USA > Ohio > History and geography of Ohio > Part 15
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1880
3,198,062
1880.
78.5
1890
3,672,329
1890.
90.I
1 900
4,157,545
1900 .
. IO2.I
1910
4,767,12I
1910 .
117.0
1920
5,759,394
1920
141.4
222
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
Brown. Brown County was named in honor of General Jacob Brown, who defeated the British at Lundy's Lane in the War of 1812.
Georgetown, the county seat, is famous as the boyhood home of Ulysses S. Grant.
Ripley was at first called Stanton, and was afterwards named Ripley in honor of General Ripley, an officer of the War of 1812. A prominent abolitionist, Reverend John Rankin, lived in Ripley,
FIG. 151. A large tractor plant
The automobile tractors which are made in this Ohio factory are shipped all over the world. (Courtesy of Ford Tractor Plant, Hamilton, Ohio)
and his residence became one of the first stations on the famous Underground Railroad which led to Canada (see Fig. 37).
Tobacco-raising is the chief industry of the county.
Butler. Butler County, named after General Butler, an officer of the Revolution, is often called the Garden of Ohio.
The route of St. Clair in his Indian campaign of 1791 passed through this county. In that year, Fort Hamilton was built on the present site of Hamilton on the Great Miami River.
Manufacturing in Hamilton received its first stimulus from the construction of a hydraulic canal which brought water from the Miami River at a point about four miles above the city.
223
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
Oxford, a village northwest of Hamilton, is noted for its educa- tional institutions. Miami University, a state institution, is located here; also two famous colleges for women-Oxford College, and The Western College for Women.
Carroll. Carroll County was named in honor of Charles Car- roll of Carrollton, Maryland, who was the last survivor of the famous group who signed the Declaration of Independence.
FIG. 152. A motor truck made in Ohio
This illustration shows a three-and-one-half ton truck at work in the pineapple fields of Hawaii. (Courtesy of the White Motor Car Company, Cleveland, Ohio)
Carrollton, the county seat, is famous as the home of the Fighting McCooks. The two families of Major Daniel McCook and his brother, Dr. John McCook, gave fifteen sons to the Union armies. All of them became commissioned officers and were distinguished for their valor.
Champaign. In early days many Indian councils were held in this county, and Tecumseh, chief of the Shawnees (Fig. 30), was noted for his eloquent speeches at these meetings. Tecumseh's favorite hunting-ground was on Deer Creek.
224
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
During the War of 1812, Urbana, the county seat, was the base of operations for the American army. General Hull assembled his army here before starting on his ill-fated expedition to Detroit.
Many early political meetings were held at Urbana, the most noted of which was the great convention of 1840 during General Har- rison's campaign. The famous American sculptor, John Q. A. Ward, was born in this city, where he spent his boyhood days.
Clark. Clark County was named in honor of General George Rogers Clark, who won the Northwest Territory for the United States in the Revolutionary War.
The first settlement in the county was made in 1796 at Chubbs Station at the forks of Mad River.
The Indian town of Piqua, five miles west of the present site of Springfield, is the birthplace of Tecumseh, the famous Indian chief. This town was later abandoned, and its few white settlers moved to Miami County, where they formed a new settlement to which they gave the name Piqua.
Springfield, the county seat, was the home of Asa S. Bushnell, twice elected governor of Ohio. It is also the home of Wittenberg College, a well-known institution of higher education.
Clermont. Clermont County was settled largely by pioneers from Maryland, Virginia, and Kentucky who wished to migrate from slave territory. These men became strong advocates of emancipation and gave Clermont an important place in the final struggle against slavery. The county was probably named from Clermont in France.
The first Methodist Church in Ohio, perhaps in the entire North- west, was organized by Francis McCormick at Milford (1797).
Point Pleasant, a village twenty-five miles above Cincinnati, is famous as the birthplace of Ulysses S. Grant.
Batavia, the county seat, was noted for its old stone meeting- house built in 1817. Here the "Clermont boys" were welcomed on their return from the Mexican War, and here the first Clermont company in the Civil War was organized.
Clinton. Clinton County was named after George Clinton, fourth Vice President of the United States, and the originator of the canal project carried out by his nephew, Governor De Witt Clinton.
Wilmington, the county seat, was settled by emigrants from North Carolina and named for Wilmington in that state.
