The Muhlhauser Barn Story

The Muhlhauser and Moerlein names are among the most recognizable in Butler County, Ohio and the Greater Cincinnati region. Their families maintained summer homes here and operated some of the largest farms in the area catering to the production of beer. 

In 1866, Gottlieb Muhlhauser joined forces with Conrad Windisch and started the Windisch-Muhlhauser Brewing Company. The Muhlhausers and Windisches farmed for many years in what is now West Chester Township. 

In 1881, a timber-frame barn was constructed on the Muhlhauser property on Seward Road in nearby Fairfield. There, the barn was used to store grains as part of the Muhlhauser farming operation. 

Through the generosity of the more recent property owner, The Ohio Casualty Group, and the Muhlhauser family, the 1881 barn and its tile roof were saved and donated to West Chester Township. The Muhlhauser Barn was dismantled piece by piece by renowned barn restorer David Gaker and moved to Beckett Park in West Chester. The barn was reconstructed here at its current location, 8558 Beckett Road, using nearly all of the original beams and a combination of traditional and modern construction methods. 

The Moerlein family was also synonymous with the Greater Cincinnati region's rich beer-making industry. The stately Moerlein family home once stood on Port Union Road near the West Chester Township border. Built in the late 1920s to replace the original 1827 Moerlein home, the house was home base for the Christian Moerlein family. The home was torn down in the 1990s, but a charming copper-roofed gazebo was donated to West Chester Township and moved to Beckett Park to accompany the Muhlhauser Barn. 

The Muhlhauser Barn and Moerlein Gazebo are now the centerpiece of West Chester's Beckett Park and are available to reserve for parties, reunions, meetings and other gatherings.