USA > Ohio > Jefferson County > Steubenville > Century History of Steubenville and Jefferson County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, 20th > Part 52
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As an evidence of the patriotism of the citizens and their interest in public affairs, the semi-centennial of the nation's birth, July 4, 1826, was celebrated with impos- ing demonstrations. Every building was decorated, and the procession was a mov- ing picture of every kind of trade and in- dustry. Nicholas Hutchins was chief marshal, with Col. A. Doyle and P. C. Campbell as aides. Francis Priest and James Russell with drums, and John Bu- chanan fifer, furnished martial music, and the military was represented by the Steu- benville Grays, inder connnand of Cap- tain Spencer. Bezaleel Wells headed the "oldest inhabitants," followed by four. six and eight-horse wagons, representing the varions crafts, and Mr. Dickenson's famous imported ram Bolivar had a con- spicuous place in the procession. Ban- mers, music, shooting, fireworks and speeches concluded the greatest day so far in the city's history.
Steubenville had plenty of cholera in 1832 and 1833, and fresh vegetables were tabooed within the corporation limits; but it was easy for those wanting them to gel
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them outside. There was another visita- tion in 1850, with a larger proportionate loss of life, being fifteen to twenty deaths. As a whole, however, Steubenville escaped better than most of her neighbors along the valley. In 1872, in common with the balance of the country, the city suffered from an epidemic of epizootic among horses, which almost cansed a temporary suspension of work by the equine popula- tion. . This was followed by a smallpox epidemic the following winter, in which the mayor, William T. Campbell, and Marshal William J. Doyle distinguished them- selves by their care for the sick, the dying and the dead. With the exception of con- paratively mild visitations of la grippe, the city has since been singularly free from epidemie diseases.
It has been mentioned that the old log courthouse first built on that portion of the public square procured from Bezaleel Wells was removed in 1809 to make room for the square brick structure whose cost and dimensions are given below. The en- tire lower floor was utilized as a court- room, the sheriff having one corner railed off for an office. The upper story was used for probate court, county offices and jury rooms. The roof rose from each side to a common center, terminating in a cu- pola containing the bell, town clock and surmounted by a large glass ball, the lat- ter remaining until the Morgan raid, in 1863, when a reckless soldier fired at it, shattering it to pieces. The old jail, built about the time of the original court, re- mained until 1834. when n new stone jail was erected, under the supervision of Da- vid Cable. It was fireproof, and with the wall around the yard contained enongh stone to build a bastile, but was always a damp, unwholesome place. New county offices were erected at this time, fronting on Third Street, quarters in the court- house becoming too small for the increas- ing business. Subsequently the old Citi- zens' Bank Building, on the southeast cor- ner of the public square, was purchased for the use of the auditor and treasurer.
A sheriff's house had been previously erected joining the courthouse on the west. A fine iron fence enclosed the grounds, which were planted in grass and trees, making a pleasant oasis in the midst of the city. All this was removed in 1870 to make room for the present structures, ad- ditional ground being procured on the north side for their accommodation. The old clock which belonged to the city was purchased by a number of citizens and placed in the tower of St. Peter's Church, on North Fourth Street, where it remained until that structure was torn down, in 1904, and was not replaced in the new building. The bell was purchased by the Union Cemetery Association and now hangs in the office tower on the grounds of that organization. Owing to failure of contractors and other causes the new coun- ty buildings were not completed until the spring of 1874, court being held meanwhile in the Cochran Hotel Building, and the Cadiz jail utilized for prisoners. The eu- tire cost, including the additional ground, was about $300.000, which was considered reasonable. The progress of steel con- struction the last few years has put these buildings somewhat out of date, but when erected they were justly considered a triumph of the builder's art. The court- house was made fireproof throughout, the floors resting ou brick arches supported by iron girders. It is built of northern Ohio sandstone, in Romanesque style, with a Greek portico, and has a frontage of 126 feet on Market Street and 96 2/3 feet on Third Street. The basement contains jani- tor's apartments, furnace rooms and law offices. The first floor has two rooms for county recorder, two for county auditor and commissioners and two for probate judge, all reached by wide corridors. The height of this story is 1614 feet. On the second floor is the courtroom, 50 x 70 feet. and originally dome shaped to a height of 40 feet to a stained glass skylight. Un fortunately it has been injured and the fireproof character of the building de- stroyed by a false ceiling, 16 feet below the
