Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 38

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 38

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).

247

ALLEN COUNTY.

the things that bring the solid wealth to our coffers. To spend it we have, to begin with, a daisy town. We have a system of publie-schools that are as near perfec- tion as can be made, and, by the way, we have scrupulously kept the schools out of polities and religion. Every denomination of church is represented. We go to the handsomest little opera-house in the West. For a nickel we can ride two miles on a splendidly equipped elcetrical street-railroad. For light we can use electricity or gas, each the very perfection of their kind; and for thirst and clean- liness a system of water-works has been provided that, although it broke our hearts and exhausted our purses to build them, more than compensate for all they cost. As to natural gas, we already have enough to set the ordinary village crazy."

From a eireular issued in Lima early in the year 1888 we extraet some interest- ing details relating to the oil refineries :

In the development of the oil industry, the new concerns that have grown up within the past two years are too numerous co men- tion. Among the heaviest producers of crude oil may be mentioned the Ohio Oil Company, with a capital of one million dollars. They are producing over 4,000 barrels daily, and when a fair price is obtained for "Lima Crude," have the territory and facilities for increasing their production fourfold. Schofield, Sher- mer & Teagle, oil refiners of Cleveland, have about fifty producing wells, with fifteen miles of pipe line, and a tankage capacity of 150,- 000 barrels. They have employed in this field somewhere near $200,000. The Buckeye Pipe Line Company have some 250 miles of pipe line, about 170 large iron tanks of 36,000 barrels capacity each, and employ in the neighbor- hood of $3,000,000 in taking care of the product of the field. The Excelsior Pipe Line has something over thirty miles of pipe, with a tankage capacity of about 100,000 bar- rels, and employ $100,000 in taking care of the crude product. The Eagle Consolidated

Refincry has a capacity of 1,000 barrels of refined oil daily. They own sixty tank cars, have fourteen acres of land upon which their works are located, and a capital of $100,000 is invested. The Solar Refinery has 121 acres of land upon which their works are located and employ a capital of half a million dollars. Their capacity is 5,000 barrels daily. The Solar is probably the largest refinery in the country, and additions are being made con- stantly to the works. During the past year and a half more than a million dollars har been used in the erection of new business buildings, manufacturing establishments and dwelling-houses, and the present year prom- ises still greater investments in building en- terprises. Real estate in Lima and through- out the county has always been held at very moderate values. The county is one of the finest agricultural districts in the State, wheat, corn and oats being the staple products, and there is hardly an acre in the county that is not capable of cultivation.

The great enterprise of piping oil from the Lima fields to Chicago manufactur- ing establishments is now, in this the year 1888, being undertaken by the Standard Oil Company, who practically control all the oil territory around Lima. The total length of pipe will be about 210 miles, and the entire investment aggregate over $2,000,000.

The view of the derricks was taken from a bridge, the successor of the covered bridge over the Ottawa shown in the old view of Lima, and looking easterly. The oil-wells, with their derrieks, are a marked feature of this entire region. Nowhere are they so plentiful as around the town. Experience soon showed they were often too elose for profit, sometimes not over an acre apart, when the flow proved too weak . one well in ten aeres was found near enough. The life of a well on the Bradford, Pennsylvania, oil-field is usually about ten years; how long in that of Lima remains to be tested. A single steam-engine in places answers for the pumping of several wells, the power being transmitted from well to well by cables and shafting. The wells are named from the original proprietors of the land. To illustrate, one is named "Shade well, No. 11," it being the eleventh well on the land of Mr. Nelson Shade. The cost of drilling for wells varies from sixty-five cents to $1.50 a foot. The oil is strnek at from 1,250 to 1,500 feet.

Another marked feature of the cil region is the tanks for the storage of the oil, which vary in capacity from 250 to 3,500 barrels. They resemble huge tubs, are covered on top with boards, and housed or shedded over. The tanks are some- times struck by lightning ; in a single storm in October, 1885, several were thus

248

ALLEN COUNTY.

destroyed. Very little else was destroyed but the tanks. No flames of conse- quence were seen, but immense volumes of smoke poured forth, which seemed as a protection, acting as an impenetrable curtain to outside objects.

The Black Swamp tract, in which this county partially lies, has been the scene of much unwritten history in the early settlement.of the country. Father Finley -a sketch of whom is elsewhere given in this work-has preserved a pleasant anecdote connected with the war of 1812 in his sketch of the life of an eminent Methodist minister, Rev. William H. Raper. At the time he was a lad of nine- teen, and volunteered in the company of Capt. Stephen Smith, of Clermont county, which marched to the frontier. From his brightness, notwithstanding his youth, he was chosen sergeant.

