The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 59

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051

USA > Ohio > Miami County > The History of Miami County, Ohio > Part 59

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

The lands in the western and northwestern part of this township are the most elevated in the county ; general surface undulating, inclining to southeast, being traversed, from west to south, by the Stillwater River and Greenville Creek, with their numerous tributaries. A small portion is slightly broken, but few declivities occur. As was the entire county, this township, in an early day, was covered with an unbroken sheet of forest, of various species of timber, too well known to be here described. The noble oak and the valuable sugar maple are, however, fast disappearing, and, ere many years have passed away, will have entirely disap- peared. So, also, are growing scarce the ironwood, witch-hazel, box-elder, white thorn, plum and black haw, juneberry, papaw and spicewood, densely blooming in the early spring ; ginseng, yellow and red puccoon root, wild onion, swamp cab- bage and spikenard abounded, that forest pest called " ramps," which, when eaten by cows, imparted to the milk and butter a taste and flavor resembling & mixture of garlic, jimson, etc.

In the number of its venomous reptiles, Newberry stood without a rival. During the early settlements, the yellow rattlesnake seems to have made the lime- stone ledges along the Stillwater and Greenville Creek his favorite home, for, on prying up the rocks, they could be seen, sometimes by the dozen, and, even now, large quantities of bones are frequently discovered in the clefts of the rocks, thus attesting their former abundance.

DRAINAGE.

Stillwater River enters Miami County near the northwest corner of this town- ship, and, after pursuing a southeast direction, it suddenly turns northeast, then, forming a curve, it runs nearly south, past Covington, and passes out of the town- ship about two miles west of the southeast corner. Near the center of the town- ship, it cuts a channel through the limestone, at the southern terminus of which were, in early days (called) the Falls of Stillwater, descending about twelve feet in a mile. The banks of the river are bold and high. Limestone bluffs, skirting either bank afford excellent quarries of stone, which also makes good lime.

Greenville Creek enters the county in the southwestern corner of Newberry, flows first northeast, then bending, runs southeast ; resuming its original course, empties into the Stillwater near Covington. Greenville Falls, a short distance from Covington, is a beautiful display of nature and a place of much resort.

Harrison's Creek, on the west, and Trotter's Creek, on the north and east, both tributaries of the Stillwater, are streams of much value, and early drew the hardy pioneer to their banks.

Springs of excellent ever-living water abound in this township, some of them, not far from Covington, supposed to possess excellent medicinal virtues.

Summing up : Newberry, with her two lines of railroad, passing through at four points of the compass, her numerous pikes, exhaustless stone and lime, her rich soil, unexceled natural drainage, water-power, and, in fact, all the natural resources that conduce toward the advancement and development of any country, 'as materials and a thrifty, intelligent and energetic community, as agents-we need not wonder that she stands foremost in wealth and agricultural prosperity.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

According to tradition, the first location made and cabin built in this town- ship was by a South Carolinian named McDonald, ou what is since known as Har- rison's Creek, about two and a half miles northwest of Covington, near the year 1806. In 1807, John Harrison came to Ludlow's Creek, Union Township, remained one season, and returned to South Carolina, accompanied by McDonald, both leaving their lands and cabins.

In 1807, Michael Ingle, having heard of a beautiful little prairie on Stillwater (Michael Williams' Prairie, now Pleasant Hill), prospected up the river, and, finding it occupied, pushed further on to the mouth of Trotter's Creek and made a selec- tion of excellent farming land, in Sections 17 and 20. Mr. Ingle was, prior to

