Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio, Part 14

Author: Harbaugh, T. C. (Thomas Chalmers), 1849-1924, ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 882

USA > Ohio > Miami County > Troy > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 14
USA > Ohio > Miami County > Piqua > Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio > Part 14

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"The mill at the lock on Main Street was owned and run by Hanson Mayo. The entire square west of the school house was vacant 'commons.' At the corner of Water and Oxford were Stockton's car- riage and smith shops. The Galt House (now Masonic Temple) was then as now, except the frame addition on the west. 'Lawyer's Row' was then one office used

George Simmons, proprietor, was a two- story brick where Steil's Store is now, on the north corner of Main and Public Square. Old frame shells occupied space bordering the square on Market Street, both sides except the Morris House; south of the Square were also frame shells. Franklin Street ended at Union. East of that and south of the canal was 'country' and west of the canal 'swamp.' There were very few stone walks in town and those in front of the stores principally. Mr. Edwards started the planting of trees on the walks.

"Little Henry Culbertson was the prin- cipal dry goods man and Evans & Elliott kept a dry goods store in the corner of the Galt House. Joe Youart kept a dry goods store where the Troy National Bank is now and on a big sign in front were paint- ed in large letters these words: 'Joe Youart, Family Grocery, Loafers' Re- treat, Politics, Religion and the Fine Arts discussed at all hours.'

"The town was dark at night except when the moon shone. There were neither gas nor oil lamps. In fact, I believe, that most of the people used either tallow can- dles, lard oil or camphene in their homes. There was no manufactory in Troy then, except a shop or two for making plows, wagons and buggies for the local trade, and I believe a flax mill above the dam." In later years John Kelly of Troy invented the first corn planter and put it on the market. This was about 1875.

The municipal government of Troy dates from among the early days of its exist- ence. It is to be regretted that no list of its mayors prior to 1840 is obtainable. Since that time to the present the list of

.. 9.,4

TROY ELECTRIC WORKS, TROY

PLANT OF THE HOBART ELECTRIC MFG. CO., TROY

ENGLISH LUTHERAN CHURCH, TROY

FIRST NATIONAL BANK, TROY

MILLINERY .-

HILLINERYITEM:OR

OLD GAULT HOUSE, TROY

MASONIC TEMPLE, TROY

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mayors is as follows: William B. John- son, George D. Burgess, Joseph Pearson, Henry S. Mayo, S. L. Bayless, Harvey G. Sellers, S. O. Binkley, Charles Morris, John T. Somerville, H. W. Culbertson, H. J. Pettit, W. F. Ross, N. C. Clyde, W. D. Hughes, M. W. Hayes, James Knight, G. T. Thomas, George S. Long, J. F. MeCas- key, M. K. Gantz, T. M. Campbell, A. L. McKinney, John W. Morris, J. O. Davis, Thomas B. Kyle.

Troy was the first place in the county to inaugurate a good system of public schools. The population of Concord Township in 1804 consisted of but three families. Sam- uel Kyle taught the first school in Troy in 1813. The log schoolhouse occupied the corner of Market and Water Streets. He rarely had more than twelve pupils and the schoolhouse and its surroundings were quite primitive. John G. Clarke presided over the Troy public schools in 1816 and he had a unique way of reaching the hearts, to say nothing of the brains of his scholars. Clarke did not live in local op- tion days, so he gave his pupils whiskey, diluted with sugar and water, and occa- sionally he had some laughable experi- ences with his classes. In 1826 Micajah Fairfield taught in Troy, then Uriah For- dyce, Miss Mary Barney, George D. Bur- gess, afterward judge of the Court of Com- mon Pleas; Robert McCurdy and Irving Giles. Some of the other early school mas- ters of Troy were B. F. Powers, G. A. Murray, E. P. Coles, Minor W. Fairfield. The first board of education consisted of Charles Morris, Rev. Daniel Rice, B. F. Powers, William B. Johnson, Zachariah Riley and Henry S. Mayo. Salaries were small in the early days of Troy's school system, The first roster of her public edu-

cators received the following yearly pay : N. W. Edwards, $800, Jonathan Arnott, $400, Arnold Finner, $400, Miss Susan Linu, $300, Miss Catherine Gaylor, $225, Frances Rice, $225, Miss Lonise Thorne, $200, Miss Bishoprick, $200. In course of time the first public school buildings gave way for better ones; as the school popula- tion increased others still more costly and commodious were erected and these supply the city's educational wants at the present day. The public schools of Troy will be treated more at length in the Educational Chapter.

