USA > Ohio > Highland County > The County of Highland : a history of Highland County, Ohio, from the earliest days, with special chapters on the bench and bar, medical profession educational development, industry and agriculture and biographical sketches > Part 17
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future mother-in-law. Had the invisible prince of pantomime touched us with his magic wand, converting us all to statues, the tableau would not have been more impressive. We stood for fully a minute as if turned to stone. Then a slight motion was evident, and lager beer and brandy smash descended slowly to the counter, while cigars dropped unlighted from nerveless fingers. Just then the women started to sing, "O do not be discouraged, for Jesus is your friend." We made our escape while the singing was in progress, scared out of a year's growth."
Mr. Dunn gave notice to the ladies, addressing some thirty by name with about an equal number of men, warning them that further interference with his business would bring upon them a suit of law for damage and trespass. No notice was taken of this warning, but the women had erected before Dunn's place of business a small build- ing of plank and canvass called a "Tabernacle." There they con- tinued their efforts. Dunn applied to the court, and Judge Safford issued an injunction and the tabernacle was quietly taken down that night. The trial of this case called into action high legal talent of the State. It was a long and bitter contest, lasting until May, 1875, when a decision in favor of Dunn for five dollars damage was rendered. An appeal was taken from this judgment to the supreme court, but the case was finally settled by compromise and never came to trial. Thus ended the emotional wave of temperance reform that at one time assumed such large proportions and was thought by the sanguine would sweep the demon of intemperance out of existence. But the liquor traffic still continues, entrenched within the lines of our social system, and upheld, not only by the patronage of the drinker, but by the political and legal conditions that foster and protect it. It is not a question of sentiment but of fact, and must take its place with those other evils with which society is forced to contend almost without remedy and without relief.
In this crusade the ladies of Greenfield also participated, beginning their work January 13, 1874, and keeping up their visits for a considerable time, with the result of closing several saloons and considerably restricting the sales of intoxicants.
THE CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION.
The completion of one hundred years of American Independence in 1876, was celebrated in the county of Highland with great pomp and ceremony. On July 4th Hillsboro was crowded from far and near with people of every age, condition and color ; flags were flying, bands playing, cannons roaring, and every demonstration of joy and gladness was evident. By eight o'clock the streets were thronged with conveyances and people, so that it was impossible to form the procession provided for by the committee. The crowds were urged
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to go to the fair grounds where there would be room and shade. Some effort was made to form a procession, which was at last accomplished, and the line was at least one mile and a half long, containing from five to seven thousand people. Flags and banners, log cabins and pioneer relics, and every device that would make clear the object and purpose of the day, or express in any way the patriotic sentiment of American hearts, were to be found in this long column of people marching, riding, driving in wagons, buggies, houses on wheels, flat- boats, canoes, rafts, and contrivances of every variety, description and kind, all bent on making as much noise as possible themselves and enjoying that made by others. Dr. David Noble was president of the day. His eloquent address of welcome we cannot reproduce in full, but cannot forbear a few quotations from the lips of this patriotic Irishman, now mute in the dust, speechless on earth forever. "We do not meet today as Democrats or as Republicans or as partisans of any political school," he said, "or as adherents of any particular sect or creed, nor for the purpose of advancing the claims of any political aspirant to position or place, or with the design of discussing any of the political issues of the hour, or to say what shall or shall not be the policy of our government, or whether the dominant party shall adopt a soft or hard financial basis ; but we have met for a far higher, holier, nobler purpose, for the purpose of laying our past differences, pre- judices and predilections on the altar of our country, and renewing our covenant faith with each other and our allegiance to our govern- ment, and striking hands as brothers, and praying the God of our fathers that we may be worthy to transmit to coming generations that heaven-born boon of liberty which has been vouchsafed to us, and that peace and harmony may prevail among all our people, and that every heart may respond to the memorable sentiment, 'Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and inseparable.' My countrymen, and I use that term in its broadest and best sense, we have met together on this grand centennial year, on this the natal day of American Independ- ence, and with forty-three millions of freemen, from the Adirondacks on the north to the Gulf on the south, from the rock-bound coast of the Atlantic to the golden sands of the Pacific, let there arise this day one long, loud, joyous centennial shout of freedom, so that the listening nations of the despotic old world, catching the sound, will, like us, resolve to be free."
