USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. I > Part 50
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123
257
HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
1830 to the Secretary of the Treasury, is attribu- ted the building of the hospitals at Louisville and elsewhere for boatmen on the Western waters. He was an active promoter of historical, literary, and scientific societies, and was regarded as a walking encyclopædia. He was one of the most notable citizens Louisville has ever had. Judge Pirtle died here March 28, 1880, aged eighty years.
COLONEL ANDERSON.
Colonel Thomas Anderson removed to the city this year, with his young bride, from Lexing- ton, where his father settled as a merchant about 1790. James Anderson had come here in 1822, and had already grown to be a prominent mer- chant; and the younger brothers, George W. and John F. Anderson, also became merchants here subsequently. The family was numerous and in- fluential. Colonel Anderson, who had been an officer in the War of 1812, was in due time Presi- dent of the Union Fire Company, of the Fire- man's Insurance company, the Northern branch Bank in Louisville, and the Chamber of Com- merce. He was instrumental in promoting the efficiency of the Fire Department, organized the famous military company called the Louisville Guards, and was ultimately made Colonel of the Louisville Legion, which did eminent service in the war with Mexico. In 1826 he founded the auction and commission house of Thomas Anderson & Company, which is still in business on Main street. He however has been in his grave for more than twenty years, dying August 26, 1861, aged sixty-six. Mrs. Anderson died September 13, 1847.
A DUCAL VISITANT.
A visitor of more than usual distinction favored Louisville this year-Bernhard, Duke of Saxe- Weimar, who afterwards wrote a sprightly book, in two volumes, of Travels through North Amer- ica. He arrived here on the 26th of April, 1826. We make a brief extract from his narrative:
Louisville, at least the main street of it, running parallel with the Ohio, has a good appearance. The street is rather broad, paved, and provided with foot-walks ; it contains brick buildings and several considerable stores. It
fell out luckily enough that the postmaster here, Mr. Gray, had just married his daughter, and in compliment to her gave a splendid party, to which 1 received an invitation. I re- paired to it with Major Davenport, and found an extremely numerous and, contrary to my expectations, even an elegant society. It was a real English rout, so full that many of the
guests were obliged to remain on the steps. I was intro- duced to most of the ladies and gentlemen, was forced to talk a good deal, and found myself very much annoyed by the heat prevailing in the rooms. About 11 o'clock I reached home heartily fatigued.
I took a walk with Major Davenport through the town and to the new canal. It consists of three streets running parallel with the Ohio, of which only the first or front one is built out completely and paved, and of several cross streets which cut the former at right angles. It has several churches, tolerably well built; a new one was begun, but on rather too large a scale. The pious funds were exhausted; therefore a lodge of freemasons undertook the finishing of this grand house, and kept it for their own use. . . A second walk with Major Davenport was directed to the north side of the town, where several respectable country-houses are situated, all built of brick; and then to a handsome wood, through which a causeway runs, which is used by the inhabitants as a pleasure walk. The wood contains very handsome beech trees, sugar-maples, sycamores, and locust trees, also differ- ent species ol nut-bearing trees.
There were two pieces represented at the theatre for the benefit of a Mrs. Drake-Man and Wife, a favorite English drama, and a farce called Three Weeks after Marriage. We were present on this occasion. The proscenium is very small, a confined pit, a single row of boxes, and a gallery. It was well filled; as Mrs. Drake was very much a favorite with the ladies here, all the boxes were full of the fashion- ables of the place. The dramatic corps was very ordinary, with the exception of Mrs. Drake. Most of the actors were dressed very badly, had not committed their parts, and played in a vulgar style. One actor was so intoxicated that he was hardly able to keep his legs.
The noble Duke gives the unlucky Hope Dis- tillery a brief remark. He says that after the company had invested about $70,000 several of its members stopped payment, that one of them got the whole property at auction for $3,000, and that he "would now let any one have it for less."
1827-A LOCAL CENSUS.
The population of the town, by some author- ized enumeration taken this year, had increased to 7,063-a little more than seventy-five per cent. since 1820.
HENCE A CITY TO-BE.
