History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II, Part 54

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 680

USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 54

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SAINT MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH.

This was organized about 1840, by Father Neyron, who came from New Albany for that purpose. It is located on section thirty- four, in a settlement made up largely of French and Germans. It is about three miles northeast of Greenville, on the land of

M Kingsbrurger. The church is a hewed-log building, and the organization has not been a very prosperous one. Among the original mem- bers were the Kingburgers, Kresners, Peter Mil- ler, Daniel Missey, J. Naville, M. Naville, T. Keifer, the Stangles, and others. The society flourished for a time, but the church has been on the decline for a number of years. Preach- ing is only had at this place occasionally. The Catholics built a brick church east of this one, in Lafayette township, which is attended by the members of this church principally. They have a parochial school in connection with the church in Lafayette.

THE TOWN OF GREENVILLE.

This township boasts of two towns, which is more than can be said of some other townships in the county.

Greenville was ranked as a village for more than half a century, but was only recently pro- moted to the dignity of a town and clothed with the powers of a municipal government. It is not a large place, but is the second town in size in the county, and once had the honor of com- peting for the county-seat with the now consider- able city of New Albany. Mr. C. W. Cottom, of the latter city, in his very excellent publica- tion on the industries of the county, thus writes regarding this:

It was proposed, so tradition runs, that of the two towns (New Albany and Greenville), the one that made the largest subscription in the way of a donation to the county, should have the county-seat. The contest was an animated one; but finally New Albany bore off the prize by offering a few dol- lars the larger sum, and then adding the donation of a bell for the court-house. This offer of the bell was irresistible, and vanquished the Greenville people.

And so the future of the would-be city was pretty evenly balanced in the scales of fate at one period of its existence, having only the weight of a court-house bell against it. What great events turn upon little things! How differ- ent might have been the fate of Greenville had her citizens put a few more paltry dollars against the seductive charms of a new bell! Instead of being an insignificant town, unsought, unhonored, and almost unknown, it might now be a flourish- ing commercial city, with all the advantages of wealth and influence, and other good things that are supposed to belong to county-seats in gener- al. But it is as it is; and, though its people may have heaved a sigh occasionally over what "might

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have been," there is no evidence that their gen- eral health or longevity suffered, and its people now seem entirely satisfied with a very pretty town in a very healthy location, undisturbed by the scream and thunder of the locomotive or the excitement generally attending the administration of justice.

The location of the town is a little west of the geographical centre of the township. What could have been the motive or incentive for starting the place in its present location is one of the mysteries, as there is no stream near by for water-power and no natural advantages visible to the naked eye. Probably, like Topsy, "it jes growed," without any previous arrangements as to its existence. Fate or fortune or chance seems to govern some things in this world, and among others the location of towns. There must be a town, or some thing resembling a town about every six or eight miles along every railroad and turnpike in the country, else there is a screw loose in the universe; and this law is enforced whether there is any necessity for the town or not, or whether there is any suitable site upon which to build a town, or anything to sus- tain one after it is built. And so, along this great turnpike, over which the commerce of half a continent was to pass (had not the railroads interfered) from Louisville to St. Louis, the country must have the specified number of towns, at specified distances apart, all along its course. If Greenville had not been built, some other. town with some other name would have been at or near the same place, in obedience to this inexorable law. But the fact is, it is an old town, and possesses, for that reason, some rights to existence not held by later towns. It was here before the turnpike, and therefore the latter can- not exactly claim the honor of bringing it into life; but the road was here, and the old Indian trail was here, before the road. These, no doubt, had an influence in determining the location. The road generally followed the Indian trail, but at this point ran a little to the north of it.

Andrew Mundall, a school-teacher from Ken- tucky, came over here about 1806-7, and, follow- ing up the old Indian trail, located one hundred and sixty acres of land, upon, part of which the town now stands. His contemporary, Benjamin Haines, soon afterwards purchased the adjoining section, and some years later they became part-

ners in the laying-out of the town. Mundall had a good spring on his land, and it was very natural for him to erect his cabin near this spring, which yet produces its sweet, sparkling water at the west end of town. Mundall's cabin was the first house in the new town, and the only house on its site for some years prior to the lay- ing out of the place.

