USA > Ohio > Coshocton County > Historical collections of Coshocton County, Ohio : > Part 8
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In 1866, D. L. Triplett and Wm. Bachelor brought from Kentucky " Abdallah," who met the sad fate of being burned to death in a stable consumed in the fall of 1869. The County Horse Fair Association was organized in 1866.
FRUIT CULTURE.
The first orchards planted in Coshocton county were, for the most part, if not entirely, from seedling trees. Top grafting upon these was afterward resorted to in a small degree, but without materially changing the general char- acter of the fruit, except in a few instances. Some of the early settlers coming in from Maryland and Virginia brought with them sprouts from the orchards of their home regions, and these of course contained those varieties. Some of these still have a place in the orchards of the descendants of those who brought them.
In 1832 Joshua B. Hart, of Tiverton township, had a bearing orchard of grafted fruit, consisting of the kinds brought out by the Ohio company. when they settled at Ma- rietta. Mr. Hart propagated some by grafting, but could not sell his trees, and quit in a short time.
Joseph F. Munro had a large orchard planted for him by old John Matthews, also of the Marietta sorts. The Rob- insons had a few trees of the same.
William Meskimens, on Will's creek, practiced grafting
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in a small way, and had bearing apple trees of the kinds common in Western Pennsylvania.
George Henderson had a bearing orchard of apples, and practiced grafting in a small way. His orchard was on White Eyes, and consisted of Western Pennsylvania kinds.
Old Mr. McFetridge had planted an orchard, not then yet in bearing. He brought his trees from Steubenville, and they were of the kinds grown in the Kneisley nurseries.
A nurseryman in Fairfield county, about 1830-31, brought by canal a large lot of grafted apple trees, but found no sale for them for orchard planting, and traded or in some way disposed of them to Nathan Spencer, who planted them in a kind of nursery, and sold them to John Frew. Eighty of them were planted by T. S. Humrickhouse in an orchard on Mill Creek in the fall of 1833.
Old John Elliott planted an orchard of the same kind on his farm in Bethlehem township. Every tree of this lot was true to name, and the whole selection proved most ad- mirable.
Richard Moode, near West Bedford, practiced grafting to a small extent, and had an orchard.
Wishing to plant two or three apple orchards, and not being able to find all the kinds he wanted in any one nursery, T. S. Humrickhouse, about 1835, commenced making a collection and grafting in nursery. He took from all the orchards above mentioned all the varieties they contained, and added from a distance all the kinds he could hear of that gave promise of being valuable, and has con- tinued that sort of work to this day.
When James Matthews was in Congress he procured most of the native and many foreign varieties, and they were thoroughly tried. Most of the foreign and many of the native were discarded. Both Mr. Matthews and Mr. Humrickhouse, about 1840, gave considerable attention to pears, peaches, plums, and grapes, introducing many fine varieties.
About 1838 Robert Seevers started a nursery at West Carlisle, and many of the orchards in the western town- ships were stocked by him.
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Kellis Hord started one near Bakersville. Others in dif- ferent parts of the county tried the business, but few of them continued long in it.
Traveling grafters, between 1840 and 1850, abounded in the county, but have not left very distinct traces.
For the last twenty years very heavy importations of fruit trees have been made. In one year the sales of tree-peddlers reached nearly $8,000. Those who experimented most largely in the purchase of these trees do not exult much at their success. An immense proportion of the trees died, and many of the varieties which were most highly com- mended proved really very inferior; and it has been dis- covered that it is sometimes better to go to a home nursery and get a few good varieties than to get a larger list pressed upon them by some one from without.
Joseph K. Johnson probably planted the largest peach orchard ever set out in the county-some eighty acres-on his place, about a mile east of Coshocton.
Among the most successful fruit-growers of late, as indi- cated by county fair displays and premiums, have been John Vance and Hugh McFadden, of Tuscarawas town- ship ; Simeon Ellis, of Washington ; William McCormick, of Keene ; and William C. Saunders, of White Eyes.
In this connection it may be stated that in 1855 J. K. Johnson planted quite a considerable vineyard on his place, one mile east of Coshocton, and for a few years soon there- after a considerable quantity of wine was made under his direction. The most of this was used by sick friends, of whom there proved to be a good many, and for church pur- poses. From the experiment, as made by him, there was no disposition on the part of himself or neighbors to en- large this interest.
Some years subsequently, J. B. Elliott and F. Seward es- tablished a vineyard in Keene township, but the operation was not accounted a large success.
