History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 31

Author: Chester E. Bryan
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1207

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At the same meeting the council passed an ordinance "to improve by constructing a sanitary sewer and sanitary-sewer system and sanitary-sewer disposal works and ac- quire a right-of-way for said sewer and acquire a sanitary-sewer farm for the village of London, Madison county, Ohio." The plans and specification accepted called for two main sewers-the first main to have three lateral and five sub-lateral mains; the second main to have five lateral and four sub-lateral mains.

The building of the sewer system was supervised by City Engineer Herschel McCafferty. The disposal plant was constructed by D. E. Sullivan & Son, of Columbus. The system was accepted by the council, on the recommendation of the city engineer, in April, 1907. Few changes, with the exception of a few lateral mains have been made In the system since that time.

The council provided, April 1, 1905, for an issue of thirty-five bonds for sixteen hundred dollars each, totaling fifty-six thousand dollars, at five per cent. interest. According to the report of the city engineer the sanitary-sewer system, outside of the disposal plant, cost forty-six thousand, four hundred and sixty dollars and thirty-one cents. With the disposal plant the system cost about seventy. thousand dollars.

LONDON POSTOFFICE.

More than one hundred years have elapsed since the first mail was handed out by a postmaster in London. The honor of being the first postmaster falls to Robert Hume, who was appointed by President Madison on February 12. 1813. The complete list of London postmasters since that time, with the dates on which they assumed the office, follow : John Moore, September 4, 1815; Pazzi Lapham, October 10, 1834; John Rouse,

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November 15, 1834; David P. Maulsby, July 5, 1839; John Dungan, November 5, 1841; John M. Smith, January 14, 1845; Joseph McKelfish, May 29, 1849; Benjamin F. Clark, February 3, 1853; Jacob Peetrey, June 7, 1860; James S. Hume, April 8, 1861; Wallace Lewis, May 2, 1866; James S. Crain, May 25, 1871; Kate W. Hanson, June 16, 1880; Theodore W. Miller, August 11, 1888; John M. Boyer, August 10, 1892; Frank Speas- maker, December 1, 1896 (died in office, November 22, 1900) ; W. M. Jones, acting post- master from November 22, 1900, to January 7, 1901; L. R. Watts, January 8, 1901; Roscoe G. Hornbeck, February 1, 1909; Charles E. Gain, October 1, 1913.

There are now eight rural routes radiating from London. The dates of their estab- lishment are as follow : Route 1, August 15, 1900; routes 2, 3, 4 and 5, September 2, 1901; routes 6 and 7, December 15, 1903; route 8, December 15, 1905. The carrier of route 5 takes a sealed pouch daily to Sedalia, the only postoffice in the county so served. City delivery in London was established on December 1, 1911, with three carriers and one sub-carrier. At the present time there are four daily deliveries in the business section and two in the residential section. In addition, there is also one early morning collection of mail. It is interesting to note that London has seventeen incoming and outgoing mails each day.

The London office was raised from fifth to four class in January, 1865; and from third to second class on July 1, 1902. The postal savings department was established on September 19, 1911, but has never been very liberally patronized here. The local office force now consists of the postmaster, assistant postmaster and three clerks. The present assistant, J. B. Emery, has held this position since he first entered the office, on December 27, 1890. The office has been at the present site since 1902; prior to that year it had been located for many years in the room now occupied by B. F. Wildman.

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CHAPTER .XX. ROADS AND TRANSPORTATION.

PUBLIC HIGHWAYS.

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the topography of Madison county was unbroken by a single road, and for years after the organization of the county what were called roads were little better than wagon tracks through the forest and prairie, following the Indian trails. At a session of the associate judges of Franklin county, September 8, 1803, the following item was made a part of the record of that session : "On the prayer of a petition signed by a number of the citizens, house and freeholders of Franklin county, praying for the view of a road to lead from the public square in Franklinton to Springfield, Greene county, to be on the straightest and nearest direc- tion toward Springfield as the nature of the ground will admit of a good road: Ordered, that Thomas Morehead, Alexander Blair and George Skidmore be appointed viewers of said road, who, or any two of them, shall view the same as far as the line between Franklin and Greene counties, and make report to our January term next." At the March term of 1804, these viewers reported to the court that they had marked out said road as far as Big Darby creek. The court received the report and ordered the super- visor "to open said road thirty-three feet wide, and make it passable for loaded wagons." At the same session it was "ordered that Lucas Sullivan be appointed surveyor, to attend the viewers of the road from Franklinton to Springfield, and to survey and return a plat thereof of that part which has not been viewed."