Columbiana. Two unrelated names, Columbus and Anna, were combined to form the word Columbiana.
225
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
The first paper mill in Ohio, and the second west of the Alle- ghenies, was erected in 1805 on Little Beaver Creek.
East Liverpool, the center of the pottery industry of the United States, is located in the heart of a region rich in mineral and chemical deposits.
Coshocton. This county derived its name from the Indian village, Goschachgunk, which in early days was located here.
FIG. 153. Interior of a paint factory
This illustration shows a section of the mixing and grinding department for the manu- facture of prepared paints. The ingredients are introduced into the measuring and dis- tributing tanks (at top of picture), and are next fed to the mixers (resting on the balcony floor) where they are mixed with great care. (Courtesy of the Sherwin- Williams Company, Cleveland, Ohio)
This region was the early home of the Delaware Indians, against whom Colonel Bouquet led his daring expedition in the year 1764.
Crawford. Crawford County was named in honor of Colonel William Crawford.
Bucyrus, the county seat, was named after Cyrus the Great. Colonel Kilbourne, its founder, was a great admirer of this Persian ruler ; he placed the first syllable of the word "beautiful" before Cyrus, and named the town Bucyrus.
Cuyahoga. This county was named from the river Cuyahoga. Cuyahoga is an Indian word meaning "crooked."
226
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
As early as 1755 there was a French trading station within the present limits of the county. However, the first permanent settle- ment was made at Cleveland in 1796, and named in honor of the land company's agent, Moses Cleaveland. Cleveland is today the largest city in Ohio. It possesses one of the finest harbors on Lake Erie and is one of its chief ports, connecting the interior of the state with the Great Lakes region (see Facts and Figures, Tables VII and IX).
FIG. 154. How steel cars are made
The underframe of each car is first constructed, then placed on the trucks and started over the tracks. The different parts are applied at different positions-fifteen in all- until the completed car passes through the last position on the track. This illustration shows a section of the main shop with tractor underframes piled ready for shipment. (Courtesy of the Ralston Steel Car Company, Columbus, Ohio)
The district about Berea abounds in stone quarries, noted for sandstone of superior quality and almost inexhaustible supply.
Darke. Darke County was named after General William Darke.
In 1793 General Wayne built Fort Greenville on the present site of Greenville, the county seat. Wayne remained here with his army for six months before advancing to the Maumee Rapids, where he defeated the Indians. Two treaties of peace with the Indians were made at Fort Greenville (1795, 1814).
Arcanum is located in a fertile farming section and is the ship- ping point for much of the tobacco crop of the county.
227
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
Defiance. Defiance County received its name from Fort Defiance, built in 1794 by General Wayne at the junction of the Maumee and Auglaize rivers.
Defiance, the county seat, was built on the site of the old fort. This site had formerly been a trading point between the French in Canada and the Indian tribes of Ohio. It is claimed that the noted Indian chief Pontiac was born here. In the War of 1812, Fort
-
FIG. 155. How steel cars are made
This large machine is used for punching holes in metal. This picture shows a steel plate in position ready to be punched. (Courtesy of the Ralston Steel Car Company, Columbus, Ohio)
Defiance was an important post for the concentration of troops under General Harrison against the British and Indians on the frontier.
Delaware. This county was named from the Delaware tribe of Indians. The first settlement was made in 1801 on the east bank of the Olentangy River, five miles below the city of Delaware.
Delaware County is the birthplace of General William S. Rose- crans, a famous commander in the Civil War.
Delaware, the county seat, is famous as the seat of Ohio Wesleyan University. This city was also the birthplace of Rutherford B. Hayes, the nineteenth president of the United States.
Erie. Erie County, named after the Erie tribe of Indians, is located in that part of the Western Reserve known as the " Firelands."
228
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
The village of Milan is famous as the birthplace of Thomas A. Edison. It was formerly an important wheat-shipping center.
Sandusky, the county seat, was originally called Ogontz, after an Indian chief. The Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home is located here. The Ohio State Fish Hatchery is on the lake front near San- dusky, and this city is one of the most important centers of the fishing industry.
Kelleys Island, lying in Lake Erie, thirteen miles from Sandusky, is one of the townships of Erie County. The island was originally bought by Datus Kelley for its valuable red cedar. Later the growing of grapes became the chief industry.
Fairfield. Fairfield County derived its name from the beauty of its fair fields.
