History of Crawford County and Ohio, Part 72

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1034

USA > Ohio > Crawford County > History of Crawford County and Ohio > Part 72

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These four families were the first to settle in the township of Jackson, as now bounded, and for several years they were the only set- tlers in this little division. After them came David Ogden, James Lowne, William Snod- grass, Philip and Fred Eichern, John Fate, Edward Cooper, Samuel Rutan, David Selt- zer, John Adam Thoman, Rensellaer Living- 1

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

ston, a negro family, Harvey Aschbaugh, Jesse R. Stranghan, Daniel Babst, Jr., Isaac Dille and others. Many of these are still living in and around Crestline. Straughan was an engineer of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and one of the original proprietors of the town. Thoman and Livingston were from New York; the lat- ter laid out the town of Livingston. Babst was from Stark County. Some of these gen- tlemen will be recognized as among the lead- ing business men of Crestline.

There are no mills in Jackson Township, nor have there ever been any in the present township, outside of Crestline. The first set- tlers went to mill at Belleville. Later, Mr. Snyder, over near Leesville, put up a horse- mill, which was a great convenience to the people for many miles around. The first road through Jackson Township was cut out by the Snyder family, as they moved to their new possessions in the present township of Jefferson. They cut out this road from four miles east of Crestline, in Richland County, to where Leesville now stands. The present road from Mansfield to Bucyrus runs over the greater part of that old road; the main street of Crestline is also on the same old road.

In the pioneer days, when everybody within a radius of twenty miles were neighbors, no invitation was necessary to get help to roll logs or raise a cabin. The mere fact that a man was ready to "log" or build, was suffi- cient invitation to his neighbors, who would often go twelve or fifteen miles to render this kind of friendly assistance The Indians also were very accommodating in this respect, and would always go to the assistance of their white brethren, and work faithfully all day. The "fire-water " that the white man usually provided on such occasions was doubtless a strong incentive to the Indian to lend his val- uable assistance in strengthening the white

men's foothold in their hunting-grounds, thus providing the weapons for their own extermi- nation.

When this part of the country was first set- tled, the nearest trading-points of importance were Sandusky City and Zanesville, while Mansfield and Mount Vernon were places of lesser note; and to these marts of trade the settlers in this vicinity hauled the most of their produce. With markets at such a dis- tance, there could be little incentive to extend the productions of the community beyond the demands of home consumption, which was principally regulated by the amount each man raised upon his own premises. But in this endeavor, they often had more wheat than was needed to supply their own wants, when it was loaded into wagons and hauled to Mansfield, or most generally to Sandusky, where it commanded a better price. Said an early settler to us recently: "I took a load of wheat to Mount Vernon, where I was offered 123 cents a bushel in trade for it, by Gilman Bryant; but I resolved to feed it to my hogs rather than to take that price for it, so I hauled it to Zanesville, where I got 15 cents a bushel, and had to take my pay in sugar, rice, leather and salt." Thus it was, what little surplus produce the settlers had to sell was worth but little, while such things as they were compelled to buy were as high in proportion as their produce was low. It was with great difficulty that they could manage, by the strictest economy, to raise money enough to pay their taxes and postage; the latter being 25 cents on a letter at the office of delivery, and payable in coin at that.

The early settlers of Jackson were a God- fearing people, and, as soon as a few scatter- ing cabins denoted the white man in posses- sion of the territory, efforts were made look- ing to church organization. Societies were formed and meetings and preaching had at

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

the settlers' cabins until time and opportu- nity permitted the building of temples of worship. But the church history of the present township is principally confined to the town of Crestline, and will be given in that chapter.

