USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume I > Part 18
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In 1824 a school house was built eighty rods east of the residence of Daniel Beach, and Betsey Sackett taught school there during the summer of that year. The second school was upon the north line of the township, and was taught by Jacob Roorback.
The only village that ever existed in the township was at Ruggles corners, upon the Wooster and Norwalk road. There were several mercantile and me- chanical concerns at this point, as well as a tavern and quite a cluster of dwelling houses. The place was sustained by the tanning interests of the Norwalk road, and when the C., C., C. & I. R. R. was established, as it destroyed the wagoning business, the little village soon dwindled away, and eventually entirely disap- peared.
The first religious services were held at Harvey Sackett's house soon after the settlement of the township by Lodovicus Robbins. Not long after a Meth- odist class was formed, of which there remains no record, and in regard to which no authentic information can be obtained.
The first church organization in the township was that of the Congregational in 1827.
NEW LONDON.
This interesting and rapidly growing town is situated seventeen miles from Norwalk, the county-seat.
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The first settler of what is now the village of New London was John Corey, who erected the first log cabin. This was in 1816. The Sampson's, the Merri- fields, the Hendryx's, Kinsley's, Dr. Christopher Bates, W. S. Dewitt, and others. From 1817 to 1822 New London was called Merrifield Settlement ; from 1822 to 1837, Kinsley's Corners ; from 1840 to 1853, King's Corners. In 1850 the Cleve- land, Columbus, Cincinnati and Indianapolis railroad commenced to run through the town, and the place grew rapidly. In the fall of 1853, the village, embracing about eight hundred acres of land, was incorporated. The first council proceedings are recorded for December 3, 1853; R. C. Powers, mayor ; John Thorn, recorder ; J. Bradley, J. F. Badger, A. Starbird, V. King, and A. D. Kilburn, trustees, or councilm'en ; A. A. Powers marshal ; J. O. Merrifield, treasurer. In 1851 the vil- lage suffered frem its first serious fire ; and again in 1872, November 17th, property to the value of forty to fifty thousand dollars was destroyed. The village was in- corporated in 1853. At this date, 1909, New London contains about one thousand five hundred inhabitants, mostly descendants of New England and New York families. New London is located on the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and St Louis and Northern Ohio railways, forty-seven miles southwest of Cleveland. The town is progressive, having about two miles of brick paved streets, owns its electric lighting plant and has a number of good factories. Its postoffice receipts exceed twelve thousand dollars annually. Fine rural free delivery routes radiate from this postoffice. The village is surrounded by a good grazing and farming country where high grade cattle and sheep are bred. A business peculiar to New London farmers is the breeding of ferrets which are shipped to all parts of the United States, commanding good prices and enriching those engaged in that business.
MONROEVILLE.
The village of Monroeville was laid out on September 29. 1817. It was then named Monroe, and continued to be called by that name until the establishment of a postoffice, when the name was changed to Monroeville. In 1836 an addi- tion of one hundred and forty-one lots was added. The village was incorpor- ated in 1868, and the first election was held.
The following sketch of Monroeville was prepared for the Spectator and Mr. L. O. Simmons has kindly given permission for it to be used in this work :
What is now the beautiful and enterprising village of Monroeville, was an unimproved waste, inhabited only by the wild beasts of the forests and wander- ing bands of red men. Lordly trees stood upon the sites of residences of today. and there was nothing here, per se, to create or sustain a town. The Huron river rippled onward then as now, but no village was reflected in its clear transpar- ent waters. But a change was fast approaching. Change, which is as inevit- able as time itself, goes hand in hand with civilization, and is the constant com- panion of the pioncer.
ORIGIN OF THE TOWN.
