USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > Early Dayton; with important facts and incidents from the founding of the city of Dayton, Ohio, to the hundredth anniversary, 1796-1896, > Part 16
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At this period there must have been unusual literary interest and activity in Dayton, for there were no less than six public libraries in existence, as we learn from notices in the newspapers. None of them were large, but in the aggregate they reached a wide circle of readers.
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Charles Soule, afterwards a noted portrait painter, opened a store for the sale of engravings and for framing pictures in 1833. He also carried on "his old business of sign and ornamental painting " at his shop.
The second election of General. Jackson to the Presidency was celebrated in Dayton on the 8th of January, 1833, by a barbecue on the common west of the basin, now Cooper Park. National salutes were fired during the day. Immediately on the arrival at noon of a canal-boat with from fifty to one hundred citizens of Miamisburg, "a hickory tree bearing the American flag, still larger and more majestic than that which on a previous occasion left a stump" (an evident allusion to the cutting down of the Jackson pole in 1832), was erected. A large number of people from this and adjacent counties were present on this occasion. After the erection of the pole a procession was formed, in front of which walked four Revolutionary soldiers bearing liberty-caps and two members of the Dayton Hickory Club carrying an appropriate banner, who were followed by another soldier bear- ing the American flag. After moving through the principal streets, the procession passed into the Court-house, where an address was made and resolutions were adopted. From the Court- house they proceeded to the common, where an ox was roasted whole, of which and other refreshments all were indiscriminately invited to partake. The barbecue was followed by some "spirited sentiments," after which the procession reformed and marched to the center of town, where it dispersed. A barbecue was usually an uninviting feast. The outer part of the ox was smoked and scorched, and the remainder uncooked, though the animal was always roasted for many hours. After the feast the almost untouched carcass was hauled off by horses, sur- rounded by a crowd of boys and dogs, to be disposed of by hogs and hounds.
There were one thousand and one buildings in Dayton in 1833. The population was four thousand. January 3, 1834, an ordi- nance was passed by Council for the appointment of one or more watchmen. They were to wear uniformi badges and have the same power to call on persons to assist them in arresting of- fenders as the marshal had. The marshal and these watchmen constituted the police of Dayton.
Plans for a covered wooden bridge over the Miami River on Main Street were advertised for on the 28th of January, 1834.
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The county commissioners, on June 4, 1835, appropriated six hundred dollars toward the building-fund, and the remainder of the money was raised by subscription. The bridge was opened for travel in 1836.
The news of the death of Lafayette was received in 1834, and commemorative services were held on the 31st of August. A procession, composed of the mechanics of the town, carrying handsome banners draped in black, and representing their differ- ent occupations, the Masonic Fraternity, and the Order of Inde- pendent Odd Fellows, formed about eleven o'clock, and marched to the Presbyterian church. The exercises were opened with an impressive prayer by Rev. E. Allen, after which a beautiful and feeling ode, written for the occasion by a young lady of Dayton, was sung by the choir. Robert A. Thruston delivered "an impassioned and eloquent delineation of the talents of the deceased patriot." Then an ode, written for a similar occasion in Cin- cinnati by James Hall, was sung by the choir. Solemn music by the Cincinnati band accompanied the exercises, which closed with a prayer and benediction by Rev. David Winters. The committee of arrangements on this occasion was composed of the following gentlemen : Thomas Clegg, George Owen, W. L. Helfenstein, E. W. Davies, Peter Odlin, John Steele, E. Brown- ing, R. A. Thruston, E. Brabham, James Brown, Robert C. Schenck, John Anderson, Peter Baer, and C. G. Swain.
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PROTESTANT DEACONESS HOSPITAL.
From a photograph by Wolfe.
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1
From a photograph by Wolfe.
ST. ELIZABETH HOSPITAL.
CHAPTER IX
1836-1840
MEASURES Proposed for Improving the Town in 1836-Proceedings of Coun- cil-Public Meeting to Sustain Council-Cooper Park-Dayton Business Men in 1836-Educational Convention in 1836-Shinplasters-Thomas Morrison -Zoological Museum-William Jennison-First Railroad- Turnpikes-First Public-School Buildings -- Opposition to Public Schools - Processions of School Children and Other Efforts to Excite an Inter- est in Public Schools-Samuel Forrer Takes Charge of Turnpikes-His Biography -Midnight Markets-Cooper Hydraulic-Change of Chan- nel of Mad River-First County Fair-Morus Multicaulis Excitement -Dayton Carpet Manufactory-Number of Buildings Erected in 1839- Log Cabin Newspaper-Harrison Convention-Numbers in Attendance -Hospitality of Dayton People- Banners Presented.