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original height, in the vain hope of improv- ing the acoustics. On this floor are located rooms for the court stenographer, judges. clerk, proseenting attorney, library and sheriff. On the third floor are two rooms originally intended for the library but now occupied by the county surveyor's force, jury rooms and additional courtrooms. The building, which was considered ample when erected, is already overcrowded. The height of the main building from base to roof is 70 feet, with a tower 81 feet above, surmounted by a flagstaff. It con- tains a clock with eight-foot illuminated dials, the same also operating a dial in the conrtroom. In addition to the county bell, the city fire alarm bell is also located here. There is a pretty hedge lawn in front, the original iron fence now surrounding the Washington school grounds. The chief ornament of the front will shortly be the heroic statne of the late Hon. Edwin M. Stanton, by Alexander Doyle, which, with base and pedestal, about 18 feet high, will stand directly in front of the main en- trance. The courtroom is already graced by two fine paintings, one of Hon. E. M. Stanton, by E. F. Andrews, and one of his partner, Col. George W. McCook, by C. P. Filson. These artists have also completed full size portraits of Hon. Benjamin Tap- pan and Hon. J. C. Wright for the same apartment. Directly north of the court- house and connected with it are the sher- it's dwelling and jail, the former fronting on Third Street and built of red pressed brick, with stone trimmings. It is a con- venient ten-room honse. In the rear is the two-story brick jail, with three tiers of cells of boiler iron, twenty-seven on the north side for males and nine on the oppo- site side for females. There is also an ex- eention room (now obsolete), sick room, ete. Plans have been innde to reconstruct this building and make it in closer accord with recent advanced ideas in penology.
The year 1834 was memorable for the great frosts, on May 15. 16 and 17, which alnost annihilated vegetation in most of the Northern states. June 5, 1859, was
another date to be remembered in this connection.
In addition to the early taverns men- tioned above, Mrs. Butterworth had one on the corner of Third and North Streets; Hugh Brown, public house and ball alley on Third, west side, just above Washing- ton ; William Moore, in previous residence of Wm. R. Dickenson, on Third Street, north of MeGowan's grocery; Thomas Hamilton moved from High and Market to a two-story frame on Fourth Street, site of present Cohen and Riddick stores; Charles Porter in brick building opposite; Round Corner, at Third and Adams Streets, kept by Hill, and later by Kerlin and others; Philip Russell, Mansion Honse, Washington and Water Streets; Daniel O'Neal, Market and Water; Ber- nard Armstrong, Water Street, with brew- ery in reur; James Anderson, Market. above Sixth, moved to frame building on site of National Theater, afterwards kept by MeGnire Doyle; George Dobrman was succeeded in the Washington Hall by N. M. Hutchins, Matthew Roberts and others, and the stage office was removed here from Jenkinson's tavern.
Among the merchants and business men from 1825 to 1840 John Kells kept dry goods and groceries at the southwest cor- ner of Third and Washington Streets; John Orr, northeast corner; James Parks, dry goods in log house on Third Street. after 1840 at sontheast corner Fourth and Market : Eli Dillon, dry goods. Third, near Washington; Jmnes Teaff, gunsmith, Third, near Washington; Sammel Wilson, tin and coppersmith, one-story frame. Third, above Market; Bell & Moore, David Betts, dry goods, Third Street ; Valentine Owesney, grocery and notions, Third Street, afterwards Fourth Street: B. F. Osborne, saddles; Capt. William Spencer, dry goods, Third; Martin Andrews, whole- sale grocer, Third, afterwards Market and Court Streets; Somnel Page, iron store, Market Square; John England, tin store, Third and Market Square; Jolm Eberlein. baker and confectioner; Sammel M. Lane.