In the year 1816, a man by the name of Sowers, with his family, emigrated from the state of Maryland to this locality. About the same time Seth Brown
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MAIN STREET. MONROEVILLE
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and Schuyler Van Ransalear came here from the state of New York. The land comprising the present site of the village of Monroeville, was purchased by the above-named gentlemen, with a view to its improvement for agricultural pur- poses-to make for themselves and families homes. Soon after they were joined by others, among whom was one Richard Burt, who proceeded at once to erect a saw and grist mill, and which were in operation as early as 1816. These mills were located, and comprise the original of the mill of The Heyman Milling Co. of the present day. This was the nucleus of greater things; the starting point. the origin of our now populous village. Messrs. Sowers, Brown, and Van Ran- salear caused the survey of the village plat, which was soon occupied, and prom- inent among whom, and as the first to locate here, were the following: Seth Brown, Schuyler Van Ransalear, Richard Burt, Dr. Cole, a Mr. Fuller. Daniel. John and James Sowers, and John S. Davis. Mr. Van Ransalaer opened a small store, and to him belongs the honor of inaugurating mercantile pursuits, and from which insignificant establishment have sprung the many business houses of today. Verily its progeny has been prolific. Buckley Hutchins, another of the early settlers of the place, kept the first tavern, not one of the modern con- cerns like those of the present day, where the blase guest sits down to a dozen courses, but a humble structure in which the fare was of a primitive character. where corn pones and venison formed the staple diet. Mr. Van Ransalear was the first postmaster. The Baptists organized the first church society, and were closely followed by the Presbyterians and Methodists. Monroeville, like all other towns in a new country, was subject to many annoyances and inconveniences ; the mail, for instance, put in an appearance quite infrequently, and before the days of stages and railroads, was carried on horseback or on foot from settlement to settlement, and the arrival of the postman in those times was hailed as a gala-day by the inhabitants. As the years roll by there is a gradual increase in the pop- ulation, and some new features of improvement adds to the importance of the place. For many years there was little to attract or encourage immigration. Situated in the midst of a forest, and surrounded by savages and wild beasts, the settlement of the country was attended with no litle peril and risk of life. There were no markets, and the resources for the growth and improvement of the locality were limited in character, and the growth of the new village was ex- tremely slow, and for many years traffic with the Indians constituted a very important item in the business transactions of our merchants. Many amusing scenes and anecdotes might be related of pioneer life, but as it is our purpose to chronicle briefly that of an historical nature, we will leave the romantic to those whose ability, augmented by the experience of early years, is greater than our own. As the surrounding country became more and more developed, there was a corresponding increase in the population of the town, also an expansion of business matters. The building of the railroads in after years marked a new era in the affairs of Monroeville. It not only infused new life in business mat- ters, but was the means of a more rapid development of the surrounding country. It opened up new and hitherto unapproachable markets, and placed us upon the plane of equality with other and older towns, and was in every respect a consum- mation that had been long and devoutly wished. Better than all, however, was the fact that Monroeville and surrounding country contained within themselves
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sustaining force, the soil was of the richest possible character ; it was peopled with a hardy and industrious race of men and women, who had their competence to acquire, and whose daily labor was a labor of love. Every tree that was felled was a step toward prosperity, every acre in cultivation was a guerdon of success. And so these noble men and women toiled on, creating for the generation of to- day an inheritance time shall not dim. This, then, in rude outline, has been the history of Monroeville. We have not aimed, nor have we time or space to give fragments of minutiæ. We must ignore anecdote and incident, those particulars which go to make up the warp and woof of history; nor are the columns of a newspaper the suitable place for their preservation. Our sphere of action as journalists is vastly different from that of the historian.
MONROEVILLE OF TODAY.
