Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 91

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048

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one Unitarian and one Welsh Calvinist Meth- odist Church. In addition to these there are 12 Jewish synagogues and six meeting places of the Salvation Army and 26 religious institutions included under the head of miscellaneous.

The principal Catholic churches are, of course, St. Peter's Cathedral and the churches of St. Francis Xavier and St. Francis de Sales. The most beautiful church edifice is St. Peter's Ca- thedral, built in the Corinthian style of archi- tecture, with a spire of 224 fect. Its corner- stone was laid in 1839 and the church was conse- crated in 1844 by Cardinal MeCloskey. It cost a quarter of a million dollars. Beneath the altar for many years prior to the spring of 1904 lay the body of Rev. Father Stephen Baden, the first priest ordained in America. St. Francis de Sales Church contains the largest bell in America and the largest swinging bell in the world. . It was cast in the old Buckeye Bell Foundry on October 30, 1895, and the pouring of the metal is said to have occupied 41 minutes. lts weight is about 30,000 pounds and the diam- eter of its rim nine feet, diameter of crown five feet and height seven feet. Its clapper alone weighs 640 pounds. It was cast after the pattern of the Westminster bell and swings upon a wheel 15 feet in diameter. It cost about $15,- 000, mainly contributed by Joseph Buddeke. It was consecrated on January 19, and placed in position in the steeple on February 7, 1896.

The Pro-Cathedral of the Protestant Episcopal Church is St. Paul's, at the southeast corner of Seventh and Plum. Christ Church is also a no- table structure and attached to it is the Parish House.

The First Presbyterian Church is, of course, notable as that of the first congregation of the city and for its steeple, the highest in the city at- , taining with its spire a height of 285 feet, 10 feet higher than the spire of Trinity Church in New York. It was built in 1835 at a cost of $60,000 and has been several times remodeled.

The Plum Street Temple (K. K. Bene Yesh- urun), built in 1866 at a cost of $275,000, is 'a beautiful specimen of Moorish architecture, designed after the Alhambra. The Mound Street Temple (K. K. Bene Israel) dedicated in 1860 is also of Moorish architecture and cost $180,000.

One of the oldest congregations in the city is that of the St. Paul Methodist Episcopal Church, whose church built in (870 cost $175,- 000. The ground cost $75,000. The buikling

of the Second Presbyterian Church erected in 1872 is very handsome. It cost $100,000. Other notable church edifices are those of the Mount Auburn Presbyterian Church, Wesley Metho- dist Episcopal Church, Ninth Street Baptist Church, the Unitarian Church on Reading road and the newly erected Swedenborgian Church on Oak street and Winslow avenue.

THE YOUNG MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION.

The early history of this organization has been given in the earlier part of this work. The pioneer society was organized as the Young Men's Society of Inquiry, October 3, 1848. The name "Young Men's Christian Association" was adopted in May, 1863. During the war the society showed little vitality, but in 1865 it was revived and held its meetings for a time at the Seventh Street Congregational Church and afterwards in rooms on Fourth street. In 1867 it removed to the building at the southeast corner of Sixth and Elm. In November, 1874, David Sinton presented the association with the sum of $33,000. Almost a quarter of a century later, Mr. Sinton again subscribed liberally to the in- stitution, this time $13,000, to be used for the reduction of the debt. Alexander McDonald contributed $20,000 for the same purpose. In 1891 the building at the northwest corner of Seventh and Walnut was erected at a cost of a little over $200,000 and here the society is in- stalled at present. There is a college depart- ment organized as a department for intercol- legiate work in 1889, a night law school organ- ized in 1893, and the University Branch and the Eclectic Medical Institute Branch, the latter at the corner of Court and Plum streets.

The Young Women's Christian Association has its rooms at No. 26 East Eighth street. Its object is the temporal, moral and religious wel- fare of women, especially the young, who are dependent upon their exertions for their sup- port.

SPRING GROVE AND OTHER CEMETERIES.

