USA > Ohio > Montgomery County > Dayton > History of Dayton, Ohio. With portraits and biographical sketches of some of its pioneer and prominent citizens Vol. 1 > Part 21
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Edwin Smith was reelected to the legislature in 1839.
A fire occurred here in December, 1839, which resulted in great loss on account of the excitement and unruly conduct of the crowd, though the Independence Engine arrived in the nick of time, and saved the building. We quote the Journal's report, as it gives a good idea of an 13
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old-time fire, when more damage was often caused by the officious crowd and the water than by the flames: "While the work of preservation was in progress outside, some destructives were enacting very different scenes within the building. In their eagerness to save the owners from loss by fire, they wrenched the doors from the hinges, pulled the mantles from their places, shattered the windows and broke the sash, and all to save property from destruction by fire. It will cost the owner of the property more money to repair damages inside his premises than to replace all that was destroyed by the fire." The Journal complains that very few of the white wands of the fire guards were to be seen on this occasion, and attributes the confusion partly to their absence.
In the next Journal appeared the following card from the officers of the various fire companies, appealing to their fellow-citizens for aid in protecting firemen from uncalled-for interruption at fires: "Each com- pany claims for itself the right to control its engine, hose, and pipe, and any interference by an individual not a member of the association is calculated to create useless altercation and to retard the effective operation of the firemen. The brakes of our engines are always free to those who desire to render effective aid. All we ask is that those who are not connected with the fire department would either remain at a distance or work at the engines, believing as we do, that the confusion created at fires is occasioned by those who are not connected with the engines. E. W. Davies, president Second Engine Company; E. Favorite, vice-presi- dent; V. Winters, foreman Safety Engine and Hose Company; Frederic Boyer, assistant; E. Carroll Roe, president Enterprise Company."
At this time great pride was felt in the fire department, and the most prominent citizens of Dayton were members of the companies. It was a great advance on all that had preceded it, but it was defective as all volunteer organizations necessarily are. With the splendidly equipped and perfectly ordered paid department of the present time, the interfer- ence of citizens complained of in 1839 never occurs.
The number of buildings erected in Dayton in 1839, as counted by Thomas Morrison, was one hundred-sixty-four of brick, thirty-six of wood, and twenty-six intended for business houses. A new First Pres- byterian church took the place of the old one built in 1817 on the corner of Second and Ludlow streets. It was fifty by eighty feet in size, of the " Grecian Ionic order of architecture and considered very hand- some." It cost seventeen thousand dollars. A Baptist church was also built on the corner of Fourth and Ludlow streets, forty by sixty feet in size and seventy-five feet in height. The front "presented a very neat specimen of the Grecian Doric architecture.". The cost of the whole,
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including the lot, was six thousand dollars. A number of improvements were made along the hydraulic. Mr. Thomas Brown, after particular inquiry, made at the request of the Journal, reported that four million, five hundred thousand bricks were made in Dayton during 1839. The number on hand he computed at five hundred thousand, which gave four millions as the number of bricks laid during the year.
Dayton was increasing rapidly in population, and a watchman at night and bars and bolts in the day time began for the first time to be considered a necessity in the residence part of the town. The Journal complains that the march of improvement had not been made without still another attendant evil, and that while the citizens boasted of their turnpike roads, graveled streets, fine stores, and splendid churches, in getting these they had also got that small vampire, the mosquito. They appeared for the first time in the history of the town in small numbers when the canal was opened, and were supposed to have come on the canal from below, but they gradually increased till they murdered sleep throughout the corporation and became a great post.
The vocal and instrumental musical' societies, under the direction of L. Huesman, gave a series of concerts in the churches during the winter of 1840, which were very popular.
In February the prospectus of the Log Cabin newspaper published in Dayton by R. N. & W. F. Comly, appeared. The Log Cabin was con- tinued during the Harrison campaign, and after enough subscribers were obtained to pay expenses, was gratuitously distributed as a campaign document. A large picture of a log cabin with a barrel of hard cider at the door, occupied the first page of the paper. The illustrations were drawn and engraved by John W. Van Cleve. The price of the paper was fifty cents for thirteen numbers. Two files of the Log Cabin, which attained a national reputation, are on the shelves of the Dayton Public Library.
