USA > Ohio > Henry County > History of Henry and Fulton counties, Ohio : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 31
USA > Ohio > Fulton County > History of Henry and Fulton counties, Ohio : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 31
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The duplicate of 1887 indicates the material wealth of the township, and shows 18, 178 acres of land, valued in 1880 at $219, 175, and chattel property valued at $130,854, listed for taxation, and a tax of $8, 190.72 paid. The edu- cational interests have not been overlooked, and the township is divided into ten districts, with good, well-provided buildings in each. The spiritual welfare of the people is attended to in three churches ; one, a Protestant Methodist, at Texas, and two at Colton,-a Church of God, and one Methodist Episcopal. ;
The population in 1860 was 894 ; in 1870, 1, 141, and in 1880 amounted to 1,249. A proportionate increase has been maintained since that time.
The township is situated in the same tier of townships with Freedom, Ridgeville and Liberty, and like these townships has contributed its twelve northern sections to the formation of Fulton county. It is in the eighth range, and is one of the oldest in the county, having had a settlement long before Na- poleon was thought of as a county seat, and contained a hamlet of good size before the woodman's ax had begun gnawing at the pillars of God's first tem-
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ples in any other part of the county. It had an important trading post before the surveyor's chain was stretched and the streets of the present county seat were marked, although it was not platted until many years later. Texas was, and is, the principal village of the township, and is one of the oldest in the county. It is beautifully situated on the north side of the Miami and Erie Canal, and on the north bank of the Maumee River. A ravine runs around the north and west sides, so that the town plat lies high and dry. The outlet lock of the twenty-four mile level of the canal is at this place ; and the slack- water in the Maumee River, caused by the dam at Providence, gives the river a great depth and a width of not less than one hundred rods. A public ferry connects the banks, the expense being paid by the county.
The village was recorded April 2, 1849, by James Durbin, the proprietor. The streets were laid out to the cardinal points; those running from north to south are named mainly from the timber natural to the soil, and those running from east to west are named numerically, beginning at the canal. Through the eastern part of the town runs what is called a hydraulic canal. It leads from the canal and was built for the purpose of supplying motive power for the mills in the lower part of the town, which were the first erected in the county. The first brick burned in the county was made here, and the first brick court-house, the one destroyed by fire in 1879, was constructed of brick manufactured at this point, being transported from there by canal to Napoleon. The village, in its early days, was the most important trading point in Henry county, being the best market for miles around. It was also a formidable rival of Napoleon for the county-seat.
In 1865 Captain George Carver conceived the idea of boring for oil, and a company was formed in February, 1866, under the name of the Henry & Lu- cas Co., Oil and Mining Company. Work was at once begun, and at a depth of about four hundred feet a vein of gas was struck of sufficient force to blow the tools, which weighed fifteen hundred pounds, clear out of the well. A stream of water shot into the air for twenty feet, and continued to spout for a couple of days. At last it subsided and work was resumed. Their method of boring was very primitive, for instead of casing the hole, they continued to bore in the water; reaching a depth of over eleven hundred feet they discon- tinued, thinking there was nothing any farther down, not at that time knowing anything of the purposes to which natural gas could be converted.
The vein of water which was struck was of a strong, sulphurous kind, and heavily charged with gas. By taking a glass of it fresh from the well, it is noticed to sparkle like champagne. It is impossible to fill a bottle of fresh water and then cork it lightly, as the generated gas will surely break the bot- tle. After the futile attempt to strike oil, the land was sold to Captain J. W. Geering, who, thinking that there was an opportunity to start a sanitarium, built a large hotel on the grounds, and thoroughly equipped it with all modern
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conveniences. But alas ! for human fancies! his dreams were doomed to be blasted, and now the hotel is a huge residence.