IN April, 1836, Council appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs. Stone, Smith, and Winters, to effect a loan in behalf of the corporation of from one to ten thousand dollars, at a rate of interest not exceeding six per cent., and for a period of not less than five years, the interest to be paid annually. The money so obtained was to be used in improving the streets and the appearance of the town. The following proceedings of the next meeting of Council describe the proposed improvements :
"The Common Council of the town of Dayton, at their meet- ing April 25, 1836, passed the following resolution : That they would appropriate and spend so much money (provided a loan can be obtained ) as will make the following improvements, viz .: wharfing across the head of the State basin; improving the public commons as requested by D. Z. Cooper, in consideration of his releasing a part thereof for the benefit of the corporation, provided the balance be improved immediately ; to extend the market-house on center market-space to Jefferson Street; to grade the streets and walks throughout the town, and so soon as the grade is correctly ascertained, to raise and lower the walks in the different wards to the said grade; to finish the cisterns already commenced with lime cement, and to purchase five hun- dred more feet of hose for the Fire Department."
As there was a difference of opinion in respect to the propriety of borrowing money and making the above improvements, it was
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resolved, on motion of the recorder, David Winters, "that all citi- zens interested in the above matter be requested to meet at the Court-house Wednesday evening next at early candle-lighting, and then and there express their approbation or disapprobation of the above measure." Peter Aughinbaugh was chairman of the town meeting called by Council, and Daniel Roe secretary. Addresses were made by Messrs. Robert C. Schenck, Ralph P. Lowe, Henry Bacon, and Daniel Roe. There was some oppo- sition to the proposed improvements on the ground that they were more for ornament than use, and that they would increase the taxes, while the advantages would be unequally distributed. Council proposed to borrow ten thousand dollars, three thousand of which were to be expended on the park and the remainder on other improvements. After a full discussion a majority of the meeting passed resolutions commending the improvements contemplated by Council and the loan by means of which they were to be accomplished. They recommended that Council should apply one-tenth of any amount to be expended during the year in filling up the ditch commonly called "Seely's Basin."
An act of the Legislature, passed February 17, 1808, empow- ered Daniel C. Cooper to amend the original plat of Dayton as to lots 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99, 100, 141, 142, 143, and then set them apart as a common for the use of the citizens. To induce the citizens to convert the "commons" into a park that would be creditable, in December, 1836, David Zeigler Cooper, son of Daniel Cooper, executed a deed authorizing the city to lease lots 94, 95, and 96, and releasing any reversionary interest that might accrue to him. It was provided in the deed that the remaining ground should be enclosed, planted with trees, and forever kept as "a walk" for "the citizens of Dayton and its visitors." It was manifestly the intention that the proceeds from the leases should be used to keep the park in perfect order. In 1838 the "public square," as the park was then called, was prepared for and planted with fine forest trees, which the Journal of that day says was "a fair beginning for a work which promises to be a credit, as well as an ornament, to the town."
Major Daniel W. Wheelock, the efficient and public-spirited Mayor of Dayton during 1836, 1837, and 1838, suggested many of the new improvements, and energetically hastened the com- pletion of those begun while he was in office. A number of new buildings were erected in 1836-37. Among the most impor -
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tant was a handsome brick Catholic church. Thomas Morrison, builder, as stated in the Dayton Journal, reported the number of buildings put up this year as forty-five of brick and thirty-five of frame.
