USA > Ohio > Hardin County > A twentieth century history of Hardin County, Ohio : a narrative account of its historical progress its people and principal interests, Vol. I > Part 22
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The first catalogue was issued in 1871, a sixteen page affair- quite diminutive when compared with the 160 page ones of recent years. But two copies of this first catalogue are known to be extant, one belonging to Dr. Lehr and the other to the writer who also has a complete file of all issued. This iniatory catalogue announces the following as the committee of visitors and examiners: IIon. E. E. White, of Columbus; Hon. W. T. Cessna, of Kenton ; Rev. J. A. Meeks, Ada; Rev. A. Holling- ton, Kenton ; R. W. Stevenson, A. M., Norwalk; Thomas W. Harvey, (author of Harvey's Grammar) Painesville; Hon. Wm. Lawrence, Bellefontaine. The latter was ever a loyal friend of the school. The corps of instructors consisted of II. S. Lehr, ancient languages, moral and mental philosophy and normal instruction; J. G. Park, English branches, composition and assistant in mathematics and Latin; B. F. Niesz, mathematics and the sciences. In the meantime Professor Lehr had been granted a degree by Mt. Union College and Professor Park had graduated from Eureka College, Illinois. Since that time the corps of
instructors has been increased until they number thirty. This first catalogue was printed at Kenton as there was no printing office in Ada until the following year. The first instructor in music was Professor Theodore Presser who has since become quite wealthy as the head of a big nmisie publishing house in Philadelphia.
Monday, August 14, 1871, was a momentous day for Ada and the new school; the new Normal school was to open. Students came in from the neighboring towns and all the surrounding country poured forth a stream of their sons and daughters and the enrollment showed 147 the first week, an increase of 28 over the select school of the previous fall. The building not being ready for use classes were heard wherever rooms could be had-in the lower story of the old Methodist church, in the Ream Hall, in the public school building and Professor Lehr says he heard some recite in the fire engine room. Professor Lehr taught 13 classes a day, beginning at 4 a. m.
The old Ciceronian Literary Society gave way to two others, organ- ized early in the term, known as the A and the B division, the Pauls of the greater, but not more industrious, ones that followed. The method
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of recruiting them was by taking the roll of students and assigning the first one to the A's and the next to the B's and so on ; in this way a num- ber of Ada houses were divided against themselves in society matters.
The arduous labors of the bundle of nerves who was giving nourish- ment to this school idea overtaxed him; he never was a robust man and days of mental labor and strain, followed by sleepless nights, soon told on him. No human could stand the strain and stress under which he was laboring and he gave way, not being able to resume his work for some days ; he thought he was going to die and so did his young patrons. He was achieving great things but he was paying the price. Stephen II. Bigger, one of his warm friends to this day, like many other good students kept a diary and records that this break-down occurred on October 5, 1871.
Mr. Bigger also fixes the date of the dedication of the new building as being October 14, 1871 and that on Monday, October 16, they begun having recitations therein. Senator Thurman was to have made the dedicatory address but owing to the fatal illness of a daughter he could not fulfill his engagement and the late Judge Lawrence kindly took his place on the program. The school needed some books for its embryo library and the students solicited donations of provisions for a big dinner that day and sold tickets that netted them a neat sum and like that famous seaside feast the fragments gathered up filled several baskets. There were some disappointments and many oversights in the provisions for the building so that Messrs. Lehr and Park found, when they came to cast up their accounts, that they had about $6,000 invested in the enterprise.
Soon after the dividing of the students into A and B divisions they organized themselves into constitutionally governed literary societies and adopted new names, the A's becoming the Franklin and the B's the Philomathean. Until the third floor of the new Normal building was ready for occupancy they met in down town halls and churches. The honor of being the first to occupy the new hall was a coveted prize and was awarded by two leaders running a foot race, the late G. W. Rutledge representing the Philos and G. F. Henry the Franklins and Mr. Henry proved to be the better sprinter. They used this hall alternately for ten years until the next building was erected.
About this time Professor Lehr found himself cramped financially and sold a sixth interest, half of his third, to Geo. W. Rutledge. The new building was not completed on time, the contractor had not been able to pay for labor and material, as the subscriptions were slow in coming in and many of them were never paid, and liens were taken on the building for labor and material. The roof proved faulty and the Normal authorities notified the subscribers and citizens that if the building was not put in shape they would give up the enterprise, Pro- fessor Lehr having received an offer to come to Auburn, Indiana.