A Mr. Shitz, in Crawford township, is perhaps the only one now operating in this line in the county. Most excel- lent grapes of such varieties come into the county as indi- vidual tastes approve, are grown in domestic way, and soils
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and other elements of success are found in many parts, and abound in a half dozen townships.
COUNTY AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY-FAIRS.
As early as 1835, the county commissioners, under pro- visions of law, directed a call to be issued for a meeting looking to the formation of a county agricultural society. But nothing effective was done under that call, or in any other way, for many years. The association of those chiefly interested in the cultivation of the soil progressed slowly. The matter at length was taken up by such men as Dr. H. Williams, Colonel C. F. Sangster, Dr. E. Cone, Judge Burt, John Davis, and determined and successful efforts accom- plished the organization.
The presidents of the society, as obtained from accessible sources,* have been Heslip Williams, E. Cone, James M. - Burt, John Meskimens, Wm. Hanlon, J. S. Elliott, and J. C. Campbell.
Secretaries : John Humrickhouse, C. H. Johnston, W. R. Forker, L. L. Cantwell, David Lanning, and Geo. Miller.
Treasurers : Wm. K. Johnson, Matthew Johnston, J. L. Rue, John A. Hanlon.
In the board of managers, besides the gentlemen above named, the following have served : A. D. Denman, T. S. Humrickhouse, Thomas Darling, Francis McGuire, Wm. Renfrew, Samuel Moore, James E. Robinson, D. L. Trip- lett, Frank Stafford, J. M. Smith, E. L. Robinson, Joseph Dickenson, Francis Wolf, Adam Piffer, John Mulligan, Geo. Factor, Peter Stevenson, J. M. Denman, Wm. McCoy, B. C. Blackburn, Seth Christy, Wm. Hesket, Hugh McFadden, Saul Miller, S. C. Burrell, John Hogle, Philip Moore, Lewis Demoss, G. W. Wolf, Marion Darling, Alex. Dins- more, Thomas McConnell, Wellington Darling, E. J. Po- cock, T. H. Burrell, John M. Adams, John Waggoner, Samuel Gardiner, J. H. Carr, Joseph W. Dwyer, Calvin
* The earlier records can not be found, after much inquiry. Plenty of people in this, as in other matters, "can tell who can tell" where they are.
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Boyd, Joseph Love, Joseph Burrell, M. L. Norris, and John Richardson.
.For a number of years the expenses of the society, in- cluding the premiums, were defrayed by annual fees paid by the members. Any one may become a member by the payment of one dollar per year ; receiving, also, four tick- ets of entrance to fairs.
The first fair under the auspices of the society was held at Jacobsport, in 1850. The fairs for several years there- after were held in the public square at Coshocton. From the first there was a choice selection of stock, and a grad- ual increase in other lines. The Elliotts and John Davis soon had some good displays of agricultural implements. The farmers' wives and daughters warmly seconded their husbands and fathers.
The fair of 1856 was not remarkable for display, but the talks among farmers and stock-breeders had their effect in awakening interest, and then settled these annual gather- ings as things to be kept up. That year an arrangement was made for leasing for a term of years the John Burt fair ground (since laid out into lots), extending from Sev- enth street to the foot of the bluff, and from Main street to the south side of Hiram Beall's property. This tract con- tained about nine acres. It was properly fenced, and build- ings and stalls erected on it, and the fair of 1857 was held there. By 1865, these grounds became insufficient, and in that year the society purchased from Dr. S. H. Lee twenty acres, about four hundred yards east of the Burt tract, and proceeded to fit up more extensive and, as was supposed, more permanent buildings. The amount paid for these grounds was $3,200. To assist the society in purchasing these grounds, the county commissioners agreed to donate $500, and to loan the society $500 more, to be repaid out of their receipts whenever the commissioners should require. It is understood that this was repaid when the grounds were sold by the society, as they were in the winter of 1872-3, having been cut up into lots, the society having in November, 1872, purchased of J. W. Dwyer the grounds now used for fair purposes. These grounds, lying a quarter
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of a mile south of the Burt fair ground, include a large grove (which was a chief attraction in the purchase), and are more convenient in the matter of access to water, not lying so high above the river level as the Lee ground. The amount of land embraced is thirty-four and fifty-eight one- hundredth acres, and the cost of it $10,488. Of this, from proceeds of sales of old grounds and otherwise, some $4,000 have been paid. For improvements on the new ground nearly $6,000 have been expended. The fair receipts for 1875 were $2,389, and the premiums paid about $1,500.
