USA > Ohio > Clark County > Springfield > The centennial celebration of Springfield, Ohio, held August 4th to 10th, 1901 > Part 2
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(Music for these services was furnished by an old-fashioned choir of five hundred voices. )
MONDAY, AUGUST 5. FORMAL OPENING DAY.
Governor A. S. Bushnell, Chairman.
Parade at 10:30 a. m. of all City Officials: Police and Fire Depart- ments, Manufacturers and Commercial Interests.
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An Exhibition by the Police and Fire Departments at the Fair Grounds.
Opening Address. By Judge F. M. Hagan
Paper-"A Century of Commercial Life" .. ... . By O. F. Hypes Paper-"Incorporation of Springfield and City Government". .
. By D. Z. Gardner
Paper-"Our Manufacturing Interests : History and Present Conditions" . By W. S. - Thomas
TUESDAY, AUGUST 6. PIONEER DAY.
A. P. L. Cochran, Esq., Chairman.
Paper-"Bench and Bar" By Hon. William M. Rockel Paper-"History of the Medical Profession of Clark County" . By Dr. H. H. Seys Interesting speeches by some of the first and oldest settlers of Clark County.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 7. MILITARY DAY.
General J. W. Keifer, Chairman.
Parade at 10:30 a. m. of all soldiers' and sailors'. organizations and soldiers of all wars of Clark County. Address-"Camp Fires and Military Maneuvers" . By General Keifer
THURSDAY, AUGUST 8. FRATERNAL DAY.
Judge F. M. Hagan, Chairman.
Paper-"Fraternal Crganizations" By P. M. Cartmell
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Exhibition Drills .
By Boys and Girls of Masonic, I. O. O. F. and Pythian Homes Display of Secret Societies By Uniformed Ranks
Paper-"The Press". By Clifton M. Nichols
FRIDAY, AUGUST 9. LABOR AND AGRICULTURE DAY. R. L. Holman, Chairman.
Parade by all labor organizations of the city.
Paper-"Labor and Labor Organizations" ...... By T. J. Creager Paper-"Early Agriculture in Clark County". . By J. C. Williams
SATURDAY, AUGUST 10. EDUCATIONAL AND WOMANS' DAY.
MORNING.
Mrs. F. M. Hagan, Chairman.
Display by Members of City and County Schools.
Paper-"Woman's 'Clubs". By Mrs. E. L. Buchwalter Paper-"Women's Work for Charity" . By Mrs. Amaziah Winger Paper-"Woman's Work in the Civil War". By Mrs. Clifton M. Nichols
AFTERNOON. Prof. John S. Weaver, Chairman.
Paper-"A Century of Educational Work in Springfield" .... . By Prof. W. H. Weir . .
Various displays were made on the Fair Grounds indicative of the growth and prosperity of Springfield and Clark County
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Many of the manufacturing firms were well represented in the new hall, built partly for this exhibition, with all kinds of machin- ery, the products of their factories. Along with the new imple- ments of splendid make there were others that were built thirty, forty, and even fifty years ago. Some were exhibited that have been in use for nearly thirty years, and still doing good work, showing the good quality of the material used in their construc- tion and the scientific principles upon whch they were built-facts for which Springfield machinery has long been famous. The older machinery was much more clumsy and much heavier than that of recent make : neither was it capable of so many uses as that made at present The old could perform a single operation. If a. reaper, it could cut the grain : in the next process it could throw it off in bundles for the binders who followed ; but now, in addition. it can do the binding and drop the sheaves in bunches, as conven- ience may demand. The evolution of machines for lightening man's toils, a process that has its great history in the last one hun- . dred years, and has experienced most of its advancement in the last twenty-five. is one of the wonders of mankind. Springfield. through its inventors and manufacturers. has had a great part in this wonderful evolution, which could be seen in the contrast be- tween the machinery made forty and fifty years ago and that pro- duced in recent years.
