Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 147

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006

USA > Ohio > Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I > Part 147

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

His administrations have been marked by a brave and conscientious execution of all duties that are made his under the law. As an orator, for fearless and passionate elo- quenee, he has no superior in the State. He is aggressive, yet attractive in his public declarations, and is recognized by men of all parties as honest and courageous."

In his person Gov. Foraker is remarkably symmetrieal, with a well-poised head, and his carriage graceful. In his social intercourse he is winning and attractive to an extraor- dinary degree.

The family are Methodists, and he was named Joseph Benson, the name of the author of the Methodist Commentary on the Bible. That he should when a lad of six- teen be enabled to recruit for the war more men for his company than any other person evineed extraordinary natural persuasive pow-

ers. When in service he kept a daily journal, from which we make brief extracts to illus- trate the savagery of war.

Jannary 4, 1864 .- Would like to be in IIills- boro' to-day to go to church. Many a poor soldier to-day hovers over his smoky fire, while the cold, heartless winds come tearing through his thin tent, almost freezing him to death, and yet you hear no word of complaint. They are the bravest men that ever composed an army ; and while my suffering is equal to theirs, I feel proud of my condition-a clear conscience that I am doing my duty : and this affords me more comfort than all the enjoyments of home. I feel a pride rising in my bosom in realizing that I am a member of the old Fourteenth corps of the Army of the Cumber- land. . . . .

CHATTANOOGA, December 4, 1863 .- Reached the regimeut just in time to go into n fight. Don't like fighting well enough to make a profession of it. War is cruel, and when this conflict is over I shall retire from public life. .

New Year's Day .- Cold as Greenland. Noth- ing to eat, scarcely any wood to burn, and enough work for ten men.

CHATTANOOGA, Teno., December 1, 1863. Arrived just in time to engage in the fight. I found the regiment under arms. Thearmy charged Missionary Ridge. Our brigade charged on double quick over two miles and up an awfully steep mountain. I commanded two companies, A and B-brave boys. I threw myself ia front

THE OLD MILL.

and told them to follow. They kept as pretty a line as I ever saw them make on drill. The rebs had two cross fires aad a front one. They knocked us around. I reached the top of a hill without a scratch, but just as I leaped over their breast- works a large shell burst just before me. A small fragment put a hole ia my cap, knocking it off my head. As soon as I got into the breastworks and the rebs began to fall back, I commenced rallying my men. I had the company about formed when Capt. Curtis, Gen. Turchia's adju- tant-general, galloped up and complimented me. . . . I never wish to see another fight. It is an

920

HIGHLAND COUNTY.

awful sight to see men shot down all around you as you would shoot a beef. .

December 2 .- There is a hospital in the rear of our camp. You can hear the wounded screaming all through the day. Legs, arms and hands lie before the door . . . They are cutting off more or

less every day .... War sickens me .... Î have about thirty men left out of the one hundred and one we started with over a year ago. The regiment does not look the same . . . Come what will, I shall stick to the company, if I die with it.

OHIO'S WONDERLAND.

About thirteen miles east of Hillsborough, near the county line and road to Chillicothe, the Rocky Fork of Paint creek passes for about two miles, previous to its junction with the main stream, through a deep gorge, in some places more than a hundred feet in depth, and forming a series of wild, picturesque views, one of which, at a place called "the narrows," is here represented. In the ravine are numerons caves, which are much visited. One or two of them have been ex- plored for a distance of several hundred yards.

The above paragraph is all that is given in our original edition of what is now the most attractive scenic spot in all this region of country.

A writer in the Cincinnati Commercial Gazette, under the title of "Ohio's Wonderland," gives an interesting description, from which we abridge the fol- lowing :

The lover of the wild, the rugged and the romantic can in this locality find something new at every step he takes. There are no high mountains to climb, but there are caves to explore, and chasms, cascades, terraces, waterfalls, grottos, etc., without number. As the crow flies it is about seventy-five miles east from Cincinnati, and fourteen east of Hillsboro' ; a pleasant way to get there from Hillsboro' is by carriage. There is a well- kept hotel conveniently located, with all the outfits necessary for boating, fishing and ex- ploring.

