USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Annals of the Early Settlers Association of Cuyahoga County, number I > Part 31
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Although Cleveland had long been a port of entry, there was a heavy bar at the mouth of the river, which greatly impeded naviga- tion and commerce. The 18th Congress, however, at its second session, by an act passed March 3rd, 1825, appropriated five thou- sand dollars to the building of a pier at Cleveland. The work was immediately commenced, subsequent appropriations were made, a new channel for the river cut into the lake, piers built and com- pleted in 1828, so that there was a good channel of at least ten feet in depth. These two improvements gave the village a strong impetus, and from that time the population has steadily increased.
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On the 31st of December, 1829, the legislature passed an act extending the village boundaries, and all the land lying on the river from the southerly line of Huron street down the river to a point 12 rods westerly of the junction of Vineyard Lane with the road leading from the village to Brooklyn, thence west parallel with said road to the river, and down the river to the old village line, was annexed : and on the 18th of February 1834, another act was passed, again extending the village boundaries, which added all the two acre lots east of Erie street, the tier south of Ohio street, and a parcel at the southwest corner of the original plat, which was not originally surveyed or laid off. I notice that this last piece of land, called Case's Point, was excepted from the operation of the act until the first day of January following. And on the fifth day of March 1836, an act to incorporate the City of Cleveland was passed, which changed the village to a city.
The following is a description of the territory, which was there- by declared to be a city. and "the inhabitants thereof created a body corporate and politie by the name and style of the City of Cleveland."
" Beginning at low water mark on the shore of Lake Erie at the most northeastwardly corner of Cleveland, ten acre lot number one hundred and thirty-nine, and running thence on the dividing line between lots number one hundred and thirty-nine and one hundred and forty, numbers one hundred and seven and one hun- dred and eight, numbers eighty and eighty-one, numbers fifty-five and fifty-six, numbers thirty-one and thirty-two, and numbers six and seven of the ten acre lots to the south line of the ten acre lots, thence on the south line of the ten acre lots to the Cuyahoga River ; thence down the same to the extreme point of the west pier of the harbor, thence to the township line between Brooklyn and Cleveland, thence on that line northwardly to the county line, thence eastwardly with said line to a point due north of the place of beginning ; thence south to the place of beginning."
The eastern boundary of the city fell on a line which would now be described as a line through Perry street north to the lake, and south to the southerly line of the ten-acre lots. In the meantime
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the Village Council in 1820 laid out Seneca south of Superior and Michigan to intersect it, and the next year Michigan was extended to Vineyard Lane. In 1827 Champlain st. was laid out, and in 1828 Prospect street east of Ontario. Michigan street now soon became the fashionable street. Following the laying out of these new streets came the allotments of the original two-acre lots. On January 12th, 1833, Alfred Kelley made an allotment of lots 191-2-3, which lay immediately south of Bath street and west of Water. In the month of December of the same year, Richard Hilliard, Edmund Clark, and James S. Clark made the center allotment, which embraced all the land in the first bend of the river. In April 1834, Leonard Case allotted the ten-acre lot at the southeast corner of the old plat, and widened the Newburgh road, as it was called, now Broadway, from its width as a State road of 66 feet to 99 feet, to correspond with Ontario street as originally laid out. In the same year, John M. Woolsey allotted all the two- acre lots south of Superior and west of Erie. In November 1835, Lee Canfield, Sheldon Pease, and others allotted the two-acre lots at the northeast corner of the city plat, and also the adjoining ten- acre lots by their plat they laid out and dedicated Clinton Park. Between this park and the lake they built for that day fine houses with a double front, facing the lake to the north and the park to the south, expecting, no doubt, the fashionable population would choose that section to build their palatial mansions. In January 1836, Ashbel W. Walworth and Thomas Kelley allotted the two- acre lots south of Ohio street, and also a large tract of land lying adjoining and reaching to the river, which was a part of the old unsurveyed parcel, but generally known as hundred-acre lot 487. But in this growth and expansion the new city was not without an active and determined rival. In 1833, some enterprising residents of Brooklyn, associating with a number of Buffalo capitalists, purchased a tract of about eighty acres, bounded south by Detroit street, west by the river, and north by the township line, and laid the same out into lots, blocks and streets, and it was known by the name of "The Buffalo Company Purchase." In 1835, Mr. Charles Taylor, owning a farm immediately west of this allotment,
