USA > Ohio > Portage County > Portage heritage; a history of Portage County, Ohio; its towns and townships and the men and women who have developed them; its life, institutions and biographies, facts and lore > Part 24
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The C. L. Gougler Machine Co. is one of the largest general machine work shops in this section of the state and is located in the old Mason Tire building on Lake St., with over 500 regular employees. Established in 1921 in a small way by Mr. Goug- ler, work increased rapidly. By 1941 it had expanded to the point whereby it was able to take on a large amount of war work and was obliged to en- large its facilities to its present size.
Charles W. Enyart is president and Webb C. Morris general manager.
Another general machine shop en- joying steady growth is the Ferry Machine Co., West Main St. This too, started in a modest way, in a corner of the "Alpaca mill" in 1927, with Ernest S. Ferry the guiding spirit. In 1928 the shop started to expand and in 1930 there was a reorganization with a later transfer of operations to a fine new location on West Main St. It does special contract work. W. B. Fageol is president and Paul Stiegel is manager.
NEW SHOPS NUMEROUS
Other Kent industries are in wide variety. The Franklin Machine Co., Summit St., are makers of special ma- chinery. C. C. Ensinger is president and C. H. Sorrick secretary-treasurer.
Dwight Austin & Associates manu- facture railroad stainless steel furni- ture. Dwight Austin is in charge.
The Colonial Machine Co., Moga- dore Rd. does general and special ma- chine work. It was established in 1948. Geo. R. Beckwith is president.
The D. & G. Plastics turn out var- ious plastic products. D. L. Davenport
Glass Blowing A Fine Art
The reason for the number of glass factories in Portage County in earlier times was the abundance of deposits of fine sand, or silica, in the vicinity. This material was the base for glass making. The process of glass making was a complicated one and called for highly skilled workmen called glass blowers. For making window glass a mixture of silex, lime, soda and other material was melted into a clear mass. The glass blower dipped the end of a long hollow rod into the mass, removed it and started to blow which dis- tend the glass material into hollow globes. These were manipulated into cylinders and finally cut and the material laid flat. There were several complicated steps in the opera- tion and the art of blowing could be learned only by experience. For the making of bottles and other glass articles a somewhat different procedure was necessary, understood only by the blower. As he worked, the glass blower stood on a platform alongside the furnace and over a pit and swung his long blow pipe around and over his head to pro- duce the desired effect. It was hot work. Machines later replaced human blowers.
Descendants of the old time glass blowers still live in Ravenna, Kent and other towns.
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and Vic Gontero are proprietors. The plant is on Tallmadge Rd.
The Buckeye Metal Litho Co. pro- duces metal lithography. It is located in the original L. N. Gross building, Gougler Ave. Harold Ballanoff is president and S. E. Beller is in charge.
The Kent Mold & Machine Co., West Main St. extension was formed about 1944 to help meet the great demand for machine work. It does general mold work. Mike Perkoski is president and Mike Ferder, Sec .- Treas.
The Hamilton-Kent Co. produces rubber products for industrial use. It is located in the former artificial ice plant on North Mantua St. T. S. Rowe is president and general manager.
Kent Packing Co., established in 1919 by H. C. Lomgcoy, now under management of C. A. Hameister.
Kent industries also include:
B. & Z. Machine Products, machine work, N. E. Biro, manager; Consoli- dated Mold & Die Co., mechanical molds, Arthur Kamanski, Pres .; Cope- land Machine Co., Kenneth Copeland, proprietor; Euclid Mfg. Co. overalls, Chas. Rosenblatt, manager; Fish Fly Kit Co., fishing tackle, Wm. Schu- man, proprietor; Huber & Wise, elec- trical motor work, John R. Huber, manager; Kent Upholstery Co., Ed. Lane, proprietor; Ohio Ventilated Awning Co., awnings, Glen White, manager; Portage Plating Co., Frank Culver, manager; Scott Molders, plas- tic products, James Hamlin, manager; Smithers Mfg. Co., plastic products, Robert Smithers, proprietor; Tri- Tuff Co., pipe coverings, Gerald Boet- tler, manager; Philgas Co., D. B. Schefer, manager; Hugo Sand Co., Rudy Munz, manager; Plastic Indus- tries, J. B. Campbell, manager.