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iron store, Third; James and William Dougherty, Third and Market; David Mc- Gowan, groceries, Third, above Market; Dr. Thomas Johnson, drugs, Third; Hamel & Dike, dry goods, Third; James Algeo, dry goods; Dike & Laughlin, later Laugh- lin & Bell, Third and Market; Alexander McMechen, dry goods, Third and Market; H. & R. Permar, dry goods, South Third, in a frame building; John Ward, drug store in frame building, corner of Jail Alley and Market Street, and later Hooker & Watt had dry goods store in same build- ing, afterwards removed and three-story brick erected for Martin Andrews' whole- sale grocery, subsequently Holloway's gro- cery and Maxwell & Henry's fruit house; William Kilgore, hardware store in one- story frame building on northeast corner Fourth and Market Streets, bought by Hugh Sterling in 1835 and moved by him to the corner of Fourth and Adams Streets and used as a dwelling and weave shop, then moved farther down Adams Street and still used as a dwelling, three-story brick erected on Kilgore lot, still standing; Mr. Lennox, leather store, southwest cor- ner of Fourth and Market, 1830; Mr. Beatty, store and dwelling, northwest cor- ner Fourth and Market, two-story brick; Henry Phillips, stone yard, southeast cor- ner Sixth and Market, under shade of large elm tree, did stone work for water works in 1835. Edward Froliman estab- iished first clothing store in 1847 at south- east corner Third and Market, present Munker block. Hobson & Henning carried on commission business in frame building on lower Market Street, opposite Means's flour mill.
By 1850 the town had reached a popu- lation of 6,000, and it was considered high time to incorporate it as a city. Accord- ingly the next year the Legislature passed an act of incorporation, with the follow- ing boundaries: "Beginning at the north- west corner of Viers's first addition to the town of Steubenville, thence in an easterly direction to a point where the north line of Washington Street intersects the west
line of the alley, or the western boundary of the original plot of Steubenville; thence northwardly along said western line of said alley to the northwest corner of North Street; thence eastwardly along the north line of said North Street to the southwest corner of Joseph C. Spencer's lot (now St. Stanislaus Church property) ; thence with said lot northwardly to the northwest cor- ner thereof; thence eastwardly to the northwest corner of William Collier's lot; thence north nineteen degrees east, across the lands of Jephtha L. Holton, James Frazier, Daniel Kilgore, M. M. Laughlin, Joseph M. Mason (now McCook) and R. S. Moody into the lands of S. D. Hunter, to a point 13 perches from said Hunter's house; thence north 71 degrees west 11 perches; thence north 19 degrees east, parallel to Seventh Street, to William Mc- Laughlin's line; thence along said Me- Laughlin's line between him and Eberlein, to a point where said Mclaughlin & Eber- lein's lands corner on Stony Hollow tract; thence north 511% degrees east, 40 perches, to an elm tree on the west side of the river road, corner to land of William Kilgore and the Stony Hollow tract; thence with said Kilgore's line to the river; thence down the river to a point in Samuel Stokely's line 20 8/10 perches from the southeast corner of J. Bond's lot; thence west by said Bond's line to the Fourth Street road; thence with the line of said road to the southeast corner of the grave- yard lots; thence with said graveyard lots westwardly to the Fifth Street road; thence so as to include the land of Thomas Horsefield, to the line of the Wells tract; thence with said Wells line to the land of A. H. Dohrman; thence along said Wells's and Dohrman's 6 perches; thence north 19 degrees east to the line of B. Tappan, Jr.'s outlot; thence with the outer boundary of said town, according to the Original Plat and the several additions, to the place of beginning."
Roughly speaking, this includes all the land lying between Stony Hollow on the north and Wells's Run on the south, the
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river on the east and an irregular line along the hillsides on the west, embracing an area of about 600 acres. This was divided into four wards by the intersection of Market and Fourth Streets, the south- east portion being the first ward, the south- west the second, the northwest the third, and the northeast the fourth. The govern- ment of the city was vested in a council, composed of two members from each ward, with mayor, clerk, treasurer, marshal and such other officers as should afterwards be required.
