Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Ohio > Summit County > Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens > Part 13

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State of Ohio vs. Frank Viall, Lovell Nigh and Angust 'Simmonette-Charge, rioting. Nigh sentenced thirty days in jail, $25 and costs. Simmonette, thirty days in jail, $25 and costs. Viall, $50 and costs and thirty days in jail.

Thus it will be seen there were thirty con- victions in the cases resulting from the riot. When one reflects upon the amount of work necessary to prepare for and conduct one im- portant criminal action at law, he will read- ily appreciate the titanic labor performed by the public authorities. Able counsel had been secured to defend each of the accused men, and the trials were hotly contested. The result reflects every credit upon R. M. Wana- maker, the prosecuting attorney. It is hardly possible to bestow too much praise upon the energy and skill he devoted to his work in bringing retribution upon those guilty of causing so much shame to the fair city of Akron.

There was one glaring miscarriage of jus- tice. The public felt keenly that the mem- ber of the city council, of whom mention was made in the last chapter, and who was one of the leaders of the mob, should have been pun- ished for his misdeeds that night. He es- caped free. It was also regretted by many that the court, in passing sentence upon those convicted, did not impose heavier sentences, because of the heinousness of the offenses.

tences, such as they were, would be a suffi- cient deterrent from future violation of law.

Thus justice emerged triumphant, as she always will. Law and Order were fully re- stored and affairs moved along in orderly pro- cession. The citizens began to take an ac- count of their losses. The City Building was but a heap of bricks, stones and twisted iron. Columbia Hall, one of the chief meeting- places of the city, was the same. The build- ings on the opposite side of Main Street had been damaged by flames and the violence of the mob. One of the stores there had been looted. The stores south of Columbia Hall had been damaged by fire and smoke. The Standard Hardware Company had lost its en- tire stock of fire-arms. For all this loss not one cent of fire insurance could be collected. Several cases brought to collect insurance dragged their weary lengths through the various counts for several years afterward, but it was uniformly decided that the com- panies were not liable for loss occasioned by the mob. The loss in money was about a quarter of a million dollars. A whole regi- ment of soldiers was quartered for nearly a week. The city and county had large bills to pay for detective service and the expense of the trials. Many citizens received serious injuries from bullets and flying missiles of all kinds. Among them the newspapers men- tioned the following: Fred Vorwerk, W. H. Dussel, Park Stair, Arthur E. Sprague, John Ahren, E. Chemelitzki, Albert Grant, Frank Sours, E. Shelby and Albert Stevens, of the citizens; L. Manchester, W. Roepke, Minor Fritz, John Denious, A. Eberle and David Phillips, of the firemen, and John E. Washer, Alva Greenlese, John King and Edward Dunn, of the police force.

Although seven years have passed since that momentous time, the city is still occupying There is this to be said in extenuation, that . the old office of the American Cereal Com- for many of them, it was a first offense; that the excitement of the moment carried some of them off their feet; that some up to this time had horne good reputations in the com- munity; that some had families dependent upon them for support, and that the sen- pany as a City Hall. Three different adminis- trations have conducted the city's affairs within its walls. They are still called "tem- porary quarters," but there is no prospect of anything more permanent for years to come. The city is so busy building viaducts and

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paving streets and expending so much money for such purposes and the present quarters are so well adapted for the present needs that it is probable that Akron will have no City Hall of her own for many years to come. In spite of some objections on the part of some offi- cials, it must be admitted that the present building makes a very good housing for the conduct of municipal affairs, and that the rent is not unreasonable for such a structure. The City Council has a room large enough for its deliberations; the Mayor's Court is well provided for; the Board of Health, the Audi- tor, the Solicitor and the Police Department, all have separate and commodious apart- ments.

The main damage caused by the riot was that done to the hitherto fair reputation of the city. In the heart of the cultured West- ern Reserve of Ohio, it was not thought pos- sible that such an outbreak of lawlessness could occur. The other cities of the Western Reserve blushed for us. The great state of Ohio was ashamed of us. We had brought discredit upon the great state of which we are so proud. Our shame went abroad throughout the land-throughout the world. The great newspapers sent special correspond- ents to Akron and covered their front pages with great, black headlines to publish to the world our disgrace. As an example, the Pitts- burgh Dispatch of August 24, 1900, bore across the entire front page in startling type, this inscription: "National Guard Preserves Order in Shamed Akron." This shame, this

disgrace, this damage to a splendid reputa- tion, was our greatest loss.

