USA > Ohio > Muskingum County > History of Muskingum County, Ohio ; with illustrations and biographical sketches of prominent men and pioneers, 1794 > Part 33
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THE FIRST BANK .- Muskingum Bank was chartered in 1813, and located on the southwest corner of Muskingum and Putnam avenues. Gen. Isaac Van Horne was the first President, and D. J. Marple the first Cashier.
The shares were five dollars each.
After a few years, some discouraging circum- stances created a want of confidence in the en- terprise, and the Bank suspended. In 1829, or 1830, the Bank reorganized and elected Ebenezer Buckingham President, and Solomon Sturgess Cashier, and continued to do business until 1846, when it wound up its business. The last officers were Alvah Buckingham, President, and B. H. Buckingham, Cashier.
SPRINGFIELD CHANGED TO PUTNAM. -- " An act to change the name of Springfield, in the County of Muskingum. Whereas, It is repre- sented to this General Assembly that inconven- iences do arise to the inhabitants of Springfield, in the County of Muskingum, in consequence of there being two towns of the same name within the State, by which letters and packages are oc- casioned frequently to be miscarried ; now, there- fore, Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that the name of the town of Springfield, in the County of Muskingum, be and the same is hereby changed, and thus the said town shall henceforth be known and distinguished by the name of the town of Putnam ; provided that this change shall in no case be so construed as to affect the right and title of property granted in or to said town of Springfield."
This act was passed January 20th, 1814.
It is proper to add in this connection that Gen. Rufus Putnam had, by his generous activity in all things relating to the welfare of the community, greatly endeared himself to the people, so that his name was given to the settlement as a well- earned compliment, and the prominent citizens purposely met at General Putnam's residence, to show him this appreciation.
An account of this meeting was published in the "Muskingum Register," October 27th, 1813.
PUTNAM MANUFACTURING COMPANY .- This company was organized November 23, 1815, for the manufacture of cotton. It was chartered, and had a capital stock of $5,000, with authority
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to increase, by assessment on the stockholders, to the amount of $100,000. The shares were held at $500 each.
The Trustees were: Ebenezer Buckingham, Jr., Stephen C. Smith, and Levi Whipple.
The stockholders were Ebenezer Buckingham, who held three shares ; Stephen C. Smith, one share ; Moses Smith (by his attorney, Stephen C. Smith), one share ; Whipple & Putnam, two shares ; Levi Whipple, two shares ; Edwin Put -. nam, two shares ; N. C. Findley, one share ; H. Nye, and Amos Nye, one share ; Jeremiah Dare, one share.
This company located their factory between the Whipple Mill and the west end of the lower bridge, and agreed to give Messrs. Whipple & Putnam the profits on two shares of stock for the water privilege. After this cotton factory had been in operation a few years, it was sold to Jo- seph R. Thomas, who changed the machinery for such as was adapted to the manufacture of wool, carding, spinning, weaving and fulling. This factory was burned down when the bridge was destroyed by fire, in 1845. Mr. Thomas built the woolen factory that is now standing on the bank of the river, below the present woolen mill in 1848, and in 1870 sold it and the build- ing, formerly known as the Whipple mill, to the Zanesville Woolen Manufacturing Company, which is chartered, and has a capital stock of $50,000.
WOOLEN MILLS .- In 1815, Whipple and Put- nam inaugurated a woolen mill, also called "Clothing Works." Samuel H. Raymonton was clothier, or superintendent, which position he held two years. The mill was then leased to George E. Clapp, (October 2, 1817,) who speaks of it as a "Cloth Dressing and Dyeing Works." October 18, 1818, Mr. Clapp announces in the Zanesville "Express" that he is still operating the mills of Whipple & Putnam, at the east end of Putnam bridge. The mill was afterwards sold to J. R. Thomas, and not long after was closed.
POTTERIES-The first pottery was inaugurated by Solomon Purdy, west of Putnam avenue, be- tween Jefferson and Madison streets, in 1820. Red and yellow ware, bowls, plates and dishes were made there.
Thomas Wilbur started a pottery about four miles west of Zanesville, on the Cooper Mill road, in 1824, and manufactured stone ware. The establishment had a capacity of 80,000 gal- lons per annum.
RICH'S POTTERY -- Prosper Rich started a pot- tery about three miles west of Zanesville, in 1827, (on the Cooper Mill road) and manufactured stoneware. This establishment had a capacity of 80,000 gallons per annum.
There are other potteries, of which the date of starting, however, cannot be given, viz. :
The Mout's pottery, two and a half miles from the city, on the Cooper Mill road.
