History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 37

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985

USA > Ohio > Preble County > History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions > Part 37

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Three steam railroads touch the township, the Dayton & Western, now a part of the Pennsylvania Railway system; the Dayton & Union, and the Cin- cinnati Northern; also the Dayton & Greenville interurban line crosses the northeast corner of the township. (See Chapter on Railroads. )

In an early day there were the usual number of small distilleries, one run by Henry Horn, as early as 1811, near Lewisburg.

SONORA.

Sonora is located near the south line of sections 9 and 10, at the point where the section line is crossed by the Dayton & Western Railroad, and was

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really put on the map by the railroad, which was finished in 1852, and which established a station at that point to accommodate Lewisburg and Euphemia, two and one-half miles south, and the town just grew up around the station. It is not incorporated, but has a population of about two hundred and does quite a little business. William Leas was the first resident.

A township school house is located at the north side of the town. There is a United Brethren church, erected in 1861, and rebuilt in 1904 at a cost of three thousand five hundred dollars, with a membership of ninety, and a Sunday school of one hundred and twenty-five enrolled, M. I. Comfort, pastor. The lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows moved to Ithica about 1885. There was a Methodist Episcopal church erected about 1850, and re- built in 1905 at a cost of two thousand, five hundred dollars, but which is not holding services now. A brass band of seventeen pieces provides music for the town. A postoffice was established about 1853. One remarkable circum- stance is that though there are no doctors in the town, there are nine people there over eighty years old, all of whom seem healthy. In the town there is one grain elevator, two grocery and dry goods stores, one coal yard, one agricultural implement store, two wagonmakers, one blacksmith, one barber shop and the postoffice. The town is surrounded by a beautiful and fertile country and topographically is exactly on a level with Eaton.

LEWISBURG AND EUPHEMIA.

Lewisburg and Euphemia are practically one town. A stranger passing through would not notice that they were not one. Lewisburg, which alone is incorporated, is situated in four sections, 27, 28, 33 and 34, while Euphemia is located in section 27, touching the west line of the section. The Cincinnati Northern Railroad passes through Lewisburg, whence all shipping is done, and the town is the business center of a large and prosperous community. A large number of the first settlers of the township located in and around Lewis- burg. The village has all the assortment of trades, stores and business usually found in a live, bustling town of its size. Its business and growth were greatly retarded for want of a highway until the year 1826, in which year the great national road was surveyed straight across the country and cut out, about 1830, passing about a half mile north of what was then Lewisburg. Great talk was had of its future and John Mumma, who owned the land, conceived the idea of laying out a town on that great artery of trade, and making Lewis- burg move to town. He accordingly laid out Euphemia on the great road, naming it after his wife, and for a while the project grew and boomed, but

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the railroads came, the great artery became a country road, and the people of Lewisburg stayed at home. Finally a railroad hit Lewisburg and the village rivalry ended for good.

The first store opened in Lewisburg is said to have been opened by Cor- nelius Vanausdal, of Eaton, early in 1816, on the west side of Greenville street near the center of town, a branch store. The first postoffice was established about the year 1825, the mail being brought on horseback or in hack from Dayton for a number of years, until the completion of the Dayton & Western Railroad, after which it was brought from Sonora, two and one-half miles north, until the completion of the Cincinnati Northern Railroad.

The early school history of the village seems to have been lost, by reason of lost records and the death of the old people who knew, who passed on with- out leaving any written history thereof. But tradition handed down to the present old people say that at an early day there was a school started in or near the village. As soon as the school laws gave the school directors power, they erected a school house in the village, near the cemetery, on North Main street, which served its purpose well until the year 1908, when bonds were issued and the present two-story, eight-room brick building was erected on ample grounds on Greenville street, near the north corporation line, one of the finest buildings in the county, built at a cost of about twenty thousand dollars, the campus covering three and one-half acres of land. The school now enrolls one hundred and seventy-five pupils and Harry Huffman is the superintendent.

