Reuben R. Springer

He was the son of the local postmaster, originally from Virginia and a veteran of the American Revolution, who had fought under Mad Anthony Wayne, and his mother, who was a native of New Jersey.

Drawn to life on the Ohio River, he got a position with the firm of Taylor, Kilgour & Company, who were wholesale grocers, as a store clerk on one of their steamboats, the George Madison, which transported food between Louisville and New Orleans.

[2] Living in semi-retirement the rest of his life, Springer would travel frequently to Europe, where he acquired a major art collection.

He also became a patron of the arts, contributing hugely to the construction of the Cincinnati Music Hall, which was built largely through his own initiative.

[5] Springer died childless in 1884 at his home, located at the northeast corner of Seventh and Plum Streets[3] in Cincinnati.