History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 16

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 912

USA > Ohio > Columbiana County > History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens > Part 16

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"The first to use the power of Elk Run was Samuel Kemble. He built a saw and grist- mill on section 9, and successfully operated them for a number of years. Subsequently. the grist-mill passed into the hands of Seth McClure. It is now operated by Isaac Cham- berlain, and the sawmill by James Walker, both mills having been rebuilt or repaired a number of times. The manufacture of linseed oil and cement was carried on at these mills at different periods a number of years ago. On the same stream Alexander Rogers built a mill on section 16 about 1825, which was afterwards operated by Samuel Kemble, and later by Nathan Simpkins. This power and the one below, on the same section, are at pres- ent idle. The latter was improved in 1831 by James Clark, who put up a woolen mill 40 by 80 feet, two and a half stories high. In 1840. James Batchelor and Thomas Crook began the manufacture of woolen goods at this point, and1 after a few years the former was succeeded by William Allaway. From 1851 to 1862 Thomas Crook was the sole proprietor and sold to Jo- seph Hudd who abandoned the mill two years later. The building has been demolished. On the Middle Beaver, near Center township line. is a small mill belonging to Gen. Jacob B. Roller. Here Lewis Kinney had a carding- mill and later a woolen-mill, which he operate.1 in connection with Orth and Beaumont. The

latter removed his interests to New Lisbon. The power is feeble and but little employed. In the north-western part of the township, on Middle Run. Thomas Hawkins operated a saw- mill in 1828, and on this site mills have since been kept up by the Hawkins family. In 1843 Thomas Pike erected a mill farther up the same stream, which was later carried on by William Pike. Nearly all the foregoing indus- tries were small, and operated only to supply the local demand."

HOW MILLPORT GOT ITS NAME.

Millport in Franklin township was so named from the early occupancy of a portion of the village site by a grist-mill and a sawmill ; and in later years Thomas McKerren operated a steam sawmill in the village.

A little northeast of East Fairfield. in Fair- field township, the James family established a sawmill in the early days, which was abandoned before the middle of the century; and farther up the stream, on section 35, a steam sawmill was built in 1856 by J. Allman, Joel Wicker- sham, David Wickersham and Joel Ritchie. which became the property, in January, 1877, of W. L. English, and was operated by him for many years. [Ensign's "History of Co- lumbiana County."]

On the headwaters of Elk Run, on sec- tion 32, George Freed, at an early day, started a sawmill and a grist-mill, which were later carried on by B. Dillworth, and subsequently had frequent changes of ownership. Levi Miller established a fulling-mill and sawmill in 1832 just below Hanover. This mill had the distinction of being the first in Hanover town- ship, to use steam power. It continued in op- eration about 30 years.

Ensign's history says of the early mills erected in Knox township: "The first mill erected in the township-a sawmill-was on section 29, and was built by the pioneer John Thomas in the year 1806. This sawmill was operated by Mr. Thomas until 1815. when he was severely injured by an accident. John Dean succeeded to the ownership, and ran the mill three years. In 1818 the property and 50

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

acres of land adjoining were purchased by Rev. Joshua Beer. This old pioneer structure was long since destroyed, and removed to make room for modern improvements. The old Redmond saw and grist-mill built about 1830; the Georgetown mill built in 1848, by John Dellenbaugh; a steam sawmill on section 16, one on section 30, and another on section 3; and the grist-mill owned by Andrew White- leather, at Georgetown, built in 1868-69, com- prise the principal industries of the township."

In 1811 William Crawford built a saw and grist-mill on the north fork of the Little Beaver below Williamsport, in Madison township.

As early as 1803 Aaron Brooks, who had, about 1801, settled on section 14, Middleton township, set up a saw and grist-mill. In the fall of 1804 he sold it to Baltzer Young. In the following year Young brought his family from Pennsylvania, and lived on section 14 until his death in 1846. Quite a number of sawmills were built and operated at different periods on the small streams of Middleton township. One of the principal of these mills was that of James Brooks, built on Rough Run in 1825. That mill and others which suc- ceeded it on the same site were operated in turn by Adam Conkle, Johnson Chaney, John G. Gaston, Samuel Henderson and John Don- ovan.

There is an indistinct record of a sawmill being built in 1803 on section 19 in Unity town- ship, on the bank of Bull Creek, which after- wards passed into the hands of Frederick Roos ; and Richard Beeson, who had entered section 32 in the same township in 1801, built one of the first grist-mills.