But what is Monroeville of today? we are asked. We answer: a beautiful and enterprising village of about two thousand inhabitants, a place whose ap- pearance has nothing of the speculative or ephemeral-a substantial. well-built town. Located at the junction of the L. S. & M. S., Lake Erie division of the B. & O. R. R. and W. & L. E., the best of facilities for shipping are secured. The Huron river, upon whose border the town so gracefully reposes. is suscep- tible of improvement, and even now furnishes a motive power for driving ma- chinery of industrial enterprise. The streets are regularly laid out, many of which, with their abundance of shade trees, present a beautiful and attractive appearance. The business streets are lined with substantial two and three story brick blocks, whose appearance will compare favorably with those of any town of like size in the state. A stroll throughout the town discloses little to remind one of the past. Many of the residences are really elegant, and nearly all are attractive. The streets, stores, churches and dwellings are all neat and present an appearance that is quite metropolitan. The humble church of half a century ago must have planted good seed, for as its fruit we see today seven church edi- fices, mostly of a superior character ; we can only name them, however : Baptist. Presbyterian. Methodist, Episcopal. Evangelical. Reformed and Catholic. The modest district school has grown with the passing years. Its score of scholars, with their cabin for a schoolroom, has increased to many hundreds, and we find today an elegant substantial brick structure, provided with all modern conveni- ences, and affording advantages for an education that in those carly days would have been confined to the wealthy alone. In brief, we present a town attractive in itself. and from its surroundings a place equal to any town in the state for business advantages.
OLD RESIDENTS.
But we have little to remind us of the past. The buildings of that carly day are gradually yielding to the growing tooth of Time. Of the first or original set- tlers none are left, and only a few of those who came a little later remain.
Some of those early pioncers have moved away, while others are quietly sleep- ing in the grave. Change is written upon everything. Soon nothing but the memory of those early settlers will be left to remind us that they ever existed.
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But they will have with themselves the consciousness that they have not lived in vain. Their efforts and actions, coupled with the efforts of those of an earlier gen- eration, have made Monroeville what it is, nor have they any reason to feel ashamed of the achievements of a life time of labor. as it stands todav a bright jewel in the diadem of the state.
CHICAGO JUNCTION.
The town of Chicago Junction was formed in the spring of 1875, and its loca- tion is at the junction of the Chicago Division of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad with the Mansfield-Columbus Division of the same road. It was thought by many that a city would soon grow up in the woods, and there was much to induce such an opinion, for the railroad company erected extensive repair shops and a round- house and employed a large force of men. The company also projected other works, which if they had been accomplished would have necessitated the employ- ment of many more men. But their anticipations were not realized and the town did not grow. The people of the place, as soon as the town began to grow built a school house and a church, to keep in touch with the educational and religious in- terest of the age.
The following sketch of the town is from the Chicago Times, a newspaper of which the citizens of Chicago Junction is justly proud :
Chicago is not an old town, so to speak. On the first day of January, 1874, the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company opened up for traffic a portion of its Chicago extension, then known as the Baltimore, Pittsburg and Chicago Railway, extend- ing westward as far as Deshler. Chicago Junction was established as the eastern terminus of this new division. The station business was transacted in a one-story frame building about fifteen by twenty-five feet, which comprised freight, ticket, telegraph offices, passenger depot, baggage and freight rooms. Railway employes boarded in Centerton and with farmers in the neighborhood.
On the 4th day of July following. the first load of stone for the first building in Chicago Junction was hauled for the hotel and grocery of S. L. Bowlby, and this little building-afterward consumed by fire-the pioneer establishment of the town was opened to the public September 7, 1874.
In December, 1874, the railroad was completed to the Windy City, and about the same month temporary shops were erected consisting of an engine house and two small buildings to be used as blacksmith and machine shops, all frame build- ings, and giving employment to sixty men. Owing to the severe winter of 1874-5 there was very little work done upon the many new business houses and dwellings that were in course of erection. Early in the year 1875 the railroad company laid the foundation for the large brick depot and hotel, shown elsewhere in this edition of the Times, and same was opened to the public in September following.
During the summer of 1875 work was commenced on the foundation of the permanent shops of the railroad company and in April, 1876, the machinery and tools were moved into the new buildings.
