'East Sidney'

Prior to Sidney, Ohio’s existence, there was a settlement called Dingmansburg to the east of the Great Miami River (Brooklyn Street area). From the approximately 700 acres of land that his father, James Dingman had entered in 1807, Daniel V. Dingman started the village of Dingmansburg. Platted by Benjamin Cox September 21, 1816, and recorded in Miami County September 23, 1816, it was the first town in Clinton Township. This was almost three years prior to the formation of Shelby County in 1819 and almost four years prior to the sale of lots in Sidney in April, 1820.

Dingmansburg was a mail route station between Chillicothe and the northwest. The plat included a cemetery, half of which became the first Catholic Cemetery and the other half a township cemetery. After the town of Sidney was established on the west side of the river, there was little interest in developing Dingmansburg. After a resurvey in June 1837, the lot numbers changed and the name of the town became East Sidney. In 1919, its citizens petitioned to be taken into the city. Dingsmanburg and/or East Sidney were no more.

Below is a view of the "Old Dingman Farm", located on the Great Miami River, owned by the Dingman family, which appeared in Sutton’s 1883 "History of Shelby County."

'Downtown' segment written in October, 1998 by Sherrie Casad-Lodge 

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