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laid the same out into lots and streets, which is still known as the Taylor farm allotment. Ilis son, a well known and honored citizen still resides on one of the lots bearing as his Christian name De Witt Clinton. In 1836, Richard Lord and Josiah Barber allotted the land immediately south of these two plats. Not to be outdone in the matter of city organization, these residents in that part of Brooklyn township also procured the passage of an act incorporating themselves into a city, including these allotments, and some other outlying lands in the township of Brooklyn, and gave to their new city the high sounding name, "The City of Ohio." There is some rather interesting history connected with the organization of that city. The Cleveland bill was pending at the same time, and one of its provisions directed the village council to call an election for the officers of the new corporation some time in the month of April following, which was the usual month for holding the Spring elections. The bill for the City of Ohio authorized and directed the election of its officers to be held on the last Monday of March, and their bill was passed and took effect on the third day of March, just two days before the passage of the Cleveland act, and their election was held on said last Monday of March. In some manner, " they gained the pole," and won by a head the heat in this municipal race, and became a full fledged city, while Cleveland yet remained a village. In April 1837, James S. Clarke, in company with others, allotted nearly all that part of that City of Ohio lying south and west of the Barber & Son's allotment, and called their plat " Willeyville." When this gentleman and his other associates had made the allotment of Cleveland center, as it was called, they had laid out Columbus street from the north line to the river. In this new plat, over the river, Columbus street was laid out through its center to connect with the Wooster and Medina Turnpike. as it was called, at the south line of the City of Ohio; the northern end of said street being exactly opposite the southern end of the Columbus street of the other plat. This Mr. Clarke also erected a large block at the northern end of Columbus street, and two large blocks on the opposite corners of Prospect street, where it intersects Ontario.
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The proprieters of the Buffalo Company, not to be outdone, had built a large hotel on Main street in their allotment, to attract the fashionable travel arriving by the lake. Mr. Clarke on laying out the Willeyville tract, expended a large amount of money in grading the hill, which brought Columbus street down to the river, and had a bridge built over the river connecting his street, in the expectation that the traffic and travel from the south would reach Cleveland by this route, and be brought up Michigan street on account of its easy grade. The building of this bridge was too much for the excited inhabitants of the City of Ohio. Under some fancied claim that the bridge was not legally located, soon after its construction, in 1837, they turned out in large numbers for the purposesof tearing down and destroying the bridge. The inhabitants of Cleveland rallied to the rescue under their valiant marshal, and for a short time a bloody riot was imminent, but better counsels prevailed ; a decree from the Court enjoining any interference with the bridge was obtained, and only a few bloody noses were the results of this threatened war. Alas, for human expectation of wealth based on the inflation of paper currency, for that was a period of great expansion of the paper currency of the country. When the crash happened, which is always in such cases sure to come, Clarke became insolvent, and all his lots and blocks were sold by the Sheriff. In like manner, many of the proprietors of the Buffalo Company became bankrupt, their grand hotel remained tenantless, and when I visited it officially in 1850, its walls were badly cracked, and it was occupied as a cheap tenement house, the only remains of its former grandeur was its magnificent stairscase, and the only souvenir remaining in memory that I was able to discover was, that one Daniel Parish, Esq,, at that time no undis- tinguished member of the Cleveland bar, on a return from a wedding journey after one of his many marriages, had led thither as the abode of fashion, his beautiful, if not blushing bride. The same sad fate happened to the grand houses opposite Clinton Park. One was drawn off on to another street, one torn down, and I think the remnants of one still remain in a changed condition as the sole survivor of those great expectations.