This year David Lamme, a Whig, represented the county in the legislature.
Peter Odlin was the Fourth of July orator in 1840, and the Declara- tion of Independence, "prefaced by some happy remarks," was read by John G. Lowe. The exercises were held at the Third Street Presbyterian Church. The Dayton Grays and the Washington Artillery, a new military company, paraded.
On the 15th of December the Messrs. Comly began to issue the Jour- nal as a daily paper. This was the first daily paper published here. The subscription was six dollars per year. The project was soon abandoned and a tri-weekly issued. A daily paper was not again attempted till 1847.
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The journey to Cincinnati, which used in the days of mud roads to be a serious undertaking, was in 1840, over an excellent turnpike and in an "Indian bow-spring coach," which was superior to all other sorts in use, a short and pleasant trip. A guard accompanied each coach and the drivers were well behaved and understood their business. There were two daily lines, owned by J. & P. Voorhees. One left at eight o'clock in the morning and the other at night, immediately after the arrival of the eastern mail.
The population of Dayton in 1840 was six thousand and sixty-seven.
Never in the history of the Northwest has there been a more exciting presidential campaign than that which preceded the election of General W. HI. Harrison, and nowhere was the enthusiasm for the hero of Tippecanoe greater than in Dayton. A remarkable Harrison convention was held here on the date of Perry's victory on Lake Erie, and tradition has preserved such extravagant accounts of the number present, the beauty of the emblems and decorations displayed, and the hospitality of the citizens and neighboring farmers that the following prophecy with which the Journal began its account of the celebration may almost be said to have been literally fulfilled: "Memorable and ever to be remem- bered as is the glorious triumph achieved by the immortal Perry on the 10th of September, 1813, scarcely less conspicuous on the page of history will stand the noble commemoration of the event which has just passed before us."
Innumerable flags and Tippecanoe banners were stretched across the streets from roofs of stores and factories, or floated from private residences and from poles and trees. People began to arrive several days before the convention, and on the 9th crowds of carriages, wagons, and horsemen streamed into town. About six o'clock the Cincinnati delegation came in by the Centreville road. They were escorted from the edge of town by the Dayton Grays, Butler Guards, Dayton military band, and a number of citizens in carriages and on horseback. The procession of delegates was headed by eleven stage coaches in line with banners and music, followed by a long line of wagons and carriages. Each coach was enthusiastically cheered as it passed the crowds which thronged the streets, and the cheers were responded to by the occupants of the coaches. Twelve canal-boats full of men arrived on the 10th, and every road which led to town poured in its thousands early in the morning.
-General Harrison came as far as Jonathan Harshman's, five miles from town, on the 9th and passed the night there. Early in the morning his escort, which had been encamped at Fairview, marched to Mr. Harsh- man's and halted there till seven o'clock, when it got in motion under
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command of Joseph Barnett, of Dayton, and other marshals from Clarke County. The line of march extended five miles.
A procession from town, under direction of Charles Anderson, chief marshal, met the general and his escort at the junction of the Troy and Springfield roads. The battalion of militia, commanded by Captain Bomberger, of the Dayton Grays, and consisting of the Grays and Washington Artillery, of Dayton; the Citizens' Guards from Cincinnati; Butler Guards, of Hamilton, and Piqua Light Infantry, were formed in a hollow square, and General Harrison, mounted on a white horse, his staff, and Governor Metcalf and staff, of Kentucky, were placed in the center. "Every foot of the road between town and the place where General Harrison was to meet the Dayton escort, was literally choked up with people."
The immense procession, carrying banners and flags, and accompanied by canoes, log cabins furnished in pioneer style, and trappers' lodges all on wheels, and filled with men, girls, and boys, the latter dressed in hunting shirts and blue caps, made a magnificent display. One of the wagons contained a live wolf enveloped in a sheep skin, representing the "hypocritical professions" of the opponents of the Whigs. All sorts of designs were carried by the delegations. One of the most striking was an immense ball, representing the Harrison States, which was rolled through the streets. The length of the procession was about two miles. Carriages were usually three abreast, and there were more than one thousand in line.
