USA > Ohio > Knox County > Past and present of Knox County, Ohio, Vol. I > Part 7
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Silas Brown appeared and gave security for the collection of taxes.
Ordered that the commissioners do receive the jail from the hands of John Mills, Alexander Walker and James Walker, Sr., provided they do saw down the corners of the jail. Then our clerk shall issue to them four hun- dred thirty-three dollars and fifty cents as per agreement. Wolf bounty was raised to two dollars per scalp.
Ordered that Henry Haines be appointed treasurer of this county for one year. He appeared and gave bonds.
Taverns in Mt. Vernon were also taken up and taxed six dollars per year and in all other towns in Knox county the sum of five dollars.
Rates of ferriage within Knox county were fixed as follows: On each foot person, six and one-fourth cents ; on each man and horse, eighteen and three-fourths cents ; on a wagon and team, fifty cents; on every horse, mare or mule, ten cents ; on every hog or sheep, three cents.
A public road was ordered made from Fredericktown to Mt. Vernon and one to Mansfield, Jacob Young appointed supervisor of such road making.
June session, 1809-Ordered that James Morgan be taxed four-fold for refusing to give in four horses to the lister of Union township.
Madison township, Richland county, was established.
William Douglas got a road allowed from Mt. Vernon to his mill via Clinton.
ANOTHER COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
On page one, book "A," appears another record of a new county gov- ernment, dated May 2, 1808, with Joseph Walker, John Harrod and John
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Lewis, who at once commenced to establish boundaries and areas of town- ships, and gave them names. Road making and "laying out" received more attention.
June 6, 1808, the record shows that it was ordered by the commissioners that a jail be built in the town of Mt. Vernon, twenty-four feet long, sixteen feet wide and nine feet high, of one foot square timber, etc.
May 2. 1809, the jail is received and the contractors dismissed from their bonds.
In 1809 the records show that horses were only taxed thirty cents each and cows ten cents. The land tax in Wayne township that year amounted to only sixty-four dollars and forty-seven cents.
June. 1810, a jailor's house was ordered erected in Mt. Vernon sixteen feet square. A whole page is devoted in the records as to how it should be built and finished. This building was accepted in November the same year.
Journal "A," page 138, dated May 4, 1811, appears the first item con- cerning a court house for Knox county. Plans are there seen calling for a building thirty-six feet square. Henry Markley, William Douglass and Rob- ert McMillen were commissioners at that date. June II, that year, a contract was let for the construction of said court house to Solomon Geller and George Downs for the sum of two thousand four hundred thirty dollars, with a bond given for five thousand dollars.
The record seems missing up to 1816 so far as any important acts are concerned.
November, 1816-Commissioners met and ordered some improvements made on the court house and advertised their wants in the Ohio Register, Knox county's first paper. John Frank got the repair contract at one hun- dred dollars.
March 3, 1818-The treasurer of Knox county was ordered to place certain funds with cashier of the Owl Creek Bank for safe keeping.
Mention is made of a bridge across Owl creek, south of Mt. Vernon, and speak of a fund of six hundred seventy-five dollars and thirty cents by ap- propriation of the Legislature.
August, 1818-Jailor Michael Click was allowed a bill for housing two negroes two nights and days, two dollars and twenty cents.
Auditor's duplicates are first mentioned in April, 1819.
December, 1819. the Baptist church was allowed the privilege of using the court house for preaching, providing they add twenty-four feet more of benches.
In 1821 the county treasurer was allowed the salary of one hundred and fifty dollars.
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Early in 1822 about one thousand dollars in repairs were placed on the court house, Reason Yates doing the work. The same season the bounty on wolf scalps increased to three dollars on old wolves and half that sum for young wolves.
In 1822 certain amounts were paid back to parties advancing money with which to purchase a bell for the dome of the court house.
December 24, 1823, a new jail and jailor's house was ordered erected. This was to be on the public square in Mt. Vernon. The new jailor's build- ing was accepted in October, 1825. In October that year the old jail and jailor's house were sold to William Y. Farquhar for twenty-five dollars, and his note taken for the same.
In December, 1825, five dollars was allowed for a plat of the town of .