The turnpike was then a mud road, and a very poor one, winding among the trees and stumps, with nothing to relieve the monotony of its way through the deep, dark, almost impene- trable forest. After Mundall and Haines had been here several years, and cleared off a little patch of ground on their respective pieces of land, they concluded to join and lay out a town, dividing the plat and the profits and losses be- tween them. . The town was accordingly laid out in May, 1816, the territory at that date being in Clarke county. It was laid out in the form of a parallelogram, on each side of what is now the turnpike, the length from east to west being much greater than the width. There was a public square in the center, and a street, which was ap- propriately called Cross street. The public square, through some misunderstanding, has been enclosed by a fence. Several additions have been made from time to time, and the town now extends into sections thirty-one, thirty-two, and five. The first addition was made by Isaac Stewart, December 10, 1831; the second by William M. Foster, August 20, 1834; and the third by the same gentleman December 1, 1836. Several other additions have been made, yet the town is not extensive.

The old road was an important thoroughfare at that time, and became more so as the country settled, and it assisted materially in settling the country in this vicinity. Like the old Indian trail, it united one of the oldest towns in the western country, Vincennes, with the Falls of the Ohio, upon which the great commercial cities of Louisville and New Albany were already spring- ing into vigorous life. All the towns along this great road, therefore, hoped to become great and important places ; and most of them might have realized their expectations to a certain de- gree, if the railroad had not interfered. Over this road from New Albany to Vincennes passes the old-fashioned stage-coach every day, the dis- tance being one hundred and four miles. West

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one day and east the next, every day, rain or shine, cold or hot, the stage made this journey, carrying its passengers and Uncle Sam's mail. What a wealth of fact and romance was connected with those old stages, and with the old "taverns" that sprang up all along the road, and at which the four mud-bespattered and weary horses, the drivers, and travelers were "entertained " for the night. And around these old taverns often gathered a town in after years. Rather the most surprising thing about this stage-route is that it is still kept up. Notwithstanding the numer- ous railroads, the old-fashioned stage-coach yet passes every other day through Greenville, not going as far, however, as it once did, but from New Albany to Paoli, a distance of forty-one miles, where the turnpike ends. For nearly three-quarters of a century this conveyance has been on this road. It began when the wilder- ness was full of wild animals and wilder men, when it must find its way among the stumps and trees, over roots and through mud-holes and streams, has held its own through all the mighty changes of the time, and now rocks easily along, drawn by two horses, over a smooth macad- amized road, through pleasant, cultivated fields, pretty farms and villages, over streams spanned with iron, and still carrying the mails for our good Uncle Samuel. When Greenville first sprang into existence the roads were frequently so bad that the coach had to be abandoned and the mail carried on a heavy two-wheeled cart drawn by four horses.

The post-office at Greenville was the first one established within the present limits of the town- ship. Here the stages were compelled to stop to change mail. A log tavern was erected on the public square, where the north and south road crosses the turnpike, and here a man named Donahue opened the first tavern in the new place, probably in the second building on the town-plat and the first in the new town. It stood where the hotel of Christian Mosier now stands. From the time of the erection of this tavern the town had a steady growth for a few years. One of the first to settle was a man named McClure, a brother-in-law of Haines, one of the proprietors of the town. He kept one of the necessities of pioneer life (and it seems to be also of the life of the present day), a saloon ; and if selling whiskey and its accompaniments can be

called merchandising, was probably the first mer- chant in the new town.

Isaac Stewart, who made an addition to the town as has been stated, was a very early and in- fluential settler in it. He was one of the first regular merchants, and afterward represented the county in the State Legislature. He subse- quently removed to St. Louis.

James Gregg was also one of the most im- portant of the early pioneers. He was from New Jersey, and came into the little hackwoods town full of life, energy, and work. He conducted at one and the same time a tavern, a tan-yard, a horse-mill and a carding and fulling mill, was subsequently a merchant, and was generally full of business. In 1817 he was appointed a lieu- tenant in the militia of the State by the Gover- nor, Jonathan Jennings, and afterward held acom- mission as colonel in the same. He was known by his title of colonel as long as he lived. . He was something of a carpenter, and built many of the first houses in the new town. It may here be said that one of these first houses is yet stand- ing, having the date "1816" cut in one of the logs. It is weather-boarded over the logs, is now owned by Christian Hampel, and is used as a paint-shop and warehouse combined.

