USA > Ohio > Columbiana County > Salem in Columbiana County > A souvenir history of ye old town of Salem, Ohio, with some pictures and brief references to ye people and things of ye olden time > Part 3
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A small organization, adhering to the de- nomination known as the Church of God, in 1888 built a house of worship on West Main street,
near the city limits on the west. In 1905 and 1906 the Rev. P. Neil was pastor, but only a por- tion of his time was given to the Salem charge.
Early in the history of the great movement which resulted the organization of Young Men's Christian Associations throughout this country and the christian world, perhaps in 1868, a branch of the association was organized in Salem. A reading room was supplied and meet- ings were kept up with more or less regularity for many years. When in 1895 the Pioneer block was erected by Mr. J. T. Brooks at the corner of East Main street and Garfield avenue, the second floor and a large portion of the first floor were fitted up with the wants of the associ- ations prominently in view, and with the purpose of housing the organization comfortably and commodiously. These superb quarters embraced an assembly hall, parlors, reading and amuse- ment rooms and a splendidly equipped gym- nasium. About the time the association occu- pied its new home a young woman's auxiliary was organized, and had a meeting place in the association rooms. Following the occupancy of its new home, the association enjoyed a season
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of unexampled prosperity ; but in the course of time adequate financial support was lacking, and just about the opening of the new century the association suspended. Several spasmodic at- tempts have since been made to create senti- ment looking to a resuscitation of the work, but nothing tangible has grown out of such at- tempts. Men's leagues have been organized in several of the churches, and in the spring of the Centennial year a church federation was formed among the lay members of the several Evangelical churches.
A wonderful boon for the country is the common school-the means of education for the common people-for all the people, at the com- mon expense. The system, and its judicious operation are in a peculiar sense the hope and pride of the country. It was not always so. In the early years of the past century to secure a measure of education for all-for all to obtain even a modicum of "schooling " was a practical impossibility. But that fact of itself was suffici- ent reason to stimulate the youth enjoying the limited educational advantages to place a true value on what little book learning they were able
Parochial School.
to acquire. The first school in Salem was opened about 1804. The teachers from that date to 1810 were Hannah Fisher and Judith Townsend. A log school-house was built in 1810, where Joseph Shreve and James Tolerton taught from 1810 to 1816. Shreve taught in a Salem school again from 1822 to 1833. He probably did more than any other teacher in the town in the first half century of its history to leave a teacher's impress
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upon his work. During the latter period of his service-
1831 and 1832-Shreve wrote a history in verse in two in- stallments. of his school, one at the close of each of the winter terms .* It was "inscribed to
the learners of the higher class- es," at the close of the second of the two poems "a list of the scholars of Salem school who have taught school being given. As this list will be found of interest to many who read and preserve this little volume, it is reproduced here :
WM.RICE
SOAP & CANDLES
THE STANLEY WOOLEN MILL.
THE CANDLE FACTORY SO. E.COR. MAIN & LISBON STS. 1859.
Abraham Stanley,
Isaac Treseott,
Isaac Stanley,
William Scholfield,
Asa Ware,
Joseph Saxon,
David Osborne, Michael Stratton,
Eli Teegarden,
Samuel Street,
Elisha Hawley,
John Street,
Samuel Ball,
John Butler,
Levi Heald,
Jonathan Briggs,
Samuel Headley,
William White,
Solomon Shreve, Henry Harris, James Hugnes,
Alfred Heacock,
George Swartz, John Mendenhall.
Josiah Cameron,
*A copy of these poems, in a small pamphlet form, is in possession of Mr. H. C. Hawley. To Mr. Hawley is the editor indebted for the opportunity of reference to this and other valuable old papers.
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Priscilla Warrington, Edith Cadwalader, Meribab Butler, Sarah Butler, Eliza Shreve, Hannah Brantingham, Ann Lynch,
Elmira Townsend, Martha Allison, Ruth Fisher,
Sarah Miller,
Ellen Reeve, Mary Williams, Edith W. Test,
Sarah Negus,
Sarah Mercer,
Mary Johnson,
Hannah Heacock,
Martha Thompson, Mary Farmer.
Ann Jobes, Ruth Brown,
Emily Heacock,
Rachel Scholfield,
Sarah Santee,
Mary S. Richmond.
Assistant Teachers.
Ann Straughan,
Joseph Straughan,
Zadok French,
Ira Hunt, Jonas D. Cattell, Abraham Bonsall.
Teachers of Salem School.
NOTE-There have been several other schools in Salem.
