USA > Ohio > Huron County > History of Huron County, Ohio, Its Progress and Development, Volume I > Part 19
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of the place and a better location cannot be found for either residence or factory sites. We confidently believe that the future holds in store for us better things than the past has given us, and to this end let every citizen of this place strive, in order that our ambitions may be realized.
From the beginning of the formation of the town, the residents thereof sent their children to the Sykes district and elsewhere to school until there became so many of them, there were not sufficient accommodations for them; then Motson's hall was rented and also the old buildings now occupied by Mr. Heilman as a residence. In 1880 the township board of New Haven erected two school houses for the better accommodation of the pupils. One on the east side of the B. & O. in which the east side school is now taught, and another on the site of the present brick building. These answered till 1883, when the voters of the two districts and that part of Richmond township within the corporate limits of the village, decided by a majority vote to organize themselves into a separate village school district. A school board was elected at the spring election of 1883, and they began as a sep- arate and distinct district April 16th of the same year. Several attempts were made to annex more territory to the district, but they all failed until the spring of 1891, when a commission was appointed by the probate judge, which held a meeting. and on July 7. 1891, the territory petitioned to be added to the district was an- nexed with several additional tracts. Immediately after the district had been or- ganized in 1883, the school board proceeded to erect another frame building near to the one before mentioned on the site of the present brick building. It was com- pleted, and school opened in the fall with three teachers. Two years after it was found necessarry to have another teacher, and a room was provided in the old Hackett building on Main street. The town grew rapidly, and in 1886 the neces- sity of a large central brick building was agitated. March 8, 1887, on motion of C. B. Tudor, the board decided unanimously to submit to the voters of the district a proposition to issue bonds to the amount of thirteen thousand dollars for the purpose of erecting a two-story brick, eight room building. The proposition was carried at the April election of the same year.
At their next meeting and subsequent meetings the board tried to select a site. but were a tie on every ballot. They submitted the location to the voters of the district, and at a special election, May 31, 1887, they selected the present site. Bonds were issued to the before mentioned amount and sold June 10th, the same year to Spitzer & Company of Toledo, for the sum of thirteen thousand one hun- dred and eighty-one dollars.
Work was pushed forward and the building enclosed before holidays. It was completed the following summer, and schools opened in it September 1888. On April 19, 1888. the board sold three thousand dollars additional bonds by special act of the legislature for the purpose of seating the house in part, paying architect, purchasing heating apparatus, paying for site, and other necessary expenses.
Without manufactures no country can be truly great and prosperous. With- out agriculture no country may hope to build up for itself any considerable man- ufacturing interests. Without both of these we cannot expect the arts, the sciences and literature to progress. It is therefore essential that both of these factors enter in a country's wealth-they are interdependent on each other ; each
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gives and receives sustenance from the other, and imparts its beneficent influence in a hundred ways that educate, enlighten and tend to the general happiness and prosperity of the people. Manufacturers create an urban population-they set the life blood of business flowing through all the arteries of trade and commerce. They dissipate provincialism, produce a desire for the arts, create a taste for higher education, give a literature to its people and act as the great conserver of the strength and independence of a nation.
Agriculture alone is like a ship without a rudder. It is always subject to the caprices and whims of those who purchase farm products, and has no abso- lute autonomy of its own. Where the nation has both manufacturers and agri- culture, and exports the products of both industries, besides supplying its own demands, it becomes a nation which stands alone; that recognizes no master save its own people and whose prosperity and progress attain the heighth of human achievement in everything possible through human endeavor.
The same things are true of a city or town in a lesser degree as they are of nations-hence how important it is that a city or town strive to create a manu- facturing center in its midst whose mills and shops draw tribute from every clime and from every people.
It effects a conquest which all the wars of the ages have failed to accomplish, it is the one mightly lever that has made easy accomplishment our present mag- nificent civilization.