It is an easy inference that the presence of more than seven thousand inhabitants in a West- ern village would inspire ambitions to become a city, especially in view of the prospects which Louisville now had. A meeting of citizens was held on the 3d of November to consider the question of incorporation as such. Mr. Levi Tyler presided at this meeting, and Garnett Dun- can kept its minutes. After due deliberation and discussion, the following resolutions were passed :
33
258
HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
Ist. Resolved, That public convenience renders it import- ant that we ask for the passage of an act incorporating Louis- ville with its enlargements, and giving a city court for the speedy punishment of crimes and the speedy trial of civil suits.
2d. Resolved, That a committee of five citizens be ap- pointed to draft an act of incorporation and to submit the same at an adjournment of this meeting.
3d. Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to confer with the inhabitants of Shippingport and Portland, and the enlargements of Louisville, and to request them to unite with us in this subject.
4th. Resolved, That we esteem the erection of a permanent bridge across the Ohio river, at the most convenient point across the Falls, of the greatest utility to the publie, and cal- culated to enhance the commerce and prosperity of our town, and that we respectfully solicit the Legislature of this State to incorporate a company with competent powers and capital to effect the erection of such a bridge, and that the city of Louisville, when incorporated, should be authorized to raise funds, by loan or otherwise, and to subscribe for - dol- lars of stock in said company.
5th. Resolved, That a committee of seven be appointed to draft a charter for that purpose, and that our representatives be requested to use their best exertions to effect the passage of such charter.
The committee appointed under the second resolution consisted of Daniel Wurtz, Thomas Anderson, S. S. Goodwin, S. S. Nicholas, Gar- nett Duncan; that under the third resolution of Messrs. J. H. Tyler, W. D. Payne, W. S. Ver- non, and that under the fifth of J. H. Tyler, J. Guthrie, J. S. Snead, J. I. Jacob, G. W. Merri- wether, D. R. Poignard, George Keats.
Nothing further was done until the next year, when we shall hear of this movement again.
It is worthy of note that the last act of the Legislature, affecting Louisville as a town gov- erned by Trustees, was passed this year, in a measure annexing Preston's "enlargement" or addition to the town-site. The tract upon which this was laid off has already been under notice, in our annals of the Fourth Decade.
BARLOW'S LOCOMOTIVE.
As another evidence of the progress of the age, it may well be noted that during a part of this year, upon a circular track at Woodland Garden, was exhibited the small locomotive made three years before at Lexington by the inventor, Mr. Thomas H. Barlow. A small car was attached to it, in which many people took their first rail- road ride.
PORK-PACKING ESTABLISHMENTS.
In this year, according to Mr. Casseday, there were two pork-houses in Louisville, one of them owned by Patrick Maxcy, and the other by
Messrs. Colmesnil & O'Beirne. "It was then the custom to buy the hog in small lots from the farmers by means of agents who traveled through the State. These hogs so procured were con- centrated at some point, and corn was bought and fed to them until the time for slaughtering arrived, when they were driven to the city and here butchered. The number of hogs killed by these two houses did not then exceed fifteen thousand."
RIVER MATTERS.
When the ice in the Ohio broke up, January 30th of this year, it had formed a perfect bridge across the river for five weeks. Part of the win- ter was very cold, and the river was unusually low most of the season.
June 9th the steamer Lexington reaches Louis- ville in eight days and twenty-one hours from New Orleans-which was really a very quick trip, among the quickest ever made, and stands in marked contrast to the "fast" trips of a few years before.
AN ENGLISH VISITOR.
About the middle of April an English traveler of some note, Mr. W. Bullock, "F. L. S., etc., etc.," who soon afterwards attempted a land speculation in the foundation of "Hygeia," a village upon the present site of Ludlow, opposite Cincinnati, came up the river from New Orleans. He says, in his Sketch of a Journey :
The tenth day brought us to the flourishing commercial town of Louisville, in Kentucky, one thousand five hundred and forty-two miles from the sea, considered as second only to Cincinnati in the Western States. It is situated in the commencement of the healthy district, but was lately visited by sickness, but not to the degree experienced lower down. The streets are spacious and regular, the houses mostly of brick, and the shops and stores large and well filled with merchandise. The Falls of the Ohio, which are at this place, excepting at high water, prevent large vessels from passing up; we therefore left the Washington and embarked in a smaller vessel above the Falls. On our road up from Shippingport, at the foot of the Falls, we had an oppor- tunity of examining the fine canal and locks, now construct- ing at great expense, to enable vessels of all dimensions to navigate the river at all seasons. It is a great work and cal- culated to be of considerable advantage to this country. We took a hackney coach, of which there were several in the streets, and proceeded to view the town, which is much more extensive than it appears. We visited the museum, which is an appendage to almost every American town. Among the fossil remains therein, I observed the perfect skull and horns of a species of elk which was new to me. The firing of the boat's gun, the constant signal for passengers to come on board, obliged us to shorten our survey.