Lancaster, the county seat, was founded by Ebenezer Zane, the builder of Zane's Trace. He called the settlement New Lancaster, because many of its settlers were emigrants from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Later the word "New" was dropped from the name. Lancaster is noted as the home of Thomas Ewing, who served two terms in the United States Senate. It is also the birthplace of John Sherman, another United States Senator, and of his brother, William T. Sherman, a famous general in the Civil War. The Ohio Boys' Industrial School is located here.
Fayette. Fayette County was named in honor of Lafayette of France.
Washington Court House, the county seat, is a leading stock center of the state.
Jeffersonville is a shipping point for thoroughbred Poland-China hogs and Shorthorn cattle.
Franklin. Franklin County was named in honor of Benjamin Franklin.
This county was the early home of the Wyandot Indians.
Franklinton, now a part of Columbus, was the first town built in the Scioto Valley north of Chillicothe. This early settlement was the birthplace of General Irvin McDowell, of Civil War fame.
Columbus, the capital of Ohio, is the fourth city of the state in population. It is a great railroad center and is noted for its public institutions, which include : The Asylum for the Insane, The Institu- tion for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb, The Institution for the Education of the Blind, and the Ohio Penitentiary. The Ohio State University, two and one-half miles north of the State House,
229
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
is one of the largest and best equipped state universities, with an enrollment of nearly 8000 students.
Fulton. Fulton County was named after Robert Fulton, inventor of the steamboat.
Wauseon, the county seat, was named from an Indian chief. It is situated in the center of a very fertile agricultural region.
FIG. 156. Sewing room of a clothes-manufacturing plant
This is one of the largest plants in the world devoted to the manufacture of uniforms, suitcases, and traveling bags. (Courtesy of the M. C. Lilley and Company, Columbus, Ohio)
Gallia. This county takes its name from the Latin word Gallia, which was the ancient name of the country now called France.
The first settlement in the county, and the third in the state of Ohio, was made at Gallipolis. It was settled in 1790 by a French colony sent out under the auspices of the Scioto Company.
Geauga. The name Geauga in the Indian language means "rac- coon," and was originally applied to the Grand River.
The first settlement was made at Burton in 1798 by three families from Connecticut. One mile from Burton is the old home of Peter Hitchcock, the "Father of the Constitution of Ohio."
Chardon, the county seat, is noted for the manufacture of cheese.
230
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
The chief industry of the county is the making of maple sugar.
Greene. Greene County was named in honor of General Nathanael Greene, a valiant officer of the Revolutionary War.
The Shawnee Indian town, Old Chillicothe, was about three and one half miles north of the present site of Xenia. Here Daniel Boone was held a prisoner in 1778.
Xenia, the county seat, was laid out in 1803 by Joseph C. Vance. The Ohio Soldiers and Sailors' Orphans' Home was established here
n
FIG. 157. Large blocks of soap stored in frames. (Courtesy of the Proctor and Gamble Company, Ivorydale, Ohio)
in 1869. It is noted for efficient management and for the homelike care given to the children. Wilberforce University is located near Xenia. It is famous as an institution of higher education for the colored race.
Yellow Springs, noted for its medicinal springs, is the seat of Antioch College. Horace Mann was its president from 1852 to 1859.
Greene County is also noted as the birthplace of Whitelaw Reid and the early home of William Dean Howells.
Guernsey. Guernsey County was named by its first settlers in honor of the Guernsey Isles, from which they had emigrated.
Perry's Den, a secluded spot near Cumberland, was once the hid- ing place of Walter Perry and his gang of horse thieves.
FIG. 158. Making matches
The sawing and sorting of blocks of wood is one of the first stages in making matches
FIG. 159. Making matches
These large kettles contain the composition which is used for the head of the match. (Illustrations by courtesy of the Diamond Match Company, Barberton, Ohio)
232
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
Pennyroyaldom is the name of a district in the eastern part of the county. It is so named because of the industry of raising and distilling oil of pennyroyal.
The man who wields the second oar in the well-known painting of "Perry's Victory" was "Fighting Bill" Reed of Guernsey County (see Fig. 29).
Hamilton. Hamilton, the second county established in the North- west Territory, was named in honor of Alexander Hamilton, the first Secretary of the Treasury.
