So, Like, Where’s Cooper’s Mill?

Welcome, fans of the Frank Harper Mysteries series. As you probably know, the book series takes place in the fictional town of Cooper’s Mill, Ohio. What you might not know is that Cooper’s Mill is based on Tipp City, Ohio, a real-life small town north of Dayton and the home of the author, Greg Enslen, and his family. He also helped start the Downtown Tipp City Partnership, a local preservation organization.

Frank’s “Cooper’s Mill” is a fictionalized version of Tipp, with much of the city preserved and reflected in the stories. Public locations, like the parks, schools, and street names, all retain their “actual” names, so if you’re keeping track, there is a real Kyle Park and a real Broadway Elementary. Greg also has an in-progress Google Map of the book locations. All locations are in Tipp City unless otherwise noted. Also, SPOILERS! Proceed at your own risk!!

Book 1 - A Field of Red

The first book in the Frank Harper series revolves around the title character and his first visit to the small town of Cooper’s Mill, Ohio. Many of the locations from the books are based on real-world locations in Tipp City. But remember, there’s a difference between fact and fiction! Here’s the Google Map link.

• Downtown Cooper’s Mill is based on downtown Tipp City, including many of the shops and restaurants. Wander around and you might see some things you recognize!

• Broadway Elementary is a real school at 223 W Broadway St.

• Ricky’s Tavern is based on Tony’s, a bar located on the corner of Main and First at 134 E. Main. Frank’s first scene takes place here.

• Kyle Park is a real park and very large located south of downtown on South 1st St.

• The antique store on Main, Elise’s Antiques, is a completely fictional location. The Big Robot Game Cafe, a real-world video game store the author owned, was located there but closed in 2010. The address was 114 East Main. The antique store is named for the author’s wife’s middle name. It is currently the home to Rad Candy.

• An important character lives in a home based on this location, the Burwell Building at 111-113 E. Main, overlooking Main Street.

• Freeman’s Prairie is located east of town, and it’s a real place. And yes, they do burn it regularly to control the undergrowth, or at least they used to. Here’s the history behind the name.

• The Holly Toy Warehouse, which is being converted to condos in the book, is really the Dolly Toy Warehouse, located at 320 N. Fourth St.

Book 2 - BLACK ICE

The second book in the Frank Harper series involves ice fishing, divorce paperwork and several murders. Yeah! Many of the locations from the books are based on real-world locations in Tipp City. But remember, there’s a difference between fact and fiction! Here’s the Google Map link.

• Trapper’s Lake is a fictional lake located north of Cooper’s Mill, located somewhere between the Historic WACO Airfield (1865 S Co Rd 25A, Troy) and Burton’s Used Cars (2065 S Co Rd 25A)

• The McDonalds is a real place located at 127 S Garber Dr. Not sure if you’ll catch Frank at the coffee klatch but maybe he’s there getting his senior coffee!

• The car accident at the end takes place on Park Avenue at the railroad crossing, and Joe ends up in a ditch o the south-east corner of the Precision Strip building, located at 315 Park Ave.

Book 3 - WHITE LINES

The third book in the Frank Harper series involves a gang war in Dayton and a mall that isn’t there any more. Check it out! Many of the locations from the books are based on real-world locations in Tipp City. But remember, there’s a difference between fact and fiction! Here’s the Google Map link.

• The Hooters and nearby cemetery are located near Miller Lane, a grouping of restaurants just south of the I-70 and I-75 interchange. Hooters is located at 6851 Miller Ln., and the cemetery is the Dayton Memorial Park cemetery located at 8135 N Dixie Drive.

• The Salem Mall doesn’t exist any more in the real world but it does in my series. It was located at 5200 Salem Ave. in Trotwood. The Sears store, built in 1966 and the last building remaining, was named to the National Register of Historic Places in late 2023. “The former Salem Mall’s Sears & Roebuck building has officially been approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places, a designation which could mean additional resources to aid in the site’s redevelopment” - Dayton Daily News story.

• The hosptial in the book is the Miami Valley Hospital, located in downtown Dayton at 1 Wyoming St.

Book 4 - YELLOW JACKET

The fourth book in the Frank Harper series involves a sensational trial and Frank “gets” to revisit an important location from an earlier book. Many of the locations from the books are based on real-world locations in Tipp City. But remember, there’s a difference between fact and fiction! Here’s the Google Map link.

• The Miami County Municipal Courthouse is an impressive building located at 215 W Main St. in downtown Troy, Ohio. Courthouse Plaza features a set of beautiful fountains out front. The trial takes place in the Miami County Safety Building next door at 201 W Main St. There is a back entrance where they bring in prisoners for court - it’s off the alley to the east of the building.

• The hospital where Joe recovers (and escapes from) is Upper Valley Medical Center, located at 3130 N. County Road 25-A north of Troy. It’s one of the largest hospitals north of Dayton—and located very conveniently next the very busy I-75 superslab. Like seriously, you could walk across a field, jump one fence, and be picked up by a passing accomplice with very little effort. It’s not even a big fence.

Book 5 - Green with envy

The fifth book in the Frank Harper series involves a Hollywood Starlet coming to town to visit and boy does she cause some trouble. Many of the locations from the books are based on real-world locations in Tipp City. But remember, there’s a difference between fact and fiction! Here’s the Google Map link.

• Jessica’s story starts out in Los Angeles, but there are no real-world locations.

• Jessica comes to town and stays at a large home located west of Tipp City at 1272 OH-571 in Tipp City. This is private home, so please no trespassing. I was lucky enough to tour it when my wife and I were considering buying it, and the lake, ziplines, layout of the house and back barn are real. Watch out for paparazzi camped out at the north end of the long driveway!

• Portions of this story take place in City Park, on North Third Street near the Tipp City Park Stadium. It’s a particularly uninventive name for a beautiful downtown park which hosts, among many other events, the annual Mum Festival, held every September. The Mum Festival is a central part of Jessica’s story in this book, so you’ll recognize the location—and the swings—if you ever happen to visit Tipp City.

• The fictional offices of the Cooper’s Mill Gazette are located where the real-world Tippecanoe Gazette used to be located, upstairs at 4 E Main St. In a strange twist of fate, after finishing this book, the author ended up purchasing the Tipp Gazette and is now running it as publisher and head bottle washer. Check it out!

• Another location in the book is the underground garage. Suffice it to say that yes, that’s a real location, and yes, it’s located under our local furniture store. Drop by and see them at Sugden Furniture at the corner of Main and Fourth Streets, located at 40 W Main St. Buy a couch, and maybe, if you ask nicely, they’ll let you tour the dark basement. Watch out, though—you never know who might be down there.

Book 6 - a splash of scarlet

The sixth book in the Frank Harper series isn’t out yet but involves the return of a fan favorite and some folks digging in the dirt. There is also an ongoing investigation that Frank can’t seem to solve. PREORDER IT SOON.