USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio, containing a collection of the most interesting facts, traditions, biographical sketches, anecdotes, etc., relating to its general and local history : with descriptions of its counties, principal towns, and villages > Part 46
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knowledge."
In connection with the above editorial, Mr. Parsons, in his com- munication, says :
" I believe there can be a good deal of evidence collected in this section of country, which will go to prove that it was once inhabited by a race who emigrated either from South America or the southern portion of North America, or at least had commercial relations with that country. I will refer to one circumstance, which, doubtless, antiquarians will regard as worthy of record. In the township of Perry, Lake county, about the year 1820, in digging into an Indian burying field, a club of nicaraugua was found in connection with the bones of a man. The club was sound, but the bones were con- siderably decayed, and bore the same evidence of the effect of time as those usually found in our ancient burying grounds. The
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LORAIN COUNTY.
women are more utilitarians than antiquarians, for on calling for the club a few days after, I found they had cut it up to color with, and they said it was as good as any they ever got at stores."
Elyria, the county seat, is 7 miles from Lake Erie, 24 west of Cleveland, and 130 northeast of Columbus. The first settier in the town and township, was Mr. Heman Ely, from West Springfield,
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Public Square, Elyria.
Mass., who came out here in March, 1817, and built a cabin about 12 rods southeast of his present residence. He brought with him some hired men, to make improvements on his land, a large tract of which he had purchased at this place and vicinity. The village was soon laid out, and some time in the succeeding year, Mr. Ely moved into his present residence, the first frame house erected in the town- ship. The name Elyria, was formed from the surname of Mr. Ely and the last syllable of the given name of his wife, Ma-ria. Upon the organization of the county, the old court house was built, which was used as a church by the Presbyterians, until they built a house of worship, the first erected in the village. Elyria is a beautiful and thriving village ; in its center is a handsome public square, shown in the engraving : the large building in front is the court house, be- yond, on the right, is the public square, on which are seen, facing " Beebe's block," "the Mansion House" and "the brick block." The Gothic structure on the left, is the Presbyterian church, designed by R. A. Sheldon, of New York, and erected in 1846-7, by H. J. & S. C. Brooks, of Elyria; it is one of the most elegant churches in Ohio, built of sandstone, and finished throughout in a tasteful and substantial manner, at an expense of about $8000.
The village stands on a peninsula, formed by the forks of Black river, on which, near the town, are two beautiful falls, of 40 feet perpendicular descent, highly valuable for manufacturing purposes. At the falls on the west fork, the scenery is wild and picturesque ; the rocks are lofty, and overhang the valley for perhaps son.e 30 feet. At that point is. a large cavern, of a semi-circular form, about 75
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LORAIN COUNTY.
feet deep, 100 broad at the entrance, with a level floor, and wall from 5 to 9 feet high, forming a cool and romantic retreat from the heats of summer. The sandstone bounding the valley, is of an ex- cellent quality, and is much used for building purposes. Elyria contains 1 Episcopal, 1 Methodist, 1 Baptist, 1 Disciples and 1 or 2 Congregational churches, 1 classical academy, 6 dry goods, 3 grocery and 3 drug stores, 1 newspaper printing office, 1 woollen, 1 axe, and sash and blind factory, 1 furnace, 1 machine shop, 3 flouring mills and about 1500 inhabitants.
Collegiate Buildings, Oberlin.
Eight miles southwest of Elyria, is the village of Oberlin, so named from Rev. John Frederic Oberlin, pastor of Waldbach, Swit- zerland, who was remarkable for his great benevolence of character : he was born in Strasbourg, in 1740, and died at Waldbach, in 1826. The town is situated on a beautiful and level plain, girted around by the original forest in its primitive majesty. The dwellings at Ober- lin are usually two stories in height, built of wood, and painted white, after the manner of the villages of New England, to which this has a striking resemblance. Oberlin contains 3 dry goods and 1 book store, a Presbyterian church, the collegiate buildings, and about 150 dwellings. The Oberlin Evangelist, which has a circula- tion of 5000, and the Oberlin Quarterly Review, are published here. The engraving shows, on the right, the Presbyterian church, a sub- stantial brick building, neatly finished externally and internally, and capable of holding a congregation of 3000 persons ; beyond it, on a green of about 12 acres, stands Tappan Hall ; and facing the green, commencing on the left, are seen Oberlin Hall, Ladies' Hall and Colonial Hall, all of which buildings belong to the Institute. By the annual catalogue of 1846-7, there were at Oberlin 492 pupils, viz : in the theological department, 25; college, 106; teachers depart- ment, 16; shorter course, 4; male preparatory, 174; young ladies' course, 140; and ladies' preparatory, 28. Of these, there were males 314, and females 178. The annexed sketch of Oberlin was
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written by J. A. Harris, editor of the Cleveland Herald, and pub. lished in that print, in 1845.