The charter of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society authorized the establishment of a public cemetery, but it was soon ascertained that a separate organization could accomplish better results in this direction. On April 13, 1844, a number of gentlemen met at the residence of Robert Buchanan for the purpose of discussing the establishment of a rural cemetery more in accordance with the beautiful parks used for the purpose in the East. There were present at this

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meeting, besides Mr. Buhanan, George W. Neff, William Neff, James Hall, Griffin Taylor, Sal- mon P. Chase, A. H. Ernst, S. C. Parkhurst, Dr. J. A. Warder, T. H. Minor, Dr. M. Flagg, David Loring, J. B. Russell and Peter Neff. After some discussion as to the requisites for a proper site, a committee consisting of William Neff, Flagg, Minor, Loring, Buchanan, Park- hurst and Ernst was appointed to determine upon a location. Curiously enough in addition to the requirements of proximity to the city, pleasant location and proper soil, there seemed to be a sentiment against placing the bodies of the departed in any place where there should be close companionship. with fossil remains. Finally the Gerard farm, about four miles from the city, containing 166 acres, was selected and on the 4th of May a committee consisting of Timothy Walker, George W. Neff, Nathan Guilford, Nathaniel Wright, Davis B. Lawler, Miles Greenwood and Judge James Hall was appointed to prepare articles of association which were finally reported and published in the newspapers. A little later Salmon P. Chase, Judges Walker and Hall and Messrs. Wright, Guilford, Law- ler and E. Woodruff were instructed to prepare a charter to present to the Legislature. The charter was passed on January 21, 1845, and on the 8th of the following February the first board of directors, consisting of Messrs. Buchanan, Loring, Ernst, Wright, Taylor, William , Neff, Charles Stetson, J. C. Culbertson and R. G. Mitchell, was elected. Robert Buchanan became president, Griffin Taylor treasurer and S. C. Parkhurst, secretary. The grounds were conse- crated on August 28, 1845, with appropriate cere- monies,-a prayer by Rev. J. T. Brooke, an ad- dress by Justice John McLean, a hymn by W. D. Gallagher and an ode by Lewis J. Cist. 'The buildings in Norman Gothic style of architecture were erected between 1863 and 1867 from de- signs of James K. Wilson.

The original plan of improving the grounds was made by John Notman, of Philadelphia, the designer of Laurel Hill Cemetery. It was . partly carried out by the first superintendent, Howard Daniels, and his successor, Dennis De- lany, under the charge of Thomas Earnshaw, chief engineer. The adoption of the system of landscape gardening was suggested in 1855 by Adolph Strauch and carried out largely by him and his assistant, Henry Earnshaw. From time to time additional tracts of land were purchased until at present the cemetery has an area of about 600 acres.

Other well known cemeteries are the Wesleyan at the northwest corner of Colerain avenue and Hoffner ; Cathedral Cemetery (Rapid Run ) the St. Mary's German Catholic and St. Jolin's German Catholic in St. Bernard, St. Joseph's cemeteries, including one for German Catholics in the western part of Price Hill, St. Martin's Evangelical Protestant on Saffin avenue in St. Peterstown, Calvary Catholic Cemetery on Duck Creek road, the United Jewish Cemetery on Montgomery pike on Walnut Hills and also the Jewish cemetery on Ludlow avenue, Clifton, known as the Ahabath Achim and that on Lick Run pike known as Judah Torah, the Columbia Baptist, German Evangelical Protestant on Carthage pike in Clifton, German Evangelical Protestant Cemetery in North Fairmount and the German Protestant Cemetery on Walnut Hills. the Colored American Cemetery on Duck Creek road and the cemetery of the United Baptist Church (colored) on Cleves pike, and the City Cemetery (potter's field), Lick Run. The Odd Fellows' Cemetery is in Spring Grove. The Cincinnati Crematory on Dixmyth avenue, near Burnet Woods, was built in 1893 and contains a chapel and furnace room.

AMUSEMENTS.

The Cincinnati Base Ball Club has the record of age, being the oldest professional club in active service and also the unequaled record of not losing a single game from September, 1868. to June, 1870. The club in its first years has already been described. In 1870 the team was obliged to yield to the newly organized Chicago team. At the end of that year it was disbanded. The Wright brothers with Leonard and MeVey went to Boston and the club thus became once more an amateur organization. Upon the or- ganization of the National League, the Cin- cinnati "Red Stocking" Club was once more brought together and for five years was a mem- ber of that organization. It finished last three years out of the five and second one year ( 1878) and fifth in 1879. At the close of 1880 Cincin- nati was dropped from the National League and no professional games were played here during the following year. In 1882 upon the organiza- tion of the American Association, the "Reds" joined its ranks and in its initial year won the pennant, winning 55 games out of 80. It was third a year later and dropped to fifth place in 1884. During the season of 1884 a rival organ-

