USA > Ohio > Cuyahoga County > Cleveland > Official report of the centennial celebration of the founding of the city of Cleveland and the settlement of the Western Reserve > Part 7
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The century now closing has been a remarkable one, all will agree. It was only twenty years after the Revolutionary War and the signing of the Declaration of Inde- pendence that our first house was built. Washington was President. Flint-locks and bullets were vying with bows and arrows where shocks of ripened wheat and waving corn now stand. Along the trails of those Indian bands our electric trolley cars now glide. Instead of flint-locks and bullets we have our repeating rifles; instead of ar- rows we have our Gatling guns.
Our standing army is the safeguard of our country. One hundred years ago George Washington made the cogent remark: "The art of war is at once comprehen- sive and complicated. It demands much previous study, and the possession of it in this improved state is always of great moment to the security of a nation." This prin- ciple, as laid down by the Father of our Country, is as true to-day as it was one hun- dred years ago. It is one of the duties men owe to their country to be prepared to defend her; to be both ready and capable of assisting to preserve her public order, and protect the rights of all her citizens.
This is an appropriate place for soldiers to pitch their tents. It is near enough to catch the sound of the waves of old Lake Erie, upon whose surface, not many miles away, was fought one of the fiercest battles of naval history. The old inhabitants used to tell how the villagers ran along the banks of the lake and put their ears to the ground, as the boom of distant guns came rumbling over the waters.
I now take pleasure in presenting, on behalf of the Centennial Commission, to Governor Bushnell as commander-in-chief, this end-of-the-century-encampment, to be known as Camp Moses Cleaveland.
The mayor's speech was accompanied by the thunder of an approach- ing storm, and as he concluded heavy clouds hung over the field. Gov- ernor Bushnell endeavored, however, to make his response. He was roundly applauded as he faced the audience from his carriage, hat in hand. He said :
Mr. Chairman and Mayor McKisson, Officers and Men of the Ohio National Guard, and Officers of the Regular Army :.
" When freedom from her mountain height Unfurled her banner to the air, She tore the azure robe of night, And placed the stars of glory there."
As the last word of this patriotic stanza was spoken, the halyard was pulled and "Old Glory" unfurled itself in its freshness and beauty un- der the lowering skies, while Battery E sent a salute of twenty-one guns to mingle with the roar of the thunder overhead. Rain began to fall rapidly and the governor was forced to postpone further speaking until the scene had been shifted to the tent of Adjutant General Axline. He
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CAMP MOSES CLEAVELAND.
then resumed his address, referring eloquently to the national emblem as follows:
This flag that is here unfurled to the breeze, was adopted as the flag of the Union June 14, 1777, and to maintain the supremacy of which has cost millions of treasure and oceans of blood. But when we consider what this flag stands for, standing as it does for liberty, for freedom, for home and happiness of the whole people of this coun- try, we are reconciled to the sacrifice made that it might be maintained as the ensign and banner of our country. Its original thirteen stars have been increased to forty- five, and this flag now floats over the grandest nation on earth and is respected at home and abroad, upon land and sea. Its beautiful folds are swung to the breeze from every public building and every schoolhouse in our land and there is nothing more fitting than that this beautiful banner, emblem of the glory and strength of our government, should float over this camp of loyal and patriotic officers and men of the National Guard of Ohio and the valiant soldiers of the Union.
You are here in conformity to the law for the purpose of giving time and atten- tion to military duty; and you, officers and men of the regular army, are here by order of the war department not only that you may have additional service in camp, but to assist by your knowledge and experience our citizen 'soldiery who camp here with you. To our sol- diers we owe much for their patriotic service to the country in war and in peace. With a full appreciation and high regard for those of the regular army, I desire here to express my great admiration of the National Guard of our own State. They are entitled to high praise for their fidelity and patriotism and their ever willing service to the State.
Now, Mayor MeKisson, I desire to thank . you, and through you, the people of your mag- nificent city, for the generous gift of this camp, and I hereby accept it for the State and dedicate it for the uses for which you pre- sent it, and christen it Camp Moses Cleaveland in honor of the founder of your beautiful city. And to you, General Axline, as chief director, I deliver this most generous gift of the citi- zens of Cleveland to be used for this encamp- ment. I trust that the time spent here by the National Guard and by the men of the regular army will be useful to all and of great benefit to the State and Nation.