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Professor Lehr affirms that they were much discouraged and were in earnest in threatening to leave. Again the good people of Ada eame to the rescue and asked for a proposition. Mr. Lehr and his confreres said if the citizens would turn over to them the uncollected pledges and release them from the refunding clause they would re-roof the building and go on with the enterprise and to this the citizens agreed.
About this time the late Lewis Rutledge, father of G. W. Rutledge, erected on Main street, between Ballard and Long, a large frame honse containing sixteen rooms to be used as a students' dormitory but it never proved as popular as the private houses for rooming places and in time it became known as Poverty Hall.
The third eatalogue, issued in 1873, showed a slight deeline in attendance, having an enrollment of 281 as against 287 the first year. The first class was graduated in 1874, and that year Mr. Niesz disposed of his interest to the late James J. Wood who in later years served as probate judge of the county. The hollings were now divided as follows: J. G. Park, one-third; G. W. Rutledge and J. J. Wood, each one-fourth ; II. S. Lehr, one-sixth.
J. Fraise Richards, now of Washington, D. C., had for a few years been conducting the Northern Ohio Normal at Fostoria, having moved it there from Republie to secure the backing of Hon. Charles Foster. He was not making a brilliant suceess of it and made overtures to sell ont to the Northwestern Ohio Normal School and in November, 1875, Professor Lehr concluded negotiations for its purchase, paying $1,200 therefor, Professor Richards and his wife becoming part of the Ada Normal's teaching force.
One of the contribntary forces to the success of the school was the boarding honses. In the early years the students had resorted somewhat to self-boarding, but numerons boarding houses sprung up and furnished good board at about $1.75 per week ; some students employed women to furnish everything except the food, which the students bought them- selves, electing each week two "providers" for the purpose, and in this way reduced the expense to $1.50 of $1.65 per week and bought as their fancy or purses decided. This cheap board made it the poor man's school and brought here worthy young people who had to fight their own way in the world and knew how big a dollar was-men who went out into the world and made good.
About 1877 Mr. Wood sold his interest to Frederick Maglott who had come as a student, a few years previous, from Richland county, and has all these years continued an honored instructor in the institution. The school was making some strides but other towns in this part of the state were talking Normal school and some of them put their ideas into exeention. Professor Lehr saw if these moves could not be eheekmated his school would suffer ; it could not stand still ; it must continue to grow or retrograde. He was needing more room for its growth and felt the
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pulse of his fellow citizens but the town did not respond readily, its memory harking back a few years to past experiences. Finally he hit upon the happy idea of the school district joining in on a building in exchange for a free literary course for its pupils-a sort of district high school on a larger plan. The plan proposed and finally entered into is set forth in the history of the village's public schools.
In order to carry out this plan a legislative enabling act was neces- sary, and this was passed in April, 1878, and at the election on the question of bonding the district for $22,000 for such purpose there were 23 opposing votes cast, and on the 29th of that month the famous con- tract was entered into. Professor Lehr was getting on his feet financial- ly and at this time the interests were equalized by Professor Park selling to him part of his interest and the partnership later passed into local history as the Big Four.
In 1880 when the school was entering upon the high tide of its success Professor Lehr advocated the organization of a third literary society and on September 3 of that year the Adelphian Literary Society came into existence. About this time Mr. Rutledge sold his fourth interest in the school to U. G. Stringfellow and H. E. Neff, both of whom were students here. The school was growing; a school of telegraphy had been added which brought some students; in 1882 a stenographie department was added which brought others and to accommodate the pressure for class room the faculty, as the owners were then called, built on the southwest corner of the campus a four room frame which later gave way for the Dukes building. In this year a military depart- ment was added, the faculty buying over a hundred rifles for the depart- ment and next year General Robinson rendered material aid in securing the detail of an army officer to give military instruction but he did not prove to be a proper person for that capacity and the school came very near losing this feature as the drills, which have always been voluntary. did not make a good showing but Professor Lehr testifies that Hon. Ben Lefevre, then in congress, was of great assistance in their hour of dis- tress and the department was retained. When Lieutenant Baxter was detailed in 1885 he built up this feature and organized companies B and C.