It is not understood that there are any granges of the Patrons of Husbandry in the county, but there are several " farmers' clubs ;" those of Franklin, Linton, and Lafayette townships being seemingly the most vigorous and suc- cessful.
The " Centennial Fourth of July celebration " for Cosh- octon county was held on the grounds of the society, and under its auspices. Messrs. Elliott, De Moss, Dwyer, and Miller were the committee of arrangements. Despite the frequent showers of rain, there was a very large attendance of people from all parts of the county, the number present being in excess of any company of people assembled pre- viously in the county. Music and flags and banners lent interest to the occasion. Thomas Campbell, Esq., was the president of the day. The Declaration of Independence was read by J. M. Compton, Esq. R. M. Voorhees, Esq., read a sketch of the history of Coshocton county, prepared by Rev. William E. Hunt (previously appointed, but de- tained from the ground by illness). William Sample, Esq., delivered an " Address on the Agricultural Interests of Coshocton County." Appropriate songs were sung by the whole company, led by J. Glover and by the Welsh Quar- tette, under the leadership of E. Prosser.
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CHAPTER XII.
NOTES ON MANUFACTURING, MINING, ETC.
MILLING.
THE earliest settlers relied for the most part on hominy or pounded corn. The hominy block was an indispensable article. The finest particles of the crushed grain were made into cakes and the coarser boiled. The hand-mill was the next appliance ; then the little neighborhood mills, turned by a run or a horse ; then the "one run of burr" mills were set up-one or two in a township. One of the earliest settlers tells how, having grown weary of hominy meal, and having heard that there was a power mill be- tween Dresden and Zanesville, he put some grain in his canoe, and started down the river from near Oxford. The mill was discovered to be quite a patent affair. Two canoes had been fastened just at a ripple in the river, and a small paddle-wheel set between the boats, and this, turned by the rippling waters, furnished the power to turn a large sized hand-mill.
In the "Notices of some of the Earliest Settlers by Town- ship," in a preceding part of this volume, mention has been made of many of the " corn-crackers," as the primitive mills were often designated. Of the earlier mills the more famous were those of Isaac Evans and Michael Miller. Probably the first mill that rose much above the dignity of a " corn-cracker" was that built in Linton township by Thomas Johnson and Jacob Waggoner in 1817, having four run of burrs.
J. F. Monroe & Co. erected the mill near the mouth of Will's creek (now Frew's mill) about 1820.
The mill in Perry township now operated by Adam Gault was built at a very early day.
Soon after the Ohio canal was opened, Medberry, Ransom
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& Co. built the " Roscoe mill" (upper), which was burned in 1853.
In 1840 the "Union mill " was built in lower Roscoe by the Union Mill Company (R. M. Lamb, Dr. S. Lee, and John Frew, of Coshocton ; Wm. and John Carhart, Jos. Le Retil- ley and George Bagnall, of Roscoe; and Peter Marquand, of Will's creek). Becoming embarrassed, the company sold this mill to D. N. Barney & Co., of Cleveland, and it was by them sold to Arnold Medberry. It was burned in 1855.
J. S. McVey started his mill at Walhoding about 1844, having enlarged and refitted for the purpose the Gamble distillery.
About 1846, the Linton mill was built by J. V. Heslip, Joseph Heslip, and M. L. Norris. In 1850, Robert Long started the mill at Warsaw; it afterward passed into the hands of N. Rector, subsequently was run by Burrell & Donley, and then by Robert Darling & Son. In 1856, the Empire mill in Roscoe was started by A. Medbery. After his death (in 1862) it was bought by F. E. Barney, Lewis Demoss, S. Lamberson, and D. L. Triplett. These gentle- men, within a few years, have added very largely to the machinery, and extended the buildings, making the estab- lishment one of the largest in the State of Ohio .* In 1874, the Beebe Brothers started their mill in Lower Roscoe. Robert D. Boyd also built one at Wild Turkey Lock. In 183-, a flouring-mill was built, corner of Second and Main streets, by James Renfrew & Co. After a few years it was burned down, and subsequently another, on the same site, was erected by a company, embracing the principal mer- chants of the town of Coshocton and a few others. It was not very successfully run, and after some years passed into the hands of Love & Hay, distillers, as elsewhere noted. In 1875, C. Balch & Co. started the " City Mill," the large brick mill just east of the freight depot in Coshocton. The following is the list of mills now in operation in addition to those already indicated, viz. : New Princeton, operated
* Joab Agnew and N. Schott have been so long with this establish- ment as to make them seem part of it.
