History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 13

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923

USA > Ohio > Pickaway County > History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens > Part 13

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"I have now completed the circle and the

only brick buildings on the north side of Main street was the grocery of Harvey and Samuel Littler, now occupied by Snider. The build- ing now occupied by the Union-Herald office was a store kept by Z. R. Martin and Henry Sunderman. The next was a building occupied as the Bank of Circleville, Hoel Lawrence, president, and Mr. Gillette, cashier ; and I am glad to know that Mrs. Gillette is still living and remarkably active for her age.

"Adjoining the bank on the east was the harness and saddlery shop of John A. Wolfley. The next was a two-story brick building occu- pied by George E. Wolfley as a dwelling, now turned into a hotel, and on the canal was the large brick warehouse belonging to Rogers & Martin.

"The block, which is Benford's hardware store, was built in the summer of 1838 and when finished Rogers & Martin and Renick & Hurst moved from the circle into it, the former parties occupving the corner room and the other the room east ; I do not remember who occupied the east room.

"The old circular embankment was perfect then, except where the streets crossed it, which were cut down. The old square fortification was nearly whole, and a part of it was used annually by the militia as muster grounds.

"South of that, what was familiarly known as 'Darling's Lake,' were corn fields, farmed by. John O'Day, who lived in a log cabin, some- where near the residence of Mrs. William Mc- Crum. I recollect going to his house one day to buy some corn and he gave me three half bushels of ears for a bushel; I thought he was cheating himself, but I found out different afterwards.

"There was not a turnpike in the county; the Maysville and Zanesville was not built for three years after. There was no bridge across the Scioto then, although there had previously been a floating bridge ; all the crossing was done in a ferry-boat just above the aqueduct, kept by an old man by the name of Richardson. The piers of the old bridge, that was burned a few years ago, were laid the summer before we came and the woodwork the same fall and winter.

"The contractor was a Mr. Day. I believe

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he was from New York and report said he lost money on the contract, but I am certain there never was a better bridge erected in the State, and if it had not burned it would have lasted for 50 years longer.

"At that date there was not a railroad in Ohio; all the produce was shipped by canal and all the goods were brought here by the canal or by wagon. All the traveling was done by stage. It took two days and nights to go from Columbus to Cleveland and then often the passengers had to get out and pry the stage out of the mud.

"After the National road was built, our merchants went East by that route; goods were generally sent by rail to Cumberland and from there to Wheeling by wagon. If there was plenty of water in the Ohio River, they were put on a steamboat to Portsmouth and from there to Circleville bv canal. If the Ohio River was low, they usually wheeled them clear through.

"I recollect one spring D. Pierce, the veteran merchant, had his goods wagoned from Cumberland ; one wagon carried 9,600 pounds. It was a large Conestoga wagon, four-inch tire, six horses, bells on each horse, driven by a single line and the driver road the off horse, and when the wagon was backed up to the pavement in front of his store the team reached across the street.

"The merchants carried everything-hard- ware, glassware, queensware, earthenware, boots and shoes, hats and caps, groceries and liquors. It was a very common thing, but was thought no disgrace then, to get drunk; every- body drank, and if you went to a farmer's house, the first thing he would do would be to hand out the bottle; if you did not take some he would consider it an insult.

"Whiskey was cheap; I have sold many a barrel, when they were building the Washing- ton turnpike, of Dick Ward's fine corn juice for $5 and used to retail A. & M. A. Ashbrook's best rectified fine whiskey and not doctored for 20 cents per gallon.

"Money was very scarce and not much in circulation and what was in circulation was paper money. There were plenty of banks

throughout the State, which issued their paper freely, and their standing was not the best.

"Most all the business was done in trading. If anybody wanted to go to housekeeping, the merchant would give them orders to the furni- ture store, to the stove and tinshop, or if he wanted a saddle or a set of harness, the mer- chant would send a clerk or an order and get them and the manufacturer would pay his employes by giving them orders on the store.

