USA > Ohio > Medina County > History of Medina county and Ohio > Part 62
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
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land about Weymouth lacked sufficient public spirit to donate land for public buildings, the place wonld no doubt have been selected as the seat of justice. Ah, what might have been !
"Of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: 'It might have been.'"
Weymouth has always been the seat of learn- ing and education. One of the early school- houses of the township was built here. The present large schoolhouse was originally built for other purposes. The upper story was fin- ished and used as a hall, for a lodge of the Sons of Temperance. The lower story stood a year or two unfinished, when it was purchased by the School Board, and from that time ou used as a schoolhouse. In August, 1873, the board, under a law creating separate districts, bought the entire building and opened a high- school department, and since that time the children of Weymouth and vicinity have en- joyed school facilities equal to those of any other portion of the county. The present teach- ers are : William I. Bracy, teacher of the high school ; Miss Kitty Thomas, teacher in inter- mediate department, and Miss Mary D. Per- kins, teacher in the primary department.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Wey- mouth was organized on the 15th of June, 1834, by the Rev. George Elliott. Meetings were held in the schoolhouse for several years after organization. About the year 1840, a church was begun, but was not completed and dedicated until in 1856. Rev. Mr. Elliott, who was instrumental in forming the church, was its first Pastor. Numerically, the society has never been very strong, and of late years has decreased in membership, until at present there
are but about twenty on the church books, and they are without a Pastor. Neither does the church support a Sunday school.
The Cougregational Church was organized in January, 1835, at the house of Lathrop Sey- mour. They worshiped in private houses and in the schoolhouse, until about 1838-39, when they erected their church building. Since it was originally built, it has been remodeled aud enlarged, until, at this time, it presents a fine appearance and is quite a handsome little temple of worship. The society was originally organized by Rev. S. V. Barnes. Their last Pastor was Rev. O. W. White, who died last summer (1880), and since that time they have been without a regular Pastor. The present membership of the church is between seventy- five and one hundred, and a good Sunday school is maintained, under the superintend- ence of John Morrell. It is well attended by the children of the town and vicinity.
Medina Center is the crossing of two of the principal roads, and the geographical center of the township. One of the early churches, as already noticed, was built here, and afterward burned. A town hall was erected, which was also used for church purposes, until churches were built in other portions of the township. The town house, at present, stands alone at the Center. Not far from it is a very handsome little cemetery, where a number of "stones and lettered monuments " show the affection of the living for the dead.
This brings us down in the history of the township, to the laying-out of the village of Medina, the capital of the county. The differ- ent departments of its history, however, will be treated of in another chapter.
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
CHAPTER VIII.
MEDINA VILLAGE-LAID OUT AS THE COUNTY SEAT-ITS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT-MANU- FACTURERS-THE GREAT FIRES-INCIDENTS-RELIGIOUS AND EDU- CATIONAL -SECRET SOCIETIES, ETC.
M EDINA, the seat of justice of Medina County, is situated on the Cleveland Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railroad, near the geographical center of the county, and is twenty-four miles south of the city of Cleve- land. It was originally called Mecca, and is so marked on the early maps of the State, from the Arabian eity famous in history as the birth- place of Mahomet. Some years later, it was changed to its present name of Medina, being the seventh place on the globe bearing that name. The others arc Medina, a town of Ara- bia Deserta, celebrated as the burial-place of Mahomet ; Medina, the capital of the Kingdom of Woolly, West Africa ; Medina, a town and fort on the Island of Bahrein, near the Arabian shore of the Persian Gulf; Medina, a town in Estremadura. Spain ; Medina, Orleans County, N. Y .. and Medina, Lenawee County, Mich. At present, Medina contains about 1,400 inhabit- ants.
