History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 72

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104

USA > Ohio > Summit County > History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio > Part 72

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13. Miss Maria Parsons. She graduated from Putnam Seminary in 1857, in which in- stitution she afterward taught two years. She has been employed for some twenty years in the high schools of Zanesville, Mansfield and Akron, in which last she was Principal for seven years. In the fall of 1880, she accepted a call to the Chair of English Literature in the college.

14. H. D. Persons was, during the first year, a Professor in the Preparatory Department and afterward entered the profession of journalism in Union City, Penn.

15. Miss Hattie L. Lowdon. She was teacher of English in the Preparatory Department dur- ing the first year.

16. Wallace Mayo, A. M. He graduated from Tuft's College, Boston, Mass., in 1873, and accepted a call to the Preparatory Depart- ment, as instructor in Latin, Greek and other branches, in 1874. He continued until 1876, when he left and went into business in Akron.

16. Miss Mary E. Stockman, L. A. She was called from a chair in Westbrook Seminary, Maine, in 1874, as teacher of Latin and En- glish in the Preparatory Department, and con- tinued until 1876, when she was called to a position in the Akron High School, which she still holds.

17. Miss Susan E. Chamberlain, M. S. She is a graduate of the college, in the Class of 1873, and was appointed teacher in English, in 1874, in the Preparatory Department. In 1879, she was made Professor of Mathematics in the same department, and, in 1881, she was en- gaged as a teacher of English branches.

18. Miss Jennie Gifford. She is a graduate of the Normal School at Lebanon, Ohio. In 1875, she was engaged as instructor in English branches in the Preparatory Department, and was made Principal of that department and

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Professor of Science and Normal Studies, which position she still holds.

19. Miss Mary B. Jewett, A. B. She grad- uated from the College in the Class of 1876, and was appointed tutor in Latin in the Pre- paratory Department, in which position she remained until 1878, when she accepted a call to a chair in Hiram College, where she still re- mains.

20. William D. Shipman, A. M. He gradu- ated from the college in 1877, and became Pro- fessor of Ancient Languages in the Preparatory Department in 1878, which position he still oe- cupies.

21. Miss Lizzie N. Slade, A. M. (now Mrs. E. F. Voris) was a graduate of the college in the Class of 1877, and became a tutor in the Preparatory Department during the year 1878.

22. Inez L. Shipman, M. S. She graduated from the college in 1876, and, in 1878, was made a tutor in the Preparatory Department, in which position she remained only during that year.

23. James H. Aydelott, B. S. He graduated from the Normal School in Lebanon in 1878, and became tutor in Mathematics in the Pre- paratory Department in 1879, entering, at the same time, the Junior Class, and graduating with the same. In 1881, he was made Pro- fessor of Mathematics in the Preparatory De- partment, which position he still holds.

24. Gustavus Sigel was made Professor of Music at the opening of the college, and held the position until 1879.

25. Mrs. E. L. Rexford was made Director of Music in 1879, and held the position nutil the close of the college year of 1880.

26. Arthur S. Kimball, a graduate of the Boston Conservatory of Music, was made teacher of Vocal Culture and Harmony in 1881.

27. Miss Ella H. Morrison, a graduate of the Musical Department of the Ohio Wesleyan College, was appointed as teacher of instru- mental music in 1881.

Buchtel College, it will be seen, is yet com- paratively a young institution. It has, how- ever, enjoyed a large share of patronage, and is now thoroughly organized and equipped for complete college work. Its courses of study are equal to those of the oldest institutions in the State, and it has all the usual apparatus and appliances for instruction in its several departments. Among its present Faculty it

reckons instructors of large experience, ripe scholarship and rare skill in teaching and dis- cipline. Its aim is thoroughness and exact knowledge, which it seeks to secure by requir- ing faithful application and conscientious work of all its students. The results of its training already appear in many of its graduates, who are rising young men in several of the profes- sions. The authorities insist on a strict classi- fication, and aim to encourage and promote the class spirit-the esprit de corps-in all the classes, believing that in this way alone can the permanent success of a college be secured, though it may sometimes lead through diffi- culties, and require the sacrifice of such stu- dents as are destitute of strength and resolute purpose. No student is allowed to graduate who has not faithfully completed the course which he has chosen.