Judith Townsend,
Martin Brantingham,
Nathan Ball, james Hemmingway,
Moses Stanley,
Benjamin Marshall,
Esther Hoopes,
Ann Warrington, Caleb Hunt,
William Lightfoot,
Hannah Fisher,
Joseph Shreve,
Daniel Stratton, Joshua Shinn,
Mary Reeves,
Mary Black ledge, James Tolerton, Susan Hewett, Martha Townsend, Rachel Townsend,
Elizabeth Fawcett, Thomas C. Shreve, Abraham Stanley, Mary Johnson, Elma Cadwalader, Esther Hunt.
Deborah Williams, Mary Trescott, Elizabeth Johnson,
Hannah Johnson,
John Flitcraft.
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The Old High School Building.
It is interesting to note the simple, old-fash- ioned, single Christian names which prevailed in those days, as compared, for example, with a list
of the names of a modern gradu- ating class. The names were then, with rarely a superfluous initial even, simply Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, James, John, Samuel, Jonathan and Mary, Martha, Ruth, Priscilla, Meribah, Saralı (spelled with the final h), and Ann.
In 1826 Joseph Shreve advertised in the village Register : " J. Shreve informs [the verb is used intransi- tively] that he expects to continue his school, teaching orthography, reading, writing (occasionally by lectures), arithmetic, bookkeeping, geography, mensuration, geometry, trigonometry, surveying, " and adds, "but the press for other branches must exclude grammar from the present session." His terms were, "Two dollars for each pupil for each quarter, two-thirds of which may be paid in approved trade at store prices."
In 1842 this announcement appeared in the
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village Register: "Seminary for Young Ladies-E. W. Richards and Leah Heaton have associated them- selves together (the former as prin- cipal and the latter as usher) and have opened a school for young ladies in Salem. * * * Terms, from $2 to $5 per quarter."
Among those who succeeded Mis- tress Fisher and Mistress Townsend and Master Shreve as teachers in the early Salem schools, were a number of others who were well and favorably remembered by Salem people who lived in the middle de- cades of the last century. Among these-without attempting to give names in chronological order -may be mentioned: Nathan Ball, Moses Stanley, Ann War- rington, Samuel Ruckman, Caleb Hunt, Mary Blackledge, Martha Townsend, Benjamin Marshall, Daniel Stratton, Joshua Shinn, Thomas and Eliza Shreve, Jona- than Thomas, Esther Hunt, Isaac Trescott,
The New High School Building.
William Holloway, Josiah Cameron, Clayton Lamborn, J. W. Cattell, Jacob Branson, M. D. Grove, Reuben McMillan, Lewis T. Park, Jesse
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Samuel Chessman.
Markham, William McClain, P. R. Spencer, Amos Gilbert, Abner G. Kirk, Benjamin B. Davis, Elizabeth Richards, Leah Heaton, James C. Marshall and his wife Henrietta, Rev. Jacob Coon, and Mrs. T. W. Greer.
Members of the Society of Friends were al- ways friends of education, and many of the early schools, especially before the days of the common schools, were conducted by them and patronized to a considerable extent by people of their manner of thought and of life. George Hunt says in his Salem History : "In 1852 Calvin Moore opened a select school on Lincoln avenue. For about thirteen years he and his wife conducted it in an unostentatious manner, and they got a fair amount of patronage. They were exemplary Friends, and their school was patronized mainly by people of their persuasion. They were both good teachers, and were not backward in the modern improvements pertaining to their pro- fession. This school was brought to an end by the accidental death of Friend Moore, in 1865; soon after which the widow obtained a situation in the Friends' boarding school at Westtown, Pa. About the year 1872 Benj. D. Stratton erected a building on West Dry street, now numbered 78 and 80, for a school house. This was for his son-in-law, Joseph H. Branson, who was a fine scholar ; and in this house he commenced a select school. Mary Cadwalader was employed as
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assistant teacher. It was said of Branson that he had more teaching power than any other per- son in the place. But he, somehow, became un- popular with some of his pupils especially. Wherefore he left the school, and Mary Cadwal- ader continued it several years quite successfully. At one time she had Linnæus Warrington as assistant. Pupils came from the country and boarded in town to attend her school. A chance to get married terminated her career of public teaching." So it would seem that even in those days the state of matrimony had a higher claim and presented greater attractiveness to the young woman than even the teaching of young ideas how to shoot. Hunt in his narrative continues : "Miss Cadwalader was succeeded by Mrs. Mary M. Williams, who came from Steubenville. She was an accomplished teacher, having been edu- cated at the Female Seminary at Washington, Pa. She had good success for about two years. For awhile she had a writing teacher employed. Her career of teaching ended like that of her * worthy predecessor. Mrs. Helen M. Beatty came to Salem in 1840. Soon after she got a position in a public school. This she hield
about a year. She then commenced a select school, which she managed with marked success for twenty years. Recently [in the early '90's] a neat little school house was built in the Friends' lot on Sixth street. This is intended for schools under the direction of the Friends' Monthly Meeting. Two terms have there been kept-one by Elmer G. Hutton, and the other by Howard Fawcett."