During the past sixty years the village has been blessed with some of the most progressive, wide-awake teachers of the county, the teachers, after all, being the bulwarks of a good school. A fine building and grounds may be some help, of course, but what man, in looking back, pauses to describe the school house? On the other hand, he grows enthusiastic as he describes the qualities of that teacher who worked him up, and set his thinking-machine going, making him hungry for knowledge. After all, the live teacher makes a good school. Among the teachers who have had charge of the schools at Euphemia and Lewisburg in the past fifty years are: F. M. DeMotte, for thirty years or more; Lon Disher, M. M. Leiter, Charles S. Bunger and one or two others whose names are not now remembered. It must be apparent that the people appreciate a good teacher, when it is remembered that Miss Anna Woods, the present primary teacher, has been continuously employed as such for forty years.

For over seventy years there has been a school house at Euphemia. The primitive building gave way to modern ideas about 1866, at which time a fine brick school house was erected near the big spring. This eventually developed

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into the township high school, and has for many years rivalled in quality and importance that of Lewisburg. During the last year it enrolled about one hun- dred pupils.

THE CHURCHES.

The early settlers of Lewisburg and Euphemia seem to have been mostly Lutherans and Reformed German Baptist in their religious predispositions, the former seeming to predominate. About 1817 the two agreed to erect a union church and did so, making it a jolly affair, like a log-rolling, with a big dinner, the combined forces erecting a church thirty-two by thirty-six feet, of hewed log timbers, so smoothly hewed that ax marks were not seen. The benches were hewed puncheon. A fireplace was provided, but in winter it poorly heated the big room. This church was located in the edge of what is now the Euphemia cemetery. It stood until about the close of the Mexican War, when each denomination built its own church.

The Salem Evangelical congregation, about 1848, built a church costing about three thousand dollars, which continued to be used until about 1884. It then becoming too small and out of date, the present church was erected at a cost of about six thousand dollars. The members number about four hundred, with a Sunday school of about three hundred and fifty enrolled. This congregation built a parsonage about the year 1870. Hiram Peters has been pastor since 1909.

The First Reformed church was the first to leave the Union church, named above, the Reformed congregation building their own church about 1855, at a cost of about three thousand dollars, which they rebuilt in 1900, at a cost of more than twice that amount. This church numbers about one hundred and thirty members, with a Sunday school of one hundred and twenty-five enrolled. J. W. Miller has been pastor since 1905.

The Methodist Episcopal church erected a building about the year 1842, the Methodists previously having held meetings in private houses and in other buildings, until they felt strong enough to manage their own house. After that they grew until in 1875 the building became too small and they rebuilt. In 1899 they erected the present brick church, and it answers well the purpose. Within three or four years after building the first church the Methodists started a Sunday school. The church numbers about two hun- dred and the Sunday school about two hundred. W. C. Moon has been pastor since 1912.

The United Brethren began their organization in the early thirties and held meetings at private houses and elsewhere, as best they could, until about

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1840, in which year they built a brick church costing about six thousand dollars, which they remodeled in 1894 at a cost of about three thousand dollars. They have about four hundred members, with a Sunday school of about three hundred and fifty enrolled. W. T. Frank has been pastor since 1912.

The Memorial Evangelical church was organized and the congregation built a church in Euphemia in 1852. This church proving inadequate, the congregation purchased land on the west side of Main street in Lewisburg and in 1893 built the present brick church. It has a membership of about one hundred, with a Sunday school of about the same number. At present this flock has no regular pastor.

LODGES AND THEIR HISTORY.

Lewisburg Lodge No. 571, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized in 1872. The members rented a lodge room until 1899, in which year they built a three-story frame building at the southwest corner of Greenville and Water streets at a cost of six thousand dollars. They rent the lower story and now are out of debt. This lodge numbers one hundred and twenty members. In 1882 they organized an encampment lodge, No. 225, which now has eighty-five members. In 1897 they organized Preble Lodge No. 444, Daughters of Rebekah, which now has one hundred and ten members. All three lodges use the same building.

Lodge No. 695, Knights of Pythias, was organized in January, 1896, with forty-two charter members, Albert Douglass being the first chancellor commander. This lodge rents a room in the Wilson store building. It now numbers one hundred members.