Among the recently established in- dustries are the Flexlock Corp., Grant St .; Tru-Car Co., Marvin Ave .; Uni- versal Process Co., Lock St .; Wise- Wagoner Co., Mogadore Rd .; Lake Erie Flexicore Co. established a plant on the Tallmadge Road in 1956. The R. D. Fageol Co., marine engine builders; has a fine new plant on Cherry St. Extension.
INDUSTRIAL RAVENNA
The towering brick smokestacks of the Cleveland Worsted Mills Annevar Mills have not only been a county seat landmark for nearly a half cen- tury, but are emblematic in a sense, of the stability of Ravenna industry. This concern was the largest of her factories, and while others have not been great, they have been well di- versified. Because of this Ravenna has never suffered serious industrial set backs, but has gone along on a more "even keel" through the years.
Ravenna woolen manufacture was started in 1848 by Jos. Gledhill who opened a factory near Campbellsport, but moved it to Ravenna in the '60s, with a location on Cleveland Ave. As the Woolen Mills, it ran until about 1890.
There were small yarn and wool clothing mills in Ravenna in the '70s and '80s. The Turner Bros. Co. of Cleveland became interested and be- gan operating, but soon was under the name of the Cleveland Worsted Mills Co. It was a yarn, cloth and finishing mill, originally known as the Redfern Mill. About the end of the last century, they built a dye house, known as the Annevar Mill and between the two mills four or five hundred workers have been em- ployed. Late in 1955, it was an- nounced by the company that stock- holders had voted to dissolve the cor-
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KENT CARRIACE WORKS
CARRIAGES
Kent Carriage Works of the '80s. In this picture, left to right, are: Blanche Smith Longcoy, Fred B. Smith, A. C. Smith, "Cy" Wonset- ler, John Casey, John Cann, Jas. McGregor, Chas. E. Nease, Ina A. Smith and Henry Grohner.
poration and cease operations. The reason was given as labor trouble and other business conditions. But as this is written the mills at Ravenna have been closed. Louis O. Poss, whose home is in Aurora has been president of the Cleveland Worsted Mills Co. and R. C. Anderson has been local manager. C. G. Bentley, John Rich- ardson and W. E. Stutts were long identified in management.
Because of the company's extensive use of water, it bought Sandy and Muddy lakes for its private supply.
These were then known as Stafford and Hodgson lakes.
GRIST MILLS FIRST
Usually the type of mill first needed in a community was a grist mill, but Ravenna's first manufacturing estab- lishment appears to have been a tan- nery, built one and a half miles south- east of the town, by Conrad Boosing- er. This was in 1801 or 1802 and it operated there until 1816, when the tannery was moved to Brimfield. But in 1802, Alex McWhorter did set up a
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grist mill along Breakneck Creek and in 1805, Eaton & Jennings established a second one, also southeast of Ra- venna. All these were crude affairs, judged by present standards, and op- erated with but little help, yet must be considered as manufacturing plants.
In 1811, Joshua Woodard, coming from New York, built a dam along Breakneck Creek below the Coosard (McWhorter) mill, where he put up three mills; a saw mill, a grist mill, and a fulling establishment. Residents thought the mill pond caused sickness and Woodard pulled up stakes and moved to Franklin Mills.
Another tannery of more than or- dinary interest, was that of Wells & Grant, set up near the present Raven- na court house about 1810 by Jared Mason. The Grant of this firm was Jessee Grant, later father of Ulysses S. Grant. Jesse Grant bought out his partner and operated alone for a time, then went to southern Ohio.
Ravenna's earlier manufacturing ap- pears to have centered around car- riage making and glass ware produc- tion. Of the glass making plants are the following dates of establishment: Diamond Glass Co., 1867; Diamond Flint Glass Co., 1882; Crown Flint Glass Co., and the United Glass Co., about the same year. There were also the Eagle Glass Co. and the Ballinger Glass Works.