Alfred Holbrook was the first superintendent of the Salem public schools. He was chosen in 1854, and served one year. Reuben McMillan succeeded him, serving as superintendent and principal of the High school for six years. Sup- erintendent McMillan wrote of the condition of the Salem schools at that time: "I found the schools in good running condition, as left by my predecessor, Mr. Holbrook. I found a good corps of teachers, and an energetic, wide- awake set of pupils, that would have done honor to any town. During my connection the number of pupils increased, so that new rooms had to be rented and occupied until the new building on Fourth street, commenced in 1860, could be fin- ished." Mr. McMillan made a very efficient and
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eminently successful superintendent. After leaving Salem he had a long and successful career as an educator in Youngstown. In 1861 Mr. H. H. Barnaby was chosen superintendent by the board of education to succeed Mr. Mc- Millan. He continued in the place a little more than a year, when he resigned to accept the office of State School Commissioner, to which he had been elected. Mr. Barnaby was succeeded by Mr. Cummings, who served but a year and a half, when he was compelled to retire by ill health. He resigned the office in March, 1864. Later in the spring of that year the board elected to the position of superintendent William D. Henkle. The following paragraphs are extracted from the Ohio School Reports, showing something of Prof. Henkle's work and the progress of the Salem schools during the succeeding ten or twelve years : "On the 16th of August, 1864, W. D. Henkle entered upon the duties of superintend- ent, and continued to serve for eleven years, ex- cept two years, from 1869 to 1871, when he served as State Commissioner of Common Schools, which office he resigned and then returned to Salem. While absent his place was filled by Prof. Moses
C. Stephens, principal of the High school, who conducted the schools without any change of of plan. In each of these eleven years the sup- erintendent prepared, and the board caused to be published, a sixteen-page pamphlet, giving full statistics of the schools, thus making the record complete for those years.
"The High school of Salem was organized immediately after the adoption of the graded system in 1853. Previous to its organization, select schools of a higher grade had been very extensively patronized by the town and surround- ing country. In these the higher branches of mathematics seem to have occupied a prominent place, and continued to do so after the change. As a rule, the classics and studies relating to lan- guages have found less favor among the Friends, who were the early settlers and the fashioners to a great extent of public sentiment in Salem, than mathematics and the natural sciences. The High school from its earliest days maintained a higher order of excellence, both in discipline and acquire- ments, its pupils were taught to think, to compare, to judge for themselves; to regard the education of the school-room as a means rather than an end."
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The superintendents succeeding Prof. Hen- kle were William S. Wood, two years; George N. Carruthers, ten years ; Myron E. Hard, ten years ; and W. P. Burris, three years. Prof. Burris was succeeded in 1900 by Prof. Jesse S. Johnson, who, in the Centennial year is serving the seventh consecutive year in the di- rection of the Salem schools, during which they have enjoyed a period of unexampled prosperity. The Fourth Street or High school building, com- pleted and dedicated in 1897, is one of the hand- somest and best buildings for the purposes of its construction in the State. Besides these there are three other public school building, all com- paratively new, namely, Mckinley Avenue, Columbia Street and Prospect Street, besides St. Paul's parochial school building, which was com- pleted in 1905, and accommodates three grades.
Salem has had a plentiful crop of these prime essentials to civilization and industrial prosperity -newspapers. And in quality, they have been good, bad and indifferent. The good, how- ever, have been very good, and very largely in the majority. Probably in no other line of manufacture or business, which had a being at
1198583
Presbyterian Church.
all a hundred years ago, have there been greater changes or more marked improvements, than in the making of newspapers.