Prof. Orton, in his geological report for 1870, says : This stream-the Rocky Fork -is an important element in the geography of the county, and it also exhibits its geology most satisfactorily. It is bedded in rock from its source to its mouth, and in its banks and bordering cliffs it discloses every foot of the great Niagara formation of the county . . . At its mouth it has reached the very summit of the system, and the structure of these upper beds it reveals in a gorge whose ver- tical walls are ninety feet high, and the width of which is scarcely more than two hundred feet. Certain portions of this limestone weather and rain dissolve more easily than the rest, and have been carried away in con- siderable quantities, leaving overhanging cliffs and receding caves along the lines of its outcrop, and the scenery is the most striking and beautiful of its kind in southeastern Ohio .... The limestone abounds in very interesting fossils. The great bivalve shell Megalomus Canadensis is especially abun- dant, as are also large univalve shells, all of which can be obtained to good advantage near Ogle's distillery.

The custom is to enter the gorge at the "Point " near the hotel, and go up through and along it. Weird wonders are revealed at

every step ; one moment in the shadow of an overhanging cliff bedecked with trailing vines, and ferns and bright-hued wild flowers nod- ding and waving in all their beauty, nature's own grand conservatory ; then a placid sheet of water comes to view, and cascades dancing in the sunlight ; there are overhanging rocks under which a score of people could find shelter, and numerous caverns, aside from the four large caves.

The "Dry cave" is the first of these. It is not so extensive as the others, having a length only of about 300 feet, but some of the chambers are so beautifully set with sta- lagmite and stalactite formations that it weli repays a visit. The cave is perfectly dry and the air bracing.

The " Wet cave," so called from a spring of cold water some 600 feet from its mouth, is a series of chambers in which are found large quantities of white, soapy clay. The arches of this cave are of varied and peculiar shapes and formations, the water that con- stantly percolates through the rocks and crevices having produced many queer shapes. These drops reflecting the light from the ex. plorers' torches give a weird effect, looking like diamonds in the uncertain light above.

The "Dancing cave " takes its name from the use it is put to by parties visiting the locality. The large dancing chamber is light and nature has kindly provided stalagmite seats around it for the convenience of her guests. Near this cave are two stone "cairns," but their origin and use are buried in the mysteries of the past.

Two hundred yards farther up is a glen, the entrance to "Marble cave," one of the most beautiful of the group, being especially rich in variety and formation. There are quite a number of chambers in the Marble cave, all of good size. And here across the glen is

county Line

Brushcreek Township

"SiFe

Bik

Ancien Filles

Riad

Haysville.

VICINITY OF

FORT HILL

Sinking

HIGHLAND COUNTY, OHIO.

By H. W. Overman,.

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1848.

ROCKY GORGE OF PAINT CREEK.

FORT HILL ENVIRONS

922

HIGHLAND COUNTY.

" Profile Rock." Following a narrow path yon pass through "Gypsy Glen," then gaze with awe at "Bracket Rock," with an alti- tude of nearly 100 feet. And then there is a halt and expressions of delight as " Mussett Hole " breaks upon the view. A deep little body of water at the base of towering rocks, and on its margin stands a huge monarch of the forest, named the "Boone Tree." Tra- dition has it that this was a favorite camping ground of the Indians when on their way to Sandusky from Kentucky, and that they al- ways stopped here to rest and fish and hunt.

There is a remarkable little gorge near the " Mussett Hole." But there are scores of surprises awaiting the visitor at every turn.

The Creator has evidently had it all his own way in preparing these caves and chasms, and wise (?) men have not attempted to im- prove upon his plans with artificial arrange- ments. One of these days, perhaps, there will be some modern improvements attempted, but for the present this wonderland can be viewed in all its original majesty and mag- nificence.