Early in the last century the excellent water power to be found on the many streams in West township was utilized for the operation of sawmills and grist-mills. The Davis mill north of East Rochester was built about 1820 by David Davis, whose father, Isaac Davis, was one of the pioneers of the county. This was considered for many years one of the best saw and grist-mills in the county, and for a long time supplied a large proportion of the people of West and adjoining townships witn flour, mill-feed and manufactured lumber.

After the completion of the Cleveland & Pitts- burg Railroad, some of the product of the mill found its way into the Cleveland market. In 1878 Henry Wilhelm and Owen Stackhouse became proprietors of the mill. Joseph Mil- bourn and Jacob Thomas in 1831 built a saw- mill, which in 1878 was rebuilt and became the. property of Kelley & Albright, though retain- ing the euphonious name of "Milbourn's Mill."

Sawmills and gristmills were notably num- erous on the north, middle and west forks of the Little Beaver, and on Bull Creek and Little Bull Creek. In Center, Elkrun, Fairfield, Mid- dleton and Unity townships, from about 1810 or 1815 to near the close of the century; and a number of them continued in operation even up to 1905.

The sawmill, first propelled by water power and later by steam, has been a great adjunct to advancing civilization ; though it has exercised a powerful influence in the destruction of the forests, which, owing to the fact that Colum- biana county has always been more plentifully supplied with native forests-and that other fact that her land-owners have encouraged new forest growth-than some neighboring coun- ties, had never been keenly felt up to the first decade of the new century. But in the later years the old stationary mill propelled both by the water-wheel and by steam have been largely superseded by the portable mill. This newer device moved from place to place and did custom work for the farmers and others. The. rapidity of its operations soon cast in the shade the slow plodding of the old "muley" saw ; and picket and board fences in many places super- seded the old "worm" or "zigzag" rail fences, even before the days of the wire fence.

THE WOOLEN FACTORY.

Contemporaneous, in the early days, with the saw and grist-mill, although before the close of the 19th century practically forced out of business in Columbiana County, was the woolen-mill.

The first carding-machine in New Lisbon- where the working and manufacture of wosi was in later years to become an important in-

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

dustry-was started in 1812 or 1813 by Mr. Hollingsworth. It was located on a site imme- diately north of the present site of the Canton bridge. Near the same place Caleb Whitacre built a grist-mill and a sawmill-the same site ·being later occupied by Matthew Elder with a fulling-mill and carding machine. These were destroyed by fire about the middle of the cen- tury. The New Lisbon Woolen Factory Com- pany was incorporated in 1818.

In 1835 John McCook, head of one of the "fighting McCook" families, in company with others, built a woolen factory in Lisbon. A few years later it was leased by Godfrey Beau- mont and sons, and continued to run for a number of years, but it had, in 1905, been idle for many years.

In section 30, Center township, on the west branch of Beaver Creek, about 1830, Abner Moore and Reuben P. McNamee built a fulling and carding-mill, which was run until 1860, when it was razed by Robert McClellan. At the forks of the Beaver, in the same township, a small woolen-mill was put in operation, which was run until about 1850, when it was aban- doned. On section 6 Uriah Teegarden started a carding-machine about 1830 which was dis- continued when the Sandy and Beaver Canal was built.

A writer in the "History of the Upper Ohio Valley" records this bit of history: "The first mills in the county for the promotion of the manufacture of wool were fitted up for carding the wool or fulling the cloth, or both combined. The carding-machine produced a better and cheaper roll than could be produced on hand cards. These rolls were spun on hand wheels, and the yarn woven on hand looms, and then returned to the mill to be fulled and dressed. The fulling could be done very much better by machinery-if not cheaper- than bv tramping, pounding and kicking-the methods adopted in in the homes for fulling. In time the spinning jenny and power loom were added, and woolen- mills established, which produced an excellent quality of well-finished cloths. Woolen-mills in the county are neither numerous or exten- sive, but fill important places in meeting local demands. A mill of this kind was started near

Kensington, Hanover township, by Samuel Holland, in 1814, and was purchased and con- tinued after his death, in 1837, by William Hicklen, who in 1854 built a larger and better mill and added steam power, and in 1864 sold it to J. Hudd & Sons, who continue to make cloth, blankets, knitting yarns, etc., to the pres- ent writing ( 1891)."