Another display that received much attention from visitors was that made by the Clark County Historical Society. There were many specimens in the collection of the art of prehistoric man, showing the implements which served him in war and in peace, and which indicated the hard life that befell him when he was born into this world. The utilizing of the forces of nature to serve man's wants, such as are used to-day, were unknown to him. and a life of mere animal force was about as much as he knew in his experience.
Of the things representing the methods and means used by the pioneers to supply their wants, there were many articles. Con- spicuous among them was the plow with wooden mold-board and iron point, which in the loose. virgin soil, served well the farmer in breaking up the ground : the sickle with which he cut his gram : the flail with which he beat out the kernel : the hominy mortar,
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made in this case from a walnut tree, in which the pioneer put his corn, poured over it boiling water, and then with an iron wedge ·placed in a handle for a pestle, beat or stamped it until the leathery coating of each grain was removed, and was then ready for the house-keeper's art ; the flax break, the hackle, the little spinning wheel, implements necessary to produce the thread out of which linen was made for many kinds of domestic use ; the crane, which swung in the old-fashioned chimney, and which, hung with va- rious kettles, was readily adjusted over the fire; and many other things that showed something of the life of our ancestors. Though these methods were far inferior to those of our day, yet those who used them were as happy as we, and wrought their work in gain- ing a livelihood and in building up the forces of society with great contentment of mind. Those who lived in those far-off days, and who have lingered long enough to experience something of the great improvements of our times, have kept pace well with the great strides that the last twenty-five years have made, showing that it is not the things that men possess that make them great and noble, but their spirit and aspirations which lead them to adapt themselves to the times and circumstances under which they live.
One of the finest and most suggestive displays was that pre- sented by the City Schools. There were drawings, pictures, maps. all free hand, commencing with the lowest grades and ascending to the highest. That many of them could be made without any measuring instrument other than the eye, was a wonder to all who saw them. Some of the maps seemed as perfect as though made by the most delicate machinery. There were no examples of what the children of early times could do. It is more probable that they did little in the field of map-drawing, but spent their time in learning to read, write, and cipher. That some of them learned to be good pensmen, an investigation of the earlier records of the Recorder's office will clearly show. But nothing like the school display in the buikling set apart for it in Centennial Week was ever dreamed in the days of pioneer life.
An attempt was made to gather all books printed in Clark County or written by one of its inhabitants. A fair and worthy collection was made, but it was impossible under the conditions
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to gather all. But the number displayed was a surprise to many. They did not know that our people had been so active in produc- ing books, some of them of great historical value ; others poetical and literary, and others again belonging to travels and to the class of novels.
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III
RELIGIOUS DAY.
The first service of the Centennial was held on Sunday, Au- gust 4th, and, appropriately, was religious in character. The large gathering held in a mammoth tent erected on the Fair Grounds showed that the people were interested, and was a prophecy of the success of the celebration. About five thousand people were crowded into the tent, who were eager listeners to the rendering of the program elsewhere given. The large choir, under the di- rection of Mr. George H. Linn, rendered a number of old hymns and anthems popular a half century ago. They carried the minds of the older people present back to the days of their youth and made them feel that they were living again in a period that has long since become a dream. Dr. George H. Fullerton, the Chair- man of the day, appropriately said :
"It is certainly fitting to recognize the hand of God after He has given us this beautiful city, which we call home. It is fitting to begin this week by a religious service of this kind. Religion is the foundation of morality. You can have no stable morality without religion. No city, no family, no State, can live without moralty. It is fitting that we first recognize God.
"We meet under circumstances different from those under which our fathers met one hundred years ago. Yet they sang the same songs ; worshiped the same God and had the same object in view that we have to-day. The forests and the groves were their temples in the summer. They enjoyed what we enjoy. They lived under the same blessing of God and the same prosperity that we enjoy."
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DR. ISAAC KAY.
THE RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS OF SPRINGFIELD, OHIO, DURING THE NINETEENTH CENTURY.
BY DR. ISAAC KAY.