In November, 1871, considerable terri- tory was added to the city by the county commissioners, under a general act of the Legislature, bringing the area up to 1,676 acres. The southern line began at the river bank just below what was then known as the Borland shaft. It proceeded up the hill somewhat irregularly via the Nicholson farm and along the hillside up Wells's Run to the foot of England or Coal Hill; thence crossing the run it came eastwardly, taking in a narrow strip of bottom land, to the Union Cemetery, and thence to and out Market Street road, taking in a strip on each side; thence up Brady's Lane to Franklin Avenue extension; thence over the hills, reaching the river directly through a little brick house still standing above what was known as the Bustard shaft. This necessitated a readjustment of the wards, the First, Second, Third and Fourth were intersected by Market Street and Bank Alley or Alley C, and retained their old relative positions, but all north of Ross Street became the Fifth Ward, and all south of Wells's Run the Sixth. This arrangement lasted until 1902, when the Supreme Court of the state, having de- clared the previous legislative classifica- tion of cities, towns and villages unconsti- tutional, an act was passed providing that the legislative power of cities of the popu- lation of Steubenville should be vested in a conneil of seven members, four of whom should be elected by wards, and three from the city at large. This necessitated a rearrangement of the city wards and a
reduction of their number to four. This was done by council, all that part of the city lying below South Street being made the First Ward, between that and Market the Second, between Market and Dock the Third, and all above that the Fourth. The First, Third and Fourth were divided in three election precinets each, and the Sec- ond into two, making eleven in the city. The executive authority was vested in a mayor, president of council, auditor, treas- urer, solicitor, department of public serv- ice, department of public safety, all of whom except the latter were made elective. A more cumbersome and expensive scheme of government for small cities conld scarre- ly be imagined, and in 1908 the Legislature amended the law, abolishing the boards and providing that the mayor should ap- point a single director of public service and one of public safety. At this writing. the courts are wrestling with the problem as to whether the amendment took effect on August 1, 1909, or ran to January 1, 1910.
FROM WET TO DRY.
The manufacture, vending and use of in- toxicants in pioneer days was looked upon generally as a matter of course. The de- mands of vigorous outdoor life, the sparse- ness of the community. the ease with which practically unsalable grain could be con- verted into a prodnet at once easily trans- ported and always convertible into cash, fostered a trade which, along with its evils. was a means of providing comforts for many a home that would otherwise have been sadly lacking, went far to condone a traffic of admitted evil tendency. But that tendeney was not so bad in pioneer days as it afterwards became. While a sot ex- isted here and there, the community as a whole was temperate. The master of the house might keep distilled liquors on his sideboard, but it did not follow that he drank to excess or permitted his guests to do so. Then the lignors being home-made were universally pure, and life was not shortened or reason dethroned by deleteri-
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ous drugs. The strenuous life of the pio- neer was itself an incentive to temperance. in all things, of which the use of alcoholic liquors was not the least. But as the com- munity grew older and more populous, and there was a "leisure class" among the youth of the town, the multiplication of public drinking places and the excessive use of liquors indicated a growing evil. Hence, as early as 1828 we hear of move- ments to check the use of intoxicants, moral suasion alone being relied upon, no- body then thinking of regulation or pro- hibition. One of the first movers in this direction was the late Rev. C. C. Beatty, and it is related that he fathered a call for a public meeting at the Court House in 1830, but the county commissioners, not looking with favor on the new movement, refused to open the building for that purpose. The cause does not seem to have been very active until about 1845, when what was known as the Washingtonian movement swept over the country. The City Tem- perance Society, as it was called, took up the work with enthusiasm. Then came the "Sons of Temperance Society," "Temple of Honor Encampment." "Independent Order of Good Templars" and others. The longest lived of these organizations seems to have been the Republican Temple of Honor, which was instituted January 12, 1848, with the following charter members: B. D. Worthington, William Doyle, James Keith, Jr., Isaac MeDonald, R. S. Moody, David Hull, James H. Blinn, Rezin Merri- man, John McFeely, Thomas Sterling, A. D. Fisher, McGuire Doyle, William St. Clair, John C. Huston, James Kelley. Rob- ert S. Thompson, Robert C. Hull, E. G. McFeeley and O. A. Worthington. J. H. Lindsay and J. H. Hawkins were after- wards active members of this organization, and another active worker outside the so- ciety was Rev. Joseph Buchanan. There seems to have been what was known as Union Council, No. 2, of Royal and Select Masters of the State of Ohio, in 1839, hnt the charter was lost and on May 18, 1866, a new council was organized, with thirty-
two charter members. Steuben Social, No. 7, composed of the gentler sex, was insti- tuted in 1850. These orders assembled for many years in the Gallagher building, South Fourth Street, but dissolved a few years since.
