USA > Ohio > Darke County > History of Darke County, Ohio, from its earliest settlement to the present time, Volume I > Part 52
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The first settlements were made in the southern part, mostly along Indian creek. Among the pioneers were New- berry York, who settled in section 15 in the southeastern part of the township in 1834; William A. Sonday, Samuel Reigle, who came about 1838; David Lyons, in 1838: James Winget. David Williams, in 1840; Samuel Sherry, Samuel Lanick, Wil- liam Miller, Mahlon Martin, Samuel Winbigler and Samuel Hughes. The township was probably named for Newberry York, above mentioned, who was a justice of the peace, in early days and later became an associate judge and an influen- tial man in the county. He had seven sons and two daugh- ters, and his descendants include several of the prominent families of the county today.
Early conditions were much the same as in other townships and it is difficult today when riding over the many miles of improved pikes to realize that they are the result of many experiments in road building-starting first with the bridle
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path, and progressing through the blazed trail, the rambling house to house road, the cut out road, the surveyed mud road and finally the graded pike.
Among the early families were quite a number of Pennsyl- vania Germans and it is said that the first preaching in this township was by German Lutheran ministers, who conducted services at private honses. The first church was a log struc- ture, capable of seating about one hundred people. It was built in 1848, near the center of section 4 along the main road on an acre plot deeded by Ezra Marker for a church and cem- etery. It was distinctly a neighborhood institution and was erected by the co-operation of the settlement. A new frame church was completed on this site in 1856, in which services were held until 1878. With the passing away of the first gen- eration and the scattering of their descendants the church de- clined and only the old cemetery now appears on the map.
The Methodists held services as soon as sufficient settlers could be interested. Local preachers and exhorters were among the first representatives of this denomination. Services were held in a log school house located about three-fourths of a mile west of the present site of Brock. It is said that the Methodists built a church on the northeast corner of section 18 as early as 1838, or 1839. In 1857 they built a frame church in Brock, and held services there for probably forty years. In recent years, however, they were succeeded by the Christian denomination.
J. P. Hafer is credited with being the first school teacher in the township. He taught in an old cabin before the erection of a regular school building. Probably the first school house was built in 1830. Another was erected in 1837, on land be- longing to Judge York. There are now six school districts in the township.
There are no railways in the township and the only village is Brock, located on the Greenville and St. Mary's pike on the line between sections 4 and 33. Ezra Marker, George Bert- ram, Jacob Winbigler and Egbert Winterworth were instru- mental in laying off and developing this place. It now has a town hall, public school and a Christian church. There is also a christian church in the southwest corner of section 30. The population of the entire township in 1910 was 902. The assessment of real estate in 1913 was $1,306,860. and the chat- tels were entered at $184,970.
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Richland Township.
This township as now constituted is less regular in shape than most of the others in the county and comprises territory taken from townships 10-3; 11-3, and 13-2. It was taken from Wayne township with sixteen sections from Greenville and four from Adams, and was erected September 8, 1820. As originally constituted it comprised practically all the land now included in Allen, Wabash, Brown, York, Richland and two tiers of sections now forming the northern part of Greenville township. In March, 1829, all of township 12. range 2, then belonging to Richland, was put into Greenville township. In December, 1833, Brown township was detached and in June, 1837, York township in its original form was detached, re- ducing Richland to its present proportions. The entire town- ship is drained by the Stillwater which enters near the north- west corner, runs southeasterly to the center of section 3, then takes a circuitous eastern course through the central part of the county, turns northward in the northern part of section 4, then eastward in the southwest quarter of section 27. and leaves the township near the line between sections 27 and 34. The surface is broken along its course, comprising fertile stretches of bottom land interspersed with hills. There is a diversity of black loam and mixed clay lands which are quite productive under scientific cultivation.