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

this, a resident of Montgomery County, and by occupation a tanner. Mr. I. imme- diately began clearing up and improving his purchase, on which he resided until his death, in 1838. Cotemporaneously with Ingle, Samuel Brown purchased and built on the quarter-section west of Ingle. Priority of settlement vibrates between these two men, but Brown soon left, and the honor is awarded Ingle as being the first permanent white settler in Newberry Township. The next were William and John Coats, with one or more sons-in-law of the former, who settled on the north- east quarter of Section 30, cornering with Ingle's purchase on the southwest. William Coats' cabin stood about fifty rods northwest of the present Pan-Handle depot, while his son's cabin was near the spring running from the cellar of the Leonidas House, and his son-in-law, Daniel Wright's, cabin stood near and south of the corner of Main and Wright streets, Covington. Another settler, whose name cannot be ascertained, cleared a few acres and erected a cabin on the south- east quarter of Section 30 prior to 1810. Of all these early settlers, none but Ingle remained upon the original location. He added another quarter-section to it, raised it to a high state of cultivation, brought a family of seven sons and four daughters, dividing among his sons a portion of their patrimony, four of whom lived and died upon the same, three sold out and removed to newer States, and to-day less than eighty acres out of eight hundred purchased by the father remain in the hands of his posterity. Michael Ingle was honorable, industrious and ener- getic. He established and conducted the first tannery in the township, and from his customers bore the reputation of turning a good article of leather. He also built one of the first houses in Covington, and dug through the solid rock the first well in the town, which had no companion for a dozen years or more.

His energy sometimes resulted in loss, as on one occasion, in 1825, he har- vested a fine crop of wheat, which he had partly hauled in by Saturday evening. ' My wheat," said he, " was the first in the ground on Stillwater, and I will have ill in the barn before any of my neighbors." It was all housed, and on Monday he barn was struck by lightning and, with its contents, burned.

At the opening of the year 1810, many purchases had been made and several learings begun, and little cabins dotted the forests with life and animation. During this year, Jacob Ullery purchased the southeast quarter of Section 30, but id not occupy it until the spring of 1811. This tract of land proved to be the . ost valuable property in the township. On it is located the splendid water- ›wer that operates the Covington Mills, the stone quarry of the Covington Stone ompany, the extensive quarry and limekiln of J. M. Rahl, and a large portion of I the valuable stone quarried at Covington in the past fifty years has been taken om the ledges in this tract, and the supply, to all appearances, is still inexhaust- e. In the spring of 1812, on the breaking-out of the war, the settlers here all t their clearings for a temporary place of safety during an apprehended invasion hostile Indians. Some went to Montgomery County, some to their Quaker ends in the Ludlow settlement. Ingle stopped at Williams' stockade, in Newton wnship, while Ullery removed his family to Lost Creek, where he resided until spring of 1814, when he took up his permanent residence on, and began the provement of, his property.

NEWBERRY IN THE WAR OF 1812.

In the spring or early summer of 1812, a company of volunteer militia, to e four months, was organized principally west of the Miami River. George hanan, of Milton, was elected Captain, James C. Caldwell, of Piqua, First tenant, and Gardner Bobo, of Spring Creek, a Revolutionary veteran, Ensign. company was mustered into service May 5, 1812, as First Company, Second ment, Fifth Brigade and First Division Ohio Militia, commanded by Jerome Colonel.

The field of duty assigned Capt. Buchanan was the Stillwater Valley and ning territory.

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

With his company he began as soon as practicable the erection of a block- house, as headquarters, military defense and protection to the settlers within reach. This block-house stood a few rods west of the Pan-Handle depot, in Covington, also about thirty rods north of Wayne's camp, or breastworks of brush and logs thrown up in 1794, and christened "Fort Rowdy."

We believe Capt. B. and his company-we say company because in those days epaulets did not mean absolute authority as now-assumed to call their works "Fort Buchanan." Lieut. Col. Holt, under whose orders Capt. B. was act- ing, knowing that the point selected for the block-house was on or near the spot selected by that old Indian fighter, " Mad Anthony," and through deference to the old veteran, ignored Fort B. and, June 18, officially addressed Capt. B. 88 follows :

JUNG, 18, 1812.

Capt. George Buchanan :

SIR-You will make a return of your company to me by the 25th, stating the number of men, and their equipmenta, and of your camp equipage, so that I may be able to make a general return, as I have received (orders) for that purpose.

I am, sir, yours

To Capt. George Buchanan, Fort Rowdy. JEROME HOLT, Colonel.