Cincinnati, the second settlement in the Northwest Territory, was originally called Losantiville, but was renamed Cincinnati by Gov- ernor St. Clair. Because of its location, Cincinnati became the center of abolition. Here Birney was mobbed, and here Wendell Phillips was attacked. In this city the story of "Uncle Tom's Cabin" was suggested to Harriet Beecher Stowe. Cincinnati was the home of Levi Coffin, called the "President of the Underground Railroad." This city is also noted as the birthplace of ex-President William H. Taft, and it was here that Thomas Buchanan Read wrote many of his best poems. Cincinnati has become the second city of the state, and is often referred to as the commercial gateway between the North and the South.
Hancock. Hancock County was named after John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
Findlay, the county seat, derived its name from Fort Findlay, an old fort built during the War of 1812 upon the present site of the city. Findlay is the center of a vast oil and gas region.
Hardin. Hardin County was named in honor of Colonel John Hardin, an officer of the Revolutionary War.
Fort McArthur was built on the Scioto River during the War of 1812.
Kenton, the county seat, was named in honor of Simon Kenton. It is the center of a fertile agricultural region.
Ada, fourteen miles from Kenton, is the seat of Ohio Northern University, an institution of higher education which numbers some ยท of Ohio's leading men among its graduates.
Harrison. Harrison County was named in honor of William Henry Harrison.
Cadiz is noted as the home of Edwin M. Stanton, Lincoln's Secre- tary of War. Bishop Simpson, said by Abraham Lincoln to be the most eloquent orator he had ever heard, was also born here.
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FIG. 160. Airplane view showing the situation of Cincinnati on the Ohio River
234
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
New Rumley is famous as the birthplace of General George A. Custer, the gallant cavalry leader who lost his life in the fight at the Little Big Horn.
Henry. Henry County was named for Patrick Henry, the elo- quent Virginia orator of the Revolutionary period.
In early days, Napoleon, the county seat, was one of the haunts of Simon Girty, the renegade Indian leader.
Henry County is today one of the wealthiest sections of the Old Black Swamp.
Highland. Highland County was so named because of the high- lands between the Scioto and Little Miami rivers. It was settled in 1801 by emigrants from Virginia and North Carolina.
Hillsboro, the county seat, was the birthplace of the Women's Temperance Crusade in 1873.
Allen Trimble, twice elected governor of the state, and Joseph B. Foraker, governor of Ohio and United States Senator, were both residents of Highland County.
Fort Hill, one of the most interesting of the old forts erected in Ohio, is situated in Brush Creek township, seventeen miles from Hillsboro.
Hocking. The name "Hocking" is contracted from the Indian name of the Hocking river, Hockhocking, which means "a bottle." It is said that from a bird's-eye view the river has the exact shape of a bottle.
This county is located in the famous Hocking Valley coal fields.
Logan, the county seat, is located on the southern and eastern borders of the Hocking coal and iron region. It also adjoins a rich agricultural region on the west and north.
Holmes. This county was named in honor of Major Holmes, a gallant young officer of the War of 1812, who was killed in Colonel Croghan's unsuccessful attack upon Fort Mackinac.
The first cabin in the county was built in 1809 on Salt Creek in Prairie township.
Huron. Huron was the name given by the French to the Wyandot Indians. This county originally included all of the region known as the "Firelands."
Norwalk, the county seat, was named by settlers who came from Norwalk, Connecticut. It is surrounded by rich farming country, and is frequently called the Maple City, because of its beautiful maple trees. The Norwalk Academy in early days was an educa-
235
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
tional institution of high standing. Rutherford B. Hayes, George Foster, and General James B. McPherson were among its students. Bellevue and Monroeville are two thriving towns of Huron County. Jackson. Jackson County was named in honor of President Andrew Jackson.
The famous old Scioto Salt Works, located on Salt Creek, were indicated on maps as early as 1755, but they are now abandoned.
FIG. 161. Interior of a rolling mill
This rolling mill produces heavy steel for railroad and general construction. Note the white-hot steel ingot (at left of picture) passing to the heavy rollers. The rollers squeeze the ingot into bars or plates. (Courtesy of La Belle Mill, Steubenville, Ohio)
Jackson, the county seat, Wellston, and Coalton owe their im- portance to the immense beds of coal which are found in this region.
Jefferson. Jefferson County was the fifth county established in Ohio. It was named in honor of Thomas Jefferson, third President of the United States.