Fort Briar located in the southeastern part of the southwest quarter of section 27, on the south side of the Stillwater just beyond the bend, was erected during the war of 1812, and was used as a place of refuge by the earliest pioneers. Among these were Jacob Hartle, who came in the summer of 1817. David Riffle and sons, Jacob and Solomon, and George Ward came in the spring of 1818, James Stephenson and George Coppess in 1819. These were soon followed by George Beam, Adam Coppess, Henry Stahl, Philip Plessinger, Peter Brewer and John Horney, John Miller and John Coppess. Sr. For some ten years there was no further emigration on account of the ague and milk sickness, which prevailed. From 1834 to about 1850. the following prominent names were added : Daniel Warvel. E. Deming, D. L. Miller, W. J. Warvel. D. Hartzell. Philip Hartzell, George H. Winbigler, Alfred Cop- pess, H. Kent, John E. Breaden and S. D. Rush. In more re- cent years quite a number of German immigrants settled in various parts of the township, so that the population today is
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largely of German descent. This fact accounts for the fine condition of many of the farms and the relative high standing of this comparatively small township in agricultural matters.
The first school house was erected about 1824 on the farm of John Coppess in section 24, across the creek from the Cop- pess cemetery. It was built of logs and had a capacious fire- place. John Wilkins and Thomas Crawson taught here. There are now seven school districts in the township.
John Childers, the Baptist minister, mentioned in chapter ten, is credited with delivering the first sermon in the house of James Stephenson. The Methodists purcahsed a building in the Coppess neighborhood which had been erected as a school house and converted it into the first church of the township. The United Brethren built the next church, a log structure, in Beamsville, in 1842, on a site donated by Fred Beam. There is now a church in the southwest corner of section 24, and a Christian church in the center of section 9, besides the churches in Dawn and Beamsville.
The "Big Four" railway crosses the north end of the town- ship, and the Pennsylvania, the southern. There are three villages in Richland township, viz., Beamsville, Nevada (Dawn P. O.) and Stelvideo.
Beamsville.
This village is located on the Stillwater at the intersection of the Greenville and Ansonia pikes near the center of the west line of section 32, range 3. It was platted in 1837, by John Beam, who also erected the first house. Rev. M. Win- termuth, Baptist, was the first preacher in Beamsville, and was succeeded by Rev. Seymour Craig. The Reformed and United Brethren Societies built a union church on the north bank of Stillwater west of Main street about 1842. In later years the Reformed denomination took over the property and held services for several years but finally disbanded. Rev. George Adams represented the Christian church as early as 1848-49. All these denominations have disbanded except the Christian which still has a flourishing church and Sunday sschool in the village. The township house is located here, also school No. 5, which built a new two-room modern brick school house a few years since. A good general mercantile business is carried on in this place. Among the prominent physicians who lived here were Ford. Smith, Hooven, Hos- tetter, Peck, Tillman, Zellers, Husted and Brandon.
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Nevada (Dawn Postoffice.)
This village was laid out in 1854 by L. W. Johnson at the center of section 20, when he erected a saw mill. Additions were later made by Shelley, Birch, Uriah Winbigler, O. F. Davidson and James McFarland. The "Big Four" railway has a station here and considerable mercantile business is transacted. The Methodists built a church on the north side of the village in 1872, and the Christians on the south side in 1907. School No. 4 is located opposite the last named struc- ture on south Main street.
Stelvideo.
This village was laid out by Solomon Farmer in 1851, near the center of the south line of section 9, range 3, township 11. It is located on the Logansport division of the Pennsylvania railway and lies in the midst of a fertile country. The story of its establishment is thus related by an early writer : "About the time when the 'forty miners' were en route overland to the gold fields of the far Pacific, John Patterson determined to realize his expectations nearer home. He had inherited a large farm, located east of Stelvideo. There being promise of quite a village here, Mr. Patterson brought a number of lots, erected a steam saw mill, a two-story tavern and induced the erection of several other buildings. These improvements were made in 1852 and 1853. Through correspondence with Alfred Brisbane, S. Andrews, Dr. Nichols and other noted So- cialists, Stelvideo soon became a center for modern radicalism of all kinds, save and except 'free love.' Meantime, the dress reform movement was being agitated by Amelia Bloomer and other ladies. The costume was generally adopted by the fem- inine population of this village. So many 'isms' and 'ologies.' so much amplitude in freedom and brevity in costume was obnoxious to the people residents in the neighborhood, who proceeded to make Paterson and his 'confreres' desirous of going elsewhere. The Pluribus Unum hotel was vacated, sev- eral houses partially completed were left unfinished, the saw mill and other property was disposed of at a sacrifice, and Mr. Patterson and his followers moved to Berlin Heights, in Huron county, where quite a colony of Modern Liberalists of various phases assembled. They published a weekly news- paper, and, for a time, attracted popular attention."
