History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 45

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196

USA > Ohio > Franklin County > Columbus > History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II > Part 45

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Next, in order of time, among the important industrial associations of the city was the Columbus Typographical Society, which came into existence in 1832. The officers of this society, chosen December 31, 1834, were : President, William C. Morrow ; Vice President, Charles L. Murray; Secretary, Lyman Shepherd ; Treasurer, P. J. Howe; Standing Committee, I. B. Halsey, P. J. Bartholomew, A. Dorough.

Among the industrial phenomena of this period was the frequent publication in the newspapers of such notices as the following, which appeared under date of February 16, 1836 :

One Cent Reward, but no Charges. Ran away from the subscriber February 6, bound girl by the name of Mary Keen, aged nearly fourteen years. All persons are hereby forbid harboring trusting or employing her, under penalty of the law.

The commonness of such notices indicates that many children - thoughtless, perhaps, yet still children - were in those days made outcasts " under penalty of the law " excluding them alike from home and employment.

The competition of the Penitentiary elicited at an early day the protests of labor in Columbus. In April, 1835, a large meeting of mechanics was held at Heyl's Tavern to consult, it was said, as to their general interests " so far as the same might be injured by the cheap labor convicts in the State Prison." Joseph Ridgway, Junior, presided at this meeting, and Smithson E. Wright was its sec- retary. Nothing especial was done except to appoint a committee to ascertain " what is to be the future policy in the management of the Penitentiary on this question."

The subject was further agitated from year to year, intermittently, for several decades. Pursuant, we are told, to an appeal addressed to all who were opposed to the " prison system " then existing, "a vast assemblage of mechanics and other citizens of Columbus and vicinity, variously estimated at from five hundred to one

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thousand, assembled within and around the Baptist Church " on July 1, 1839. A. Stotts was chairman of this meeting, and George W. Slocum and W. D. Morgan were its secretaries. Its resolutions declared : " That the present Penitentiary system should be wholly remodeled; and while we unhesitatingly proclaim our conviction of its injustice, and its degrading tendency and demand its repeal, we deny that we are called upon, either by good sense or precedent, to provide a sub- stitnte."

This meeting was followed by another, on the sixteenth of the same month, at which " the mode of employing the State convicts in the Ohio Penitentiary under the authority of law" was severely denounced. The matter had its par- tisan phases then, as since, and the competition of convicts in the labor market was always a fruitful text for the party which did not happen to have, for the time being, the responsibility of penitentiary management.

The stock books of the Mechanics' Savings Institution were opened to subscrib- ers October 30, 1838; commissioners, P. H. Olmsted, J. Neereamer, N. B. Kelley and Thomas Woods.

On February 25, 1832, the General Assembly passed an act " to authorize and encourage the establishment of agricultural societies " in the several counties of the State. It did little more than provide a method for the organization of such societies. An act of similar purport was passed on March 12, 1839.

A called meeting of the Ohio State Agricultural Society was held at Circle- ville July 14, 1837, and the following officers were elected : President, Joseph Vance; Vice Presidents, John I. Van Meter, Felix Renick, Allen Trimble and William Miller ; Treasurer, S. G. Renick ; Secretary, P. K. Hall; also a board of directors. The next annual meeting was appointed for Circleville, October 17, 1838.

On Jannary 8, 1839, in pursnance of a suggestion from the Lieking County Agricultural Society, "a numerous meeting of the citizens of Ohio" was held at the Statehonse for the purpose of forming a State Agricultural Society. Anthony Walke, of Ross County, was chairman of this meeting; George W. Sharpe, of Delaware, and Alexander Waddle, of Stark, were its secretaries. The representa- tives of Franklin County in this convention were: J., J. L. and G. R. Miner, J. Sullivant, A. W. McCoy, R. Neil, David Nelson, A. S. Chew, John A. Lazell, A. Stimmel, A. Brotherlin, William Miller, William Styerwalt, John Noble, Samuel Medary, William Doherty, B. Thompson, J. Ridgway, Junior, William N. Hub- bell, Demas Adams and John McElvain. A constitution was adopted declaring the purpose of the society to be " to encourage domestic industry in general." Any citizen of the State could become a member on advance payment of a fee of one dollar, and any county society might become auxiliary to the State organiza- tion. Samuel Spangler was chosen president, M. L. Sullivant recording secretary, A. S. Chew corresponding secretary and Lincoln Goodale treasurer. One of the nineteen vice presidents was Jeremiah Miner, of Franklin County, which was further represented by Robert Neil, Alfred Kelley, S. G. Renick and William Neil in the Board of Directors. Resolutions were adopted favoring the early establish- ment of an agricultural paper, under direction of the managers of the society ; pro-

