History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 40

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 40

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Ashtabula Railroad project failed. 1837 First Pottery ware made 1840 Sandy and Beaver Canal completed. 1845 First railroad reached the town 1856

First oil and natural gas. 1860

First newspaper established. . 1861

Gas first piped for fuel. 1866

First bank established. .1870

First and only bank failure in the century 1873

White ware first successfully made. 1874

City Hall erected. 1877

Water-works built. 1879

First telephone in county

1881

"Lock-out" im potteries. 1882

Great Ohio River flood (February 7) 1884

First daily paper (June) .1885

"Horn Switch" opened 1887

First trolley' line opened 1891

Six months potters' strike. 1894 First Ohio River Bridge opened. 1897

Carnegie Library opened. 1904

First hospital opened, (January I) . 1905 Second Ohio River bridge opened. . 1905

The territory now occupied by Liverpool township was a part of St. Clair until June 3, 1834, when Liverpool township was created by the Board of County Commissioners,-Mich- ael Arter, John Smith and Thomas Cannon. The township as organized and at present con- stituted embraces sections 31, 32, 33, 34, 35 and 36, attached originally to township 6, or St. Clair, and sections 6, 12, 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, 30. 35 and 36 of the original fraction of town- ship 5. The entire tract measures nearly II miles across its northern boundary, about three on the western, and less than one and a quarter miles on the eastern border. From nortli to south the widest part of the township is from the center of the north line direct to East Liver- pool. a distance of three miles. The Ohio River, bordering the southern line, gives it a ragged shape, and materially narrows the township on both the east and west ends. The first settlers located about 1795. Among the earliest settlers were Joseph Mckinnon, who with his father, Daniel Mckinnon, landed at Philadelphia about 1774. Joseph settled on a part of section 33. George D. Mckinnon, son of Joseph, was born on this place. It is claimed he was the first white child born in Columbiana County. He lived to a good old age in East Liverpool. Joseph Mckinnon served in the In- dian war under Gen. Anthony Wayne, and died in 1809. Thomas Fawcett came from Penn- sylvania with Robert Boyce, and purchased 1, 100 acres of land, upon a part of which Faw-

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cettstown or East Liverpool was afterward built. Robert Boyce, who was the grandfather of David Boyce, who died in East Liverpool in 1905, bought a tract of land near what was afterward Spring Grove camp ground, one and one-half miles northeast of Wellsville, and lo- cated upon it. Fawcett made his first clear- ing and built his cabin on the tract of land later owned by James Gaston, near what was afterward known as Jethro. Noah Grant, a shoemaker, grandfather of President U. S. Grant, settled on a place in "Swamp Meadow," two and a half miles above Fawcettstown, in April, 1799, and married Annie Kelly, daughter of John Kelly, also an early settler. An auto- graph letter from Jesse Grant, long in posses- sion of Col. H. R. Hill, relates that he was six years old when his father settled near Fawcetts- town and that he remembered to have heard Robert Dobbins preach there on Christmas Day, 1799. The Grant family removed from the county to Wooster, four years after their first settlement.

Among the settlers who located in what was afterward Liverpool township, about the vear 1800 or shortly thereafter, were: John Rauch, who came over from Germany, and set- tled between Little Yellow Creek and Fawcetts- town; Thomas Ashton, a Friend, who lived near Rauch; Angus McBane, a farmer and tanner, who lived on the hill above Jethro, where James McBane afterward lived; Joseph Hamilton, who lived near his father-in-law, Thomas Fawcett (he was a Friend and worked at his trade as carpenter as well as cultivated his farm) ; Edward De Voe, a colored man, who lived in 1800 on the place afterward sold to the Spring Grove Camp Meeting Association.

FAWCETTSTOWN LAID OUT.

Thomas Fawcett laid out Fawcettstown on a portion of his tract of land. He called it St. Clair, but the residents rechristened the place Fawcettstown after its founder. William G. Smith, a noted pioneer of Liverpool township, located with his father in 1803. Abraham Wellington, a farmer, located near what was later the Knowles, Taylor & Knowles pottery