At the conclusion of the address of welcome, the vice-presidents selected from the different townships were called to the stand. After the singing of the national hymn, "America," the president of the day announced the reading of the declaration of independence. The reader, he said, was a gentleman who needed no introduction at his hands. He was known personally to nearly all the county, and by reputation all over southern Ohio, having served the people faith-
H-11
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fully as a legislator in the state senate ; and not only in that capacity, but in many other important public trusts which have been reposed in him by the citizens of the county. It might not be known that he read the immortal declaration fifty years before, in 1826, at yonder court house. Hon. Samuel Hibben was then introduced to the vast audience, who cheered and cheered again and again the pioneer father, who had passed the three score and ten milestone of life's journey and stood leaning on his cane, while the tears of love and friendship furrowed his cheeks. Mr. Hibben did not read the declara- tion himself, but had selected Edward Sloan to read it for him, which was done in a masterly manner by this cultured and brilliant young man. Mr. Hibben did, however, make some remarks before introduc- ing Mr. Sloan, which were gems of truth and beauty. The aged lips have long been silent in the hush of death, but we can recall how our own heart throbbed in loving tenderness as we listened to that tremulous voice.
Hon. Henry L. Dickey, of Greenfield, the orator of the day, was then introduced, and in most graphic and elegant way gave a history of the mighty struggle that made us free.
Judge James H. Thompson had been selected as historian for this event. In alluding to the sketch of county history that the President had recommended the preparation of, Mr. Thompson said that he found it very difficult to ascertain all the legends connected with the first settlement of the county, and that so far as his research had extended he found the settlements as various in their origin as were the springs and streams for which the county was characterized. How- ever, the origin of such settlements may have been, nevertheless, the Scotch-Irish and Irish blood intermingled, in some parts of the county, with the Dutch or German blood, constituted more than nine- tenths of the population ; and that as song and poetry had always char- acterized the blood of these nations, he did not think that any one ought to describe and fix by the permanent record of history the tastes and habits of such peoples, unless he were fully inspired by the music of the one or the poetry of the other. Not claiming either of these accomplishments, and believing that united with the English or Anglo-Saxon bloods, that these races would finally control all the civilization and general policy of the world. He would, therefore, leave to such advisers as had been named the permanent history of the races that peopled the fertile plains and wooded hills of Highland county. It is very unfortunate that the men appointed at that time did not go to work seriously to collect material for a good history of the county, while the inspiration of the great Centennial day was upon them. But they allowed their ardor to cool, and soon the aged men that had long been identified with the early scenes of county history dropped out of the ranks of the living, leaving no record of events that came under their observation, and were matters of
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experience. Hibben, Noble, Col. Collins, Thompson, Wickersham, Joseph W. Spargur, Henry Wilkin, Judge Wm. Morrow, R. Beeson, George Gilmore, Abraham Hurst, W. H. Glenn, W. H. Woodrow, John L. Hughes, M. M. Barrere, Thomas Higgins, Sampson Renoe, men appointed by the resolution, have all passed over into the unseen land, and of the living members of that band but few remain to tell the story of that natal day. Hon. H. L. Dickey, the orator, still lives in his elegant home in Greenfield, a polished gentleman who in the Congress of the United States faithfully guarded the interests of the good people of Highland, his native county and home.
There was but one sad incident to mar the pleasure of the Centen- nial day. Esquire Haigh had come to Hillsboro with his family to enjoy the celebration, when he was suddenly attacked by hemorrhage of the lungs, and died in spite of all medical aid. An original ode by Mary O'Donoghu was received but not in time to be read. Its great length prevents its publication in this sketch, but the poem was beau- tifully written, and the fair authoress received a vote of thanks from the committee.
FINANCIAL MATTERS.