It may be interesting to mention the names of some of the business men whose advertisements appear in the Journal at this period. Numbers of them had been doing business in Dayton for many years. M. & G. A. Hatfield, chairmakers ; T. & W. Parrott, merchants; John Bidleman, boot- and shoe- maker; Swain & Demarest, produce dealers; Samuel Shoup, merchant ; Simon Snyder and Samuel McPherson, tanners ; Thomas Casad, hatmaker; Thomas Brown, builder; Richard Green, shoemaker ; J. Burns, edge-tool manufacturer ; H. Best, · jeweler ; James, Johnson V. & Henry V. Perrine, merchants ; James McDaniel, merchant tailor; Aughinbaugh & Loomis, hardware; George W. Smith & Son, merchants ; Samuel Dolly, coachmaker; E. Edmondson, tanner; Jacob Stutsman, copper- smith; Conover & Kincaid, merchants; T. Barrett and R. P. Brown, booksellers and bindery ; E. Helfenstein & Co., hardware; Phillips, Green & Co., merchants; C. Koerner, druggist; Henry Herrman, merchant ; Rench, Harshman & Co., produce dealers ; D. Z. Peirce and W. B. Stone, grocers; C. & W. F. Spining, merchants; Brown & Hoglen, grocers; Daniel Roe & Sons, druggists; Daniel Keifer, cabinet-maker; Alexander Swaynie, produce dealer ; J. Greer & Co., stoves; T. & J. H. Boyer, copper and tin shop ; Brown & Peirce, merchants; Van Cleve & Newell, druggists ; Estabrook & Phelps, grocers; Edwin Smith & Co., druggists ; Morrison & Arnold, builders; Samuel Brady, mer- chant; R. A. Kerfoot, saddler; Abram Darst, grocer; J. O. Shoup, merchant.
This year a daily mail from Washington-through in fifty-six hours-was established.
A memorable convention was held in Dayton in August, 1836, in the interest of free schools. A committee of arrangements was appointed consisting of E. E. Barney, R. C. Carter, R. C. Schenck, George B. Holt, and Milo G. Williams. Delegates were present from Cincinnati and seven or eight other Olio towns, and visitors from Belleville, New Jersey, and Detroit, Michigan. Rev. E. Allen was elected president, and Daniel A. Haynes secretary. The convention remained in session three days. Able addresses were made by Rev. W. H. McGuffey, D.D.,
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a man of remarkable ability as a speaker, and afterwards the compiler of the famous readers that bore his name, and Dr. Har- rison, an eloquent and distinguished professor in the Cincinnati Medical College., The discussions took a wide range, and were participated in by some of the most distinguished educators in the State. What advanced views were held may be learned from the resolutions adopted, which favored the establishment of normal schools, that teaching might become a profession; the introduction in the schools of the studies of geology and physi- ology ; and the publication of a periodical to be called the Teachers' Magazine. The convention was fully reported in the Dayton Journal. The editors, R. N. and W. F. Comly, warmly and ably advocated the cause of public schools, and freely opened the columns of the Journal to the discussion of the subject.
The wild speculations which preceded and culminated in 1837 resulted in a complete prostration of business, from which the country did not recover for many years. The failure of many banks, and the suspension of specie payments by the others, made money, and especially silver change, excessively scarce. As a substitute for small coin, "shinplasters," or promises to pay fifty, twenty-five, or ten cents on demand, printed on ordi- nary paper, were issued by merchants, grocers, and others. Thomas Morrison, who was an extensive owner of real estate, which was a basis for credit, issued a large amount of these "shinplasters." It was so easy and tempting to issue money which was current to be redeemed in the future, that it is not surprising that an amount was put out much beyond the original intention. When the time came for redemption, the following advertisement in the Journal of June 26, 1838, shows the unpleas- ant position in which Mr. Morrison was placed :
"PUBLIC NOTICE-SHINPLASTERS IN DANGER.
"FELLOW-CITIZENS : I am compelled to leave town to fulfill a contract that I have undertaken -that is, to build a mill at the . falls of Greenville Creek for G. W. Smith. I leave Dayton at this time with regret, because the law prohibiting the circulation of small notes or shinplasters is soon to take effect, and I wish to satisfy my fellow-citizens that I am not the man under any cir- cumstances to take advantage of that law, by which the State allows nie to act the rascal. No ; it is vain to try to induce me to do so. I intend to redeem every note I have put in circulation, and that as soon as I return, and will do it with pleasure and
From a photograph by Appleton.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH,
From a photograph by Appleton.
THIRD STREET PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH.
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satisfaction. I desire my fellow-citizens and all who have confi- dence in my word of honor-and I trust there are some who believe I will do as I say-not to refuse to take them till my return, when every cent shall be paid, with the addition of six per cent. interest for every day the notes are left unredeemed after the Ist of July. On my return I will give public notice, so that the holders of my notes may call. It has been an un- profitable business, but it shall end honestly."