If the cause of it all can be said to belong to those who might have averted it, then there is no difficulty in putting the blame where it belongs-at the door of incompetent public officials. The errors of judgment on their part were so numerous that it will not be possible to mention them here. Even when the riot was at its height, a dozen determined policemen could have put the entire mob to rout. Many times that night it happened, that some one would cry, "The Police are Coming Out," and the entire crowd would take to their heels and scatter in all direc- tions. It is to be feared that downright cow- ardice, as well as lack of judgment, was one of the prominent characteristics of those now criticised.

From the black picture let us turn to a bright one. Letters of shining gold should be used to tell of the deeds of Akron's fire- men who played so noble a part in that night's doings. From its very beginning, Akron's fire department has never been found wanting in any emergency, but on this occa- sion, it covered itself with everlasting glory. The prison-keeper and a few of the police- men proved also that night that they were brave men. These, with the county prose- cutor, and the members of the Grand and Petit juries who dealt with the riot cases, are they who emerged with credit from the Riot of 1900.

CHAPTER V

TOWNSHIPS AND TOWNS

Settlement and Organization of the Townships-Settlement and Founding of the Towns --- Sketches of Barberton, Cuyahoga Falls, Hudson, Tallmadge, Peninsula, Etc.

Summit County possesses some of the most beautiful scenery in Ohio. There is not an uninteresting township in the whole county. Each has some special charm to prove that Nature has been most lavish of her gifts. The valley of the Cuyahoga divides the upper half of the county, while the southern half is diversified by a chain of beautiful lakes. Everywhere there is variety; monotonous ex- panses of level ground are nowhere to be seen. Near the head of the Cuyahoga Val- ley are the famed Northampton Hills which offer vistas of hill country that remind the beholder of New England. Here, on a smaller scale, are the qualities which have made the Berkshires famous for their beauty. The Lake Country has its eminences, also, rising two or three hundred feet almost from the water's edge. The lakes, nestling amid these green hills, make a picture which is worthy the long journey which many travel- ers make to see it. From these high points, the land stretches away to the east and west in long rolls and billows. It is not a matter of wonder that Medina and Portage and Stark counties objected so strenuously to being de- prived of the townships which were taken from them to form the new county of Sum- mit. By that process they lost the fairest portion of their domain.

BATH TOWNSHIP.

Of the early settlers of Bath Township there are two families which stand out pre- eminent-the Hales and the Hammonds. The influence of the Hale family during the years subsequent has been stronger and wider felt than that of perhaps any other family in the county. It has been of incalculable bene- fit, exerted, as it always has been, in behalf of high thinking and clean living. The fact that for a long time this region was called "Hammondsburgh" shows the prominent part Jason Hammond played in the perform- ance of its early affairs. The hamlet of Hammond's Corners still bears the name of this first settler. The first real settlement of the township was made in 1810. During the summer of that year, Jonathan Hale and Ja- son Hammond, both Connecticut men, came to Ohio to settle upon the land they had re- cently purchased. They were obliged to dis- possess other white men whom they found living upon their land without color of title. A survey of the township had been made in 1805, and the name "Wheatfield" given to it by Rial McArthur, the surveyor, probably be- cause his eyes had been gladdened that day by a sight of a waving field of that grain. It is a pity the name did not survive. Fine fields of wheat may be seen on all hands, to- day, in season, and it is one of the success-

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ful crops of the township, while the name of Bath is of no significance, locally, whatever. It is said the name was given to the town- ship in joke. It is now firmly affixed and "Bath" this township will ever be. Bath was organized as a township in 1818, and Jona- than Hale was made the first trustee; Jason Hammond, supervisor; Henry Hutson, jus- tice of the peace, and Eleazer Rice, consta- ble. Bath sent nearly one hundred men into the Union Army during the Civil War and many of her citizens have oceupied promi- nent places in the county and State. Among them may be mentioned Gen. A. C. Voris, Peter Voris, R. O. Hammond, J. Park Alex- ander, Sumner Nash, C. O. Hale, Jared Bar- ker and O. W. Hale. The principal places in the township are Botzum, a station on the Cleveland and Terminal Valley branch of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad; Montrose (formerly ealled Latta's Corners and some- times Ellis' Corners) ; Hammond's Corners and Ghent. At the picturesque village last mentioned there are extensive saw-mills, grist- mills, a general store, ete. P. 1. Ganyard is the township elerk in 1907, and William Davis and C. S. Parsons are justices of the peace.

BOSTON TOWNSHIP.