Fredericktown.
In 1826 it was ordered that a "necessary house" be built on the public square by Ira Babcock for one hundred and thirty dollars.
September, 1826, the commissioners pay off Solomon Teller for his work on the jail and jail house. He received part cash and a deed of land for the balance.
October, 1828-A stone wall was ordered constructed to support the court house, on Market street. In December the same year, it was ordered that the clerk cause notices to be published in the newspapers calling for donations towards the building of a court house in Mt. Vernon.
September 1, 1829-A new court house was ordered built on the public square, which fact was to be advertised in the papers to contractors and bid- ders. Eight pages of record is given by the board in way of specifications, etc.
Among the bills paid from the county treasury in November, 1818, were the following: To Anthony Banning, for one hundred and eighty-two and a half pounds of iron and brick for the jail; twenty-six dollars and twenty-five cents to Archibald Crofferd for the following for the county : One pair hand- cuffs, three dollars; one hasp, a dollar and fifty cents; two gates, thirteen dollars and eighteen cents; eight spikes, fifty cents: further the contract was awarded to William Douglass at one hundred and twenty-five dollars to make improvements on the county jail and jailor's house. The county com- missioners seemed determined on making the jail burglar proof if possible.
October 5, 1829-Commissioners article with John Shaw to build the new court house for the sum of five thousand four hundred eighty-five dollars.
June 5, 1835-Ordered that a tax of one mill be levied for court house purposes ; two mills for road and one for school purposes.
June 6, 1835-Commissioners are seeking out a piece of land for poor house purposes.
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Some court house tangle seems to have crossed the pathway of the worthy county "dads," for in the proceedings of their deliberations on July 7, 1835, it was "Resolved by the commissioners that they do not recognize any authority by which the county can erect or finish a court house. It is therefore ordered that the auditor issue no order on the county treasury by order of said court unless expressly defined by law."
June 26, 1838, it was ordered that a survey and draft for a bridge at the foot of Main street, Mt. Vernon, be made.
June, 1843, a kitchen was ordered added to the county jail.
In 1846 occurs the first item in the county books concerning railroad projects. It is this: October 28, 1846-Certificate of clerk of the courts to the effect that the railroad tax or subscription proposition had received 3,582 votes and against the same, 1, 129 votes.
New bridges were ordered over Owl creek and Dry creek, citizens having subscribed two thousand dollars to aid in the enterprise. C. P. Buckingham was appointed superintendent.
The grand jury and sheriff of the county demanded a new jail in 1851. They got it too and it still stands, but is no longer the pride of Knox county and Mt. Vernon! It is old, unsightly and obscures the view of the north portion of the court house.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS-COURT HOUSE, JAIL, ETC.
Knox county has thus far had four court houses. Three were situated on the present public square and the fourth and last structure was erected on the hill on the north side of High street. The history of court house building here has been interesting, though many of the points have been lost with the lapse of time. But the following covers the chief points in which the present generation will be most interested.
A log court house first adorned the public square in 1808 or 1809. It stood on the south side of High and west side of Main streets, facing Main street. Its size was fifteen by eighteen feet, and was only one story high. It was roofed by clapboards held in place by "lug-poles," and for quite a while was actually lighted by means of greased paper windows, same as the early school houses had. In one end was a mud fire place and huge chimney. The floor was only mother earth. This primitive building served about four years until the county could afford a better place in which to keep its books, hold its courts, etc.