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As provided in the act of incorporation, the village council ordered an election for officers. to be held on the 15th day of April, 1836, and after a spirited canvass, the following ticket was elected : John W. Willey, mayor ; Richard Hilliard, Nicholas Doekstader, and Joshua Mills, aldermen ; Morris Hepburn, John R. St. John Wm. V. Craw, Sherlock J. Andrews, Henry L. Noble, Edward Baldwin, Aaron Stickland, Horace Canfield, and Archibald M. T. Smith, councilmen. 580 votes were cast at the election, and the successful candidate for mayor had quite a majority over his dis- tinguished opponent Leonard Case. This vote indicates the city's population to have been between three and four thousand. When the council organized. Sherlock J. Andrews was elected its presid- ing officer. Mr. Henry B. Payne was chosen city attorney, and also elected clerk of the council ; but the duties of that office were per- formed by another person, whose beautiful handwriting appears on the first journal of the city, which is signed officially by Mr. Payne, who turned over his salary to the skillful penman performing the labor. The act by which the city was incorporated is a most excellently drafted instrument. It shows on the part of its author a clear understanding of municipal rights and duties. The language is clear and precise, and throughout its whole length it bears the impress of an educated, experienced legal mind. It was undoubt- edly the work of the first mayor, and I may add, for the purpose of furnishing the basis of wise city legislation, for clearness, pre- cision, and certainty, it will not suffer by comparison with any of the municipal codes enacted since the adoption of the present con- stitution. Among other provisions of this instrument. the city was authorized to levy one mill on the dollar in addition to the general tax for the support of common schools ; and it also pro- vided for the creation of " A Board of Managers of Common Schools in the City of Cleveland." From this has grown our pres- ent public school system.
Notwithstanding the facilities they possessed for lake and canal navigation, the citizens of the city became early interested in rail- road enterprises. On the third of March 1834, the legislature passed an act, whereby Aaron Barker, David H. Beardsley, Truman
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P. Handy, John W. Allen, Horace Perry, Lyman Kendall, and James S. Clarke, together with those who should become stockhol- ders, were created a body corporate by "the name and style of the Cleveland and Newburgh Railroad Company," and authorized to construct a railroad from some point in lot number 413 in New- burgh township, to the harbor in Cleveland, and were authorized also to transport freight and passengers on this road "by the power and force of steam, animals, or other mechanical force, or by a combination of them." The eastern terminus named was near a stone quarry on said lot, which was near the corner of the four townships, Newburg, Warrensville, Cleveland, and Euclid. A depot was built there, and the neighboring farm lands were laid into lots. The capital stock authorized was $50,000, which was subscribed and the road built, Ahaz Merchant being engineer in chief, the track being laid through Euclid street and across the Doan brook up to the quarry. The rails were made of wood, the motive force being "animals " two-horse power, tandem at that. It was laid out along the south to the west side of the square, and the depot was a part of the old barn of the then Cleveland Hotel, where the Forest City House now is. This road did not exactly reach the harbor; for in that remote stone age the square was the chief dump- ing ground for the freight from the quarry. It was operated for a few years, and then abandoned, and the rotting debris for a long time remained a nuisance in the highway.
At the same session, however, in which the city was incorporated, acts were passed to incorporate the Ohio Railroad Company, lead- ing from the east line of the State through the lake counties to the Maumee river, and thence to the State line. The Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad Company, leading from Cleveland to the State line, or some point on the river in the direction of Pittsburgh ; The Cleveland, Columbus, & Cincinnati Railroad Company, lead- ing from Cleveland through Columbus and Wilmington to Cin- cinnati ; The Cleveland and Warren Railroad Company, leading from Cleveland to Warren, and the Cleveland & Erie Railroad Company, to lead from Cleveland to Ravenna and Portage county. The chief offices of all these companies was this city, except that
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of the Ohio Railroad Company, which was located in the City of Ohio. A large amount of subscription was obtained to the stock of this company ; it also obtained, under the aet of 1837, which authorized the State to loan its credit to railroads, a large advance in money from the State. By the 17th section of its charter, its treasurer was authorized to issue orders, and under this power, it issued a very large amount of orders in the similitude of bank bills. By these means, a large amount of work was done towards the grading and superstructure. But the collapse which followed that period of inflation carried with it this enterprise, and in 1845 the legislature passed an act, authorizing the Board of Public Works to sell out the whole concern, from which little, if anything, was realized, and the whole thing proved an utter failure. Nothing was then done under the other charters. Some few persons still keep, as a souvenir of that period, the bills of the Ohio Rail- road Company, on whose face is beautifully engraved a railroad train at full speed, and in contrast below it the graceful form of a flying deer.