Twin Valley Grange, No. 657, was organized in 1874, Mathias Disher being the first master. The lodge soon grew strong and bought a lot on the west side of Dayton street, between Greenville and Main, on which it erected a two-story frame building at a cost of about three thousand dollars. This lodge now has one hundred members.

Libanus Lodge No. 80, Free and Accepted Masons, was chartered in October, 1845, with the following charter members: William Collins, James Boleus, W. B. Gray, J. A. Boleus, John C. Werts, A. L. P. Varine, Irwin E. Freeman, Andrew McCampbell and John Singer. For some twenty, years the Masons rented a room, but in 1866 they purchased a lot and erected their present building, which since, with repairs and remodelling, has furnished them a splendid lodge home. The lodge now numbers about eighty members.

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AN IMPORTANT INDUSTRY.

Joseph F. Wilson operated a stone quarry on a large scale at the old Swisher mill, a mile northwest of Euphemia. In 1907 he sold out to the Lewisburg Stone Company, capitalized at one hundred and twenty-five thou- sand dollars, which put up a large stone-crusher plant, elevator, steam drills and shovels, with an annual crushing capacity of two thousand cars, crushing stone for roads and concrete. The company owns its own switch track from the railroad, over a mile long, and is busy all the time, doing the most ex- tensive business in the county in that line. Joseph Patterson, of Lima, Ohio, is president, and E. T. Paul is manager.

About 1912 the Interstate Stone Company was formed, with a capital of forty thousand dollars. This company purchased land one and one-half . miles south of Lewisburg and erected a stone-grinding plant to pulverize, for agricultural purposes, the limestone found there, the state analysis giving the quality as ninety-six per cent. The pulverized stone is sown on land and also used as a fertilizer base. This plant has a daily capacity of one hundred tons. This company also quarried and shipped two thousand tons of stone · last year to sugar refineries, this being the latest business started in the coun- ty. E. T. Paul is president and general manager and J. J. A. Zeller is the treasurer.

PHYSICIANS.

There have been several physicians in the past who resided at Lewis- burg and Euphemia, who had a good practice and enjoyed the confidence of the community, but who long since have gone over the river to rest on the farther shore. Among these were: M. Pretzinger, William B. Gray, E. P. Ebersole, who served as county treasurer, and John C. Fall.

The physicians who are at present in the active practice are W. G. Brown, P. H. O'Hara and Osa Hoerner, doctors of medicine, and Edmond Coffman, dentist. I can say all are good men. Of course, it behooves all to speak well of the doctor, because we may fall into his hands sometime, but it is a pleasure to do so when we feel it is truthfully said.

PUBLIC SERVICE AND COMMERCE.

On the east side of Greenville street, just south of Dayton street, a large spring gushes out of the rocks, and in those early days, when transportation was by teams, quite a little plot of ground around this spring was reserved by

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the town as a place for feeding teams and watering them. In 1899 the town built a fine town hall and assembly room along the side of the spring at a cost of fifteen thousand dollars.

In 1912 Lewisburg built a water-works system at a cost of twenty-six thousand dollars, for which bonds were issued. The water is obtained from three driven wells in Twin creek bottoms, just east of the town, at a depth of about sixty feet in gravel, from which the water is pumped to a standpipe about one hundred and twenty feet high, built on the hill near the west cor- poration line.

The electric lights, both for street lighting and commercial uses, were in- stalled in 1913 by the company at Greenville, from which city the current is obtained. A gas-pipe line was put in by the Jantha Lighting Company, nat- ural gas, in 1913, and has about two hundred patrons in the two towns.

The business of the two towns is conducted by the following: One bank, six groceries, three dry-goods stores, five restaurants, two bakeries, one hard- ware store, one furniture store, two plumbers, one drug store, two agricul- tural implement stores, one grain elevator, four tobacco warehouses, two coal- yards, one lumber yard, two jewelers, one woodworker, three livery barns, one garage, one auto repair shop, two hotels, one cement block and vault plant, one saw-mill, two blacksmith shops, three butchers, two undertakers, one mon- ument works, and no lawyers, the people being peaceable.

