Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 48

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916

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Benefit of Tobacco .- By this time the camp was nearly out of provisions, with a three days' mareh before them. A small quantity of old corn and one cow were the entire spoils of the villages. Those were distributed among the men, the villages burned, and the troops immediately commenced their march for the Ohio river, where they expected to meet pro- visions sent down from Redstone. The men became exceedingly famished on this march, and myself being young, was so weak that I could no longer carry anything on my person,

BIRTHPLACE OF VICE-PRESIDENT HENDRICKS.

MCINTIRE'S HOTEL, 1800.

This picture of the first hotel in Zanesville was drawn by me from a description by those who remembered it, and published in the edition of 1847.

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An older brother and one or two others kept encouraging me. One of them had a good stock of tobacco. I saw him take it, and with an earnestness bordering on delirium insisted on having some. As I had never used it before they refused, thinking it would en- tirely disable me ; but as I was so importu- nate they at last gave me a small piece. directly felt myself relieved. They gave me more, and in a short time my strength and spirits returned. I took my arms and bag- gage, and was able to travel with the rest of them, and was actually the first to reach the Ohio.

Here we met the boats, but nothing in them but corn in the ear. Every man was soon at work with his tomahawk, crushing it

on the stones and mixing it with water in gourds or leaves fashioned in the shape of cups, while some provident ones enjoyed the aristocratic luxury of tin cups ; but all seemed alike to relish the repast. A party of us crossed the Ohio that day for the settlement, when we came up with a drove of hogs in tolerable order. We shot one and eat him on the spot, without criticising with much nicety the mode or manner of preparation. Indeed, the meat of itself was so savory and delicious we thought of little else. In a few days I returned to my parents, and after a little domestic storming and much juvenile vaunting of our exploits, settled down to clearing.

The following historical sketch of Zanesville is from a series of editorial arti- cles in the Zanesville Gazette of 1835. In May, 1796, Congress passed a law anthorizing Ebenezer Zane to open a road from Wheeling, in Virginia, to Lime- stone, now Maysville, Ky. In the following year Mr. Zane, accompanied by his brother, Jonathan Zane, and his son-in-law, John McIntyre, both experienced woodsmen, proceeded to mark out the new road, which was afterwards cut out by the two latter. The cutting out, however, was a very hasty business, in which nothing more was attempted than to make the road passable for horsemen. As a compensation for opening this road, Congress granted to Ebenezer the privilege of locating military warrants upon three sections of land, not to exceed one mile square each ; the first of these to.be at the crossing of the Muskingum, the second at the Hockhocking, and the third at the Scioto. It has been generally said that these were free grants to Mr. Zane for opening the road ; but an examination of the law will show that it was only a permission for Mr. Zane to locate his war- rant on land which had not been appropriated to that purpose.

Mr. Zane first proposed to cross the Muskingum at Duncan's falls ; but fore- seeing the value of the hydraulic power created by the falls where Zanesville now stands, he crossed the river at that point, and thus became entitled to a section of land embracing the falls. Regarding the fertility of the soil and the beauty of the vicinity, his next choice was selected where Lancaster has since been built, rather than at the crossing of what now bears the name of Rush creek, which is really the main branch of the Hockhocking. At the Scioto he was obliged to locate his warrant on the eastern side of the river, as the western shore lay within the Virginia military district. His location was made nearly opposite to Chilli- cothe. These choice tracts would no doubt have all been taken up before that time, but they had not been surveyed and brought into market. The country east of the Muskingum, and for some distance west also, being hilly and compar- atively poor, this was thought to be the least valuable section of the three, and E. Zane gave it to his brother Jonathan and J. McIntire, for assisting him and open- ing the road.

One of the conditions annexed to the grant of Mr. Zane was that he should keep ferries across these rivers during the pleasure of Congress. Messrs. Zane and McIntire gave the Muskingum ferry for five years to Wm. McCulloch and Henry Crooks, on condition that they should move to the place and keep the ferry, which they did. The ferry was kept about where the upper bridge is situated, and the ford was near the site of the present dam. The ferry-boat was composed of two canoes with a stick lashed across. The first flatboat used for the ferry was one in which

Mr. McIntire removed from Wheeling in 1799. Mr. Zane resided at Wheeling. The first mail ever carried in Ohio was brought from Marietta to McCulloch's cabin, by Dan- iel Convers, in 1798, where, by the arrange- ment of the postmaster-general, it met a mail from Wheeling and one from Limestone. McCulloch, who could barely read, was au- thorized to assort the mails and send each package in its proper direction, for which he received $30 per annum. But the service often fell to Mr. Convers, as he was more expert. At that time the aforesaid mails met

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here weekly. Four years after, a number of families having settled here, a regular post-office was opened, and Thomas Dowden appointed postmaster, who kept his office in a wooden building near the river, on Front street.

