The 1831 William Woodward Trust

In 1831, leather tanner William Woodward and his wife, Abigail Cutter Woodward, donated a parcel of land (roughly the block and a half immediately south of Sycamore and 13thStreets to establish the 5-member “Board of Trustees of the Woodward High School of the city of Cincinnati” and to endow it with the means to provide money to allow children whose parents were unable to pay to attend Woodward High School. The donated land is permitted to be leased for 15-year terms, but cannot be sold or otherwise disposed of.

Woodward High School soon became part of “The Common Schools of Cincinnati” (now known as the Cincinnati Public Schools) and has since been supported by property taxes to enable all children to attend free of charge. The focus of Woodward Trust, however, remains exclusively for the educational benefit of needy children in Cincinnati.

Over the course of time, many deeds and documents have changed and directed the actions and structure of the original Woodward Trust. Click here for Additional History of the Original Woodward Trust, detailing the significant events and documents of this trust.