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 Elizabethtown Methodist Church founded in cabin of Alexander Guard.
1803 Late in year the northern portion of Whitewater Township become Crosby Township.
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 constructed 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.
1830 Tebow Mansion is completed.
1831 House built by the Hunt family that later became the Elizabethtown Female Seminary.
1835 Completion of Thomas Miller Jr. home. Added to National Register of Historic Places in 2000.
1836 Construction begins for section of Whitewater Canal that passes through Elizabethtown.
1837 First Prime Meridian Marker is erected. Later recognized as marker for Ohio/Indiana state line.
1837 Elizabethtown & Lawrenceburg Pike (local section of Cincinnati/Louisville Pike) opens.
1839 Section of Whitewater Canal through Elizabethtown opens.
1843 Presbyterian church is built in Elizabethtown.
1847 Great Miami River changes course in bottoms during great flood
1848 Bonham house is completed. Was the last fachwerk house in Hamilton County when demolished in 1965.
1852 Operation of Whitewater Canal through Elizabethtown ends due to repeated flood damage.
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.
1856 Elizabethtown Female Seminary formed
1861 One class of Western Female Seminary is held in Elizabethtown for one year
1861 Cincinnati & Indiana Railroad Company is formed, followed by rail lines and a depot built in Elizabethtown.
186? Civil War Home Guard reported as drilling
1862 Bridge over Whitewater River burns down (Lost Bridge)
1863 I & C 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. This was the first bridge at this site.
1868 Tornado damages many buildings in town and destroys new Methodist church
1868 Original Suspension Bridge is erected at Calloway’s crossing. Called Suspension Bridge Road today.
1870 New Methodist Church (present day church) is dedicated
1877 “Work commenced on the foundation of the new school house” The Lawrenceburg Press
1878 “New Town Hall about completed” _ Lawrenceburg Press
1885 Fire destroyed first train depot. Only the platform was saved.
1900 Replacement train depot is completed.
1900 Telephone poles erected
1900 First CL&A (interurban railroad) begins regular runs through town.
1900 Miami Grain Elevator completed.
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)
1906 I & C Railroad Company acquired by the Big Four Railroad, greatly expanding travel opportunities.
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. This was second bridge at this site.
1909 Crossroads Building (Sykes & Hayes General Store) completed.
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”. Lawrenceburg papers report Elizabethtown is wiped out.
1913 "Lost Bridge" is rebuilt as three tier structure. This is the third bridge at this site.
1919 Post office closes
1920 Suspension Bridge is torn down as the last rural suspension bridge in Hamilton County.
1920 Kenneth Whitney opens pool hall and confectionary in middle of town.
1921 Whitney’s pool hall and confectionary burns down, destroying a total of nine buildings.
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)
1923 Elizabethtown Roller Rink and Dancing Pavilion opens
1924 Last High School class graduated from Elizabethtown High School
1925 Methodist Church becomes part of the Ohio conference
1926 Elizabethtown Roller Rink and Dancing Pavilion burns down taking with it multiple other buildings.
1926 Our old school house will be sold at auction February 20th
1926 Cincinnati/Louisville Pike renamed Route 50 (continues from E-town toward Hooven and Cleves).
1927 Coliseum Roller Rink opens.
1930 CL&A Interurban Railway ceases operation.
1934 Presbyterian church in Elizabethtown is demolished
1935 Coliseum Roller Rink is renamed, Winter Gardens.
1937 Flood - Wide spread damage in Miami Valley.
1940 Elizabethtown Rural School District joins Hooven and Miamitown to form Whitewater School District.
1949 Township purchases pumps and hoses to establish fire stations in E-town, Hooven and Miamitown.
1951 Elizabethtown and Hooven work together to establish a fire station in each community.
1952 Stained glass windows in church are dedicated
1952 Route 50 becomes, modern, four lane highway, supporting multiple restaurants and service stations.
1953 Elizabethtown School adds gym, stage, locker rooms, lunchroom and additional classrooms.
1954 Southwest Local School District is formed
1958 Fire hall is added to town hall.
1960 Elizabethtown Fire Station acquires its first fire engine.
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)
1989 Lost Bridge is torn down
1990 American Discovery Trail established, with Eizabethtown as one of only two north/south trailheads.
1995 Fourth bridge at Lost Bridge site is completed.
1998 Ohio River Scenic Byway through town designated by congress as a National Scenic Byway