Zanesville Laid Out .- In 1799 Messrs. Zane and McIntire laid out the town, which they called Westbourn, a name which it con- tinued to bear until a post-office was estab- lished by the postmaster-general, under the name of ZANESVILLE, and the village soon took the same name. A few families from the Kanawha settled on the west side of the river soon after McCulloch arrived, and the settlement received pretty numerous acces- sions until it became a point of importance. It contained one store and no tavern. The latter inconvenience, however, was remedied by Mr. MeIntire, who, for public accommo- dation rather than for private emolument, opened a house of entertainment. It is due to Mr. MeIntire and his lady to say that their accommodations, though in a log-cabin, were such as to render their house the traveller's home. Prior to that time there were several grogshops where travellers might stop, and after partaking of a rude supper they could spread their blankets and bearskins on the floor, and sleep with their feet to the fire, but the opening of Mr. McIntire's house in- troduced the luxury of comfortable beds, and although his board was covered with the fruits of the soil and the chase rather than the luxuries of foreign climes, the fare was various and abundant. This, the first hotel at Zanesville, stood at what is now the corner of Market and Second streets, a few rods from the river, in an open maple grove with- out any underbrush. It was a pleasant spot, well shaded with trees, and in full view of the falls. The engraving was made from the description of one who knew it well.

Louis Philippe, the Present King of France, was once a guest of Mr. McIntire. The Hon. Lewis Cass, in his "Camp and Court of Louis Philippe," thus alludes to the circum- stance :

At Zanesville the party found the com- fortable cabin of Mr. McIntire, whose name has been preserved in the king's memory, and whose house was a favorite place of rest and refreshment for all the travellers who at this early period were compelled to traverse that part of the country. And if these pages should chance to meet the eyes of any of those who, like the writer, have passed many a pleasant hour under the roof of this uned- ucated but truly worthy and respectable man, he trusts they will unite in this tribute to his memory."

At that time all the iron, nails, castings, flour, fruit, with many other articles now produced here in abundance, were brought from Pittsburg and Wheeling, either upon pack-horses across the country or by the river in canoes. Oats and corn were usually brought about fifty miles up the river in canoes, and were worth from 75 cents to $I per bushel ; flour, $6 to $8 per barrel. In 1802 David

Harvey opened a tavern at the intersection of Third and Main streets, which was about the first shingle-roofed house in the town. Mr. McIntire, having only kept entertainment for public accommodation, discontinued after the opening of Mr. Harvey's tavern.

In 1804, when the legislature passed an act establishing the county of Muskingum, the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county-seat reported in favor of Zanes- ville. The buildings were yet few in number and the streets and lots were principally covered with the native growth ; but the citi- zens, in order to put on the best appearance possible, turned out, while Zanesville was yet a candidate (if we may so speak) for the county-seat, and cut out the bushes from some of the principal streets, and especially from the public square, that the situation might appear to the best possible advantage in the eyes of the commissioners. Some were anxious that the county-seat should he at Coshocton, and others preferred the Cass seetion above Dresden, but Zanesville was finally selected, but in part because it was so near Marietta, as to render any county be- tween the two places forever unnecessary. Muskingum included within its original limits the present counties of Muskingum and Cos- hocton, besides the greater part of what now constitutes the counties of Holmes, Tusca- rawas and Guernsey, and a part of Perry, Morgan, Monroe and Carroll.

The County-Seat having been established, the town improved more rapidly, and as the unappropriated United States military lands had been brought into market during the preceding year (1803), and a land-office es- tablished at Zanesville, many purchases and settlements were made in the county. The first court in Zanesville sat in Harvey's tavern. In a short time afterwards a wooden jail was erected, and also a wooden building, the lower part of which served as a residence for the sheriff and his family, and the upper room was used as a court-room and as a place for all public meetings, political or religious. These buildings stood between the site of the present court-house and jail, and were after- wards burnt down by a negro, who was con- fined on a charge of larceny.