Adjutant-General Axline replied to the governor's speech by saying :
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ADJT. - GEN. H. A. AXLINE.
We accept the trust reposed in us, and hope to be faithful to it. We are now situated as never before, in having a branch of each arm of the regular service with us. We have a model set up before us in the regulars of the United States Army, and we will surely profit by this experience, and acquire greater proficiency and added mili- tary knowledge. We are of the same blood and are imbued with the same patriotism as the regular soldiers. I am proud of the Ohio National Guard, and I have been con- nected with it almost since my early boyhood, and I expect to remain with it until 1 cross the river beyond. You must remember we are only citizens, and once a week only drop our business duties and engagements to meet at our armories and practice how to become true soldiers. The entire National Guard of the country numbers 120,000 men, and the United States Army about 30,000 men. To-day the National Guard of the Union is recognized as one of the strong arms the nation can depend on in times of trouble. Fask you to remember that these men are making sacrifices all the time to belong to the National Guard. They have borne almost everything because they belong to it. They have been hissed and reviled as they walk the streets. We will take this camp and with the support and good-will of the United States Army soldiers here, we hope to make it the ideal camp in the history of the National Guard of Ohio
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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE CITY OF CLEVELAND.
After Adjutant-General Axline's address, refreshments were served. The party then returned to the city, with the exception of Governor Bush- nell and certain members of his staff, who drove to the United States Army camp, where they were pleasantly entertained during the evening.
Continued bad weather interfered with the comfort of those in camp. Instead of the usual mid-summer drouth there was a superabundance of moisture, the soldiers on certain days being forced to wade through mud and water ankle-deep. Later, however, the weather improved suffi- ciently to permit the satisfactory observance of the usual routine, and during the latter part of the encampment, the days were ideal for army life. Immense crowds flocked to the camp to witness the dress parades in the early evenings, especially on Sundays, coming from all parts of the State and city, promenading the streets of the tented villages, listening to band concerts, and forming in rows five or six deep around the sides of the parade ground when the time arrived for the drills.
TROOP A AT CAMP.
The companies were changed from time to time, coming and going according to a pre-arranged programme. The different organizations of the Ohio National Guard in camp and the periods covered by each were as follows:
First Brigade .- First Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Cin- cinnati ; Sixteenth Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Toledo; Toledo Cadets Infantry; Troop A, Cavalry, headquarters at Cleveland. From July 20th to July 25th, inclusive.
Second Brigade .- Eighth Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Chillicothe. From July 28th to August 2d, inclusive.
Third Brigade .- Fourteenth Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Columbus; Second Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Kenton; Ninth Battalion of Infantry. From August 5th to August roth, inclusive.
Fourth Brigade .-- Third Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Springfield; Fifth Regiment of Infantry, headquarters at Cleveland. From August 13th to August 18th, inclusive.
Artillery Brigade. - First Regiment Light Artillery, headquarters at Columbus. From August zist to August 26th, inclusive.
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CAMP MOSES CLEAVELAND.
The following United States troops were detailed to attend the en- campment :
From the Department of the East .- The Seventeenth Regiment of Infantry, stationed at Columbus (().) Barracks, Colonel John S. Poland; Major Francis E. Lacey, superintendent of rifle practice; Captain B. L. Ten Eyck, assistant surgeon; First Lieutenant William C. Wren, ad- jutant; First Lieutenant Robert W. Dowdy, quartermaster. Seven- teenth Infantry Band. Company A, Company C, Company D, Com- pany E, Company F, Company G, Company H.
From the Department of Missouri .- Troop A, Second Cavalry, stationed at Jefferson (Mo.) Barracks. Light Artillery E. First Regi- ment Artillery, stationed at Fort Sheridan, Il1.