Mr. Neff had sold his fourth interest, bought of J. J. Wood, to Professor Warren Darst, formerly of Lebanon but who came here a year or two previously from an Indiana school and became one of the teaching force. In the spring of 1885 the school expanded its name in keeping with its growth and on May 21, 1885, it became a corporate body under the name of the Ohio Normal University in order that it might lawfully confer degrees. In that year the College of Law was organized, and here the little old man's sagacity added another strong limb to this tree of his planting.
In May, 1886, some of the best students of the school organized the
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Kappa Sigma Greek letter fraternity. This brought on a stormy time for a few weeks, the body of the students rising up against such move, claiming it was not in keeping with the democratic spirit of the school. The clashing of these forces assumed a serious aspeet and nearly ended in a riot. Professor Lehr finally succeeded in pouring oil on the waters and a compact was signed whereby the one side agreed to disband for the sake of harmony in the school and the other side lifted the social bar that had been placed on the "Frats."
In later years three fraternities have been instituted here; there was some friction over these, an effort being made to oust them, but they won the day.
The College of Pharmacy was established in 1886 and has proven a valuable aid to the school. In 1888 the annual flag contest was in- angurated and that too has helped to keep the school in the public eye. The first few years these were held indoors. One of the best bits of advertising the school ever got was in the big debate arranged between the gubernatorial candidates, Hon. William Mckinley and Hon. James E. Campbell, the great affair taking place on the old fair ground on October 8, 1891. It attracted attention all over the United States and people were brought here by the train load. The little old man scored
OIIIO NORTHIERN UNIVERSITY BUILDINGS, ADA, OHIO
a big hit in this and few men could have engineered a public debate of that kind. The display at the Columbian Exposition at Chicago in 1893 also won the school considerable distinction and the medal awarded them for the display was one of the best advertising levers they ever had and they were not slow in making use of its power.
The rapid growth of the pharmacy department required more room and in 1894 the owner of the school erected a two story frame south of the old original Normal building, to be used for a pharmacy laboratory,
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ete., the second floor being used by the Adelphian literary society. In the fall of 1909 this building was moved to the northwest corner of the campus.
On July 16, 1897, founder's day was celebrated with great eclat. It was a beautiful and deserving tribute to the man who had wrought this great work and had touched and bettered so many young lives. While all this was great and glorious some internal dissentions were brewing and the founder, desiring that his work be perpetuated, cast about to find some suitable way of doing this and it was decided to make overtures to the Central Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal church for its purehase ; so many of its students were now ministers in that body that the purchase was urged by many of the members of the conference and the sale was made at the session held at Sydney in Sep- tember, 1898, though the final transfer was not made until August 2, 1899. The consideration was $24,000. The old faculty was to be re- tained, with Professor Lehr at the head, and these were to run the school for three years and pay the conference a certain percentum of the earn- ings. Dr. Leroy A. Belt was made president of the board of trustees.
The published correspondence of this period shows there was con- siderable difficulty in getting the machinery in motion under the new regime : it was too bulky, compared with what it had been, and friction arose. In 1901, Dr. Belt became president of the school with Dr. Lehr as viee president. Matters did not improve and on July 31, 1902, Dr. Lehr retired from the school. Dr. Belt now became the active head of the school. Ile had been working for some time to obtain funds for a new building and secured from Lewis Dukes, a wealthy Hancock county farmer, a direct gift of $10,000 and a further gift of $20,000 on which the school pays an annuity, to be used for the erection of a mem- orial building, the handsome structure erected in 1903 and bearing the name Dukes Hall.
This was followed the next year by a gift of $10,000 from Edwin Brown, of Carey, Ohio, for the erection of a chapel hall, known as Brown Auditorium, as a memorial to his deceased wife. The location of this building, which was erected in 1904, was never satisfactory to the school and public. Dr. Belt also purchased the old fair grounds, platted the same into lots as University Place and had a big auction sale of lots, reserving a part of the grounds for an atheletic field and in 1908, Dr. Smith re-purchased some of the adjacent lots to enlarge these grounds.