Arrest of Counterfeiters .- An anecdote may serve to convey some idea of the difficulties of frontier life. It may also show that vice and crime were not less scorned then than in later days. After the organization of the county, but before the erection of any public buildings, two men were apprehended on a charge of counterfeiting silver dollars. It was impracticable to send them to the jail at Marietta, a distance of sixty miles through the woods, until the next term of court, to which they were bound over. To turn them loose or permit them to escape would encour- age others to depredate in like manner ; it was necessary, therefore, that they should be punished. Under these circumstances Mr. McIntire called on Daniel Convers, and in strong language stated his views, adding, "We must take them in charge and keep

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them until court." This was contrary to law, but as necessity knows no law the jus- tice was persuaded to surrender them to McIntire and Convers, as they pledged them- selves that, if the prisoners were not forth- coming at the hour of trial, they would take their places and abide the penalty.

After conducting them to a cabin selected for the purpose, and putting hand-cuffs on them, they were addressed by MeIntire, who, axe in hand, stood by the door: "Now, boys," said he, pointing to the blankets pro- vided for their bed, "there is your bed ; with your guilt or innocence we have nothing to do ; you shall have plenty to eat and to drink, but," added he, raising his right arm in a threatening manner, "if you attempt to escape, d-n you, I'll kill you." The firm, resolute manner of the address deterred them from making the attempt. McIntire, with his axe by his side, took his seat by the door ; and here, day after day and night af- ter night, did he and his associates watch the prisoners until the term of court arrived, when they were tried and convicted. One confessed his crime, and told where their tools were secreted, about 18 miles off, on the Rocky fork of the Licking, where they were found and brought into court. Agree- ably to the law then in force, he was sen- tenced to receive twenty-five lashes, well laid on, and to stand committed until all costs were paid. The other was to receive thirty- nine lashes, and also to be recommitted. Their sentence was immediately carried into effect, as to the stripes, which were well ap- plied by Mr. Beymer, the sheriff. After having been recommitted to their prison, they were left on parole of honor, and their guards once more retired to their beds, free from care. Next morning, to the great gratification of all, it was found, notwith- standing their promise to the contrary, they were among the missing; their hand-cuffs having been carefully laid away for the use of their successors.

Mr. McIntire, the founder and patron of Zanesville, was indefatigable in his attention to the interests of the town ; no personal or pecuniary sacrifice being considered too great, in his anxiety to promote its prosperity.

The seat of government had been fixed temporarily at Chillicothe, but for several reasons many members of the legislature were dissatisfied, and it was known that a change of location was desired by them. Muskingum possessed natural advantages favorable to agricultural and manufacturing purposes, which gave Zanesville a fair pros- pect of becoming an extensive town ; while its nearly central situation rendered it a de- sirable site for the State metropolis. It was believed, therefore, by many, that if once the legislature could be induced to fix the temporary seat here, it would not be re- moved, but made permanent. The citizens of the town and county were alive to the wu- portance of obtaining the change, and

committee, consisting of John McIntire and others, was appointed to visit Chillicothe during the session of the legislature, and make whatever pledge might be necessary on the part of the county, as well as to aid the Muskingum delegate in obtaining the pas- sage of the desired law. At the session of 1808 and 1809 the Muskingum delegation received assurances from their friends in the legislature that, if the county at its own ex- pense would furnish suitable buildings for the use of the legislature, a law would no doubt be passed for making Zanesville the place of meet- ing. Encouraged by the cheering prospect the county commissioners determined to erect a brick building in front of the old court-house, which would make a respectable state-house, if the law of removal should be passed, and, should they fail in that, it would make an excellent court-house. The county was with- out funds, but a few public-spirited indi- viduals stepped forward and offered to loan the money, and the buildings were accord- ingly erected in the summer of 1809, hut not finished.