In the end Mr. Morrison redeemed in full all the "shinplas- ters" he issued. Mr. Morrison came to Dayton at an early day, and was for many years the leading contractor and builder of the town. His son, David .H. Morrison, a skillful civil engineer and founder of the Columbia Bridge Works, married Harriet, the daughter of Robert J. Skinner, the pioneer news- paper publisher and editor. Mary Morrison married Dr. M. Garst, and Maria, Daniel Garst.
A number of citizens assembled on the 16th of September at the Court-house for the purpose of establishing a zoolog- ical museum. A committee, consisting of John W. Van Cleve, Dr. John Steele, William Jennison, and Thomas Brown, was appointed to ascertain whether a suitable room could be obtained, and funds for paying for it secured. A room was procured at the head of the basin, but the place was unsuitable and not attractive. The idea of establishing a public museum would not have suggested itself to the citizens of Dayton at that early date but for the presence here of a very accomplished naturalist, William Jennison, who had been for a number of years engaged in such work in Germany, and being connected with foreign societies of naturalists, would be able to procure from abroad almost any specimens desired, merely by applying for them and paying the cost of transportation. He had a number of birds prepared by himself in the best manner, and handsomely arranged in glass cases ; and also hundreds of insects classified and arranged in scientific order, and affording, by the variety of size and color, a most beautiful sight, though "the poor fellows were impaled with pins." All these he offered to place in a public museum, and to devote part of his time to the work of increasing the collection. But the project was soon abandoned, and he removed his birds and butterflies to his resi- dence,-then a short distance out of town, but now on Linden Avenue, within the corporation,-where he had a garden and greenhouse, in which he raised fine flowers for sale. He was an
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object of curiosity to the people when he went out, net in hand, to collect butterflies for his cabinet and natural-history specimens to exchange with his friends across the Atlantic. Mr. Jennison was an elegant and accomplished man, with the courtly manner of a gentleman of the old régime. He spoke English perfectly, which was probably due to the fact that his mother was an Englishwoman of rank, whom his father, Count Jennison, of Heidelberg, had married while minister of the Kingdom of Wür- temberg to the Court of St. James. Washington Irving, in a letter published in the second volume of his biography, gives an interesting account of a visit which he paid in 1822 to Count Jennison and his amiable and agreeable family. He describes the Count as an elegant and hospitable and highly cultivated man, who spoke English as perfectly as an Englishman.
A meeting was held on the evening of the 18th of November, 1837, at the Court-house for the purpose of exciting an interest in the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company, incorporated in 1832 and organized in 1834. Since the election of officers of the company nothing further had been done. Jonathan Harsh- man, Robert C. Schenck, and Peter Odlin took a prominent part in the meeting, and resolutions were passed urging the raising of stock and the speedy commencement of the road. The law affording State aid to railroads had recently been passed by the Ohio Legislature.
An act was passed on the 24th of March, 1836, by the Legis- lature "to authorize a loan of credit by the State of Ohio to railroad companies, and to authorize subscriptions by the State to the capital stock of turnpike, canal, and slack-water naviga- tion companies." Dayton was one of the first towns to take advantage of the provisions of the act guaranteeing the aid of the State to works of this description, and before the repeal of the law in 1840 it had been the means of putting in the course of construction five turnpikes, the aggregate length of the five roads being one hundred and forty miles, and other turnpikes were in contemplation. To the abundance of gravel, which made the construction of turnpikes cheap and easy, are due our excel- lent turnpikes leading in every direction to the neighboring towns. By 1850 Dayton had fourteen turnpikes.
The subscription books of the Dayton & Springfield Company were opened January 19, 1838, and the contract made on the 12th of May. This turnpike, to induce travel through Dayton, was
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built in the same style as the National Road, especially at its junction with the latter, and witli similar bridges, stone culverts, toll-gates, and mile-stones. Comfortable brick taverns were erected a few miles apart along the pike. It was a great disap- pointment to the people of Dayton that the National Road did not pass through here. Strenuous efforts were made to induce Congress to locate the road through Dayton, and, having failed, equally strenuous efforts were made to have the route changed. Many familiar names occur in connection with the turnpikes -Peter Odlin, R. C. Schienck, Horace Pease, H. G. Phillips, Joseph Barnett, Thomas Brown, Thomas Dover, J. W. Van Cleve, J. H. Crane, Jonathan Harshman, John Kneisley, V. Winters, Abram Darst, and David Z. Peirce.