The village of Medina was laid out in 1818. The plat is dated November 30, of that year, but was not recorded until January 6, 1820. The following is written upon the margin of the original document : " A plat of land sit- uated in the township of Medina, given by Elijah Boardman to the county of Medina." As stated in the preceding chapter, most of the land in Medina Township belonged to this Boardman, who was a native of Connecticut. When the county was formed, aud Medina se- lected as the seat of justice, Mr. Boardman made a donation of land to the county for that purpose. The original plat comprised 240 lots, or about 237 acres, which was the donation
made by Boardman. At the public sale of lots, Nos. 1, 2, 3 and 4 were reserved by the county for the public buildings. John Freese was Re- corder at the time the town was laid out, and the record of the plat is iu his handwriting. Abra- ham Freese was County Surveyor, and surveyed and laid out the future capital of the county. Since the towu was originally laid out, numer- ous additions have been made, until Medina now covers ground euough for a city of 5,000 inhabitants. The first house built within the corporate limits of Medina was a log build- ing put up by Capt. Badger, on the present site of the Barnard Block. He also put up another house near by soon after the erection of the first, and these were the first buildings erected in the new town. The first building put up by Badger was kept as a tavern, the first in the town of Medina, and was opened for the accom- modation of "man and beast," in the fall of 1818. Mr. Badger was unmarried at that time, and a man named Hickox lived with him, and together they kept tavern. The first court held in Medina County was in the second story of this log cabin. This humble frontier tavern was a place of great resort. It was the great news emporium of the neighborhood. The peo- ple gathered here to exchange their bits of gos- sip with each other, and to elicit from traveler guests the fullest digest of the news of the day. Here, also, announcements were made of the logging-bee, the house-raising, the dance ; and, when the public met to arrange for a grand hunt, they deliberated in this old log tavern. It was within its hospitable walls that the older members of the community occasionally dropped
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
in, and, baskiug in the genial glow of the wood fire (we had no coal then ; it had not been in- vented), and witli a well-filled pipe, and a glass of toddy, perhaps, the merry song or thrilling frontier story went round the circle. The front- ier tavern was a jolly place, and, that they have become obsolete, the more is the pity. Another of the early taverns of Medina was the Chidester House. This was the stage house, after a line was established from Cleveland to Wooster and Columbus, and, like the frontier tavern, was a place of considerable resort. About stage time, everybody flocked to the tavern to see the stage come in, just as the boys of the pres- ent day gather at the depot about train time, to see who ean swear the biggest oaths, ehew the most tobaeeo, squirt out the greatest quan- tity of juice, and use the most obscene lan- guage. As the stage rattled up with the blow- ing of the horn, and the prancing of the " fiery, untamed steeds," the people stood around open- mouthed, ready to piek up any stray scrap of news from the outside world. The Chidester House was long a famous stopping-place, and a well-known tavern in this section of the State. Medina is well.supplied with hotels at present, the " American," the " Union" and the " Bren- ner," being the principal houses of eutertain- ment.
The first goods sold in the new towu was by a man named Shoals, who opened a small store in 1819. He built the first frame house in Medina, which was designed for a store house, and, in which, upon its completion, he opened a stock of goods, and for several years kept up the business. His store stood upon the present site of the court house. The next stores were kept by Sherman Bronson, and a man knowu as "Judge " Smith ; but which of the two was first in the mercantile field is not known, but it is believed that Bronson was first. Both, however, were early merchants of the place. A post office was established very early, and Ru- fus Ferris was appointed by the Federal Gov-