J. W. Mock, Photo., Lima. FIELD OF DERRICKS, LIMA.

THE BLACK SWAMP MUTINY.

A day or two before the battle of the Thames, Raper's company was told to march up the lake some fifteen miles to prevent the landing of the British from their vessels, and the engagement took place during their ab- sence. This circumstance rendered it neces- sary for his company, which was now the strongest, to be put in charge of the pris- oners taken by Commodore Perry and Gen. Harrison, and march them across the State to the Newport Station in Kentucky.

His superior officers having been taken sick, the command devolved upon him. It was a responsible undertaking for so young an officer. The company consisted of 100 soldiers, and the prisoners numbered 400. Their route was through the wilderness

of the Black Swamp, which at that season was nearly covered with water. In their march they became bewildered and lost. For three days and nights they wandered about in the swamp without food, and became so scat- tered, that on the morning of the third day he found himself with a guard of only twelve men, and one hundred prisoners. Seeing their weakness the prisoners mutinied, and refused to march. No time was to be lost ; Raper called out his men, commanded them to make ready, which they did by fixing bay- onets and cocking their guns. He then gave the prisoners five minutes to decide whether they would obey him or not. At the expira- tion of the last minute the soldiers were ordered to present arms, take aim, and-but before the word " fire," had escaped his lips, a large Scotch soldier cried "hold," and

249

ALLEN COUNTY.

stepping aside, asked the privilege of saying a word to his companions : it was granted. whereupon he addressed them as follows : " We have been taken in a fair fight, and are prisoners ; honorably so, and this conduet is disgraceful to our king's flag, not becoming true soldiers. Now," said he, "I have had no hand in raising this mutiny, and I propose that all who are in favor of behaving them- selves as honorable prisoners of war shall rally around me, and we will take the others in hand ourselves, and the American guard shall stand by and see fair play." This speech had the desired effect, the mutiny was brought to an end without bloodshed, and Raper de- livered his prisoners at Newport. They had among the prisoners two Indians, whom Raper forced at the point of the sword to lead them out of the swamp. After Raper's arrival in Newport he was offered a com- mission in the regular army. Such was his love for his mother that he would take no important step without consulting her. The answer was characteristic of the noble mothers of that day. "My son, if my country was still engaged in war and I had fifty sons I would freely give them all to her service, but, as peace is now declared, I think something better awaits my son than the camp-life of a soldier in time of peace." In 1819 Raper became a minister in the Methodist Church, and while travelling in Indiana, upon the first visit to one of his appointments, a fine, large man approached him, called him brother, and said : "I knew you the moment I saw you, but I suppose you have forgotten me. I am the Scotch soldier that made the speech to the prisoners the morning of the mutiny in the Black Swamp. After we were exchanged as prisoners of war, my enlistment termi- nated. I had been brought to see the justice

of the American cause and the greatness of the country, and I resolved to become an American citizen. I came to this State, rented some land, and opened up a farm. I have joined the Methodist Church, and, praise God ! the best of all is, I have obtained religion ! Not among the least of my bless- ings is a fine wife and noble child. So come," said he, "dinner will be ready by the time we get home." And the two soldiers, now as friends and Christians, renewed their ac- quaintance, and were ever after fast friends.

At another time Raper met with a singular accident while riding to one of his appoint- ments. Swimming his horse over a swollen creek, the horse became entangled and sank, but with great effort he managed to catch hold of the limb of a tree overhead, where he was enabled to rest and hold his head above water. While thus suspended, the thought rushed upon him, " Mother is pray- ing for me, and I shall be saved." After resting a moment he made an effort and got to shore, his horse also safely landing. His mother, ninety miles away, that morning awoke suddenly in affright with the thought upon her, "William is in great danger," when she sprang from her bed, and falling on her knees prayed for some time in intense supplication for his safety, until she received a sweet assurance that all was well. When they met and related the facts, and compared the time, they precisely agreed.

This hero of the Black Swamp died in 1852, closing a life of great usefulness. Father Finley says of him that he was an eloquent preacher, a sweet, melodious singer, was filled with the spirit of kindness, while his con- versational powers were superior, replete with a fund of useful incidents gathered from practical life in camp, pulpit and cabin.

DELPHOS, on the border line of Van Wert and Allen counties, and on the T. St. L. and K. C .; P. Ft. W. and C .; D. Ft. W. and C .; C. and W .; P. and C. railroads, lies within the oil and gas belt of Northwestern Ohio, seventy-four miles southwest of Toledo, and in a country of great fertility. The Miami and Erie canal divides the town into two nearly equal parts. The post-office is in Van Wert county.