Early in the settlement of Jackson Town- ship, the schoolhouse found a place. The people entertained great respect for education, and the elevating influence it exerted in every community. The first school taught in the present limits of the township was by Edwin Mainley, a Scotch-Irish gentleman. Owing to a little trouble he got into with one of his female pupils, he abruptly closed his school and left the community. Another of the early schools was taught by an old gentleman of the name of Magill, who is still remembered by many of the older citizens as one of the early teachers, and who, in his day, taught in nearly every neighborhood in the county. He was a teacher of the olden type-one of that class who were wont to place the accent of such words as geography and philosophy on the third syllable, and pronounce Michi- gan, Mi-shag-in. He was, withal, particu- larly fond of a "dhrap of the crayther," and, after closing his school on Friday evening, was in the habit of indulging in a little spree until the taking-up of school again. Hence, Monday morning often found him still in a muddled condition from his Saturday and Sunday potations. It is told of him that upon a certain Monday morning, after taking up school, and still feeling considerably ele- vated from his recent indulgence, he stopped one of his scholars in the midst of his reading lesson, with a lordly wave of his hand, and, "Stop, Mr. Larwill; stop, sir! You will never make a reader in the world, Mr. Larwill! Read on, Mr. Larwill." Many pranks were played upon him by his larger scholars. Schoolhouses then were not such as we have

at the present day, but built of logs, and sometimes large cracks ventilated the build- ings. Through these cracks the boys would often poke their fun at poor Magill in ways more forcible than elegant. The first school- house built in the township was on the farm now owned by Jacob Sheffler, south of town, in the creek bottom, near the " old orchard." As with the religious history, the first schools were taught in the vicinity of Leesville and Middletown, and, at a later period in the his- tory of the township, the school history has centered in Crestline. The following statis- tics from the last report of the Auditor, shows the flourishing state of the schools of the township at present:

Balance on hand, September 1, 1879. $1,963.61

State tax.

382.62

Irreducible fund. 3.40

Local tax for school and schoolhouse pur-

poses. 758.23

Total

$3,107.86

Amount paid teachers.

$831.65

Other expenditures. 119.77

Total expenditures for the year. 951.42

Balance on hand September 1, 1880. $2,156.44

Number of schoolhouses in township. 3

Value of school property. .$2,800.00

Total number of teachers employed. 6

Average wages paid male teachers. $46.00

Average wages paid female teachers 21.00

Number of pupils enrolled-Male 69

Female. 45

Total. ...

114

Average daily attendance-Male.

Female.

Total.

By these figures, it will be seen that the schools are in a healthy condition. Comfort- able schoolhouses are provided in each dis- trict, efficient teachers are employed, and every mneans used by the board for the ad- vancement of the cause of education.

The great wind-storm of 1820 is an event remembered vividly by all who were in the

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

county at the time of its occurrence. On the 17th of May it broke upon the community with but little warning, and the destruction left in its wake almost beggars description. It came from the southwest, and honses were blown down and scattered promiscuously, forest trees uprooted, fences sent flying in all directions, a great deal of stock killed, and destruction and confusion generally followed its course. It will be more fully described in the chapter devoted to Jefferson Township, where considerable loss of property and much suffering were experienced.

Since the separation of Jefferson from Jackson Township, the history of Jackson has centered almost wholly in the town of Crest- line, and, even before the separation of the two, the principal part of the history was con- fined to this flourishing village. It was laid out in 1851, by Rensellaer Livingston, and originally bore his name, and by his name was platted and recorded. The first plat was filed in the Recorder's office, February 17, 1851, and shows the location of the town of Livingston to have been on the west half of the southeast quarter of Section 10, Township 20, and Range 20 west. Several additions were made to the town under this name by different individuals. On the 17th of Decem- ber, 1852, the plat of the original town of Crestline was filed for record. This plat was made by Jesse R. Straughan, and occupied the northwest quarter of Section 15, Township 20, and Range 20 west. The following ab- stract of these two sections, on which the town is located, may be of interest to some of our readers: Southwest quarter of Section 15, Township 20, Range 20, was entered in 1814, and patent issued in 1818 to Benjamin Rush; northwest quarter of same section was entered December 12, 1823, and patent issued April 12, 1824, to Elias Allen; northeast quarter of same section was entered December 8, 1814,

and patent issued June 15, 1823, to David Bryant. The north half of Section 10, of same township and range, was entered June 4, 1816, and patent issued July 3, 1817, to Benjamin Johns; southwest quarter of same section was entered June 4, 1816, and patented July 3, 1817; southeast quarter of same section was entered December 8, 1820, and patent issued on 18th of same month and year. Since the laying-out of the original town of Livingston, there have been some twenty or thirty additions made to it; and, in the later town of Crestline, Livingston has been absorbed, and doubtless few at the present day remember that there was ever a town in Jackson Township known by the name of Livingston, or Vernon Station.