The wearing of "bloomers" by the women of this village,
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who followed the liberal ideas of those days caused the village to be dubbed "Bloomertown" for many years.
There is a railway station and a grain elevator in this vil- large and a Christian church a short distance north.
The tax assessment of Richland township in 1913, showed real estate to the value of $1,391,130 and chattels amounting to $863,330. The population in 1910 was given at 1,070.
Van Buren Township.
This township as now constituted lies immediately north of Twin and between Neave and Franklin townships. It was erected in June, 1838, and named for President Van Buren, who was then in office. At that time it contained all of town- ship 8 north, range 4 east, that is in Darke county, and all of township 9, north, range 3 east, except sections 5, 6, 7 and 8, which were included in Greenville township. Franklin town- ship was detached in June, 1839, being formed of four tiers of sections off the east side.
The northern and extreme western part are drained by some minor branches of Greenville creek, and the southern part by upper branches of Painter creek.
It is one of the most level townships in the county, and the soil, being largely of an alluvial nature, is very fertile, pro- ducing good crops. As noted in Chapter I, a distinct moranic belt passes through it in a north and south direction which was formerly traced by the large number of boulders strewn along its track, and the presence of gravel cairns along its course. Some of the boulders along this moraine were of im- mense size, but most of these have been blasted, buried or removed, leaving the surface free for cultivation. Before the forests were cut off and the land drained, it is said that from one to five feet of water covered most of the surface of this township during half of the year. On this account settlement was delayed and it is probable that no settlers came before 1818. Between this time and 1826, the following pioneers established homes in the wilderness:
Samuel Pearce, Samuel Martin, Elias Burt, Eli Townsend, Jacob Sebring, John Charkwith, Isaac Byers, James Gregory, David and William Byers, Richard and James Gower. John Fourman, Mordecai Ford and Jacob Potoff were also early settlers.
The first school house was built in the southwest quarter of
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section 20, and was taught by Mordecai Ford. There are nine school districts in this township.
The Christians are credited with building the first church in the township, which was erected at Delisle, in 1851, over thirty years after the first settlement. Among the pioneer preachers in this denomination were Revs. Sneithen, Ashley. Williams and Mordecai Ford.
The United Brethren established a church at Abbotsville, about 1850, and the Methodists one just east of Jaysville about the same time. Rev. Edward Caylor caused the erection of a church at Ninevah, near the center of the township, in the northeast corner of section 2, about 1869. It is now known as Caylor's Chapel. There is also a Dunkard church across the road from school No. 6. near the center of the north line of section 35.
This township is strictly rural, the only villages being De- lisle and Jaysville, both of which are stations on the D. & U. railway, which crosses diagonally through the southwest part of the township. Jaysville is located on the west line between sections 18 and 19, and contains an elevator, a store and a blacksmith shop, with a M. E. church a short distance east. It was named after some member of the Jay family, who were early settlers. The Ohio Electric railway passes through this hamlet.
Delisle:
Delisle was laid out about 1850, by a Mrs. Fairchild, prob- ably in anticipation of the building of the Greenville and Miami railroad. It early gave some promise of developing into a good trading center, but like Jaysville, was too near Greenville and Arcanum to make much of a town.
The Abbottsville cemetery, located on the Arcanum pike and the Ohio Electric railway in section 20, is one of the pret- tiest and best kept cemeteries in Darke county, and is the burial place for many families in Arcanum, and the western part of the township. It seems that a man by the name of Abbott laid off a town in this neighborhood in early days, and that a store and wagon shop were at one time in operation here. Both of these have disappeared.
Poplar Ridge is the name of a small settlement on the Greenville and West Milton pike, which crosses the northern part of the township in a direction north of east. This is one of the oldest pikes in the county and is known to have existed
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as early as 1815. It was probably cut through the forest during or before the war of 1812, to connect Greenville with Dayton.
The township has been well drained and piked and one traveling through it now would scarcely suspect that it was once practically covered with swamps.
The population in 1910 was 1,360.