In 18II a brick building was provided on the square, facing High street, not far from and east of Main street. Its cost was two thousand four hundred
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thirty dollars. The contract for its construction was awarded in June, 1811, to Solomon Geller and George Downs. The ground upon which it stood was more than ten feet higher than at present time, and while grading thereabouts in 1828 Mr. Morton plowed so near the foundation that it was weakened and later caused its downfall. This was a square structure, two stories high, with a roof sloping up from the four sides to the center, upon which stood the cupola, or small square box for holding the bell. It had double doors to the south and west sides, thus facing Main and High streets. It was not long be- fore about seven hundred dollars had to be expended for improvements on this "new" court house, but it seems, according to record, to have been by subscription, as it was practically the only public building in the county and needed for church and other private uses. The records show that this build- ing was accepted by the county commissioners April 10, 1812, and no sooner was it completed than trouble arose over its occupancy by different religious sects, as will be seen by the following transcript of the commissioners' jour- nal :
"Whereas, a number of the inhabitants of this county have made appli- cation for the use of the court house in Mt. Vernon for the purpose of occu- pying the same for preaching and holding public worship in; it is therefore ordered that the different denominations of Christians are allowed to occupy the same for the aforesaid purpose, provided that each denomination shall have the use of the same for one meeting once in four weeks; provided also, that the different denominations aforesaid shall meet and mutually agree upon the time or times they shall hold the same, and shall be in force for one year unless they do not agree on the times they shall hold their meetings afore- said, and each denomination failing to clean up the house and leave the same in as good repair as they found it shall forfeit their privilege aforesaid, and shall at all times be liable to make good all damages done by such denomina- tion aforesaid; and James Smith shall keep the key of the house aforesaid, which shall be left there for the use of all public business, which shall be necessary previous to such denomination occupying the said house for the purpose aforesaid."
Notwithstanding this resolution had eight "aforesaids" in its wording, it was not strong enough to last long, for it is found that the brethren could not (did not) live in unity and harmony, for on the 8th day of June, 1813. the following commissioners' resolution was passed :
"Resolved, that the court house, from this date, be closed and kept locked from all denominations except courts."
This brought the various churches to time and petitions flooded the com- missioners' office, all agreeing as to the time of using it, etc. Thereupon com- missioners Herrod, Cooper and McMillen, June 22d, met for the purpose of
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ordering "that the court house be opened as formerly, by and under the same rules as formerly "
One trouble seemed to be that the Methodists were unwilling to let the "New Lights." later known as the Christians, who had formerly belonged to the Methodist church here, occupy the court house for the purpose of holding meetings.
The walls of this court house began to crumble about 1828, owing to close plowing, as before mentioned. October 18, 1828, James McGibney made a contract with the commissioners to build a stone retaining wall to support the building, but all to no purpose, for it had gone too far. It collapsed in No- vember, that same year, and the county had to pay P. S. Brown for a loss sustained in his offices, which were below the superstructure.
THE THIRD COURT HOUSE.
Preparations were at once commenced to erect a new building, the second court house having fallen down and was rendered useless and unsafe. Mean- while the court was held in the "Golden Swan" inn, kept by Thomas Irvine, which stood on the southwest corner of Main and Gambier streets. The tavern was a famous place in the pioneer years of Mt. Vernon.
This, the third court house, was also built of brick, stood on the public square, on the southwest corner of Main and High streets. It was basement and two stories in height, fronting on Main street. The roof projected out over the front of the building and was supported by white, fluted columns. The entrance to the basement was from High street, while the entrance from Main street by a few steps was to the court room.
A high bank arose from the building, coming up to the second floor on one side, thus allowing daylight to enter the basement only on the east and south sides. The basement was rented out for shops and stores, the first floor was used for court room purposes, and one or two offices, and the second floor devoted exclusively to offices.
Historian Norton said concerning this court house that :
"The old court house was no sooner down than the commissioners or- dered proposals to be published in the Standard and Advertiser, for the pur- pose of making donations for the building of a new court house, and for a plan of building. January 20, 1829, they agreed with Thomas Irvine for his brick house. at twenty-five dollars per term, in orders on the county treasury. In April James Smith is notified that the commissioners have obtained Thomas Irvine's bar-room for an office. The levy in Knox county for taxes, June 29, 1829. was one and one-half mills on the dollar, on the whole valuation of
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the taxable property of the county for state purposes, and the same amount for canal purposes, three mills in all. To this was added three mills for county purposes, one mill for road purposes, three-fourths of a mill for school pur- poses. One of the three mills shall be assessed and collected and appropriated for the building of a court house, "for this and no other purpose whatever."