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viding for a committee to memorialize the General Assembly for an appropriation from the State treasury; recommending the organization of auxiliary societies ; in the different counties ; requiring the Board of Directors to appoint each year some member of the society to deliver an annual address; directing that the General Assembly should be memorialized, in the name of the society, to provide for an Agricultural Survey of the State in connection with the Geological Survey then in progress ; and providing for a committee of five to consider the propriety of pur- chasing a tract of land for experiments and establishing thereon an agricultural school. A further resolution provided for memorializing the General Assembly for an act to incorporate the society as a joint stock company ; shares, ten dol- lars each. The following persons were named as members of the Executive Com- mittee: Eli W. Gwyne, Robert Neil, A .. S. Chew, M. L. Sullivant, J. A. Lazell, W. M. Anderson and J. Dille. This committee was instructed to establish an agricultural paper in Columbus, as soon as the necessary funds could be had, and appoint a suitable person to conduct it.

On July 12, 1840, a meeting of stockholders of the State Society was held at Circleville ; on October 22, 1841, the society held an "annual exhibition" at Chillicothe.

These attempts at the organized encouragement of agriculture seem to have produced no permanent or very satisfactory results. They awakened popular inter- est, however, and led to the establishment of an agricultural paper, which served an exceedingly useful purpose as a monitor and medium of communication to the farming element of the State. That paper was the Ohio Cultivator, published in Columbus by M. B. Bateham, beginning in January, 1845. Early in its existence the Cultivator suggested that a State convention should be held for the organiza- tion of a permanent State Board of Agriculture by which proper encourage- ment might be given to county agricultural societies, an agricultural survey pro- moted and means found to stop the destruction of sheep by dogs. Upon this sug- gestion the following contemporary comment was made: " There are not prob- ably, more than half a dozen regularly organized agricultural societies in the eightyone counties of the State ; and not more than half that number are in healthy, vigorous operation."

In pursuance of Mr. Bateham's advice and solicitations a state agricultural convention numbering about 200 delegates was held at Columbus, beginning June 25, 1845.º It was called to order by Governor Mordecai Bartley, on whose motion Ex-Governor Allen Trimble, of Highland, was chosen chairman. J. T. Worthing- ton of Madison, G. Keen of Portage and S. Medary of Franklin were appointed vice chairmen ; Alexander Waddle of Clark and W. H. Ladd, of Jefferson, were named as secretaries In the afternoon the delegates inspected an exhibit of plows and other agricultural implements, accompanied by samples of wool from different parts of Ohio, and from New York, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Some specimens of Durham cattle, owned by M. L. Sullivant, were also exhibited. During the sittings of the convention reports were received from committees on plows, silk and wool, a State Board of Agriculture was appointed, and the Gen- eral Assembly was memorialized to pass, at its next session, a law to accomplish

Jacob Selber

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the following objects : 1. The formation of county or district agricultural socie- ties with corporate powers, said societies annually to choose delegates to a State Society which should assemble once a year at Columbus and choose from its own membership a State Board of Agriculture. 2. An appropriation of seven thousand dollars annually, $2,000 of which should be at the disposal of the State Board, the rest to be distributed to the county boards. 3. Protection of the woolgrowing interest by the imposition of a tax on dogs. 4. Collection of agricultural statis- ties. 5. More effectual punishment for fruitstealing and the destruction of fruit trees. 6. Better facilities for the education of young men in the country, especi- ally in such sciences as pertain to agriculture. 7. Formation of township farm- ers' clubs and libraries. 8. More general diffusion of agricultural information. 9. Repeal of the existing law relative to agriculture. The proceedings of the convention were published in the form of an address to the farmers and friends of agriculture in Ohio.

On October 22, 1845, the members of the State Board appointed by this con- vention met at Columbus. There were present Messrs. Allen Trimble, Greenbury Keen, Samuel Spangler, Darius Lapham, J. P. Kirtland, J. H. Hallock, Joseph Vance, Samuel Medary and M. L. Sullivant. Mr. Sullivant was chosen chairman and Mr. Lapham secretary. Joseph Ridgway was appointed to prepare a memo- rial to the General Assembly and the following resolution was adopted :

That this Board do recommend to the farmers and mechanics of the State to hold a Con- vention and Fair at the City of Columbus in the last week of September or first week of October next.