By aetion of the trustees the name of the Institution was changed on July 28, 1903, to Ohio Northern University, thus preserving the famous old initials-O. N. U. The attendance at the school began to fall off to such an extent that the citizens became alarmed at the situa- tion. Dr. Belt resigned June 27, 1905, and Rev. Albert Edwin Smith, then pastor of the Methodist Episcopal church at Marion, Ohio, was
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elected. Ile entered upon the new and difficult work under trying circumstances, but he has won back the old friends of the school. Dr. Lehr was elected president emeritus and is again accorded a royal wel- come to the classic halls where he labored so long and so faithfully. The school is going on to greater things under Dr. Smith's earnest efforts. He has a financial agent, Rev. A. A. Thomas, in the field securing pledges to aggregate $100,000 with which to erect and equip the Lehr Memorial building for which plans have been drawn.
In the autumn of 1909 a central heating system, using low pressure steam, was installed, to be followed by an electric light plant. Con- fidence in the school's stability is restored, the attendance is again on the increase and the citizenship is in hearty sympathy with the school and the faculty, without which the work of the school would be greatly hindered. Several innovations looking toward a democratic system of government were made: the alummi of the school elect each year one member of the board of trustees and the discipline of the school is largely maintained by a senate, each department of the school electing one of its number as a member of that body. A movement is on foot looking toward the segregation of the sexes so that no rooming house shall have both boys and girls rooming in the house at the same time, and the sexes are no longer permitted to sit together in chapel.
In the spring of 1909 the school purchased the Wesleyan church building and after adding a story converted it into a conservatory of music.
The enrollment of different students who have entered its doors since the school was established has been something like eighty-seven thousand. For the past fifteen years the enrollment by terms has averaged 800 per term for five terms a year, or 4,000 students here a year. If each spends $100 per term they leave in the town $400,000 per annum.
The number of different students who have enrolled here the past twenty-seven years has been as follows: 1876-7, 476; 1877-8, 473; 1878- 9, 695; 1879-80, 1,006 ; 1880-1, 1.403 ; 1881-2, 1,918; 1882-3, 2,077; 1883-4, 2,062; 1884-5, 2,019; 1885-6, 2,364; 1886-7, 2,438; 1887-8, 2,410; 1888- 89, 2,473; 1889-90, 2,476; 1890-1, 2,810; 1891-2, 2,932; 1892-3, 2,834; 1893-4, 2,744; 1894-5, 2,865; 1895-6, 3,073; 1896-7, 3,152; 1897-8, 3,209; 1898-9, 3,227 ; 1899-00, 3,349; 1900-1, 3,298; 1901-2, 3,086; 1902-3, 3,089.
It will be noted that after the erection of this district building, in 1878, the enrollment increased over 400 the first year and showed a steady increase for many years.
For the past twenty years a lecture course has been sustained during the winter terms and some of the most famous men on the American platform have appeared here, as well as all the leading musical organi- zations. Among the lecturers have been such names as "Josh Billings." Theodore Tilton, R. J. Burdette, T. Dewitt Talmage, George R. Wend-
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ling, John B. Gough, Joseph Cook, Dr. David Swing, Hon. William Parsons, Dublin, Ireland; Wallace Bruce, George Alfred Townsend ("Gath"), Colonel Copeland, Dr. J. H. Vincent, Belva Lockwood, Dr. Russell Conwell, Major Dane, Bishop Weaver, Rev. Robert Nourse, Sam Jones, Mary A. Livermore, Lieutenant Schawtka, Hon. B. K. Bruce, F. W. Gunsaulus, Henry Watterson, Professor J. B. DeMotte, George R. Wendling, Rev. Thomas Dixon, Jr., Dr. W. H. Venable, Swami Vive Kananda, India; Rev. Frank Power, John Temple Graves, IIon. W. J. Bryan, General John B. Gordon, Rev. Morgan Wood, Hon. John G. Wooley, George Kennan, Wallace Bruce, Fred Emmerson Brooks, Bishop Fowler, Professor Redwood, London ; Colonel George W. Bain, Maude Ballington Booth, Leland Powers, Governor Robert Taylor, Senator Dol- liver, Gilmore's Band, Sousa's Band, Ben Greet Players, and many others of note.
PART III.
THE PRESENT ERA OF PROSPERITY.
Chapter 1-The Bar of Hardin County. Chapter 2-Medical Profession of Hardin County. Chapter 3-Hardin County Banks. Chapter 4-Kenton, the County Seat.
Chapter 5-Lodges and Other Organizations.