That of Mr. J. Boddeen, on Flint Ridge road, one mile from the city.
Samuel Havens, at "Hubbtown," four miles from the city, on the Flint Ridge road.
Joseph Bell, formerly of the William Brown shop, five miles from the city, on the Flint Ridge road. They have an average capacity of 80,000 gallons per annum. The price per gallon is gen- erally four and a half cents.
At the time of the annexation of Putnam to Zanesville, Putnam had five potteries, viz .: H. M. Wilbur, two ; J. C. Wilbur, one ; J. B. Wil- liams, one, and John Scott, one. They had an average capacity of 80,000 gallons per annum each, and the estimated value of the ware was four and a half cents per gallon.
OIL MILL .- In the year 1828, John Goshen erected an oil mill on the lot adjoining the Moxa- hala avenue Church, on the north. It is pre- sumed this was a linseed oil mill, as castor beans had not been grown in any section convenient to that mill at that time. Samuel Atkinson was the superintendent. In 1838, the mill was sold to Messrs. Russell & Cutler, who changed it into a flouring mill.
SOCIETIES.
TEMPERANCE SOCIETY .-- The first was organ- ized at a public meeting, for that purpose, No- vember 15, 1830, at which Edward Putnam was Chairman, and W. H. Moore, Secretary.
The officers were : John Goshen, President ; Edward Putnam, Vice President ; A. A. Guthrie, Secretary ; S. Chapman, Treasurer. W. H. Moore, Horace Nye, Thomas Wilbur, William Hadley, and A. Joselyn, Directors.
The prominent members were earnest, devoted Christian men, and exercised a great influence in the community. 'It was well organized, and its officers were noted for the prompt performance of their duties. In December, 1850, it number- ed 813 members. The last officers were elected November 15, 1852, and were: H. Safford, President ; S. Seamans, Vice President ; Lawson Wiles, Secretary ; S. Mervin, Treasurer ; and the following Board of Directors: Valentine Best, L. B. Ball, J. B, Erwin, R. N. Dunlap, and J. R. Thomas.
Many of the members of this Society were also members of the Sons of Temperance, and did not think it worth while to keep up both organi- zations. The latter was organized April 28, 1848. They applied for, and obtained, a charter under a general act of the Legislature.
F. R. Potts, Lawson Wiles, and J. B. Erwin, were elected Trustees, and Z. M. Chandler, Clerk.
EMANCIPATION SOCIETY .- On Monday even- ing, June 24th, 1833, Levi Whipple, A. G. Allen, Thomas Gurney, M. B. Cushing and H. C. Howells, met at the residence of the latter, (which is still standing on the northeast corner of Van Buren street and Woodlawn avenue,) to discuss the subject of slavery and oppression, with a view to attempt the organization of a society "on the broad principle of total emanci- pation, as soon as possible." After the discus- sion, it was agreed that each individual present
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should invite his friends to another meeting, which was appointed to be held on the following Saturday evening, at the office of Mr. Whipple, which stood on what is now Muskingum avenue, and between the present residences of Mr. A. C. Ross and Mr. William R. Hazlett. This was with a view to the formation of a Society "for the promotion of Freedom and Universal Rights," and a committee consisting of Messrs. Whipple, Howells and Allen, was appointed to draft a constitution to be submitted for adoption to those who should assemble.
At the meeting, there were present: Levi Whipple, Chairman; John Goshen, Thomas Gurney, Horace Nye, H. C. Howells, M. B. Cushing, John Quigley, Charles Matthews, William Joiner and A. G. Allen, who acted as Secretary. The committee previously appointed, presented a constitution which was adopted, and signed by all save Mr. Goshen and Mr. Matthews.
The first public meeting was held July 4th, 1833, in the Zanesville Presbyterian Church, when, after discussion, the constitution was amended, and the name of the organization changed to the "Muskingum County Emancipa- tion Society to promote the Abolition of Slavery and of Oppressive Laws." This constitution, though not numerously signed in the city, re- ceived the signatures of two hundred and twenty persons in various parts of the county, within a short time.
October 26th, 1833, the monthly concert of prayer for the abolition of slavery was estab- lished, and held at first in the Stone Academy, and for many years thereafter in the basement of the Presbyterian Church, in Putnam, on the last Monday evening of every month.
A Bible class for colored adults was formed, and subsequently a colored Sabbath School, the classes in which afterward entered the Sabbath School, and remained till, gradually, the colored people organized schools of their own.