FORT HILL.

One of the most interesting of the numerous ancient earthworks in this part of Ohio is Fort Hill; it is especially interesting, because it presents more of the characteristics of a defensive work than any other in the State. It is situated in Brush Creek township, seventeen miles southeast of Hillsborough, and three miles north of Sinking Springs. The work occupies the top of an isolated hill, which has an elevation of five hundred feet above the bed of the East Fork of Brush creek, which skirts the base of the hill on the north and west. The top of the hill is a nearly level plateau of thirty-five acres, enclosed by an artificial wall of stone and earth, excavated around the brink of the hill, interior to the fort. The ditch formed by the excavation is nearly fifty feet wide. The wall or embank- ment is 8,582 feet long, contains about 50,000 cubic yards of material, has a base averaging twenty-five feet, and an average height of from six to ten feet. There are thirty-three gateways or entrances in the embankment, arranged at irregular intervals, and ranging in width from ten to fifteen feet. At eleven of these open- ings the interior ditch is filled up.

The space enclosed is almost entirely cov- ered with forest, which extends in all direc- tions to the base of the hill. Within the fort are two small ponds, which could be made to retain in rainy weather large quanti- ties of water. The hill near the top is very precipitous, and the fort, as a place of mili- tary defence, would be almost impregnable. It overlooks a wide extent of country. A short distance south are remains of earth- works, which indicate the site of an ancient village, the inhabitants of which probably re- lied upon the fort as a place of defence and protection against an invading enemy.

Negotiations were entered into for the pur- chase and preservation of this work by the Peabody Institute, of Cambridge, Mass., but the purchase has not been made as yet. This institution purchased, explored, restored, and turned into a public park the Serpent Mound, in Adams county, and the State has recently purchased Fort Ancient, with a view to its preservation, and we trust that some means may be consummated for the preservation of this important work.

Mr. H. W. Overman has recently made a survey of the fort ; the results of which are given in the "Ohio Archaeological and His- torical Quarterly." He writes :

"The vicinity of Fort Hill is by no means void of natural scenery. The channel of Brush creek has cut its way through an im- mense gorge of Niagara limestone for a dis- tance of two or three miles, forming numer-

ous cliffs and caverns. On the west side of this gorge, at the foot of Fisher's Hill, is a cave, once occupied by David Davis, an in- genious and eccentric hermit, who made the cavern his home for a number of years from about 1847. He discovered a vein of ore near his abode, from which he manufactured in limited quantities a valuable and durable metallic paint, of a color approaching a rose- tint, and of metallic lustre, which gained considerable local reputation. The ore, how- ever, so far as yet discovered, is not in paying quantities. His cave and surrounding scen- ery, situated as it is in one of the most ro- mantic regions of Southern Ohio, is well worthy of inspection."

THE HARD YEAR.

The year 1807 was called the hard year by the early settlers of Highland county. We abridge from an interesting and valuable series of papers on the "History of the Early Settlement of Highland County," published by the Hillsborough Gazette. In the spring of this year hordes of squirrels overran the southern part of the State. They swam the Ohio river in myriads, and the crop just planted was almost entirely taken up. Re- planting was resorted to, for corn must be raised ; but with like results. Bread was, of course, the first great necessary, and could only be procured by clearing off and cultivat- ing the soil. Wheat, rye, barley, and oats

923

HIGHLAND COUNTY.

had not yet become articles of common eulti- vation, the great dependence being Indian corn. Some farmers had commenced grow- ing wheat in the elder settlements, and by this time had become somewhat dependent upon it, in part, for bread. But this year the entire crop was sick and could not be eaten by man or beast ; and as if to enforce the terrors of famine in prospective, all the new ground eorn that escaped the ravages of the squirrels in the spring was literally cooked by severe frosts early in September.