"Everything in the produce line, or every- thing that the farmer manufactured, was very low and as he could not sell it for cash he had to trade it out. I have bought wheat when I was with Doddridge & Company, at 40 and 50 cents. per bushel, corn at 121/2 cents, oats at 10 cents ; good fat hogs would only bring 21/2 cents per pound dressed, and one season, Messrs. Gregg and Wolfley packed pork at that price, shipped .it to New York via New Orleans and lost money on it. You could then buy good beef at 3 cents per pound; chickens, 75 cents per dozen; turkeys, from 25 to 30 cents each; butter in the summer 614 cents : eggs 2 and 3 cents a dozen, and I have seen barrels carted away and dumped in the hot- toms, could not sell them, and they spoiled on their hands.

"I remember Doddridge & Company ship- ping 30 barrels of dried apples to Cleveland. for which they only paid 37 cents per bushel; when they got return of sales, they did not realize first cost.

"Common home-made blue jeans brought 50 cents per yard in trade, linsey 25 cents, plaid flannel 50 cents, home-made linen 30 to 40 cents.

"Wages were exceedingly low. Good mechanics got from $1 to $1.25 per day, and common laborers from 50 to 65 cents, while farm hands were working for $8 to $12 per month and board. They did not stop at 10 hours for a day's work either, nor did they go to town every Saturday afternoon, as most of them do now. The farmer boys all wore home- spun, stayed at home and worked for the best interest of their employers.

"But what a change has taken place in the last half century. Now he must wear the best

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of store clothes, have a horse and often a buggy and come to town every Saturday afternoon; in fact, I have known young America plowing in $12 doeskin pants and $10 boots.

"There was not a book store in town. I had to go to Chillicothe to get my school books. The first book store was opened by William McArthur on the corner in a one- story frame house, now covered by the Odd Fellows' Block. The first regular hardware store was opened by Samuel Marfield in the room adjoining the Third National Bank.

"The squaring of the circle was commenced by Dr. E. B. Olds in 1839 by erecting the large three-story brick known as the Olds Block. The corner room was completed early in the year of 1840 and occupied by Olds & Baker as a dry goods store. I do not now re- member who did the excavations, but Dick Wilson and Joe Carr did the stone work, W. C. Joseph and Jacob Taylor did the brick work and Stanley Cook & Sons did the wood work. That fall was the great campaign, when Harri- son ran against Van Buren for president. Dr. Olds being a strong Democrat and believing that Van Buren would be elected, he offered to sell and did sell quite an amount of goods at double price if Van Buren was elected or nothing if Harrison was elected. The result was that he supplied a good many Whigs with dry goods for nothing. I shall never forget the exciting times during that campaign.

"The political meetings were immense with their long processions. Everybody seemed to be fully aroused and excited and to see the log cabins, coonskins, strings of buckeyes and hard cider was wonderful. On one occasion I re- member of seeing a very large wagon made for the express purpose, filled with men, drawn by 36 yoke of oxen.

"General Harrison came here one evening ; the people built a temporary platform around the sign post, that stood in front of the Ohio House (I think it was called then) and he made a speech from it.

"During that season we had some of the most able and talented speakers in the State, such as Thomas Ewing, Sr., the old salt boiler ; Thomas Corwin. the wagoner boy; Henry Stanbery and others.

"The meetings were generally held in the woods, which is now built up and known as "Briartown." The evening meetings were held in the old Court House, which was not torn down until the next year, 1841. The southeast quarter of the circle was next squared by Olds and Cradlebaugh, and a row of one-story frame buildings was erected on Main street (now Court). Two of them are still standing, one occupied by Aker King and the barber shop next to it.

"On the grounds now occupied by the Wag- ner Block, the Old School Presbyterians erected a frame church, which was later on moved over to the northeast quarter of the circle and is now occupied by Ensworth & Brunner as .a hardware store.

"The northeast quarter was next squared by the same parties. The southwest quarter was to be squared, but was not for several years afterwards, by W. W. Bierce. In this quarter was 'Bastile Avenue.' It was the most popular avenue in town and the most populous. A short reminiscence of one of its residents by 'Lex' was published a few weeks ago in your paper, which was perfectly familiar to me, as we lived on the avenue and scarcely a stone's throw from the place.

"The first residence on the avenue was Isaac Darst's, which was sold to John Conn and was moved on Mound street opposite Mrs. Dr. Stribling's house. On the rear of the same lot was a story and a half frame, formerly used by Darst as a warehouse, afterwards converted into a dwelling and my recollection is, that Dr. Terry and wife were the first to occupy it. Afterwards S. D. Turney lived in it. In squar- ing that quarter it was moved to Franklin street and is now owned by the Lounsberry heirs.

