The Shoups’ Corner: Then and Now

Written by Jeanne Wensits

(Reprinted with permission from The Beavercreek Historical Society)

As far back as I can remember, that empty property surrounded by Grange Hall Road, Indian Ripple Road and Bern’s Garden Center has been sitting in tranquility, blanketed with blowing grass and an occasional yellow daffodil, disturbed only by the sounds of cars rushing by. But according to Tom Shoup, it was not always like that.

Way back in 1817, this plot of ground was part of a large farm owned by various members of the Shoup family. Later on, Moses Shoup donated approximately 2.5 acres of land for the building of a one-room brick schoolhouse, Concord School #1, named after Concord Church which stood nearby. Bounding two sides of the school were slopes where the children whooped and hollered playing games. Although the yard to the east was fairly level, across Indian Ripple Road were woods and a little stream to explore. The school was affectionately referred to as The Little Red Schoolhouse. However, a larger, more modern school was needed by 1934. The property was sold to Russell and Hazel Benham who turned the school into their home. Electricity was added but not much else was changed.

Grace & John Shoup

In 1953, John and Grace Shoup bought the home and John made several updates, including inside plumbing, a basement he dug with a shovel, and a full bathroom upstairs in the 3⁄4-story attic that eventually became the bedroom for their four children, Lynne Marie, Bill, Tom and Lori.

Grace loved to play the piano and somehow managed to get an upright piano into the living room where it became her pride and joy. Another passion was gardening. Soon colorful flowers were blooming all growing-season long around the yard. In the spring yellow daffodils blazed along the entire 200-feet of frontage of Indian Ripple Road.

But on November 2, 1959 everything changed. Around 9:40 a.m. that day, an F-104 fighter plane took off from Wright-Patterson Air Force Base heading south and moments later experienced an engine explosion. The pilot hung on, trying desperately to reach a sparsely populated area before parachuting. But at the point of ejection the plane was already in free-fall and it went straight down, crashing into the Shoups’ house. Tragically, sisters Lynne Marie (12) and Lori (2) were killed and their mother, severely burned, was flown by military transport to a Burn Unit in Texas where she passed away. Brothers Bill (10) and Tom (8) were at Fairbrook School at the time of the crash. Their father was at work at NCR.

The remaining family, John Shoup and his sons Bill and Tom moved a quarter of a mile up Grange Hall Road to live with the boys’ grandparents. For the next 33 years, the two boys continued to mow the grass and care for the corner property like it was their yard until their father passed away in 1992.

Lynne Shoup

Two years later the property was sold to a commercial developer. During the next 24 years the land was passed to a local chiropractor who had plans for a pain clinic that were never realized, and the City of Beavercreek continued to chip away at the land for widening Indian Ripple and Grange Hall Roads.

Meanwhile, in a vacant bank that was part of the “Old Lofino’s” Plaza on Dayton-Xenia Road, Tom’s daughter Jennifer Shoup opened The Piano Preparatory School to teach adults and children classical-piano, string, guitar and voice in 2005. A surprising aspect of the school was, yes, the large bank vault. Jennifer shares that the school opened with 4 instructors and 71 enrolled students. Due to rapid growth, in 2010 the school relocated to a small retail center on Indian Ripple Road that provided more space for teaching studios. By 2018 the school was averaging 350 families enrolled per semester and a teaching staff of 20. More space was needed.

By an amazing quirk of fate, the “more space” turned out to be that hallowed Shoup family ground on the corner of Grange Hall and Indian Ripple Roads. Jennifer’s spacious, new Piano Preparatory School has been rising from the land that hasn’t heard piano music for 60 years. As a final touch, Tom and his wife Mary will be transplanting some of his mother’s yellow daffodils there that have traveled with them to every home they’ve ever owned. This seems to be a perfect way to complete the renewal of this historic corner.

And if one listens very closely they may hear the gleeful laughter of school children echoing down through the ages on that corner.

I gratefully acknowledge the generosity of Tom, Bill and Jennifer Shoup for sharing much of the content of this article.