Boston Township contains three villages- Peninsula, Boston Mills and Everett. The earliest settlers were also from Connectient. In 1805, the purchasers of the holdings of the Connecticut Land Company sent many surveying corps into Summit County for the purpose of alloting the lands. In this year Alfred Wolcott. James Stanford, John Teale and Samuel Ewart came into Boston Town- ship for the purpose of making a survey. In 1806, Wolcott and Stanford both purchased land surveyed by them the summer previous and located upon it at once. They thus be- came the first settlers in the township. The Wolcott family afterward became very promi- nent and influential. The township was or- ganized in 1811, as a part of Portage County.

Its first officers were Timothy Bishop, Andrew Johnson and Aaron Miller, trustees; William Beers, clerk; Launcelot May, treasurer; Al- fred Wolcott and Moses Cunningham, jus- tices of the peace, and James Jordan, consta- ble. More than 140 men of Boston township fought for the Union in the war of 1861-65, the most distinguished of whom was Colonel Arthur L. Conger. On July 4, 1889, Colonel and Mrs. Conger presented to Boston Town- ship the fine soldiers' monument which stands in the village of Peninsula at its western bor- der. Peninsula has an extensive flour-mill and, in the southern part of the village, a large stone-quarry of a fine-grained, white sand-stone, from which mill-stones are made. Boston has saw-mills and the great paper- mills of the Akron-Cleveland Paper Bag Company, the power for which is partly se- cured from a large dam thrown across the Cuyahoga River. Colonel A. L. Conger and Hon. S. P. Wolcott are the Boston citizens who have earned for themselves the greatest fame. At the present time Charles Peterson is clerk and E. B. Conger and N. B. Wise are justices of the peaee.

COPLEY TOWNSHIP.

Copley Township came to us from Medina County when our county was created in 1840. It is well watered by Pigeon Creek, Wolf Creek and Chocolog Creek, besides having within its confines White Pond, Black Pond and Chocolog Pond. Formerly a great swamp called Copley Swamp occupied a large part of it, but by judieious draining it has been reduced to an insignificant area. It is now one vast garden-the old peat and mnek beds furnishing the best kind of soil for raising celery, onions, etc. In early times it was the great game preserve of the whole region. Copley was first settled in 1814 by Jonah Turner, who came from Pennsylvania. Six additional families arrived during the next five years .. It was set apart as a township of Medina County in 1819, and was named Greenfield at first hy Garner Green, who origi-

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nally owned a large part of its territory. He afterwards changed the name to Copley, the maiden name of his wife. When the North- ern Ohio Railroad was built, in 1891, it gave Copley an outlet, and was the means of start- ing a new hamlet-Fairlawn, which now boasts a mill, general store, smithy, etc. Cop- ley sent nearly 150 men into the Union Army. Homer G. Long is now township clerk and C. C. Frederick is justice of the peace.

COVENTRY TOWNSHIP.

Coventry Township lies to the north of Franklin and Green and just outside of the City of Akron. It is also the southern line of the Western Reserve. Its physical fea- tures are unusual in that it is dotted by nu- merous lakes and in early days was traversed by a considerable stream, the Tuscarawas. In addition to this, about 1840, the Reservoir was built, composed partly of natural and partly artificial bodies of water. Long Lake is the largest of these natural bodies of water. The Indian seem to have made this their headquarters and naturally so, for New Portage was at the head of the Indian Trail. These Indians were Delawares and the most important of their chiefs was Hopocan or Captain Pipe. He called , himself, "Ho- pocan. King of New Portage." The first white settler of the township was Daniel Haines. who came from Pennsylvania about the year 1806. After him, in 1811, came the Allens. from New York State. forebears of the Al- lens, who live there today. The township grew at an amazing pace and a great future seemed before it. The Tusearawas was then an immense stream capable of floating large boats, and many a boatload went from Coventry to New Orleans. A glass factory started and for some time many articles of

value and profit were turned out. A distillery was started by Adam Falor. Saw-mills and grist-mills started up. A lawyer by the name of Van Humphreys settled there and the "State of Coventry" began to be. The now

well known "State Mill" arose in this fashion : At the time of the construction of the Reser- voir it was necessary to destroy the mill formerly there, and to replace it the State built a large mill at that point. For a long time it was the center of the mill business of that district, and of late years has become valuable, chiefly as a suin- iner resort. With the advent of the canal the township continued to flourish and for a time seemed to rival Middlebury. However, its prospects died down and it settled down to the regular way of a township. Still it is to be remembered that with the last increase of territory to Akron, a large part of Coventry was annexed to the city, and the old city spirit of Coventry survives possibly in another form.