The real estate assessment in 1913 was $1,717,590, and the chattels were entered at $603,730.
Twin Township.
This township was erected in July. 1817, and contained all of the county south of a line running due east from the northwest corner of section 31, township 11 north, range 2 east. A tier of sections was taken from the northern part upon the creation of the townships of German, Neave and Van Buren. Harrison, Butler and Monroe were successively de- tached as elsewhere mentioned, leaving Butler as now con- stituted, it being identical with the civil division known as township 8 north, range 3 east, containing thirty sections.
This township was named from Twin creek which drains much of the southern portion of the township as originally constituted. The northern part is drained by the upper waters of Painter creek and the eastern section by the head waters of Ludlow creek. The eastern part is quite level, and, in early days was covered with water for considerable periods each year. This condition was quite discouraging to early settlers but after extensive and successful drainage, the land became very productive, the soil being rich, deep vegetable loam, en- riched by ages of rank vegetable growths which had been sus- tained in the vast mora'sses of by-gone ages. Along Miller's fork the land is more rolling and elevated, yet very produc- tive. As formerly stated a distinct glacial moraine, or mo- raine belt, is traceable through the southwestern part of this township, skirting the valley of Miller's fork and following that stream into Preble county below Ithaca. An old Indian trail, apparently followed this elevated belt and it is said by some authority that Wayne's army took this elevated route in preference to that of St. Clair. The road from Ithaca to Fort Jefferson and Greenville follows this old trail and is one of the early highways of the county. As before mentioned, Elliott and Stoner were both slain along this trail, during the (38)
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war of 1812. The body of Stoner is buried in the cemetery at Ithaca.
Jacob North is said to have been the pioneer of Twin town- ship. He came from Lewisburg and settled on Miller's fork, probably about 1812, but was alarmed at the killing of Elliott and Stoner and the warning of a half-breed friend and re- turned to his old home.
William Robbins was probably the first permanent settler. He came in 1815 and settled just west of Ithaca. He was followed in 1816 by David Lucas, William and Eli Curtner, Frederick Shank and son Philip, David Shearer, James Mc- Dole, Philip Rutter, David Baumgardner, Isaac, Thomas and George Walker. Several of these were from the Stillwater settlement, which had been formed largely of people from North Carolina about 1800. In the spring of 1817, Frazee Doty, a local minister and prominent citizen settled just west of Ithaca, and in the fall of that year Andrew Burkett came. Among other early .settlers were Michael Bickett. Emery Rogers, William Lemon, Adam Briney and Philip Rader.
The first school house was built in 1822 or 1823 in the northeast corner of section 19. There are now nine schools in this township, besides that at Arcanum.
The first church, which was of the Christian denomination was erected in the northwest quarter of section 6, near the northwest corner of the township. This denomination also erected another church one mile south of Arcanum. Both of these disbanded at an early date. Abraham Sneethen and Levi Purviance were the early representatives of this sect, and the pioneer preachers in the township. John Williams was also an early preacher. The United Brethren built a church in Ithaca about 1830, which was the second erected in the township. All the churches of this township are now located in the villages as elsewhere mentioned.
On account of the fertility and value of the land the farms of this township have been divided into comparatively small tracts. Much tobacco is raised in the eastern portion and small tracts of land in the neighborhood of Arcanum have sold as high as $300 per acre.
There are three villages in this township: Ithaca, Arcanum and Gordon.
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Ithaca.
This village was platted by John Colville in 1832, and given the name of Twinsborough. Being in the center of the early settled district and on an old highway, it early became an im- portant trading center. It now has United Brethren, Baptist and Lutheran churches, a school, town hall and hotel, besides Odd Fellows, Junior Order and Red Men lodges, and is lo- cated on the Ohio Electric railway. The 1910 census showed a population of 100. Its growth has been retarded in recent years by the building of the D. and U. railway to the east and the location of Gordon and Arcanum on that line.
Gordon.
This place was platted in 1849, and named for one of the pioneers. It is located upon the D. & U. and Ohio Electric railways in the midst of a rich farming country and has been especially known for its large lumber business conducted suc- cessfully for years by Ezra Post and its elevator and tobacco warehouses owned and operated by Edward Ammon. Besides its stores and the above mentioned enterprises this village has a Baptist and an M. E. church. The population in 1910 was given at 181.