The old woolen factory which was a land- mark for half a century in the southern part of New Lisbon was built in 1850 by Samuel Thompson. It passed into other hands, and' after a checkered history financially, under two or. three administrations, it fell into the hands of John Ogden & Company, under whose man- agement a good business was done between the years 1864 and 1874. Then The New Lisbon Woolen Manufacturing Company was formed with John Ogden as president. Originally the machinery was propelled by water power from the canal, but later steam power was put in. After the decadence of the wool business, about 1893, the factory was shut down and about 1900 the building was destroyed by fire.

At Elkton, in 1843, William Kemble erected a woolen factory. In this building the Clark Brothers manufactured woolen goods for many years. They were succeeded by David Far -. rand, who operated the factory until 1871,. when it was abandoned. West of Columbiana,. on the creek, in section 8 of Fairfield township,. William Nichols in the '40's converted a grist -. mill into a woolen factory, which was operated for many years by J. Early and members of his family.

About 1812 David Hanna put up a carding- machine on Little Beaver Creek north of the Georgetown road, and not long after James- Cocker erected a similar machine lower down the stream.

Of an early Salem industry Ensign's his- tory says :

"About 1825 John Stanley built a frame woolen factory for custom work where the Pickett House now stands (in 1879). The first engine used in Salem was in the factory and was brought from Pittsburg. The factory was destroyed by fire and the citizens assisted Mr. Stanley to rebuild, which he did on the.

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

corner of Lisbon and Main streets where the Baptist Church now stands. A few years later he sold to Robert Campbell, who, in 1834, sold to Zadok Street. Mr. Street continued until 1845, when he sold the property, including machinery. A woolen factory had been started about 1830 by Mr. Allison. In 1840 it was sold to James Brown, by whom it was used for cus- tom work. The factory was situated in the west end of the town. The business was con- tinued by Mr. Brown until 1850, James Brown, his son, now a merchant on Main street, doing the last carding." James Brown, Jr., was still in the mercantile business on Main street in 1905.

AN INDUSTRY ALMOST OBSOLETE IN THE COUNTY.

Among the very earliest of what may be called the maunfacturing industries of Colum- biana County was the curing of raw hides and tanning them into leather. Ensign's old history says: "John Arter and Daniel Harbaugh came to New Lisbon as early as 1805, and established tanneries-the first named at a location where John, a grandson, continues the same occupa- tion, and Mr. Harbaugh on the premises where his successors still reside (1879), the business having ceased there long since. Nearly 60 years ago Joseph Richardson started the tan- nery on Market street, where it is continued in active operation by Simon Spiker. Daniel Hos- tetter located a tannery on the northeast corner of the Public Square some time about 1835. It was carried on by George Garretson after- wards, then by Simon Spiker, and when discon- tinued was owned by George Nelson."

In 1810 John Emery established a small tannery on the place, near Hanover, for many years subsequent to 1905 occupied by F. Sheraw, but the establishment never did a large business.

Very early in the century-before .1815- Joseph James established a tannery in East Fairfield, Fairfield township, which later be- came the property of B. J. Ferrall, by whom it was conducted for more than 40 years, when it was discontinued. At Millport, Franklin

township, John Williard started a tannery, which continued in business for almost three- quarters of a century.

The Randolph tannery at Achor, Middle- ton township, which has a record of being in `business for almost a century, was established in 1801 by Archibald Scott and William Ham- ilton. In 1812 it became the property of Rich- ard F. Randolph, who greatly increased its capacity. After the retirement of Richard, the business was successfully continued by other members of the Randolph family. A tannery was built and carried on for many years by Charles Shook and sons, in the village of Unity, Unity township.

Henry Nixon was the first tanner in the town of Salineville. He began the business in 1849. In 1866 Leward Bright purchased the business, which he greatly increased. Under his management the capacity of the concern was 1,000 hides annually of the best oak leather. The business was discontinued about 1895.

A tannery was established in 1843 at Cham- bersburg, West township, by J. D. Koffel, which, after many changes in ownership, was still in operation near the close of the century. A case of single ownership and continued oper- ation throughout its existence of almost a half century by one individual, was that of the tan- nery of J. A. Riddle, Wellsville. This tannery was built by Judge Riddle in 1831, and oper- ated uninterruptedly by him until May 20, 1879, when it was burned. After the fire a leather store was continued by Judge Riddle, and after his death by his son, Maj. J. F. Rid- dle, for many years.