The college is under the auspices of the Universalist Church, but is not sectarian in its teaching, nor does it attempt in any way to exert upon its students a doctrinal influence. It aims to maintain a high standard of morals, and insists on dignified, refined and genteel de- portment on the part of all under its control. Devotional exercises, conducted by some mem- ber of the Faculty, are held in the assembly room at the opening of every day on which college work is done, and students are required to attend every Sunday the church of their choice, or that which may be designated by their parents or guardians. No excuses from attendance at church are granted to minors, except on request of parents or guardians.

Special facilities are offered by the excellent courses in the Preparatory Department for Normal work, and many young ladies and gen- tlemen intending to follow the profession of teaching in the common and high schools here, pursue the studies preparatory to that work. The Principal of that department is a graduate of a normal school, and has had a large expe- rience in training teachers.

The study of ornamental branches has been provided for, and especial attention is given to vocal culture and instrumental music. In- structors in these departments are permanently connected with the college, and pianos are fur- nished for practice.

The property of the college, including build- ing, grounds, philosophical and chemical appar- atus, furniture, etc., cost originally about $175,-

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000. It has two endowments of $25,000 each given, one by Mrs. L. A. E. Messenger, in mem- ory of her deceased hushand, Rev. George Messenger, and one by John H. Hilton, of Akron. There are also two endowments of $20,000 each, one of which was given by the women of Ohio and Pennsylvania, to endow a Woman's professorship. Of this amount, $10,- 000 were given by Mrs. Chloe Pierce, of Sharps- ville, Penn., and the professorship has been called by her name. The other was endowed by J. R. Buchtel, in the name of his wife, Mrs. Elizabeth Buchtel. There are thirty scholarships of $1,000 each, of which those already pro- ductive are paying six per cent per annum. Of these, two were endowed by residents of Summit County-John K. Smith and Mrs. John H. Hilton.

The students have organized three literary societies-the Bryant and Everett, composed of gentlemen, and the Cary, composed of ladies. They all have well-furnished halls, and two of them have already made a good beginning in the accumulation of libraries.

The Greek-letter societies, or inter-collegiate fraternities are represented by two chapters.

Buchtel College is named after its most muni-

ficent benefactor and real founder, Hon. John R. Buchtel. It will appear from his biography, which is given in another part of this volume, that he has devoted himself to the college with singular consecration from its foundation to the present time. He has come to its assistance in every time of need, and has already bestowed upon it more than $75,000. To its maintenance and endowment he has consecrated his tireless energy and his whole fortune.

Among those who were active and prominent in the foundation of the college, and in its di- rection down to the present time, are deserving of especial mention Rev. George Messenger, whose counsel was of great value amidst the difficulties attending its establishment ; Rev. J. S. Cantwell, whose services as editor of the Star in West were unremitting in its behalf, and who has often spoken for it with great effect in public assemblies ; S. M. Burnham, for many years 'its Secretary ; Avery Spicer, Hon. N. D. Tibbals, E. P. Green, Gen. A. C. Voris, Joy H. Pendleton, F. Schumacher, Henry Blondy, George T. Perkins, James Pierce, and Rev. E. L. Rexford, D. D., active and efficient member of its Board of Trustees, Executive Committee and Committee on Teachers.

CHAPTER XII .*

MIDDLEBURY TOWNSHIP-FOUNDING OF THE VILLAGE-EARLY INDUSTRIES-CHARCOAL MANU_ FACTURE-NAMES OF EARLY SETTLERS-INCORPORATION-FORMATION OF TOWN- SHIP-ANNEXATION TO AKRON-EDUCATION AND RELIGION.

"O, Country! rich in sturdy toil, In all that makes a people great; We hail thee, queen of Buckeye soil, And fling our challenge to the State, We hail thee, queen, whose beauty won Our fathers in their golden years;

A shout for greater days begun, A sigh for sleeping pioneers."

THE American people are becoming fa- mous for their love of celebrities. In opposition to the democratic theory of human equality, they have become genuine hero-worshipers, and usually select their idols from the nobler specimens of the race. They are not particular whether the per- son be dead or in the full vigor of life. So strong has become this sentiment, that the mind

is unsatisfied with homely realities, but seeks faultless conceptions that lie within the magic circle of inspiration. Imagination comes for- ward and decks the images with the flowering attributes of nobility. The location of the be- ing worshiped, in point of time, depends upon the age of the devotee, his moral and intellect- ual temperament, and the natural elevation of his soul. The path which men pursue in life, the dark waves they struggle to repel, the placid waters they endeavor to traverse, and their tem- poral happiness, depends almost wholly upon surrounding circumstances. To the war-like, the names of Alexander and Napoleon will be fresh in the memory forever. Musicians bow in adoration at the grave of Mozart. Poets burst into songs of inspiration over the gothic

* Contributed by W. A. Goodspeed.