The churches of the County Seat, to be mentioned more at length hereafter, have kept pace with the needs of the hour, liav- ing developed from the primitive taber- naele into the splendid religious edifices that house her present day worshippers. The Methodist Church of Troy was or- ganized in 1815, the Episcopalian in 1831, the Christian in 1856, the Presbyterian in 1818, the German Lutheran in 1841, the Baptist in 1834. All these churches are an honor to the various denominations. The Catholic Church came long after the oth- ers, but it is today one of the most pro- gressive churches in the city.

From the time of Cornelius Westfall, the first postmaster of Troy, the mail services of the county seat has shown rapid progression. In early days this service was slow and laborious, but the postal needs of the people were not great. One post office building has followed another until now the service is well housed in the Odd Fellows' Temple. There have been no defalcations in the Troy post office ; the postmasters have been faithful and diligent and worthy of the important trusts imposed upon them. It is a matter

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of interest that John W. Morris still treas- ures a government draft for one penny, which was sent him when he presented his final accounting as postmaster. Follow- ing is a complete list of the postmasters of Troy: Cornelius Westfall, W. I. Thomas, John G. Telford, Levi Hart, John T. Tul- lis, Joseph Pearson, Henry J. Pettit, John Bloek, Robert M. Barbour, Thomas B. Rose, George W. Bull, Samuel McKee, Harriet E. Drury, John H. Drury, Frank M. Sterrett, John W. Morris, N. C. Clyde, J. W. Davis, S. D. Frank, Walter M. Kyle, Elva A. Jackson.

The present roster of the post office, which is one of the best conducted in the state, is as follows: Postmaster-E. A. Jackson; Clerks-T. J. Gibbs, R. H. Wid- ner, George W. Humphreys, J. C. Fuller- ton, W. J. Kingham, Miss Ella Warner; City carriers-Harry G. Hollis, No. 1; J. WV. Robbins, No. 2; Noah A. Ellet, No. 3; Benjamin F. Robbins, No. 4; Arthur May, No. 5; Rural carriers-James C. Stratton, No. 1; Charles E. Buekels, No. 2; Calvin Kerns, No. 3; Elijalı E. Moore, No. 4; Harry H. Stewart, No. 5; Edmund S. Whitmore, No. 6; Charles W. Penrod, No. 7.

The city government, at the head of which is Mayor Thomas Barton Kyle, has the following efficient roster: President of council-J. B. McCoole; auditor- Charles Rannells; treasurer-John K. De- Frees; solicitor-T. M. Campbell; mem- bers of council-C. W. Douglas, C. G. Snook, S. D. Frank, John Laufer, C. H. Kramer, George Braunschweiger, Clar- ence J. Marr; Board of Public Service- John M. McLain, R. H. Sontherland, Jr., A. E. Childs; Board of Public Safety- L. H. McConnell, M. K. Gantz; Board of

Review-John Henne, William Stephey, C. L. Yost; Trustees of Sinking Fund and Board of Tax Commissioners-W. E. Boy- er, John Hall, D. W. Smith, C. L. Yost; Board of Education-T. B. Kyle, A. F. Broomhall, W. E. Boyer, R. W. Crofoot, Horace Allen, E. W. Maier; Chief of Po- lice-John Headly; chief of Fire Depart- ment-Amos Hetzler; City engineer-H. J. Walker. The Board of Health is in the hands of the Board of Publie Service and the Public Library is controlled by the Board of Education.

It is the intention to treat the newspa- pers, the banks, parochial schools and oth- er institutions of the City of Troy under separate headings, to which the reader is referred.

On the 16th of June, 1885, the corner stone of the magnificent new court house which graces one of the squares of Troy was laid with appropriate ceremonies. The erection of this Temple of Justice forever put an end to the "County Seat War" which originated almost a century ago.

With blare of brass bands, march of military and civic orders, profuse decora- tions of bunting and National colors, and display of fireworks, the 16th of July, 1885, passed into history and marked a mem- orable day in the annals of Miami County.

There was laid with impressive cere- monies, and amidst a scene never before witnessed in this part of Ohio, the corner stone of a magnificent new court house, which will mark the progress and devel- opment of the Twelfth County in Ohio, and stand for the next century as a monn- ment to the intelligence and public spirit of the taxpayers of today. The genera- tions who come after us will praise the wisdom which selected so beautiful a site

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for the county's capitol, and builded upon it an edifice in harmony with the popula- tion, wealth and intelligence of Miami County in 1885. Those who were active to secure the new court house will soon pass away; those instrumental in its loca- tion will die and be forgotten, but the beau- tiful building will stand for ages, and a county with a population of a hundred thousand, with a tax duplicate of more than a hundred million, will transact its official business in the building erected in 1885.