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by Beck & Brother; Helmick Mills, Beck and Miller ; Clark's Mill, Beck & Co .; West Bedford, Darr; Chili, John Bowman; Avondale (formerly Boyd's) Mill, Thos. Elliott ; Emerson's Mill, near Orange.
The manufacture of whisky must be fairly set down as, for many years, one of the leading industries of Coshocton county. Much of the wealth of the county has come through it. A number of substantial citizens have been connected with it. It had the credit of being, for the most part, honestly carried on ; and the article made had a good reputation. Even a clergyman of the county advised his remote friends, " if they must have whisky, to be sure and get Coshocton county whisky." Passing by ruder and smaller still-houses, a noticeable one was in oper- ation, nearly forty years ago, near Walhonding, conducted by James Gamble, and a little later, one at that place by Collins, Gamble, and others. Another was on Lower Wills creek, operated by Munroe and others. A few miles below Roscoe was a quite substantial structure, turning out large quantities of corn-juice from 1830 to 1840, owned by John Frew & Co. (the Bowmans, of Brownsville, Pennsyl- vania). In later times there was a large whisky-mill at Conesville, operated by Cone, and then J. W. Beebe, and then Barney, Corning & Co., during whose administration the establishment was burned. It was rebuilt by Beebe, and a second time burned.
Wm. Renfrew and Robert Hay commenced operations in this line in 1831-2, in Upper Roscoe. The firm afterward became Love & Hay (Samuel Love afterward removed to Champaign county, Illinois, being in first, and afterward his brother Thomas Love). Subsequently, the distillery in Roscoe having burned, they came over to the old flouring-mill at the corner of Main and Second streets in Coshocton, and there continued for many years .* In 1863, T. Love & Co. sold a thousand barrels of their whisky to parties who im- mediately shipped it to California, and brought back, as the
* Fred. Schreid will long be remembered as one of the chief attaches of this concern.
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return cargo, thirty thousand barrels of flour. The very heavy capital involved and to some extent imperiled in the seasons of highest prices for corn, and especially the difficulties of competing with less honest distillers, who would run " crooked" whisky, and the ample returns al- ready secured, led to the giving up of the business. There is at this writing no recognized still in the county, and no whisky has been made in the county for some ten years.
Andrew Lybarger was the first man to start a tannery, setting up in that line, about 1808, in Coshocton, on the northwest corner of Second and Walnut streets. This yard afterward passed into the hands of John and Joseph K. Johnson, and, at a still later day, was owned by Andrew Wilkins. It was abandoned some years since. Probably the tannery next started was the one a mile above Roscoe, by the Carharts. Not long after was one at East Plain- field under the control of Thomas Johnston. Among the old establishments of this sort was one near Keene, oper- ated by Geo. Wolf-afterward by Sprague; one at East Union, started by MeVey and Bonnett, now run by the. Blues ; and one near West Bedford, under Wm. Renfrew. At this writing there is a tannery at Plainfield, run by Lewis Carhart; one at Coshocton, by H. N. Shaw & Sons ; at Roscoe, by J. & H. Carhart ; at New Princeton, by Wm. Wolfe; at East Union, by the Blues; at New Castle, by Jonathan Knight ; at West Carlisle, by Lewis Bonnett ; and one at Chili, by Gotlieb Feller.
The first iron foundry in the county was started in Cosh- octon by George Conwell and Morris Burt. It still stands on the lot just south of Dr. Wm. Stanton's residence, cor- ner of second and Locust streets. The Roses, of Roscoe, started the Roscoe foundry. The Coshocton one passed into the hands of J. C. Maginity, and the Roscoe one into Mr. Brown's, and these parties consolidated, making the Roscoe foundry the principal and, after a time, the only one. It is now operated by Henry King, of Coshocton, and James Mirise, of Roscoe.
John Taylor for many years carried on a machine-shop in Coshocton, on the premises used for a tannery by H. N.
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Shaw & Sons. His son, Hiram, and Henry King, some eight years ago started a foundry near the Tuscarawas bridge, and operated it (having James Hay also for a part- ner for a time) until they removed to Roscoe.
A few years ago, a young man, named Edward Kirk, from Pittsburgh, started the foundry on Fifth street in Coshocton. It afterward passed into the hands of T. C. Ricketts, and was operated by Kirk and Robert Hay, then by Ricketts & Evans, and, still later, by Hirt, Palm & Evans.