The Oberlin Collegiate Institute is emphatically the people's college, and although some of its leading characteristics are peculiar to the institution, and are at variance with the general public opinion and prejudices, the college exerts a wide and healthful influence. It places a useful and thoroughly practical education within the reach of indigent and indus- trious young men and women, as well as those in affluent circumstances ; and many in all ranks of life avail themselves of the rare advantages enjoyed at Oberlin. The average number of students the last five years is 528, and this, too, be it remembered, in an institu- tion that has sprung up in what was a dense wilderness but a dozen years ago! To re- move all incredulity, we will give a concise history of its origin and progress.
The Rev. John J. Shipherd was a prominent founder of Oberlin. His enterprising spirit led in the devising and incipient steps. Without any fund in the start, in August, 1832, he rode over the ground, for inspection, where the village of Oberlin now stands. It was then a dense, heavy, unbroken forest, the land level and wet, almost inaccessible by roads, and the prospects for a settlement forbidding in the extreme. In November, 1832, Mr. Ship- herd, in company with a few others, selected the site. Five hundred acres of land were conditionally pledged by Messrs. Street and Hughes, of New Haven, Conn., on which the college buildings now stand. A voluntary board of trustees held their first meeting in the winter of 1832, in a small Indian opening on the site. The legislature of 1833-4, granted a charter with university privileges. Improvements were commenced, a log house or two were erected, people began to locate in the colony, and in 1834, the board of trustees re- solved to open the school for the reception of colored persons of both sexes, to be regarded as on an equality with others. In January, 1835, Messrs. Mahan, Finney and Morgan were appointed as teachers, and in May of that year, Mr. Mahan commenced house-keep- ing in a small log dwelling. Such was the beginning -- and the present result is a striking exemplification of what obstacles can be overcome, and what good can be accomplished under our free institutions, by the indomitable energy, earnest zeal, and unfaltering perse- verance of a few men, when they engage heart and soul in a great philanthropic enterprise.
Oberlin is now a pleasant, thriving village, of about two thousand souls, with necessary stores and mechanics' shops, the largest church in the state, and a good temperance hoci. It is a community of tetotallers, from the highest to the lowest, the sale of ardent spirits never having been permitted within its borders. The college buildings number seven con .- modious edifices. Rev. A. Mahan, is president of the Collegiate Institute, assisted by fifteen able professors and teachers. Endowments-eight professorships are supported in part by pledges ; 500 acres of land at Oberlin, and 10,000 acres in western Virginia.
OBJECTS OF THE INSTITUTION.
1. To educate youths of both sexes, so as to secure the development of a strong mind in a sound body, connected with a permanent, vigorous, progressive piety-all to be aided by a judicious system of manual labor.
2. To beget and to confirm in the process of education the habit of self-denial, patient endurance, a chastened moral courage, and a devout consecration of the whole being to God, in seeking the best good of man.
3. To establish universal liberty by the abolition of every form of sin.
4. To avoid the debasing association of the heathen classics, and make the bible a text- book in all the departments of education.
5. To raise up a church and ministers who shall be known and read of all men in deep sympathy with Christ, in holy living, and in efficient action against all which God forbids.
6. To furnish a seminary, affording thorough instruction in all the branches of an educa- tion for both sexes, and in which colored persons, of both sexes, shall be freely admitted, and on the terms of equality and brotherhood.