Steubenville, the birthplace of Edwin M. Stanton, derives its name from Fort Steuben, erected on this site in 1789. This fort was named after Baron von Steuben, the drill-master of Washington's army in the American Revolution.
Knox. Knox County was named for General Henry Knox, an officer of the Revolution, who became Secretary of War under Presi- dent Washington.
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236
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
The early settlers of the county came from the Middle States. At an early date, a large colony of Friends or Quakers located in the northwestern part of the county.
Gambier is widely known as the seat of Kenyon College. This institution was founded with funds obtained by Bishop Chase of England, and was named in honor of Lord Kenyon.
Mt. Vernon, the county seat, was laid out in 1805, and named from the home of George Washington at Mount Vernon, Virginia.
Lake. Lake County was so named because it borders on Lake Erie.
The Mormon Temple built at Kirtland in 1833 by Joseph Smith and his followers still stands today, and is used by the Latter-Day Saints of this community.
Painesville, the county seat, was first called Champion after its founder, Henry Champion. The name was afterwards changed to Painesville in honor of General Edward Paine, an officer of the Revolutionary War. This city is the seat of the Lake Erie College for Women. It was the boyhood home of the artists, William H. Beard and James H. Beard, and also the birthplace of Samuel Hunt- ington, one of Ohio's early governors.
Mentor, the first settlement in the county, was the home of James A. Garfield (Fig. 162).
Lawrence. Lawrence County was named in honor of Captain James Lawrence, a gallant naval officer of the War of 1812.
Ironton, the county seat, is situated on the Ohio River, and is the center of the Hanging Rock iron region. Large quantities of fire and potter's clay afford an abundance of material for the extensive pottery industry of this city.
Hanging Rock is on the Ohio River four miles below Ironton. It was named from a projecting cliff of sandstone about four hundred feet high, called Hanging Rock.
Licking. This county was named from its principal river, the Licking, which the Indians called the Pataskala.
Newark, the county seat of Licking County, has the honor of having supplied the youngest recruit to the Union Army. He was Johnnie Clem, sometimes called the "Drummer Boy of Shiloh and Chickamauga." Near Newark are located the ancient works known as "Old Fort" and "Eagle Mound." The Flint Ridge of this county was the principle source of supply for Indian arrow heads and other flint implements.
237
THE COUNTIES OF OHIO
The village of Granville is noted as the seat of Denison University. The opening of the Ohio Canal was celebrated at Licking Summit, on the Fourth of July, 1825.
Logan. Logan County was named in honor of General Benjamin Logan. The terri- tory comprising the county was the home of the Shawnee In- dians, whose villages on Mad River were called the "Ma- cochee towns." It was against these towns that General Logan led an expedition in 1786.
Bellefontaine, the county seat, was laid out in 1820 and so named because of the fine springs in the vicinity.
Lewiston Reservoir in the northwestern part of the county is twelve square miles in area, and supplies the Miami Canal.
Lorain. This county was named after the French prov- ince of Lorraine.
The first permanent settle- ment was on the site of the Mo- ravian Indian massacre of 1782.
Elyria, the county seat, was named after Herman Ely of Massachusetts. " Ria" was added to the name of "Ely."
Oberlin, the seat of Oberlin College, was for many years an important station on the Underground Railroad.
00:00-20
FIG. 162. Tomb of James A. Garfield, Cleveland, Ohio
Garfield's life is the story of America's op- portunities. Born on a farm at Orange, Cuyahoga County, his early life was a hard struggle against poverty. He worked on a canal-boat, and afterwards as a carpenter; graduated from Williams College; served with distinction in the Civil War; and in 1880 was elected President of the United States. His promising career was cut short by the bullet of an assassin just four months after his inauguration
The city of Lorain on Lake Erie is noted for its shipbuilding yards.
Lucas. Lucas County, named in honor of Robert Lucas, twice governor of Ohio, has been the scene of many historical events. One of the most important was General Anthony Wayne's victory over the Indians at the battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.
238
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY OF OHIO
Toledo, the third city of Ohio in population, was built on the site of Fort Industry. This fort, which was the center of military opera- tions in the "Ohio-Michigan War," was built in 1800 on the present site of Summit Street. This city is noted for its splendid harbor, one of the finest on the Great Lakes. It is also noted as the home of General James B. Steedman, a famous Civil War leader, and of Morrison R. Waite, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
The older village of Maumee was once the county seat.
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