A man named Kirkpatrick was one of the first merchants in Greenville, and was probably the first postmaster.

Benjamin Bower, father-in-law of John B. Ford, previously mentioned, was one of the first settlers of the place. He was from Ohio, and a carpenter. He reared a good-sized family, none of whom are now living in the vicinity.

Daniel D. Porter, a Yankee, and also a tavern- keeper, was one of the early settlers in the new town. He was followed from New England in a few years by his brothers, James and Julius R. The former was a doctor, and the latter a tavern- keeper (taking his brother's place in that busi- ness) and merchant. This family has entirely disappeared from the neighborhood, although prominent in connection with the business inter- ests of the town for many years.

William Foster was for a long time an influ- ential business man in this vicinity. He was a Kentuckian, and moved to the town of Livonia, where he kept a tavern, and subsequently re- moved to Greenville and engaged in the same business. Nearly every other cabin in those

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

pioneer days was a tavern. There was consid- erable travel along the "pike," and these were a necessity. People were coming and going, look- ing at and purchasing land, surveying, and pass- ing through to homes further west; and these old taverns had plenty to do. Each one had a bar; no tavern could be complete without this, and it will be seen by the following extract from the first journal of the county commissioners that the charges for "drinks," as well as some other things, were regulated by that important and, at that time, powerful body. At the meeting Feb- ruary 10, 1819, it was

Ordered, That the tavern-keepers within the county of Floyd observe in their taverns the following rules, lo-wit: for the term of one year-For breakfast, 31% cents; for dinner, 371% cents; for supper, 25 cents; peach or apple brandy and gin, 183% cents a half-pint; whiskey, 1212 cenis a pint; wine, 871/2 cents a pint; spirits, 371% cents a pint; lodging, 121/2 cents a night; corn or oats, 12%% cents a gallon; stabling and hay for one horse a day or night, 3732; for two horses for the same time, 6272 cents.

Arbitrary powers are no longer delegated to county commissioners to establish prices in busi- ness of any kind; nor is it necessary to protect the traveling public that this should now be done. Competition accomplishes the desired result. The tavern-keepers dare not overcharge, or their business will cease. A dinner or breakfast can be had at the country hotels to-day cheaper than in 1819, though "drinks" are higher in price now and more deadly in their results. The whiskey of those days was honest whiskey-to- day it is poisoned whiskey.

William Foster kept his hotel some years, and then engaged in merchandising. He died a number of years since. His son Martin is now a resident of New Albany and superintendent of the turnpike.

As before mentioned, Mr. Kirkpatrick, one of the first merchants, kept the post-office when the village was first started, and for several years thereafter. He was probably follo ved by Daniel P. Porter, who was a merchant and postmaster in 1826. Mr. Porter kept the office in the build- ing immediately east of where it is now kept. Isaac Stewart, better known as Major Stewart, succeeded Porter, and was postmaster in 1829. He was succeeded by D. P. Porter for a second term, and he, in turn by Julius R. Porter. The latter was succeded by William Steele, whose son Martin holds the office at present.

When Dr. Reuben C. Smith came to Green-

ville in 1826, he says there were about a dozen buildings in the place, all log cabins but one; that was a frame building occupied by Major Stewart, then in the mercantile business. Daniel P. Porter was the other merchant at that time. These were the only stores, and they carried pretty fair stocks of all classes of goods, and traded much in produce, as money was a scarce article. They exchanged their wares for the products of the truck-patch, farm and chase. Their goods were purchased at Louisville, as they are to-day, and hauled up in wagons, these wagons returning loaded with produce from this then backwoods village. Porter's store stood on the corner of the square, on the north side of Main street.

There was also a clock factory at that time, kept by a Yankee named Haines, a single man. The manufacture of wooden clocks in various parts of the new country was then quite a busi- ness, and netted the manufacturer a handsome profit, as the clocks sold rapidly. Some of these old wooden clocks are yet to be seen, and are still quietly marking the time. Haines died in the village, and quite a number of his clocks were sold at auction, with other effects.