Crestline is situated at the crossing of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago, and the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianap- olis Railways, and is about thirteen miles from Bucyrus, the county-seat. It is a railroad town, and comparatively a new place, and in 1860, had a population of 1,458; in 1870, it had increased to 2,279, and in 18SO, to 2,787 inhabitants. The railroads have made Crest- line what it is. Before their day, a town on this spot was unthought of, nor, until after the iron horse, with his bustle and clatter, had passed, did it rise from the mud of the surrounding swamps. Men who are still in the prime of life, "remember when the site was a good place to hunt deer." The follow- ing description is given: "It is generally flat about Crestline, and it has something of the appearance of a frontier railroad town, being very muddy, when muddy anywhere, though its general elevation is about the average; indeed, when laid out, it was thought to be the highest point above sea-level in the State, hence the name-Crestline." As a proof of the modern history of the place, John New- man, who lived in the village of Leesville in 1840, says he was in the habit of coming

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

down into the "big woods," where Crestline now stands, to hunt deer, which were plenty, even at that late day; also wolves, wild tur- keys, etc. Verily, it may be said, that here " the rank thistle nodded in the wind, and the wild fox dug his hole unscared." The first house or cabin built in Crestline, or immedi- ate vicinity, was erected just west of the "stone-arch bridge," on the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, near a spring which is to be seen yet. Who built this cabin and when, is not known, but it was there as early as 1833. Just above it, and near the street-bridge, at a later day, was operated a saw-mill, by a water-power afforded by the head-waters of the Sandusky. Years later, a man named Harvey Aschbaugh, a Dutchman from "over the Rhine," who owned eighty acres of land in the neighborhood, including the present site of Crestline, built a cabin. All that appeared to the Dutchman valuable on this tract was the game, the timber and a fine sulphur spring, which is at present within the corporate limits (the spring, not the game and the timber) of the town. A negro family owned eighty acres adjoining Aschbaugh's on the north. Where these "American citizens of African descent" came from, what was their name, and what became of them, no one now seems to know or care. Their cabin stood at what is now the west end of Main street, and was erected some time after Asch- baugh's. About the time the negro cabin was built, a man named Samuel Rutan built another cabin on an adjoining "eighty," at what is now the east end of Main street. He had purchased the land from the Government. Still further east of Rutan was the "palace " of Benjamin Ogden, while still further east, on the Leesville and Mansfield road, stood the old log house called "Seltzer's Tavern," "in which, for many years, while all was a wil- derness around, one Seltzer kept weary travel-

ers in his rude loft, and fed them on 'corn pone ' and venison." This was about the situ- ation when the iron horse dashed through the thick forest of Jackson Township.

From a published chronicle of Crestline, we extract the following historical facts: "John Adam Thoman-a well-known name in Crestline-first saw the locomotive coming. He could see the headlight through the dense woods in the direction of Cleveland, and knew it would strike that wilderness, and scatter the wolves, deer and timber, like chaff before a hurricane, and immediately began his prep- arations to meet it and accept the inevitable. He purchased the eighty acres belonging to the negro family, paying what was then a high price, $600, and immediately began lay- ing out a town in the woods. The road, how- ever, struck the farm of Rutan, at the east end of Main street, where the company erected a little shanty for a depot, and called it Ver- non Station. Rutan sold his place to a man named Conwell, who erected the first house near the station. It was on Main street, west of the railroad. Conwell afterward sold out to Rensellaer Livingston, who laid out a town around the station. Here, then, the present town had its beginning, and many houses were erected around Vernon Station before Crestline was thought of. The Livingston and Thoman Additions, as they are called (though really Crestline is the addition), are now the larger part of the town." This was the first beginning of the town of Crestline, and is what we have already mentioned as the town of Livingston. Aschbaugh, the owner of the eighty acres of land already noticed as including the town of Crestline, did not re- main long in the vicinity of the embryo city, but sold out, and moved over into Richland County, where he died.