Newspapers : Courant, E. B. Walkup, editor ; Herald, Democratic, Tolan & Son, editors and proprietors. Churches : one Presbyterian, two Methodist, one United Brethren, one Catholic, one Christian, one Reformed, one Lutheran. Banks : Commercial, R. K. Lytle, president, W. H. Fuller, cashier ; Delphos National, Theo. Wrocklage, president, Jos. Boehmer, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- The Ohio Wheel Company, 62 hands; Hartwell Bros., handles, neck-yokes, etc., 14; Delphos Union Stave Company, 23; Pitts- burg Hoop and Stave Company, 50; L. F. Werner, woollen yarns, flannels, etc., 8 ; Steinle & Co., lager beer, 60; Toledo, St. Louis and Kansas City R. R., car repairs, 100; Weyer & Davis, hoops, etc., 17; Shenk & Lang, Miller & Morton, flour, etc. ; Krift & Ricker, D. Moening, builders' wood-work .- State Report 1887. Also Empire Excelsior Works, Delphos Chemical Works, pearlash, etc. Popu- lation in 1880, 3,814. School census in 1886, 782; E. W. Greenslade, principal.

Delphos was laid out in 1845, directly after the opening of the Miami and Erie canal. The different portions of it were originally known as Section 10, Howard, and East and West Bredeick. Its general name for many years was Section 10.

250

ALLEN COUNTY.

It is said that Delphos could not have been settled without the aid of quinine. The air was so poisoned with malarial effluvia from swamps and marshes, that not only the pioneers but also the very dogs of the settlement suffered intensely from fever and ague. Ferdinand Bredeick built the first cabin ; E. N. Morton the first saw- and the first grist-mills; and Mrs. George Lang (maiden name, Amelia Bredeick) was the first child born here. The original settlers were German Catholics. In December, 1845, thirty-six male members met in a cabin, and made arrangements to build a church. It was the first established at Delphos, and " its honored founder, Rev. John O. Bredeick, was the benevolent guardian of the spiritual and material interests of the German settlers, who were pioneers in the inhospitable forests of North America." It was a huge, ungainly structure. It was succeeded in 1880 by an elegant church, erected at an expense of over $100,000 ; it has a chime of bells, and its appointments are all in keeping-stained glass windows, paintings, statuary, altars, frescos, organ, etc.

Samuel Ferrer, the civil-engineer, is regarded as the pioneer of this region, as he ultimately settled here in Delphos. He was connected with the Ohio canal sur- veys from July, 1825, to 1831, and located the Miami and Erie canal ; in 1871, when he was seventy-eight years of age, he still held the position of consulting engineer of this work. Earlier he had been canal commissioner and member of the board of public works.

Knapp's "History of the Maumee Valley," published in 1872, has these inter- esting items :

"The great forests, once so hated because they formed a stumbling-block in the tedious struggles to reduce the soil to a condition for tillage, have been converted into a source of wealth. Within a radius of five miles of Delphos, thirty-five saw-mills (now perhaps doubled) are constantly employed in the manufacture of lumber, and a value nearly equalling the product of these mills is annually cx- ported in the form of lumber. Excepting in the manufacture of maple sugar, and for local building and fencing purposes, no use until recent years had been made of the timber, and its destruction from the face of the earth was the especial object of the pioneer farmers, and in this at that time supposed good work they had the sympathies of all others who were interested in the development of the country. The gathering of the ginseng crop once afforded employment to the families of the early settlers, but the supply was scanty and it soon became exhausted. Some eighteen years ago, when the business of the town was suffering from stagnation, Dr. J. W. Hunt, an enterprising druggist, and now a citizen of Delphos, bethought himself that he might aid the pioneers of the wilderness, and add to his own trade, by offering to purchase the bark from the slippery elm trees, which were abundant in the adjacent swamps. For this new article of commerce he offered remunerative prices, and the supply soon appeared in quantities reaching hundreds of cords of the cured bark ; and he has since controlled the trade in Northwestern Ohio and adjacent regions. The resources found in the lumber and timber and in this bark trade, trifling as the latter may appear, have contributed, and are yet contributing, almost as much to the prosperity of the town and country as the average of the cultivated acres, including the products of the orchard."