I have known, says one who witnessed it, cases where whole families subsisted entirely on potatoes, cabbage, turnips, etc. Added to this was the almost disgusting and nauseating bread and mush, made of meal ground from the frost-bitten corn, as black as a hat.

The sweeping depredations of the squirrels that year resulted in the passage of an act by the legislature, on the first Monday of De- cember, 1807, entitled "An aet to encourage the killing of squirrels.". This aet made it a positive obligation on all persons within the State, subject to the payment of county tax, to furnish, in addition thereto, a certain num- ber of squirrel sealps, to be determined by the township trustees. This was imperative, and it was made the duty of the lister to no- tify each person of the number of scalps he was required to furnish ; and if any one re- fused or failed to furnish the specified quan- tity, he was subject to the same penalties and forfeitures as delinquent tax-payers ; and any person prodneing a greater number than was demanded was to receive two cents per sealp out of the county treasury. This law, how- ever, was rendered inoperative almost imme- diately afterwards by the interposition of a higher power, for the severe winter of 1807-8 almost totally annihilated the squirrel race, the law was not enforced, and finally, in the winter of 1809, was repealed.

REMARKABLE FORTITUDE OF A BOY.

In the excellent "History of Highland County" by Daniel Scott is related a re- markable instance of courage and fortitude of a boy. We give herewith an abridged account of it.

James Carlisle came from Virginia to Highland county in 1805. He settled on a farm and became a celebrated tobacco planter and manufacturer. He was probably the first one to make a regular business of it ; which he commeneed in 1805, and continued until his death in 1832. His manufacture of tobacco was about the only kind in use throughout Southern Ohio. It was put up in large twists of two or more pounds in weight and was exceedingly strong.

On day during the summer, when the family were away from home, his two sons, John and James, lads of eight and siz years, were at work in the tobacco field. They were engaged in "suckering" the plants, beginning at the top and running their hands to the lower leaves, detecting the suckers by their touch, when James cried out that he

was bitten by a rattlesnake. The snake had been coiled up under the lower leaves of the plant. This was a most alarming condition for the boys. They were well aware of the fatal effects of the bite, but did not know what to do and there were noue near to ad- vise them.

But James, with the courage of a true backwoods boy, rapidly settled in his own mind the course to be pursued. They had taken an old dull tomahawk out with them for some purpose and James peremptorily ordered his brother John to take it and ent his hand off, at the same time laying it on a stump and pointing to the place where it was to be cut at the wrist. This John positively re- fused to do, giving as his reason that the tomahawk was too dull. There was no time to discuss the matter, and James could not eut it himself, so they compromised on the wounded finger, which John consented to cut off. It had already turned black and swollen very much. John made several ineffectual attempts to eut off the finger, which was the first finger ef the right hand, but only hacked and bruised it. James, however, held it steady and encouraged his brother to pro- ceed, saying it must come off or he should soon die. John finally got it off, but in doing so badly mutilated the hand. This heroie treatment, however, saved the boy's life. He grew to manhood, and finally re- moved to Missouri.

THE WOMEN'S RAID AT GREENFIELD.

On September 3, 1864, a young man of good character named William Blackburn was shot and killed while passing by on the sidewalk in front of Newbeck's saloon. At the time a general fight was going on within the saloon, during which a pistol-shot was fired.

The publie indignation was very intense, all the more so that the guilty person could not be discovered. The excitement, how- ever, gradually died away, but some ten months later it was again aroused by several occurrences of an evil nature, scenes ef distress and violence, fights and wife-beatings, which resulted in the women of Greenfield holding a meeting to determine some method of suppressing the liquor traffic. The meet- ing was held July 10, 1865, in the African M. E. Church, then used as a school-house and place for public gatherings. The follow- ing resolution to be presented to the liquor sellers was passed :

"That the ladies of Greenfield are deter- mined to suppress the liquor traffic in their midst. We demand your liquors, and give you fifteen minutes to comply with our re- quest, or abide the consequences.'