This address, however faithfully the orders were obeyed, was neither accepted nor relished by Capt. B. and his command as a proper appellation for the impor- tant post, in the erection of which they had so faithfully labored. In addition to this, they had not encroached upon the ground occupied by Wayne, and therefore had no desire to be known to posterity as rowdies. Therefore, when the report was made out in due form and returned to Col. Holt, he learned that he was com- manding Fort Buchanan instead of Rowdy ; and in his next communication he accepts the name in part, but addresses Capt. B. at " Buchanan Block-House." ignor- ing the dignified name of fort. Following this is an order dated at Greenville, July 20, 1812, from Col. Holt, transmitting an order from the Governor through Gen. Munger, dismissing all the men stationed on the frontiers west of the Miami toward the Wabash, including Capt. Nesbit's and Capt. Vancleve's companies, unless hostile movements of the Indians required their services. Intelligence is also conveyed in the order that the Great Council with the Indians is postponed until the 15th of August, 1812, and requiring Capt. B. to notify his company to rendezvous at Troy on the 13th, join the other companies, march to Piqua and there remain until the council is over. They are enjoined to be punctual, and attend the council fully equipped at Troy by 10 o'clock.

After the date of this order we have no further intimation of the occupancy of Buchanan's block-house as a military post, although it was used by the families in its vicinity as a place of refuge during emergencies. The line of defense was extended further west in Darke County ; consequently, no further record of inter- est occurs in regard to this post, after the following from Col. John Johnston, Indian agent at Upper Piqua, viz. : That certain hostile Indians had been seen in the vicinity of Fort Recovery, which intelligence had been communicated to him by Francis Duchequet, a French interpreter and trader. The same notice requested Capt. B. to send a detail of men to Upper Piqua to protect certain public property in Col. Johnston's care, which he considered exposed to capture and destruction ; also, that his wheat in the field was dead ripe, and the detail to serve two pur- poses-guard the property and reap his wheat. The records do not show whether the men were furnished on this occasion, but tradition says that a part of the active duty performed by this garrison was cutting four acres of wheat with the sickle, and stacking it on Jacob Teller's farm, across Stillwater, where it remained in safety till he returned to his cabin in 1814. ' At the breaking-out of the war, it is said there were nine families living in this township, viz. : Michael Ingle, and perhaps his son John, Jacob Ullery, Samuel Brown, William Coats and his son and son-in-law, Daniel Wright, and a brother, John Coats ; the balance unknown to us. The settlers were located near each other for mutual support and protec- tion. North of Greenville Creek and west of Stillwater were but two improve-

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

ments ; north of Trotter's Creek and east of Stillwater were none ; west of Still- water and south of Greenville Creek, two; three or four small clearings east of Stillwater, and south of Trotter's Creek ; all the rest was one unbroken forest, though great quantities had been purchased for speculation.

There is no evidence tending to show that this township was the favorite resort of the Indians, or of their occupancy of it. From the absence of Indian names for the streams, or prominent natural objects, we infer that it was not per- manently inhabited by them ; some pre-historic specimens, however, exist. Since the advent of the whites, none but hunting parties, and encampments during the war of 1812, near Trotter's Creek, on the farm now owned by H. Mohler, three miles north of Covington, consisting principally of Delawares. In only one instance is it known that they injured the whites, which was the killing of some cattle.

MOUND BUILDERS.

These peculiar people have left numerous evidences in this township of their mechanical enterprise. The most noted was located near Greenville Falls, was about forty feet in diameter at the base, and built about twenty feet high, material used being loose gravel, apparently from the bed of Greenville Creek. The upper interior contained many human bones. Two or three other mounds and pits exist, but none of peculiar interest sufficient to note. The principal mound has been dug away, and the stone converted into lime, the owners caring little for the sacredness of the bodies resting there.

All apprehension of danger having been removed by the treaty of peace, the settlers returned to their cabins and clearings, and early in 1814, before the treaty with England, we find the number of immigrants augmenting and the clearings increasing. John Cable, west of Stillwater; John Hay, north of him; John Harri- son and his sons Richard and Bargitto, on the creek that bears their name, above Cable; John Trotter on the creek named for him, and the Templeton brothers, Samuel, William and David, adjoining Trotter; John Carson and Samuel Nichol- son in the same neighborhood ; Sylvester Thompson, Joshua Falknor, south of Ullery, on both sides of the river; and, in 1816, Amos Perry, nearly opposite the falls of Greenville Creek ; William Knox on Trotter's Creek. We cannot mention all who came, but only such as became prominent and permanent citizens in those early times whose descendants are with us now. John Barbour, in 1817, joined the Trotter's Creek settlement.