ernment as its representative in this depart- ment. He kept the office at his residence, which was in the north part of the town. The mail was brought from Ravenna, sometimes on horsebaek and sometimes ou foot, the carrier trudging through the forest with the inail-bag on his shoulder, stopping at Medina on his way to Norwalk. After the opening of the turnpike from Cleveland to Wooster and the establishing . of a stage route, the mail was brought by the stage. Dr. B. B. Clark succeeded Ferris as Post- master. Capt. Greene, the present Postmaster, and his gentlemanly clerks, will probably turn up their fine Greeian noses, as they recall the small and insignificant establishment from which theirs has sprung. It would now re- quire several men to carry all the mail that passes through the Medina offiee in twenty-four hours. From this small start, and everything must have a beginning, the town grew apace, was burned down, grew up again, was again burued, and still again, Phoenix-like, it rose from the ashes. In a eopy of the Ohio Free Press, and Medina County Advertiser, of December 17, 1833, the following advertisements appear, which show something of its business at that early period of its existence : B. Durham, store ; A. D. Kinney, a minor; the Medina Lyceum ; dissolution of co-partnership ; G. W. Howe, druggist and doctor ; Oviatt & Bron- son ; Leonard & Harris, hatters ; King & Gunn, pork dealers ; Leonard Case, lawyer ; Smith & Seaton, cabinet-makers ; B. Durham, a column advertisement of a new store ; stray heifer ; Administrator's Notice ; Blannot & Wilder, boot and shoe makers ; James Brown, tailor ; Mansion House, W. R. Chidester, pro- prietor ; new tannery, by King & Shaffer ; stray heifer ; for sale, by D. Northrop ; Ad- ministrator's Notice ; marble tomb-stones, by Nathan T. Clark ; carriage making, by Sylvester Hawkins; ashes, Oviatt & Bronson; new goods, King & Gunu ; Smith, Root & Owen, merchants ; L. T. Searle, lawyer ; for sale, by
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
Peak & Sargent ; new goods, by Oviatt & Bron- son ; stray ox ; saddle and harness makers, Woodham & Rawson ; new goods, by Peak & Sargent ; for sale, by Oviatt & Bronson ; E. H. Garrett, boot and shoe maker ; advertise- ment of Ohio Register and Anti-Masonic Re- view ; new blacksmith establishment, by Hay- ward & Oliu ; notice, Blannot & Miller; Hayes' baker and roaster, by Chauncy Gilbert ; sad- dle and haruess, by E. Dorgin ; tailoring, by J. J. Ruetzers ; patent ploughs, by Peak & Sargent. The Gazette, of May 10, 1872, says : "As a proof of Medina's business, we give the follow- ing statistics : Four dry good stores ; seven grocery and provision stores ; one hardware and crockery store; three drug stores ; two clothing stores ; two millinery stores ; two stove and tin stores ; one paper store; two jewelry stores ; six shoe stores and shops ; two tailor-shops ; two cabinet-shops; two furni- ture stores ; one photograph gallery ; a score of sewing machine agencies ; three hotels ; one saddle and haruess shop ; one marble factory ; two paint-shops ; one printing office ; one car- riage factory ; one wagon factory ; three black- smith-shops ; one foundry ; one machine- shop ; oue flour and feed store ; one coal-yard ; three lumber-yards ; two planing-mills ; one saw-mill ; one feed-mill ; two meat-shops ; one brick-yard ; two livery stables ; two dentists ; nine lawyers ; seven doetors ; four preachers ; four churches ; a fine schoolhouse ; two bar- ber-shops ; oue telegraph office ; one railroad depot; two cheese factories, and flourishing lodges of Masons, Odd Fellows and Good Tem- plars."
In the primitive days of the town, the people had their social gatherings, and all passed off very harmoniously. Their log-rollings, their house-raisings, and such little affairs were well attended, and good-fellowship prevailed through- out. Capt. Badger gives the following account of the first Fourth of July ever held in Medina : " In 1819, the Fourth of July came, as it had
eome in former years, and it was resolved by the citizens who lived near, that it should be observed with appropriate honors. In the morning, a long pole was cut, and stuck in a hollow beech stump where the old court house now stands, and on its top, streamed gloriously aud unrivaled in the air, a baudana handker- chief, being the best fac simile of the nation's flag that could be found and used. Those who participated in that memorable celebration were myself, R. Ferris, B. B. Clark, Caleb Chase, Erastus Luce, Thomas Currier and perhaps some others. We drove forks in the ground, prongs upward, then laid on pole-stringers, then put on cross-ties, and covered the whole top with peeled bark, on which we set some pro- visions, and, standing up around our hastily rigged and sumptuously piled table, discussed past events and the future prospects of our na- tion, our State and our county. Good whisky, being one of the necessary articles on such a day, was bountifully furnished and plentifully drank as a beverage. Sentimental toasts were drauk, and always responded to by three hearty yells, and as many drinks of liquor. Whisky, sweetened with home-made sugar, constituted the drink that was handed around in the fash- ionable circles in those days. In the evening, we returned to our cabins highly gratified with the glorious celebration of the nation's birth- day. We, on that day, gave names to all the streets or main roads that then centered in the village, by which names they are still called." It was thus that the pioneers enjoyed life in the wilderness. There is little doubt that the participants in that backwoods celebration, never, in after ycars, enjoyed one more thor- oughly than they did on that occasion.
