USA > Ohio > Seneca County > History of Seneca County, Ohio; a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests, Vo. I > Part 45
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The United Brethren church of Fostoria. dates its regular organization back to 1864, when Rev. Reuben French was ap- pointed preacher, but long prior to this the preachers of Seneca circuit appeared here. Among the original members were Rev. Reuben French (the second pastor). Jacob Kieser. Peter Webber, Michael Schesler. Samuel Young, Abram Overholt. W. Fox and Rev. Levi Moore. Isaac Warner joined the society in 1862 or 1863, and was trustee for twelve years. This society was incor- porated August 10. 1876. T. D. Ingle presided, with Joseph S. Overholt secretary of the meeting. The trustees elected were G. Biles, J. S. Overholt. A reference to the history of Eden town- ship will show that the first society of this denomination was organized at Melmore.
St. Wendelin's Catholic church dates back to 1849 when the first frame church building was erected on Wood and Railroad streets, by Franz Dillery, John Omlor, Diobold Omlor .. John Bick, John Shoen, John Portz, Nicholas Portz, Michael Lynch, James McDonel and others, which was attended by priests from New Reigel once a month until Father Roetzer was appointed by Bishop Rappe and stationed at Findlay. About the year 1859, Father Behrens succeeded. At the beginning of the war Father Dechant was appointed, and during his administration the frame church. which had been poorly built, was repaired at a cost of $1,100. In 1864 he was succeeded by Father Vattman .. About 1868 Father Puetz came and remained until the appointment of Father J. B.
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Jung. About 1875 the latter was succeeded by Rev. M. Arnoldi. to whom is credited the building of the brick and stone church, begun in 1879 and completed in 1880 except the spire. In 1855 Martin Kingseed moved from Tiffin to Fostoria. Prior to this date Franz Dillery, Jr., Martin Schalk, Phillip Schalk. Jacob Bick, Hubert Bettinger, John Bettinger, Nicholas and George Emerine, John Lumberjack. John Persh, Phillip Burcher. George Zeigman, Michael Clancey, George Huth and Jacob Huth were early members.
Baptist Church .- A close communion Baptist society was established at Risdon about 1852, and services were held in the Methodist Episcopal church building. Mr. Bement assisted the Methodists in Sunday School work, but after a time he and his class withdrew and established a Presbyterian Sunday School. which was continued until the founding of the present Presbyterian church.
Presbyterian Church .- This was founded at Fostoria Feb- ruary 25, 1856, with the following named members: Rev. W. C. Turner, James Hill and wife, John Milligan and wife, Caleb Munger and wife. Edwin Bement and Mrs. Jane Reigel. The society was re-organized under the law of 1852. June 26, 1858, with Caleb Munger, president. and. William M. Cake, clerk.
Norris Post. G. A. R., No. 27. was organized under charter May 5th, 1880, with the following named charter members. R. Alcot, W. J. Page. A. Cramer, H. Axt. A. G. Franklin, C. A. Doe. A. M. Dildine. C. W. Thomas, G. II. McDonald. C. L. Brooks, F. R. Stewart. A. Kaufmann, HI. Bordner. M. Adams, S. A. Needham. O. J. De Wolfe. Wm. M. Cake, E. C. Tingle, Allen Hale, Fred Werner, A. Hiteshew. C. C. Jones. O. B. Burdett. II. Newcomer, M. II. Chance. G. W. Fritcher, S. II. Warring, G. W. Young, J. B. Lewis. Ed Preble, JJ. D. Harley, W. P. Thatcher, S. Drenning, John MeCracken, John M. Linhart.
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CHAPTER XX.
VILLAGES OF THE COUNTY
ATTICA-HOW IT WAS NAMED-ORIGINAL PLAT AND ADDITIONS -ATTICA STATION-THEODORE BAUGHMAN, THE SCOUT-ADRIAN- BASCOM-BETTSVILLE-BLOOMVILLE-PLAATS AND INCORPORATION- GREEN SPRINGS-OLD GREEN SPRINGS ACADEMY-MELMORE-NEW RIEGEL-REPUBLIC-CHURCHES OF REPUBLIC AND SCIPIO TOWNSHIP -G. A. R. POST, REPUBLIC.
Seneca county has a number of pretty and growing villages, of which she is so justly proud that sketches of the most important ones are presented in the pages of this chapter. The smaller villages and settlements are noticed in the chapter on "Township Histories."