This road crossed Big Darby creek about one mile south of the present site of the Little Miami railroad bridge; thence west to the town of Hampton (now Jefferson) ; thence taking the same direction, passing through Lawrenceville and about a mile north of the site of Summerford, striking the line between Madison and Clark counties after passing what used to be known as "Baileys Woods." It was one of those primitive corduroy, mud roads. well remembered by settlers living in the early eighties. It was a common occurrence, during the wet seasons, for the stages and wagons to break down or stick so fast in the mud that the passengers would be compelled to get out and walk. Each man would procure a rail and carry it along to aid in prying the vehicle out of the deeper mudholes, thus assisting the jaded horses in their laborious work. In dry weather, these roads were very fine to travel on, being preferable, in fact, to the "pikes" of later day. On March 19, 1811, Michael Dickey was appointed road commissioner by the board of commissioners of Madison county, to expend one hundred and seventy-five dollars on the state road inside the limits of this county, the money having been appro- priated two years previously, by the Ohio Legislature, toward the improvement of said road.

"LANGHAM'S TRACE."

Upon the erection of Madison county, the inhabitants dwelling within its boundaries soon realized the necessity of public roads, and the first petition for a public road was made by the citizens of Union and Stokes township when they petitioned the commis- sioners, September 3, 1810, for a road to run from Miners Ford, on Deer creek, to the Greene county line. Jeremiah Miner, Andrew Cypherd and John Mozer were the viewers and Patrick McLene, surveyor. This road was surveyed and viewed in October,

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1810, at the expense of Robert Hume, and is called Humes road on the records .. In December, the commissioners ordered. this road to be opened fifty feet wide for a public highway. On September 3, 1810, the inhabitants of Union and Pleasant townships peti- tioned for a road to begin on the Fayette county line, at the end of the road established by the commissioners of Ross county, ere the erection of Fayette and Madison, run- uing thence in a northwesterly direction through Pleasant and Union townships, on the best route to Urbana, Champaign county. The viewers were Peter L. Helphenstine, Hugh Montgomery and William Lewis; Patrick McLene, surveyor. The road was laid out in February,, 1811, and in March the commissioners ordered the same road to be. opened as a public highway, its width not to exceed sixty-six feet. It ran some dis -. tance west of London, to a certain point on the line between Madison and Champaign. counties, and was known to the old settlers as "Langhams trace."

In .December, 1810, James Ewing petitioned for a road to run from the east line of. Madison county, starting about three miles south of the northeast corner of the same,; and run .westerly on the best and most direct line to Urbana. James Ewing, William Chard and George D. Roberts were appointed viewers and Joshua Ewing, surveyor. The petition was granted and the road was ordered to be opened. At the same session, John Blair presented a petition for a road beginning on the east line of Madison county. to run on the nearest and best course to Blairsville. William Chard, John Blair and Abijah Cary were the viewers and Joshua Ewing, surveyor for the same, the width of the road not to exceed sixty-six feet. Both of these roads were opened in the spring of 1811. In 1812, a road was opened from London to Dyer's mill, on Big Darby creek. It was viewed by John ' Murfin, Hugh Montgomery and John Wilson, and surveyed by Patrick . McLene.

... From that time on throughout the early years, roads were opened in every part of the county, and running in every direction. The records of the county commissioners are filled with petitions of the citizens of Madison county praying for certain roads to be' opened for travel. These petitions were as a rule always granted. The roads were laid out wide enough, but, as a rule, were execrable in wet weather, the undrained con- dition of the land partly explaining this cause. At certain times, when the ground wa's frozen and worn smooth, 'or at other times when the ground was dry and solid, no roads could be better. The proceeds acquired from the road laws were, for many years, in money or labor, totally inadequate to keep the roads even in passable condition at the time most desired. Up to the middle period of the last century in every section of the county, "corduroy" was found on every road, which was the name given to the roads made of rails or poles placed crosswise through the soft and miry places. This closed the period of early roads and leads up to a new era in road building, the "pikes" or macadamized roads.