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bard of Avon. Philosophers view with wonder the logie of Bacon and Aristotle. Astronomers are astonished at the discoveries of Newton and Laplace. Artists stand entranced before the sublime paintings of Raphael or Angelo. The past is filled with venerated beings, many of whom had no just claims of pre-eminence. The nutrod paths of future years are partially explored by the feeble light of existing human experience ; the present is illumed by the daz- zling genius of the progressive man ; and the past, is seen in spectral relief through the many sided prism of the soul. The distance that lends enchantment to the view of the past, hides a cold sterility. Ideality takes the limpid clay of beings long since returned to dust, re-creates it in the image of divinity, and breathes into it the breath of life. Contemptible creatures are lifted from among the undeserving, and crowned with the bright flowers of unearned greatness and eternal remembrance. Beings with tran- scendent virtues pass into obscurity and forget- fulness. The faculty of the human mind to venerate the dead, had its origin in the general results of evolution. It began in its lowest type in primitive and barbarous man, and as it steadily developed, mortals were deified and gods created. Ancestral worship is universal, and has been from time immemorial. The vir- tues or vices of the dead, as one or the other preponderates, are magnified by the passage of time, thus leading inevitably to hero-worship. The demand for such a sentiment, and its steady and rapid growth when begun, have re- sulted in its universal development in man, and have changed the whole current of his life. De- votion to God is the highest type of hero-wor- ship. Devotion to ancestors is second in degree of reverence, while the great beings of the pres- ent and the shadowy ones of the future, afford perhaps the lowest degree. The fact that history is but a record of the lives of men, and the relation of those lives to the plastic forms of social and political being, renders such a study of vast interest to mankind, in view of the statement that in the past are found the greater number of those heroes who are venerated by the race. Where is the youth who is not told to imitate the virtues of some person long since dead ? The existence of near relationship mul- tiplies the loyalty of the race to the departed ancestors. How tenderly we cherish the mem- ory of a parent or other dear friend, who has

been laid at rest in the silent grave. History is the record of our hopes, ambitions, experi- ences, thoughts, deeds and accomplishments, and, consequently, is the most important study in the curriculum.

But the historian has wandered far from the topic before him, and must retrace his steps. So far as Middlebury has contributed to the history of Summit County, appropriate and ample credit will be given. That it has played the part of a star actor in the drama of the county, becomes evident to those who will take the pains to ex- amine the memorials of its rise and progress. It was at the height of its power and prosperity when Akron was first founded ; and at that time was one of the most important trading- points in Northeastern Ohio. Much of its early history was never recorded, and the fact that all the early settlers are dead, transports the subject to the province of conjecture. An at- tempt, however, has been made to gather the prominent events of early years, with what fidelity the reader is required to determine. A citizen, well known to the people of the county,* writes as follows : " The founder of this village was Capt. Joseph Hart. In 1807, he purchased fifty-four acres of land, including the site now occupied by the village, moved on the farm thus selected, and commenced erecting a mill. He soon after sold one-half of his purchase to Aaron Norton, and the two in company finished the erection of the mill." The building was a one- storied affair, with one run of stone, a large tub wheel, and, from the fact that the Little Cuya- hoga, upon which the mill was located, con- tained three times as much water as at present, it was capable of operating the entire year. Near the spot where it was built, was a natural fall in the stream, of about ten feet. Instead of endeavoring to utilize this fine power, the owners of the mill had built a strong dam about five rods below it, and, at this point, on one side of the stream, was the log grist-mill, and, on the opposite side, a saw-mill, which was built soon afterward. Why the owners did not take advantage of the natural fall of water is difficult to determine. The labor would have been greater, the dam much more insecure, and the cost multiplied, had they done otherwise than they did. At least, these reasons seem to have been in their minds when they selected the mill- site below the fall. A splendid custom work

* Gen. L. V. Bierce.

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was immediately secured, and the mill continued to be, until the building of the canal, the most valuable mechanical enterprise in the county. Settlers came for flour to this mill thirty and forty miles, and the Middlebury Mills became famous. No merchant work was done, as, on account of the enormous cost of transportation, it was impossible to compete with those mills near the consumer. The mill was a godsend to all the settlers for miles around, and was the corner-stone of the Middlebury of sixty years ago. After a few years, Mr. Hart died, and his interest went to his heirs. His son, William J. Hart, afterward a prominent man at Middle- bury, controlled this interest until about the year 1818, when the settlement of the father's estate having been perfected, the son became the owner of one-half interest in the mill. At this time, about 1818, the old mill was torn down, and a new three-storied frame, 30x40 feet, was erected a short distance above it. Two run of stone were employed, and the vast enstom trade was renewed. At the death of Judge Norton, the nature of the mill was altered. The saw-mill was operated successfully until the time when the new grist-mill was built, and was then removed.