We confess that much of our prejudice against the Oberlin College has been removed by a visit to the institution. The course of training and studies pursued there, appear ad- mirably calculated to rear up a class of healthy, useful, self-educated and self-relying men and women-a class which the poor man's son and daughter may enter on equal terms with others, with an opportunity to outstrip in the race, as they often do. It is the only college in the United States where females enjoy the privileges of males in acquiring an education, and where degrees are conferred on ladies; and this peculiar feature of the in- struction has proved highly useful. By combining manual labor with study, the physical system keeps pace with the mind in strength and development, and the result in most cases is " sound minds in healthy bodies." Labor and attention to household duties are made familiar and honorable, and pleased as we were to note the intelligent and healthful coun-
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LUCAS COUNTY.
tenances of the young ladies seated at the boarding house dinner table, the gratification was heightened shortly after by observing the same graceful forms clad in tidy long aprons, and busily engaged in putting the dining hall in order. And the literary exercises of the same ladies, proved that the labor of the hands in the institution had been no hindrance in the acquisition of knowledge.
Young in years as is Oberlin, the institution has sent abroad many well qualified and diligent laborers in the great moral field of the world. Her graduates may be found in nearly every missionary clime, and her scholars are active co-workers in many of the phi- lanthropic movements that distinguish the age. It is the people's college, and long may i prove an increasing blessing to the people.
Black River, at the mouth of Black River, 8 miles from Elyria has a good harbor, capable of much improvement. It is the prin- cipal port of the county : it has a beacon, several forwarding houses and stores, and about 50 dwellings. La Porte, 3 miles SE. of E., on the Wooster and Akron road, has 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist and 1 Universalist church, 2 stores and about 50 dwellings. There are other small villages, among which may be named Corwinville, Fren Creek, Wellington Center and Grafton Center.
LUCAS.
LUCAS, named from the Hon. Robert Lucas, governor of Ohio from 1832 to 1836, has been created within a few years. The sur- face is level, a portion of it covered by the black swamp, and the northern part a sandy soil. The principal productions are Indian corn, wheat, potatoes and oats. The following is a list of the town- ships in 1840, with their population :
Amboy, 452
Port Lawrence, 2335
Sylvania, 426
Chesterfield, 301
Providence,
160
Waterville,
755
Clinton, 353 Richfield, 204 Waynesfield, 1290
German, 452
Royalton, 401
Wing,
145
Gorham, 352
Springfield, 443
York,
435
Oregon, 264
Swan Creek, 494
The population of Lucas, in 1840, was 9392, or about 5 inhab itants to the square mile.
This region of country-the Maumee valley-has been the theater of important historical incidents. The greatest event, Wayne's victory, or "the battle of Fallen Timbers," was fought August 20th, 1794, within the limits of this county.
On the 28th of July, Wayne having been joined by General Scott, with 1600 mounted Kentuckians, moved forward to the Maumee. By the 8th of August, the army had arrived near the junction of the Auglaize with that stream, and commenced the erection of Fort Defiance, at that point. The Indians, having learned from a deserter of the approach of Wayne's army, hastily abandoned their head quarters at Auglaize, and thus defeated the plan of Wayne to sur- prise them, for which object he had cut two roads, intending to march by neither. At Fort Defiance, Wayne received full information of
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the Indians, and the assistance they were to derive from the volun- teers at Detroit and vicinity. On the 13th of August, true to the spirit of peace advised by Washington, he sent Christian Miller, who had been naturalized among the Shawanese, as a special messenger to offer terms of friendship. Impatient of delay, he moved forward, and on the 16th, met Miller on his return with the message, that if the Americans would wait ten days at Grand Glaize, [Fort Defiance,] they-the Indians-would decide for peace or war. On the 18th, the army arrived at Roche de Bœuf, just south of the site of Water- ville, where they erected some light works as a place of deposite for their heavy baggage, which was named Fort Deposite. During the 19th, the army labored at their works, and about 8 o'clock on the morning of the 20th, moved forward to attack the Indians, who were encamped on the bank of the Maumee, at and around a hill called " Presque Isle," about two miles south of the site of Maumee City, and four south of the British Fort Miami. From Wayne's re- port of the battle, we make the following extract :
The legion was on the right, its flank covered by the Maumee : one brigade of mounted volunteers on the left, under Brig. Gen. Todd, and the other in the rear, under Brig. Gen. Barbee. A select battalion of mounted volunteers moved in front of the legion, com- manded by Major Price, who was directed to keep sufficiently advanced, so as to give timely notice for the troops to form in case of action, it being yet undetermined whether the Indians would decide for peace or war.