T. C. Hall, Esq., now of Bucyrus, claims to have built the first house in the town of Liv-

concre

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

497

ingston, and to have opened the first store. It was erected on what was called the Mansfield road, and was a storehouse and residence com- bined. In this building he opened a store in the fall of 1850, and continued in business there until the fall of 1852, or the spring of 1853, when he moved over on to the original plat of Crestline, it having, in the meantime, been laid out as a town. He also claims to have been the first merchant in business in the new town, as well as in the old. He built the first brick house in Crestline, which, like the one built in Livingston, was both store and resi- dence. The brick were burned by Samuel Craig, who burned the first brick kiln in the town. This was the second house, and the first brick put up in Crestline. Jesse R. Straughan built the first house, which was a frame, and was put up for a hotel or eating- house. It stands just south of the Gibson House, across the passenger track of the Pitts- burgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and is now called the " Crestline House." Upon its completion it was opened by Jacob Brown, as a hotel-the first place of entertainment opened in Crestline. The second store was opened by John Adam Thoman, and the next by E. Warner, and about the same time Will- iam Knisely commenced selling goods. The first post office was opened in Livingston in 1850. Livingston was appointed Postmaster, but Hall, who was sworn in as deputy, opened the first mail-bag in the town. He soon suc- ceeded to the office, which he held four years. After him, A. E. Jenner was appointed Postmas- ter. John Adam Thoman was the first black- smith. These, with the usual number of mechan- ics, constituted about all there was of the town of Livingston, or Vernon Station. Mr. Living- ston, the original proprietor of the place, died here about 1859-60. He was originally from the State of New York, and was an enterpris- ing man.

We again quote from the publication we have several times alluded to: "The Cleve- land, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad has the honor of establishing Crestline. The charter for this road was granted in 1836, but it was not until 1851 that the road was opened for traffic. In 1850, however, trains were running as far as Shelby and Crestline. At that time the road was a wooden one. com- paratively speaking, the improved ' T' rail not having been invented. For three years Ver- non Station had an opportunity to spread itself, before it was interfered with by another railroad. It grew to be something of a place. A post office was established there: a hotel was erected, called the 'Ohio House,' kept by Michael Heffelfinger; Messrs. Newman & Thoman started the first store, and kept a general stock, such as is usually kept in a country store. A grocery and provision store was also established about the same time, by Thomas Hall, who was a contractor, and en- gaged in building a section of the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, then being rapidly pushed forward, and who established the provision store partly for the purpose of supplying his employes. Thoman and Liv- ingston were busy during these years selling their lots, advertising the town, and erecting dwelling-houses for the accommodation of new residents and the numerous employes of the different contractors on the two roads. In April, 1853, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad was opened for traffic from Allegheny City to Crestline, a distance of 187 miles. Unfortunately for Vernon Station, it was, for some reason, ignored by this road, which crossed the Cleveland & Columbus road half a mile or more south of it, and im- mediately there was a rush for the junction. Thereafter, Vernon Station was 'left out in the cold.'

" Previous to this, a party of gentlemen

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

concluded that money could be made out of this point on the road by laying out a new town. The names of these gentlemen were Jesse R. Straughan, the chief engineer of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, Thomas W. Bartley, of Mansfield, and John and Joseph Larwill, of Wooster-the latter gentlemen being well known in the early his- tory of Mansfield and this county as surveyors. Whether these gentlemen exerted sufficient influence to change the direction of the road slightly, so that it should strike the other road at a point so far from Vernon Station as to give room to plat a new town, is not cer- tainly known, but may be reasonably inferred, from the fact that the Chief Engineer was interested in the project, and that these gen- tlemen were connected with each other by marriage, if not by blood relationship. Be this as it may, it was perfectly legitimate. They purchased the eighty acres of Harvey Aschbaugh, across which it was determined to run the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, and laid out a town at the junction, which they called Crestline, and thereupon Vernon Station was abandoned. It, however, made little difference to the latter, as the two towns soon grew together, and the line be- tween the two plats was obliterated. The two railroads built a frame union depot, which stood there in the mud, a squatty, ugly-looking thing, for years." This published record of the two places does not agree in every particular with the facts as given us, but varies so little as to be scarcely noticeable. Mr. Hall claims to have opened the first store, while this publication credits Newman & Thoman as the first merchants, and a few other little discrepancies of a like character occur. As we have stated, the first hotel was built by Jesse Stranghan, and opened as such by Jacob Brown, and is now known as the Crestline House. Brown kept it eight months,

when Hall took charge of it for one year, when Miller & Mertz became the proprietors. They ran it for twelve or fifteen years, since which time it has changed hands frequently.