As a result, doubtless, of the foregoing proceedings " an act for the encourage- ment of agriculture" was passed by the General Assembly, and became a law on February 28, 1846. This law provided for county-treasury aid to county and dis- triet agricultural societies; and for the award of premiums by such societies on improvements and products ; also foran annual report of such awards and improve- ments, and of county agricultural conditions to the State Board of Agriculture. After thus providing, the act named fiftythree persons who should comprise that Board, and prescribed the manner of its organization and succession. The act fur- ther directed that on the first Wednesday in the next ensuing April after its pas- sage the members of the Board, " or any ten of them," should organize; that it should thereafter meet aunually in Columbus on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in December ; and that " the president of each county agricultural society, or other delegates therefrom duly authorized," should be admitted to take part in such meetings and during the same should "elect suitable persons to fill all vacancies in the Ohio State Board of Agriculture." An annual report from the Board to the General Assembly was required, and the act of March 12, 1839, " to authorize and encourage the establishment of agricultural societies " was re- pealed.

On the appointed day in April, 1846, ten of the members named in the act of February 28, met in Columbus. They were Felix Renick, A. E. Strickle, Allen Trimble, S. Medary, M. L. Sullivant, William Gill, David Gregory, Anson How- ard, Jacob Pugsley and John Chaney. Allen Trimble was chosen president of

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the Board, S. Medary secretary and M. L. Sullivant treasurer. An executive committee was appointed and rules for the government of county societies were prepared, together with a list of questions in response to which such societies might furnish the information on which the annual report of the Board might be based.3 At a subsequent meeting held on October 28, same year, the Board adopted resolutions urging the county societies to report statisties and appoint delegates to the annual meeting; advising the formation of farmers' elubs for mutual improvement, and admonishing the General Assembly to provide for the traveling expenses of the Board's members. The first salaried member of the Board was Professor W. W. Mather, who, in 1850, was chosen as its agricultural chemist and corresponding secretary.4 After serving two years Professor Mather resigned and was succeeded as corresponding secretary by George Sprague, who served four years. In 1857, J. H. Klippart became the secretary, in which posi- tion he died (in 1878) after serving nearly twentytwo years. His successor, for six years, was W. T. Chamberlain, who resigned to accept the presideney of the Iowa Agricultural College, and was succeeded by L. N. Bonham, the present sec- retary. Before the Board employed a secretary its annual reports were prepared by its president.

On February 8, 1847, the General Assembly passed an act limiting the mem- bership of the State Board to ten, five to be elected annually for the term of two years. The original members named in the act were Allen Trimble, M. L. Sulli- vant, S. Medary, Darius Lapham, A. E. Strickle, Arthur Watts, M. B. Bateham, John Codding, J. P. Kirtland and Isaac Moore. By further legislation a State Agricultural Fund was created and placed at the disposal of the State Board.

On December 6, 1848, the Board met in Columbus and resolved to hold a State Fair in the ensuing September. A committee was appointed to receive propo- sitions as to location, but owing to the subsequent outbreak of the cholera the action of the Board was recalled and the first Ohio State Fair did not take place until October 2, 3 and 4, 1850, when it was held on the ground then known as Camp Washington, near Cincinnati. One of its notable features was an "agricul- tural ball," given at the Burnet House. During continuance of the exhibition a daily extra train was run between Columbus and Cincinnati.5 Since 1850 the State Fairs have been beld, in the order of their occurrence, at the following places : Columbus, Cleveland, Dayton, Newark, Columbus, Cleveland, Cincin- nati, Sandusky, Zanesville, Dayton (twice), Cleveland (twice), Columbus (twice), Dayton (twice), Toledo (twice), Springfield (twice), Mansfield (twice), and, sinee 1874, continuously at Columbus.

The project of organizing a horticultural society for the city was broached and currently discussed in December, 1844. It was carried into effect at a meet- ing of citizens held at the United States Courthouse on April 10, 1845. At that meeting, of which Bela Latham was chairman and M. B. Bateham secretary, a committee was appointed to frame rules of government. The members of this committee were M. B. Bateham, Joseph Sullivant, Samuel Medary, John Burr, A. E. Glenn. Joseph Ridgway, Junior, and Joel Buttles. At a subsequent meeting, held May 12, a constitution for the Columbus Horticultural Society was adopted,