BLUFFTON, on the L. E. and W. and C. and W. railroads, is seventy-five miles southwest of Sandusky, in the northeast corner of the county. It was laid out in 1837, under the name of Shannon, which it retained many years. Newspaper : News, Independent, N. W. Cunningham, editor. Churches : one Lutheran, one Methodist, one Catholic, one Reformed, one Presbyterian, and one Dissenters. Bank : People's, Daniel Russell, proprietor and cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- Althaus & Bro., builders' wood-work, 10 hands; A. J. St. John, handles, lumber, etc., 10; A. Klay, machinery, 5; J. M. Town- send & Son, lumber, etc., 5; W. B. Richards, flour and feed, 3 .- State Report 1886. Population in 1880, 1,290. School census 1886, 464; S. C. Patterson, superintendent. West of the town is a large Mennonite settlement. Large stone quarries are in its vicinity,

251

ALLEN COUNTY.

SPENCERVILLE, laid out in 1844-45, at the intersection of C. A. and D. Ft. W. C. railroads, and on the Miami and Eric canal, is fourteen miles from Lima. Newspaper : Journal, Independent, S. L. Ashton, editor. Bank : Citi- zens', Post & Wasson ; 1. B. Post, cashier. Churches : one Methodist, one Ger- man Methodist, two Baptist, one Catholic, one German Reformed, and one Christian.

Manufactures and Employees,-J. S. Fogle, Sr., lumber, 5 hands ; Richard Hanse, ehurns, 10; George Kephart, clothes-racks, etc., 10; Kolter & Kraft, flour and feed, 6; R. H. Harbison, builders' wood-work, and also staves and heading, 31 ; W. A. Reynolds, lumber and feed, 5 .- State Report 1886. Census 1880, 532. School census 1886, 468 ; C. R. Carlo, principal.

Small villages, with census in 1880: Elida, 302; Lafayette, 333; Westmin- ster, 225; Cairo, 316 ; Beaver Dam, 353.

ASHLAND.

ASHLAND COUNTY was formed February 26, 1846. The surface on the south is hilly, the remainder of the county rolling. The soil of the upland is a sandy loam ; of the valleys-which comprise a large part of the county-a rich sandy and gravelly loam, and very productive. A great quantity of wheat, oats, corn, potatoes, etc., is raised, and grass and fruit in abundance. A majority of the pop- ulation are of Pennsylvania origin. Its present territory originally comprised the townships of Vermillion, Montgomery, Orange, Green, and Hanover, with parts of Monroe, Mifflin, Milton, and Clear Creek, of Richland county ; also the prin- eipal part of the townships of Jackson, Perry, Mohican, and Lake, of Wayne county ; of Sullivan and Troy, Lorain county ; and Ruggles, of Huron county. The townships from Lorain and Huron counties are from the Connectient Western Reserve tract. Area, 470 square miles. In 1885 the acres cultivated were 130,947 ; in pasture, 47,607; woodland, 45,137 ; lying waste, 3,128 ; produced in wheat, 443,339 bushels; in corn, 861,675; cheese, 476,850 pounds; flax, 564,200 ; wool, 268,573; maple sugar, 57,850. School census 1886, 7,336; teachers, 153. It has 29 miles of railroad.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1880.

TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS.

1880.

Clear Creek,

1,154

Montgomery,

4,638

Green,

2,287

Orange,

1,448

Hanover,

2,316

Perry,

1,492

Jackson,

1,486

Ruggles,

726

Lake,

886

Sullivan,

795

Mifflin,

846

Troy,

715

Milton,

1,192

Vermillion,

2,209

Mohican,

1,693

Population in 1860 was 22,951 ; in 1880, 23,883, of whom 18,852 were Ohio born.

ASHLAND IN 1846 .- Ashland, the county-seat, was laid out (1815) by William Montgomery, and bore for many years the name of Uniontown ; it was changed to

252

ASHLAND COUNTY.

its present name in compliment to Henry Clay, whose seat near Lexington, Ken- tucky, bears that name. Daniel Carter, from Butler county, Pennsylvania, raised the first cabin in the place about the year 1811, which stood where the store of William Granger now is in Ashland. Robert Newell, three miles east, and Mr. Fry, one and one-half miles north of the village, raised cabins about the same time. In 1817 the first store was opened by Joseph Sheets, in a frame building now kept as a store by the widow Yonker. Joseph Sheets, David Markley,

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1846.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN ASHLAND.

Samuel Ury, Nicholas Shaeffer, Alanson Andrews, Elias Slocum, and George W. Palmer were among the first settlers of the place. Ashland is a flourishing village, eighty-nine miles northwest of Columbus, and fourteen from Mansfield. It con- tains five churches, viz., two Presbyterian, one Episcopal Methodist, one Lutheran, and one Disciples; nine dry-goods, four grocery, one book, and two drug stores ; two newspaper printing-offices ; a flourishing classical academy, numbering over 100 pupils of both sexes, and a population estimated at 1,300. The above view was taken in front of the site selected for the erection of a court-house, the Metho- dist church building seen on the left being now used for that purpose; the struc- tures with stecples, commencing on the right, are the First Presbyterian church, the academy, and the Second Presbyterian church. At the organization of the

Frank Henry Howe, Photo., 1888.

