History Of New Vienna:

New Vienna is one of the earliest communities in Clinton County. It began as an agricultural community and quickly grew. While the surrounding area supported many large and productive farms, the village attracted its share of industrious, enterprising people. At one time there were several doctors, dentists, lawyers, mercantile stores and other businesses. There were lumber yards, saw mills, a flour mill, a tile and brick company and more. Many churches were established and life was good in the village of New Vienna.

With the influx of industry in the surrounding areas, New Vienna now serves mostly as a bedroom community for Wilmington, the County Seat of Clinton County, and for Hillsboro, county seat of Highland County. Many of its residents are employed at the area’s largest employer, ABX, located at the former air base near Wilmington. Recently, DHL, owners of the ground operations at the airpark, announced an expansion of their operations in Wilmington, creating upwards of 900 new jobs.

The old tree-lined streets in New Vienna still showcase beautiful old homes, most in good repair, which hearken back to a peaceful earlier time. Children can play safely in the yards and on the streets where horses and buggies used to travel, and ice cream socials were held on summer evenings. The building still stands where movies used to be shown on the outside wall, to families who had come with their lawn chairs for an evening of socializing and entertainment. One of the biggest days of the year was Memorial Day, when the high school band would march and children would carry bouquets of fresh flowers to the cemetery, where they were placed on the graves of veterans. That tradition continues today with a parade and service at the cemetery. Much of the town’s social life centered around the school where all twelve grades attended. The whole community flocked to graduations, school plays and especially, to basketball games. For some years, we had a newspaper, published by the Leesburg Citizen, but we hardly needed one; news traveled fast in those days, and most of it was good news. We all knew if someone was seriously ill or needed help, and help came. The meaning of neighborliness may have been invented by those straightforward, honest, hard-working people who called New Vienna home. In that regard, not much has changed.