The township organization occurred in 1808, and at that time Coventry was a part of Springfield and they were a part of Portage County, till the organization of Sum- mit in 1840. At the present time the taxable property in the township is valued at about $1,300.000. With the rapid growth of the city south, and the addition of Barberton and Kenmore, it seems that it will be only a short time till the township will disappear within municipal lines. Among the prominent families in the township have been the Brewsters and the Falors. From Coventry township also came John R. Buchtel, the founder of Buchtel College, and William Buchtel, who represented Summit County in the State legislature from 1901-3. The pres- ent representative, Howard C. Spicer. is also from Coventry township. B. T. Davis and H. E. Shook are the present justices of the peace for the township.

The village of Cuyahoga Falls was founded in 1825 hy Elkanah Richardson. Among the earliest settlers were Joshua Stow and William Wetmore. In 1815 a saw-mill was in operation near Gaylord's Grove, oper- ated by power derived from a dam aeross the river at that point. The name Cuyahoga Falls was adopted in accordance with a sug- gestion from the postoffice department. The

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HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY

firm of Stow and Wetmore built several mills, dams and business buildings in the new vil- lage, and by 1830 the town took on an im- portant aspect. In that year they built a large paper mill, an industry that is still ear -- ried on profitably. They were assisted in the paper business by John Rumrill, who had learned the art in the New England paper mills. About 1825 Henry Newberry came from Connectieut and built more dams, a saw-mill, linseed oil-mill and a paper-mill. Ile was a graduate of Yale and was one of the most prominent of the carly settlers. March 5, 1851, the citizens of Cuyahoga Falls organ- ized a township of the same name and co- extensive with the territory of the village. The government of the village was then given over to the township officers who were elected at that time as follows: Horace A. Miller, Henry Newberry, Jr., and Porter G. Somers. trustees; Lucious Bradley, treasurer ; Grant P. Turner, clerk; William H. Taylor, assessor. and W. J. Wilson and W. W. Lucas, con- stables. This arrangement failed to give sat- isfaction and on June 3, 1868, the village gov- ernment was reorganized. On September 1, 1868, the first election was held and William A. Hanford was elected mayor; Henry C. Lockwood, treasurer: Porter G. Somers, re- corder: T. F. Heath. Charles Hunt, W. M. Griswold, John Hinde and L. W. Loomis. trustees. In 1841 the Board of Commissioners, to locate the county seat decided upon Cuya- hoga Falls, but the legislature interfered the year following, and, leaving the question to a popular vote, it was located at Akron. It cannot be said that Cuyahoga Falls was at any time the county seat, in spite of the aets of the commission.

Cuyahoga Falls' schools have always been among the best in the county. The village obtained its reputation as an educational een- ter very early in its existence. In 1834 a pri- vate school was opened by J. II. Reynolds. In 1836 a school for girls was opened by Sarah Carpenter. Later schools were eon- dueted by Frances C. Barron and Eliza Deaver. In 1837. the Cuyahoga Falls Insti- tute was opened for pupils by Rev. Roswell

Brooks and Charles Clark. The present brick High School building was built in 1871. The High School was organized in 1855, H. F. Taylor being the first principal. Among his successors have been such famous men as Ed- ward R. Sill, Vergil P. Kline and William I. Chamberlain. In 1833, "The Ohio Review," Cuyahoga Falls' first newspaper, was started by Iloracc Canfield and Timothy Spencer. It ran about one year. It was followed in close succession by the "Renovator," "The Young Buzzard," "The Telescope," "The American Eagle," and "The True American." The last inentioned stopped about 1843. In 1870 "The Cuyahoga Falls Reporter" was founded by E. O. Knox and, by good business management, has succeeded in continuing publication until the present time. In 1881 "The Weekly Journal" was started, but did not last more than a year.

The village sent nearly 200 men into the Union Army during the Civil War. In 1859 "The Union Fair Association" was formed and fitted up fair grounds at the north end of the village. Not being a success financially, the association was wound up in 1861. Cuya- hoga Falls has had her share of prominent citizens, among whom can be named Edward Rowland Sill, one of America's very best poets, and whose fame has just begun to grow. Elisha N. Sill, Samuel W. McClure, Henry MeKinney, George Paul and Charles R. Grant.