The day was all that could have been expected as to weather in mid-summer, and as pleasant as could have been wished for. A delightful and much needed rain the night before put the streets in splen- did condition, and cleared the atmosphere. The sun appeared brightly Thursday morning as though the Ruler of the Uni- verse were smiling upon the consumma- tion of a glorious project. By afternoon it grew warm, decidedly warm, but all dur- ing the day there was a delightful air, and much of the time a refreshing breeze. The crowd began to come early. Before nine o'clock the side streets were full of vehi- cles, and the walks filled with happy, joy- ous faces.

The escort committee from the Grand Army of the Republic, Knights Templars, Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias, and Odd Fellows, headed by the G. A. R. Band, marched to the I. B. and W. Railway to meet the delegations from Hollingsburg, Greenville, Union City Arcanum and other western points, several car loads of hu- manity being unloaded at this place.

The north bound C. H. & D. train brought the Tipp Fire Department in uni- form, visiting delegations from Tipp, Day-

ton, Miamisburg and Hamilton; the south- bound train brought the Piqna division Uniform Rank Knights of Pythias with Band, the Sidney and Kirkwood bands and a large crowd of people, and the noon train on the I. B. & W. unloaded the greater por- tion of the inhabitants of the eastern part of the county, and most of Clark living in the neighborhood of New Carlisle.

Champaign County from the neighbor- hood of Addison was here in force and the G. A. R. Post of that town brought along their large flag, which was suspended across Main Street.

The procession formed at about 1:30 o'clock and moved in the line announced by program, through the principal streets and entered the court house enclosure at the west entrance. A platform had been erect- ed at the northeast corner of the building and this was occupied by prominent Ma- sons and members of the press.

The procession was admitted to have been one of the finest ever witnessed in this part of Ohio. The ceremonies pre- paratory to performing the act of formally laying the corner stone began with music. Following this Rev. Mr. VanCleve made a short but impressive prayer. The grand treasurer, Jos. Bains, then placed the cop- per box filled with articles in the mortice

of the corner stone, and the ceremony of "leveling," "plumbing" and "squaring," sprinkling upon it wheat, wine and oil was conducted by Right Worshipful Grand Master J. M. Goodspeed.

The orator of the day was the late Cap- tain Elihn S. Williams, who delivered an oration replete with eloquence and his- torical data, which evinced a vast amount of research. In summing up the history

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of the county Captain Williams closed with the following peroration :

"In 1807 Miami County had but little over one thou- sand inhabitants. Today she has forty thousand.

"In 1807 she cast 208 votes; to-day she can cast 10,- 000 votes, and her property returned for taxation reaches in round numbers twenty-four millions of dollars.

"We have a Nation of fifty-five millions of people and we hold within the limits of our vast domain the line of perpetual snow and the home of perpetual summer.

"We stand in the front rank among the nations of the earth in wealth and power, and around our mag- nificent heritage of land and sea is drawn the 'sacred circle of liberty which the demon of slavery will never dare to cross.'

"I thank God that I am an American citizen, a resi- dent of Ohio, and that I live in Miami County-a county in which no home is out of sight of a school house nor out of hearing of a church bell. Her farmers stand among the first of the state in wealth and intelligence. Her merchants stand high in integrity and honesty. Her clergy are noted for their pure lives and zeal in the cause of their Lord and Master. Her courts stand among the first for judicial knowledge and legal ability. Her lawyers do not hesitate to enter the legal arena and throw down the glove of challenge to the first and foremost of the State.

"Then let this court house be built upon the founda- tion the corner stone of which we this day plant and let it rise in its architectural beauty as a sign and a symbol that the protecting arm of the law is around every home, and that justice like the sunshine and the rain of Heaven falls alike upon the rich and the poor, without regard to race or color. 'No man is too high for its reach and no man is too low for its grasp.' A shield of protection for the innocent, and a swift, strong arm of punishment for the guilty."

This splendid building dedicated to jus- tice cost $400,000 and is one of the most imposing court houses in the United States. It is massive in structure and houses all the county offices. That it will long stand as a monument to the progress made by the county during the first hun- dred years of its existence goes without saying.

The Troy Masonic Temple Company was incorporated July 31, 1906. Its capi- tal stock is $40,000 divided into sixteen hundred shares of twenty-five dollars each. The Temple was completed in 1908 and dedicated with imposing ceremonies De- cember 29, of the same year. The struc- ture is one of the finest in the state dedi- cated to fraternal purposes. The Temple Company is officered as follows: E. M. Faulkner, president, H. A. Cosley, secre- tary, F. W. Steil, treasurer. The directors are H. A. Cosley, E. M. Faulkner, C. A. Hartley, T. B. Kyle, L. H. McConnell, F. W. Steil and Walter Duer.