After advancing about five miles, Major Price's corps received so severe a fire from the enemy, who were secreted in the woods and high grass, as to compel them to retreat. The legion was immediately formed in two lines, principally in a close thick wood, which ex- tended for miles on our left, and for a very considerable distance in front ; the ground being covered with old fallen timber, probably occasioned by a tornado, which rendered it impracticable for the cavalry to act with effect, and afforded the enemy the most favorable covert for their mode of warfare. The savages were formed in three lines, within sup- porting distance of each other, and extending for near two miles at right angles with the river. I soon discovered, from the weight of the fire and extent of their lines, that the enemy were in full force in front, in possession of their favorite ground, and endeavoring to turn our left flank. I therefore gave orders for the second line to advance and support the first ; and directed Major General Scott to gain and turn the right flank of the savages, with the whole force of the mounted volunteers, by a circuitous route ; at the same time I ordered the front line to advance and charge with trailed arms, and rouse the Indians from their coverts at the point of the bayonet, and when up, to deliver a close and well-directed fire on their backs, followed by a brisk charge, so as not to give them time to load again.
I also ordered Captain Mis Campbell, who commanded the legionary cavalry, to turn the left flank of the enemy next the river, and which afforded a favorable field for that corps to act in. All these orders were obeyed with spirit and promptitude; but such was the impetuosity of the charge by the first line of infantry, that the Indians and Canadian militia and volunteers were drove from all their coverts in so short a time, that although every possible exertion was used by the officers of the second line of the legion, and by Generals Scott, Todd and Barbee, of the mounted volunteers, to gain their proper posi- tions, but part of each could get up in season to participate in the action ; the enemy being drove, in the course of one hour, more than two miles through the thick woods already mentioned, by less than one half their numbers. From every account the enemy amounted to two thousand combatants. The troops actually engaged against them were short of nine hundred. This horde of savages, with their allies, abandoned themselves to flight, and dispersed with terror and dismay, leaving our victorious army in full and quiet possession of the field of battle, which terminated under the influence of the guns of the British gar- rison. * * * *
The bravery and conduct of every officer belonging to the army, from the generals down to the ensigns, merit my highest approbation. There were, however, some whose rank and situation placed their conduct in a very conspicuous point of view, and which I ob- served with pleasure, and the most lively gratitude. Among whom, I must beg leave to
Perrysburg
Maumee R
FORT MEIGS
Port
Miami
I Water ville
Proctor's Encampment
Maumee City
Rapids
Presque Isle
Roche de Bœuf
Wayne's Battle Ground
PLAN ILLUSTRATING THE BATTLES OF THE MAUMEE.
Explanations .- The map shows about 8 miles of the country along each side of the Maumee, including the towns of Perrysburgh, Maumee City and Waterville.
Just previous to the battle of the Fallen Timbers, in August, 1794, Wayne's army was encamped at a locality called Roche de Bœuf, a short distance above the present site of Waterville. The battle com- menced at the Presque Isle hill. The routed Indians were pursued to even under the guns of the British Fort Miami.
Fort Meigs, memorable from having sustained two sieges in the year 1813, is shown on the east side of the Maumee, with the British batteries on both sides of the river, and above the British fort, the position of Proctor's encampment. For a more full delineation of this last, see Wood county.
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LUCAS COUNTY.
mention Brigadier General Wilkinson and Colonel Hamtramck, the commandants of the right and left wings of the legion, whose brave example inspired the troops. To those I must add the names of my faithful and gallant aids-de-camp, Captains De Butt and T. Lewis, and Lieutenant Harrison, who, with the Adjutant General, Major Mills, rendered the most essential service by communicating my orders in every direction, and by their con- duct and bravery exciting the troops to press for victory. * *
The loss of the enemy was more than that of the federal army. The woods were strewed for a considerable distance with the dead bodies of Indians and their white auxil- iaries, the latter armed with British muskets and bayonets.
We remained three days and nights on the banks of the Maumee, in front of the field of battle, during which time all the houses and corn-fields were consumed and destroyed for a considerable distance, both above and below Fort Miami, as well as within pistol-shot of the garrison, who were compelled to remain tacit spectators to this general devastation and conflagration, among which were the houses, stores and property of Colonel M'Kee, the British Indian agent and principal stimulator of the war now existing between the United States and the savages.
