James McBride (1788–1859) was a prominent pioneer statesman in Butler County, Ohio. He was Hamilton's first Mayor, and a prominent State Representative associated with the canals, archaeologist who supplied a considerable number of sketches of earthworks for early texts on the Mississippi Valley, Ohio's leading pioneer author and antiquarian, Miami University Secretary and President of the Board of Trustees, Butler County's fifth Sheriff, a surveyor, and an officer of other various entities. James McBride married the daughter of Judge Lytle, of the Lytle family of the Ohio River Valley, and was through her kinsman with Sen. Homer T. Bone, and Governor of Ohio Andrew L. Harris. McBride's son in law was Roger N. Stembel, a commander of the Pacific Fleet. McBride became an ardent convert to John C. Symmes' Hollow Earth theory, and wrote a book in support of it in 1826.
Archaeological work As an archaeologist, he lived and worked near the Great Miami River, examining evidence of ancient life in the region. A canal engineer, J.W. Erwin, served as his assistant, making surveys of earthworks in the Great Miami River valley. McBride retained his own collection of artifacts. He was a surveyor for the Ohio Board of Public Works. Artifacts and research by McBride was used by Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis in the Smithsonian Institution publication, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley.
Legacy McBride Hall is a dormitory on the Miami University campus named in McBride's memory.
References
Footnotes
Sources James McBride, Symmes's theory of concentric spheres : demonstrating that the earth is hollow, habitable within, and widely open about the poles, Cincinnati 1826. History of the Butler County, Ohio Sheriff's Office Archived 2005-05-25 at the Wayback Machine John C. Symmes' Hollow Earth Theory Stembel family History; see Henry Stembel