Other manufacturing firms were the Star Agricultural Works, set up in 1874 for the purpose of making O'Neil's Universal Fodder Cutter. In 1877, it became the Star Mfg. Co. Stockwell, Bragg & Co. was formed in 1873 to manufacture bolts, nuts and screws.
OATMEAL MANUFACTURE STARTS In 1877, the Quaker Mills Co. was
established to make oatmeal or rolled oats. It was later taken over by the American Cereal Co. but the name of its product became famous as Quaker Oats, which is still popular today.
Other millers were the Atlantic Mills and the Ravenna Mills. In the lumber field were the Baldwin Plan- ing Mill, Grohe's Planing Mill, Kingsbury & Sons planing mill, the Work & Yeend saw mill and the Griffin Hub & Spoke factory. There was also the Knapp Pump factory.
Of considerable importance was the Ravenna Gas Light & Coke Co. es- tablished in 1873, which served the town for many years.
Other shops to be noted were the Zeller Valve Co., 1881; Stockwell, Griffin & Co., hardware makers; The Haley Foundry, 1881; The J. F. Byers Machine Shop, 1873; and Doig's Foundry, 1873. The Byers plant be- came one of Ravenna's mainstays and is still active today.
In carriage manufacture, the first plant was set up in 1832 under the name of N. D. Clark & Co. In 1860, it was taken over by Merts & Riddle and in 1890, it became the Riddle Coach & Hearse Co. It became known far and wide for its products and was busy until about 1920, when it closed. Another carriage works was started in the '60s under the name of J. A. Clarke & Co. but it did not operate long.
Of considerable importance was the advent of the A. C. Williams Co. in 1893. It has operated continuously since that time.
MONEY FOR INDUSTRIES
In the '80s the Jordan-Goodrich Shoe Co. was a going concern and it was followed by the Ravenna Shoe Co. The Loudin Shoe factory also ran for a short time in that decade.
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Picturesque old "Sand Mill", Kent, which supplied material for glass making.
Like its sister city of Kent, Raven- na too, issued bonds to raise money to locate new industries. This was about 1890 and results were somewhat more satisfactory. A number of small industries were brought in, one of which was the Solar Carbon Works which was destroyed by fire in 1895.
Later Ravenna plants of more than average importance were the Raven- na Lamp Co., the Colonial Lamp Co., The Ravenna Paper Box Co., the Johnson Paper Box Co., and the Stan- dard Knitting Co. The Globe Carbon Co. was running in 1897.
The Mohawk Motor Truck Co. started in 1916, as did the Ravenna Rubber Co. In the same year the Western Reserve Steel Co. was es- tablished. Life was brief for each.
The Buckeye Chair Co. originally came here from Bedford in 1893 un- der another name. It produced fine furniture for over three decades. F. D. Marble was its guiding spirit.
In 1905 the Ravenna Furnace & Heating Co. was organized to manu- facture a new type furnace for homes. Its product had a fine reputation and the plant ran steadily until about 1940. Albert Dietrich was its general manager.
The Ravenna Basket Co. had a busy factory around 1890. Others included the Albright & Lightcap Co., later Ravenna Ceramics. The J. F. Babcock Milling Co. was long a place of im- portance.
ARSENAL ESTABLISHED
One of the most important develop- ments in the county from the in- dustrial standpoint came in 1940. This was and still is the Ravenna Arsenal, which, though located outside the city, has had great impact upon the community.
The Ravenna Arsenal, conceived in 1939, is a vast establishment of over 22,000 acres of land upon which is in-
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stalled U. S. government operations for loading and storing amunition for army use.
Coming of the arsenal meant not only an increase of commercial activi- ty, but a building boom in Ravenna, as well as in all the territory near this vast establishment. It provided em- ployment for those who desired it as well. Spur tracks were run into the arsenal by both B. & O. and Erie Rail- roads.
The arsenal and its work is more fully described in a separate chapter.
Today the glass and carriage mak- ing industries are gone. They were great in their time. Of the present day manufacturing plants, the Byers Machine Co. and the A. C. Williams Co. also standout in their connection with the past. The Williams shop, which came to Ravenna in 1893, has been an unusually steady indus- try through good times and bad. To- day its products are largely metal cast- ings of various kinds. Much the same can be said of the Byers Co. which has put out much machinery of spec- ialized nature. It has operated steadily over many years.