site. William C. Larwell was the first lawyer to locate in the place. Ensign's "History of Columbiana County," published in 1879, says of some of the early settlers in Liverpool town- ship: "John Kelly, from Brownsville, Penn- sylvania, whose sister married Noah Grant, settled on Dry Run, where also his sons John and Isaiah, and his son-in-law, William Stout, located. John Kelly, like a good many of his neighbors, was given to illicit distilling, but he was the only one of them who was broken up by the 'Whisky Boys,' as the government raid- ers were known in those days. His misfor- tunes made him poor, and he moved out of the county. Edward Carroll settled about 1800, and shortly afterward moved to Hanover town- ship. On the hill west of the creek, were Charles Hoy, Nicholas Dawson, Thomas Mc- Cartney, John Gaddis, Solomon Cable, Jacob Darner and Alex. Gaddis, all farmers. Hon. Josiah Thompson, of East Liverpool, has in his possession the original patent granted by President Thomas Jefferson to Charles Black- more, of section 34, Liverpool township, occu- pied now in part by D. J. Smith, two miles north of East Liverpool on the Calcutta road. The document bears the date August 15, 1808, is signed by Thomas Jefferson as President and James Madison, Secretary of State."

About 1809 Thomas Fawcett opened a tavern, on what was later the upper end of Sec- ond street. The building was constructed of hewn logs. This tavern was later kept in turn by James Kincead, John Gamble, John Smith and William Thompson. The first frame house built in the town was erected by Joseph Mc- Kinnon, near where the Town Hall was after- ward built. The first brick house was built by Postmaster Collins, near where later stood the Brunt House on Second street.

The old history already quoted, says : "July 4, 1811, a monster barbecue was held in a sugar grove, on the river bank, near where the Cart- wright Brothers' pottery later stood. People gathered from miles around to the number of 4.000. William C. Larwell, the lawyer, read the Declaration of Independence, and Capt. John Wilcox, at the head of a grand array of militiamen, shot one of his side whiskers off

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

by accident, to the great amusement of every- body."

Although East Liverpool proper was laid out in 1816, in 1823 six families and two single men constituted its entire population. In 1834 it was incorporated; in 1850 the population was 987; in 1860 it was 1,308; in 1870 it was 2,105; in 1880 it was 5,568; in 1890 it was 8,750; and in 1900 it was 16,485. In July, 1905, the population was estimated at 22,000.

EAST LIVERPOOL'S BIG FIRE.

A disastrous fire occurred in the spring of 1905 which destroyed more than one-fourth of a solid block of the best business houses in the city. involving a loss of about $400,000, upon which there was insurance in round numbers to the amount of $300,000. The principal losers were: Dr. George P. Ikirt, W. L. Thompson (buildings) : Milligan Brothers (building and

BENNETT'S FIRST POTTERY, EAST LIVERPOOL.

In its early days East Liverpool had about the slowest growth of any of the towns or hamlets of the county ; but in later years it has increased the most rapidly of any of the towns in the county, in business, permanent improvements and population. The history of the pottery business, which indeed is the history of the town, is related fully in another chapter of this work.

During the years intervening between 1895 and 1905 particularly, the progress of the city, in the improvement of its buildings, streets, etc., was very marked.

hardware stock ) ; C. & M. Wasbutsky ( build- ing and dry goods ) ; Fowler and Crook ( build- ing) ; A. S. Young ( dry goods stock) ; Solo- mon Whit ( dry goods ) ; S. Bendheim and W. H. Gass ( boots and shoes ) ; M. C. and N. B. Porter (building) ; G. R. Pattison ( jewelry ) ; Yates Novelty Store (stock) ; R. W. Sample (boots and shoes) ; Enoch Elden (gents' fur- nishings) : a number of societies ( furnish- ings), and about 20 others who were compara- tively small losers.

In the summer and fall of 1905 this burnt district was rebuilt. the buildings, destroyed be-

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ing replaced by others larger, finer and better in almost every particular.

FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS OF EAST LIVERPOOL.

East Liverpool's first banking institution was the private bank of Huff & Company, which opened for business in 1870, on Second street. in a building occupied many years later by the famous old Dobbins House. Huff & Company had a number of banking houses in Western Pennsylvania and Eastern Ohio. The firm was composed of George F. Huff, of Greensburg, Pennsylvania, and William MI. Lloyd, of Altoona, Pennsylvania. In 1873 they built and occupied what was then the finest bank building in the county, later occupied by the First National Bank, which was located on the river front. at the foot of Broadway. But the Huffs, with many other smaller insti- tutions, were carried down in the Jay Cooke failure within a few months after occupying their new building, and closed their doors in November. 1873. It was the only banking failure in the history of the city. F. D. Kitchel, for many years identified with the fortunes of East Liverpool banks, had been cashier and manager of the Huff enterprise, and wound up the affairs of the wrecked bank. and paid the creditors 80 per cent. In the following winter, 1873-74. the East Liverpool Banking Com- pany was organized, under a State charter. The incorporators were: David Boyce, Capt. WV. S. George, Josiah Thompson, N. B. Hick- man, George Morley. Isaac W. Knowles and N. A. Frederick. Mr. Boyce was made presi- dent, and F. D. Kitchel, cashier. May 1. 1874, this institution was reorganized, and became the First National Bank of East Liverpool, with David Boyce, president, and F. D. Kitchel. cashier, occupying the bank building at the foot of Broadway. On May 1. 1878. Mr. Kitchel resigned as cashier: and N. G. Macrum suc- ceeded him. Following the trend of movement of business away from the river, the First Na- tional, about 1888, built one of the first of the modern "up-town" business buildings. on Washington street, which was still its home in 1905. The capital of the First National was.