The day was bright and beautiful, and the wildest enthusiasm swayed the mighty mass of people who formed the most imposing part of "this grandest spectacle of time," as Colonel Todd, an eye-witness, termed the procession. The following description of the scene, quoted by Curwen from a contemporary newspaper, partakes of the excitement and extrav- agance of the occasion: "The huzzas from gray-headed patriots, as the banners borne in the procession passed their dwellings, or the balconies where they had stationed themselves; the smiles and blessings, and waving kerchiefs, of the thousands of fair women who filled the front windows of every house; the loud and heartfelt acknowledgments of their marked courtesy and generous hospitality by the different delega- tions, sometimes rising the same instant from the whole line; the glimpses at every turn of the eye of the fluttering folds of some one or more of the six hundred and forty-four flags which displayed their glorious stars and stripes from the tops of the principal houses of every street, the soul-stirring music, the smiling heavens, the ever-gleaming banners, . the emblems and mottoes, added to the intensity of the excitement.
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Every eminence, housetop, and window, was thronged with eager spectators, whose acclamations seemed to rend the heavens. Second Street at that time led through a prairie, and the bystanders, by a metaphor, the sublimity of which few but westeners can appreciate, likened the excitement around them to a mighty sea of fire sweeping over its surface, 'gathering, and heaving, and rolling upwards, and yet higher, till its flames licked the stars and fired the whole heavens.'"
After marching through the principal streets, the procession was disbanded by General Harrison, at the National Hotel, on Third Street. At one o'clock the procession was reformed and moved to the stand erected for the speeches "upon a spacious plain" cast of Front Street and north of Third. Mr. Samuel Forrer, an experienced civil engineer; made an estimate of the space occupied by this meeting and of the number present at it. He says: "An exact measurement of the lines gave for one side of the square (oblong) one hundred and thirty yards and the other one hundred and fifty yards, including an area of nineteen thousand five hundred square yards, which, multiplied by four, would give seventy-eight thousand. Let no one who was present be startled at this result or reject this estimate till he compares the data assumed with the facts presented to his own view while on the ground. It is easy for anyone to satisfy himself that six, or even a greater number of indi- viduals, may stand on a square yard of ground. Four is the number assumed in the present instance; the area measured is less than four and one half acres. Every farmer who noticed the ground could readily perceive that a much larger space was covered with people, though not so closely as that portion measured. All will admit that an oblong square of one hundred and thirty yards by one hundred and fifty did not at any time during the first hour include near all that were on the east side of the canal. The time of observation was the commencement of General Harrison's speech. Before making this particular estimate I had made one by comparing this assemblage with my recollection of the 25th of February convention at Columbus, and came to the conclusion that it was at least four times as great as that." Two other competent engineers measured the ground and the lowest estimate of the number of people at the meeting was seventy-eight thousand, and as thousands were still in town it was estimated that as many as one hundred thou- sand were here on the 10th of September.
Places of entertainment were assigned delegates by the committee appointed for that purpose, but it was also announced in the Journal that no one need hesitate "to enter any house for dinner, where he may see a flag flying. Every Whig's latch string will be out,and the flag will
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signify as much to all who are a hungry or athirst." A public table where dinner was furnished, as at the private houses without charge, was also announced as follows by the Journal: "We wish to give our visitors log cabin fare and plenty of it, and we want our friends in the country to help us." A committee was appointed to take charge of the baskets of the farmers, who responded liberally to this appeal.
In early times when hotel and boarding house accommodations in Dayton were very limited, it was the custom, whenever there was a political or religious convention or any other large public meeting here, for the citizens to freely entertain the delegates at their homes. When the meeting was of a religious character, the different denominations assisted each other in entertaining the guests. On such occasions the hot dinner, which was served if possible, was supplemented by large quantities of roast and boiled meat, poultry, cakes, pics, and bread that had been prepared beforehand.
