The community of Fort Thomas is mindful of the military roots that formed the core of the municipality, and the historical roots of the Ohio River that runs along the entire Eastern border. Situated along the ridgeline of the river bluffs, with lovely old homes as well as newer ones, tree-shaded streets and well-placed parks, the city reflects its people.
The city was named in honor of Civil War General George Henry Thomas, who ranks among the top Union Generals of the War, along with Grant, Sherman, and Sheridan. Whereas these three men were true Northerners and, in fact, were born within approximately 50 miles of each other and from Northern Kentucky, George Thomas was a Southerner. He was born of Welsh/English and French parents in Virginia on July 31, 1816.
Fort Thomas is only four miles south of Cincinnati, on a hilltop; the highest location at 850 feet high is the Military Reservation. The first city building was constructed in 1885 and stood on the present site on North Fort Thomas Avenue until its demolition and the reconstruction of a new building in 1967.
The fort itself was constructed in 1890, with the first unit assigned being the 6th Infantry under Col. Melville Cochran. Soon after, the name of the town was changed from the District of the Highlands to honor a Civil War hero, Gen. George H. Thomas --who waved the Union Army with his brave stand during the Battle of Chicamauga in Georgia." He was affectionately known as the "Rock of Chicamauga."
The city is also know for a 90-foot limestone tower that was erected by the cities of Cincinnati, Newport, and Covington as a joint venture and as a memorial to the Spanish-American war veterans that were killed in action.
During the Civil War, the site of Fort Thomas was on a key invasion route to Cincinnati and was part of the Cincinnati Defense Perimeter which stretched from Bromley and Fort Mitchell to Wilder and John’s Hill. Remains of trenches are still visible on the south slopes of the Highland Country Club, the old Beverly Hills Supper Club hill and in the area of the Campbell County Y.M.C.A. Others earthworks can be seen in Evergreen Cemetery which lies on a hilltop that provided visibility of the entire southern Licking Valley. These were parts of a 12-mile long perimeter of 25 installations built to defend the Greater Cincinnati area.
There are many historic sites in the city, including St. Stephen Cemetery, which has been in use since 1850, and Samuel Woodfill School, which is named for a WW I hero. Robson Spring, on Alexandria Pike, is a surviving mineral spring used regularly in the 1920s and used by many for drinking water during the Flood of 1937. There were ponds at Klainecrest and Grand Avenue and at Highland and Grand Avenue which provided fishing, swimming, and ice skating in the winter.
Today, Fort Thomas is a city proud of its past and looking toward the future.