The village of Attica presents quite a business-like appearance. Main street is well built up and has some large business houses, which denote the enterprise of its citizens. North and south a boulevard extends. bordered by attractive cottages and substantial residences. This street in its extent and general appearance, com- pares very favorably with the residence streets of large cities. The place is fast building up. and ere many years the village of Attica Station and the old Attica will be united by one well built-up thoroughfare. The churches, schools, the newspapers, secret and benevolent societies, literary and art societies, and all the evi- dences of an advanced state in culture and wealth are found here, conferring on this southeastern village of the county an impress of Seneca's growth in all that contributes to public good.
The village of Attica is located in Venice township at the Tiffin and Sandusky roads. The site was selected in 1833, by William and Samuel Miller, and was surveyed for them by David Risdon.
Four years prior to this time Ezra Gilbert built a cabin in the center of what is now the village of Attica, where he kept a tavern and established a post office, winning for it from the department the name of his old home. Attica, New York. Thus the Millers had not to go to the trouble of selecting a name for their new town in the wilderness.
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BLOOMVILLE HIGH SCHOOL.
GREEN SPRING PUBLIC SCHOOL.
VILLAGE SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTY.
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Nathan Merriman's store was also established here, and within five years from the day of Gilbert's settlement the place grew from one log cabin to be a village of twenty dwellings and of a popula- tion bordering on 100. Johnson Ford erected his cabin in 1828. In 1831 the first frame house in the township was erected by Jacob Newkirk in the business center of the village.
Attica was platted April 7, 1833. Miller & Schuyler's addi- tion of Hugh M. Ellis' lands was surveyed in January, 1848, by H. B. Cain for John Miller and Marcus Schuyler. An addition to this was made at the same time for John L. LaMareaux, II. Chandler, Joseph Baughman, John Heckman, John Shuriff and D. K. Burg,
The following named additions were made in 1873-74 and 1875: George Ringle's, October. 1873; David Ringle's, October, 1873; William King's, February, 1875; Finley Ringle's, December, 1874; Boyle & Bemenderfer's, March, 1875. The additions to the village in sections 3 and 10 were authorized by the commis- sioners, October 1, 1875. A petition to extend the limits of Attica corporation was presented to the county board by Lester Sutton, agent, May 26, 1880. The contest which ensued is of record.
Bemenderfer & Gates' addition was surveyed in March, 1882, and Ringle & Lemmon's addition in April, 1882.
The first officers of Attica village, elected April 6, 1850, were : John L. LaMoreaux, mayor; Samuel Miller, clerk; William Rininger, treasurer; S. E. Martin, marshal; Samuel Crobaugh, D. K. Burg, Benjamin Kelly, John Heckman and John Ringle, councilmen ; Samuel Miller, M. R. Moltz. John Lay, Eben. Metcalf, Orlando Miller and James H. Brisco, members of board of education.
Henry Speaker's saw mill was erected between Caroline and Attica in 1831. The power was supplied by oxen. The first grist mill and carding mill was established in 1832. This was simply a conversion of Speaker's old saw mill. The Metcalf steam saw mill was erected in 1836 by Ebenezer and George Metcalf, close to the spot on which the Heabler Mill was afterward built. The fire of March, 1840, destroyed this building. The Kinnaman Steam Saw and Grist Mills were erected at Caroline by Peter Kinnaman.
The first post office at Attica was opened in 1832, with Ezra Gilbert, postmaster, the owner of the first tavern there. In 1833, Nathan Merriman, of Bucyrus, opened the first store. W. M. Miller was postmaster at this point for years.
The old buildings which occupied the site of the William Rininger building. were destroyed by fire in 1853. In 1856 another fire swept away the old William Miller Hotel, northwest corner of Main and Tiffin streets, then conducted by H. M. Chandler. Subsequently the Chandler block was erected on the spot.
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The town of Attica is on the Sandusky division of the Pennsyl- vania lines.
Attica Station is at the crossing of the B. & O. railroad and the Sandusky division of the Pennsylvania railroad. What is now Attica Station was surveyed in 1875, and was given the name of Detroit. Later when a post office was established, it was known as Siam. When the railroad company built a depot here, it was called Attica Station, and the former names were dropped. This gives promise of sometime forming a part of the town of Attica. for already pleasant homes and beautiful residences extend along the main street of Attica, south from the station and north from the town, leaving less than a mile of vacant space.