All the houses in Dayton occupied by Whigs were crowded to their fullest capacity during the Harrison convention and again at the Clay convention in 1842. One family, according to a letter from its mistress written at the time, entertained three hundred persons at dinner one day in 1842 and the same night lodged nearly one hundred guests. The writer states that the houses of all her friends and relatives were as crowded as her own, and says that this lavish hospitality was a repetition of what occurred in 1840. The letter contains an interesting description of a morning reception for ladies in 1842 at the residence of Mr. J. D. Phillips, where Mr. Clay was staying. A crowd of women of all ranks and conditions, some in silk and some in calico, were present. Mr. Clay shook hands with them all, afterwards making a complimentary little speech, saying among other graceful things that the soft touch of the ladies had healed his fingers bruised by the rough grasp of the men, whom he had received the day before.
Among other interesting occurrences during the Harrison convention was the presentation, on the 9th of September, of a beautiful banner to the Tippecanoe Club of the town by the married ladies of Dayton. The banner was accompanied by an eloquent address written for the occasion by Mrs. D. K. Este, and was presented in the name of the ladies to the club, who were drawn up in front of the residence of Mr. J. D. Phillips, by Judge J. H. Crane. It was decorated on one side with an embroidered wreath, with a view of General Harrison's house in the center, and on the other side with a painting of Perry's victory on Lake Erie, executed by Charles Soule, "with the skill and taste for which he is so distinguished."
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On the 11th of September the young ladies of Dayton presented a banner, "wrought by their own fair hands," to General Harrison. Daniel A. Haynes made the presentation speech.
The convention was addressed by many noted men. General Harri- son was a forcible speaker, and his voice, while not sonorous, was clear and penetrating and reached the utmost limits of the immense crowd. Governor Metcalfe, of Kentucky, was a favorite with the people. A stone mason in early life, he was called "stone hammer" to indicate the crush- ing blows inflicted by his logic and his sarcasm. The inimitable Thomas Corwin held his audience spell bound with his cloquence and humor, and R. C. Schenck added greatly to his reputation by his incisive and witty speeches. R. C. Schenck, J. H. Crane, and R. S. Hart were the Dayton speakers at the convention.
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CHAPTER XII.
Municipal History-Beginning of Corporate History-Original Boundaries of the Town Site -- Difficulties Connected with Securing Titles-First Town Election -- Boundaries of the Settlement-Select Council in 1816 and Other Years-Boundaries of Wards-Addition to Market-house-City Officers from 1830 to 1850 -- Officers' Salaries-Boundary Lines De- fined-Polling Places Established in 1844-Cholera in 1849-Officers from 1850 to 1889 --- The Fire Department-Board of Health-City Police --- Dayton Police Benevolent Asso- ciation-Water Works.
IN 1805, the corporate history of Dayton began. The first act of the legislature investing the young settlement with corporate powers was passed February 12th, of that year. This charter was amended in 1814, and again in 1829. The town was named in honor of Hon. Jonathan Dayton, LL. D., of New Jersey, a Revolutionary soldier, a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and a member of Congress, who was one of the four original owners of the town site. At that time, separated by only half the life of a generation from the stirring scenes of the Revolu- tion, it was natural to find soldiers foremost in all large enterprises upon the frontier. Still it is worthy of remark that of the four original owners, two had been commanders-in-chief of the armies of the United States --- General St. Clair in 1791 and General Wilkinson in 1796, while General 1 Brown, one of the first settlers, who lived in 1797 and 1798 in a log cabin on the southwest corner of Jefferson and Water streets, attained the same distinguished position in 1821, and held it until his death in 1828. He entered the army from civil life when the War of 1812 broke out, and served with great credit. For distinguished bravery on the battle fields of Chippewa and Niagara Falls, and at the siege of Fort Erie, he was voted the thanks of Congress and a gold medal. At the close of the war he was continued in commission as a major-general of the regular army, until his promotion to the chief command. Three of the principal streets, in compliment to Colonel Ludlow, General St. Clair, and General Wilkin- son, have always retained their names.
