West Milton." This information is from the "Miami County Ohio1981" history book and the oral history recording from 2011, which has much more information and can be viewed at the M-U Library.