MANY RUBBER INDUSTRIES
Ravenna has come to be a center of another kind of industrial work-that of making rubber appliances and ac- cessories. There are today six plants of this kind: the Oak Rubber Co., the Pyramid Rubber Co., C. R. Port- house, Pres., the White Rubber Co., the Enduro Co. and the Paeco Co. Their products have world wide ac- ceptance. Enduro Rubber Co., H. A. Lower, pres .; Robert Lower, sec. The Duracote Co. is located on N. Dia- mond St.
The Jones Bros. Structural Steel Co. has been of great service in the struc- tural steel for building purposes not
only here but outside the county. Jas. A. Jones is president.
The Sta-Warm Co., formerly Mon- arch Alloys is doing a flourishing business in the manufacture of indus- trial heating units.
Another concern that has long served the community in an im- portant way is the P. L. Frank Lumber Co. which has milled lumber into var- ious shapes for building use.
Of the more recent and still small industries that have sprung up, should be included the Enarco Co., Diamond St .; Harcourt Mfg. Co., Lake St .; In- dustrial Metal Products Co., Com- merce St .; Portage Mold & Die, Lynn Lane; John X. Shields; Trexler Bal- loon Wheel Co., Riddle Ave. The Romito-Donnelly Corp. on Mill Road, originally Donnelly Mfg. Co. manu- factures steel furniture.
Although Portage County today cannot be said to be completely in- dustrialized, yet it is manufacturing that brings its greatest income. The total value of the goods it makes runs into millions of dollars and other mil- lions are paid out in the form of wages to thousands of local residents. Agriculture has declined but the tran- sition has been gradual. Present in- dications are that more and more in- dustries will be located within our borders.
As the record shows, many indus- tries were started, ran for a time, then ceased for one reason or another, sometimes with heavy loss to promot- ers. Many of these industries are now forgotten entirely in the passage of years, though they may deserve a salute for having made the effort. But in our system of free enterprise, com- petition and struggle have a place in it and it is only by trial and error that progress could be made.
CHAPTER XV Portage In The Wars By FRANK C. WATROUS
The first military organization in the Western Reserve was effected aft- er the general militia law of Ohio was enacted in 1804. The state was divided into four divisions. The First Brigade, Ohio Militia, comprised the male in- habitants of military age inside the limits of Trumbull County, which then embraced present Portage Coun- ty. The names of the officers of the four companies of the First Brigade will be recognized as those of leading pioneers of Portage County.
Elected May 7, 1804: First Company -Henry Rogers, Capt .; John Diver, Lieut,; John Campbell, Ensign. Second Company - Thos. Wright, Capt .; Wm. Chard, Lieut .; Davis Mosse, Ensign. Third Company - Ezra Wyatt, Capt .; Gorham Judson, Lieut .; Thos. Kennedy, Ensign. Fourth Company-John Oviatt, Capt .; Aaron Norton, Lieut .; James Walker, Ensign.
With the rapid growth of popula- tion and formation of new counties, among which was Portage, changes occurred in county boundaries and the assignment of militia. When war was declared in 1812, the citizen sold- iers of the newly created Portage County were among the first to re- spond to the country's call. In re- sponse to a call from Gov. Meigs for soldiers to defend the frontier, Capt. John Campbell's company of riflemen was organized. They had no uniforms but the men were "armed to the teeth", each with a rifle, tomahawk and a large knife. On July 1, 1812,
they pitched their tents of homespun linen sheets on the banks of Barrel Run, near the home of Capt. Campbell in Edinburg. Shortly afterward they departed for the frontier, which was the territory along Lake Erie shores.