Owing to the unfavorable weather and the unsatisfactory condition of the grounds of the original camp, a portion of the Regulars changed their location during their stay. The entire brigade encamped at first on the Perkins Farm, the Seventeenth Infantry from July 18th to August 18th. The Second Battalion encamped on Hon. W. J. White's two-minute farm at Rifle Range from August 12th to August 29th, and from August 29th to September 16th at Euclid Heights, six miles east of the Public Square.
The headquarters of the Seventeenth Infantry and the First Battal- ion were moved from Camp Moses Cleaveland on August 2ist to Euclid Heights. The First Battalion moved from Euclid Heights to Rifle Range on August 29th, remaining there until September 16th. Troop A, Third Cavalry, reached camp on July 19th, and moved from Camp Moses Cleaveland August 12th to Riffe Range. It left Rifle Range and encamped at Euclid Heights September 2d, and returned to its station, Jefferson (Mo.) Barracks, September Irth. Light Battery E encamped at Camp Moses Cleaveland from July 20th to August 27th, when it moved to Euclid Heights, remaining there until September 12th, when it left for its station, Fort Sheridan, Ill.
General Nelson A. Miles, commander-in-chief of the Army, visited the encampment during its progress to conduct an inspection. His presence was made the occasion for a grand review, which attracted large crowds to the grounds. During the existence of the encampment, various social functions relieved the monotony of the daily routine. Many prominent guests were entertained from time to time, among them being ex-Governor and Mrs. MeKinley, Governor and Mrs. Bush- nell, and numerous national, state and city officials.
On the afternoon of July 20th, the following proclamation was issued by Mayor MeKisson, in reference to the approaching celebration of Founder's Day :
MAYOR'S OFFICE. CLEVELAND, O, July 20, 1896. |
In pursuance of action taken by the Cleveland Centennial Commission, Wednes- day, July 22, 1896, has been set aside as Founder's Day, to be celebrated with fitting ex- ercises, commemorating the city's one hundredth anniversary. There will be present on this day large companies of the officials of the States of Connecticut, Ohio and else- where to join in the celebration. A grand parade will be given in the afternoon and an historical pageant in the evening. I respectfully and earnestly solicit the enthusi- astie observance of the day by all citizens in honor of our civic prosperity.
Appreciating the importance of the event and the historie value it possesses, as well as in the interests of a general recognition of the day, I urgently request all busi- ness men and employers to close their places of business at 12 o'clock noon, so far as they can do so without material injury to themselves, in order that all employes may share in the general benefit of the celebration and the enjoyment of the day as a holiday. ROBERT E. MCKISSON, Mayor.
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CHAPTER VI.
OPENING OF THE LOG CABIN.
JULY 21, 1896.
If there was one thing more than another which pleased the pioneers of Cleveland during the Centennial celebration, it was the log cabin on the Public Square. The idea of erecting a cabin in the heart of the city originated with " Father " Addison, an early settler, who believed that there could be found no better object lesson of the rapid passage of time, no better incentive to a proper veneration of the city's founders than this simple structure, filled with relics of the period when the city was young. The qu'aint old house proved to be a point of deep interest for the visitors of the summer, being crowded almost constantly with guests anxious to inspect it, and affording a captivating study for the daily throngs of passers-by.
The cabin was formally dedicated on Tuesday, July 21st, the last 'day of the closing century. At 10 o'clock a reception was held, at which a large number of prominent citizens were present. The ladies of the Early Settlers' Association acted as hostesses, many of them wearing gowns from sixty to a hundred years old. The guests took great delight in examining the cabin. Vases of common field flowers, such as might have been gathered at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River in 1796, adorned the old-fashioned shelves built in the walls, and from the ceiling hung bunches of half-husked corn, strings of dried apples, steel traps, shot. guns and butcher knives. There was a clock in the corner one hundred and seventy-eight years old still keeping time, a tallow-dip lantern, a cane made from timber taken from one of Commodore Perry's ships, and a copy of the Declaration of Independence in a frame made from wood of the Lawrence. Cooking utensils of ancient mold, farming im- plements long out of date, and many other things of historic value were also on exhibition.