One of the most noted scouts of the west and southwest, Theodore Baughman, was a Seneca county boy. IIe was born in Attica in 1845. Later he removed with his parents to Michigan. Upon the breaking out of the rebellion and the call for troops, he went to Coldwater to enlist, but was refused on account of his age. In 1863 he enlisted in the Nineteenth Michigan Infantry, and served throughout the war. Then he entered the government service as a scout. He was later noted in literature as a graphic writer, one of his productions being "The Oklahoma Scout." In speaking of himself, he wrote: "I will not dwell upon my boy- hood in Seneca county, which in its details did not differ materially from that of thousands of other hard-working lads. I always had a longing after an adventurous life. The humdrum exper- iences of the farm didn't at all suit my notions. I had plenty of hard work to do and it went against my grain. I spent as much time as I could hunting and fishing along the Sandusky and in roaming all over Seneca county. But there came a time in
my after life when I would have given all I possessed to have been
. back on that farm. During my three years' service in the army, I underwent many hardships. which, as I look back upon, seems almost impossible that I should have stood them. The time I
spent there was precious at my period of life. I ought to have been at school, and had I been. my life might have been different and better. I was in every battle that the grand old Nineteenth Michigan was engaged in, from Resaca to Averysboro.
"My conclusion from a long experience is that a man is his own best friend, and that the help of relatives and friends can never serve as a substitute for a sturdy self-reliance.
"To boys whose imaginations have drawn brilliant pictures of the life of a scout and frontiersman, I would give the same advice Artemus Ward did to the young man who sought Artemus opinion as to the advisibility of entering the marriage state, viz: 'Don't-you would soon become disenchanted. It is a pleasant
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enough life to read about, but the actual experience is a different thing. It is a life hedged about by dangers and tempations. So my boy, if you have a home, stay there. If you have a chance to attend school, do so, and get all the knowledge you can, for you may rest assured it will be found of immense use in after life.'"
Mr. Baughman has passed to that land where wars are un- known, and where scouts are not needed.
The village of Adrian was surveyed in February, 1844, by R. M. Shoemaker for Erastus H. Cook and De Witt C. Henderson, on the west half of the northwest quarter of section 36, Big Spring township. The place was at first called Oregon. Prior to the survey the location was known as Foster's Mills, under which name it was established a postal town early in the thirties, with William White postmaster. He was succeeded by John Carr. The town was later extended into section 35. The early churches of the place were the Methodist, Evangelical, Catholics and the Univer salist. Each built churches there. The town of Adrian is & station on the Big Four railroad.
Bascom is a village of several hundred inhabitants, situated about midway between Tiffin and Fostoria, is a station on the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and is also a station on the electric line running from Tiffin to Fostoria. The author of this work when a mere lad passed through Bascom and was favorably im- pressed with the village and the surrounding country. The name "Bascom" he inferred was given the village in honor of Scott & Bascom, publishers of the Columbus State Journal, and having himself newspaper proclivities he was pleased that one of the craft to which he aspired, was thus honored. His inference as to the origin of the name of the village was not correct. The village of Bascom was platted in 1837.
Fertile farms and beautiful scenery surround the prosperous little village, and near it is the attractive Meadowbrook park, which is quite a popular summer resort for picnic and pleasure parties. Bascom has three churches, the Lutheran and Reformed, the Metho- dist Episcopal and the United Brethren. There are several in- dustries in the vicinity, prominent among which is the brick and tile works.
The Methodist Episcopal is the oldest church in the Old Betts- ville circuit, having been formed at the house of Abram Miller in 1831, and a meeting house was erected shortly after.
The United Brethren church, may be said to be contemporary with the establishment of Seneca circuit. A reference to the history of Eden township points out the beginning of this church in the county. In 1841 Jeremiah Brown was appointed presiding elder, and Alfred Spracklin, preacher, of this circuit.
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The village of Bettsville is in Liberty township, northern part of Seneca county, and is a station on the Pennsylvania railroad. It was surveyed and platted by John Betts, in 1838. The village is pleasantly situated on the south side of the west branch of Wolf creek. The location of a railroad here advanced the business interests materially, and the population is steadily on the increase. A fire in 1880 destroyed one of the finest business blocks in the place. The Anchor mills were erected about the year 1876, by Betts & Miller. Brothers.
C. J. Thomas is postmaster at Bettsville, and James H. David- son is the mayor.
The churches of the place are as follows : The Methodist Episcopal, Rev. C. E. Baron, pastor; the Reformed church; and the Salem Evangelical, Rev. J. M. Staffanni, pastor.
There are about the usual number of industries for a place of its size. There are the Concrete Block Company, the Betts- ville Banking Company, the Telephone Company, and the stone quarries in the vicinity.
The Bettsville Vidette is the name of the local newspaper, and A. J. Whitney is the editor and proprietor.