In Highland county the general valuation of the taxable property is about sixteen million dollars, or five hundred dollars for every man, woman and child.
There was a time, in the early history of the county, when coon skins and the pelts of wild cats were the basis of our monetary sys- tem. Such a system would scarcely meet the requirements of trade in 1902. We might picture a scene of that kind which would vastly amuse the sleek bank clerk of the present day, when gold and silver and crisp new bank bills pass and repass over the marble counter of our city banks. Imagine the well-to-do farmer of 1902 walk- ing up High or Main street, laden down with coon, skunk and musk- rat skins, "handing them out by the tails like codfish" in exchange for sugar, tea and coffee and other needed luxuries in his far away rural home. Or fancy him paying his taxes in this way into the vault, built like a barn on the outside of the treasurer's office, until the redolent money would fill the building and the air with its con- scious presence everywhere. Progress brings changes to meet the convenience and necessities of the age, and in nothing is the change so radical and improved as in the money system of the country. It is not our purpose or disposition to discuss the financial policy of the country, we simply state the facts and let the future develop new and better conditions if it can. That financial disaster has come to Highland county in the past few years from the failure of banks, cannot be denied, but we are of the opinion that this was the result of over-indulgence on the part of the banks, of extend-
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ing credit upon time loans to parties whom they regarded as responsible, but when the hour of need came could not or would not make good their promises. And it is just possible that government was over hasty in placing its hands upon those banks, which the sequel shows were amply able to meet the demands of all their cred- itors, dollar for dollar, with the added expense of receivership, which ate up a large percentage of the bank assets. We ought to say, however, that careless indulgence in speculative ventures on the part of bank officials had a tendency to weaken confidence in institutions who had the handling of the money of the people. But when the inside history of these disasters are brought to the sur- face, countless names that had been befriended and carried by these very banks, debtors in large sums to them allowed their own notes to go to protest in the hands of the receiver and sold at public auc- tion by him, some of them at five cents on the dollar, must bear their share of the blame. To this class the bank failures were blessings. As a man once said to the writer, "he never knew what freedom was until after the bank failed" (this bank held his notes for six thousand dollars) "and the sweetest night's rest he ever had' was when he knew his notes were part of the loss the bank must sustain." We have avoided names, for the parties are still living, doing business on a large scale, and are doubtless able still to "sweetly sleep" knowing that the ghost of their buried credit, unlike Banquo's, will not affright them by sudden appearance.
The banks of the county at the present day are under the control of men of known integrity and honor. The First National, Mer- chants' National and Farmers' and Traders' National, are banks of which any city might be proud. Careful, conservative and sound, they enjoy the entire confidence of the public. Hulit, Ferris, Spargur, are names known in commercial circles to be names rep- resentative of moral worth, business capacity, and unimpeachable veracity and honor. They need no encomiums from the writer of these pages. Their long identification with the business interests of the county have made their names synonymous for honorable conscientious dealing. These men, with the aid and sanction of their enterprising associates have extended their friendly influence and substantial encouragement to all the important enterprises that have advanced and improved the county. It is hardly necessary to say that these establishments managed by the most accomplished and accommodating and accurate officials, transact all the business pertaining to general banking, receive deposits, discount commer- cial paper, make collections, deal in securities, have correspondents at commercial centers, issue drafts and letters of credit on the lead- ing banks of the world, and are closely identified with the commer- cial interests of the community and all adjacent sections. They have been and will continue to be important factors in the prosper-
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. ity of the people. The standing and history of the other banks of the county, Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, are of equal merit with those of the county town, and are fully competent to transact all the business of the busy centers of trade and commerce where they are located.
The Highland County bank, of Greenfield, established in 1867, is still a first class bank, doing an extensive business in deposits and discount, under the efficient management of E. A. Miller, president. The Commercial bank, of Greenfield, was established in 1882 as a private bank and at once entered upon a course of business prosper- ity and success. Henry L. Dickey is its president, and in Highland county his name is everywhere honored and respected.