In 1820, the Fourth was celebrated in Medina on a far more extended scale than that of the previous year. A great many additional pio- neers had eome into the county. The people iu every township in the county, and a great mauy townships that were not in the county-and
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
perhaps never will be-were invited to come and bring their provisions with them, thus making a kind of donation party on a big scale. By noon, there was a large gathering and a cordial greeting ; the dinner was of the best the country then afforded, and all fared sumptuously. As on the previous occasion, sweetened whisky was the drink of the day, and, as the population had greatly increased, this time it was made in a wash-tub, and a pretty big one at that. As often as it was drained it was re-filled, and from that memorable tub- more memorable than Diogenes' tub-every person dipped in his tin cup and drank to his entire satisfaction. Many of the more sturdy men took it raw, declaring the sugar spoiled the flavor of the whisky, and, in consequence, the ground flew up aud knocked quite a num- ber of them down before night. "It was," said one who participated, " a glorious day at the court house." Speeches were made, the Declaration of Independence was read, Hail Columbia and Yankee Doodle were sung, and "the day we celebrate " was celebrated in glori- ous style. The next year another and still more extensive celebration was had in the town, but our space will not permit a description of all these old-time Fourths, and so we will call it a "go," and pass on.
The public buildings of the place were built at the expense of the county. As we have stated elsewhere, Capt. Badger took the con- tract to clear off the public square, in 1819, and the first session of court was held in the upper story of his tavern. As the county settled up, the village grew in proportion. The first court house-the old brick on the oppo- site corner from the Barnard Block-was built, and a jail reared its somber head near by, as mentioned in another chapter. ( In 1835, the village attained to sufficient importance to ad- mit of being incorporated, and for this purpose a special act of the Legislature was obtained, as the law then required, and thus Medina be-
came an incorporated town. But, as the rec- ords were all burned in the great fire of 1870, we are unable to give any particulars connected with its incorporation, or any of the first offi- cers. Nor could we obtain the name of the first Mayor. The affairs of the corporation are managed at present by the following gen- tlemen, viz .: Joseph Andrews, Mayor; Hiram Goodwin, Clerk ; William F. Sypher, Treasurer ; S. Frazier, Marshal, and George Heyden, G. W. Lewis, P. C. Parker, Albert Munson, R. I. Saulsbury and R. S. Shepard, Councilmen. The towu was now one of dignity, with a Mayor and Board of Common Council, and put on con- siderable style, nsed a great deal of red tape and did things up in good order generally.
One of the memorable events iu the history of Medina, was the great sleigh-ride of 1856. This was for the prize banner, and originated by a certain township turning out on some particular occasion a large number of four- horse sleighs. First one township and then another captured the prize, until it finally be- came a county matter, attracting the attention of Summit, Cuyahoga and Medina Countics. In the contest, Medina turned out 140 four- horse sleighs (no other kind were admitted into the contest); Cuyahoga 151, and Summit 171, making 462, all told, and giving the prize to Summit County. The sleigh-ride of 1856 was to regain the prize. Each township made up its company, and all met at Medina on the ap- pointed day, and, when marshaled in force, num- bered 181 four-horse teams-being ten more than Summit had when she captured the prize. From Medina, the cavalcade of sleighs pro- ceeded to Akron in good order, where they were fittingly and appropriately received by the authorities. All passed off harmoniously and without accident, and Medina brought back the prize, which was presented to the commit- tee appointed to receive it, in eloquent terms. Thus ended one of the most remarkable sleigh- rides on record.
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
But few towns in the State have been so un- fortunate in the way of fires as Medina. In- deed, it has beeome quite cosmopolitan from the number of its eonflagrations. It has been burned and re-built and burned and re-built again. Its last great fire was almost as ealam- itous, when everything is taken into considera- tion, population, wealth and resources, as was the great fire which followed it the next year,. to Chieago. The first destruetive fire in Medi- na oeeurred on the evening of April 11, 1848, twenty-two years before the last one. It broke out in the shoe store of Barney Prentice, in what was known at that time as "Mechanies' Block." It spread rapidly in all directions. From its beginning place, it went north, west, east, south ; north, laying Judge Castle's eor- ner in ashes ; south, taking Meehanies' Block, one room of which was occupied by Prentice, another by Loring, a tailor, and another by Mr. Bostwiek, a tinner, and the dwelling by Peak. It stopped here for the want of buildings to burn. Going west it took in a house, standing where the Gazette was in the second fire years after, owned by Mr. King, and baek of Meehan- ics' Bloek, a large building owned by Judge Castle. Crossiug from this to Blake's building, it went south and east ; south, destroying the printing office of Mr. Speer and a house owned by a carpenter; east, taking Chidester's hotel and outbuildings, and Dr. Munger's house and barn, and Mr. Canfield's barn. In all, six bus- iness houses, four dwellings, two barns ; total, twelve buildings. There was, at the time, no fire company, but a hook and ladder company had been formed. Many, however, were not available, as the rules of organization were im- perfeet, and so the fire-fiend had pretty much its own way. The losses by this fire were heavy, considering the size and business of the town. Summed up, they were something about as follows : Judge Castle's loss was a couple of two-story frame buildings, valued at $9,300, and insured in the Medina Mutual Fire Insur-
anee Company for $2,800. He was able to save about $2,800 worth of goods, together with forty-six barrels of pork. Hon. H. G. Blake lost a two-story frame building, with law office and fixtures, valued at $7,000, and insured in same company mentioned above, for $3,000. Chidester lost a two-story frame building ; Charles Bostwiek's share in the Meehanies' Bloek, $1,800-insured in same company for $600; Mr. Loring's share in same block, $900, insured for $300 in the same company. The total loss, in round numbers, was about $40,000, which, as seen, was but partially covered by insurance, and that in a company that, at the time, was insolvent, or so nearly in that eondi- tion that we believe very little of the insurance was ever paid. The effeet of this fire was the ereetion of a better lot of buildings than the town had possessed before, as many of those burned were old, riekety wooden buildings, and were replaced by substantial bricks.