at organization, $50,000, but later it was in- creased to $100.000. In January, 1875, David Boyce, having been elected to the Ohio Legis- lature, resigned as president; Josiah Thomp- son was chosen to succeed him. Mr. Thomp- son died in 1889. and Mr. Boyce was elected to succeed him. Mr. Boyce served until the year of his death, 1904, when John C. Thompson was chosen president. Mr. Macrum still served as cashier. In 1905 the First National Bank had a $100,000 surplus, and $75,000 in undi- vided profits.

The Potters' National Bank was organized in 1881, with a capital stock of $50,000, which was afterward increased to $100.000. William brunt was president and F. D. Kitchel, cash- ier. About 1900 the bank moved into its own new building. up to that date the finest bank building in the county. In 1905 the bank had a surplus of $90,000. William Brunt was still president and R. W. Patterson, cashier.

The Citizens' National Bank was organ- ized and commenced business December 1, 1897, with a capital of $100.000. In 1905 its surplus was $65,000 and undivided profits, $8 .- 000. Joseph G. Lee was president and H. H. Blythe was cashier.

The Dollar Savings Bank of East Liver- pool was organized in May, 1902. In 1905 it had a capital and surplus of $68.000: George H. Owen, president, Harry T. Hall. cashier.

The Potters' Building & Savings Com- pany was organized in 1889. In 1905 a state- ment of the company showed total assets, $2 .- 217.816, with a reserve fund of $62.510. The officers were: W. 1 .. Smith, president : John W. Vodrey, vice-president ; John J. Purinton, secretary ; F. D. Kitchel. treasurer. A hand- some new building was about ready for occu- pancy.

Other building and loan companies exist- ing in East Liverpool in 1905 were: The Union Building. Loan & Trust Company, in- corporated in 1898: authorized capital. $1,000 .- 000; J. M. Kelly, president ; S. T. Herbert. sec- retary : N. G. Macrum. treasurer. Buckeye Building, Savings & Loan Company, incor- porated in 1893; capital stock. $100.000: J. B. Hoffman, president ; A. Silverman. secretary ;

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HISTORY OF COLUMBIANA COUNTY

M. W. Elliott, treasurer. Federal Building & Loan Company, incorporated in 1902; R. J. Marshall, president; W. C. Supplee, secretary ; T. H. Fisher, treasurer. The Hancock Build- ing & Loan Company, incorporated in 1899; Hugh Newell, president; C. A. Smith, vice- president ; S. T. Herbert, secretary; N. G. Macrum, treasurer.

HOSPITALS, PARKS AND CEMETERIES OF THE "CERAMIC CITY."

The City Hospital Association of East Liverpool was organized in 1896, but did not succeed in securing a home until 1904. On January 1, 1905, they opened for business. A new brick building had been erected on a site secured from the city in what had been the old cemetery, between Fifth and Sixth streets. The building is handsome, substantial, sufficiently large and amply equipped to meet the wants of the city for many years to come; but the hos- pital was yet lacking in adequate endowment. The building cost about $20,000, and a debt still rested upon it of about $5,000. The offi- cers were; President, A. S. Young; Ist vice- president, Frank W. Milligan; 2nd vice-presi- dent, Mrs. Isaac Colclough; secretary, Mrs. George Grosshans; treasurer, Harry T. Hall.

In the year 1883 the Riverview Cemetery Association was organized and chartered, un- der the laws of Ohio governing city cemetery associations, by a number of citizens of the city of East Liverpool. A site was selected north of the Calcutta road about one and one-fourth miles north from the City Hall, which was well located for cemetery pur- poses, lying high as it did and presenting a diversified topographical prospect, overlooking a beautiful valley and a section of the Ohio River to the north, and in full view of three States. In order to pay for the land-40 acres were purchased at the time which tract was afterward augmented by the addition of 25 or 30 acres-and to make needed improve- ments, interest-bearing bonds were issued to the amount of $8,000, payable in five years, which bonds were redeemed within the time limit. A landscape gardener was employed, and

in the intervening years up to 1905 the cemetery had been made one of the handsomest in East- ern Ohio. The first interment in Riverview was that of Mrs. Lizzie E. Schweinhardt on July 6, 1883. After the abandonment of the old cemetery in the western part of the old city proper, many of the remains were transferred to Riverview. The cemetery association do- nated a site, including a large block of lots, on a commanding knoll near the entrance, upon which General Lyon Post No. 44, G. A. R., erected a handsome and enduring Memorial Chapel, at a cost of nearly $18,000. On the walls of this chapel are inscribed the record of deceased soldiers of Liverpool township.

