This is the PART TWO of my two-part post about Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870. I had gathered so much research for my recent book, A Whole New Plan, that I divided it into two parts. If you are interested in reading PART ONE, click on this link.
The Red Stockings
Image downloaded from of Detroit Public Library website
I love baseball and was excited to learn that Cincinnati had the very first fully paid baseball team in 1869. The name was the Red Stockings. They traveled all over the country and played over 60 games that season, winning the 57 that were part of the league (the only perfect season for a team, ever). All other teams would mostly have volunteers and a few paid players, so this team was also a rarity and had a huge following because of it.
Nine of the original players stayed and played in 1870. They won many in the first half of the season, but had a losing streak later, which caused the team to disband. Some of the business men involved were hired by a man in Boston to form a team. A few of the Cincinnati players went to play for this newly formed team named the Boston Red Stockings in 1871 (that became the Boston Braves, which then moved to Atlanta in 1966). At first I thought it would be tied to the Boston Red Sox, but that team wasn’t formed until 1901.
The new Cincinnati Reds formed a few years later. As associations came and went, so did teams. The current Cincinnati Reds do consider the Cincinnati Red Stockings as part of their history, even though there was a few years gap in between organizations.
To continue on with the theme of baseball, the first baseball league, called The National Association of Base Ball Players, was formed in 1857. It changed after the 1870 season to the National Association of Professional Base Ball Players. This organization lasted until 1876 with the formation of the National League of Professional Base Ball Clubs, which was the foundation of the baseball leagues we have today.
Since my characters are in Cincinnati, I added a bit about the Cincinnati Red Stockings. Will, the hero in A Whole New Plan, is from California in a small ranching community that plays baseball in a field during the fall harvest celebration each year (I have a baseball game scene in my first book, When Plans Go Awry) but he’s never seen a professional team before, so when he comes across a promotion for the team, he makes note of it.
Crime and Crime Bosses
First let’s talk about Crime Bosses. Since I have one in A Whole New Plan, I needed to know what they could be focused on, where in the city they were located, and how they operated. In my research, I didn’t find any specific crime boss’s in 1870, but I did find some from the 1880’s, so I incorporated things I learned about “Boss Cox”.
George “Boss” Cox was a political boss who ruled in the 1880’s. He went from a barkeep to a city councilman. Then found his way onto the property tax board where he began cutting deals with business owners and pocketing the funds. He ruled the city for 25 years. And it was because of him that reforms were created about how much power one role could wield. In his eyes everything ran smooth, organized, and clean, even though he most likely traded favors for votes, and influenced candidates and policy. I read different reports, but I did find multiple sources calling his reign corrupt.
George "Boss" Cox (Photo from Wikipedia)
I sort of went with someone similar in A Whole New Plan. The bad guy (named Boss Man) owns a lot of establishments in town that could pay and influence city officials, including the police.
Besides Cox, there was a street gang called the Nuttle Gang and they supposedly terrorized the Dublin Street area. They would swarm victims (there were so many of them) so no one could really identify them. They claimed the abandoned railroad tunnels as their own, and when delivery wagons had to pass the area, a “tax” had to be paid. Since many of these were breweries, an extra keg was put in the delivery wagon’s to give to the gang.
Other Crimes
There
was one other type of crime I learned about that was a little creepy, but part of Cincinnati history that I want to share.
Body snatching was a popular type of felony committed in Cincinnati
through 1871 (before a crackdown on the practice happened). Providing
cadavers to medical schools was a lucrative trade. So grave robbers
would dig them out of the ground and get paid for each body retrieved. I
can only imagine how many families would not be happy to find the grave
of a loved one dug apart and the body missing.
Eateries
In my story, my “Boss Man” owned eateries. So in my research I found that many were built in key areas.
Riverfront: with the Ohio river being a vital transportation route, the docks and surrounding areas would have had many establishments in 1870 to serve travelers, workers, and sailors.
Downtown: because this was close to the river, there was a lot of commercial activity downtown and there would be taverns, inns, and restaurants serving business travelers as well as residents.
High-traffic areas: areas with high foot traffic would have been prime locations for food vendors, simple eateries, and restaurants.
Neighborhood hubs: many neighborhoods featured a mix of businesses such as local taverns and food shops to serve the growing communities formed. These residential areas sometimes were grouped based on immigrant culture. They all had names including “Over-The-Rhine (OTR)” and “Columbia-Tusculum”.
Photo from the Cincinnati Library Collection
In my book, I decided to have a restaurant called “The Fish Grotto” on the riverfront that served a well-known fish patty sandwich. I had found references to several different types of fish sandwiches that were served by restaurants including a Victorian era fish cake that combined flaked poached codfish with mashed potatoes, eggs, and seasonings. They would be formed into cakes and then sauteed in butter until crispy.
A fun-fact (not set in 1871) was that the owner of the Cincinnati McDonalds created the first filet-o-fish in 1962 that then became a menu staple in all McDonalds across the country.
Old Photos of Cincinnatti
I found a Facebook
page specifically for old photos of Cincinnati.
Cincinnati Overall
After the civil war, Cincinnati was by far Ohio’s largest city. The sheer number of people who lived in the city (one report says 200,000 and one said 300,000) made it the country’s most densest population. In comparison, Sacramento, California was the 10th largest city in the nation but only had 16,283 (in the city only). I tried to capture this through Will’s eyes. What would it be like to come from a city the size of Sacramento to the size of Cincinnati?
Photo from the Cincinnati Library Collection
Book 4 in the Best-laid Plans Series releases May 26, 2026
California, 1870. Pastor William Baker built his life on steady faith and safe choices, but the arrival of Lydia Spencer upends everything. Independent and outspoken Lydia is unlike any woman he’s ever known. Lydia is a Pinkerton detective, undercover as a schoolteacher while tracking a dangerous crime boss. She’s determined to protect her friends in Washton even if it means keeping her distance from the kind, steadfast pastor who sees too much. But when Will and Lydia are thrown together in a search for truth they find themselves fighting not only for justice, but for a future neither had planned.
Denise M. Colby writes historical romance sweetened with faith, hope, and love. She finds history fascinating and contemplates often how it was to live in the 1800's. Her debut novel, When Plans Go Awry, is a 2025 Carol Award finalist. Sign up for her newsletter at www.denisemcolby.com or follow Denise on Facebook, Instagram, Bookbub, Pinterest, or GoodReads.
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