The Leesburg bank, established in 1876, the centennial anniver- sary of the nation's birth, has been in active operation ever since. Rev. Martin Redkey, its efficient president, is widely known, as a business man has but few equals, and as a Methodist minister is in ability second to none in the Cincinnati conference. The Leesburg bank some few years ago was burglarized and the safe and building badly damaged by the powerful explosives used by the midnight rob- bers. Some few thousand dollars were secured by them, but for- tunately the bulk of the money contained in the safe was overlooked by the robbers or they were frightened from the building before their work was accomplished. The bank was not even crippled financially and business was resumed as soon as the proper repairs could be made in the office. The Farmers and Merchants bank, of Leesburg, was established in 1901, and has secured its share of the banking business of the county. W. E. Bordon, its president, is well known in business circles.
The Farmers Exchange bank, of Lynchburg, was established in 1896. Its president, Owen West, is a man of large means and of fine business capacity, and the bank handles large deposits and dis- count business. The Highland (New Lexington) Farmers bank was established in 1895 and is well named. This region is noted for its fertile farms and large land owners, and the bank enjoys the con- fidence of this class to an almost unlimited extent. D. A. Terrell is 'president. The White Oak Valley bank, at Mowrystown, was estab- lished in 1902. J. F. Cross, president, and though only a few months old has the strength and ability of like institutions of greater years and more experience. Of the ten banks located in Highland county, the only national bank or bank of circulation is the Mer- chants National, of Hillsboro.
HILLSBORO LIBRARY.
When the city building at Hillsboro was constructed in 1875-76 provision was made for the accommodation of a public library, and on May 31, 1877, a public meeting was held at which a committee,
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consisting of C. S. Bell, F. W. Armstrong, W. J. McSurely and H. S. Doggett, was appointed to solicit funds for opening a reading room and begin the work of founding a library. The effort was successful and a reading room, well equipped, was open to the public July 12, 1877. On April 15, 1878, an ordinance was passed empowering the mayor to appoint a board of trustees for a public library and Messrs. Bell, McSurely, Armstrong and Doggett, above named, and H. M. Huggins and Josiah Stevenson were the first selected for this duty. Improvement soon followed and fourteen hundred books were put in the library in September, 1878. This was the beginning of an enter- prise that has been of great benefit to the community. The library has since grown until at present it holds between seven and eight thousand volumes, arranged in a spacious room in the city building and open at all hours to the reading public, with the privilege of tak- ing books to the home. The present library board is, composed of the following gentlemen : Prof. E. G. Smith, Kirby Smith, John R. Harist, Judge J. B. Worley and Judge Frank Wilson, and the libra- rian is Miss Clara B. Perin. The leading periodicals and magazines are upon the tables and the great daily newspapers and many Ohio papers are kept on file.
COUNTY BUILDINGS.
The first court house and jail were built at Hillsboro in 1807-10 upon the ground occupied by the later structures. On February 13,, 1832, the county commissioners awarded the contract for building a new court house to Jonathan Harvey, the expense to be $6,600, and upon Harvey's death, which soon followed, Christopher Arthur undertook the work and completed it, receiving his final payment in April, 1835. The main part of this building is yet in use, many repairs having been made. In 1883 the county commissioners made a contract for the erection of an annex, facing Short street, which was completed at a cost of $15,000, the interior of the old building being at the same time remodeled. The jail of 1837 was replaced in 1894 with a handsome brick building, modern in equipment, which, with the sheriff's residence attached, cost between $30,000 and $35,000.
The county establishment for the infirm and indigent, known as the infirmary farm,'embraces land in Liberty township, bought in 1844. Some two hundred and seventy acres are now in this farm. A large and comfortable building, steam heated, houses the adult wards of the county, and orphan or destitute children are cared for at public expense at the old Presbyterian academy building in Hills- boro.
CHAPTER X.
OFFICIAL HONORS.