Then forming by twos in procession, the ladies marched to the drug store of William S. Linn. Here compliance with their request was refused. They then crossed the street to Hern & Newbeck's saloon and again pre- sented their demand and were again refused compliance therewith, when Mrs. Drusilla

924

HIGHLAND COUNTY.

Blackburn, becoming greatly excited, cried out, "Here's where the whiskey was sold that killed my son." Upon this, a passionate attack was begun upon the saloon. Mrs. Blackburn followed by her daughter and a score of other ladies crowded through the door ; hatchets, axes, mallets and other im- plements were drawn from places of hiding, and the work of demolition begun did not end until everything in the place had been destroyed and the liquor spilled and running in the gutters of the street. A crowd of men and boys that had gathered aided and abetted the work. One thirsty individual tried to save some liquor in a broken crock, but one of the women discovered his attempt, and pursued him hatchet in hand, so that he was glad to escape unscathed without crock or liquor. The ladies then returned to Linn's drug store, but finding it locked, forced the door and spilled the liquors. Other places were then visited and the liquor spilled; three saloons and three drug stores. There was no stopping the work of destruction until the passion of the women was ex- hausted.

On July 14, following, William S. Linn applied for a warrant, and a large number of the ladies and those responsible for their ac- tions arrested. The grand-jury, however, refused to find a bill against them and criminal action failed. A civil suit for dam- ages was resorted to. Eminent legal talent was engaged on both sides. The attorneys for the plaintiff were Judge Sloane and Messrs. Briggs, Dickey and Steele; for the defendants, Hon. Mills Gardner, Judge Stanley Matthews and W. H. Irwin.

A verdict was returned awarding $625 damages. A motion was then made for a new trial, but the case was finally compro- mised.

Teu years later the women of Greenfield were early in the field as " Crusaders," that being the third town in the State to try moral suasion, where violence had failed.

The following are the names of the ladies published in The Highland County News, in January, A. D. 1874, who constituted the band at that time ; and among the names are the seventy who first marched ou the 24th of December, A. D. 1873 :

Mrs. S. Anderson, R. R. Allen, Jas. Anderson, Samuei Amen, C. Ayers, N. P. Ayers. Mrs. A. Bennett, J. M. Boyd, J. Brown, J. J. Brown, C. Brown, J. Bowles, Lizzie Brown, Wm. Barry, C. S. Bell, J. L. Boardman, C. Buckner, Theodore Brown, J. S. Black, W. P. Bernard, Thos. Barry, G. B. Beecher, F. I. Bumgarner, Benj. Barrere, Mary Brown, Julia Bentley, M. Bruce, J. Barrere, Mary E. Bowers. Mrs. F. E. Chaney, Benj. Co- nard, Ella Conard, T. S. Cowden, S. D. Clayton, S. W. Creed, Allen Cooper, C. H. Collins, W. O. Collins, Col. Cook, Dr. Callahan. Mrs. L. Det- wiler, W. Doggett, H. S. Doggett, Jas. W. Dog- gett, J. Doggett, E. Dill, Lavinia Dill. Mrs. Evans, R. F. Evans, J. H. Ely, Ella Fritz, Mrs. Dr. Ellis, S. A. Eckly. B. Foraker [mother of Gov. Foraker], Mrs. E. L. Ferris, M. Frost, Wm. Ferguson, D. K. Fenner, N. Foraker. E. L. Grand Girard, Gen. Glascock, J. Glascock, Henry Glascock, R. Griffith, N. B. Gardner, Mrs. Gray- ham, Mrs. Col. Glenn, J. C. Gregg. Mrs. Dr. Holmes, James Hogshead, John Hogshead, Asa Haynes, T. G. Hoggard, Paul Harsha, Wm. Hoyt, A. S. Hinton. Mrs. J. Jones, L. Jones, Dr. John- son, F. B. Jeans, J. W. Jolly, O. Jones. Mrs. Kirkpatrick, Dr. Kirby, Frank Kibber. S. Lyle, R. A. Linn, J. Langley. Mrs. Thos. Miller, J. Manning, Mrs. Mather, Mrs. Dr. Matthews, Judge Meek, C. B. Miller, C. Miller, R. McFadden, Lewis Mckibben, W. J. McSurely, J. McClurc. Mrs. J. C. Norton, M. T. Nelson, J. F. Nelson. Chas. O'Harra. Mrs. J. W. Patterson, S. S. Pang- burn, C. T. Pope, J. K. Pickering, T. H. Parker, M. Perkins. Geo. Richards, Dr. Russ, J. C. Rit- tenhouse, Joseph Richards, Jas. Reece, Thomss Rodgers. Mrs. Eli Stafford, Dr. Smith, Dr. Sams, Hugh Swearingen, Dr. W. W. Shepherd, John A. Smith, Mary Simpson, Mrs. Strain, H. A. Stout, Miss Maria Stewart, Mrs. Dr. Speese, J. B. Shinn, E. G. Smith, Wm. Scott, Mrs. Shipp, Jacob Say- ler, F. Shepherd. Mrs. Col. Wm. H. Trimble, Eliza J. Thompson, Sarah Tucker, Anna Tucker. Mrs. Vanwinkle. Mrs. Chas. Wilson, Jobn L. West. Mrs. George Zink.