"Directly opposite was the residence of Dick Jenkins, who died there and whose widow married George Dalton and who a short time afterward moved to Southern California near Los Angeles. * *

* Next to that was a one-story frame. I do not recollect who lived in it when we came here, but it was where Dr. Griswold and wife went to housekeeping, after they moved to Circleville.

"On the other side of the Avenue was a one-

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story frame used by George C. Gephart as a tailor shop, until Mr. Diffenderfer built his store on West Main street, when he moved into the second story of that.

"After the General moved, the room was occupied by James Civils and John Butler as a paint shop. Mrs. Butler is still living at Circle- ville.

"On the same lot farther west was the two- story residence of George C. Gephart, now owned and occupied by Mrs. Alice D. Hawkes. General Gephart raised a large family and moved West many years ago and lived to be quite old. He has only been dead a few years. "Next to this on the west was the one-story brick cottage of Dr. Gibson, the residence of the 'Belles of Bastile Avenue' mentioned by your correspondent 'Lex,' who is mistaken when he said the Doctor left two children. He left three-Hannah, Susan and George. Han- nah married a Mr. Stiner, Susan married Peter Bohn and George died quite young from white swelling of the knee, aged II or 12.

"Opposite General Gephart's lived Col. Henry Sage in a two-story frame; he also had a large family. My impression is that the chil- dren are all dead except the youngest boy Har- leigh, who is living at Dayton. The youngest daughter married a Mr. Cherry, who died. She afterwards married Dr. Sharp, who be- came notorious for his fighting proclivities during the late war, but always backed down when anybody wanted to fight him. They moved from Circleville and I don't know whether she is living or not.

"Next was the residence of Dr. William N. Luckey and wife; a more generous, clever, whole-souled couple never lived in Circleville. Aunt Luckey was the personification of gen- erosity and goodness, as every one that lived by her could testify. They never had any chil- dren. One peculiarity the Doctor had-you could never get him to go on the ice; no dif- ference how thick it was, he said it had no joists underneath.

"The next building was the Lutheran Church, which stood back a little of the present church. The pastor was Joseph A. Roof. Al- though he left Circleville a number of years

ago, I believe he is still living. There never was a preacher in Circleville that was more highly esteemed by everybody than he. He was very generous to the poor, although his salary was small. He did a great deal of good during the cholera of 1850. He was on the Board of Health and one of the most active members. He was taking care of the sick, helping to bury the dead and urging the living to prepare for death. He was one of the most useful ministers Circleville ever had.

"Opposite the church was a one-story frame, occupied by Abraham, Emanuel, John and David Gephart. four brothers, as a carpen- ter shop. Emanuel is the only one of them now living in Circleville and I think the others are dead.

"The next residence was that of George Downs, a man universally known throughout the county. He had some very peculiar traits, was rather rough in his language, but had a heart in him as big as an ox-a more liberal and generous man could not be found any- where: the latch-string always hung outside and he never turned any away if they needed help. I speak from personal knowledge, for we lived beside him for several years. He was a hatter by trade and had a shop on the public grounds in the rear of the Market House. His hats were very heavy and durable and I have heard of them lasting as long as seven years.

"On the other side of the avenue next to the church was Jacob F. Mader's grocery and bakery. The house was built on the side of Mount Gilboa. the basement being used as a bakery, while the upper rooms were used as a grocery and dwelling. He moved to Chilli- cothe and lived there quite a number of years, but moved back to Circleville, where he is now living, a very hale, hearty old man. The next house was built and owned by Henry Sunder- man. into which we moved, when we came to Circleville ; it was a one-and-a-half-story frame and in squaring that quarter, it was moved around to front on Mound street and is still standing. There were no other houses for several years. At that time Mount Gilboa was almost complete. A road had been cut through it.

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"The old Episcopal Church was built on the mound on the south side of the road on the same grounds of the present church building but at a greater elevation; the floor of the old building would be as high as the roof of the present one.

"The north part of the mound was a great place for bonfires, holding rejoicings over suc- cess of elections, etc.

