In 1819, Christian Augspurger led six German-speaking families from the Alsace region of France to establish an Amish settlement in Butler County, Ohio. It became one of the first Amish communities in Ohio and the westernmost in America, and it continued to grow through immigration into the 1860s. As the settlement expanded, it served as a hub for further westward movement of Amish arriving from France and Germany and gave rise to settlements in Illinois and Iowa. By 1829, Christian had acquired 250 acres of fertile land overlooking the Great Miami River, built a stone farmhouse on this site, and named his farmstead Chrisholm. After the original home was partially destroyed by fire, his youngest son, Samuel Augspurger, built the brick Italianate house that stands there in 1874. Chrisholm Farmstead, together with 15 other settlement structures, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as part of The Christian Augspurger Amish Mennonite Cultural Settlement of Butler County, Ohio. This remnant of a once thriving Amish and agricultural community includes the historic house, a bank barn, gardens, and the family cemetery. In 1995, Cincinnati Gas and Electric, now Duke Energy, donated the farmstead and 17 acres to MetroParks of Butler County, which that year partnered with Friends of Chrisholm to begin restoring the property for use as a heritage center, museum, and public gathering place.