H. Res. 1121 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

June 10, 2010. 

Whereas Clinton County, originally known as the Virginia 

Military District because it had been set aside to reward 

the soldiers of the Revolutionary War, was established on 

February 19, 1810, 7 years after Ohio was admitted into 

the Union as the 17th State; 

Whereas Clinton County was named after George Clinton, 

one of the Founding Fathers, and the fourth Vice President of the United States; 

Whereas Clinton County was a station on the Underground 

Railroad prior to the Civil War, and a destination for 

thousands of persons escaping slavery and seeking freedom; 

Whereas the county seat of Clinton County is located in Wilmington, a community founded in 1810 and settled by 

the Dutch, German, English, and Scotch-Irish pioneer 

stock, as well as by the Society of Friends (Quakers) who 

migrated to southwest Ohio from Virginia and North 

Carolina because of their opposition to slavery; 

Whereas Clinton County is home to 2 outstanding institutions of higher learning that have prepared generations 

of students, past and present, for a successful future; 
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Whereas Southern State Community College is a 2-year institution serving a 5-county rural area where students seeking specific career training acquire the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the workforce; 

Whereas Wilmington College is a 4-year career-oriented liberal arts institution, founded by the Quakers in 1870, 

that is dedicated to the intellectual, emotional, physical, 

and spiritual development of its students; 

Whereas Clinton County is home to Clinton Memorial Hospital, a community-based rural health facility that has 

been a leading provider of compassionate, accessible, 

quality health care to individuals and families in Clinton 

County and the surrounding region for almost 60 years; 

Whereas Clinton County is home to the Murphy Theatre, a 

local historic treasure and community center that is located in the heart of downtown Wilmington; 

Whereas the Murphy Theater was built in 1918 by Charles 

Webb Murphy, the owner of the Chicago Cubs, and it 

continues to host a wide range of events; 

Whereas Clinton County is home to Cowan Lake State Park, 

a popular recreational haven that was once a stronghold 

of the Miami and Shawnee Indians; 

Whereas the park offers families an opportunity to enjoy a 

variety of outdoor activities that include sailing, swimming, hiking, fishing, hunting, and camping; 

Whereas Clinton County holds the distinction of being the 

birthplace of one of the Nation’s favorite desserts, the banana split; 

Whereas the banana split was invented at Hazard’s Drug 

Store in Wilmington, in 1907; 
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Whereas each summer, the city of Wilmington hosts the annual Banana Split Festival, a 2-day weekend event celebrated on the second full weekend of June; and 

Whereas Clinton County today is home to approximately 

43,200 residents in an area that is known to be one of 

the best places in the United States to live and raise a 

family: Now, therefore, be it 

Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

(1) recognizes the significant history of Clinton 

County and the county seat of Wilmington, Ohio; 

(2) congratulates the citizens of Clinton County and 

Wilmington, Ohio, on the occasion of their bicentennial 

anniversaries; and 

(3) directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to make available enrolled copies of this resolution 

to Clinton County and the county seat of Wilmington, 

Ohio, for appropriate display. 

Attest: 

Clerk.