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ization, the Union Association, was formed and played at. the grounds on Bank street. This club, however, lasted but for a season. In 1885 the Cincinnati Base Ball Club finished second and the year later fifth. It was again second in 1887 and fourth during the three following years. In 1801 it reentered the National League and since that date has been a member of that organization. Its highest position has been that of third place, which it reached in 1896, and it ended in the second division eight years out of 21. In other words, in 1891 it was the seventh of eight clubs; from 1892 to 1899, inclusive, when there were 12 clubs, it held places Nos. 5, 7, 10, 8, 3, 4, 3 and 6. Since 1900 there have been but eight clubs in the National League and in the first two of these years it held places Nos. 7 and 8, respectively, and the last two years it has held fourth position. In 1891 the Amer- ican Association established a club in the city under the management of M. J. Kelly, known as "King" Kelly. A ball park was laid out on the site of the present Gymnasium grounds but the season was not successful and the club went out of existence in a short time. The ball park at present is on Western avenue between Findlay and York streets.

The Zoological Garden was started September 18, 1875, and is most largely indebted for its organization to the late Andrew Erkenbrecher. It contains 45 acres located between Clifton and Avondale and a number of handsome stone build- ings which cost over $300,000. About a million dollars has been expended upon the Garden and its collection of wild animals and birds, ex- ceeding in number 1,500, is regarded as among the best in the country. The "Zoo" is not only one of the most interesting institutions of the city but its educational value, also, with regard to the study of animals and plants, cannot be overestimated. The landscape features have been handled with the greatest care and not only has this resulted in a park of remarkable beauty but the intelligent marking of trees and shrubs has made it available as an arboretum for the study of tree life.

The theatres of the city include the Grand Opera House, Columbia Theatre, Heuck's Opera House. Robinson's Opera House, Walnut Street Theatre and the People's and Lyceum theatres. The Auditorium in the Odd Fellows' Temple is also frequently used for public performances and the audience room of the Scottish Rite Cathedral is admirably equipped with stage and

scenery. Music Hall is frequently used for con- certs, operas and entertainments.

There are races held regularly at Latonia, lying on the opposite side of the river west of Covington and at times at Oakley. The latter grounds have recently been utilized by the Ham- ilton County Fair Association. A fair was also given in 1903 at the old fair grounds in Carthage.

Other pleasure resorts are the Lagoon at Lud- low (Kentucky), Coney Island and Chester Park.

The Cincinnati Gymnasium, which has re- cently erected a building that is unsurpassed in the country in its equipment, also gives exhi- bitions regularly.

THE RAILROADS.

There are 15 railroads which can properly be classed as entering Cincinnati. These are the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railway (the "Panhandle," part of the Penn- sylvania system, entering the city over the Little Miami), the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railway (owned by the Baltimore & Ohio), the Chesapeake & Ohio Railway, the Cincinnati Hamilton & Dayton Railway, the Cincinnati, New Orleans & Texas Pacific Railway (Cincin- nati Southern), the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chi- cago & St. Louis Railway (the "Big Four," a Vanderbilt line), the Cincinnati Northern Rail- road, the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, the Kentucky Central Railroad (a division of the Louisville & Nashville), the Chicago, Cincinnati & Louisville Railroad (a Gould line), the Cin- cinnati, Georgetown & Portsmouth Railroad, the Norfolk & Western Railway, the New York, Lake Erie & Western Railroad (Erie), the Cin- cinnati, Lebanon & Northern Railway (owned by the Pennsylvania) and the Illinois Central Railroad (entering via the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern). These roads enter at six passen- ger depots,-the Central Union; Pennsylvania ; Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton; Cincinnati, Lebanon & Northern and the Fourth street sta- tion of the Chesapeake & Ohio and Kentucky Central and the station at Eighth street and McLean avenue.

There are also a number of interurban electric railways connecting the city with neighboring towns and cities. Chief among these are the Interurban Railway & Terminal Company, oper- ating Cincinnati and Eastern Division to New Richmond, Suburban Traction Division to Bethel

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CENTENNIAL HISTORY OF CINCINNATI

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and Rapid Railway Division to South Lebanon ; Cincinnati, Georgetown & Portsmouth, to Georgetown; Cincinnati, Dayton & Toledo; Mill Creek Valley Street Railway ; Cincinnati, Law- renceburg & Aurora and the newly opened line to Milford.

The Cincinnati Traction Company operates about 40 miles of electric street cars. The South Covington & Cincinnati Street Railway Com- pany operates three divisions into Kentucky.

THE NEWSPAPERS.