The officers of the association in 1905 were : President, N. A. Frederick ; vice-president, J. C. Thompson; secretary, J. M. Kelly; treas- urer, N. G. Macrum.

Spring Grove and the Catholic Cemetery adjoin each other on the Lisbon road, north- west of the city, about one mile from the "Dia- mond," East Liverpool.

On November 13, 1899, Will L. Thomp- son deeded to the city of East Liverpool'100 acres of land, beautifully situated northeast of the city and about one and one-half miles from the old city limits, "for the people of East Liverpool in trust forever." The site is a mag- nificent one, the land being somewhat broken into hills and dells and rocky nooks and par- tially wooded. The park was at once partially improved by Mr. Thompson, and opened to the public in the spring of 1900. By the conditions of the gift the city is to appropriate $1,000 an- nually for maintenance, Mr. Thompson having' placed $10,000 at interest, which interest is to be applied to the same purpose perpetually. The only conditions of the gift aside from the one relative to the maintenance are that no fran- chise to any electric line running to or into the park shall ever be granted charging a fare from the city of more than five cents; no intoxicants or intoxicated persons to be allowed in the park; no horse racing with betting, no gam- bling of any sort and no games or sports to be allowed on Sunday. Park boulevard from Cal- cutta street or Riverview was donated, laid off and built by Mr. Thompson, to the entrance of

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the park, at a cost for improvement of $10,000. The Columbiana Park, comprising about 50 acres in the East End. is a private enterprise. It embraces a very good half-mile race track.

Rock Springs Park, Chester, West Vir- ginia, directly opposite and connected with the city by the Ohio River bridge and the trolley line, is in reality an East Liverpool enterprise (owned by East Liverpool capital) and fur- nishes an admirable recreation resort for the people of this city.

SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES OF EAST LIVERPOOL.

The first public school building under the "Union School Law," was erected at the corner of Fourth and Union streets in 1851. The building was a two-story brick structure con- taining four rooms. The first principal was Professor Orr. The first graded schools of East Liverpool were organized in 1864 under the law of 1849, and were under the supervis- ion of J. P. Cameron. He received $450 an- nual salary. The State school commissioner's report for 1865 says that D. H. Hastings and Ebenezer Erskine were superintendents. Each served a portion of that year. A. M. Morris, H. P. Borton and J. Y. Crawford had each taught in the school prior to that date. In 1869 the four-room structure was torn down and a three-story building was erected, being ready for the opening of the school year in the fall of 1870. Rev. T. J. Duncan became superin- tendent that year at a salary of $1,200. Of the teachers who were under Professor Duncan, two were still in the service in 1905,-Misses Mary Smith and Kate Harker. Professor Duncan resigned after three years, and was suc- ceeded by Van B. Baker, who in later years was tried, convicted and given a life peniten- tiary sentence for the murder of his wife at Holliday's Cove, West Virginia. Rev. G. W. Riggle succeeded Baker as superintendent, and he in turn was succeeded by Capt. J. N. George, who died while in the harness. Miss E. B. Huston, principal of the High School, filled the unexpired term of Professor George, and was continued as superintendent and principal the following year. Following Miss Huston were

R. N. Fearon, A. J. Surface, Alexander Vance, A. E. Gladding, S. D. Sanor and R. E. Ray- man, who was the incumbent and had, in 1905, filled the position seven years. In 1895 a new Central School was erected, containing 18 class and two recitation rooms on the two main floors, together with superintendent's and Board of Education rooms and library, while additional rooms are on the third or, mansard story and in the high and well-lighted basement. Besides this Central or High School building, others had, up to 1905, been erected as follows : Sixth Street, East End, West End, Third Street, Grant Street, Bradshaw Avenue, Sheri- dan Avenue, Trentvale, Gardendale, Pleasant Heights and Horace Mann, containing 64 school rooms in all, with the capacity to ac- commodate the 3,000 pupils (in round num- bers) covered by the city school enrollment. The Central School building represented an out- lay of $63,000, and a conservative estimate of the money value of the entire public school property of the city in 1905 would be $350,- 000. This is of course independent of the St. Aloysius (Catholic) Parochial School, which has a large and fine building, well equipped and well-managed by an efficient corps of teachers.