George D. Hunt, the old Salem historian, in a little volume published in 1898, devotes no less
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than three chapters to "The Printing Press of Salem," which contain much data and varied comments upon the prevailing methods of con- ducting the newspaper business in the earlier days of the old Quaker town. His style is so quaintly original and altogether interesting that Hunt's "Salem History " will be drawn upon for some account of the city's earlier newspaper publications. Mr. Hunt says : "Printing in Salem was first done in a log house that stoon on or near the place where A. M. Carr's new store- room has been built. Joseph Shreve was then the teacher of the Friends' School, and his brother Thomas was studying medicine with Dr. Stanton. Both of them were literary characters friendly to the dissemmation of knowledge and advocates of the printing press. They came from Pennsylvania and had some knowledge of Robert Fee, who in Brownsville had published the Western Reporter. In this he appears to have made a failure, and was then induced by the Shreve brothers to come to Salem and start a paper. In the latter part of March, 1825, he issued the first number of the Salem Gazette and Public Advertiser. (Newspapers generally af-
fected long names in those days.) Robert Fee was a practical printer and possessed some edit- orial tact. But he had domestic troubles, from which he sought at times relief in the intoxicat- ing cup, which, in turn, aggravated the cause. A file of these papers was preserved by one of the oldest inhabitants. It was an interesting relic of the times, and gave some idea of what the town then was. The Pittsburg Gazette ap- pears to have been the most important exchange, as more articles were credited to it than to any other paper. An interesting account of LaFay- ette's visit to Western Pennsylvania, some amusing articles, accounts of horrid murders, advertisements of reward for the arrest of crimi- nals, and some of the occurrences of the times were the prominent items. Joseph Shreve gave some articles on grammar ; and he wrote a short account of the appearance of a comet that he thought would appear in the early part of 1829. Some marriage notices were published, and with them, according to a custom then, and during some subsequent years prevailing, some pithy epigrams were given, such as :
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MCCALLA TRY GOODS
THE WILSON HOUSE, 1860,
S.E. COR. MAIN AND
LUNDY STS.
· people did not know the benefit of advertising. One of the greatest calamities recorded was the burning of the Goshen meeting house. It oc- curred on a Sabbath morning. The Gazette came to an untimely end in July, 1826.
"In 1830, and during some of the following years, Salem received only a semi-weekly mail, yet it then con- tained many newspaper patrons. The Ohio Patriot (Democratic) and the Western Palladium (Whig)
were then published in New Lisbon. The
""'Oh, what's a table. richly spread, Without a woman at its head ? '
*
* *
*
" 'May Heaven crown their life with joys, And fill their arms with girls and boys.'
" William Beans married Sarah E. Greenfield, on which event the editorial genius perpetrated this:
" 'If fate shall to their wishes yield, And fate to true love leans, Time may bestow on this Greenfield A lovely crop of Beans.'
"There were some advertisements in this paper, but there was then less to advertise, and
Aurora, which commenced in 1832, was neu- tral. No post- office received more of these papers than Sa- lem. Some Philadelphia papers were
T. SHARPNACK
SO.E. COR. MAIN & BROADWAY. 1859.
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taken, especially the Saturday Evening Post. "Some time in 1835 William F. Stewart came and issued his prospectus for the Salem Visitor. This prospectus was a curiosity. It commenced by saying that 'Without the usual notice that periodicals usually abound in, the editor would simply state that he intended to publish a paper like others in some particulars- in others unlike them.' It was to be like them inasmuch as its main object was to suit the public taste. He acknowledged the difficulty of knowing what this was, and, 'If it were possible to ascertain what the reigning taste was, he would endeavor not to reform but to conform.' Some promises as to the character of the paper were given ; among others that 'Stanzas would have a ready admission, adapted to the love-sick and sick of love.' The first number was issued and the carrier sent around with it. William Reed, on seeing it, paid for it, and gave orders for no more to be sent to him. John Frost, of the New Lisbon Aurora, noticed it by merely mentioning that he had been favored by a visit from the Salem Visitor. In the spring of the next year P. F. Boylan bought the Visitor. He
adopted Stewart's prospectus, with a few words and terms changed, and changed the name to the Ohio Mercury. It was a slight improvement over the Visitor. After a few months Stewart's practice of reprinting a few columns was adopted, and Boylan confessed that he 'found it very con- venient,' but 'would not do so very often.' Then followed irregular issues, and a decrease of good reading matter, until the Aurora took occasion to mention that the Ohio Mercury was about being transferred to some of its creditors, as its editor had 'absconded between two days.' Another report was that after giving his Presi- dential vote to Martin Van Buren, he left the town as fast as his feet and legs would carry him. After such signal failures as these, it would have been impossible to establish a paper in Salem if other policies had not been pursued."