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and its officers were chosen, as follows : President, Bela Latham ; vice presidents, W. S. Sullivant and Samuel Medary; secretaries, Joseph Sullivant and M. B. Bateham ; treasurer, John W. Andrews; and a board of managers. The society's first regular meeting was held at the United States Courthouse, June 7, 1845, and on September 26 of that year its first exhibition of fruits and flowers took place. Another exhibit was made at the Ambos Hall July 9, 1846, and on September 3 and 4 of that year the society held its annual fair at the Senate Chamber. The display at this fair was very highly commended. Premiums were awarded to the excelling exhibitors. The society's third annual fair was held on September 8 and 9, 1847, in a lower room of the Old Statehouse. This was a meritorious dis- play of fruits, flowers and vegetables, and numerous premiums were awarded. At the annual meeting in March, 1848, Doctor I. G. Jones was chosen president in lieu of Bela Latham, who had served until that time, but owing to failing health declined to continne in office. Doctor Jones continued to serve until his death. In 1848 the society regularly met and held an exhibition every Saturday evening in "its room back of Gwynne's store." Its fourth annual fair was held on September 5 and 6 in the Old Hall of Representatives, which, says a contemporary chronieler, was " fitted up in the most tasteful style, with sheaves of corn, festoons of ever- green and beautiful collections of living exotics." The exhibit, it was said, was very rich and beautiful. Of apples alone there were about seventy kinds, while the flowers included " all the varieties that grace the garden or grow in the eon- servatory, wreathed into bouquets by the fair hands of the ladies." During 1849 and 1850 the society's active operations were suspended on account of the cholera. The expedieney of establishing a society garden began to be discussed early in 1851, and on July 5 of that year a committee which had been appointed to con- sider the project reported that various offers of land for a garden had been received, the tract preferred being one of ten acres " situated on the west bank of Alum Creek, about two miles from High Street, on the Granville Plank Road." This tract was offered by Samuel Barr for two hundred dollars, conditioned upon its use as a garden for five years. The ground was purchased, and on July 18, 1851, a picnic was held upon it by the society, but after much money had been spent in improving the tract it was found to be too wet for a garden. It was therefore sold April 1, 1866, to Jane Bell, from whom it was purchased by the Franklin County Agricultural Society. In 1868 suit was brought by the heirs of Samuel Barr for the proceeds of this sale because of alleged forfeiture of the con- ditions on which the land was originally deeded to the society. The suit was settled in 1872, the society agreeing that $3,000 of the proceeds of the sale and accrued interest, should be held perpetually by the society as a " Samuel Barr Fund for horticultural purposes." The purchase money not being all paid until 1878, the society, meanwhile dormant, was then reorganized, with Henry C. Noble-elected in 1866 and now reelected- as chairman. Exhibitions were held by the society in June, 1878, at the rooms of the State Board of Agriculture, and in September, same year, at the City Hall. At the annual meeting in May, 1879, Hon. N. S. Townshend was elected president.

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In 1841 we hear of more protests by workmen against the " farming out" of " felon labor " at the Penitentiary. In 1844 an Anti-Prison Monopoly Associa- tion " conspicuously opposed the system of contract labor then in vogue, and vig- orously petitioned the General Assembly for its abolition. The association was represented to be an organization of the " mechanics and workingmen of Colum- bus." A meeting of " mechanics " at the United States Courthouse November 20, 1845, condemned " the unjust system of prison monopoly," as the contract system was then called, and suggested that a State convention be held to denounce it.

The scheme of industrial association advocated by Charles Fourier was con- siderably discussed throughout Ohio in 1845, and lectures on the subject were delivered in Columbus by the apostles of the scheme during that year.

A. State assembly of nurserymen and fruitgrowers was held in Columbus on September 29 and 30, 1847. Its proceedings were published in pamphlet form.

One of the earliest labor strikes of which we have any record was an affair of journeymen carpenters in 1848. On April 12 of that year about fifty members of that craft held a meeting at the United States Courthouse and marched in pro- cession, with a band of music and a banner conspicuously inscribed "$1.50." Franklin's birthday anniversary, January 17, was celebrated on that date, in 1848, by the printers of the city, who signalized the occasion by holding an oyster supper at the American House, at which addresses were delivered by Samuel Medary, Henry Reed, J. H. Ewing, State Senator George D. Hendricks, Matthias Martin and others. A " Farmers' Association " was organized January 20, 1849, for the purpose of regulating the price of cordwood. The Ohio Statesman of April 21, same year, said: Sach is the extent of improvements going on in this city at present that it is difficult to find hands to do any kind of work, not already engaged. As regards bricklayers and stonemasons, they cannot be got at all." A World's Industrial Fair was held at London, beginning May 1, 1851. The fol- lowing committee to receive and forward Ohio exhibits was appointed by Gov- ernor Ford : M. L. Sullivant, president ; S. Medary, treasurer; M. B. Bateham, secretary ; Peter Hayden, Joseph Sullivant, J. G. Gest and Arthur Watts.