How necessary it is then for the people of a town or a city to work in har- mony and unison for their mutual good. There should be but one spirit animat- ing the people when any question resolves itself into one affecting the prosper- ity of the community in which they live. They should lay aside all petty jeal- ousies of disposition in the endeavor to secure new factories, which means greater wealth, greater happiness and greater progress toward the goal of earthly at- tainment.
Chicago as a city is an ideal place for a large manufacturing center. There is absolutely no reason why it should not become such, providing its people show a disposition equal to that displayed by some of its neighbors. Secure factories and you secure more wealth, more everything that is reckoned in the sum and substance of human happiness.
The Hotel Sheidley is a modern hotel property in every way and possesses all the conveniences which a first-class hostelry should have.
The Deer Lick Mineral Springs, located right on the edge of this town, are one of the greatest future assets which this town possesses. These springs are located in one of the most beautiful sections of woodland to be imagined. the springs proper being in a basin surrounded with sloping hillsides and fine timber- land.
Chicago Junction has had marked improvements within the past few years. It has two school buildings, six churches, two dry goods stores, seven groceries, three drug stores, four physicians, two banks, four or five good hotels, three hardware stores, two furniture stores, three millinery stores and a number of man- ufacturing plants.
The Baltimore & Ohio railroad company has erected a large, attractive and commodious Y. M. C. A. building, of which the citizens are justly proud. The
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CELERY FIELD. CHICAGO, OHIO
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same company has also recently erected a large round-house and additional shops, being one of the largest round-houses and most complete shops of the kind in the state, at a very large expense, and are still contemplating further im- provement at an early date.
A large tract of land of over three thousand acres, about two miles south of Chicago Junction, which was formerly known as the "marshes," has been re- claimed by drainage and is now under cultivation, mostly in celery, but other garden products are also grown in large quantities. The citizens look forward hopefully to the celery product as an important adjunct to the business interests of the place.
To Mr. L. E. Simmons, the editor of the Times, and to Dr. A. R. Lydy our thanks are due for the information and courtesies received during a visit made to their town in the interest of this work.
There is no field in this section of the state which possesses greater possibili- ties, and for which the future holds in store such rich promise as the marsh lands southwest of this town. It has only been a few years since that this land was brought prominently before the public by Mr. H. C. Johnson, who acquired a considerable tract and began to experiment in its development. The process was naturally tedious, because the old timers throughout the region regarded the property as practically worthless and unfit for cultivation. Mr. Johnson in visit- ing the various sections of the country where celery, onions, etc., were grown saw that the land in the region, known as the marsh, possessed features which made it superior to any land under cultivation for the production of celery and kindred vegetation. He began to acquire a large section of the property and in a small way opened up several small sections, planting celery and onions. The results obtained were such as to justify every hope entertained of the property in the first place, as the product was such as to make enormous returns from the labor given to cultivation of the land. By dint of strenuous exertions Mr. John- son succeeded in interesting a number of Hollanders from Kalamazoo, Michigan, to come here and the success of these people was such as to soon attract others to the field. The result is shown today in a good sized village near the borders of the marsh containing one of the thriftiest and most prosperous people to be found within the state of Ohio. Where before their advent nothing but a rank growth of vegetation existed, there is now magnificent tracts of celery land under cultivation. While but a very small portion of the land is yet under cul- tivation, yet the work done thus far gives promise that at no very distant date every acre of this territory will be taken up and utilized to its greatest extent.
Large purchases by Pittsburg capitalists have been made in this tract involv- ing a heavy expenditure of cash. This fact along with the work already ac- complished as just noted with the great success of there working the land com- bine to place these lands in the very front. Of the original holdings of Mr. Johnson amounting to twelve hundred acres, two hundred and fifty to three hun- dred acres are under cultivation and of this last there are one hundred acres in celery, onions, etc.