VERONA.

Verona is the latest incorporated village of the county, it having been in- corporated in 1911, with a population of about five hundred. It was originally called West Baltimore. Verona is situated in both Preble and Montgomery counties, at the junction of the line between sections I and 12 of Harrison township with the county line, but much the larger part of the village is in Preble county. The Dayton & Union railroad and the Dayton & Greenville interurban railroad pass through the village.

Verona is surrounded by a very fertile country in both counties, and the business done is quite considerable. The town has one bank, five tobacco ware- houses, one grain elevator, six groceries, one lumber yard, one general store, one hardware store, one grist-mill, one hotel, two restaurants, one plumbing shop, one coal yard, one bakery, one shoemaker, one tinner, one barber, one machine shop and one woodworking shop. The town is now engaged in put- ting in electric lights, both street and commercial, the current being obtained from the Greenville company. It has been decided to pave Main street, about

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three-fourths of a mile long, with bituminous macadam, the expectation being to complete the work in 1915. The first mayor of Verona was E. M. Mc- Griff ; V. J. Shilt, clerk.

The Werts grist-mill was moved from Pyrmout to Verona in 1864, by David Werts and two or three others, the people of the community turning out with wagons and teams to help, so they should have a mill. This mill is still owned by the son, Perry Werts, and his family, who have had pos- session since 1890. The mill has a capacity of fifty barrels and has been a steam mill, but electricity is now being installed as the motive power. The mill does good work and is well patronized by the people.

SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND LODGES.

Until 1882 the children of Verona attended the township school, about one mile west of the village, but in that year the townspeople built a two- room brick school house. A movement is now being agitated for a larger and better building, which the town will soon have. The enrollment of the school the past year has been about one hundred pupils, and V. J. Shilt has been principal since 1899.

There is but one resident physician in the village, Dr. William I. Chris- tian. Dr. H. Hunter practiced in the village for many years and died there some twenty years ago.

The United Brethren church organized a society in the town about the year 1850, holding meetings in the cooper shop. In 1855 the congregation built a brick church, just east of the county line, on land donated by Peter Snyder, who was a Baptist. Reverend Downey was pastor. The congrega- tion grew and the building became too small. In 1906 they built the present brick church, at a cost of about four thousand five hundred dollars, and in 1904 they built a parsonage. The church now numbers about two hundred and twenty members, with a Sunday school enrolling over three hundred. M. I. Comfort is the pastor.

The Methodist Episcopal church was organized in 1883, and in the same year the congregation built a frame church at the west edge of town, on the east bank of Swamp creek, at a cost of some one thousand six hundred dol- lars, much of the work being donated by the members. In 1905 the church was remodeled at about the same cost. When the church started it had twelve members. Reverend Kalbfuss, pastor. William Frye, who is still living, started the movement with a petition signed by those of that faith. The church

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now numbers over fifty members, with a Sunday school of one hundred and twenty-five enrolled. Robert Gilpin has been pastor since 1913.

Lodge No. 544, Knights of Pythias, was organized on February 22, 1892, with twenty-seven charter members, P. D. Werts, first chancellor com- mander. At first the lodge rented a room over Werts' store, then bought a half interest in the building, which it later sold, and in 1909 built its own two-story frame building on the south side of Main street, just east of the electric railroad, at a cost of about five thousand dollars, renting the lower story for business purposes. The lodge now has one hundred and eighty members.

Lodge No. 151, Junior Order of United American Mechanics, was or- ganized in 1902 in Shivadecker's blacksmith shop, with twenty-five charter members. It rented until 1910, in which year it bought the old Knights of Pythias hall on Commercial street and remodeled the same to suit, at a cost of over one thousand dollars. George Shivadecker was the first counsellor. This lodge now has sixty-five members and meets every Wednesday evening.

Verona Grange No. 1630 was organized with sixteen charter members on April 1, 1905, the first master being D. E. Hoffman. The grange owns its own building on East Mill street, costing over two thousand dollars. It now numbers one hundred and fifteen members, meeting weekly, Dan Weaver, master. The granges are doing much good for our agriculturists. To the writer's knowledge, the displays made by this and sister granges, at our county fairs for years past, have been the finest ever made in the county by any parties.