In May, 1871, a stock company was formed, called the "Coshocton Iron and Steel Company." The company pro- ceeded to erect quite extensive buildings, and put in them the machinery for making springs and axles and iron bridges. The president of the company was Houston Hay ; vice-president, F. E. Barney ; treasurer, T. C. Ricketts (and they, with Lewis Demoss and John Davis, were directors). The secretary was John A. Barney. James W. Shipman was general manager. He had formerly operated an estab- lishment of the same kind at Fort Plain, N. Y., and the company bought the machinery of his establishment and removed it to Coshocton. This arrangement was made after a committee had visited the works there. Everything needful pertaining to the concern was obtained either from Shipman or other parties. For a time everything went well; but, after running some three years, the company made an assignment. The working capital had all been borrowed at high rates of interest ; a boiler had exploded (June 10, 1873), entailing several thousands of dollars of loss ; very large sums were paid for salaries and wages, and in some cases not much return in the way of service made ; and these and other causes soon swamped the company, and more or less embarrassed the stockholders. The establish- ment was idle for a number of months, and was then bought on the second offer at sheriff's sale by Houston Hay, who held nearly one-third of the stock of the original company. The price paid was $33,334. Hay soon started the axle department, and not long after, in partnership with J. W. Dwyer, resumed work in the spring department.
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This is, at this writing, the largest iron manufacturing es- tablishment in the county, giving employment to nearly one hundred men and boys. George Ayres is the superintendent of the axle department, John Hoban of the spring shop, and Farley Connerty of the foundry.
Some twenty years ago a small foundry was started at Walhonding, and is still operated in a limited way.
There are in the county deposits of iron ore-at least one large deposit of black-band (on the farm of William Hanlon, near Coshocton)-but as yet nothing has been done in either shipping or working these mineral riches.
More than forty years ago certain gentlemen came from Bucks county, Pa., and undertook the erection of a furnace near New Princeton, in Monroe township; but, after cut- ting immense quantities of cord-wood, and doing some work in building, the enterprise was abandoned. One of the principal operators (B. F. Williams) removed to Rich- mond, Ind.
A couple of miles northeast of Coshocton is a black- marble quarry. It is claimed to be of the sort used for tiling, etc. A movement was made a few years ago to utilize this, but the project was not well braced, and the capital requisite was not secured. Another effort was made in 1876, with some promise of success.
There was a carding-mill, in very early days, at Plain- field. At a later day, one near Warsaw and another at Bakersville. The first complete mill was started in 1833 in upper Roscoe by Samuel Moffat. After a few years it was burned down, and another built by C. S. Miller and S. Moffat. Miller went to California, and Moffat died, and the property passed into the hands of Thomas Wilson in 1855. With this enterprise, Wilson MeClintock, afterward removing to Butler, Missouri, was for some years identified. The building was a frame one, stood a little above the planing-mill, and was burned down in 1867. Wilson pro- ceeded promptly, after the fire, to build the large brick mill now operated by him, upon a site a little west of the old one, drawing water from the Walhonding canal, instead of the Ohio canal.
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James Taylor operated a woolen mill in Coshocton for some years about 1840. Within a few years one has been erected by a stock company at Bakersville.
The paper-mill in Coshocton was built in 1863. Thomp- son Hanna (of Steubenville for many years) was its pro- jector and builder. Messrs. Hay, Johnson, Spangler, Den- man, and others countenanced the movement, and aided with the loan of funds. Daniel W. Hanna and Robert Sin- clair (son and son-in-law of Thompson Hanna) afterward operated the mill. Want of working capital-made more oppressive by a boiler explosion * and other misfortunes- caused a failure of the proprietors. After some temporary arrangements, the property came into the hands of John W. Cassingham and A. D. Harvey, of Coshocton, and Hugh McElroy, of Pittsburg, Pa., and has been by them success- fully operated for some years.
Among the more considerable saw-mills of the carlier days were those of Isaac Evans, on Evans' creek, Thomas Johnson on Will's creek, and Sherry Odell on Mill creek.
At a later day, mills were set up in Upper Roscoe, at Wild Turkey lock, and at Warsaw.
The Coshocton Planing Mill Company commenced ope- rations in 1869. The company was originally composed of Addison M. Williams, Martin Weiser, and W. H. Robin- son, Jr. Robinson soon withdrew, and Dr. Wm. Stanton became a partner for a time. For several years the estab- lishment has been owned and operated by Williams & Weiser. The building first used was Jackson Hay's old warehouse, from Canal Lewisville, which the company took down, hauled to Coshocton on wagons, and re-erected. Very considerable additions have been made to this orig- inal structure.
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