Of the business in the early days of Salem, Hunt's history. says: "Tanning was a con- siderable business in the early days of Salem. John Street was the principal person engaged in the business. His establishment filled nearly one-half the square on the southwest from his store, bounded by what are now Depot, Dry and Howard streets. There was here a large number of tan-vats, and a house for the dress- ing of the hides when taken from the vats, and finishing them into various kinds of leather. There was also a mill for grinding tan-bark."

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AND REPRESENTATIVE CITIZENS.

These mills were in the form of a huge coffee- mill, the big handle of which was operated by means of a horse being hitched to it, the animal walking about in a circle.

But as the tanning business was one of the earliest industries of the county and one of the most essential; and as the establishment and conducting of the business, at least in a primitive way, involved but a comparatively small investment of capital, one or more of these enterprises were usually operated in al- most every center of population. A few of them had been continued up to 1905; but most of them. had gone out of business many years before this date. One and per- haps the main reason of this was the concentration of capital and the adoption of modern improved appliances in the business. But another reason not to be over looked was the growing scarcity in convenient localities of the chestnut-oak, the black-oak and the other varieties of timber from whose bark the tanning liquid was procured, which was an absolute essential in the tanning process.

THE FIRST PAPER MILL IN OHIO.

Columbiana county is entitled to the distinc- tion of having the first paper mill built in Ohio, and the second west of the Alleghany Moun- tains. It was built in 1805 or 1806 by John Beaver and John Coulter, on Little Beaver Creek, near its mouth, and about three miles northeast of Liverpool. Here the manufacture of writing paper was begun, but the mill-dam being washed away by a freshet a few years later, the mill was abandoned.

AN EARLY COTTON FACTORY.

In 1814 a cotton factory was built off Main street, on what was afterwards known as the Wilson property, in Salem. John Strawn, John Antrim, Zadock Street, Nathan Hunt and others were interested in it, Stacy Hunt being manager. Horse power was used to op- erate the primitive machinery. The project was not a success, and in less than two years the enterprise was abandoned and the factory building torn down.

During a period of 25 years, from 1863 to 1888, considerable sorghum was grown in the county, and there were a number of mills for the manufacture of molasses. There is a record of a sorghum mill being built on section 10, Madison township by Eells, George & Com- pany, and for a number of years molasses in large quantities was produced.

Between the years of 1850 and 1880 there were a number of flax mills operated in the county ; but soon after the latter year, the rais- ing of flax in the county having been practically discontinued, the mills of course went out of business.

OLD RYE AT 25 CENTS A GALLON.

Ensign's History (1879) says: "In the early settlement of this vicinity (New Libson), and for some 40 years after, whisky (the real old rye) was a prominent article of manufac- ture, use and traffic. Twenty-five cents a gal- lon at retail was long a standing price, and many times it was even cheaper. The early makers of this article were,-George Duck, Frererick Galehouse, John Thomson, Ed- ward Pettit, Benjamin Hahn, John Reese, Wil- liam Jacob and Daniel Harbaugh."

In Elkrun township alone, in 1825, it is recorded that there were no less than eight distilleries. Among others, Messrs. Ward, Armstrong, Means, Montgomery and Freed were engaged in the business.

An old Columbiana County history referr- ing to Fawcettstown (afterwards East Liver- pool) says : "The first shingle roof seen in the town was put upon Robert Boyce's log cabin by 'Old Gauge,' a carpenter, whose right name was William Hudson. 'Old Gauge' was a fam- ous character, and the greatest whisky drinker in the county, but never got drunk, could maul 400 rails a day, and was, despite his drinking ways, a man of such steady nerve and indus- trious habits that there was not so excellent a workman for miles around. Incredible as it may appear, he drank a gallon of whisky every day, so the story goes, taking a pint at a certain hour each day; wherefore he was called 'Old Gauge.' He never made a bargain to work

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

for, a man without stipulating for the regular supply of whisky, and he always got it. Al- though he was never known to be drunk while in East Liverpool, his early habits told upon him in his old age, which he passed in Virginia. Returning to the subject of distilleries; pass- ing mention may be made that whisky was cheap in the early days, else 'Old Gauge' would. have failed on his daily gallon. Besides Kel- ley's distillery, there were those of G. D. Mc- Kinnon, James Montgomery, William Badders, Benjamin Blackmore, George Hurlburt, Thomas Gaddis, Robert Wallace, John Polk, John Ainsley, Anthony Blackburn and Alex- ander Young."