It should be noticed that at this time Mid- dlebury did not exist as it does now. Four townships centered at that point, and the vil- lage had not been laid out. Heavy forests covered the land, and stumps and trees could be seen in all directions. In about the year 1810, John and Samuel Preston, then living in Tallmadge, purchased a small portion of the land belonging to Mr. Hart, and erected there- on a small frame building, in which was placed machinery for carding wool and fulling cloth. The machinery was simple, and the work was done largely by hand. Few sheep were in the country at that period, but a few years later the carding-mill had all the custom work it could do. Wool was brought to the mill to be carded, after which it was taken to the cabins to be spun and woven into cloth, and then returned to the mill to be fulled and perhaps dressed. The fulling, dressing and coloring were done by hand. These men continued their enterprise until about the year 1820, when Bagley & Humphrey assumed control, and increased the scope of the mill. They purchased machinery for weaving, and em- ployed a first-class weaver of satinet. They

manufactured considerable cloth, which was mostly used at home. Some five or six hands were employed. Mr. Almon Brown remem- bers that he purchased a suit of inferior broadcloth for the consideration of a barrel of whisky and $2.

One of the industries in early years was a " furnace," erected by Laird & Norton. Con- sidering the meager population in the county at that time, the magnitude of this undertak- ing was gigantic. More than sixty employes were connected with it in one way or the other. The ore was obtained in Springfield, Copley, Northampton and other townships, and consisted of two kinds-bog-iron ore and kid- ney ore or stone ore. Large quantities of the latter were hauled by men with teams and unloaded at the furnace. Here it was first burned on log heaps, under which process it crumbled into lumps about as large as a wal- nut. It was then ready for the melting pro- cess. As soon as the molten ore was ready, it was ladled into moldings, and there received its permanent shape. Many large cast-iron kettles were made, some of them containing a hundred gallons. These were sold to the settlers, and used in the manufacture of pot- ash, of which enormous quantities were pre- pared in the backwoods in early years. Smaller kettles for culinary and domestic purposes were also made. Flat-irons, andirons, chim- ney jambs and other useful articles were also provided. One of the chief articles manu- factured was stoves. These were known as box stoves, or ten-plate stoves. Ten distinct iron plates were cast with holes at the cor- ners, and these were fastened together with iron rods, and sold to the settlers. They were looked upon as the perfection of inventive skill. A house containing one of these, instead of the old fire-place, was supposed to be with- out a care in the world, and its inmates were regarded as the happiest of mortals. The fuel used in this furnace was almost wholly char- coal. A score or more of men were em- ployed to chop the surrounding forests into cord-wood, and experienced colliers were given control of the subsequent proceedings. Under their direction the cord-wood was placed in great bowl-like heaps, often containing 100 cords, after which the whole was covered with several inches of leaves raked up in the forest. This being done, the entire heap was covered

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with some five inches of earth, the leaves serv- ing to prevent the dirt from falling down be- tween the wood. In the center of the heap, a small opening was left, with which air-holes communicated. Here, material was left that fired the kiln after its erection was completed. The fire having been lighted, the blaze slowly ate its way through the heap of wood, under the guidance of the collier, who seemed to know just where it was burning and how rapidly. Care was necessary to prevent the fire from consuming the wood, instead of charring it as desired. A few small air-holes, changed as the charring progressed, were carefully guarded ; and when, in the judgment of the collier, the process was completed, all the air-holes were closed, and in a short time the charcoal was ready to be taken from the kiln. Mr. Beards- lee, who worked in the furnace for a number of years, says, that a premium of a gallon of whisky was promised the collier for each stick of charred cord-wood he could produce un- broken. Sometimes several were found, in which case the liquor was provided and enjoyed. The kiln was first opened on the lower edge, and, as the wood was yet a mass of glowing coals, the fire had to be smothered before the charcoal could be loaded into wagons and taken to the furnace. This smothering was done by means of the covering of earth, but air must be kept from the interior, as otherwise the wood would be wholly consumed and the kiln a total loss. It occasionally happened that, either from the structure of the kiln or its subsequent man- agement, the wood and labor were lost in the manner stated. A novice would be unable to tell when the burning was finished, and when the fire should be smothered out. Not so the collier. He could tell from several signs, the chief one being the settling of the covering of earth. The owners of the furnace employed, as stated above, some sixty hands in the vari- ous departments of mining and hauling the ore, melting it, and from the molten mass manufact- uring the desired article, and cutting the cord- wood and burning the kilns and hauling the charcoal. This industry alone would have founded a village around it, as the greater number of the employes had wives and fam- ilies, who lived in the village. Some twelve or fifteen families lived at the village in 1812, and six or eight years later it had a population of between two and three hundred. Just before