CHAPTER IX.

PIQUA, THE BORDER CITY

Origin of the City-Its Historic Associations-An Indian Legend-Piqua Formerly Called Washington-Coming of Job Gard-Reminiscences of Joseph Hilliard- Piqua a Place of Rendezvous in the War of 1812-Land Office Established in 1819 -Piqua Becomes a Town in 1843-First Election Under the Charter-Early May- ors-Amusing Ordinances-Population in 1826-The Act of Incorporation-The Ewing Tavern-Early Merchants and Leading Citizens-Piqua Benefited by the Canal-Coming of the Railroad-The Hydraulic Canal-Business Statistics-The Town Hall-The John Vail Academy-Early Schools-Educational Progress-Re- ligious Institutions-Relics of the Mound Builders-Military Spirit of 1861-65- Soldiers' Aid Societies-War Memorials-Postmasters-Fire Department-City Government.

The City of Piqua, familiarly called the Border City, is coexistent with the forma- tion of the county. It has a history pecu- liarly its own. Its name rests upon a tra- dition which antedates the coming of the white man into this locality. Gen. George Rogers Clark, the ranger general of the Revolution, destroyed the Mad River In- dian towns, inhabited at the time by the Shawnees and kindred tribes. This act on the part of Clark forced the red men far- ther north and they established themselves at Upper Piqua-Piekawillany, as it was then known in border history.

We are told that "Piqua" in the Shaw- nee tongue signifies "ashes" and the le- gend is that many years before the foot of the first adventurous pale face disturbed the leaves of the Miami forests, the Indi-

ans captured a prisoner in one of their inter-tribal wars. The prisoner, accord- ing to the custom of the savages, was burned at the stake with all the inhuman ceremonies attending such brutality. The legend further avers that when the body was reduced to ashes and the victors were contemplating it, a full-grown man rose slowly from the white heap and stood be- fore the astonished warriors. Electrified and dumbfounded at this, the Indians set up the cry of "Otatha-he-waghi-piqua!" which means "He comes out of the ashes." Piqua, being the site of a Shawnee town, received the name it now bears from the legend of the tortured captive. The late George C. Johnston, who was for some years a Shawnee by adoption, and who was perfectly familiar with the language

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of that tribe, is the authority for this bit of legendary history. Therefore,

"Should you ask me when these legends, Whence these legends and traditions, I would answer, I would tell you, From the campfires of the Shawnees."

On an old map of the Miami Country, made in 1815, the present city of Piqua is designated as Washington, while Piqua, the Indian town, is located by the cartog- rapher farther north. The name of Wash- ington was retained for a number of years. In Drake's book (1815) is to be found the following allusion to it: "Washington is a village of this (Miami) County. It lies eight miles above Troy, on the same side of the river, on the site of an old Indian settlement. The plain on which it stands is less than a mile from the river and ter- minates in wet ground, similar to that in the rear of Troy. Timber for building is convenient and the bed of the river near the village affords good limestone in an abundance. The excellent mill sites at this place are already improved to some extent. There is a postoffice which receives a week- ly mail from Cincinnati. It was laid out by Messrs. Brandon and Manning in 1809 and has been nearly ever since in com- petition with Troy for the county seat of Justice."

It would seem from the above descrip- tion of Piqua published nearly a century ago that even then the pleasant rivalry which exists today between it and Troy was fostered and kept warm by agitation.

In 1798, nine years before Brandon's survey of Piqua, Job Gard, who had served under "Mad Anthony Wayne," settled on the site of Piqua. He had land about the "Bend," which ground had been cultivated

by the Indians in their primitive way. Gard sold some of his improved land to John Manning, which is now Harrison Street in Piqua. Settlers began to flock to the little settlement in considerable numbers. Fear of Indian uprisings forced the whites to group their cabins for mutual protection. Hand mills and hominy mortars came into vogne and before long the pioneer store opened for business where are found to- day the fine mercantile blocks that accen- tuate the Border City's prosperity. Piqua was well located and grew as the years slipped by.

John Manning and Mathew Caldwell entered the land where Piqua now stands and it was formally surveyed by Arm- strong Brandon in 1807. At this time there were but seven houses in Piqua, or Washington as it was then called. These first homes were occupied by John Man- ning, Edward Manning, Alexander Ewing, Benjamin Leavell, Arthur Brandon, Na- thaniel Whitcomb and Joseph Porquette. These houses stood on Water and Main Streets. From some cause or other the in- habitants became dissatisfied with the name of the town, not from any disrespect to the illustrious citizen for whom it had been named, and in 1816 they petitioned the legislature to give them back the old Indian name of Piqua, in which they suc- ceeded. Henceforth the town became known as Piqua though the township kept the appellation dropped by the settlement.