Chapter 6-Agricultural Wealth and Industrial Life. Chapter 7-Hardin County Newspaper History. Chapter 8-Notable People of Hardin County. Chapter 9-Religious, Social and Educational Status. Chapter 10-Hardin's Political History.
Chapter 11-A Glance Backward.
CHAPTER I. THE BAR OF HARDIN COUNTY.
BY GEORGE E. CRANE, ATTORNEY-AT-LAW, KENTON, OHIO
The first term of the Hardin County Court of Common Pleas was held at Fort McArthur on March 8, 1833, and on the 14th day of April, 1834, court began to be held at Kenton, the new county seat. There were no resident attorneys at that time. For several years after the county seat was established, cases were tried principally by lawyers from adjoining counties who rode the circuit, traveling from county to county with the judge as terms of court came on to be held in different counties. These itinerant lawyers attended every court and some of them traveled around the entire circuit with the judge on horseback, these circuit rid- ing attorneys being generally retained in the important cases.
One of these foreign lawyers was William Lawrence of Marysville, who died about 1850; another was Benjamin Stanton of Bellefontaine, afterward a member of Congress and Lieutenant Governor. He was a lawyer of great ability and after the war practiced at Wheeling, West Virginia, where he died. Charles Anthony of Springfield continued to ride the circuit for many years and was considered a lawyer of ability in jury trials. He died in 1862 at Springfield. William Rogers, also of Springfield, appeared at many terms of court in this county. He died at Springfield where he was judge of the Court of Common Pleas. James H. Godman of Marion, Ohio, was a member of this itinerant bar and was colonel in the Civil war and was afterward State Auditor. Moses D. Corwin of Urbana, father of Supreme Judge Jolin Corwin, attended court at Hardin county for many terms during the first few years. One of the characteristic lawyers that rode the circuit in those days was "Count" Coffinberry of Findlay, a quaint and eccentric per- son and a good lawyer, who went to California in 1849 and probably became a member of the early bar of that state.
William Bayles was prosecuting attorney from 1833 to 1836, and Hiram McCartney from May, 1836, to June, 1837.
The first resident attorney of the county was John Lawrence, a
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brother of Judge William Lawrence, who came about 1834 and continued in practice until the time of his death in 1841. IIe served as prosecut- ing attorney from June, 1837, to the close of 1839.
The next was Andrew Dodds who came here in 1835 and was elected prosecuting attorney in 1839 and continued in that office until 1847. Hle was afterward elected county treasurer and removed to Texas about 1855, where he died.
Edwin Fisher was the next lawyer to commence practice in the county and continued in practice until a year or two before the Civil war and then retired to his farm in Dudley township, but seldom ap- pearing in court afterward. He was a genial man of good ability and was a member of the legislature in 1839-40. About this time he kept a pack of hounds and enjoyed the sport of the chase, wild game being still plenty. He died about 1865 on his farm.
The next attorney who settled here was E. G. Spelman, who eame from Marion, Ohio, in the spring of 1842, and practiced law until March, 1847. He was clerk of the court from 1847 until 1854 and afterward served in the legislature. He was esteemed by the people, of good habits and upright in business. He died here May 1, 1857. Henry Spelman of Kenton is his son. ITis widow and two daughters, Mrs. Holmes and Miss Rachel Spelman are still living in Kenton.
In the spring of 1844 Benjamin M. Penn, from Batavia, Ohio, located here, and continued in active practice until 1848, when he removed to California and shortly afterward died in Sacramento. He was brilliant but erratic.
Bradley Camp located here as an attorney from Zanesville, Ohio, in 1844 or 1845, and continued in practice until his death in 1850.
In the beginning of 1847, William L. Walker loeated here, having been admitted in the summer of 1846, after reading law with Columbus Delano at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. In 1847 he was elected prosecuting
attorney and served two terms. In 1864 he was the elector to east the vote of this congressional district for Abraham Lincoln. He was mayor of Kenton from 1871 to 1873. Ile was born March 22, 1818, at Hickory, Pennsylvania, and died February 18, 1897, at Kenton. Mrs. Lallah Merriman and Miss Mary Walker, the manager of the Home Building and Loan Association at Kenton, are his daughters; and his widow lives at Kenton. The compiler of this sketch is indebted for many of the facts herein set forth, to a sketch of the Hardin eounty bar, prepared by Mr. Walker and published in 1883.
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