At 2: 30 o'clock the dedicatory exercises were held. Thousands of people crowded around the cabin, the audience more than filling the northeast section of the Public Square. The ceremonies were opened with music, after which Rev. Lathrop Cooley offered prayer. Bolivar Butts, Chairman of the Log Cabin Committee, then introduced Hon. Richard C. Parsons, President of the Early Settlers' Association, as chairman of the meeting. Colonel Parsons delivered an eloquent ad- dress, as follows:
We come this day, not to dedicate the log cabin or inaugurate its use in Ohio. We come to honor and pay to it our most sincere homage of 'admiration and regard. We see in it the veritable symbol of our earliest civilization in this country and settle- ment in Ohio. We can look at it and recall the grand old Pilgrims of the Mayflower, Carver and Bradford and White and Winthrop and Miles Standish, with their self- sacrificing, devoted wives standing about the door. We can see Generals Putnam and Parsons and Governor Meigs as they stood, in 1787. before the first log cabin in Mari- etta. We can see the log cabin where Thomas Ewing, of Lancaster, the greatest
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THE LOG CABIN.
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OPENING OF THE LOG CABIN.
lawyer Ohio ever produced, a senator and cabinet minister, was born. We can see the log cabin of Thomas Corwin, a governor of Ohio, senator of the United States, secretary of the treasury, minister to Mexico, and the most brilliant, captivating orator of his age. We can see the little cabin on the banks of the Ohio, where that great general and President of the United States -- Ulysses S. Grant -- was born. A little further north and we come to the log cabin of that brilliant soldier-that thunder- bolt of war-Philip H. Sheridan. And close by this very assembly, in our own county, we can see the log cabin where the scholar, soldier, patriot and President-James A. Garfield-was born and reared. And we can see the sweet faces of those devoted wives and mothers, who knew how to labor and how to pray. How to rear their chil- dren to worship God, and die at last pure as the angels who carried them to the skies.
The log cabin is the cradle of the old statesmen of Ohio, the nursery of her stal- wart sons and daughters. It has long been dedicated to the services of man and the honor of God. If you will cast your eyes a moment across the Ohio River, you will see the log cabin where that hero and President-Andrew Jackson-was born. And not far away the birthplace of the beloved President and martyr-Abraham Lincoln- the great emancipator.
Since the one hundred Pilgrims landed on the bleak shores of New England and laid the foundations of this mighty nation, we have become a people, the richest and most powerful on the globe. We not only live in another era, but we live in a new world. The log cabin of the pioneer has vanished. Great cities have come, filled with costly palaces, comfortable homes, churches, colleges and schools for all the people. Railroads, steamships, electric cars and lights, the mammoth printing press, and the miracle of a daily newspaper filled with the news of a great world, are seen around us. Commerce, agriculture, manufactures, the arts and sciences have given mankind employment and contributed largely to their happiness and education. One hundred years ago Cleveland was a wilderness. To-day she is decorated in holi- day attire like a bride adorned for her husband. Let us thank God for the past, look hopefully to the future and remember that if our dear land one hundred years hence is to be the abode of an intelligent, enterprising, contented, and noble people, it can only be so through a profound love of our institutions, the personal liberty of the citizen under wise and humane laws, and the practice of industry, morality and the most exalted patriotism - then will youth be blessed with prosperity and old age crowned with blessings.
Chairman Parsons then introduced Mayor MeKisson, who made a brief informal speech, in the course of which he said :
Before us are the old log cabin and the old well and the old fence, reminding us of the birthplace of our fathers. From the cabins of which that is a type, went forth the energies that built up this great city and this great nation. The example set us by these sturdy people is, after all, the highest guide we can have for our daily action.
This is a great manufacturing city, yet our manufacturing greatness had its be- ginning in just such structures as that. I'am told that the first industry in Cuyahoga County was a distillery that was erected to supply the great and growing commerce of the West. I suppose that was done to help kill off the Indians. (Laughter. ) How- ever, our industries have flourished until Cleveland has become one of the greatest manufacturing cities of the country.
In this, our day of triumph, let us recall these forerunners of our fortune. Let us build such a superstructure on the foundations they so well laid, that when the next Centennial comes our successors may be able to point to our deeds with the same pride that we point to the deeds of those who preceded us.