259
HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
BISHOP MORRIS.
The young Rev. Thomas A. Morris was sent to the Methodist Episcopal charge here this year, and remained two years, going thence to Ohio, where he held important pastorates in Cincinnati and elsewhere. He finally became highly distinguished as editor of the Western Christian Advocate and Bishop of the Church.
1828-THE CITY OF LOUISVILLE,
It was now just fifty years since the little band of colonists, under the sheltering wing of the brave George Rogers Clark, had set down the stakes of civilization on Corn Island, and forty- eight since the town of Louisville was founded by the Virginia Legislature. Nearly ten thou- sand persons now inhabited the busy, big village. Its population had nearly quadrupled during the first decade of the century, had trebled during second, was to mark a growth of 260 per cent. during the present, or third decade; and would steadily more than double its numbers during cach of the next two decades, or until the mid- dle of the new century was reached. It was now, by many hundreds, the largest town in Ken- tucky. We have had in these annals the evi- dences of its even greater growth in wealth and resources, in commerce and manufactures, and have read the praises which travelers had almost uniformly bestowed upon it, and the glowing prophecies with which they hailed its future. Surely, it were full time that Louisville should become a city in organization, in privileges, and name, as it already was, according to American standards, in population, business, and pros- pects.
The preliminary steps, taken by the people of Louisville, have already been recorded. The memorials of the citizens' committee were pre- sented to the Legislature, and favorably received. On the 13th of February, 1829, the desired act of incorporation was passed by that body. Port- land had declined to become a part of the new municipality, but Shippingport, by consent of her people, was included. The boundaries of the city were fixed as follow:
Beginning at the stone bridge over Beargrass creek, near Geiger's mills, thence on a straight line to the upper corner of Jacob Geiger's land
on the Ohio river, and thence by a straight line down the Ohio River, so as to include Corn island and the quarry adjacent thereto, and thence to the upper boundary of Shippingport to the back line thereof, and the same course con- tinued until it intersects the back line of the town of Louisville, when extended westwardly far enough to meet the said line extending out from the river with the upper boundary of Shipping- port, thence from the said intersection to the south or back line of the present town of Louis- vllle, and with the said back line to the fork of Beargrass creek, thence down the middle there- of to the beginning.
Mr. Casseday gives the following summary of the first city charter Louisville has had:
The usual powers of a municipal body were vested in a Mayor and City Council, consisting of ten persons. The city was divided into five wards, each entitled to two Coun- cilmen, who were to be elected annually. These elections were to be held on the first Monday in every March. On election, the Mayor and Councilmen were to take an oath of office, and these oaths were recorded. They were to choose a clerk annually, whose duty it should be to keep a record of the proceedings of the board, sign all warrants issued by them, and to deliver over to his successor all books and papers entrusted to him. Five Councilmen and the Mayor or six Councilmen should constitute a quorum. The meetings of the board were to be public, and the Mayor's salary should be fixed by the Councilmen. The Mayor was not allowed any judicial authority in civil matters, but had the power of a justice of the peace over slaves and free negroes, and similar powers to require surety for good be- havior and for the peace, and the power assigned to two Justices of the Peace in committing criminal offenders and sending them on for trial ; he also had the casting vote in case of a tie in the board over which he presided, but had no vote otherwise. The powers before delegated to the Trustees were now vested in the Mayor and Council, and in addition to these were granted power to prohibit the erection of wooden buildings within certain limits, to erect suitable buildings for a poor- and work-house, to establish one or more free schools in each ward, to elect all subordinate of- ficers, and to pass by-laws with adequate penalties for their infraction. The office of City Marshal was also created by the act. He was to be chosen annually by the people, and, if required by the Council, he was to have a resident deputy in each ward of the city. His duties were to preserve order at all sessions of the Mayor and Council, and to execute all processes emanating from the Mayor. He was to be ap- pointed City Collector and State Collector within the city. He was to execute bond, with sufficient security, before the Mayor and Council, to the State, for the performance of his duties, and a lien was retained on all lands and slaves, and on those of his sureties, for all sums of money which came into his hands. He had the same powers and duties as a sheriff, and received the same fees. Not less than two per- sons were to be voted for as Mayor, and the two having the highest vote for this office were to be certified to the Gov- ernor, one of whom was by him to be commissioned and sub- mitted to the Senate for their advice and consent. This
260
HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
charter was to be in force for five years after its passage, and no longer ; and upon the dissolution of the corporation, all property was to revert to the Trustees of the town, to be chosen or appointed as heretofore directed by law.