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CHAPTER XXVIII.

MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS OF INTEREST.

As the time drew near for the century mark for Eaton, our people talked of holding a centennial, but after discussion, it was decided to make it a county centennial instead, and July 2, 3 and 4, 1908, were fixed upon as the time. Committees were appointed, and it was decided to call it the "Preble County Home Coming." Months before the event, letters were sent to all known former residents of the county, who had removed to other states during the past fifty years, inviting them to "come home." When the time came, the town was decorated as never before or since. Processions of people came on every road. Our streets were filled, bands were plentiful, speeches were made, and the time generally given over to jollity and good fellowship. Men and women came from as far away as California and Mex- ico. Judges left the bench and doctors forgot their practice to come home. It was a common thing to see some committeeman get old friends together who had been parted so long that faces were forgotten. The weather man even smiled on the event. So it may be said that when we got to be a hun- dred years old we had more happy people than ever before, and the pleasure of its memory will linger longer with our people than any other celebration ever held in the county.

A MEMORABLE GATHERING.

I presume the most spectacular political campaigns ever waged in this county were the two Harrison campaigns. The 1840 campaign, with its pro- cessions, log cabin raisings and hard cider. struck this county with full force; a big mass meeting was held in Eaton with a tremendous crowd present; a procession went to Greenville, and the result was the Whigs swept the county. In 1888, when Ben Harrison, the grandson of Old Tip, was a candidate, the campaign managers concluded to duplicate the performance, and they or- ganized what they called a "walkaround." On the day set the weather was. ideal and crowds and delegations began assembling at Eaton. Shortly after nine o'clock the procession started for Camden, all horses and vehicles pro- fusely decorated and flying the flag. Reaching Camden, they circled the town

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and, joined by other processions, started for West Elkton, where dinner was had about two o'clock in the afternoon; then north through and around Gratis and on to West Alexandria, where speaking was held in the evening.

The writer paused on Morning Star hill to get a good look at a proces- sion of flags and bunting, waving over two miles long; and I think its mem- ory will linger longer than that of any procession I ever saw. The result was the same. The Republicans swept the county. Locally, it will be long re- membered.

LOST IN THE WOODS.

George D. Hendrix used to relate this story, that when his father came to Eaton on April 2, 1806, he brought with him, at first, a daughter, Julia, about twelve years old and a younger child whom he placed in a cabin near the west end of Decatur street, and returned to Camden to bring the balance of the family next day. In the evening the daughter started for the place occupied by Mills, now the northwest corner of Main and Beech streets, for water, and she got lost in the woods. It began getting dark, and she began to hunt a place to hide, when she heard someone chopping, and heading for the sound, came to Mill's camp, and he took her back to her cabin. Mr. Hendrix said that Julia always claimed that, as far as she could tell, her location when she heard the ring of the axe, was about where the court house square is located.

THE "UNDERGROUND RAILWAY."

Many stories of the "Underground Railroad" still linger. When it is remembered that anyone who assisted escaping slaves was proceeded against in the United States court, and that the penalty inflicted on those caught was very severe, the costs and fine frequently bankrupting the victim, even if he escaped the imprisonment which might be added, we, then, can better ap- preciate the grit and determination of those who voluntarily furnished the assistance. When they turned over the runaway to the next station, no explanations or talk, or telling each others names were indulged in; the lack was turned over, and often had disappeared before the conductor got ut of sight ; no chances for conversations, which would be given in evidence. t was business and no questions asked. At West Elkton, one of the most arless conductors was Thomas Stubbs, nicknamed "Mill" Tom Stubbs, to stinguish him. He was a man about medium height, light build, but wiry, rong, quick, absolutely fearless and very reticent. One winter during the ties he hauled eight or nine runaways in a wagon-box on a sled, to a point

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History of Preble County Ohio: Her People, Industries and Institutions, Part 37

Author: R. E. Lowry Publication date: 1915 Publisher: Number of Pages: 985

Author: R. E. Lowry
Publication date: 1915
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 985