The condition of the lake shore, from the action of the waters of the lake and the springs in the bank, was always a matter of interest, and sometimes of alarm, to the inhabitants of the city, and in 1837 an act was passed, incorporating the Lake Shore Company, authorizing them to protect the lake bank from caving and sliding, and as a means of remuneration, to build wharves and piers along the shore, and the city, in its corporate character, was authorized to become a member of that corporation. I cannot learn that anything was done under this authority ; but afterwards the city employed Col. Charles Whittlesey, at a large expense, to pile certain portions of the lake front, and afterwards, when rail- roads were built, for their own protection, they continued this system of piling, by which the banks have been protected from caving and sliding. The City of Ohio, not to be outdone, in the same year this Lake Shore Company was incorporated, procured an amendment to its charter, by which it was authorized to cut, dig, and excavate canals, slips, and basins, and pay for the cost of the same by assessment upon the abutting property. By this
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same act, a large parcel of territory in the southwest part of that city was carried back into the township of Brooklyn. That city proceeded under the act to construct a canal leading out of the old river bed, and paid for the same by this seductive but ruinous method of taxation, to defray the cost of public improvements. The scheme was a failure, but the dry bed of the canal has since been utilized for the laying of railroad tracks. From want of means, being unable to enter upon the construction of railroads, the citi- zens of Cleveland contented themselves with procuring charters for the construction of plankroads leading out on all the principal highways from the city.
The State of Ohio recovered rapidly from the commercial depression of 1837 and years following, and in 1845 enacted a new and wise banking system, four new banks under it being established in Cleveland. The city of Cleveland, however, suf- fered less by the panic of that time than the other cities upon the lake shore, and by the census of 1840, it had a population of 6071, the city of Ohio being only 1577. In spite of the continued financial difficulty, the city continued to advance, al- though its finances were in a somewhat disordered state. The bad practice of issuing orders on the treasury, payable on demand. although the treasury was empty, inherited from the village, still prevailed. These orders passed as currency, though at a ruinous discount, and in 1847 had increased to a large volume. At that period, Mr. Henry B. Payne freely gave much of his valuable time to the city affairs, and through his strenuous efforts this debt was . funded, and from that time the city has promptly met every obli- gation at its maturity, and no city has since had a better financial credit. In 1847 also, the township of East Cleveland was organ- ized, which took into its jurisdiction all of the 100 acre lots of the original surveyed township No. 7 north of the Newburgh line, and on the 22nd day of March 1850 an act of the legislature was passed annexing the remaining part of said township to the city of Cleveland, which embraced all of the ten acre lots, and all the unsurveyed strip lying along the bank of the river north and south of the mouth of the Kingsbury Run. During this decade, the
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citizens of the city became again awakened to the importance of railroad communication. Steps were taken to revive and amend the old charters, and on the 24th of February 1846, an act was passed, authorizing the city of Cleveland, by commissioners named therein, to subscribe $200,000 to the capital stock of the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad Company. and to issue its bonds in payment of these subscriptions, and on February 16. 1849, in like manner to subscribe $100,000 to the capital stock of the Cleve- land & Pittsburg Railroad Company, and to issue the bonds of the city in payment thereof, and in February 1851, the sum of $200,000 to the Cleveland, Painesville & Ashtabula Railroad Company. The City of Ohio was also authorized to subscribe $100,000 to the Junction Railroad Company, leading from that city to Toledo. These two latter companies have been consolidated, and form a part of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad Company. It was the efficient aid thus furnished by the city's credit, which enabled the promoters of these enterprises to construct and com- plete the roads at that time, and in so short a manner after the work was entered upon.