The time for meeting to open bids and receive subscriptions for the new court house was fixed for July 15, 1829, giving the public square one, thou- sand dollars the preference as to locations in the sites offered; otherwise one thousand dollars was offered for a subscription good at any other point in the town of Mt. Vernon. September 11, 1829, the commissioners met and gave notice through the newspapers then printed here that the contract to build the new court house, at the lowest bid, would be fixed as October 5, 1829. E. G. Carlin. "or some other competent man," was chosen to prepare suitable plans and specifications. Such specifications and plans agreed upon was that it should be built on the west side of Main street and the north side of High street, and that one thousand dollars was to be paid to the contractor January 10, 1830, and one thousand annually thereafter, and all orders to be expressly understood to be paid when due and presented. Edwin C. Carlin was paid ten dollars for drawing up the plans and specifications. Richard House was also allowed one dollar and fifty cents for assisting Mr. Carlin in his work of plan-making. John Shaw was awarded the contract for erecting this third building, on October 5, 1830, at five thousand four hundred eighty-five dol- lars. Such is the history as shown by the county's records today. It stood as a court house until 1853. It was a two-story brick building, with a cupola on its roof, making it an imposing structure for those days and in the style of court house architecture of that period.
It appears, however, that this building was not very well built. It was partly destroyed by a severe wind storm Sunday night, April 9, 1854. It was damaged to the amount of almost, if not fully, two thousand dollars. The storm, came from the southwest and struck the west gable, raised the roof and heavy timbers from their positions, throwing the rafters and shingles across Main street several hundred feet. The large brick chimneys at the west end were demolished and the brick walls of the west gable blown into the main building with such force that they were carried through both floors of the structure, landing in a mass of wreckage in the clerk's office below, which was in the basement of the building. The two court rooms were completely de- stroyed. The judge's bench, chairs and other fixtures were hurled down and piled together, with those of the court of common pleas. The clerk of the supreme court, Alexander C. Elliott, was sleeping in his room below at the time and narrowly escaped with his life. He was awakened by the falling of
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a heavy stove pipe across the head of his bed. He managed to get under the bed and remain there until the worst was over, when he made his escape to his mother on High street. Sheriff Wade and Daniel Clark were the first to reach the scene of disaster, remained during the night, engaged in rescuing the papers and books from destruction.
After this, for some time, the court was held in rented quarters in "George's Hall," on Gambier street, near Main.
The county commissioners again had the task of building a new home for the courts and county officials. This time they chose a high, beautiful site, on the north side of High street, where a forty thousand dollar building was erected, and with less difficulty than had the former smaller ones been provided, for the county had grown in wealth and population by the time this was needed. With certain changes and rebuilding, this temple of justice still serves Knox county.
COUNTY JAILS.
While Knox county is as a rule a law abiding community, yet it has always had use for a jail in which to confine its lawless ones, and the history of its various jails rightfully belongs at this place in the history of the county, associated as it is with the court house.
In June, 1808, the county commissioners ordered that a jail be built twenty-four feet long, sixteen feet wide, nine feet high, with square timbers of one foot square, including the upper and lower floors. A partition was also to be made of like timber. It was to have a good shingle roof and be provided with a brick chimney, three windows, with iron grates, of six lights each, and two sufficient doors, one on the outside and one within through the partition wall. The partition and lower floors were to be lined with three- inch plank, spiked on with spikes seven inches long. The front door to be marked "A" and partition door marked "B," to be made of inch and a half stuff. Such was about the wording of the specifications and the jail was erected on one corner of the public square. After some months' delay, finally on May 2, 1809, the commissioners accepted the jail from the hands of John Mills. Alexander Walker and James Walker, Sr., provided, however, "that said Mills and others do saw down the corners of said jail, and then our clerk shall have authority to issue orders on the treasury for the sum of four hundred thirty-three dollars and fifty cents, as shall appear by reference to the agreement."
The jail then being completed, the sum of fifty cents was ordered to be expended for "two steeples and a hasp" to be purchased by Joseph Walker.
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This was supposed to make the prisoners safe and secure till the courts should release them from bondage, but alas, not so! An old German named Michael Click, too fond of grog, was taken up, in an intoxicated condition, and locked in the new-made jail. The constable had just turned the key in the padlock and secured his prisoner (as he thought) and walked down street bragging about "We have got 'em now sure," when the old fellow was heard coming behind the constable, shouting to the top of his voice: "By tam they can't keeps me in that tammed shail-I am thrumps!" He had simply crawled up the chimney till he got near the top and then stuck fast, when, as he said. he "swelled up and bursted" it open and then "shust jumped to the ground." Well, he was free at any rate.