In the winter of 1834, petitions were signed here, and forwarded to the Legislature of the State, praying for the amelioration of the condi- tion of its colored population ; particularly, that they might be permitted to give testimony in the courts, and allowed to participate in the benefits of the school fund-and to Congress, asking for the immediate abolition of slavery in the District of Columbia, and of the slave trade between the United States.
Previously, however, the friends of coloniza- tion had formed a society, and though the line of separation between them and the friends of immediate emancipation soon began to widen, and opposition arose, yet they all united, in the winter of 1835, in numerously signed petitions, both to the Legislature of the State and to Con- gress, renewing the requests made by friends of emancipation the winter previous.
About this time, Jacob Stout, a member of the society, was fined fifty dollars for employing a colored man, one Mark Turner, and taking ex- ceptions to this decision, the society employed
Messrs. Goddard and Convers in his defense.
A State convention was appointed to be held here, April 22d, 1835, and during the March previous, Mr. Theodore D. Weld, afterwards distinguished as an abolition speaker, came, by invitation, to lecture. His meetings created great opposition and excitement, and under date of April 11, 1835, the records of the society show that a committee was appointed to confer with Richard Stillwell, Esq., (afterwards Judge Still- well), then Prosecuting Attorney of this county, in relation to the disturbance of these meetings, with a view to secure means for their prevention. During the convention, bands of riotous persons, encouraged by more respectable but more guilty men, crossed the river, disturbed its sessions, defaced the Academy where they were held, in- sulted ladies who had been in attendance, and . succeeded in breaking up the convention. They threatened to burn the dwellings of Major Nye, Mr. Howells and Mr. A. A. Guthire, which for some time had to be guarded by their friends, there being here no municipal government.
The feeling of hostility against the friends of emancipation had at length, in some degree, subsided, when the State Anti-Slavery Society again assembled here in convention, the last of May, 1839. The announcement of the contem- plated meeting, however, kindled anew the slumbering fires of passion, and there were is- sued various inflammatory documents, and among them a hand-bill captioned the "Resurrection of Abolitionists in Putnam." It was filled with the bitterest invectives, and was calculated to excite the worst passions of the human heart. It had its legitimate and intended effect. Evil minded persons began to prowl around the village during the stillness of the convention, and on the night of its adjournment fired the barn of Adam France, because he had stabled the horses of delegates, and the succeeding night burned the barn of Mr. Whipple for the same reason. One of the rioters, Mike Casey, was arrested and convicted ; but, while being taken to jail, was rescued on the lower bridge by an armed band of his associates, and taken in triumph to Zanes- ville. The appearance of this party and their report of proceedings, caused the crowd already gathered, to rush down Third street and through the bridge, threatening to burn the village. At the western end of the bridge, however, they encountered the Mayor of Putnam, Mr. Z. M. Chandler, with an armed police, and were warned that if they attempted to advance further it would be at their peril. After parleying a while, they slowly retreated, with bitter curses on the abolition town. This assault led, at the instance of Mr. R. N. Dunlap, to the organiza- tion of the "Putnam Greys," a military company which, under the drill of Capt. Jesse P. Hatch, a graduate of Capt. Partridge's Military School at Norwich, Vermont, became one of the finest military companies in the State, and was for years an institution of this place.
To the credit of those living in Putnam, who differed from the emancipationists on the slavery
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question, it should be said that they were a unit with them in defending the village. Nor should they be regarded as pro-slavery men. But they differed widely from those who advocated imme- diate emancipation as the best and safest way of removing the overgrown, threatening and abom- inable system of American servitude.
FOUNDRY .- In 1835, Lawson Henry and Jacob Anderson built a foundry, on Moxahala avenue, just north of the Oil Mill. They manufactured all kinds of hollow-ware. In 1845, butt-hinges were manufactured in this building, also ; in- cluding plows. The foundry is still in operation, and is now owned by Pierce Ratliff.
The Village of Putnam was incorporated in 1835, and the first meeting of the Council . was held July 4th of that year. The following were their first officers :
William H. Moore, Mayor.
William C. Ely, Recorder.
John Goshen, Samuel Ashmore, John Balthis, Edwin Putnam, and Joseph R. Thomas, Trus- tees.
Julius C. Guthrie, Street Commissioner.
David Munch, Treasurer.
Benjamin Graham, Marshall and Collector.
The officers elected in 1871, the last preceding the annexation to the city of Zanesville, were : Dr. J. Erwin, Mayor.
W. E. Guthrie, Recorder.
Dr. O. C. Farquhar, Isaac Stiers, A. J. Jos- selyn, Pierce Ratliff, and J. W. Carter. Trustees.
