Dan, whose blog is a must read for those interested in learning about the history/architecture of Cincinnati, wrote a nice brief post on the origins of Walnut Hills. While I was familiar with Rev. James Kemper building the first settler dwelling in Cincinnati outside the lower bowl, I thought I read/heard somewhere that the first road up a hill was put in by he and his sons at Mount Adams [then Mount Ida].
This is a great place to live if you love history.