COVINGTON.

Early in 1816, Daniel Wright, in partnership with Jacob Ullery, laid out thirty-six town lots in Section 30, Wright's portion covering the site of Wayne's encampment, the timber having been cut off by Wayne's army. These thirty-six lots lay between the St. Mary's road, then established, and the east bank of Stillwater. Three streets were laid out. and named, running north and south ; first, Water, next the river, on the bluff; Main, at the foot of the hill, and High, being the St. Mary's road, and section line between 29 and 30. Three streets crossing at right angles were : First, on the north, Wright, next, Ullery, for the proprietors, then Spring, for the beautiful spring that burst from the rocks, beneath the shade of a white oak grove that grew upon the bluff. The lots were numbered from east to west, begin- ning at the northwest corner of the plat. Benjamin Cox was surveyor, and duly recorded his work so far as he was concerned, but, from ignorance of what was required of them, neither of the proprietors ever acknowledged the plat, which has in late years caused a loss of several thousand dollars to the corporation of Cov- ington. This town plat was given a name, which seemed both amphibious and ambiguous, viz. : "Friendship," or "Newberry." The citizens, not understanding, gave it the name Gen. Wayne had so appropriately dubbed this point immediately following a drunken carouse of his officers here, and which it had ever since retained -Rowdy. When a post office was established here, it was known as Stillwater. When the town was laid out, there was but one habitation on the spot, namely,

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

Daniel Wright's, who lived just west of Miami and south of Wright street, near a spring that flowed from the bluff at the termination of the latter street.

Elijah Reagan built the first house on the lot now owned by H. E. Routson, west of his stable. Michael Ingle built a double log cabin where the elegant man- sion of H. E. Routson now stands ; his son John built a hewed-log cabin on the northwest corner of Main and Wright streets. A small log house was built on the southeast corner of Main and Wright streets, and on the opposite corner some one built a two story hewed-log house, but it never was covered, and remained unin- habited until it rotted down.

Noah Hanks built a small frame for a storeroom on the corner of High and Wright streets, where Routson & Son's store is, which was the first frame building in the township, and in it Hanks kept the first store in the township. At the end of ten years, after the platting and survey of this town, it had but three families living in it, two vacant houses ; one house, Daniel Wright's, had been burnt, and twelve years elapsed after the town was laid out before a new house was built. In 1828, Singer and Hilliard, of Piqua, built a frame yet standing-the oldest in the place-for a storeroom.

In 1815 or 1816, Jacob Ullery erected a saw-mill at the mouth of Greenville Creek, which was the first utilizing of water in propelling machinery in the town- sihp. With his saw-mill he began preparing material for a grist-mill.

In April, 1816 or 1817, occurred a destructive tornado, seeming to arise in the elearing of Daniel Burns, one mile northeast of Covington, now H. Hickman's farm, unroofing his stable. Entering the timber from the northeast, it leveled the heavy forest, piling the trees upon each other in all directions, along a track about eighty rods in width. Where the land is not cleared, its path can be easily traced at the present, by the beautiful growth of young timber. Shortly after Ullery got the saw-mill in running order, an enterprising settler, Noah Davenport, and his brother- in-law, Wagner, purchased a few acres at the mouth of Harrison's Creek, and erected a rival saw-mill, and near it a very primitive grist-mill. The shaft was a hickory log with the bark on, and the stones were made of bowlders dressed into shape. The mill was used for grinding corn, had a good run of custom, and was the first in the township, and commanded patronage within a radius of from six to nine miles. From some unknown cause it ceased operations, and when seen in 1826, both saw and grist mill were abandoned, and the ruins lay bleaching in the sun, and the stream had resumed its original channel, unmindful of the days when it rippled by the old mill. As near as can be ascertained, Benjamin Lehman pur- chased Jacob Ullery's mill property in the fall of 1818, and immediately began the erection of a substantial frame building for a flouring-mill, which he put into active operation about 1820. It is said that Lehman paid $4,000 for the Ullery property, built a grist-mill, and, in 1822, sold to John Brumbaugh, the mills and all the land west of the river, for $3,500.