GLASS WORKS .- This establishment was built in 1845, on the southeast corner of Muskingum avenue and Harrison street. It is operated by Carter, Burns & Kearns. They manufacture fruit-jars, principally.
"BUCKET FACTORY."-This establishment was built, between the river and the foundry, in 1845, by John Buckingham, William Buckingham, and George N. Guthrie. This establishment was built for a saw and planing mill, but, for some unaccountable reason, was called "Bucket Factory." It is owned and operated by George N. Guthrie.
PUTNAM BUILDING, LOAN, AND SAVINGS . ASSO- CIATION .- This association was incorporated March 2d, 1869. The incorporators were : Hen- ry Jones, Perry Miles, C. D. Caldwell, J. Ran- dall, J. Buckingham, and J. B. Williams. Hen- ry Jones was elected President and W. E. Guth- rie Secretary.
The capital stated was $200,000. The shares were $100 each.
THE PUTNAM CLASSICAL INSTITUTE .- This institution, now known as " Putnam Female male Seminary," is located in that part of the city of Zanesville formerly known as "the village of Putnam." The institution owes its inception to Miss Sarah Sturges Buckingham, afterwards wife of Rev. George Beecher. Returning from school in Hartford, she felt the great need of bet- ter educational advantages for the young ladies of her native place and its vicinity, and through
her labors and liberality a girls' school was in- auguarated, in 1835, in the building known as "the Stone Academy," and now the residence of Mrs. Robins. A Miss Mather, governess in Mrs. Buckingham's family, was placed in charge of the school, the interest in which grew, until a plan was matured for the seminary, which was incorporated by the following act :
"An act to incorporate the Trustees of the Put- nam Classical Institute-
"WHEREA'S, certain individuals in the town of Putnam, in the county of Muskingum, for the purpose of advancing the cause of education, have associated themselves together, and organ- ized a Board of Trustees ; and whereas, an act of incorporation would greatly facilitate the ob- ject they have in view ; therefore, Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio : "SECTION Ist. That William H. Beecher, Levi Whipple, Alvah Buckingham, Julius C. Guthrie, Solomon Sturges, and Albert A. Guth- rie, and their successors, be, and they are here- by declared to be, a body corporate and politic, with perpetual succession, to be known and dis- tinguished by the name and style of the "Trus- tees of the Putnam Classical Institute."
"SEC. 2d. That the said Trustees, by their corporate name aforesaid, shall be competent to sue and be sued, plead, and be impleaded, de- fend and be defended, in all courts of law or equity ; may have a common seal, and alter the ·same at any time ; and may fill all vacancies in their own body which may occur by death or otherwise, and may add to their number at dis- cretion.
"SEC. 3d. That the said Trustees (a majori- ty of whom shall constitute a Board) shall have power to appoint a President, Secretary and Treasurer, and such other officers and agents as they may deem necessary, and the said other of- ficers may or may not be of their own number ; and the said Trustees may ordain and establish such laws, rules, and regulations for the govern- ment of said corporation as they may deem pro- per ; provided, that the same be not inconsistent with the Constitution of the laws of the United States and of this State.
"SEC. 4th. That the Trustees, in their corpo- rate capacity, and their successors in office, shall be capable of -- in law-receiving and acquiring, either by purchase, devise, gift, bequest, or oth- erwise, property, real, personal, or mixed ; to be used, improved, expended, or conveyed, for the benefit of said Institute, provided, that such property shall be held and used only for literary purposes ; provided further, that any future Leg- islature shall have power to alter, amend, or re- peal this act, provided such alteration, repeal, or amendment, shall not affect the title to any es- tate, real or personal, acquired or conveyed un- der its provisions, or diverted to any other use than originally intended.
"WILLIAM MEDILL, "Speaker pro tem. House of Representatives. "ELIJAH VANCE,
Feb. 29th, 1836. "Speaker of Senate."
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HISTORY OF MUSKINGUM COUNTY, OHIO.