The number of acres planted by each gardener averages about six, and it will surprise the average reader to know that on each acre planted the average re- turns have been greater than three hundred dollars. This year, the writer inter-
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viewed a number of the gardeners as to the income from their tracts. One gentleman stated that his returns had been very close to five hundred dollars per acre from a part of his field. Another gentleman with eight acres stated that his gross receipts would be very close to three thousand dollars. W. B. Keefer has seven and a half acres. This he has put out for him, pays all the expenses incident to the crop, and his gross receipts for the past three years have averaged two thousand, five hundred dollars for the time stated per year. His profits during this time have averaged very close to eight hundred dollars per year for the seven and a half acres, and this without any labor or exertion on his part. Where in all the world is it possible to make such profits, and where such enormous returns are possible, the means leading to them are sure to be early exhausted. It is only necessary to say in this connection that these celery lands about Kalamazoo are selling today for three hundred dollars per acre, while the land in this vicinity can be bought at prices which are ridiculous in comparison. Another point to be looked at is the fact that these lands are one day nearer the big eastern markets than the Kalamazoo territory, and have all about them a large chain of fine cities, making one of the best markets in the world in which to dispose of the product. The soil here is richer, is of a more spongy nature, never overflows, and in many other ways has the advantage of the Michigan fields, all of which means much to the man who buys this property and its value in ten years time.
Nearly all those who have bought land of Mr. Johnson came here with very little means. Today their homes are such as to be a credit to any com- munity, and they have within them such evidence of thrift as would reflect creditably on any old community. One of the leading bankers of this town told the writer that one of the residents of the marsh was in debt this spring. He had just made some extensive improvements and had but lately come here. He was compelled to make a small loan and owed for material at several places. This season's crop of celery puts him entirely out of debt and he has up to date a balance of nine hundred dollars and one-half of his celery still to harvest. Where, under heaven's dome, is it possible to do better, and be in the midst of one of the most populous sections of the greatest states in the union.
For the sake of getting a more intelligent conception of this large section we append herewith some figures which will show the possibilities of the section.
On the area already under cultivation, consisting of one hundred acres, more or less, the returns are now over three thousand dollars per annum. One man and his family can care for about six acres of land and the average income will amount to not less than three hundred dollars per acre, all depending on the care given the soil and the industry and intelligence of the man who works it.
This tract of land with an annual product of three hundred dollars per acre means a large revenue for this community than could be expected from manu- facturing enterprises. A family to every six acres means an added population of one thousand farmers with their families or a total population of between six and seven thousand. And this estimate is conservative, not inflated and can be verified by actual results at a score of different farms in the marsh.
Two crops of celery are harvested every year, as high as seven hundred bushels of onions and three hundred bushels of potatoes have been raised to the
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acre. Such productiveness is beyond the average man and usually he will not believe it until the facts are made indubitable. This can be easily demonstrated by a visit to the fields under cultivation, and every facility will be given to make verification easy.
The depth of the soil on these lands run from eight to twelve feet; it is splendidly drained and an abundance of splendid water is easily obtained. They are not situated in remote parts but are adjacent to lines of railway which skirt the property on the northeast and south. Chicago, Ohio, is within two miles of the property, so that every facility is at hand to make life pleasant and the pro- fits the highest possible.
When Mr. Johnson bought this property he was regarded as foolish, but developments have shown the wisdom of his purchase and the immeasurable good which it will ultimately do this town.
Another feature about this property is the fact that it is not necessary to go to the wilds of Oklahoma or some other equally remote section in order to get a farm at a small price-a farm not of hundreds of acres but one which will produce more wealth to the acre than any land in the United States devoted to staple crops. You are within the limits of civilization ; you have the great- est market in the world at your doors and for a few hundred dollars it is possible for you to buy sufficient land to make you an income which you could not hope to get from hundreds of acres of ordinary farm lands. These are considera- tions worthy of your careful thought. A few years and the chance of a life time will be gone, for it will not be many years until this property will be a veritable garden spot entirely off the market, or held at such figures as to make its purchase prohibitive by the man of small means.
NORWALK.
Norwalk, the county seat of Huron county, takes its name from Huron, Connecticut. The inhabitants of that town having suffered great loss by the British, burning and destroying property in that town, in the Revolutionary war, were in part compensated for their loss by lands in Ohio, called the Firelands, and organized as Huron county in 1818, containing lialf a million of acres. Their loss was estimated at eighty-six thousand, two hundred and ninety-six dollars.