Carnegie Public Library of East Liverpool was dedicated and opened to the public for the distribution of books May 8, 1902. Three years before, in June, 1899, George Y. Travis wrote to Mr. Carnegie, asking for a library for East Liverpool. In July he received a let- ter from Scotland stating that if the town would furnish a site and maintain the library Mr. Carnegie would provide funds as needed for the building to the extent of $50,000. Be- fore the matter of a purchase of a site could be brought before the Council the Enoch Brad- shaw property, situated at the corner of Fourth street and Broadway, opposite the Central School building, the ideal location for library purposes, was offered at public sale. To secure this location, 20 citizens donated $1,000 each toward the purchase. . These gentleman were : J. J. Purinton, Robert Hall, William Erlan- ger, John N. Taylor, N. G. Macrum, David Boyce, T. V. Milligan, O. C. Vodrey, N. A. Frederick, George Peach, J. T. Smith, F. C.

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Fisher, H. N. Harker, J. N. Hanley, W. L. Thompson, S. T. Herbert, E. W. Hill, M. E. Miskall, S. J. Cripps and George Y. Travis. The property was bid in by S. J. Cripps for $19,500. The purchase was then brought before the City Council, and Sept. 23, 1899, was the day set for a special election, when the citizens were to express their wishes on the bond issue of $20,000 necessary for the acquirement of the site. The result of the election was an overwhelming majority favoring the issue, there being but 61 negative votes, and Novem- ber 22, 1899, the ground was deeded to the city. Council then appointed the first board of direc- tors, which consisted of the following: John N. Taylor, W. L. Smith, J. H. Brookes, George Peach, G. Y. Travis and George P. Ikirt, M. D. Architectural plans were selected in May, 1900, and in July the contract was awarded. February, 1902, Miss Gertrude A. Baker, li- brarian of the Mount Vernon Public Library, was elected librarian, and 3,000 books were purchased. This number was increased by the addition of 2,000 books from the old Public Library, which had been established. by the Trades and Labor Council, and had been in existence since 1896. During that year a com- mittee composed of William Rhue, Thomas Mountford, C. W. Brownfield, Jacob Weis- end and Thomas Osbourne had canvassed the city and collected enough funds to give such substantial encouragement to the library pro- ject, that it was opened in September, 1896. Miss Minta McLane was librarian. The library was not free, memberships costing $1.00 per annum. In 1898 a levy for library pur- poses was made by the School Board, which resulted in an annual income from that source of $900. That the two libraries might become one and that the library established by the Trades and Labor Council should be repre- sented, the board of directors of the Carnegie Library was increased by special legislation to nine members and three members of the old library board-Thomas Collins, Jacob Weis- end and A. V. Gilbert-were added to its num- ber. When the new code took effect in 1903 the board of directors was again. changed to its former size, the number of directors being

six. ' The board in 1905 consisted of W. L. Thompson, A. S. Young, George Y. Travis, Thomas Collins, W. N. Bailey and Henry Goodwin.

EAST LIVERPOOL'S CHURCHES.

Early settlers heard the Gospel preached in their homes and in tents, where primitive congregations were wont to assemble in 1800 or earlier, when a Methodist preacher · named Robert Dobbins had the river settlements with- in the bounds of his circuit. The first church. building in East Liverpool was St. Stephen's Protestant Episcopal Church. It was erected in 1834 on the site still occupied by the parish in 1905. The site was donated by James Pemberton and the Fawcetts. Rev. Thomas Mitchell is said to have preached the first ser- mon in St. Stephen's. The original church was replaced in the early '70's by what was known as the "Bell Church." This building was des- troyed by fire in 1899. A beautiful stone structure arose from the ashes, which was dedi- cated December 26, 1900, by Bishop W. A. Leonard. This work was accomplished under the ministrations of Rev. Edwin Wearv. who was still rector in 1905.

The first Catholic church was built in 1838, on the site afterward occupied by the Vodrey Pottery. This building was destroyed by fire a few days after its consecration. In 1852 a frame building was erected on. West Fifth street, and in the early '80's a splendid brick structure replaced the old building. Revs. P. J. McGuire, James Carroll and T. M. Smyth (who was still in charge of the parish in 1905) have been the chief ministerial work- ers in the parish since its organization.

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History of Columbiana County, Ohio and representative citizens, Part 40

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