Early in the century there were many dis- tilleries in Middleton township. Their capacity however, was not very great, seldom exceeding three bushels of grain per day. The first was put in operation at Achor, about 1808, by Levi Rogers, and at later periods, among the dis- tillers, were George Brown, Job Russell.

George Grate, John Grate, Levi Guy, Edward Crawford, William Craige and Peter Myers.

In 1841 there were in the county 83 grist- mills ; 167 sawmills ; 7 oil-mills, 2 paper-mills ; 2 furnaces; 8 air-foundries; 37 tanneries; 6 salt-wells, 2 of which were in operation, turn- ing out 2,800 barrels of salt yearly. The fol- lowing items were returned for taxation in 1840: Mercantile capital, $108,849; money at interest, $44,265; 215 pleasure carriages, val- ued at $10,443; 8,619 horses, valued at $344, - 760; 13,657 neat cattle, valued at $109,256.

The growth of 100 years in manufacturing in the county is shown in the State Bureau of Labor's report for 1903, which gives these sta- tistics for the manufacturing establishments of the three principal cities :

City

Establish- Males ments Reported

Em- ployed

Females Em- ployed

Wages for Year

East Liverpool

3,812 '

1,435

$2,912,095.04

Salem . .

1,453

104

910,352.10

Wellsville

821

I34

550,245,36

CHAPTER X.

THE EARTH'S HIDDEN TREASURES-SALT, COAL, OIL AND GAS.

Early Salt Wells Along Little Yellow Creek a Source of Wealth-Advent of the Rail- road Makes Coal Mining Profitable-Pioneer Miners of Salineville-Coke Industry -Increase in Coal Production-Oil Booms of Early and Later Years-Wellsville and Homeworth Oil Fields-Natural Gas First Used as Fuel in America at East Liver- pool-Waste of the Gas During the '80's-Great Pipe Lines Laid-Fortunes Made and Lost.

Columbiana County drew wealth from the earth, during the early days, not only in iron ore and clays, but also in salt and coal. Her people were pioneers, as well, in the oil field, and in the southern part of the county was the first community in the United States to pipe gas for. fuel.

SALT WELLS.

"Salt boiling" was in the early days an im- portant industry. Salineville, where the in- dustry thrived most largely, received its name from its salt wells. Salt at the beginning of the century was a precious commodity in the west, ranking with the luxuries of the pioneer days. It brought higher prices than even sugar and flour, since it had to be brought over the moun- tains from the East. Frequently the ruling price was $5 a bushel, and even then the supply was often exhausted for weeks in the little set- tlements in the sparsely inhabited region. "Packing salt" over the mountains was a busi- ness much followed in those days by enterpris- ing traders and until the salt springs of Colum- biana County began to give up their yield, was attended with large profits. Stories are still told of the days when early settlers rode many miles to obtain a supply of salt, and prized it

to an extent that in later years seemed ridicu- lous.

Salt springs were early found here and there throughout the southern part of the county, and finally settlers began making ex- plorations, and boring wells for the precious staple. The industry quickly became profitable and was carried on for more than half a cen- tury, until the cheapness of the product ship- ped in from Michigan and New York State put an end to the business.

George James, who came to Salineville from Kentucky is said to have bored the first salt well in Columbiana County in 1809. He obtained a strong pressure of water with but little salt, though he drilled two wells, the first 300 feet ( from which there was a strong flow of gas), and the second 900 feet. James Sharp sank three wells at about the same time. Several persons put down wells, but failed 15 find salt in sufficient quantities. In 1818 John Farmer, who had come to Salineville from New Garden, Hanover township, bought three abandoned wells that had been put down by three brothers named Burson, and went into the salt business on a large scale. Farmer caught the business at its high tide, and, hav- ing considerable capital to invest, made money. The industry reached its height in the vicinity

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

of Salineville about 1835, at which time there were 20 producing wells along Little Yel- low Creek. At that time Farmer's output was more than 50 barrels a week, and he had meantime been joined by his son, James Farm- er, later prominent in the development of the coal interests around Salineville, and in the building of the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad. Farmer continued the business untitl 1853, when he sold it to Isaac Kirk, who operated the wells with more or less success until 1865, when the business ceased to be profitable about Salineville.

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History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 16

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844 Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 912

Author: McCord, William B., b. 1844
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. : Biographical Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 912