THE FIRST CITY OFFICERS.
The first local election under the charter was held on the 4th of the following March, only nineteen days after the act passed the Legis- lature. Considerable interest was developed by it, and the short canvass was highly animated. Messrs. J. C. Bucklin and W. Tompkins were the rival candidates for mayor, and the former got in by a very close majority. The majority of Mr. W. A. Cocke, for city marshal, however, was large. The following named gentlemen were chosen councilmen from the several wards: John M. Talbott, W. D. Payne, George W. Merri- wether, Richard Hall, James Harrison, J. Mc- Gilly Cuddy, John Warren, Elisha Applegate, Daniel McAllister, and Fred Turner. The corps of city officers was complete by the popular election or appointment by the board of council- men of Samuel Dickinson, clerk; E. D. Hobbs, city surveyor; John P. Tunstall, city collector ; M. R. Wigginton, city attorney; Fred Turner, marshal; and S. S. Goodwin and John O'Bierne, port wardens.
THE GROWTH OF BUSINESS.
We present here some further illustrations of the growing business interests of the new city. Hardly anything, perhaps, would better show the rapid increase of commercial transactions than the official statement, from the United States Branch Bank located here, of the amount of do- mestic bills of exchange on hand and unpaid in that one institution at the beginning of each of four years. The statistics are as follow: Bills of exchange on hand January 1, 1826, $46,392; January 1, 1827, $108,287; January 1, 1828, $184,144; January 1, 1829, $350,354.
The total business of this year in Louisville, as estimated from a careful examination of the books of the leading houses, was not less than $13,000,000.
The number of the Louisville Focus for Jan- uary 20th contained an article, written by an ev- idently well-informed contributor, which exhibits the volume of transactions in several of the prin- cipal articles of commerce, and their prices about this time. Mr. Casseday gives the following summary of the communication :
.
He says that from Ist of January, 1828, to Ist of January, 1829, there were received and sold in this place 4, 144 hogs- heads of sugar and 8,607 bags and barrels of coffee, amount- ing in valne to $584,681. He also fixes the inspections of to- bacco in Louisville at 2,050 hogsheads for 1826, 4,354 hogs- heads for 1827, and 4,075 hogsheads for 1828. The average price of these was, for 1826, $2.67, for 1827, $2.59, and for 1828, $1.981/3. The whole value of these for the three years was $468,672.88. One thousand one hundred and forty of these were shipped to Pittsburg, 3,048 to New Orleans, 320 manufactured here, and 458 were stemmed. In this article sugars are quoted at $7.04 to $7.02 by the barrel, gunpowder tea at $1.20 to $1.25; and it also states that groceries of all kinds can be had here at as cheap rates as they can be pro- cured either in New York or New Orleans.
A writer in the Kentucky Reporter also adds to this infor- mation the following statement: " The store rooms of the principal wholesale merchants are larger and better adapted to business purposes than any to be found in the commercial . cities of the East. Not a few of them are from one hundred to one hundred and thirty feet in depth, by thirty feet wide, and from three to four stories high, and furnished with fire- proof vaults for the preservation of books and papers in case of fire. The wholesale business has increased very rapidly of late, perhaps doubled in the course of two years. There has also been a proportionate increase in the shipping and for- warding business., Mechanics of all sorts have full employ- ment and good wages."