"I recollect on one occasion the Democrats had achieved a victory and they were having a big demonstration on the mound. They were all pretty full and felt happy, when one, Wil- liam Strevey, got too near the edge of the bank and fell off down to the road. They thought he was killed, when old Anthony Bowsher hal- lowed out, 'Cover him up! Cover him up so those d -- Whigs wont find him!' It hap- pened that the man was not hurt at all.

"There was no foundry then; all the plows and castings sold here were brought from Co- Jumbus.

"In the year 1838 my father entered into partnership with Isaac Darst and they put up a foundry on the land belonging to Mr. Darst, nearly on the site where the gas works stand. It was literally a one-horse concern, for the power was produced by a large bay horse walk- ing on a large horizontal wheel. It was quite a novelty to the young folks and a large number of the older people, who used to come down there by the score every time he took a cast. It was sold after the death of Mr. Darst to Judge Bierce, who had it removed to the old Cradlebaugh tavern stand, where it has re- mained ever since and is now known as the Scioto Machine Works.

"There was another foundry started by a Mr. Jones on the south side of the canal near the aqueduct, but it soon fizzled out.

"There were three furniture shops-John Hedges, Solomon Hedges and Michael Pon- tius; two chair shops-Matthias Myers and Emmet & McLain; the last named did all their turning by dog power, two large and heavy dogs traveling in a large wheel about 30 feet in diameter. There was also a wood-turning shop owned by Jonathan Moore, on the race from the mill near the aqueduct. There were

two carding machines, one over the turning shop just mentioned and one just above Groce's slaughter house, run by Jacob Diffenbaugh, who also had a sawmill in connection with it turned by water from Hargus Creek.

"There was also a sawmill on the same creek near' where Pickaway street crosses the creek and another on the basin close by the old Doddridge mill.

"The canal did a large business, as it was the only way to get rid of the surplus corn, wheat, flour, pork and lard. During the dry summer and fall of 1841, all the country mills were stopped on account of the creeks drying up and the farmers from Clinton, Fayette, Madison and part of Highland counties used to come here to get their wheat ground, and I have known them to wait three days for their grist and have seen as many as 50 wagons camped out near the mill at one time.

"There were three tanneries : James Bell's, near the Academy ; Robert Hays', on the street between George Gearhart and Daniel Demuth ; and Andrew Cradlebaugh's, on the lot owned by the Scioto Machine Works.

"There were three cooper shops: James Sapp's and George Burgett's on Water alley and a very large one on the mill race, run ex- clusively on flour barrels for the mill carried on by William and John Maiden.

"There was only one flouring mill. owned by J. G. Doddridge, which turned out 100 bar- rels every 24 hours and which is still standing.

"Now after saying so much about the town, let me say a word of the inhabitants at that time. There are barely a dozen persons who were men grown that are living there now. All I can call to mind now are : Samuel A. Moore, Jerome Wolfley, George Gearhart, Jacob Rut- ter, Michael Pontius, George Pontius,. Acker King, Benjamin Myers, Bentley Groce, Eman- uel Gephart, Jacob F. Mader and Joseph Rich- ardson. There are a few others, that are liv- ing, but have moved away: J. G. Doddridge, Hugh Bell, Daniel Pontius, Harvey Johns and Joseph A. Roof. There may be others but I cannot call them to mind.

"There is not a single man in business now, that was doing business when we came to Cir-

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cleville. D. Pierce, the oldest in business, came the next year after, as did Samuel H. Ruggles. "In the summer of 1840 I attended a select school (there was no free school then) in the Academy and out of a school of 40 boys, there are but four of them still living: George W. Doane, of Omaha; W. K. Rogers, of Colum- bus; William McCrea, of Illinois, and the writer, and the time will not be long when we too will be numbered with many, that have gone on before.

RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CIRCLEVILLE.

The following article is made up of ex- tracts from a letter written by W. H. Yering- ton to G. F. Wittich, dated "Los Angeles, Cali- fornia, April 19, 1903." * * Since I have sat down to write, I don't know what to say or where to com- mence. The first recollection of you was, when you opened out a candy and toy store on the old circle between Bastile avenue and South Main (now South Court), in a two-story frame building previously occupied by Richard Jen- kins, universally called Dick Jenkins, as a sa- loon and grocery. You turned the upper story into an ice cream parlor and to avoid the going through the store you put up steps on the out- side. I remember distinctly, that in that room I ate my first dish of ice cream, but I can assure you that it was not the last. Jenkins built the three-story brick block on West Main street now owned by J. P. Smith and Mrs. Charles Hartmeyer and known as the Jenkins Block.