THE NATIONAL BOAD.

The history of the national road, which was one of the most important public works . of the early times, begins with the admission of Ohio into the Union. Congress enacted "that one-twentieth part of the net proceeds of the lands lying within the said state,' sold by Congress from and after the 30th day of June next, after deducting all expenses' Incident to the same, shall be applied to the laying-out and making public roads, lead- ing from the navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic, to the Ohio, to the said state, and through the same. Such roads to be laid out under the authority of Congress, with the consent of the states through which the road shall pass: Provided, that the said state shall provide by an ordinance, irrevocable with the consent of the United States, that each and every tract of land sold by Congress, after the 30th day of June next, shall be and remain free from any tax laid by said state for the term of five years from the day of sale. Approved, April 30, 1802."

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In 1806, Congress passed a law entitled "An act to regulate the laying-out and making a road from Cumberland, in the state of Maryland, to the state of Ohio." President Jefferson appointed Thomas Moore and Eli Williams, of Maryland, and Joseph Kerr, of Ohio, as commissioners to lay out said road, and to perform the other duties assigned to them by the act. The building of this great highway went slowly forward for many years, but at times the labor ceased on it altogether for want of funds, different presidents vetoing bills appropriating money toward its construction. In 1831, a bill was passed and approved, appropriating money for the extension of the Cumberland road through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois In 1836-37, this great road was completed through Madison county. It crosses Big Darby creek near the north- east corner of survey No. 2677; thence takes a southwest direction, passing through Jefferson, Deer Creek and Somerford townships, and leaves the county at the south- west corner of survey No. 4200, on the Clark county line. Along its course three thriv- ing villages sprang up, Jefferson, LaFayette and Summerford, the two first mentioned supporting three taverns each, and the latter two, all of which did a thriving business. Between Jefferson and LaFayette, on the glade, there was a tavern called the "Golden Lamb," and it, too, had its share of the prosperity which the extensive traffic on this great thoroughfare inaugurated.

A WORD FROM THE PAST.

A very good description of this great thoroughfare is taken from an article written by one who had traveled over it during its palmiest days; "The national turnpike that Jed over the Alleghanies from the east to the west is a glory departed and the traffic that once belonged to it now courses through other channels; but it is simply because it is the past that the few old men living who have reminiscences of it glow with excite- ment and exalt it in recalling them. Aroused out of the dreamy silence of their ebbing days by a suggestion of it, the octogenarians who participated in the trafic will tell an inquirer that never before were such landlords, such taverns, such dinners, such whiskey, such bustle or such endless cavalcades of coaches and wagons as could be seen or had in palmy days of the old national pike, and it is certain that when the coaching days were palmy, no other post road in the country did the same business as this fine old highway, which opened the West and Southwest to the East. The wagons . were 80 numerous that the leaders of one team had their noses in the trough at the end of the next wagon ahead; and the coaches, drawn by four or six horses, dashed along at a speed which in that day compared favorably with the speed of the cars of today.

"Once in a while, Henry Clay or General Jackson made an appearance, and answered with stately cordiality the familiar greetings of the other passersby. Home- spun Davy Crockett sometimes stood in relief against the busy scene, and all the states- men of the West and South-Harrison, Houston, Taylor, Polk and Allen, among others -came along the road to Washington. The traffic seemed like a frieze, with an endless procession of figures. There were sometimes sixteen gally painted coaches each way a day; the cattle and sheep were never out of sight; the canvas-covered wagons were drawn by six or twelve horses, with bows or bells over their collars; the families of statesmen and merchants went by in private vehicles; and, while most of the travelers were unostentatious, a few had splendid equipages. Its projector and chief supporter was Henry Clay, whose services in behalf are commemorated by a monument near Wheeling. The coaches ceased running in 1853; the 'June Bug,' the 'Good Intent,' and the 'Landlords.' as the various lines were called, sold their stock, and a brilliant era of travel was ended."

