West Charleston was originally called Friendtown

In 1814 John Newcomb bought land adjacent to the town and became a merchant. He kept his merchandize in a log cabin by the springs which flowed near the village. There were also several tavern keepers in the village with accommodations for travelers. John Schlosser was the first to provide this service. William Boyer and a man referred to as Lightcap later also established inns.

Memoirs of the Miami Valley says “a small showmaker’s shop was set up in the bush north of the little settlement by James Ferguson.” Later it mentions he also tanned hides. It seems likely a typo changed shoemaker’s to showmaker’s.

Two churches are also listed as being in the town: The Brethren and The Union, which appears to be a nondenominational church.

General Mad Anthony Wayne is said to be the first to cut a trace from Troy to Dayton. He was on his way to Cincinnati after the Battle of Fallen Timbers. The path became the Troy and Dayton Pike (now Ohio 202). Friendtown was built on both side of this road.

For several years the Friendtown community was very prosperous, due to a large amount of traffic on the pike. It was included on a stagecoach route. In 1840 three hotels were in the village to handle the multitude of visitors. The canal and later the railroad by passed the town and this led to a decline in travelers and businesses.

During its heyday West Charleston enjoyed daily mail service. It was delivered by a stagecoach manned by either drivers Jerry Self, Calvin Adams, or Lewis Russell. After the village’s decline, mail service dropped to three times a week.

Near West Charleston is a natural attraction, the Charleston Falls Preserve. It contains 216 acres with walking trails and boardwalks and a beautiful waterfall.

The newspaper Tippecanoe City Herald in July of 1870 printed a description of the Charleston Falls by a visitor who called it a “roaring cataract” falling over a “crescent-shaped bluff to the abyss below.”

A Miami-County Park District pamphlet says the water fall is 37 feet high and “can rightly be called a ‘Miniature Niagara.’ ”