H IGHLAND COUNTY has contributed in honorable measure to the roll of men who have occupied high stations in the government of the State and Nation. First among these was Governor Allen Trimble, member of the State senate; for many years, speaker of the senate in 1819, 1820, 1821, 1822, 1823, 1824 and 1825; acting governor from January, 1822, to Jan- uary, 1823, and governor by popular election in 1827-28 and by re-election in 1829-30. There is no more honorable name in the list of distinguished governors of the early period.
The next governor furnished by Highland county was Joseph Ben- son Foraker, who was born on a farm near Rainsboro, July 5, 1846, was a soldier boy in the Eighty-ninth Ohio regiment, winning the brevet of captain, came home to Highland county in 1865, gradu- ated at Cornell university in 1869, and in the same year began the practice of law at Cincinnati. Since then Hamilton county has claimed his fame, but Highland is his mother. He was four times the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, and twice, in 1885 and 1887, he was elected, serving as chief executive the years 1886-89.
Alphonzo Hart, of Hillsboro, had the honor to be elected lieuten- ant governor of Ohio in 1873. He was born in Trumbull county July 4, 1830, was admitted to the bar in 1851, and while residing in Portage county became widely known as editor of the Portage Sentinel and a Republican leader, and held office as prosecuting attorney in 1861-64, state senator in 1864 and 1871, and presiden- tial elector in 1872. Removing to Hillsboro he was elected to con- gress in 1882, and in 1889 appointed solicitor of the United States treasury.
The office of secretary of state of Ohio was filled by Moses H. Kirby, of Highland county, in 1831-32. Colonel Kirby was a native of Virginia, born May 21, 1789, was graduated at the famous university of North Carolina, at Chapel Hill, in 1819, and then came to Hillsboro, where he studied law under General Richard
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Collins. He was prosecuting attorney in 1825-29, and was elected to the legislatures of 1827 and 1830. During his last term in the legislature that body elected him to the office of secretary of state. After the expiration of his term of office he removed to Wyandot county, where he continued to be prominent in public affairs, and was elected to the state senate at the age of eighty-one years. Allen Trimble was state canal commissioner in 1824-26; John M. Bar- rere was member of the state board of public works two terms by election in 1863 and 1866.
A very prominent man in the Territorial period was Charles Wil- ling Byrd, of a distinguished family of Westover, Va., who was born in 1770, was educated at Philadelphia and read law with an uncle who was a professor at William and Mary. He went to Ken- tucky as a lawyer in 1795, removed to Cincinnati in 1799, and was appointed secretary of the Northwest territory. Afterward he was a member of the first constitutional convention of Ohio, and the first judge of the United States court for Ohio. From the spring of 1823 until his death in August, 1828, he lived at Sinking Spring. He was a warm friend of William Henry Harrison and one of the foremost political opponents of General St. Clair.
William. A. Trimble was the first of Highland county's sons to rep- resent Ohio in the United States senate. He was elected in 1819, and served until 1822, when he died from the effects of wounds received as a gallant officer of the war of 1812. Joseph Benson Foraker was the next man of Highland birth to receive this honor. He was elected to the senate in 1896, for the term ending in 1903, and there is no more potent figure in the congress of the United States.
The first citizen of Highland county to be honored with election to the United States congress was Joseph J. McDowell, who for forty years was one of the leaders of the Democratic party in Ohio. He was born in North Carolina, November 13, 1800, the son of an officer of the Revolution, came to Ohio in 1824, and made his home on a farm about seven miles north of Hillsboro. From 1829 to 1835 he was in mercantile business at Hillsboro, and then, having pre- viously given some attention to the study of law, he secured admis- sion to the bar and began the practice of that profession, being associated for some time with Col. William O. Collins. He was elected to the lower house of the general assembly in 1832 and to the senate in 1833, and in 1842 and 1844 to the Twenty-eighth and Twenty-ninth congresses as representative of the Seventh Ohio dis- trict. Upon the close of his career at Washington, which was an honorable one, as he was a man of eloquence and strength of charac- ter, he continued for many years in the practice of his profession and the culture of his farm, and when he died January 17, 1877, he was sincerely mourned by many friends throughout the State. It
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