McBride Collection
James McBride came to Butler County from Pennsylvania in 1807. He became Sheriff at the age of 25 and later served as the Clerk of Courts. In 1834, McBride began a County-wide reappraisal of all property. It was this reappraisal which provided him the framework to draw the first plat maps for Butler County in 1836. His legacy as a historian includes a published history of the area and a legacy of some 5,000 volumes. According to his contemporary Henry Howe, "The State, I am sure, had not a single man who had done so much for its local history as he...". from the introduction to: "Notes on Hamilton", James McBride, 1831.