Under the new dispensation, Miss L. A. Em- erson, of Newburyport, Massachusetts, was em- ployed as Principal, in October, 1835, with Miss Mather and Miss Sarah S. Buckingham as as- sistants, Miss Daniels, as teacher of Music, and old Mr. Hobbie for occasional lessons in French. The school was opened in the "Stone Acad- emy," with fifteen scholars. The following year it was removed to the basement of the Presby- terian Church, which had just been completed, and measures were taken to provide for an insti- tute building. Mrs. Eunice Buckingham, con- tributed ten thousand dollars for this purpose, and to this generous gift, Mr. Solomon Sturges and Alva Buckingham added five thousand dol- lars each, and a piece of ground, "being a part of lot No. 27, in the town of Putnam, which is butted and bounded as follows, to-wit : Begin- ning at the northeast corner of outlot 22, from thence, run southwardly in the line of Fourth street, one hundred and sixty-seven feet, to the northeast corner of the Presbyterian meeting house lot ; thence westwardly, at right angles with Fourth street, three hundred and eighty- six feet, to a point or corner ; thence northward- ly, parallel to Fourth street, to the north boundary of said lot 27 ; thence east in the line of lots 22 and 27, three hundred and eighty-six feet, to the place of beginning, estimated to contain one acre, eighty-eight hundredths (1.88-100), be the same more or less." The said purchase, for the lot described, from Levi Whipple to Putnam Classical Institute, for "the sum of four hundred dollars." Deed dated February 11, 1837, enter- ed for record March 28, 1838 ; recorded March 29, 1838, in Record of Deeds, Book "U," pages 27 and 28.
The work of erecting and furnishing the Sem- inary building was pushed forward with great energy, and completed and occupied, in. the au- tumn of 1838. It is a brick edifice, one hundred and ten feet long, forty-five feet wide, and three stories high, and contains double parlors, office, dining room, kitchen, school hall, library, reci- tation and music rooms, with grates ; the building is lighted with gas, and substantially furnished. The back building, containing the gymnasium, bath rooms and laundries, was erected by a member of the Board of Trustees, in 1855. The present roof, (a mansard) was put on by C. W. Potwin and James Buckingham, in 1868, at an expense of eight thousand dollars. The build- ing is near the back part of the grounds, which are well kept, and shaded by beautiful trees. The lawn affords ample room for pleasant recre- ation, and is an ornament to the locality.
In addition to the ten thousand dollars given toward the building, Mrs. Eunice Buckingham left by her will an additional bequest. [See the following extract from her will. ] Mrs. Eunice Buckingham died in March, 1843, and left in her will, as follows :
"I give and bequeath unto my executors, here- inafter named, and to the survivors and survivor of them, and to each such person or persons as , such survivor of them, may in manner hereinaf-
ter provided designate, and appoint successor or successors in this behalf, the following sums of money, in trust, for the uses and purposes here- inafter mentioned, and expressly declared, and for no other. That is to say :
First-The sum of ten thousand dollars, in trust, to invest the same in such stocks, proper- ty, securities, and other investments as they at the time of investing the same may deem safe and beneficial, and all or any of such invest- ments, again and again, from time to time, and at any time, to alter and change, and the same to reinvest in the same manner as herein above provided for the investment thereof ; and all div- idends, interest, income, and proceeds thereof, which may be received by them, after deducting the expenses of investing, reinvesting and man- aging the said fund, to pay over semi-annually, on the first days of January and July in each and every year, unto my daughters, Sarah S. Beecher, wife of George Beecher, Catharine B. Convers, wife of Charles C. Convers, and Mar- tha Buckingham, (notwithstanding the cover- ture of them, or any of them) the survivors and survivor of them, and to each such persons or person as the survivor of them may (notwith- standing coverture) by last will and testament, or by any writing in nature of a last will and tes- tament, (which she is hereby authorized to make) designate, or appoint as her successor or successors, herein to be by my said daughters, the survivors , and survivor of them, and her successors or successor aforesaid, appropriated and applied in such manner as they may think proper, to and for the education and support at the Putnam Female Classical Institute, or else- where, of such females desirous of obtaining an education as they may deem worthy and proper objects of this bequest ; who shall always be designated and elected by iny said daughters, the survivors and survivor of them, and her suc- cessors and successor, aforesaid.
"Provided, however, that if my said daughters, the survivors and survivor of them, and her suc- cessors and successor as aforesaid, shall not de- mand for the purposes aforesaid of the said exec- utors, the survivors or survivor of them, or his successors or successor, as aforesaid, any semi- annual dividend, with interest, income and pro- ceeds within the period of three months next af- ter the same shall have become payable to them, as above provided, then, my said executors, the survivors or survivor of them, his successors or successor aforesaid, shall pay at any time after the aforesaid period of three months, over, on demand to the Treasurer for the time being of The Putnam Classical Institute, any such semi- annual payments, so remaining uncalled for by my said daughters, the survivors or survivor of them, or their successors or successor aforesaid, for the aforesaid period of three months ; to be by the Trustees of said Putnam Classical Insti- tute appropriated and applied to the payment of the teachers employed by them for such Institute, or at the election of my said daughters, the sur- vivors or survivor of them, her successors or suc-
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