At present the town presents an aspect that dimly recalls to mind the Sleepy Hollow of Irving's creation. There are a few stores here, but the weather-beaten siding, dingy inside and general look of dilapidation leads one to believe thats its peaceful inhabitants are enjoying the sleep of Rip Van Win- kle, or are soothing themselves with the fumes of tobacco which gave to Wou- ter Van Twiller his sublime indifference. They are still smoking, and the world wags on as they remain in a semi-morbid state, not caring, and much less think- ing of what goes on around them-a veritable Knickerbocker settlement minus the scheming "yank."
The next and only remaining hamlet in the county is called Colton, and lies at the center of section twenty-one on the line of the Wabash, St. Louis & Pa- cific Railroad ; is twenty-six miles west of Toledo, and ten miles east of Napo- leon. The town plat was recorded July 14, 1855, and by John R. Osborn, the proprietor. At present it is a thriving hamlet of about two hundred inhabit- ants, and with a good hotel, express office, post-office, and does a comparatively thriving business. The population, like that of all the other townships of the county is small. The southeastern part is settled mostly by Irish or their de- scendants, who came here during the construction of the canal, and locally is known as " Ireland." The north is mostly German or of German extraction. A good sprinkling of the Yankee is also found here. The whole population is honest, industrious, thrifty and enterprising, except in the villages where a little energy, capital and modern attachments would certainly do good. 36
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
CHAPTER XXX.
THE ORGANIZATION OF FULTON COUNTY.
Erection of Fulton County - Act Creating It - Fixing the Scat of Justice - Naming It- The First Court-House - First Term of Court Held in Pike Township - The First Jail-Propo- sitions to Change the County Seat - Burning of the Court-House at Ottokee - New Court- House Erected - Removal of County Seat to Wauseon - The New Court-House - The Jail - The Infirmary - List of County Officials.
T "HE growth and development of the country in this section of the State had, about the year 1850, become so marked, that it was deemed prudent that a new,county should be erected out of parts of the counties in the northwest territory. Furthermore, the county of Lucas embraced a very large tract of land, and in the more remote portions thereof, especially in the west and south- west portions, the convenience of the people demanded the erection of a new county. In this locality then, as well as now, resided men of energy, integrity and determination, who not only felt the necessity of a new county organiza- tion in this region, but who saw the great advantages to the country by such a movement in case it could be carried out successfully. Among those who took an active interest in the project may be recorded the names of Nathaniel Leggett, William Hall, A. C. Hough, Stephen Springer, Michael Handy, Mor- timer D. Hibbard and a few others. These not only discussed the project, but gave such substantial assistance as finally completed and consummated the work, and made the erection of the county of Fulton not only possible, but an established fact.
There has been, perhaps, no event of greater importance to the county, or its people, than that which gave it an existence, and it is therefore pardonable that the full text of the act creating it should be set forth. It is as follows:
AN ACT TO CREATE THE COUNTY OF FULTON.
" Sec. I. Be it enacted, etc., That such parts of the counties of Lucas, Henry and Williams, as are embraced in the boundaries hereinafter described, be, and the same are hereby created into a separate and distinct county, which
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
shall be known by the name of Fulton, to wit: Beginning on the State line be- tween the States of Ohio and Michigan, at the northeast corner of township nine, south of range four, east of the Michigan meridian ; thence south on the township line to the southeast corner of town ten, south of range four, east, on the Fulton line ; thence west on said Fulton line to the northeast corner of town eight, north of range eight, east ; thence south to the southeast corner of section number twelve in township six, north of range eight, east; thence west on section lines to the southwest corner of section number seven in township six, range five, east, on the county line between the counties of Henry and Williams; thence north on said line to the southeast corner of town seven, north of range four, east; thence west on said township line to the southwest corner of section number thirty-five in said town seven, north of range four, east ; thence north on the section lines to the Fulton line; thence west on said Ful- ton line to the southwest corner of section number eleven, in town ten, south of range one, west of the Michigan meridian ; thence north on section lines to said State line; thence easterly with said State line to the place of beginning."