John Daniel kept store here in all twenty-five or thirty years, and Mr. Smith was also engaged in merchandising, with Charles Sample as part- ner, a number of years. The business of the vil- lage at present may be summed up as follows : There are three hotels (there are no "taverns " nowadays) kept by Christian Mosier, Emil Kram- er, and John Fleisher. Matilda Hemble keeps a dry-goods and fancy-goods store; Alexander Loughmiller,a general grocery and provision store; Marion Steele, a general stock; Roger Comp- · ton, a general stock; J. N. Smith, a grocery, Mrs. J. N. Smith, a millinery store; James Sap- penfield, a shore store; Charles E. Scott, a gro- cery; Henrietta Smith, millinery; Mathias Sap- penfield, grocery; Christian Hemble and James Lipscum, blacksmith shops; John Norris, Sr., an undertaking establishment; Smith & Keethly, Robert Scott, G. W. Morris, James Scott, and John L. Graam, are the coopers. The profes- sions are represented by David Sigler, lawyer, and James Davis, Robert Kay, James Murphy, and Reuben C. Smith, doctors. The latter is the oldest, having been in practice here since 1826.

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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.

Jacob Sheets was one of the oldest and long- est continued blacksmiths. He now resides on a farm near town. There have been a number of tanneries, but there are none at present. Jacob Floor may have been the first tanner, but Gregg's and Major Stewart's tanneries were also in opera- tion in 1826, all in the little ravine that passes north and south through the town. George Sease bought Floor's tannery, and conducted the business many years until he died. Samuel Sease, a brother, subsequently owned and con- ducted a tannery west of town for twenty years or more. David Lukenville was here in the same business a number of years.

James Taylor, who is yet living, is an old resi- dent of the town, and a surviving veteran of the almost forgotten Mexican war. He enlisted in New Albany in a company known as the Spen- cer Grays, recruited by Captain William Sander- son. Those who went from this township, under the first call for volunteers, were James Taylor, Jesse Fox, Edward R. Lunt, and John Jackson. Those who enlisted under the second call were Jesse Stroud, Anderson Moore, and John Gib- son. Mr. Taylor is the only one now living in the township. John Gibson was in the battles around the city of Mexico, was reported missing and has never since been heard from. All others are believed to have returned, but some have since died.

SCHOOLS OF GREENVILLE.

The first schools in the village were subscrip- tion schools; that is, some one who felt qualified to teach passed around a paper among the peo- ple and obtained subscriptions at so much per scholar, for a term of perhaps three months, no public money being available for school purposes during the years of the first settlement of the township. These schools were taught wherever a vacant room or cabin could be obtained for the purpose, and although "select" schools, were very indifferent in quality.

The first school-house was probably the small frame building erected on the public square. When the town was laid out the proprietors re- served a lot near where the Methodist church now stands for school purposes, and this frame building was removed to this lot, where the schools were kept many years, or until the house went into decay. The building was also used for church purposes and public meetings. Among

the early teachers remembered were a German named Huffman and Mr. Roland May.

THE SEMINARY.

Many years ago the Legislature passed a law authorizing the building of a county seminary in each county in the State, to be paid for out of funds to be raised by taxation ; and, if Greenville had failed to secure the county seat, it was more lucky in the competition for the seminary. The location of the seminary was to be determined by the amount of money subscribed towards the erection of the building by the different towns in the county. Greenville subscribed $500, and thus secured the location of the building. A lot of one acre in the town was donated for the pur- pose by Mr. Isaac Redman; upon which the building, a brick, was erected at a cost of $2,800. William Loughmiller was the contractor, and the building was two stories in height and 30x50 feet in dimensions.

In 1852, when the graded-school system came into operation, the Legislature authorized the selling of the county seminaries at public auction. The seminary at Greenville was accordingly sold, bringing $1,000, Jesse J. Brown being the pur- chaser. The district then purchased and used it for common-school purposes until it became un- safe, when it was taken down and the present building erected. At present there are about one hundred and twenty scholars and three teachers in this building.

The first teacher in the new seminary building was Norman J. Coleman. He taught two or three terms and then removed to St. Louis, where he began the practice of law. He subsequently edited a rural paper in that city, and three years ago became Lieutenant-governor of the State. He married one of his pupils at Greenville, Miss Clara Porter.

