Around 1830, a little town grew up just outside of Covington, across Willow Run Creek, over the only bridge on the road from the river ports of Covington and Cincinnati to the interior of “Kentucke.”

By 1837, a steam ferry to and from Cincinnati, along with the ambitious Lexington Pike Road project meant a lot more traffic to and from Lexington. Lewisburg began to spread its winding streets out along the slopes on both sides of the Lexington Pike. Building lots were carved out of the land grant belonging to Dr. Harvey Lewis. Pike Street became a bustling business district. Houses were built, some of them fairly grand. Covington grew to meet the town and annexed it in the 1840s, making it the city’s first suburb. Lewisburg was a self-reliant little town, and may not have recognized the annexation until some time later; no one seems to know exactly when the annexation occurred.

In the decades around the Civil War, Lewisburg’s German immigrants built a Catholic church overlooking the town, and the hilly streets continued to fill in with houses in the popular styles of the time. Many are small, modest, but solid houses, first lived in by workers in the many breweries and slaughterhouses that were located along Willow Run Creek.

The early 20th century saw most of the industries move away. The remaining land was filled with more houses in the craftsman and bungalow styles. Now there is a wide mix of houses in the neighborhood, along with a few remaining businesses, including a restaurant and a corner grocery. In 1924, St. John’s parish finished building a church, school and rectory in the center of Lewisburg on Pike Street. St. John’s continues to be an important and beloved neighborhood institution.

Lewisburg today is a peaceful place to live, a diverse neighborhood with apartment dwellers and homeowners of all income levels, single people and families with children. It is convenient to nearly everything. In only a few seconds, you could be heading north or south on I-71/75, or you could be in the quietness of Devou Park. In a few minutes, you could be in downtown Cincinnati, or be shopping in a fabulous local mall. It is a short walk to the Mainstrasse area and the neighborhood is still developing. Its hillsides provide wonderful views, and several projects are underway to bring in new housing, so more people can live in Lewisburg.