Cuyahoga. Falls now has the following churches: Church of Christ, Rev. W. L. Denslow, pastor; First Congregational, Rev. 1. E. Woodruff, pastor; Methodist Episcopal. Rev. W. J. Wilson, pastor; St. John's Epis- copal; St. Joseph's Roman Catholic, Rev. J. A. Nolan, pastor, and the Welsh Congrega- tional. The principal industries now are The Walsh Paper Company, C. M. Walsh, president ; T. A. Murphy, vice-president and general manager: E. A. Prior, secretary, and F. T. Moloney, treasurer. They have a very large factory on River Street. On Portage Street are the Pearl Flour Mills, operated by the Walsh Milling Company, of which Cor- nelius M. Walsh is president. The large fac-

BIG FALLS-THE GORGE

LAKE ANNA, BARBERTON

COUNTY INFIRMARY

OLD MAID'S KITCHEN-THE GORGE

ENTRANCE TO GRACE PARK, AKRON

ENTRANCE TO AKRON RURAL CEMETERY

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS

tory of the Falls Rivet and Machine Company is located on the railroad at Portage Street. Edwin Seedhouse is president and C. H. Wells, treasurer. They make rivets, bolts and power transmission machinery. The Aeme Wire Company has officers as follows: W. C. Hall, president; S. H. Miller, vice-president; L. D. Brown, treasurer; E. A. Henry, general manager. Falls Hollow Staybolt Company, C. M. Walsh, president; The Falls Lumber Company, G. R. James, secretary and treas- urer; The Keller Brick Company, Frederick W. Keller, president ; W. F. Keller, secretary and president ; Tift and Vogan, consisting of Smith D. Tift and Fremont D. Vogan ; Tur- ner, Vaughn and Taylor, of which Calvin W. Vaughn is general manager: Isaae N. Reid, who makes carriages and does a general smithy business ; the Fair Oaks Villa is a sani- tarium for mental and nervous diseases, con- dueted successfully by Drs. W. A. Searl and H. I. Cozad. The Cuyahoga Falls Savings Bank was organized September 2. 1904, upon the failure of the Akron Savings Bank, which had condueted a Cuyahoga Falls braneh. It. has a capital of $50,000 and is ably managed by following officers: President. C. M. Walsh ; vice-president, W. R. Lodge; vice-president, Edwin Seedhouse; treasurer and eashier. F. T. Moloney; secretary, E. A. Prior. The Falls Savings and Loan Association is ably conducted by L. W. Loomis, president ; E. A. Prior, secretary: Dr. W. A. Searl, treasurer, and C. T. Grant, attorney. Banman and Orth (Edward H. Bauman and Frank W. Orth) are the present proprietors of the Cuyahoga Falls Reporter. The Central Union Tele- phone Company and the Akron Peoples' Tele- phone Company both have exchanges here. The population of Cuyahoga Falls is now about 4,000. In 1907 its officials are : Mayor, C. A. Davis; elerk, C. D. Crumb; treasurer, Theodore Heath; marshal. I. Goldwood. The mayor and clerk are Demoerats, the other two Republicans.

TALLMADGE TOWNSHIP.

Tallmadge was founded in 1806 by David Bacon, minister, missionary and colonizer.

His experiences in the wilderness and the dif- ficulties he had to contend with in establish- ing his little colony are typical, and for that reason are here set forth in full according to the excellent narrative of his son. Dr. Leonard Bacon, as published in Howe's Historical Col- Ieetions (Ohio). It may readily be believed that the labors and dangers incident to the settlement of Tallmadge were no greater than those attending the settlement of the other townships of the county.

Rev. David Bacon, the founder of Tall- madge, was born in Woodstock, Connecticut, in 1771. and died in Hartford in 1817 at the early age of forty-six years, worn out by ex- eessive labors, privations and mental suffer- ings, largely consequent upon his financial failure with his colony. He was the first mis- sionary sent to the Western Indians from Con- neeticut. His means were pitifully inade- quate, but with a stout heart, reliant upon God, he started, August 8, 1800, from Hart- ford, afoot and alone through the wilderness, with no outfit but what he could carry on his baek. At Buffalo Creek, now the site of the city of Buffalo. he took vessel for Detroit, which he reached September 11, thirty-four days after leaving Hartford, and was hospit- ably received by Major Hunt, commandant of the United States garrison there. After a preliminary survey he returned to Connecti- cut, and on the 25th of December was mar- ried at Lebanon to Alice Parks, then under eighteen years of age; a week later, on the last day of the last year of the last century, De- eember 31, 1800, he was ordained regularly to the specific work of a missionary to the heathen, the first ever sent out from Con- nectieut.

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Centennial history of Summit County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 13

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868 Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1150

Author: Doyle, William B., b. 1868
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1150