Akron sprang into existence with its gigantic manufacturing interests, the population of Mid- dlebury was almost or quite four hundred, and if the emphatic statements of the early settlers are to be believed, there were no idlers nor loafers.

Another early and important industry was a nail-factory, begun and conducted by the Sum- ner brothers. The enterprise was begun in 1820, and is said to have been the first "com- bined rolling-mill and nail-factory " in Ohio. From three to five hundred pounds of nails were manufactured daily. The heavy iron was taken, and, by repeated rollings, given the de- sired thickness ; then, by means of suitable machinery run by water-power, the plates were cut into rough nails, and the heading and point- ing process was done entirely by hand, the " header " being able to prepare about one hun- dred pounds per day. The iron was largely obtained from New York, Philadelphia and other Eastern cities, and was transported to the village at the enormous cost of 122 cents per pound. This was the cost of transportation alone ; four, six, eight and tenpenny nails were manufactured, and, on account of the scanty supply of ready money, the nails, kettles and other articles manufactured in the village became almost a legal tender. These products were exchanged for farm prod- uce, and many a promissory note was given, payable in nails, kettles or agricultural prod- ucts. The fuel used in the nail factory was charcoal, and many men were employed in this branch of the business. A forge was built on the stream, some distance below the village. The furnace, nail-factory and forge, it is said, were capable of consuming from four hundred to eight hundred bushels of charcoal per day. This fitly illustrates the enormous quantity of charcoal prepared. It was not long before the heavy woods, for several miles around, were leveled with the earth and used in the manner stated. This accounts for the denuded condi- tion of the surrounding country. The nails were sold for about 25 cents per pound, and the enterprise was continued until about the year 1828, and then abandoned. About this time Heine & Sherman owned and conducted a small furnace. They likewise made considera- ble potash. All the establishments having run- ning machinery were operated by water-power, most of them having large overshot wheels. It

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was also about this time that a small machine- shop was erected by Nathan Gillett, Jr., at which cards for the woolen-mills were manu- factured, besides other mechanical articles.

When the furnace was closed in about 1828, Dr. Crosby began manufacturing cast-iron plows on a small scale ; but soon afterward sold out to Daniel Stewart, who enlarged the scope of the enterprise. The plow was " Wood's Patent," and many were manufactured and sold throughout the surrounding country. A Mr. Graham opened a distillery at a spring a short distance east of the grist-mill. This was about 1811, and terminated in 1815. Considerable liquor was manufactured. Mr. Gillett also con- ducted an establishment of the same nature, beginning in about 1817. It was continued in operation a few years, and manufactured whisky at the rate of about eight gallons per day. All this found a speedy home consumption, selling at from 15 to 25 cents per gallon, largely in trade. During all these years, whisky was im- bibed by everybody, and the most respectable people were often engaged in the manufacture that is looked upon with so much disfavor at present. It is stated that all the leading mer- chants at Middlebury, in early years, kept a keg of whisky on their counters, at all times, for the free indulgence of customers. A tavern without a bar-room was a novelty that met with comment and criticism, if it did not meet with studious avoidance from the traveling public. In truth, taverns of this character were compelled to suspend business from a lack of patronage. Abstainers were careful not to adopt the occupation of hotel-keeping. Samuel Newton erected a large hotel in abont 1817, and continued to entertain the public for many years. His old building was burned down but a short time since. He, on one occasion, bought twenty-five barrels of whisky of a man in the Miami Valley, who was compelled to sell, pay- ing 16 cents per gallon, and finding a ready disposal for the whole.

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History of Summit County, with an outline sketch of Ohio, Part 72

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848- Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey Number of Pages: 1104

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?; Graham, A. A. (Albert Adams), 1848-
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago, Baskin & Battey
Number of Pages: 1104