It was in the great fire twenty-two years later, that the town suffered the greatest destruction of property. The alarm sounded on the night of April 14, 1870, calling the people uneere- moniously from their virtuous couches, and, in a few short hours, almost the entire business part of Medina was in ashes, much of it for the second time. The fire started in an old wood building, a part of which was oeeupied as a barber-shop, by one Frank Charis, and owned by C. E. Bostwiek. Says the Gazette : "When the fire was first discovered, it could easily have been extinguished by a few buekets of water, but, by the time these were proeured, it was beyond any such fragile means of control. It spread rapidly over the burned distriet of 1848, and, reaching out on either side, house after house was lieked into the flames and eon- sumed. The heat was intense, and the air filled with flying sparks and burning einders. It leaped across the street and caught the Phoenix Block, which was soon blazing from roof to eellar." This bloek contained Boult's
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HISTORY OF MEDINA COUNTY.
dry-goods store, MeDowell's drug store, Blake & Woodward's law office, with Phoenix Hall in the upper story. The Whitmore Błoek, on the east, followed next; then the International Ho- tel, and, after burning barns and outbuildings in its rear, it stopped in this direction for want of further available material. West of Castle's eorner, it spread to the Gazette, then to Bar- row's cabinet-shop, when it stopped on that street. South from Phoenix Bloek, it took in several frame buildings, viz. : Asire's dwelling and eabinet-shop, Eagle Hotel, and then stopped in that direction, and, nearly opposite, it stopped at Seaton's grocery. . "Thus far," says the Ga- cette, "the fire was eonfined to the burned dis- triet of 1848, but it did not stop here. It erossed the street into the Selkirk Block, and from there spread rapidly north along the west side of the square, taking every building but two on the street." Those burned were Good- win & Hinman and Lampman, in Selkirk Bloek ; Dr. S. J. Smith's drug and book store ; Dr. Mur- ray's and J. B. Young's offiees, up stairs; Tiffany & Co.'s drug store ; Root's jewelry store ; San- ders & Sturges' tin store; with Walker's and Robinson's offiees, and Saeket's photograph gallery, up-stairs ; D. A. Wells' jewelry store ; S. H. Bradley & Son's hardware store; A. Mat- teson's grocery ; J. W. Blaust's shoe store; Humphreville Bloek, Dr. Hard's office, Com- mereial Bank, Sypher's shoe-store, and G. W. Hobart's grocery-store, when it wore itself out and stopped in this direction. There were no lives lost in this calamitous event, but several parties were more or less injured.
The Gazette, in summing up the results of the fire, says: "The number of buildings burned, ineluding all stables and barns, amount to about forty. A great many others eaught fire, but were saved by the superhuman efforts of the people. At 3 o'clock A. M., A. W. Hor- ton mounted a horse, and went to Seville, where there was a hand engine. Some sixty or sev- enty men responded, and were soon on their
way to Medina, where they did good work in keeping the fire under, as it was about subdued when they arrived. They remained as long as there was need of their services." The follow- ing table of losses, and owners of destroyed property is taken from the Gazette's report of the fire :
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