If one is curious to know the manners and customs of the first families of Piqua he is referred to the interesting reminis- cences of Joseph Hilliard, one of the mem- bers. As Mr. Hilliard's account is not ac- cessible to the general reader I will be par- doned for making a few extracts.

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"'The common dress of the young men," says the narrator, "consisted of hunting shirts made of buekskin and cut in notches in such a way as to make ornamental fringes, and pantaloons of the same mate- rial. Instead of hats they wore fur caps of their own manufacture and made from the skin of fox or raccoon and adorned with the tail of the animal for a pendant. Boots and shoes were little worn, buckskin moccasins being worn instead. When fine shoes were worn they were of a style which the young ladies and gentlemen of the present day would scarcely know to what nse they could be applied. They were much longer than the foot and terminated in a sharp point which of course turned up. Young ladies' dresses were made of calico or chintz, but principally of calico. Their ordinary dresses were made of striped lin- sey and very often they had no other kind. There were no hoops in those days, our log cabins scarcely affording sufficient room for the modern style of female dress.

"Such an article as a cooking stove was unknown in early Piqua, the wide chim- neys affording sufficient space for all cook- ing purposes. We kept time without a clock and were as regular in our habits as now. Our floors were made of puncheons split out of the log and sometimes hewed. For chairs we used benches from three to six feet long and small three-legged stools which served all necessary purposes for comfort and convenience. Our dishes con- sisted of bowls and trays made of pewter or wood ; no china or Liverpool ware being then in use. All our furniture was plain and common and no one style was covered by a patent."

It has been said that much of the carly history of Piqua is obscured by tradition.

It is true that tradition is unreliable, but the written reminiscences of the early set- tlers, the men who broke up the forests and led the vanguard of civilization, are reliable and should be cherished and pre- served. The growth of Piqua kept paec with the years. For a long time the first inhabitants suffered from what the pres- ent generation would term "insurmount- able difficulties."

There were no matches; tinder, flint and steel being used to obtain a light; the fire was buried at night as a matter of economy, the household light was a tallow dip and fingers were used as snuffers; sugar was made from the tree, corn was prepared for food by boiling it with a bag of hard wood ashes to soften and hull it. The married women wore caps and all females carried "reticules," which were sometimes adorned with eneumber or muskmelon seeds to "set them off." Every Saturday night the young Piquads greased their shoes with tallow to look well for Sunday. When they needed blacking soot was taken from the under side of the ket- tle and mixed with water for the purpose. When a person died they stopped the clock, covered the looking glass with a towel and turned it to the wall until after the funeral.

The foregoing are a few of the "fashions and manners" which prevailed when Piqua was young. When the place had grown to fair dimensions some of these were super- seded by others more in keeping with the changed times.

The growing town was considerably helped by the War of 1812. This war which, to a certain extent, retarded the growth of Troy, operated differently for Pigna. Col. John Johnston got together a large body of Indians upon his farm and

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kept them neutral. Piqua became a place of rendezvous during the war. Provisions were collected there and from there trans- ported north. This brought a good deal of business to the town.

An Indian agency was established at Piqua. Col. Johnston handled large amounts of goods, money and supplies ; he restricted the trade to Piqua. While there is no sign of graft during those days, it is a matter of record that the Colonel did not negleet his relatives.

In 1819 Piqua was still further benefited by the establishment of a land office. The first register of the land offiee I have any account of was Col. T. B. Van Horne, who became one of Piqua's foremost citizens. He was a soldier by profession. Being stationed at Detroit in 1811, he and Gen. Lewis Cass tried to persuade Hull to fight and not surrender. Van Horne was a man who had not a drop of cowardly blood in his veins. When the aged poltroon of the time surrendered Detroit to the enemy Van Horne was one of the officers who broke their swords rather than undergo the humiliation of turning them over to the British. Cass was another officer who followed Van Horne's example.

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Centennial history. Troy, Piqua and Miami county, Ohio, Part 14

Author: Harbaugh, T. C. (Thomas Chalmers), 1849-1924, ed. and comp Publication date: 1909 Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co Number of Pages: 882

Author: Harbaugh, T. C. (Thomas Chalmers), 1849-1924, ed. and comp
Publication date: 1909
Publisher: Chicago, Richmond-Arnold publishing co
Number of Pages: 882