The opening of the Chicago extension, building of the shops, depot, etc., created a great boom in property. Town lots were laid out in all directions and within a year many properties had increased in value three-fold and sold at fabulous prices.
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Business had sprung up in various places and everything pointed to a prosperous future. All went well until December 8, 1877, when nearly one-half of the town was consumed by fire. The fire originated in what was known as Mason's new's and book store on Front street and in less than two hours fifteen business houses and a large number of dwellings, were reduced to ashes, and the business interests received a severe blow. In the spring of the following year the livery stable of A. J. Crawford was burned by incendiary and in the fall following the saloon of Messrs. Hoffman and Trimble and the shoe store of William Simmermacher were destroyed by fire, and following soon after was the burning of the Ohms hotel and saloon. Thus in the period of one year one-half the business portion of the thriv- ing village was destroyed by fire, leaving many of the victims bankrupt. New buildings of a more substantial nature were erected and all went well until the winter of 1881-2 at which time an epidemic of smallpox was introduced by Lloyd Dillon, a passenger brakeman, who had contracted the disease in Chicago, Illinois, and which resulted in seventeen cases, six of which proved fatal. Many of the inhabitants left town during this epidemic and farmers gave the place a wide berth for months afterwards. Thus it will be seen that the town's pioneer days were not void of trouble and disaster.
The town was incorporated in the fall of 1882, by electing Samuel Snyder, mayor; N. B. Parker, clerk; W. B. Keefer, treasurer ; and A. R. Nichols, Otis Sykes, F. J. Gunther, George H. Miller, Elias Mason and William Carpenter, coun- cilmen. All of these men except two, Mr. Nicholas and Mr. Mason are alive to- day, a fact worthy of note. Ex-mayor Snyder is now living at Sunbury, Penn- sylvania. At the time of incorporation the town had a population of about eight hundred.
During the years intervening between 1882 and 1888 nothing of importance transpired to change the monotony of life in a country town. People were waiting for the completion of the Akron extension of the Baltimore & Ohio, which oc- curred in igco. Following the opening of this division the town took on new life and its growth up to this time has been phenomenal. No town in this section has enjoyed a more rapid and substantial growth.
During the last eight years the town has been provided with all the modern comfort- enjoyed by people of the larger cities. The telephone was introduced in 1808, waterworks installed in March 1899. electric lights December 1900, paved streets 1600, natural gas for fuel and lights in 1903, additional street paving in 1904 and electric railroad in 1905. During the last ten years all the principal streets have been placed to a permanent grade and today these streets are lined with beautiful shade trees, uniform stone walks, and on every lot you will find well kept homes.
This briefly tells the history of Chicago Junction-a town with a future.
That Chicago is one of the most enterprising towns in the state of Ohio goes without saying. Her people are patriotic to a degree not excelled by any other municipality in this section, and the strides which the town has made are such as to be a source of gratification to every man in the city who has the interest of his home town at heart.
It is not very many years ago that Chicago was a mere straggling hamlet, mak- ing no pretensions to anything above the ordinary small village. Its population
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did not consist of more than a few hundreds of people and the conditions were crude at best with not a very inviting future to those desiring to make this place their permanent abode.
Conditions, however, have materially changed these things, so that today the stranger sees a town built in a solid and substantial manner-good buildings and fine streets with every modern convenience that will inure to the happiness of those who call it home. The residences are such as to do honor to any community and the entire town is such today as to reflect credit on those who have been instru- mental in building it up from its former insignificant position.
What the city needs more than anything else is factories. Efforts along the line of securing labor employing institutions should be made in a concerted and effective manner. And we believe that should our people agitate this matter suf- ficiently there would be no question as to the success attending the efforts of those most concerned.
Our location is such as to make this town a good manufacturing point-our railway facilities are such as to warrant the belief that manufacturers would find every convenience at their doors-and the country surrounding the town is such as to find no superior within the confines of the great state of Ohio. Is it not therefore reasonable to believe that with energy and activity great things may be hoped for and done along the line of securing manufacturing concerns which means so much to the present and the future welfare of any community which truly hopes to become more than ordinary.