The chimney was repaired and Click, several weeks later confined again for drunken and disorderly conduct, broke out and, meeting Judge Wilson on the street, narrated his several jail experieneces in great glee. He also gave his honor to understand that when he wanted to get out he knew all the weak points, for he had helped to build it. However, the log jail served a sort of purpose to scare the offenders of the law for a number of years, but finally so many escapes were recorded that its fate was sealed and it was sold to Will- iam Y. Farquhar, who moved it to the outskirts of town, where he made a tobacco warehouse of it. Hence it came about that Knox county was jailless and so on December 4, 1823, the authorities decided to erect a jail and jailor's residence of brick, on the public square, and this they did and it stood an eyesore to Mt. Vernon until, in 1850, when, one fine day, John Armstrong, street commissioner, and A. Banning Norton, councilman from the third ward of the city, while grading and excavating the northeast part of the square with "malice and aforethought" did then and there undermine it and caused the same to be removed to a pile of rubbish.
So much trouble had been experienced in keeping prisoners secure that a guard had to be engaged to watch the jail closely. The records show us that Calvin Hill was paid one dollar and fifty cents for three nights; William DeHart, for ten nights and one day, five dollars and fifty cents; Henry Burge, for nine nights and one day, five dollars; James Irvine, nineteen nights and one full day, ten dollars; John Cramer, thirteen nights and one day, seven dollars; Thomas Sprague, one night, one dollar; Samuel Kratzer, for guarding, seven dollars and fifty cents; Jacob Woodruff, fourteen dollars and seventy-five cents ; Samuel Breese, constable, ninety-five cents; Michael Click (the old German who crawled out of the new chimney), for trailing prisoner Beldon, one dollar, and William DeHart, for trailing after the same prisoner, one dollar ; Eli Gregg, one dollar for aiding in committing A. Beldon to jail, and several more items of like nature. In all the sum of about fifty-
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eight dollars was paid for the hunting up and trying to make stay in jail this one man, A. Beldon. Among the early jailors was still residing in the county, in Brown township, in 1881, a Mr. Goodale. This jail was located on the square, east of Main and north of High streets.
The second jail of the county was erected at about the same point and was completed after a period of two or more years in course of construction, as in 1825 it shows on the records that Solomon Geller, the contractor, had as yet failed to put in the stove which his contract called for. He had also failed to put in a suitable door "to go above the debitor's apartment." That was when a man could be thrown into jail in Ohio and kept there until his debts were paid. Certainly we have made advancement since then, for now we prefer a man to earn money with which he can pay his debts. After many years, this. the second county jail, was sold to William Bevins, being allowed five dollars to cry the sale at which he bid it off himself.
The present dilapidated old brick jail on the court house square was built about the same date the court house was and is still a jail, but its walls are bulged and badly cracked, and ere long will fall if not replaced by being torn down and a more suitable, modern jail erected. Hundreds of jail-birds have been time servers in this old red brick jail which is still a terror to the evil doers, for it is comparatively safe to keep prisoners in, yet not up to twentieth-century standard.
THE COUNTY INFIRMARY.
While Knox county never has had much use for lawbreakers, it has from an early date had charity and compassion on its unfortunate poor. What was known as the county "poor house" dates back to 1842, when Thomas Axtell, Christopher Wolfe and Thomas Wade, county commission- ers, bought of William E. Davidson one hundred and thirty-two acres of land, situated in the southwest corner of Liberty township, known as the Bricker form, for which they paid three thousand three hundred dollars. William E. Davidson and J. R. Clark repaired the original buildings and made some additions thereto, which cost the county the sum of seven hundred dollars. Thus was procured the county's first poor farm, which name was later and wisely changed in Ohio to "infirmary." These lands and buildings, after being improved, served well the purpose for which they were purchased until 1874. when it became necessary to provide other and better quarters for the poor of the county, which by that date had greatly increased in numbers.
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