Early in 1842 "Benjamin Hawley, James Eggman, John Campbell and John Harris associ- ated themselves as an editorial committee, with Benjamin B. Davis and Joshua Hart as publish- ers, the last named being a practical printer. A press and other printing material were procured, and on the 12th day of April, 1842, the first
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number of the Village Register was issued. The well-known character of the editorial staff helped it much. It 'conformed' much to the 'reigning taste,' and did much to 'reform' without any cringing cajolery."
After the paper had been fairly started B. B. Davis became editor and he employed printers to do the practical work. In 1844 Joseph Painter rented the office and continued the paper. He retired in about two years, and Mr. Davis again took charge of the paper. He took Aaron Hinchman into partnership, in 1846, and in a short time Hinchman became sole editor and pro- prietor. He changed the name to the Homestead Journal.
In 1854 J. K. Rukenbrod and Jesse Hutton purchased the Journal, Mr. Rukenbrod shortly becoming sole proprietor. In 1857, the paper having become identified with the Republican party, its name was changed to the Salem Re- publican. Mr. Rukenbrod was a man of marked ability and sterling integrity, and the paper soon secured and ever afterward maintained a standard which is a credit to State and local journalism. In 1874-'77 Mr. Rudkenbrod repre-
Oldest in Town-Originally a Log House. Later Weatherboarded. Built and Occupied by John Street.
sented the Senatorial district composed of Colum- biana and Jefferson counties in the Ohio State Senate. In 1889 he sold the newspaper, which had come to be a valuable property, to the Salem Publishing Company. Mr. Rukenbrod died February 7, 1890, at the age of sixty.
In 1873 Dr. J. M. Hole began the publication of the Salem Era, a weekly newspaper. In the
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Lincoln Avenue, a Fine Residence Street.
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Garfield Avenue at the Bend.
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following year he sold a half interest in the paper to Ed. F. Rukenbrod, and a little later he trans- ferred the other half interest to J. B. Park. Later still Mr. Park sold out to his partner, then J. D. Fountain acquired a half interest, within a year selling to Mr. Rukenbrod, and the latter in turn, in 1889, sold to Stanley & Co., who afterwards aided in the organization of the Salem Publishing Company. This company then con- solidated the Republican and Era, and the paper is still published weekly as the Republican-Era. Meanwhile, in 1889, J. W. Northrop had estab- lished the Salem Daily News, and it was also taken over by the Salem Publishing Company and became part of the consolidation. November 24, 1894, L. H. Brush bought a controlling inter- est in the Salem Publishing Company, and he and his associates reorganized the company, in- fusing new life into its publications. In the Centennial year, after twelve years of unexampled prosperity, the officials of the company-the organization being practically as it was at the beginning of its life-were, L. H. Brush, presid- ent, treasurer and manager, and Dr. T. T. Church secretary.
April 9, 1890, D. D. Kirby, who had previ- ously published a paper in Belleville, Kansas, issued the first number of the Salem Democratic Bulletin. The name and style of Kirby & Co. appeared as publishers. From July, 1890, to July, 1894, H. W. McCurdy was a partner ; but during the greater part of the time, from the be- ginning, Mr. and Mrs. D. D. Kirby have been sole proprietors of the publications issued from what has for years been known as the Salem Herald office. The Daily Herald was established May 12, 1891, and in 1896 the name of the weekly edition was changed to the Weekly Bulletin. However, the political complexion of daily and weekly have always been Democratic. Mr. George H. Gee has for a number of years been the editor; and the Herald establishment, which has in con- nection with it a flourishing job printing office, is quite prosperous.
The Anti-Slavery Bugle was established in Salem, by the American Anti-Slavery Society, in 1845. The first number was printed June 20th of that year-the first six numbers being issued from the office of the Aurora, in New Lisbon ; then the paper was removed to Salem, where its
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publication was continued by a committee of the Anti-Slavery Society, Milo Townsend being the first editor. The publishing committee consisted of Samuel Brook, George Garrettson, J. Barnaby, Jr., David L. Galbreath and Lot Holmes. James Barnaby, Jr., was the publisher's agent. Ben- jamin S. Jones and J. Elizabeth Hitchcock (after- wards Mrs. Benjamin S. Jones) became editors, and so continued for four years, when they were succeeded by Oliver Johnson, who filled the edi- torial chair for two years. The paper then passed to the editorial control of Marius R. Robinson, who continued as its editor for eight years. By order of a committee from the American Anti- Slavery Society, publication ceased May 4, 1864, the paper having been jn charge of Benjamin S. Jones during the last year of its existence. (The work to which the Anti-Slavery Bugle was de- voted is referred to at some length in the chapter on the anti-slavery movement, where also a number of quotations are made from its columns. )
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