The township contains nine school-houses at present.

SECRET SOCIETIES.

Among the first of these in the town were the Sons of Temperance and Good Templars. The former organization was in operation as early as 1845. The charter members of the first lodge organized were A. R. Loughmiller, Thomas Bower, Rev. John Peck, Dr. S. Payne, Philip Dosh, William D. Morris, John Russell, The- ophilus Russell, and William Loughmiller. This

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lodge flourished a number of years, and con- tained at one time nearly half a hundred mem- bers. It did a great deal of good, being the first organized resistance to intemperance here. The society grew, flourished, decayed, and died, like all other things mortal, having at least partially fulfilled its mission by implanting in the minds of the people the necessity of restraint in the use of intoxicating liquors. Many a middle-aged man of to-day will point to this good old society as the means by which he was saved from be- coming a drunkard.

The Good Templars flourished a little later than the Sons of Temperance, and were really an off-shoot from the old organization-the ob- ject being the same, the only difference being in the ceremonials.

Probably the late war did as much as as any- thing to break up the temperance organizations. People became absorbed in that great struggle, and lost interest in all other things-indeed all else, even life itself, was considered of minor im- portance.

After the war temperance organizations were revived to a certain extent, but have not generally succeeded in effecting much.

The Greenville lodge of Free and Accepted Masons, No. 416, was organized in 1868 in the village. The charter members were Thomas J. Williams, Jonathan Davis, Seth M. Brown, John G. Armbroster, Robert T. Keithley, George W. Lugenbeel, Robert Standerford, Samuel Thomas, Samuel W. Waltz, and Charles Hemble. The first officers were Samuel W. Waltz, M .; Thomas J. Williams, S. W .; Jonathan Davis, J. W .; Sam- uel Thomas, S .; Seth M. Brown, T .; John G. Armbroster, S. D .; George W. Lugenbeel, J. D .; and Robert Standenford, T. The present officers are George W. Morris, M .; James Taylor, S. W .; John Taylor, J. W .; George W. Smith, secretary; James T. Smith, treasurer; Jonathan Davis, S. D .; John W. Kepley, J. D .; Seth M. Brown, tyler; and John W. Keithley and Washington Pectol, stewards. The present membership is forty-four. The lodge owns a hall in the upper story of the brick flouring-mill.

The Greenville Lodge No. 344, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized March 17, 1870, the charter members being James Beck, Samuel Milligan, Albert McQuiddy, James Banes and James Pierce. It was organized in

Steele's hall, where its meetings are yet held. The first officers were Mathias Sappenfield, N. G .; Jacob J. Miller, V. G .; M. W. Smith, record- ing secretary; James M. Davis, permanent secre- tary, and Thomas Allen, treasurer. The charter members of the lodge were all members of the lodge at New Albany, who only came out for the purpose of organizing this one. The number of members at the organization was seventeen, as follows, besides the officers already named : A. S. C. Miller, J. M. Smith, Elmore Smith, Isaac Wood, C. E. Scott, T. J. Allen, W. L. Allen, William Steele, F. M. Miller, G. H. Buss and S. M. Brown. The present officers are James Sap- penfield, N. G .; E. F. Morris, V. G .; James A. Brown, recording secretary ; M. W. Smith, per- manent secretary, and G. W. Smith, treasurer. The lodge numbers seventy-one members at present.

THE CEMETERY.

Greenville cemetery was laid out December 6, 1852, by Samuel Sease, Julius R. Porter, Reuben C. Smith, C. S. Sample, and Jacob Sheets. There were one hundred and forty-four lots, each fifteen feet square, with convenient alleys four feet wide, and an avenue through the center, north and south, forty-three feet wide.

NOTES OF THE VILLAGE HISTORY.

Greenville was surveyed by George Smith, county surveyor, and incorporated October 28, 1879. The number of voters at that date was one hundred and two, and the number of in- habitants four hundred and one. The village . has not improved for many years, having attained to its present dimensions about +835, when the great woods were yet closely gathered around it.

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History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II, Part 54

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co. Number of Pages: 680

Author: Williams, L.A., & Co., Cleveland
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Cleveland, Ohio : L. A. Williams & Co.
Number of Pages: 680