"I received my Circleville paper to-day and in it was the notice of the death of Gen. Joseph Geiger. I think the title was conferred upon him more for a joke than a reality, for under the old constitution the militia laws were un- reasonable and the young men and old ones re- fused to train. Joe tried hard to get the law repealed and I think they made the appoint- ment just for a joke to pay him off in his own coin, as he was a great joker. I remember on one occasion the authorities at Columbus sent commissions as officers to several of our young men, to call out the militia and muster. They would not accept the commissions, but they

called a meeting and agreed to train. At the day appointed they met in an old house close to the aqueduct and formed a fantastical com- pany, and marched through the streets dressed in the most comical garb they could think of- some painted their faces-all under the com- mand of Capt. Sam. Stover, who rode what we call out here a burro; you would call it a jack. He had on a paper hat, a paper horn sticking out of each side with the word 'Veto' in large letters printed on them and market baskets for stirrups. The rear was brought up with a four-wheeled child's wagon, on which they had placed a long piece of stove-pipe rep- resenting cannon. Captain Stover was the son-in-law of Matthias Robbins, grandfather of the Lilly boys.

"On another occasion the boys consented to muster, if they were furnished with a good captain. Jonas Specht, of the Washington Township Guards, said he would drill them, which was agreed to. On the day appointed he came to town in full uniform and made the old National House his headquarters. Shortly the company appeared in front of the hotel and rested; they sent word to the Captain that they were ready to muster; such an oddly dressed company you never saw ; not one had a uniform and I don't think there was a single gun in the whole crowd. The Captain came out . and took command and they started up North Main (North Court) street; it was un- derstood among the boys, that they would duck him in the canal. When they arrived at the crossing of North High street. the Captain ordered them up the street towards the old graveyard; instead they turned to go down the. canal. The Captain repeated his order to go the other way; the company commenced sur- rounding him. He by this time began to 'smell a mice;' he broke away and ran up the street and some of the men after him; they chased him into old man Hartman's house where they left him. There was no more military train- ing. Captain Specht soon after went to Cali- fornia. I have a faint recollection, that he came back some years after on a visit.

"When we came to Circleville there stood on the southeast corner of Pickaway and Main

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streets a small, one-story weather-beaten house, owned and occupied by Jacob Appenzeller; the lot was very low and every time it rained the water would run into it. I have seen boys poling around in it on boards many times. Sometime previous to this the old Methodist Church had burned down and the trustees were looking around for a site to build a new church. The membership was poor and they did not have much money (as was the case with every- body else those days) and they wanted a lot, where they could have a basement with small expense. Mr. Appenzeller offered them this lot very cheap and they bought it. When it became known, there was a kick against it, not only by the outsiders -but by their own members. They said, why build your church in a mud hole, when there are plenty of good places you can get. They would not listen but stuck to it like a dog to a root, laid the founda- tion, built the church, finished the basement and held service and Sunday-school in it, until they could finish the upper part. I remember their using one summer the upper part before the walls were plastered or the windows put in, sitting on temporary seats of rough boards. That was 50 years ago and they are worshiping still in the same church.

"As to the Presbyterian Church, it was a very plain red brick building without any orna- mentation about it, small windows and small glass. When Judge Bierce came, he found them short on music, so he brought in a violoncello and used it in the church to help out the music. It so happened that they had a member by the name of Robert Hayes, a genuine blue stocking of the old school; it made him mad-he said he did not believe in prais- ing God with a 'big fiddle' and every time they would use it, he would go out and stay till they got through.

"Afterwards they bought a pipe organ at Adelphi, manufactured there by a man named Diffenbaugh-that was an improvement on the 'big fiddle;' then when they built the second church they bought a city- organ with all the modern improvements. You remember Reuben Moore, the little short man; they got him to pump the bellows and it kept him busy.

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History of Pickaway County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, Part 13

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Number of Pages: 923

Author: Aaron R. Van Cleaf
Publication date: 1906
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 923