The loss of the Americans in this battle, was 33 killed and 100 wounded, including 5 officers among the killed, and 19 wounded.
One of the Canadians taken in the action, estimated the force of the Indians at about 1400. He also stated that about 70 Canadians were with them, and that Col. M'Kee, Capt. Elliott and Simon Girty were in the field, but at a respectful distance, and near the river. When the broken remains of the Indian army were pursued under the British fort, the soldiers could scarce be restrained from storm- ing it. This, independent of its results in bringing on a war with Great Britain, would have been a desperate measure, as the fort mounted 10 pieces of artillery, and was garrisoned by 450 men, while Wayne had no armament proper to attack such a strongly fortified place. While the troops remained in the vicinity, there did not appear to be any communication between the garrison and the savages. The gates were shut against them, and their rout and slaughter witnessed with apparent unconcern by the British. That the Indians were astonished at the lukewarmness of their real allies, and regarded the fort, in case of defeat, as a place of refuge, is evi- dent from various circumstances, not the least of which was the well known reproach of Tecumseh, in his celebrated speech to Proctor, after Perry's victory. The near approach of the troops drew forth a letter of remonstrance from Major Campbell, the British com- mandant, to General Wayne. A sharp correspondence ensued, but without any especial results. The morning before the army left, General Wayne, after arranging his force in such a manner as to show that they were all on the alert, advanced with his numerous staff and a small body of cavalry, to the glacis of the British fort, re- connoitering it with great deliberation, while the garrison were seen with lighted matches, prepared for any emergency. It is said that Wayne's party overheard one of the British subordinate officers appeal to Major Campbell, for permission to fire upon the cavalcade, and avenge such an insulting parade under his majesty's guns ; but that officer chided him with the abrupt exclamation, " be a gentle- man ! be a gentleman !" On the 27th, Wayne's army returned to Fort Defiance, by easy marches, laying waste the villages and corn fields of the Indians, for about 50 miles on each side of the Mau
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LUCAS COUNTY.
mee : this was done with the hope that the fear of famine would prove a powerful auxiliary in producing peace.
Jonathan Alder, who was at this time living with the Indians, has given, in his Mss. autobiography, the Indian account of the battle of Fallen Timbers. He says, after describing the attack on Fort Re- covery and the retreat to Defiance :
We remained here [Defiance] about two weeks, until we heard of the approach of Wayne, when we packed up our goods and started for the old English fort at the Maumee rapids. Here we prepared ourselves for battle, and sent the women and children down about three miles below the fort; and as I did not wish to fight, they sent me to Sandusky, to inform some Wyandots there of the great battle that was about to take place. I remained at San- dusky until the battle was over. The Indians did not wait more than three or four days, before Wayne made his appearance at the head of a long prairie on the river, where he halted, and waited for an opportunity to suit himself. Now the Indians are very curious about fighting ; for when they know they are going into a battle, they will not eat any thing just previous. They say that if a man is shot in the body when he is entirely empty, there is not half as much danger of the ball passing through his bowels, as when they are full. So they started the first morning without eating any thing, and moving up to the end of the prairie, ranged themselves in order of battle at the edge of the timber There they waited all day without any food, and at night returned and partook of their suppers. The second morning they again placed themselves in the same position, and again returned at night and supped. By this time they had begun to get weak from eating only once a day, and concluded they would eat breakfast before they again started. So the next morning they began to cook and eat. Some were eating, and others, who had finished, had moved forward to their stations, when Wayne's army was seen approaching. Soon as they were within gunshot, the Indians began firing upon them ; but Wayne, making no halt, rushed on upon them. Only a small part of the Indians being on the ground, they were obliged to give back, and finding Wayne too strong for them, attempted to retreat. Those who were on the way heard the noise, and sprang to their assistance. So some were running from, and others to the battle, which created great confusion. In the mean time, the light-horse had gone entirely around, and came in upon their rear, blowing their horns and closing in upon them. The Indians now found that they were completely surrounded, and all that could, made their escape, and the balance were all killed, which was no small number. Among these last, with one or two exceptions, were all the Wyandots that lived at Sandusky at the time I went to inform them of the expected battle. The main body of the Indians were back nearly two miles from the battle-ground, and Wayne had taken them by surprise, and made such a slaughter among them that they were entirely discouraged, and made the best of their way to their respective homes.
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