Thus having erected and described the boundaries of the county of Fulton on the 28th day of February, 1850 (the same being so named in honor of Robert Fulton), provision was next made for the administration of its affairs by section two of the act, as follows: All suits, whether of a civil or criminal nature, which shall be pending within those parts of the counties of Lucas, Henry and Williams, so set off and erected into a new county previous to the first Monday in April, one thousand eight hundred and fifty, shall be prose- cuted to final judgment and execution within the counties of Lucas, Henry and Williams, respectively, in the same manner as though the said county of Fulton had not been erected, and the officers of said counties, respectively, shall execute all such process as shall be necessary to carry into effect such suits, prosecutions and judgments ; and the collectors of taxes for the coun- ties, respectively, shall collect all taxes that shall be levied and unpaid within the aforesaid portions of their respective counties at the time of the passage of this act.
By section three it was provided : That all justices of the peace and other township officers within those parts of the counties of Lucas, Henry and Will- iams, which are, by this act, erected into the county of Fulton, shall continue to exercise the functions and discharge the duties of their respective offices until their term of service shall expire, and until their successors shall be elected and qualified, in the same manner as if they had been elected or commissioned for the county of Fulton ; and all writs and other legal process within the ter- ritory hereby erected into the county of Fulton, shall be styled as of the county of Fulton, on and after the Ist day of April, 1850.
The election of officers for the county was provided for as follows :
Sec. 4. The legal voters residing within the limits of the county of Fulton
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shall, on the first Monday in April, in the year 1850, assemble in their respec- tive townships, at the usual places of holding elections (the voters residing in each of the fractional townships taken from the counties of Henry and Will- iams, shall assemble in the township immediately adjoining such fractional township and lying towards the center of said county of Fulton), and proceed to elect the different county officers in the manner prescribed in the act to regu- late elections, who shall hold their offices until the next annual election, and until their successors are elected and qualified.
The succeeding section (5) provides for the annexing of the fractional townships not taken for the new county, and annexing the same to adjoining townships, or creating new townships out of them, as the commissioners of the counties of Henry and Williams may deem expedient; also, empowering the commissioners of the county of Fulton to annex the fractional parts taken from Henry and Williams counties to the adjoining townships already estab- lished within Fulton county, or to erect them into new townships as, in their judgment, shall seem prudent.
Section six of the act provides that the county of Fulton shall be attached to, and made a part of the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit of the State of Ohio, and the Courts of Common Pleas and Supreme Court of the county of Fulton, shall be holden at some convenient house in the township of Pike, until the permanent seat of justice shall be established within and for said county.
The next section (7), provides "That Laurin Dewey, of Franklin county, Mathias H. Nichols, of Allen county, and John Riley, of Carroll county, be appointed commissioners to fix upon and locate the seat of justice of said new county of Fulton, agreeably to the provisions of the act entitled" an act for the establishment of seats of justice.
The first, and perhaps the most important duty in connection with these events was that of locating the seat of justice in the newly created county. On meeting for this purpose several sites were recommended to the commissioners -one near the center of the county, Etna, Fluhart's Corners, Delta and Spring Hill. After much deliberation, and the hearing of arguments by those inter- ested in the various places named, the commissioners decided upon the site nearest the center of the county, in the township of Dover, at a point that then had no distinguishing name. Several names were suggested by persons present, but none seemed to meet with general approval. One of the com- missioners observing Dresden W. H. Howard on the outer line of spectators, called upon him to suggest a name for the county seat, to which a reply came at once " Ottokee" (this being the name of a chief of the Ottowas). It was at once declared to be the name of the seat of justice of the county of Fulton.
The question of confirming this as the county seat was them submitted to a vote of the people of the county. At the first election, while Ottokee re- ceived more votes than any other site, still it had not a majority of the ballots.
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
On the occasion of the second election the town received a clear majority, and became, by the will of the people, the seat of justice of Fulton county. While, by a majority of the popular vote of the county, Ottokee was the regularly chosen seat of justice, there had been a marked opposition to its selection, and that opposition by no means disappeared after the matter had been settled, but manifested itself by frequent murmurings of discontent from various quarters.