In the matter of churches Chicago has every leading denomination represented, Methodist, Catholic, United Brethren, Presbyterian, Lutheran and Free Methodist. The pulpits are filled by men well qualified to discharge their duties and these min- isters have doubtless done much good to bring the moral tone of the community up to a high standard.
The public schools of the town are a credit to the corporation and reflect noth- ing but praise on our people and those who administer the affairs of our educa- tional institutions. The teachers are all men and women with a high purpose- well prepared to discharge the functions of their offices, and the results are seen in the efficiency and capacity of the scholars who are yearly matriculated.
Schools, and particularly good schools, should have every encouragement to the end that the community as a whole may be better for the results obtained.
The population of Chicago is at least four thousand. Its growth has been steady for the past ten years and it is safe to say that we have now at least the above number of people within the corporate limits of the town.
The city government has always been good. City officials have spent their time without recompense in furthering the cause of Chicago's growth, so that it is fair to assume that the conditions which have prevailed in the past will continue in the future.
No town of a like population has better streets than has this city. A large part of the city is already paved and more is under contemplation. This has given the town a good reputation among those who visit the place, and it certainly adds to the prestige of the place to be fully abreast of the times in every way.
The banking institutions of this city are ample for the accommodation of the public. The banks of this town have always been conservatively managed and
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have enjoyed a high degree of prosperity. The deposits at the several institu- tions are such as to show that this section has enjoyed a long season of prosperity which shows no sign of abatement.
The railroad interests of Chicago are most important to the healthy expan- sion of the town. Indeed the town was created by the B. & O. system and the pres- ent prosperity of the place is largely owing to the vast interests of this company. located at this point.
The B. & O. has made this town the junction point for its lines from Chicago, Illinois, Pittsburg. Baltimore and Columbus and as a consequence the shops, round house, division terminal and the like are located in this city.
Each year the business of the company becomes heavier and all of these facts have a direct bearing on the prosperity of the town.
The S. N. & M. traction company completed their tracks into this city, the line running from Sandusky on the north to Mansfield on the south. This line opens up a lot of good country which will be tributary to Chicago and doubtless will do not a little to stimulate trade. It also gives the town another outlet for its passenger traffic, express and freight and will result in the long run in good to the community as a whole. Promoters are now working on plans for an electric line to Bucyrus and if their ideas become a reality it means much to Chicago's future.
Traction lines are a modern necessity, their construction is being rapidly pushed throughout the country and it behooves any community to get as many of them as possible.
Another important branch of industry in this section is celery growing. There is in this vicinity vast sections of muck land and much of this in late years has been drained and planted in celery.
The work of reclamation is steadily going forward and the celery industry is becoming a business of great magnitude.
The development of the three thousand acres of marsh land by Pittsburg capitalists will add materially to the growth of Chicago.
Chicago has a bright future and our business men and capitalists should be on the alert and see that every good move is given encouragement.
The public utilities of Chicago are in line with her other possessions and rank well up with the best wherever found. We have a fine system of water works. a well equipped fire department, sewers, electric lights, natural gas for light and heat, telephone and telegraph service, ample hotel accommodations and every accessory that will conduce to the happiness and the well being of society.
In the matter of papers the community is well served by the Times which num- bers among its constituency fifteen hundred families in this city and adjoining country. The Times aims to serve the people in every worthy way-to be abreast of the times constantly and give its readers the benefit of its best efforts for the upbuilding of the town.
The agricultural resources of the country adjacent to Chicago is such as to make of the community a most prosperous region. No better land can be found in the state of Ohio than we have here, and our farmers are such as to develop the sections to its fullest. The farming community is well-to-do, a fact which is evidenced by the large deposits-all indicating that they have had and are hav- ing most prosperous seasons. Taking the town as a whole and the environments
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