JUDGE BULLOCK IMMIGRATES.
In this year came to the city, from his native home in Fayette county, William F. Bullock, Esq., a young lawyer but twenty-one years old, a graduate of Transylvania University, and son of a former Speaker of the Kentucky State Senate. He soon became prominent in law and politics, was a member of the Legislature in the years 1838-40-41, and was largely influential in the introduction of the common-school system and other important measures, including more lib- eral and enlightened provision for the insane and the blind of the State. He has been presi- dent of the board of trustees of the Blind Asylum during large part of its existence, has also been priesident of the American Printing House for the Blind, located at the asylum, and of the Cooke Benevolent Institution for the care of in- digent women. In 1846 he was appointed judge of the fifth judicial circuit, and, after the new State constitution was adopted, he was elected to that office by the people. In 1849 he was chosen professor of the law of real property and the practice of law, including pleading and evi- dence, and filled the post for twenty-one years. He is still living, and in full practice.
THE NOTORIOUS MRS. TROLLOPE.
One of the most remarkable visitors who has ever set foot in Louisville was here for a short
261
HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
time in the early spring of this year, in the fleshy, rotund, but keen-eyed person of Mrs. Elizabeth Trollope, an English authority of some note in her day, and mother of the distinguished literati Anthony and Thomas Trollope. One of her sons was with her, also two daughters; but the husband was still in England. They went on to Cincinnati, where the Madanie took a house at "Mohawk,"-a village near the city, but now far within it, her old residence forming a part of the works of the Hamilton road pottery-and pres- ently began the erection of the famous Bazar building on Third street, east of Broadway, ostensibly to set her son up in a European sort of business. This, however, proved ill adapted to the conditions of society and business in the New World, and was a financial failure. Mrs. Trollope's venture was sold out by the sheriff, and she departed in disgust early in 1830. Her disappointment there doubtless had much to do with the gall and bitterness that filled her subse- quent book on The Domestic Manners of the Americans, which made her name a synonym for scold and vilifier throughout this country. The Bazar remained, however, one of the curiosities of Cincinnati, until March, 1881, when it was torn down.
Mrs. Trollope says in her book :
Louisville is a considerable town, prettily situate on the Kentucky or south side of the Ohio. We spent some hours in seeing all it had to show ; and had I not been told that a bad fever often rages there during the warm season, I should have liked to pass some months there, for the purpose of ex- ploring the beautiful country in its vicinity. Frankfort and Lexington are both towns worth visiting, though, from their being out-of-the-way places, I never got to either. The first is the seat of the State government of Kentucky, and the last is, I was told, the residence of several independent families, who, with more leisure than is usually enjoyed in America, have its natural accompaniment, more refinement.
The Falls of the Ohio are about a mile below Louisville, and produce a rapid too sudden for the boats to pass, except in the rainy season. The passengers are obliged to get out below them, and travel by land to Louisville, where they find other vessels ready to receive them for the remainder of the voyage. We were spared this inconvenience by the water being too high for the rapid to be much felt, and it will soon be altogether removed by the Louisville canal coming into operation, which will permit the steamboats to continue their progress from below the Falls to the town.
The scene on the Kentucky side is much finer than on that of Indiana or Ohio. The State of Kentucky was the darling spot of many tribes of Indians, and was reserved among them as a common huuting-ground; it is said that they cannot yet name it without emotion, and that they have a sad and wild lament that they still chant to its memory. But their exclusion thence is of no recent date; Kentucky
has been longer settled than the Illinois, Indiana, or Ohio, and it appears not only more highly cultivated, but more fertile and more picturesque than either. I have rarely seen richer pastures than those of Kentucky. The forest trees, when not too crowded, are of magnificent growth, and the crops are gloriously abundant where the thriftless husbandry has not worn out the soil by an unvarying succession of ex- hausting crops. We were shown ground which had borne abundant crops of wheat for twenty successive years; but a much shorter period suffices to exhaust the ground, if it were made to produce tobacco without the intermission of some other crop.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.