PUBLIC BUILDINGS IN ASHLAND.

first court of common pleas for this county, at Ashland, an old gentleman by the name of David Burns was one of the grand jurors who, as a remarkable fact, it is said, was also a member of the first grand jury ever impanelled in Ohio. The court met near the mouth of Wegee creek, in Belmont county, in 1795; the

253

ASHLAND COUNTY.

country being sparsely settled, he was compelled to travel forty miles to the place of holding court .- Old Edition.

County officers for 1888 : Auditor, Samuel L. Arnold; Clerk, Milton Win- bigler; Commissioners, Nathan J. Cresson, John Martin, Jacob Kettering; Coroner, William H. Reinhart ; Prosecuting Attorney, Frank C. Semple; Probate Judge, Emanuel Finger ; Recorder, Edwin S. Bird ; Sheriff, Randolph F. Andress ; Sur- veyor, John B. Weddell ; Treasurers, James W. Brant, Thomas C. Harvey.

ASHLAND, the county-seat, is about fifty miles southwest of Cleveland, on the line of the N. Y. P. and O. railroad. It is a well-built town, with a fine farming country round about. Newspapers : Press, Democratic, W. T. Albertson, editor ; Times, Republican, W. H. Reynolds, editor ; Brethren Evangelist, religious and Prohibition, A. L. Garber, editor ; Gazette, Republican, Hon. T. M. Beer, man- ager. Churches : one Presbyterian, two Lutheran, one Disciples, two Brethren, one Evangelical, one Reformed, and one Catholic. Banks: Farmers', E. J. Gross- cup, president, George A. Ullman, cashier ; First National, J. O. Jennings, presi- dent, Joseph Patterson, cashier.

Manufactures and Employees .- Shearer, Kagey & Co., doors, sash, etc., 16 hands; F. E. Myers & Bro., pumps, 65; Kauffman & Beer, woven-wire mattresses, 20; H. K. Myers & Co., flour, etc. ; Klugston & Hughes, grain elevator .- State Report 1887. Population in 1880, 3,004. School census 1886, 1,169; Joseph E. Stubbs, superintendent.

Ashland has the high distinction of having given the first citizen of Ohio to volunteer as a soldier for the Union army. This was LORIN ANDREWS, who was born here in a log-cabin, April 1, 1819, being the fourth child born in Ashland. His father, Alanson An- drews, later opened a farm southwest of the village. At the age of seventeen he delivered with great credit a Fourth of July oration at Carter's Grove just east of the town. From 1840 to 1843 he was a student at Gambier, but from want of pecuniary means was obliged to leave, and then took charge of the Ash- land academy. He pursued his studies without a teacher, and with signal suc- cess. He lectured before institutes throughout the State, and had scarcely an equal in influence as an educator. So greatly was he valued for power of intellect and general capacity that, in MISS -ENE COLMY 1854, he was chosen to the presidency of Gambier, and he brought up the LORIN ANDREWS, Ohio's First Volunteer for the Union Army. institution from an attendance of thirty to over 200 pupils. Princeton con- ferred upon him the degree of LL. D. He had peculiarly winning qualities that made him a born leader. It was in February, 1861, that, believing war inevitable, he offered his services to Gov. Dennison. In April he raised a company in Knox county for the Fourth regiment, and was elected colonel. It was ordered to West Virginia, where, owing to exposure, he was taken sick of typhoid fever, and died September 18, 1861, and was buried at Gambier in a spot of his own selection. He was but forty-two years of age-in his prime-and of great moral influence. He was about five feet eight inches in height, and weighed about 130 pounds; hair sandy, and inclined to curl. His eye was a clear gray, his face manly, full of benevolence, his carriage erect, with a sprightly gait.

254

ASHLAND COUNTY.

Upon a high, commanding site upon the outskirts of the town stand the some- what imposing structures of the Ashland Preparatory College, W. C. Perry, prin- cipal. This institution is under the auspices of the Society of Dunkards, or Ger- man Baptists, of whom there are many in parts of this eounty. The following account of these peculiar and excellent people is from the "County History." The quiet simplicity and earnestness of their lives is on a par with that of the members of the Society of Friends :

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume I, Part 38

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