The town of Ottokee was situate in southeastern part of Dover township, on an elevated tract of land, and as near the center of the county, geograph- ically, as it well could have been. In fact the location was well chosen, and, were it not for the building of the railroad through the county, several miles south of the place, it is much doubted whether the seat of justice would ever have been removed.
In the next year, 1851, the court-house was built. This was a frame struc- ture, two stories in height, having a frontage of about forty or fifty feet, and a depth of about eighty feet. The court and jury rooms were on the upper floor, while the offices for the county officials were on the lower, or ground floor. It was a large, commodious and airy building, presenting a tasty appearance with the large dome on its top. It was built by Amos H. Jordon, of Royalton township, and cost somewhere about five or six thousand dollars.
It was provided by the act creating the county, that the courts should be held at some convenient house in Pike township, until the seat of justice should be fixed. In pursuance of this the associate justices, John Kendall, A. C. Hough and William Parmalee, designated the residence of Robert A. Howard, as the place for holding courts, and here the first term was held in 1850. Owing to the fact that the transfers of cases to the counties from which this county was formed were incomplete, and the further fact that there was but little or no business transacted at this court, in lieu of business, those attending indulged in a game of ball. It is said that on this memorable occasion, Oliver B. Verity (afterwards probate judge), WV. A. Bates, Spencer T. Snow, Benjamin Hallett, William Sutton (then county commissioner), James, Augustus and William Howard, and others whose names cannot now be recalled, took a part in that sport, which has since become recognized as " our national game."
Judge Saddler came on horseback to preside at the court, and the associate justices at this time were, Socrates H. Cately, Abraham Flickinger and Will- iam Parmalee. After the completion of the court-house, the courts were held at Ottokee.
In the year 1853 the first jail was built at the county seat. This was a substantial frame building, lined with heavy, hard wood plank, and thoroughly spiked. Although built of wood, there was never an escape from it on account of its weak construction. There did escape, however, two prisoners, through the door, by reason of the carelessness of the watchman, he having left the safety bar out of place.
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FULTON COUNTY.
Connected with the jail was the sheriff's residence. The whole building cost about $3,8oo. The town of Ottokee continued to hold the county build- ings for a number of years, and the place grew in population and value until the building of the railroad through the southern tier of townships, when the question of removal was agitated. In the year 1863 Wauseon made an attempt under an act of Legislature, known as "an enabling act," but, on a submission of the proposition to the people, it was voted down. The town of Delta then asked that the seat of justice be removed to that place, and urged, in support of argument, that a tier of townships would be taken from the county on the east, thus increasing the area and population of this county ; and, furthermore, that the town, Delta, would then be situate in the geographical center of the county, as enlarged, and the most accessible place for the county scat.
In the Legislature of 1864 an act was passed similar to the Wauscon act, and the question was submitted to the people, as to whether the county seat should be removed to Delta, but on a count of the vote, the proposition was defeated by a very large majority. During this period of agitation and on the 16th day of July, 1864, the court-house building at Ottokec was destroyed by fire, and with it all of the county records and other valuable material in the offices of the county officials. The building was insured for about one-half its original cost.
During the next year, 1865, the county commissioners entered into a con- tract with Hiram Pritchard, for the erection of a new brick court-house on the site of the old building. This was a one-story brick building, plain but sub- stantial, and cost about $5,000. It was arranged to be used only for court purposes, the county officers' departments being in a separate building, on land adjoining the court-house. This latter building cost about $2,800.
These buildings answered the needs of the county for several years, but at- tending court, or transacting business with the county officials, or at the county seat, was attended with great inconveniences. The railroad had become a recognized thoroughfare of travel, and to all parties from outside the county, and those within it, as well, a carriage or stage ride of at least four miles was necessitated. This inconvenience was all the more marked, as the now grow- ing towns of Wauseon and Delta were on the line of the railroad, and soon again was another effort made for the removal of the seat of justice, this time with success.