The building of railroads, from that time until the present era began, deprived the road of its prestige; for many years Congress neglected to make appropriations for the

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necessary repairs, until finally it was transferred to the states through which it passed. The portion running through Ohio became a part of the public works of the state, but in 1876 the Legislature reduced it to the level of other pikes, since which time the county commissioners of each county through which the road passes have had charge of it, the same as all other roads. This road, through the improvements which are being made on it and the coming of the era of automobiles is gradually coming into its own again. Travel on it is increasing and where once the stage coaches lined the way is now being traversed by the faster-moving vehicles of today.

CORPORATION PIKES.

Soon after the opening of the national pike, about the year 1838, the Jefferson, South Charleston & Xenia Turnpike Company was organized for the purpose of build- ing a pike from Xenia, Greene county, to Jefferson, Madison county, Ohio .. In the course of time the road was completed and opened for traffic. It runs almost parallel with the Little Miami river and entering the county from Clark, a short distance north of where the railroad strikes the county line, it runs in a northeasterly direction, passing through London on its route to Jefferson, and there intersects the national road.

Another early turnpike was the one known as the Madison and Fayette turnpike, which was also built by a private corporation. It starts at London and runs in a south- ern direction through Newport and Midway to the Fayette county line.

The Urbana pike was the third and only other road in Madison county built by a private company. It begins at the national road, about a mile and a half west of Jef- ferson, and runs in a northwesterly course to Mechanicsburg, Champaign county, leaving Madison county near the northwest corner of Somerford township. These three pikes, with the national road, were the only ones in Madison county on which tolls were charged the traveling public. All other pikes were as free as they are today, and were built by the county, under an act of the General Assembly of Ohio, passed April 5, 1866. The first petition was presented to the commissioners of Madison county, June 5, 1886, by F. O. P. Graham et al., for the improvement of the London and Mt. Sterling road. The viewers appointed for this road were Benjamin Harrison, E. Bidwell and Robert Read. The road was granted on September 6, 1866, and the length, according to the survey, was seventeen miles.

PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD.

The first railroad leading into or out of this county was first known as the Colum- bus & Xenia railroad. The company was chartered by a special act of the Legislature, passed March 12, 1844, but the road was not constructed until 1848 and 1840, the first passenger train passing over it on February 20, 1850. Soon after this date, the mem- bers of the Legislature took an excursion over this road and the Little Miami road from Columbus to Cincinnati and return. The Little Miami Railroad Company obtained n charter March 11, 1836. The two companies, November 30, 1853, entered into a con- tract of union, or partnership, by which the roads of both were operated as one line. The two companies on January 1, 1865, leased the Dayton & Western road and pur- chased, the same year, the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre road from Xenia to Dayton. The partnership, or union, was dissolved on November 30, 1868, and a contract or lease entered into by which the Little Miami Company leased, for ninety-nine years, the Columbus & Xenia road, and the rights and interests of that company in the other roads, that had been leased or purchased by the two companies. The condition was the promise of the Little Miami Company to pay seven per cent. per annum on capital of one million seven hundred and eighty-six thousand two hundred dollars, and interest on the funded debt.

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On December 1, 1869, the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company leased of the Little Miami Railroad Company its railroad and its right to the Columbus & Xenia and other roads. At the time this railroad was built, the citizens of Madison county voted twenty thousand dollars towards its construction. When this latter rail- road company came into possession of the stocks of the Little Miami Railroad Company it subsequently proposed to take from the county fourteen thousand dollars of said stock, leaving the county with but six thousand dollars of the agreed stock. The road passes through Madison county from Columbus, in a southwest direction, and runs through Jefferson, Deer Creek, Union and the northwest corner of Paint township. The stations of London and Jefferson are the only stops which this line makes in Madison county. This road is now operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and is locally known as the Pennsylvania road. This road has been very successful in its operations and ranks as one of the leading roads in the state, both as to equipment and service.