At this time the officers were: John Campbell, Capt .; Alva Day, Lieut .; John Caris, Second Lieut .; Aaron Wes- ton, Ensign; Lewis Day, Jr. First Serg- eant; John Wright, Second Sergeant; Ralph Buckland, Third Sergeant; Lewis Ely, Third Sergeant; Charles Crittenden, First Corporal; John Har- mon, Second Corporal; Daniel Bur- roughs, Third Corporal; John Turner, Fourth Corporal; David Jones, Drum- mer; and Jas. Magill, Fifer. The pri- vates were Wm. Tappan, Samuel Red- field, David Moore, Samuel C. Thompson, Benjamin Bradley, Wm. Thornton, John McManus, Wm. Ward, Harry O. Pettibone, Enos Har- mon, Chauncey Newberry, Robert Campbell, John Sabin, Samuel Bart- lett, Samuel Tuthill, John Shaler, Ebenezer Tibbals, John Smith, Peter Tyrell, Philip Willyard, Zacheus Har- mon, Ebenezer Buckley, Abram Ami- don, James Ray, Jr., Mark Moore, George G. Redden, Job Thompson, William Coolman, Henry Root, Sam- uel Hartle, Oliver Newberry, Joseph Fisher, Charles Carter, Enoch Judson, Nathan Chapman, Joel Underwood, Charles Reed and Seth Day. Several of the privates furnished substitutes and did not accompany the riflemen on their march to the frontier. These
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men were actually the first soldiers in service from the new county of Port- age.
TO GUARD DETROIT
From Camp Taylor (Cleveland), the company was assigned to duty in the territory adjacent to Lake Erie. Part of its duty was to guard Detroit and the post and stores at Maumee. This detachment was relieved in Septem- ber, 1812, and the men returned to their homes.
One well known Portage County man who saw service in the War of 1812, Christian Cackler, II, was born in Washington County, Penna., in 1791. With his parents he moved to Hudson, then in Portage County. He enlisted in 1812 for the duration of the war and took part in Commodore Perry's victorious engagement on Lake Erie in September, 1913.
Of special mention here is David McIntosh. He was born in New Hampshire in 1794 and migrated to Ohio when still a child, settling in Shalersville township. Young David obtained work with Judge Amzi At- water who became interested in him and sent the boy to school. In his youth he joined the Twentieth Divis- ion, Ohio Militia, and remained with it many years, attaining the rank of major general. He died in April, 1883. The terms of his will provide a fund of $1,000 for Portage County with the stipulation that the interest on the fund be used to buy a United States flag for each township in the county and other new flags when needed. Shalersville was to receive the first flag and Ravenna township the sec- ond. Says a writer, "His patriotism was such that it amounted almost to a devotion to the 'starry banner'." G. A. R. Post No. 327 at Ravenna was nam- ed in his honor. The interest on Mc-
Intosh's bequest is still being used as stipulated in his will.
The war between United States and Mexico affected Portage County very little. Undoubtedly, men from the county were engaged in it. But the Mexican War was unpopular and there was no call for volunteers as in other wars. All action was through the regular army. Of the several his- tories of Portage County none more than mention this war and some do not mention it at all. But headstones in various cemeteries today do tell of men who had a part in this war.
The committee compiling this chapter regrets its inability to furnish a complete roster of all men from Portage County who saw action in the Civil War. Cotter's Battery (Ra- venna Light Artillery) was first to leave for service. From the history of Battery A, First Ohio Light Artillery, edited by H. M. Davidson of Freedom, dated Oct. 9, 1865, we learn that Cap- tain C. S. Cotter, previous to the Re- bellion, had command of a gun squad, whose members were all from the vil- lage of Ravenna. It is related there that upon the occasion of all Fourth of July celebrations, Cotter's gun squad, with its polished brass piece, was on hand to let the gun speak and arouse the patriotic feelings of '76. After the firing on Fort Sumter, and a call for 75,000 men by the president, a war meeting was held in Ravenna for the purpose of securing volunteers for the field at once. Seven of Cotter's old gun squad and 18 additional men from Portage County enlisted with him. These men went to Camp Chase, Ohio, uniting with other recruits from adjacent counties and were mustered into service Aug 13, 1861. This organization was Battery A, First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery.