A petition to incorporate Bettsville was presented to the county board December 11, 1882. by. A. Kirchner, M. Heffner. H. M. Snyder, M. Bower and forty-nine others. This petition was granted February 20, 1883. and a village election held April 21, 1883, with the following result : M. Heffner, mayor; J. L. Hosler, clerk; D. W. Betts, treasurer ; J. Jackson, marshal; M. A. Smith, sealer of weights and measures; H. H. Geyer, John Grover, John Robertson, councilmen for one year; J. Burket, A. Betts. J. Gill, councilmen for two years.
Salem Church at Bettsville was formed previous to 1832, when there were about ten members belonging to the Evangelical Society. The Baker family and a few others were the original members. In 1832 the Betts and Lesher families became members; the Ose- walts, and Peter Vaitley and wife came shortly after and joined the church.
Daniel Martin and his brother Peter built in 1838 the first house in Bettsville.
In 1822 the vanguard of the pioneers arrived in Bloom town- ship, and then was begun that round of labor which resulted in giving to the township and the town of Bloomville a garden spot for all time and a well organized community.
The town of Bloomville has some very enterprising citizens, substantial business buildings, beautiful residences and fine homes. The village presents quite a city appearance, and taking it all in all, the location of the place was an admirable one, and the achieve-
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ments which have placed the business and social life of the village on their present substantial footing must be credited to the exer- tions of its citizens.
Bloomville has a population of nearly one thousand; it has a fine school building, with sufficient capacity for the different grades, and the high school, all first class. John E. Sherck is superintendent of the schools.
There are stone quarries here with quite a large output of hard blue limestone for macadam roads, railroad ballast, concrete con- structions, driveways, side walks, and etc.
Bloomville has a lumber company, a brick and tile manufactur- ing company, wagon and carriage works, city mills, and etc.
The town has also a bank-the Exchange-located in a hand- some new building.
MAIN STREET, BLOOMVILLE.
Frank A. Chatfield is the postmaster at Bloomville, and there are three rural delivery routes from the town.
The churches at Bloomville are the First Baptist, Rev. Free- man Smock, pastor; the Presbyterian church, Rev. Ross Wigman, pastor; the M. E. church, F. S. Fancher, pastor; the Reformed church, Rev. E. M. Beck, pastor; the U. B. church, Rev. E. M. Counseller, pastor.
Bloomville was surveyed in December. 1837. by James Dur- bin, for P. J. Price, Thomas T. and Julius Treat, on section 16. John C. Hunsicker's addition was surveyed June 4, 1852, by G. H. Heming. Huddle's addition was surveyed in April, 1863, by G. H. Heming. for Lewis Huddle, north of New Haven street. Henry Schearer's addition was surveyed April 6, 1871, by Dennis
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Maloy. Conrad Klahr's addition was surveyed by P. H. Ryan, in February, 1872. Ed P. Bliss made an addition in February, 1872, the survey being made by P. H. Ryan. E. J. Turner's addi- tion was surveyed in July, 1873, by Samuel Gray. At the same time he surveyed the plat of Thomas West's addition. Henry Dittenhafer's addition was surveyed by Samuel B. Gray, in March, 1873, and his out-lots in August, 1873. John Kriley's addition was surveyed by S. B. Gray, in April, 1873.
The following additions to the town have since been made : West & Knapp's, surveyed July, 1873; Eli Winter's, surveyed September, 1873; Eli Winter's, surveyed September, 1874; Conrad Klahr's surveyed October, 1873; West's, surveyed August 11, 1873; Melinda Lee's. surveyed March, 1875; Benjamin Knapp's, surveyed January, 1877; Melinda Lee's, surveyed April, 1876; Henry Schafer's, surveyed September, 1880; Northwest, surveyed June, 1880; Kriley's, surveyed May, 1882; Martin Koller's surveyed July, 1883.
A petition, signed by 112 residents of Sections 9, 10, 15 and 16, town 1 north, range 16 east, asking for the incorporation of Bloomville, was presented to the commissioners by John Andrews and Albert Gaetz, agents for petitioners, and then August 22, 1874, permission to organize was given. , The first elections were held in 1875, when Jacob Hossler was elected mayor, vice James Turner, declined nomination ; S. S. Lehman, clerk ; J. T. Reid, S. Holt, L. D. Revington, E. J. Turner, Conrad Klahr, and C. B. Walker, councilmen; John Swigert, treasurer. and E. B. Watson, marshal. In 1876, Henry Schearer, Jefferson Freese and D. H. Watson were elected councilmen.