Brumbaugh increased the capacity, which made it one of the best mills in the county, and of inestimable benefit to the ever-increasing population for many miles around, as it was located in the Upper Stillwater Valley, with no other for miles north of it. For years it stood without a rival. During Lehman's occupancy of this property, previous to this, a wool-carding machine had been erected on the tail-race of the mill, the remains of which may still be seen just below the corn-crib, at the present Covington Mills. It cannot be ascertained who were the first operators, but we do know that one Riley operated it at one time, and sub- sequently, in 1827, one Thomas Bolles, of Piqua, who added a fulling machine, which, in those days was highly essential, when the wheel and the loom, in the hands of the housewife, clothed the family in home-spun.

It has been stated that Michael Ingle tanned the first leather, and his reputa- tion as a superior workman lived after him. His son continued the business after the old man retired, but not with so good results. The Hanks brothers established a tannery in 1820, which is now known as the Covington Tannery. They were not successful. In 1824, it had nearly ceased, and in 1825, was rebuilt by Benjamin

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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY.

Lehman, and operated by John Ross, who, about the year 1830, purchased the property. Between 1816 and 1817, Philip Hartzell settled west of the Green- ville Falls, and was the first to manufacture pumps. Before this innovation, the windlass, the fork and pole, and the " old oaken bucket which hung in the well," disappeared. Having now given the names of the earliest settlers, provided them with mills, houses and manufactories, and seen them on thriving little farms, we now turn to another branch of manufacture, which sprang out of the making of bread-stuffs, viz., the Arabian art of distilling spirituous liquors. The furnaces of no less than four have been seen in this township, and, though they have disap- peared, their evil influence can be easily traced in the posterity of those who, in early days, indulged in the use of their productions. These were resorted to as the best method of getting money out of grain in a condensed form, in order to obviate hauling it in bulk over the almost impassable roads, and when there were no railroads, and nothing but the flat-boat floated during high water to New Orleans, with its cargo of flour, whisky, pork, etc. This method of commerce was carried on for some time, the mouth of Greenville Creek being the head of naviga- tion on Stillwater. Fort Wayne was also a good market, as well as Cincinnati, when they could be reached by wagons, where the flour and whisky would be exchanged for a return load of salt and merchandise.

We now see our hardy settlers fairly established in agriculture and the mechanical arts, and surrounded by all the necessary comforts that tend to make life enjoyable. The vast forests have given place to fields of grain, and cattle, sheep' and horses quietly roam where the wolf and the deer were wont to claim primeval sway. Yet, in the language of one of the earlier times, "We had no meeting, no school, no Sunday, no Squire or Constable, we was just like the Injuns," and cer- tai .. ly a community devoid of all the safeguards of temporal and spiritual liberty would rapidly degenerate into a dangerous state of heathenism, notwithstanding the moral worth of its ancestry.

SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES.

Children were growing up in ignorance and required the instruction necessary to make them useful men and women, therefore schools were needed, and, the peo- ple feeling this necessity, a schoolhouse was projected, and built of round logs cut from the surrounding forest, clapboard roof with knees, ribs and weight-poles, wooden or stick chimney, well plastered with tough clay, stone back-wall for fire- place-a log cut out nearly the length or breadth of the building, in which were set perpendicular sticks about a foot apart for sash, on which was pasted wrapping paper, leaves of old copy-books, or letters from friends in the old settlements, well greased with lard, possum grease or coon oil, to render it semi-transparent-this was the educational window, and this the pioneer schoolhouse of the early settlers of all the Northwest Territory.

The first house of this kind erected for school purposes, stood near the north end of High street, Covington, west of the road, and near the present residence' of Mrs. Catharine Shellenberger. Uncle John Ullery says he knows well the location and distinctly remembers the old house as the first place he ever went to school. It appears not to have remained long, and must have been built about 1815 or 1816, as no one living save Mr. U. remembers it. The next was built about a half- mile farther north, on the opposite side of the St. Mary's road, and is remembered by a number of persons who obtained the rudiments of their education within its rude unclassical walls. Andrew Ballard is the only person who is remembered as having taught in this house.

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The History of Miami County, Ohio, Part 59

Author: W. H. Beers & Co. Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Number of Pages: 1051

Author: W. H. Beers & Co.
Publication date: 1880
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 1051