Zanesville made the State Capital .- In February, 1810, the desired law was passed, fixing the seat of government at Zanesville, until otherwise provided. The county then went on to finish the buildings in such a manner as would best accommodate the leg- islature. A smaller building was also erected for the secretary of state and the treasurer. This building was used as a jail after the removal of the legislature, and the destruc- tion of the old jail, until a new jail was erected in 1824, and afterwards as offices for the clerk and county auditor. The county incurred a heavy debt in the erection of these buildings, and the county orders were long under par, but were ultimately redeemed. The legislature sat here during the sessions of '10-'11 and '11-'12, when the present site of Columbus having been fixed upon for the permanent seat, the Chillicothe interest pre- vailed, and the temporary seat was once more fixed at that place, until suitable buildings could be erected at Columbus.

The project of removing the seat of gov- ernment was agitated as early as 1807 or '8, and the anticipation entertained that Zanes- ville would be selected gave increased ac- tivity to the progress of improvement. Much land was entered in the county, and many settlements made, although as late as 1813 land was entered within three miles of Zanes- ville. In 1809 parts of the town plat were covered with the natural growth of timber. It was feared by some that reaction would succeed the defeat of the favorite project of making Zanesville the State capital ; but this was not so. The natural resources of the country, and the numerous local advantages, amply supplied the necessary objects of pur- suit, and saved the country from the leth- argy which frequently follows disappointed effort.

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ZANESVILLE IN 1846.

The following sketch of Zanesville and its resources was written for our orig- inal edition by Mr. URIAH PARKE, editor of the Courier. He was one of the solid, substantial men of the Ohio of that day, strong in character and strong in physique, whom we remember with much pleasure.

ZANESVILLE has long been regarded as one of the principal towns in the State, and onee bid fair to yield the palm only to Cincinnati. But the extensive internal improvements of the State have built up her rivals, while they have eut off, to some extent, her trade, and checked the rapidity of her growth. Zanesville, how- ever, has advantages and resources which, when fully developed, must again give her a prominent place among the cities of the State.

Zanesville is beautifully situated on the east bank, in a bend of the Muskin- gum river, about 80 miles above its mouth by water, and 65 miles by land. It is 54 miles east of Columbus, at the point where the National Road erosses the Muskingum, and opposite the mouth of the Licking. The Muskingum seems once to have run nearly in a right line, from which, however, it has gradually di- verged to the westward, forming a horse-shoe enrve, and depositing, through sue- cessive centuries, an alluvion of gravel, sand, ete., of great depth, on which Zanes- ville now stands. In sweeping around this curve, through the space of about 12 miles, the river falls 8 or 10 feet, and by the aid of a dam a fall of between 16 and 17 feet is obtained, thus furnishing very extensive water power, which is used for hydraulic purposes. Near the toe of the shoe, Licking ereek, or river, discharges her waters from the west, and while above the month of Licking, West Zanesville, containing some three hundred inhabitants, is located, South Zanesville, with nearly the same population, is situated immediately below. Farther down the curve, and separated from South Zanesville by a bluff, is the beautiful village of Putnam, containing abont 1,000 or 1,200 inhabitants. A substantial and handsome bridge connects Zanesville with Putnam, while less than half a mile above, another similar bridge is thrown from Zanesville Main street, to a point in the stream, where the bridge forks, and one branch connects, on the route of the National or Cumberland road, with South Zanesville, while the other connects with West Zanesville and the roads leading off in that direction.

The Cumberland Road, constructed by the national government, and origin- ally designed to run from the town of Cumberland, in Maryland, at the eastern foot of the Allegheny mountains, indefinitely westward, as the country becomes settled, crosses the Muskingum river at Zanesville, bearing upon it a constant and immense travel ; while the Muskingum, made navigable for steamboats by dams, locks and short canals, opens a trade southward to the Ohio, and northward to the Ohio canal, near Dresden, which is 16 miles above, by water. The low level of the Ohio canal, between Lieking and Portage summits, passes within 2 miles of Dresden, and a navigable side-cut of 23 miles conneets the canal with the river, at that place, which is the head of steamboat navigation.

The Trade of Zanesville having, through the river and side-ent, reached the canal, is conveyed southward through the interior of the State, or northward to the lake, and thence through the New York canal, etc. ; or leaving the Ohio canal, through the Sandy and Beaver, it may branch off towards Pittsburg and Philadelphia, before reaching Cleveland. The freight, however, designed for Pittsburg and other points on the Ohio, and for the South, is usually shipped down the river upon steamboats, and on entering the Ohio it may ascend or descend. One or more steamboats run regularly, during the business season, from Zanesville to Dresden, for the purpose of towing canal boats, carrying passengers, etc. ; while others, of larger size, ply between Zanesville and Pittsburg, Cinein- nati, New Orleans, etc.