In the winter of the year 1869, the Legislature passed another enabling act, by which the seat of justice of Fulton county was authorized to be removed from Ottokee to Wauseon. The question was then submitted to the people of the county, and in the month of October, of that year, at an election held for the purpose, the proposition was carried. The enabling act contained a condi- tion that before the change could be accomplished, there should be raised by subscription among those desiring the change to be made, the sum of $5,000,
37
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HISTORY OF HENRY AND FULTON COUNTIES.
which sum should be paid over to the county commissioners, and used as a part of the building fund.
On the 19th day of January, 1870, Isaac Springer, trustee of this subscribed fund, paid the same into the hands of the commissioners, who were at the time, Joseph Ely, A. B. Gunn and M. O. McCaskey. Lots numbers one hundred and forty-nine and one hundred and eighty-nine of the original plat of Wau- seon were deeded to the commissioners, or their successors, for the site of the court-house building. These lots were situate at the southwest corner of Fulton and Chestnut streets, having a front on the first named. The bids for construc- tion of the building ranged from $43,000 to $56,000. The lowest bidder was F. M. Brooker, and the contract was let to him, but failing to give the required fidelity bond, the contract was awarded to Alexander Voss and H. B. Bensman, at the price of $44,350. The building is of brick, with stone chimneys, two stories in height, and with a tower and belfry on the Fulton street front, much higher than the main building. It is a building not only substantial, but ele- gant, and an ornament to any town; one in which the commissioners, the archi- tect, the contractors, and the people of the county have reason to feel just pride. Its interior is admirably arranged, the large, well lighted and well ap- pointed offices for county officials occupying the ground floor, while the court- room, judges and jury rooms are on the second floor. Access is had to the upper floor by two stairways, one at the front and the other at the rear of the building. The total cost of the building, including extra work, amounted to $45,772.27. The contract for its construction was made on May 31, 1870, and the building was first used for court purposes in the early part of the year 1872.
Although Ottokee ceased to be the county seat of Fulton county in the year 1871, the jail, the place of confinement for offenders, was maintained at that place for nearly four years longer, and until the building of the present jail and sheriff residence at Wauseon, in the year 1876. The contract for this building was let on the 16th day of February, of that year, to John Lichten- berger, of Ft. Wayne, Ind., at the price of $18,500. This is, in all respects, a model county jail, both in point of security and arrangement. The materials used in its construction were of the most modern and approved quality, and the prisoners do not at any time have access to any substance except stone and iron. The building is located on Chestnut street, at Wauseon, in the rear of the land occupied by the court house. The sheriff's residence is attached to the jail and is well arranged as to comfort and convenience.
The buildings at Ottokee having been vacated by the change of the county seat, were still owned by the county. The increase in population in this local- ity, the same as in nearly every county in the State, the incoming of new fam- ilies, the infirmities of age and the unfortunate condition of some persons who had become a charge upon the public, led to the establishment of an institution within the county, and to be maintained at the public expense, called the In-
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firmary, by which it is commonly known throughout most localities, as a home for aged, decrepit and indigent persons.
Early in the month of May, 1874, the buildings owned by the county at Ottokee, and under charge of the commissioners, were turned over to James Riddle, Robert Lewis and O. A. Cobb, as infirmary directors, and the work of making the changes necessary for its intended use was at once commenced. A tract of land, some three hundred acres in extent, was purchased in the vi- cinity and a sufficient county farm was established. O. B. Verity was ap- pointed infirmary superintendent, an office he filled for six years, when he was succeeded by John T. Whittaker, who also served for the same length of time. He was in turn succeeded by Samuel Atkinson, the present superin- tendent. The building will accommodate about seventy inmates.
COUNTY CIVIL LIST.
Having reviewed the various proceedings had in the formation of the county, and the several acts relating to change and location of the county buildings, to the final erection of the same and the establishing of the scat of justice permanently at Wauseon, it is proper, in this connection to furnish a list of those who have had a part in the administrative affairs of the county. It will be remembered that in the destruction of the old court-house at Otto- kee, the records of every kind were destroyed and for that reason it is impos- sible to verify the lists prior to the year 1864, except from the recollection of persons generally conversant with the county's affairs. In the main, however, the list prior to 1864 will be found correct.
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