Thomas T. Treat was the first postmaster at Bloomville, 1837- 38. The Baptist church dates back to May 27, 1827, when the Honey Creek church was organized.
Bloomville is on the Toledo division of the Pennsylvania line of railroads.
Green Springs, a village of near a thousand inhabitants, is situated in Adams township, on the northern boundary of the county and is on the Sandusky division of the "Big Four" railroad. Green Spring Station is on the "Nickel Plate" railroad, less than half a mile distant. Green Springs is an attractive place with wide streets and shady groves. It has long been noted as a health resort, for the Indians called the waters of the sulphur springs "medicine" waters.
The Oak Ridge spring, commonly called the green spring. is noted for its size, beauty and curative properties. The color is a beautiful emerald and very transparent. There is a hotel at this spring which is quite a summer resort on account of the
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medicinal properties of the water, both for drinking and bathing purposes.
To the south from this spring there is a large grove of native trees, the beauty and scenery of which charm the beholder. In the midst of this forest, boiling up cold and clear from the depths of the earth, is an artesian well of purest water.
The Green Springs Echo is an up-to-date paper for a village, and has a well equipped office.
The public school building was destroyed by fire a number of years ago, and as the old academy had been discontinued, that
GREEN SPRINGS GRIST MILL.
structure was remodeled. enlarged and beautified into a very modern and commodious union and high school building, and it is surrounded by large grounds in which are old time forest trees.
The churches in Green Springs are the Methodist, Presbyterian and United Brethren.
There is a bank in the village, having an authorized capital of $25,000.
There is also an old time grist mill, which though antique look- ing is still useful.
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A fire in the place a few years since destroyed considerable property, consisting in part of four business rooms, several dwell- ings and a number of stables. The Tiffin fire department rendered valuable assistance in extinguishing the flames, or greater damage would have resulted.
The settlement here commenced about the year 1830, but the plat of the village was not made until 1839. The location was well selected for it embraces one of the most beautiful tracts of land in Seneca county.
The first postmaster at Green Springs was Daniel H. Dana, appointed about 1840. John B. Maule is the present postmaster.
There is a brick and tile manufactory about a mile and three- fourths from the town.
OLD GREEN SPRINGS ACADEMY.
An academy was founded at Green Springs by the Synod of Toledo in 1881. After two years of such struggles as are incident to new institutions of the kind, it was connected with the Western Reserve University as a preparatory school for Adelbert college. It remained, however, under its own board of trustees, and con- tinued to give special attention to preparation for teaching and general culture, as well as to preparation for college, for a number of years, but it is now numbered among the things of the past.
Melmore is pleasantly situated upon a high bank of Honey creek, and may be considered one of the most beautiful villages in the county. Melmore was quite a trading post at one time. and its citizens were possessed of a spirit of enterprise that would have reflected credit to any locality, but failing to get railroads they accepted the fate of being an inland town without commer- cial facilities with the outside world. The Melmore people made a commendable effort to get the Mad River & Lake Erie railroad, but failing to get it, they have something better-a quiet, home town, rich in the history of the past, for there among other historic events, General Gibson made his famous Fourth of July speech in 1843 which brought him national fame as an orator.
Upon a pleasant day in April, 1910, the writer visited Melmore and had the pleasure of standing beneath the boughs of the old elm tree where the platform stood from which General Gibson made the speech before referred to. A more extended account of this Fourth of July celebration and of General Gibson's speech will be found in another chapter in this work.
Melmore was quite a trading post at one time, and its citizens were possessed of a spirit of enterprise that would have been a credit to any town.
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The land upon which the town is located was entered at the Delaware land office by Case Brown, later one of the proprietors. John C. Jones erected the first dwelling house upon the plat. The first public house was kept by Joshua D. Munsel. The first store in the place was opened by Buckley Hutchins, who settled there in 1824. He was also the first postmaster of the town.
When the first Methodist Episcopal church was erected in Melmore, Amroy Butterfield, the father of Consul W. Butterfield. the historian, was killed by the falling of a beam of timber. This occurred on the 16th day of July, 1836. The son, Consul W. Butterfield, wrote and published a history of Seneca county in 1848, which is still much appreciated and to which the author of this work is much indebted. A sketch of the noted author will be found in the chapter devoted to the "Prominent Men of Seneca County."
The village of New Riegel was surveyed by G. H. Heming in January, 1850, for Anthony Schindler. Walter Myers' addition to New Riegel was surveyed by Heming in April, 1855, within the angle formed by Tiffin and Perry streets. John Werley's addition to New Riegel was surveyed in 1877.
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