The Pennsylvania system also operates another road which runs through the north- east corner of the county. This was originally known as the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana railroad and was the third railroad built through Madison county. The company con- structing it chartered on February 23, 1849, and the first train passed over the road from Columbus to Urbana July 4, 1853. In a few months the road was completed to Piqua. The Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad Company becoming embarrassed, it was reorganized under the name of the Columbus & Indianapolis Railroad Company. The road was sold on August 6, 1865, under an order of the court, and subsequently was transferred by deed to the reorganized company. This was one of the several roads which, consolidated, made the line generally known as the Columbus, Chicago & Indiana Central railroad. In 1869, the road was leased to the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company, under whose management it was operated until it became a part of the Pennsylvania system. The only station of this road in Madison county is that at Plain City and it affords a good shipping point for that portion of the county. When this road. was proposed the six thousand dollars in stock which the county had in the Springfield & London Railroad was transferred to the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana, where it still remains. This was all the assistance that Madison county ever gave to the construction of railroads through her territory.

CLEVELAND, CINCINNATI, CHICAGO & ST. LOUIS RAILROAD.

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis railroad passes through the center of the county from east to west. It runs through Fairfield and Union townships, with stations at London and Lilly Chapel. The Columbus and Springfield Railroad Company, which built this line, was chartered on February 16, 1840, but for some years nothing was done towards building the road. In June, 1851, a company was organized under this charter, at Springfield, and the road was completed, from Springfield to London, September 18, 1853. The road was known as the Springfield & London railroad, and its length of track was nineteen miles. This was the second road organized to pass through this county and the six thousand dollars which Madison county had invested In the Columbus & Xenia road was transferred to the Springfield & London, with the object of assisting the latter. In 1854, the road was leased to the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company, since called the Cincinnati, Cleveland & Lake Erie Railroad Company. The road was sold on May 8, 1868, under a decree of the United States district court, and was bought by Jacob W. Pierce, of Boston, for one hundred thousand dollars. The Columbus, Springfield & Cincinnati Railroad was incorporated on May 1. 1869, with a capital stock of one million five hundred thousand dollars and Mr. Pierce transferred his purchase soon after to the new company. By an arrangement with the

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purchaser, the road was continued under the management of the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad Company, to which it was permanently leased on July 1, 1870. It was subsequently completed to Columbus, and many citizens of Madison county sub- scribed certain amounts, to be paid on condition that the road would be finished by September 1, 1871; but it was not finished until December 19, 1871, and the money was never paid. On March 8, 1881, the road was leased, for ninety-nine years, to the Indiana, Bloomington & Western Ohio Division Railway, the lease to begin May 1, 1881. It is at present under the management of the New York Central Lines.

The Toledo & Ohio Central railroad passes through the extreme northeast corner of the county and has one station, Kile, within the limits of Madison county. This road is also operated by the New York Central Lines. This line extends from Columbus northwest through Union county and as far north as Toledo. To obtain this road there was much labor and excitement, and years passed before it was finally accomplished. This affords a direct outlet through Columbus and also connects the northeastern part of the county with the commerce of Great Lakes. It was completed through to Colum- bus in January, 1884, having reached as far as Marysville, in Union county, in 1893.

DAYTON, TOLEDO & IRONTON.

This road runs from Sedalia, in Madison county, to Kingman, in Clinton county. An agitation for this line was first begun in December, 1875, in Clinton county. J. F. Ely, of Washington C. H., was the chief promotor of this line, which was to run from Waynesville to Jeffersonville, and ultimately to Columbus. The incorporators, J. F. Ely, Ethan Allen, J. M. Hussey, James Ellis and Doctor Marshall, immediately procured a charter and the prospective road was incorporated as the Waynesville, Port William & Jeffersonville Railroad. After a sufficient amount of stock was raised, an organisa- tion was effected in March, 1876. Meetings were held along the proposed route and stock was raised to the amount of sixty-five thousand dollars. The success of this road uever reached great heights and part of the road that was laid west of Kingman, Ohio, was taken up and there is only the line from Sedalia to Kingman. This road is now under the charge of the Dayton, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company through a lease, but the traffic is very light and evidently the owners are awaiting the opportunity to make a junction with some other road. Or it has been predicted by others that this line would be taken over by an electric company.

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History of Madison County Ohio: Its People, Industries and Institutions, Part 31

Author: Chester E. Bryan Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1207

Author: Chester E. Bryan
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1207