From this time on there was not a win- ter in which public meetings were not held, addresses made, and pledges signed, gen- erally of total abstinence. There was no marked movement, however, until the fall of 1873, when a band of praying women exercised sufficient influence to close the saloons in Washington Court House, in this state. From there the movement spread rapidly over the state, and reached Jefferson County, especially Steubenville, in full force. Daily meetings were held, and each afternoon and evening there was visible a long procession of women march- ing along the streets until some saloon was reached, and if permission was given to enter it was accepted, otherwise the crowd would kneel on the streets and pour forth fervent petitions for the saloonkeeper and for the discontinuance of his business. It was very properly called the Women's Crusade; there was systematic picketing, and as a result there was a material fall- ing off in the saloon business. 'Only two or three of the saloons, however, quit busi- ness, and to close the others more than moral suasion was necessary. At that time among the powers granted municipal coun- cils by the Legislature was the right to regulate, restrain and prohibit ale, beer and porter houses, the selling of spirituous liquors to be drunk on the premises being already prohibited by.a statute which was practically a dead letter. Pressure was accordingly bronght to bear on the council, with such success that a prohibitory ordi- nance was passed, to take effeet April 1, 1874, when the ringing of the bells an- nounced the closing of all the saloons in the city. The leaders in this movement, in order to conserve the effects of public sen- timent created by the crusade and to aid in making their victory lasting, determined to form a permanent organization, and on
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March 2, 1874, met in the First Presbyte- rian Church and organized a local branch of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which had already been inaugurated in other parts of the state. The following officers were elected: President, Mrs. James Sterling; recording secretary, Mrs. John W. Holliday; corresponding secre- tary, Miss Emma Spaulding; treasurer, Mrs. L. R. Layton. The following year a state organization was formed at Cleve- land, with which the local union united, from which it has spread over this and other countries. Besides prohibition the union has taken up other subjects, such as Sunday observance and Sunday school work, school instruction as to the effect of alcohol, flower missions, social purity, etc. Mrs. Sterling was succeeded as president by Mrs. Dr. Grimes, Mrs. M. M. K. White, Miss Julia Galloway, who was also seere- tary for a number of years, and Mrs. B. N. Lindsey. Others prominent in the work were Mrs. Sarah Van Meter, Mrs. M. S. Stokely, Mrs. C. H. Spaulding, Mrs. Mary Bynon Reese, Mrs. Owens, Mrs. E. D. Led. yard, Mrs. Webb, Mrs. Hamilton, Mrs. Kidd, Miss Elizabeth Johnson and Mrs. James Gregg. The local union was the first to nominate women for members of boards of education. It was found difficult, however, to keep up the tension necessary to enforce an ordinance of this character, and it was evaded by personal liberty chibs, so called, and other devices, until it amounted to little. The ensuing fall there was a reaction in politics, and the Repub- licans, who had endorsed the stringent en- forcement of the liquor laws, were swept out of power and a Democratic Legislature elected on a platform opposed to "smmp- tuary legislation." The power of councils to prohibit saloons was promptly rescinded and once more things were wide open. The evil was too manifest, however, to be suf- fered to spread without resistance, and we again had resource to moral infinence, such as the Murphy movement, blue and red ribbon, etc. At the same time the senti-
ment in favor of more stringent regula- tion was becoming stronger, and as the state Constitution forbid the issuing of license, advantage was taken of the police power to levy a special tax on each saloon, by which it was hoped that the number would be reduced so that it would be easier to regulate the balance, and in addition yield an extra revenue as at least partial compensation for the evil caused. The original tax was $100 per annum for ale and beer saloons and $250 for distilled liquors, but this distinction was soon abol- ished. The first act, known as the Pond law, was declared unconstitutional by the courts, but a substitute was adopted, which stood the test, and high taxation became the policy of the state. The amount was gradually increased until the figure reached $1,000 per annum. This operated pretty generally in keeping saloons out of the rural districts, but they still flourished in the cities. The next step was the passage of an act by which a township, munici- pality, or part thereof, could by vote pro- hibit the sale of liquors within its limits. Under this act practically all the townships in Jefferson County and nearly all the mu- nicipalities outside of Steubenville and Mingo had gradually become "dry" terri- tory. In order to bring the cities in it was necessary to have county local option, and accordingly, what was known as the Rose law was enacted for this purpose. Under that law a special election was held on November 22, 1908, in which the county as a whole gave 7.020 votes in favor of pro- hibition, and 5,200 against it, making a majority in its favor of 1,820. Steuben- ville voted 617 against prohibition and Mingo 56 against, but that was of no avail to offset the heavy adverse majorities in the country districts. Since December 23. 1908, the city has been dry-that is, so far as open saloons are concerned, and while different causes contributed to this result, the main influence is to be aseribed to the persistent and continuous work of the W. C. T. U.
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