Norwalk is a beautiful city, fifty-six miles west of Cleveland, about ninety- five miles north of Columbus, and fifty-seven miles east of Toledo. One of the chief attractions of Norwalk is its principal avenue, Main street, which is two miles in length and is beautifully shaded by rows of maple trees. The center is the business portion, with court house, school buildings and churches. Much taste is evinced in the private residences and churches, and in adorning the ground around them with shrubbery and flowers. As a whole the city is one of the most beautiful and attractive in Ohio.
The town is often called "Maple City," on account of the beautiful maple trees that line the streets. The town is an important station on the Michigan Southern and the Wheeling & Lake Erie railroads. It also has a number of elec- tric railroads as given elsewhere.
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Platt Benedict was the founder of the town. He was from Danbury, Connecti- cut. His death occurred October 25. 1866, at the age of ninety-one years, seven months and seven days.
He was four years old when the British red-coats came to his native town to do mischief, having burned Norwalk, Connecticut on their way. Perhaps it was this incident that indirectly paved the way to his founding an Ohio Norwalk. When he came out here in 1817, he was seven weeks on the journey coming out. with his family and household goods, the latter stowed away in a wagon drawn by oxen.
About a mile west of the village were some ancient fortifications. The town is surrounded by rich farming lands, has a fine commercial trade, and consider- able manufacturing interests.
The site of Norwalk was first visited with a view to founding a town, by Hon. Elisha Whittlesey, Platt Benedict, and one or two others, in October, 1815. The place was then in the wilderness, and there were but a few settlers in the county. The examination being satisfactory, the town plat was laid out in the spring following, by Almon Ruggles, and lots offered for sale at from sixty to one hundred dollars each. In the fall of 1817, Platt Benedict built a log house with the intention of removing his family there, but in his absence, it was de- stroyed by fire. He reconstructed his dwelling shortly afterwards, and thus the founding of the village was commenced. In the May following Norwalk was made the county seat, and the public buildings subsequently erected. The year after a census was taken and the population had reached one hundred and nine. In the first few years of the settlement church organizations were formed, the Methodist being the first, a class being formed in 1820. In 1821, the Episcopal church was instituted. From that time to the present the town has grown with the progres- sive increase of the county.
As Norwalk is so thoroughly sketched in the Centennial write-up, further notice here is unnecessary.
EARLY HISTORY OF BELLEVUE AND ITS PROGRESS.
Bellevue is located on the north and south line between the counties of Huron and Sandusky, being on the west line of the Connecticut Western Reserve, one hundred and twenty miles west of the east line of the state of Ohio, and one hundred and two miles east of its western boundary, and is twelve miles south of Sandusky Bay. It is on the line of the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern railroad, forty-five miles east of Toledo and sixty-seven miles west of Cleveland.
Immediately eastward lie the prairies, and, adjacent, on the west are what was in early times called the "Oak Openings," and the vicinity on all sides is first class farming land of hardly surpassed fertility and beauty.
The limestone formation-Silurian period-crops out a little cast of town, and its comb on edge, of varying width from two to four miles, extends in a line nearly north and south from near Sandusky Bay, some fifteen miles south- ward. The limestone is amply covered by the "drift" adapting the region to farm- ing uses, but the rock is very much fractured and tilted, forming innumerable crevices and caves, and so thick is the formation that these caves and crevices
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form usually an abundant under drainage to the said limestone region and there are no streams of any considerable length on the surface. At different places these caverns cay be entered by passages leading down to the great reservoir of waters below. This is what is consequently called the "sink-hole" region, and is beyond question the source of the splendid springs of unfailing and abun- dant water power to the mills of Gold Creek and Venice and the village of Bellevue whenever the times comes, may, by means of the proper machinery, easily procure from this great natural reservoir an abundant supply of clear, cold water.