In addition to the hydraulie power furnished by the Muskingum and Lieking, the hills which surround Zanesville abound in veins of bituminous coal, which

A. HOWE'Y

Drawn by Henry Howe in 1846.

MAIN STREET OF ZANESVILLE.

On the left is shown the County Court-House, originally built for the Ohio State-House, and so used for two sessions. On the right is the Eagle Hotel, and on the hill iu the distance is MeIntire Academy.

WHOLESALE PRICE

B. V. H. Schultz, Amateur Photographer, Zanesville, 1890.

MAIN STREET OF ZANESVILLE.

This view is taken from about the same point as that above, showing on the left the new Court- House, and on the right a fine hotel on the site of the old " Eagle."

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lead to the free employment of steam power, and is almost exclusively used for fuel, except for cooking, and a good deal for that. But though Zanesville seems thus favored by nature with all the facilities for manufacturing, and art has con- structed avenues of communication in every direction favorable to the procurement of the raw material and the transmission of manufactured goods, her citizens have not turned their attention heretofore so much as they might have done in that direction. Their former great advantages in the salt and wheat trade seem, with other circumstances not necessary to specify, to have shaped their course differ- ently ; but the silent workings of causes growing out of public improvements have satisfied business men that Zanesville must be made a manufacturing-a producing place -- or diminish in importance ; and a company is now, with praise- worthy spirit and enterprise, erecting a cotton mill, which, it is believed, will be the forerunner of many others. Zanesville should be the Lowell of the West ; but this will never be brought about by old capitalists whose fortunes have been differently made, and whose thoughts have always run in other channels. A new population rising up and mingling with emigrants of skill and enterprise may do it; but it must be in despite of such as, having amassed wealth, would play the part of the dog in the manger.

At present there are in the above-mentioned cluster of towns five extensive flouring mills, two oil mills, four saw mills, one paper mill on the most recent and approved plan of machinery ; five iron foundries, in active operation and two others not doing business at present ; two manufactories of yellow-ware, of beautiful finish and much used for culinary purposes, two manufactories of glass, two of woollen goods, two machine shops, one last manufactory, with numerous other establishments of less note. There are five printing offices, four being in Zanesville and one in Putnam. At these are published the Gazette, weekly ; the Courier, weekly and tri-weekly ; the Aurora, weekly ; the Western Recorder, weekly ; the Lord's Counterfeit Detector, monthly.

There are in Zanesville two Catholic churches, two Baptist, two Episcopal Methodist, one Protestant Methodist, three Lutheran, one Presbyterian, one Episcopalian, one Universalist and one African. Some of these are extensive and beautiful buildings. In Putnam there is a handsome Presbyterian church, of the New School order, and a spacious Episcopal Methodist church. For educa- tional purposes there is an extensive female seminary in Putnam, designed as a boarding-school, and male and female district schools. South Zanesville and West Zanesville have district school buildings ; and in Zanesville much attention has been bestowed upon that subject for a few years past. The founder of the town, JOHN MCINTYRE, left his immense estate, now worth probably $200,000, to found and sustain a school for the benefit of the poor of Zanesville, and a handsome brick edifice has been erected for their accommodation. The town owns two large buildings, one for males, the other for females, in which schools are · kept that acknowledge no superiors. Each building is capable of accommodating three hundred and fifty scholars ; and the scholars under one general head are classified and placed in charge of assistants, but may, on any extraordinary occasion, be all brought into one room. The price of tuition for the wealthy is from fifty to seventy-five cents per quarter ; the public money pays the rest. But the beauty of the system is, that such as are not able to pay are admitted to all the advantages enjoyed by the most wealthy, even to the learned languages, with- out money and without price. Every child, then, in Zanesville, is provided with the means of education.

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Historical collections of Ohio in two volumes, an encyclopedia of the state, Volume II, Part 48

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893 Publication date: 1907 Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio Number of Pages: 916

Author: Howe, Henry, 1816-1893
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: Cincinnati : Published by the state of Ohio
Number of Pages: 916