GREENFIELD, at the intersection of the C. W. & B. and .O. & S. Railroads, is 17 miles northeast of Hillsborough. It is beautifully situated on the west bank of Paint creek. It was laid out by Duncan McArthur, while still a part of Ross county, in 1800 ; and the public square, on which stands the city hall, contain- ing the post-office, mayor's office, etc., was by him dedicated to the public use. The town was incorporated in 1841, and its first mayor was Hon. Hugh Smart.

City Officers, 1888 : W. H. Irwin, Mayor ; J. C. Strain, Clerk ; Scott Powell, Marshal ; E. H. Miller, Treasurer ; W. H. Logan, Street Commissioner ; W. G. Moler, Civil Engineer ; J. P. Lowe, Chief Fire Department. Newspapers : Enterprise, Independent, R. R. Sprung, editor and publisher ; Success, Indepen- dent, J. M. Miller, editor and publisher. Churches : 1 Presbyterian, 2 Methodist Episcopal, 1 Baptist. Banks : Commercial, John Fullerton, president ; C. W. Price, cashier ; Highland County, E. H. Miller, president ; Fay Baldwin, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- Greenfield Enterprise, printing, etc., 6; J. P. Lowe & Co., carriages, etc., 10; Greenfield Woollen Mills, blankets, etc., 8; D. Welshimer & Son, flour, etc., 4; Greenfield Planing Mill, doors, sash, etc., 5; E. L. McClain, sweat collars, etc., 168 ; John M. Waddel Manufacturing Company, coffee mills, 38; The Gig Saddle Company, gig saddles, etc., 22 .- State Report,

925

HIGHLAND COUNTY.

1888. Population, 1880, 2,104. School census, 1888, 745 ; W. G. Moler, super- intendent of schools. Capital invested in manufacturing establishments, $65,000. Value of annual product, $80,000 .-- Ohio Labor Statistics, 1888.

LEESBURGH is 10 miles north of Hillsborough, on the C. W. & B. Railroad. Newspaper : Buckeye, Neutral, James H. Depoy, editor and publisher. Churches : 1 Methodist Episcopal, 1 African Methodist Episcopal, 1 Christian, 1 Advent. Bank : Leesburgh, J. H. Guthrie, president; M. Redkey, cashier. Population, 1880, 513. School census, 1888, 168 ; D. S. Ferguson, superintendent of schools. Capital invested in manufacturing establishments, $15,000. Value of annual product, $18,000 .- Ohio Labor Statistics, 1888. The Leesburgh Shoe Manufac- turing Company is the greatest industry here, employing 30 hands.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 147

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 1006

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 1006