On May 7, 1838, a public meeting was called at the Court-house to discuss the erection of public school-houses, and how much money should be raised by taxation for the purpose. Strenuous opposition was made to the levy of the tax by a few wealthy citizens; but, after a heated discussion, the measure was carried by a large majority. The amount to be raised was six thousand dollars, and two school-houses-one in the eastern and one in the western part of the town-were to be built. The opposition did not end with the meeting. It was believed that it could not be proved that the law had been complied with in giving notice of the meeting. This had been anticipated by Mr. E. E. Barney, who had taken the precaution to post the notices in person, and, accompanied by a friend, had visited them from time to time to see that they were not removed. The houses-considered models in that day-were built. The majority of the children attended private schools, and all sorts of efforts were made by enliglitened citizens to increase the popularity of the public schools.
On the Fourth of July, 1838, Mr. Elder's school paraded on Main Street, escorted by the Blues and Grays,-the militia companies of the town,-and then gave a concert at the Methodist church. At a public meeting in 1839 it was resolved that the Fourth of July should be celebrated by a procession of the public, private, and Sunday schools of the town, with exercises at Cooper Park and a picnic-dinner for the children. Children and teachers m11arched on one side of the street, and parents and citizens on tlie other. In 1856 the school year closed with a procession and pic- nic across the river. The City Council and School Board headed the procession. Each school carried a beautiful silk banner.
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Two brass bands enlivened the procession. At the grove there were declaniations and songs, an address by the president of the board, and delivery of diplomas to High School graduates. In 1859 there was a similar procession and picnic.
In 1839 Mr. Samuel Forrer, at the earnest solicitation of the directors, consented to take charge of the turnpikes as engineer and general superintendent. The roads placed under his super- vision were the Dayton & Lebanon, Dayton & Springfield, and the Great Miami turnpikes. The Ohio Legislature, for partisan reasons, had just excluded Mr. Forrer from the Canal Board, thus depriving the State of a faithful and competent officer. But as Dayton could now secure the constant aid of his invaluable talents and experience in the various public improvements in which the citizens were interested, and which, although of a local character, deeply concerned a large proportion of the people, there were some among us, the Journal says, selfish enough not to regret the change. For some years the county commissioners have had the supervision of the turnpikes. The toll-gates, which used to be encountered every few miles along the road, have been abolished by a law permitting the purchase of the pikes by the county from the companies.
Samuel Forrer was reappointed in the spring of 1837, by the Board of Public Works, principal engineer on the lines of the Wabash and Erie and Miami canals. This appointment, as the proper administration of the canal involved the prosperity of Dayton, was a matter of rejoicing here. A number of Dayton young men went out with Mr. Forrer to learn civil engineering. Howe's "Historical Collections of Ohio" contains, in the chap- ter on "Pioneer Engineers of Ohio," by Colonel Charles Whittlesey, the following interesting biographical sketch of Mr. Forrer :
"No engineer in Ohio spent as many years in the service of the State as did Mr. Forrer. He came from Pennsylvania in 1818, and in 1819 was deputy surveyor of Hamilton County, Ohio. In 1820 Mr. William Steele, a very enterprising citizen of .
Cincinnati, Ohio, employed Mr. Forrer at his own expense to ascertain the elevation of the Sandusky and Scioto summit above Lake Erie. His report was sent to the Legislature by Gov- ernor Brown. This was the favorite route [for the Erie Canal ], the shortest, lowest summit, and passed through a very rich country. The great question was a supply of water, It would
From a photograph"by Appleton.
GRACE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
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From a photograph by Appleton.
CHURCH OF THE SACRED HEART.
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have been located, and in fact was in part, when in the summer and fall of 1823 it was found by Judge D. S. Bates to be wholly inadequate. Of twenty-three engineers and assistants eight died of local diseases within six years. Mr. Forrer was the only one able to keep the field permanently and use the instruments in 1823. When Judge Bates needed their only level, Mr. Forrer in- vented and constructed one that would now be a curiosity among engineers. He named it the Pioneer. It was in form of a round bar of wrought iron, with a cross like a capital T. The top of the letter was a flat bar welded at right angles, to which a telescope was made fast by solder, on which was a spirit-level. There was a projection drawn out from the cross-bar at right angles to it, which rested upon a circular plate of the tripod. By means of thumb-screws and reversals, the round bar acting as a pendulum, a rude horizontal plane was obtained, which was of value at short range.
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