The Story Behind Our Favorite Sledding Hill
One of the best known, yet best kept secrets of Bexley is Miller’s Hill. On a heavily snowy day the likes of which haven’t happened yet this winter, the Buzz is sure to have someone ask, “where do we sled in Bexley?” And the resounding answer is Miller’s Hill.
Located where Maryland Avenue dead ends into Parkview, you walk down someone’s driveway and start sledding down their backyard. As a first-timer, this can feel a little intimidating. Really? Just walk into their yard? Yes, it’s true. Most likely, there’ll be plenty of cars parked nearby to signal the acceptability of the slightly awkward venture.
The Miller Family in 1959: Blythe M. Brown, Lisa M. Westwater, Phebe M. Olcay, Dixon Miller, Dixie Miller and Albert F. Miller
Legend says that it’s built into the home’s deed that any future owners must also allow all the fun-lovers of Bexley to sled in the backyard. However, it turns out that this property isn’t frequently sold. It’s been in one family since the home was built in 1949 by Albert Miller. Albert, who according to a Bexley Historical Society article, helped found Rocky Fork Hunt & Country Club, lived next to his grandparents, where the sledding and even skiing happened. Albert married Dixie Sayre, who stayed in the home until her daughter, Blythe Brown, and her husband Frank bought the home.
Dixie was an active supporter of numerous institutions. According to her obituary, she was the president and trustee of the Ohio Landmarks Association, involved with the Columbus Foundation, the Columbus Museum of Art, Broad Street Presbyterian Church and Columbus School for Girls, among many others.
Blythe confirmed that the sledding originally took place next door because her backyard was choked with honeysuckle. “Until the 1960s there was no sledding here,” she says. After her grandparents’ home sold, a few owners allowed sledding, but in 1977, Les Wexner moved in and his lawyers soon put up a fence and shut down the sledding. The sledding lived on though at Dixie’s home. “My mom was great about it. Prior to cell phones, the kids would come in and call their parents and she would make them hot chocolate while they waited,” she recalls. “There was a time when my mom was in the house when people would come at 11:30 at night. Now, people are much more respectful because they’re shocked it’s someone’s home. I will not say that I love it because I look down from my windows and there are so many people. If we get snow, they’ll be there at 7am. Even if it’s a light dusting, they’ll want to come use their sled.”
In a Columbus Monthly article in 2019, Blythe Brown, the current owner, recalls of her mother: “She believed that such a ‘natural playground’ should be shared with others, says her daughter, Blythe Miller Brown, who lives in the house today. Brown remembers her mother making hot chocolate for the kids who borrowed her phone to call their parents for a ride home. "Since I grew up with people sledding on my backyard," she writes in an email, "we continue (although I personally can't watch because it gets so crowded)."
Miller’s Hill is fun and offers a long ride, as the yard slopes down toward Alum Creek. Although my own children have enjoyed sledding there since my fearless son was three, other parents have said it’s a bit fast and scary for younger kids.
“My husband puts hay in front of the trees,” Blythe reassures. However, she says, “it scares me when I see kids not paying attention.” She also finds tons of broken sleds and discarded hats, gloves and even coats come spring and asks that people use the trash can rather than leaving stuff at the bottom of the hill. Let’s all try to amp up the care and caution, as Blythe informed us the legend of sledding being part of the deed is indeed just a legend. The next owners can decide for themselves whether to continue the tradition!
Other places to consider sledding:
The hill just north of Jeffrey Mansion leading down toward the playground
The hill behind the Whitehall YMCA off Hamilton Road – this one is steep!
The Scioto Audubon Metro Park
The hill at Schiller Park near the playground
Lara McKenzie, PhD, MA, a North Bexley mom and child safety expert at Nationwide Children’s, was the senior author and principal investigator of a 2020 study on emergencies related to sledding for Nationwide Children’s Center for Injury Research and Policy. The study found that more than 220,000 people were treated for sledding injuries between 2008 and 2017, and that children are nearly seven times more likely to “be treated in an emergency department for a sledding-related injury.” Collisions are the main culprit. Lara recommends the following safety tips for sledding:
Wear a helmet: Make it a rule that everyone has to wear a helmet if they are going to sled. Properly fitted snow sport helmets or bicycle helmets are best.
Pick your sled: Sleds that can be steered and have braking features may allow for more control than flat sheets, snow discs, tubes and toboggans. Also make sure to follow manufacturer guidelines for the number of passengers a sled can safely hold.
Check the environment: A safe sledding environment should:
be free of obstacles (e.g., trees, rocks, light posts, walls, etc.).
have plenty of space at the end of the hill to allow the sled to safely slow down (avoid driveways or hills that end in a street, drop off, parking lot, or a body of water like a river or pond).
be free of motorized vehicles like ATVs, snowmobiles, cars, etc. Use of these types of vehicles to pull a sled can lead to serious injury and even death.
Follow the rules: Always ride the sled while seated with your feet facing the bottom of the hill. Only ride during daylight hours. Teach children to roll off the sled if it is going too fast or is going to crash so they can avoid collisions.
Stay for the fun: Having an adult present to check the environment for hazards and make sure kids are following safety guidelines while sledding can prevent injuries.
This child is following Lara’s safety advice.