The Cincinnati Commercial was founded in' 1843 and its first number appeared on the 2nd of October of that year and for 40 years until it was united on January 4, 1883, with the Gasette, which had been for years one of the . most prominent papers of the West. Its first publishers were Curtis & Hastings. Hastings, however, remained but a short time with the paper and L. G. Curtis, a son-in-law of Rev. Samuel J. Browne, soon associated with himself his brother-in-law, John W. Browne. In 1848 M. D. Potter, who was a practical printer, be- came connected with the paper and soon suc- ceeded Mr. Browne in this management. The firm name then became Curtis & Potter. At the death of Mr. Curtis in 1851 his interest came into the hands of Richard Henry Lee and the firm was known as Lee & Potter. On March 9, 1853. Murat Halstead became a member of its staff having left the Weekly Columbian for this purpose. Mr. Lee died in 1853 and subsequently the firm became M. D. Potter & Company, com- posed of M. D. Potter, Henry Reed the chief editorial writer, John H. Strauss the bookkeeper and Murat Halstead, who was in charge of the news department. A little later John A. Gano and Cons D. Miller became partners. Sub- sequently Mr. Potter acquired the interest of

Mr. Reed and Mr. Strauss died.

The paper was first published at the southeast then at the northeast corner of Third and Syca- more on the property owned by J. W. Browne. In 1859' Mr. Potter purchased the lot at the northeast corner of Fourth and Race, where was erected a building especially adapted for the publication of a newspaper. To these quarters the paper moved in April, 1860. Almost its first experience in its new quarters was with the tornado which blew off the roof. Mr. Pot- ter's death in 1866 brought about a reorganiza- tion and the new firm composed of Messrs. Hal- stead, Miller and Gano as general partners and

Mrs. Potter and her daughter, Mrs. Pomeroy, was organized under the firm name of M. Hal- stead & Company. This firm was formed May 15, 1866. The death of .Mrs. Pomeroy brought about a reorganization in 1879, at which time the stock company of M. Halstead & Company was formed. The stock was fixed at that time at $235,000. On January 4, 1883, the paper consolidated with the Cincinnati Gazette, which claimed lineal descent from Liberty Hall, organ- ized in 1815.

The Gazette had improved much from the days when Charles Hammond and William Dodd were its sole staff and had achieved a reputation throughout the West especially for its high tone. It devoted an unusual amount of attention to the business side of the city life and at the same time was especially strong in its editorial staff. Three men connected with it for almost a quarter of a century stand among the leaders of Western journalism,-Richard Smith, Samuel Romeo Reed and John T. Perry.

Murat Halstead, for almost half a century a leader in Cincinnati, journalism, is fortunately still (in his 75th year ) engaged in the active life of his profession.

From the time that he took charge of the editorial department until his death, Richard Smith was one of the most marked figures of American journalism. Certain editors such as Horace Greeley, Henry J. Raymond and Charles A. Dana have impressed their personality upon the public mind to such an extent that their names have become household words. Mr. Smith and his "wicked partners" belonged to this class. For many years a reference to the city of Cincinnati brought to mind this trio of editors just as at a little later time the name of Murat Halstead became identified in the same way with the city. After the consolidation of the two papers, Mr. Smith as well as Mr. Reed and Mr. Perry became a member of the editorial staff of the Commercial Gasette. The office at Sixth and Vine was given up and the paper was published from the former office of the Com- mercial on the northeast corner of Fourth and Race. Later in the year 1897 a new consolida- tion was effected between the newly established Tribune, which had a very useful career of three years, and the Commercial Gasette, which re- sulted in the Commercial Tribune. The name Gaselle, the oldest in continuous use in the city, was dropped and awaits the enterprise of some new aspirant for journalistic fame to be brought

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to life again. In 1902 a large building on the east side of Walnut street between Fifth and Sixth was especially constructed for the use of the Commercial Tribune and here this veteran journal is now established under the control and management of . E. O. Eshelby.

The Enquirer claims descent from the Phoenix of Moses Dawson. During his management of the paper, Mr. Dawson was one of the most prominent writers of the country. In 1844 James J. Faran took an interest in the paper and became its managing editor and the head of the firm of Faran & McLean, Washington McLean having purchased the interest of Mr. Derby. At other times such well known newspaper men as J. B. Mccullough, John A. Cockerill, Charles Brough, G. M. D. Bloss and James E. Spear were in charge of its editorial policy. John R. McLean became its sole proprietor in 1882 and since that time has had entire control of the policy of the paper. The paper was first published on Fifth street between Main and Sycamore and afterwards on Third, then on the corner of Third and Main, on Main between Third and Pearl and on Vine near Baker, when it was burned at the time of the Pike's Opera House fire in 1866. It finally moved to its present headquarters on the west side of Vine between Sixth and Seventh. Although Demo- cratic in politics it has always made a special claim to its independence as a gatherer of news and for many years as a result of this it is said to have had a wider circulation than any other paper published outside of New York City. The Enquirer can be bought on almost any news- stand in the United States that pretends to carry any assortment of papers other than those of local origin.