The town site was bounded on the north by the Miami River, on the south by South or Sixth Street, on the cast by Mill Street, and on the west by Wilkinson Street. The plat of the village at this date contemplated a public square at the intersection of Main and Third streets, in the center of which the courthouse was to be located; but this arrangement was changed by plats subsequently made. In the interval between the mak- 14
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ing of this plat and of that finally adopted, it was seriously proposed, in consequence of the great flood in March, 1805, to abandon the improve- ments already made and locate the village on the high ground of what is now East Third Street and east of High Street. But our pioneer fathers clung to the water courses, "the natural highways." They knew how convenient they were at times, and they were not to be driven from the river banks even by destructive floods.
The difficulties connected with securing titles to the lands have been set forth in other pages. Daniel C. Cooper, by preemption, by legisla- tion, and by the consent of the community, became proprietor of the town site, and the original settlers or their representatives received their letters through him. In the adjustment of their difficulties as to titles, a new plat was made by D. C. Cooper and Israel Ludlow April 26, 1802, and on the 27th it was sent to Cincinnati and recorded in the records of Hamilton County. In 1804, D. C. Cooper made a large plat, but it was not recorded until November, 1805.
It was three or four years after this before the individual difficulties of title were all adjusted, and after this had been done, in 1809, Mr. Cooper made a revised plat to conform to deeds and patents of citizens, as then fixed, and this has remained the plat of the town. Unfortunately the records of the city from 1805 until 1829 have been lost, and with them much valuable information concerning the early history of Dayton. By the act of incorporation, a town marshal, collector, supervisor, and seven trustees were to be elected annually by the freeholders who could claim six months' residence. The trustees were to elect a president and re- corder from among themselves, and a treasurer, who was not required to be a trustee.
On the first Monday of May, 1805, the first town election was held. The seven trustees elected comprised the select council of the town of Dayton, and their president was in effect mayor. In 1810, the population was but 383, and Cincinnati contained but 2,320. A paving ordinance at this date shows that the boundaries of the settlement were the river on the north from Main to Mill streets, Third Street on the south from Ludlow to St. Clair. The most closely-settled street seems to have been Main Street, from the river to Third Street. On July 4, 1814, the first market house was opened to the public. A frame building occupied the center of Second Street, for a distance of one hundred feet, between Main and Jefferson streets, which was, for many years after the building was torn down, in 1830, called Old Market Street. Market was held here on each Wednesday and Saturday, from 4 A. M. to 10 A. M. The ordinance to regulate the market prohibited retailing country produce, fresh meat, and
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vegetables within the town limits except on market days, but fresh meat and fish might be sold every day before eight o'clock in the morning.
In 1816, D. C. Cooper was elected president of the seleet council; Joseph Peirce, recorder, and Aaron Baker, H. G. Phillips, Ralph. Wilson, O. B. Connor, and George Grove, trustees. In 1820, II. G. Phillips was elected president of the select council; George S. Houston, recorder, and Aaron Baker, Luther Bruen, David Henderson, William Huffman, and Dr. John Steele, trustees. In 1821, Matthew Patton was president of the council, and George S. Houston, recorder. In 1823, John Compton was president, and Joseph H. Conover, recorder. In 1824, John Compton was president, and John W. Van Cleve, recorder. In 1825, Simeon Broadwell was president, and Warren Munger, recorder. In 1826, Elisha Brabham was president, and R J. Skinner, recorder. In 1827, Dr. John Steele was president, and R. J. Skinner, recorder. In 1828, Dr. John Steele was president, and John W. Van Cleve, recorder.
In 1829, certain amendments were made to the charter, especially in restricting the suffrage to those who had been residents one year in the town, and in the power conferred on the council to regulate, license, or suspend the sale of liquor. The first election under the amended charter was held March 6th of that year, and John Folkerth was elected mayor; David Winters, recorder, and Nathaniel Wilson, James Haight, John Rench, Luther Bruen, and William Atkins, trustees. On the 24th of November, 1829, the council passed an ordinance separating the town into wards with the following boundaries:
FIRST WARD-Bounded on the north by the Miami and Mad rivers; on the south by Second Street; on the west by Jefferson Street, and on the east by the corporation line.
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