By action of the State Board of Agriculture, it was directed that the Second Annual State Fair should be held at Columbus in September, 1851, provided the citizens of the capital would contribute the sum of $3,000 to pay expenses. A committee to raise this sum was appointed by the City Council, and was success- ful.6 The fair took place September 24, 25 and 26, 1851, on a tract of thirtyfive acres lying in the angle formed by the National Road (Broad Street) and the Washington Turnpike, near the Old Courthouse, in Franklinton. This land was owned at that time by M. L. Sullivant. In the organization of its management the State Board made the following appointments: Police Marshal, A. W. Brown ; Superintendent of Mechanics' and Manufacturers' Hall, W. A. Gill ; Superinten- dent of Machinery, James Lennox ; Superintendent of Domestic Hall, J. M. Westwater ; Superintendent of Horses, B. Blake; Superintendent of Refreshment Department, C. P. L. Butler; Superintendent of Improvement of Grounds, R. M. Peckham. Hon. William Allen was chosen to deliver the annual address The fair surpassed in some respects that held in Cincinnati the year before and was

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very largly attended. The receipts at the Cincinnati fair were 87,285; at Colum- bus, $8,209. An agricultural ball was given at the Odeon.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society met at the City Hall, September 6, 1851. A constitution for its government was reported by M. L. Sullivant, John Clark, G. S. Innis and S. G. Harris, and was adopted Officers chosen : President, Samuel Medary ; Vice president, Samuel Brush ; Treasurer, G M. Peters; Secre- tary, William Dennison ; Managers, Pliny Curtis, David Taylor, James O'Hara, William L. Miner and W. H. Rarey. A committee for each township was appointed to obtain subscribers to the constitution. The society held its first annual fair on the State Fair Grounds, near Franklinton, October 22, 1851. The exhibit was well spoken of but was evidently very meagre in some departments. Sixtyfive county fairs were held in Ohio this year, about twentyfive of them for the first time. The State Board of Agriculture met in Columbus, December 3, 1851, M. L. Sullivant presiding, and adopted resolutions offered by Ex-Governor Trimble asking the General Assembly to provide an experimental farm. A prop- osition to remove the Institution for the Deaf and Dumb to such a farm was stricken out. It was decided at this meeting to hold the next State Fair at Cleve- land.

The Franklin County Agricultural Society held its annual meeting at the City Hall May 1, 1852, and elected the following officers : President, Samuel Brush ; Vice President, Jacob Sly ; Treasurer, Robert Hume, Junior; Secretary, Benja- min Blake ; Managers, M. L. Sullivant, W. H. Rarey, W. L. Miner, Eli F. Jen- nings and Lucian Buttles. Efforts were made to raise funds to purchase a perma- nent site for the fair, and resulted in the purchase of a tract described as " a bean- tiful lot of five and one half acres " called Eastwood, two miles east of the city. Lucian Buttles, W. L. Miner and M. L. Sullivant were appointed to superintend the improvement of these grounds. The State Agricultural Society assembled in the Hall of Representatives on December 8, 1852, Arthur Watts, of Ross, presid- ing. Delegates were present from sixtythree counties, and reported total receipts, $23,823.69 ; total expenditures, 817,524.18. The General Assembly was memorial- ized to authorize county societies to purchase permanent sites for their annual exhibitions. It was decided to hold the next State Fair at Dayton. The World's Fair to be held in New York in 1853, was extensively advertised this year in Ohio. On June 24, 1852, a National Agricultural Convention was held at Washington. Among the Ohio delegates thereto were M. L. Sullivant, W. W. Mather, S. Medary, S. P. Chase and N. S. Townshend. On October 31, 1852, a State Pomological Convention was held at the City Hall. A large variety of fruits was exhibited, a State Pomological Society was organized, and delegates to an American Pomolog- ical Congress to be held September 13, 1852, were appointed.

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History of the city of Columbus, capital of Ohio, Volume II, Part 45

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co Publication date: 1892 Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co. Number of Pages: 1196

Author: Lee, Alfred Emory, 1838-; W. W. Munsell & Co
Publication date: 1892
Publisher: New York and Chicago : Munsell & Co.
Number of Pages: 1196