The Times-Star, an evening paper, claims de- scent in continuous life from the Times of 1841 ( with succession from the Times of 20 years earlier and the Chronicle) and the Star estab- lished in 1872. It is Republican in politics. The Evening Post established in 1880 is one of the celebrated Scripps papers. It is independent in politics. Both the afternoon papers have a very large circulation.

The daily German papers are four in number, -the Volksblatt, the Volksfreund, the Freie Presse and the evening edition, the Taegliche Abend Presse.

Other daily papers are the Cincinnati Daily Bulletin of Prices Current, the Financial and Commercial Bulletin, Live Stock Record, Price

Current, Court Index, Trade Record, the Merchants' & Manufacturers' Hotel Reporter and the Italian Press. The directory contains a list of one semi-weekly,: 66 English and 13 German weeklies, a bi-weekly, a tri-weekly, 75 monthlies, six semi-monthlies, two bi-monthlies, 25 quarterlies and four annual publications.

SOME CINCINNATI WRITERS.

The literary life of the city has been referred to at considerable length in the treatment of the various epochs into which the carlier part of this work is divided. Much of the writing done by citizens of Cincinnati has been referred to in connection with the various narratives of the city and its journalistic phases. Such in- tellectual activity as existed in the carlier days centered around such men as Dr. Daniel Drake, his brother Benjamin and at a later time his son Charles, Edward D. Mansfield, Judge Burnet, Timothy Flint and the Cists (Charles and his son Lewis J.). But few, however, followed lit- erature as a profession except as members of the journaliste fraternity. We hear of "Horace in Cincinnati," who was a merchant, "Ohio's Bard," who was the cashier of the United States Bank (Gorham A. Worth), and the writings of W. D. Gallagher an editor, James H. Perkins a clergyman and of William Il. Lytle a lawyer. Not one of these men, however, regarded litera- ture as a means of support. The work of Dr. Drake covers many phases of Iniman knowledge. His earlier books as we have seen were quasi- historical and the great work of his life, that relating to the diseases of the interior valley of America, was purely medical in its character. His brother, Benjamin, wrote several volumes in which he combined history and fiction. Mans- field was an economist and an historian. Bur- net's "Letters" and "Notes" were simply the reminiscences of a man who had taken a large part in the history of his times. Charles Cist's books can hardly be classed as literature, valua- ble as they are from a standpoint in history. Lewis J. Cist, a bank clerk, wrote many trifles in verse. Robert Clarke, the well known pub- lisher, perhaps made as valuable contributions to the history of this section as any resident. ITis pamphlets with relation to the prehistoric re- mains and the first settlers of Losantiville are invaluable. Under his editorship appeared the "Ohio Valley Historical Series" in seven vol- umes, the most valuable set of works with rela- tion to the pioneer history of this section that has

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ever been published. Mr. Clarke also reprinted the celebrated "Olden Time" of Neville Craig and a large number of other works with relation to the history of this section appeared from his press and bore the imprint of his house, for many years the most prominent store house of Americana in this country. The list of biog- raphies relating to the city is almost endless. They include lives of Dr. Drake, Dr. Locke, Larz Anderson, James H. Perkins, Samuel Lewis, Mrs. Israel Ludlow, Rev. Adam Hurdus, Judge Burnet, Levi Coffin, Samuel E. Foote, Generals Hayes and Harrison, Dr. Comegys, Rabbi Isaac M. Wise and a large number of other prominent citizens. The bibliography of the histories of the city and of the lives of its inhabitants would make a volume in itself. In fact a large number of the titles included in Peter G. Thomson's excellent bibliography of Ohio refer to Cincinnati. The antiquities, natural history, art, music, law and religion each

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Centennial history of Cincinnati and representative citizens, Vol. I, Pt. 2, Part 91

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn Publication date: 1904 Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1048

Author: Greve, Charles Theodore, b. 1863. cn
Publication date: 1904
Publisher: Chicago : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1048