In that ten years the city had increased nearly three-fold, for the census enumeration of 1850 showed its population to be 17,034. The census taker of that year, not being able readily to discover by observation the boundaries of the City of Ohio (from the fact that the streets of the city had been dedicated and opened by separate tracts), took the count for the township of Brooklyn as one municipal body, and the number of the inhabitants for the whole township was 6,071. There was a blunder, however, made by the census taker, for he was then ignorant of the fact that a small spit of land lying immediately west of the west pier, as it existed in 1835. and north of the line of Brooklyn township, was within the legal limits of the city of Cleveland. There were a few shanties on this bit of sand, and they were counted as inhabitants of the township of Brooklyn. I have personal knowledge of this mistake, for I committed it myself. This increase of the city made a supply of artificial light and water a public necessity.
On the 6th day of February, 1846, the Cleveland Gas Light and
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Coke Company had been incorporated, but nothing was done till 1848, when Moses G. Younglove became interested therein, and through his energetic efforts, the building of their works and the laying of pipes commenced, and the city was soon supplied with gas. The city, following the wise policy, recommended and approved by the best political economists, of preventing competition, under the false cry of opposition to monopoly, by controlling the price of gas when granting its privileges to the company, has been able to have furnished to its citizens light cheaper than that of any other city in the country, except Pittsburgh, which is in the center of the gas coal region.
In June, 1833, an act was passed by the General Assemby incorporating Philo Scovill and his associates as the Cleveland Water Company, granting them the privilege of furnishing the inhabitants of the village of Cleveland with water. Nothing was done under this act. March 19, 1850, this act was amended, extending their privileges so as to include the inhabitants of the city as their customers. The company was organized, some stock subscribed, but nothing further was done. But in the Mayoralty of William Case, under his able and energetic lead, the city corporation entered upon the matter. There was much preliminary discussion, many surveys and estimates made, and in 1854 a plan was adopted. To carry out this plan on the first day of May 1854 the passage of an act of the Legislature was procured, enabling the city to locate its reservoir and make its connections with the lake within the limits of the City of Ohio, and authorizing the city to make a loan of $100,000 to carry out the project. The loan was conditioned upon a vote of popular approval, which was given. Backed by the credit of such sterling men as Richard Hilliard and W. A. Otis, the city readily negotiated the loan, and the work was entered upon, and by the year 1846, the city of Cleveland took pride in furnishing the great numbers, who attended the State Fair held within its limits that year, with water from Lake Erie.
Pursuant to the constitution of 1851, the first Legislature follow- ing its adoption passed a general law for the organization and gov- ernment of all the municipalities within the State, and repealed all
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the old charters. The only substantial change in the Cleveland organization was the abolition of the Board of Aldermen, and the establishment of a separate police court, the duties thereof having previously been performed by the Mayor. The building of the water works, and the evident mutuality of interests, had sub- stantially obliterated all the ancient rivalry, and in 1854, in accord- ance with the general law then in force, which provided for the union of adjoining cities and the annexation of territory, the two cities passed the necessary ordinances for union, which were approved as required, by the popular vote of each municipality, . the total vote being 3,160, indicating a population of about 25,000. The terms of annexation being agreed upon and signed June 5, 1854, by H. V. Wilson and F. T. Backus on the part of Cleveland, and by William B. Castle and Chas. L. Rhodes on the part of the City of Ohio, on the same day, the latter city passed the required ordinance. and on the next day the city of Cleveland passed its ordinance for that purpose, and thus, on June 6, 1854, the City of Ohio became an integral and important part of the city of Cleve- land. The public debt of the City of Ohio was assumed by the city of Cleveland, except its liability for bonds issued to pay its subscription to the Junction Railroad Company, which were after- wards paid by the sale of the stock. Another of the provisions of the agreement of annexation gave to the city of Cleveland as it existed before the Union, any surplus it might realize by reason of its subscription to the stock of the Several railroads before men- tioned, which surplus was to be expended under the direction of the trustees representing that district in the new corporation, for a public park or other public use. It is well known, that the city realized a large surplus from its stocks after the payment of its obligations given therefor, perhaps the only case of the kind in the whole country. In addition to this fund, the city also realized a considerable amount of stock from the sale of its lands north of Bath street on the lake shore to these several roads, to which it had given its credit. March 28, 1862, an act was passed by the Legislature creating a Board of fund commissioners to take charge of this fund. Nothing more need be said of the management
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