The first lots in Crestline were sold at auc- tion, and the first one sold was purchased by G. W. Emerson, who afterward sold it to Mr. Babst. He erected upon it a hotel, which was called the Emerson House-the second hotel built in the town. Mr. Emerson kept this hotel many years. "In March, 1854, an addition was made to the town, called East Crestline, which is in the present limits of Richland County, the main part of the town being now in Crawford County, though when platted Crawford County had not been formed, and the territory was included within the limits of Richland-the line of Richland being about four miles west of Crestline." This information is, according to our under- standing of the history of this section of the county, not altogether correct. The county of Crawford was created originally in 1820, and formally organized, by act of the Legislature, passed January 31, 1826. Hence, when the town of Crestline was platted, in 1854, as above stated, "Crawford had not been formed," cannot be correct, but doubtless allusion is made to a strip that was added to Crawford from Richland County years after the forma- tion of Crawford.

Thus, a town was laid out, or, perhaps, more properly speaking, two towns were laid out, and the different classes of business nec- essary for the building-up of towns and cities were inaugurated, and bustling activity was the order of the day around the railroad crossing. People came in rapidly; stores were opened, as the demand for them in- creased; mechanics located in the young and growing town; shops were established, and prosperity seemed to crown all efforts. The mercantile business, which to many of the

HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

499

pioneer towns of Ohio, was an arduous under- taking, in view of the fact that most of the goods had to be hauled in wagons from Phil- adelphia and Baltimore, was no drawback to Crestline, as from its birth it had the advan- tages of railroad transportation. By experi- ence, it knew nothing of these old-fashioned ways, in which towns like Mansfield and Bucyrus were brought up. Like the boy who was born at the age of fifteen, Crestline may almost be said to have been born in the full vigor of manhood. Its railroad, or two rail- roads, brought markets to its very doors, instead of having to make long, weary trips to Sandusky, Zanesville and Philadelphia by teams, as so many others had to do before them. In this chapter, after a sketch of the township, we have briefly alluded to the lay- ing-out of the village, and the beginning of

its prosperity and business, the railroads, which created a demand for a town, and the early history generally of the town and sur- rounding community. We have followed its history from a dense and gloomy forest, where the red man was wont to hunt the deer, to a flourishing and rapidly growing town, and here we take leave of it, to resume its history in another chapter. There we shall chronicle its progress in business, education and Christianity; its increase in wealth, its growth and extension and general prosperity.

Crestline, as we have shown, is a railroad town, and, in the following chapter, together with other matters, the railroad interest will be noticed at some length, and also the estab- lishment of railroad shops, and the men em- ployed by the two roads.

CHAPTER XV.

CITY OF CRESTLINE-ITS GROWTH AND BUSINESS-SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES-CHURCHES- THE WATER WORKS-OTHER INTERESTS.

A CITY that is set on an hill cannot be hid, and the original proprietors of Crestline seem to have acted upon this Scrip- tural text in the location of their town, as, at the time of its laying out, it was supposed to be the highest point in the State. Notwith- standing it was a flat, swampy country, cov- ered with a dense forest, it is so far above the level of Lake Erie that no fears are enter- tained, by even the most timid of its inhabit- ants, of another "Drift Period," or overflow from that inland sea. Crestline is highly favored as to its geographical location, and possesses all the advantages necessary for becoming a prosperous little city. It is in the midst of as rich a farming community as "a crow ever flew over," its citizens are intelli-

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History of Crawford County and Ohio, Part 72

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog] Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1034

Author: Perrin, William Henry, [from old catalog] comp; Battle, J. H., [from old catalog] comp; Goodspeed, Weston Arthur, 1852- [from old catalog] comp; Baskin & Battey, Chicago, pub. [from old catalog]
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1034