The next speaker was Hon. James Lawrence, who referred enter- tainingly to the relies which had come down from former times. He deprecated the fact that no more of these mementos had been preserved. Said he:
It is a subject of regret that the second generation of our people set so little value upon the furniture and household utensils of their fathers, much of which had come down from colonial days. But the false taste prevailing a few years ago prized only what was new and showy, and so many an old clock or spinning wheel or piece of quaint furniture was left exposed to the weather or otherwise destroyed.
The men who laid the foundations of this commonwealth were not, as a rule. ignorant and uncivilized. They came from the settled communities in the East, and
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CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION OF THE CITY OF CLEVELAND.
were accustomed to many of the comforts of life, to orderly government, to the refine- ments of social intercourse, and to the influence of religion and morality. The major- ity of them were intelligent, industrious and frugal. It is true that Governor St. Clair, in 1799, spoke of the inhabitants of the territory as a multitude of indigent and ignorant people, without fixed political principles, many of whom had left nothing but creditors behind them, and who, if they formed a government for themselves, would be more troublesome and more opposed to the measures of the United States than even Kentucky. But it must be remembered that St. Clair was a good deal of an aristocrat, and was, moreover, subject to frequent attacks of the gout. At any rate his multitude of people were but a few thousand, and the real settlement of the country was just be- ginning. At the first session of the territorial legislature, in reply to. the opening ad- dress of the governor, it was declared that the promotion of morality, the suppression of vice, and the encouragement of literature and religion deeply involved the prosperity and happiness of every country, and that no opportunity of advancing these most important objects should be lost. * * *
The ordinance of 1787 for the government of the territory northwest of the river Ohio provides that schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged, and the same provision in substance is found in the Ohio State constitution of 1802 and is continued in the constitution of 1851. While our present common school sys- tem is of a later date, it would be a mistake to think that from the beginning the means of education were not to a considerable extent within the reach of those willing to make sacrifices for it. In nearly every village of importance, academies and classi- cal schools were established by private enterprise, in which the charges for tuition were almost nominal. "These higher schools were often conducted by men of learning, many of them ministers of the gospel, who, in addition to their parish work, and with little expectation of pecuniary reward, devoted themselves to the cause of education. At a very early period, a number of colleges were founded in the wilderness, and al- though the curriculum was probably meager compared with the course of study now offered by our leading institutions of learning, we may well believe that the zeal of the students supplied a good part of the deficiency. After all, it does not so much matter what they studied, provided they gained the power of acquiring knowledge. That they did this is shown by the long list of those who have attained honorable distinction as scholars, statesmen, divines, lawyers, judges and journalists, not only within our own State, but in the newer West where so many sons of Ohio have been conspicuous as leaders of men.
It seems to me that there was more opportunity for individual success in those early days than there is now, although it must be acknowledged that the average con- dition of the people, in respect to the comforts and conveniences of living, is now superior. When all was new, when everything was yet to be done, when everybody had an equal chance, a man of ability and integrity could hardly fail to succeed. There were few specialists then. A man had to be master of the whole of his trade or profession. He was not a mere part of a machine. * *
The growth of cities and larger towns and the decadence of the small country vil- lage are significant of the change in all industrial pursuits. The contrast between the former and present village is far greater than it is between the former and present agricultural population. Once the village was an important business and social cen- ter. A large part of the articles consumed in the neighborhood were made there. The cabinet maker, the hatter, the shoemaker, the blacksmith. the wagon-maker, the tanner, the wool carder, the tailor, the miller, were all manufacturers and of corre- sponding importance. But now the factory has superseded the shop of the old-fash- ioned handicraftsman. Where the conditions are favorable for the location of factories the village has become a city or a large town. When this has not occurred, or where the village has been left remote from railways, it has steadily declined. The inhab- itants of such places represent much of the best blood in the country, but their energies are dulled, their ambition is dead. The youth must either leave home as soon as they are old enough to be of much comfort or help to their parents, or else grow up into an idle and useless manhood.
" And from to-day and from to-night Expecting nothing more, Than yesterday and yesternight Hlad proferred them before."
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