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ARTILLERY ORGANIZED
The names of the first enlistees fol- low: C. S. Cotter, Capt .; John F. Brun- er, Edward Cain, Verus A. Clark, John C. Cline, Budman K. Davis, George David, George Dutter, Charles Gillis, Philip D. Green, Levi Griswold, George Harrington, George Hartle- rode, John Haven, James H. Hazen, George Holden, Dan R. King, Har- mon W. Lake, Benjamin Pittman, Theodore Phowlok, John G. Shread- er, George Sanford, Selden Sanford, Chas. W. Scovill, Willard Vaughn, William Watson and William Will- yard.
Capt. Cotter returned to Ravenna on two different occasions to secure additional recruits for his battery and on these occasions the following were enlisted: DeWitt Allen, Levi Beans, Edmond Belding, Hiram Bentley, Philo Bierce, Alora Boosinger, Thom- as Carr, Cleman Chamberlain, Seeley Chapman, Albert Clarke, Lucius Coe, Marvin Collins, Robert Crockett, Newton A. Curtiss, Sherlock E. Cuth- bert, Henry M. Davidson, Jr., Burt E. Dennison, Matthew M. Dole, Elias Drayer, John Edwards, Erastus B. Ed- son, Frederick G. Fairchild, John F. Foley, Nelson Fuller, Marion Fuller, Wallace W. Furry, Julius C. Gridley, Russell L. Groves, George Harring- ton, Edward L. Haymaker, James Hil- tabiddle, Albert Holcomb, Henry D. Isbell. David Jamison, Benjamin F. Keller, Thomas N. Hendrick, Nichols Knapp, Frederick G. Knapp, Chas. I. Lanphare, Geo. W. Leonard, Michael Loesch, Conrad Loesch, Adam Loesch, Andrew Mahan, Willard Mahan, Wm. Mahan, Wm. McGrew, Chas. G. Ma- son, Lewis B. Maxwell, Quincy Mon- roe, Henry A. Moore, Wm. J. Nelson, Wilbur Peck, Sidney G. Post, Henry C. Post, Geo. Reed, Geo. D. Rees,
George Robinson, Justin Rogers, Richard H. Rodgers, Alexander Roe, Darius Roe, George Ruggles, Robt. W. Sapp, Lewis F. Sears, Henry W. Sears, Horace S. Sheldon, Wilbur D. Sheldon, John C. Shreader, Wm. H. Spafford, Horace Stage, William Steadman and Orin P. Stofer.
Battery A., First Ohio Volunteer Light Artillery, participated in the battles of Stone River, Chickamaugua, Kenesaw Mountain, Peach Tree Creek, Spring Hill and others and was discharged at Camp Cleveland, Ohio, July 31, 1865.
The first man in Portage County to lose his life in battle in this war was John Haven. He was hit in the hips by a six-pound solid shot and died a week later. His body was re- turned to Shalersville for burial. At the funeral the Home Guards of the townships were present; the people collected at the grave west of the Center and these were appropriately addressed by Judge Luther Day and Alphonso Hart of Ravenna. After the exercises, a procession was formed, marching to the grove and with mil- itary honors Haven was put in his last resting place-first sacrifice of the war for Portage County.
Many of the veterans of Battery A. returned to Portage County after their discharge from service, where they lived as honored and respected citi- zens until taken by death. Of these, many are buried in the various ceme- teries of the county.
Grismer's History of Kent says; "During the lull between the hanging of John Brown and firing on Fort Sumter, feeling ran high in Franklin Mills. When a meeting for the pur- pose of raising volunteers was held in Ravenna April 22, 1861, Franklin Township was represented by a long
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procession of about 100 teams, with flags and banners. Leading the proces- sion were the Franklin Volunteers, forty in number with E. W. Craine, himself a volunteer, in charge."
MANY VOLUNTEER
As a result of this meeting the Franklin Mills Rifle Company was organized on Tuesday, April 23, by the election of John Morris, Captain; John Rouse, First Lieut .; Isaac Wil- cox, Windham, Second Lieut. The company left for Camp Taylor, Cleve- land, April 24, being the first organ- ized company from Portage County to enter the service. A few days later this company was placed in the Sev- enth Ohio Volunteer Infantry, Co. F. A total of 2070 men from Portage County saw service in the Civil War and of these 312 were killed in action or died as the result of wounds, sick- ness or disease.
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