Arcanum.
The largest and most important village in Twin township and the entire southern part of Darke county is Arcanum. It is situated on the western border of a level plain, and, at the time of settlement, was surrounded by an almost impenetrable swamp. This plain extends from Ithaca to Gettysburg and from Arcanum to Laura and is now a veritable garden spot, about twelve by eighteen miles in extent. The only break in this exceedingly fertile plain is a slight ridge-probably a minor moraine-extending from Arcanum to Pittsburg, and even this has been redeemed by cultivation. This village, it seems, owes its existence to the building of the Greenville and Miami (now D. & U.) railroad. We quote herewith an interesting article concerning the platting and naming of this village. from the pen of C. C. Pomeroy, the civil engineer, who laid it out. It was written at the request of Mrs. Jennie Lee (nee Francis) and published in the Arcanum Enterprise :
"At the suggestion of my esteemed friend, Col. William Armstrong, or rather his order ; either form giving me pleas-
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ure to respond, 1 pull from memories budget a few straws re- lating to .Arcanum, Darke county, one of Ohio's most thrifty inland towns. In the fall of 1846, a line of railroad was lo- cated from Dayton to Richmond. Fourteen miles west from Dayton, an angle was made to Greenville, twenty-two miles. The road was then known as the Greenville and Miami rail- road. Hiram Bell was president, afterwards a member of congress. When the line was located, it was all woods where the town of Dodson now is, and there were no towns from Dodson to Greenville. The railway line to Greenville was chiefly in the woods, excepting now and then small clearings. In the fall of 1848, the writer and David Comly, son of Rich- ard Comly, one of the owners of the Dayton Journal, were students of practical civil engineering under the tutorship of Phineas Pomeroy, then chief engineer of the road. We were assigned to take test levels and cross sections from Dodson to Greenville; in the discharge of this order we reached a tasty, comfortable log house with three rooms and an 'up- stairs' reached by a ladder; it was the home of Mr. John Gunder, carved out of the wilderness, embracing forty acres of cleared land on which the house stood. The day was one of 'chill November blasts' of which the poet sings; it rained and froze just enough to provoke saints, and more especially searchers after the science of engineering. It was four o'clock that day and we were just beyond Mr. Gunder's home in the woods, it was so foggy we could not take accurate observa- tions with the level, so Dave said, 'Charley, let us quit, I am cold and hungry, let us go to Mr. Gunder's and stay all night.' Two hungry engineers met a hearty welcome there and were royally treated by Mrs. Gunder and her two daughters, and the sumptuous meal was done ample justice. At nightfall, Mr. Gunder came in from the woods, and during the evening chat said, 'Boys, tomorrow will be drizzling, and frozen and sloppy all the way to Greenville, and you might as well stay here and lay off a town plat for me.' Morning came and being unpropitious, so we remained and surveyed and mapped his town plat, and made a neat and pretty map and pinned it up on the log. When Mr. Gunder came he looked at it closely and was well pleased. The following colloquy then occurred : 'Now Gunder what name will you have for your town, Gun- derville?' 'No, No! Ohio has too many "villes" now ; you boys select a nanie and have one that is not on the map of the globe ; have it ready for me when I come from work, as I am
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going to Greenville tomorrow and will have it recorded.' We worried and stewed and fretted to get a name we thought would please him. At last, in view of the murky, damp, sullen, hazy afternoon, that hung in clouds of chunky darkness, a remark was made that there must be a word somewhere that fits the place and its surroundings to a 'gnat's heel ;' it is dark, it is dismal, it is gloomy, how would 'Arcanum' do? It was printed in India ink on the map. Mr. Gunder came in just as we were about to eat supper, he observed the name and ex- pressed great satisfaction with the selection. Sure enough, next day he went to Greenville and had his map recorded. The clerk in the recorder's office told him the engineers were making fun of him in naming the town. 'How?' 'Why do you know the name means "secret, hidden?" ' 'I don't care what it means; is there a town in the world of that name?' 'No,' says the recorder. 'Then the people who live there will have no trouble in getting their mail,' said Gunder, 'and it is in har- mony with surrounding conditions."
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