The titles to land in the Huron county portion of the village have an interest- ing history. going back to the charter of Charles the II., king of Great Britain. in A. D. 1662, known as the Connecticut charter, and involving also interesting events in the Revolutionary war, and subsequent accounts of congress and of the state of Connecticut : but we have not space to pursue the subject.
Huron county was created by the act of February 7, 1807, and included all the "Firelands." viz., five hundred thousand acres off the west end of the Western Reserve, and was to be organized when the legislature should think proper, but till then, was to remain as it then was, attached to Portage and Geauga counties for judicial purposes. The War of 1812, and other causes de- ferred the organization of Huron county, until the 31st of January, 1815.
The territory now embraced in Lyme and Groton townships was first or- ganized as the township of Wheatsborough, being named after Mr. Wheat, who owned a large tract in what is now Groton. In A. D. 1820, Lyme township was organized, embracing its present territory and also a strip one mile wide next north thereof now a part of Groton. In 1840, its limits were fixed as they now are. Sandusky county was part of an old Indian territory, and was organized April 1, 1820.
EARLIEST SETTLERS.
John Baker and his son, Hiram, Mark Hopkins, Elnathan George, Return Burlinson, Charles F. Drake, James and John Kinney, Henry Williard, Thomas G. Amsden, Frederick Chapman, Dr. Amos Amsden, N. Chapman and Dr. L. G. Harkness are among the first settlers in the vicinity and of the above named pioneers only three are still living, namely, Hiram Baker, Thomas G. Amsden and Dr. L. G. Harkness.
FIRST SETTLERS WHO BUILT LOG CABINS IN WHAT IS NOW BELLEVUE.
The first settler within the present limits of Bellevue was Mark Hopkins, of Genesee county, New York, who with his family located in the fall of 1815, where Peter Bates now lives and built the first log cabin.
In February, 1815, John Baker, from Cortland county, New York, located some two and one-half miles northeast from this place.
The next settler was Elnathan George, who came with his family in the spring of 1816, from Genesee county, New York. He purchased one acre of land of Gurdon Williams, for which he gave him a cow, and built the second
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log house and fixed his home on the lot where the Tremont block still stands. The next year he put up an addition to his dwelling, making it a "double-log- house," and opened a tavern. The settlements in this region were yet very sparse, but the main line of travel between the east and west was the Strong's Ridge road to this point.
Return Burlinson next came and fixed his home, on what is now known as the Herl property, on the Sandusky county side in A. D. 1817, and started a blacksmith shop. He at first bought two acres and afterwards bought eleven one-hundredths of an acre more at the southeast corner of the same and built the third log house thereon, and which stood partly in what is now Main street, a little westward from the southwest corner of the present Exchange hotel and nearly opposite the head of Kilbourne street. A year or two after Mr. John Kinney completed a log house, near D. Moore's present blacksmith shop, mak- ing the fourth habitation of this kind. He also followed blacksmithing.
Charles F. Drake, in 1822 purchased of the United States "fractional-eighty," being the east one-half of southeast quarter of section twenty-five in York town- ship, embracing most of the present village on the Sandusky side, and about the same time Captain Zadoc Strong "entered" for Dr. James Strong the eighty acres next west.
In the division of the Firelands among the "sufferers" that part next to Bellevue fell to the Latimers, or they became the assignees of the same, and it was known as the "Latimer tract." Gurdon Williams purchased of the Latimers in 1816, and Elnathan George bought of Williams. Elnathan George sold his house to Charles F. Drake, Drake to James Kinney, brother to John, Kinney to Hiram Baker, who remodeled it into a frame building in 1831. Baker then transferred it to Mrs. Parmelee, Mrs. Parmelee to Lowell Chandler, who erected the Tremont house in 1836. It passed through several hands and was then again purchased by Lowell Chandler. Shortly after, Mr. J. Egle purchased it and is still its proprietor. The building was occupied as a hotel but a few years, when Mr. Chandler remodeled it into stores, which are now occupied by W. R. West and J. L. Reis.
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