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN : As part of a general plan adopted by the Executive Committee of the Springfield (O.) Centennial Celebration, to be observed this week, I have been requested to prepare a paper, a part of which is to be read on this occasion, briefly reviewing the religious history and denominational devel- opments of Springfield, for the past hundred years of its exist- ence. Of all the subjects assigned for consideration during the exercises of this Centennial occasion, none could possibly be of any higher importance. That great American statesman, Daniel Webster, declared in one of his masterpieces of forensic oratory. that the sincere worship of God by the people, was a thing vitally related to the very foundation principles of all good and success- ful human government. The voice of history certainly indicates that the religious convictions and devout character of those who first settled upon the Atlantic seaboard of this country, constituted the chief factors, under God's providence, in establishing what may be called and fairly considered the best Civil Government . on earth.
So it is not the least pleasing thought connected with the early annals and subsequent moral growth of Springfield, that Christian institutions, and the religious life of many individuals had entered into its affairs, almost from the very start. Aside
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from an isolated pious person, here and there, nearly the whole re- ligious history of Springfield would involve its churches, its Sun- day Schools, and in later years its Christian Associations and Leagues. We shall now take up as many as possible of these sources of religious power, and show their relation to our moral and spiritual development, as a community. In attempting to no- tice these institutions, in their organized form and operations, we will necessarily have to be very brief with them all. And, now, please allow me to state, once for all. that my principal sources of information have been threefold : First, those simple, but beautiful and instructive, annals of early Springfield, which, some years ago, were written by the late Dr. John Ludlow, and published at the time, in one of our daily newspapers. These literary contributions, from such a facile pen, have been left as a valuable heritage to the present generation and to coming posterity as well. My second source of information has been a faithful and scholarly produc- tion, in the line of local history, wrtten, more than twenty years ago, by our distinguished fellow-townsman, Oscar T. Martin, Esq., and incorporated as Part Four into the elaborate and in- structive History of Clark County, which was issued in the year 1881 ; and, thirdly, all the facts pertaining to the last twenty-five or thirty years have been derived from numerous interviews and correspondences with our various city pastors and church clerks, and from conversations with aged surviving members of existing churches, and to all these I am under lasting obligations for their painstaking favors in this behalf.
From the time that James Demint, with his family, came from Kentucky, in 1799, and commenced dwelling in his double log cabin, situated on the north side of Lagonda or Buck Creek, upon the site now occupied by our Northern School House, there were no white dwellers here, until the year 1801, when Griffith Foos' family and several others from the same State, came and settled in what is now known as Springfield. They built them- selves log-cabin homes, after having selected lots already laid out by Messrs. Demint and Daugherty, and soon a number of pioneers came in, and settled down, as citizens, until in the year 1804, there were about a dozen houses in the place. Among the principal res- idents, at that time, were James Demint, John Daugherty, Griffith
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Foos, Charles Stowe, John Reed, James Lowrey, J. Fields and two Frenchmen named Duboy and Lucoy, who dealt in goods suit- able, mostly, for the Indian trade. Even during this short while, above named, the agencies of evil were here, several years in ad- vance of the time when Christian work had begun to exert its beneficial influence upon the community. Whiskey, gambling, profanity, and occasional fighting, were all in evidence, but per- haps, not to an unusual extent, as compared with other pioneer settlements.
The very first preaching ever held in Springfield was at Mr. Griffith Foos' log tavern, as early as 1803. first by a Rev. Mr. Thomas, a Baptist minister, and afterwards, at long intervals, by preachers of other evangelical denominations. But these irreg- ular ministrations resulted, as it seems, in no church organization of any kind.
In the Spring of 1804, a Mr. Walter Smallwood, with his ·wife, came to Springfield from Virginia, purchased a lot on the south side of Main street, and built a residence near where the Western House now stands. Mr. Smallwood was a blacksmith and not a member of any church, nor was he a professor of relig- ion. His wife was a woman of superior intelligence, cultivated manners and very active in all matters pertaining to the morar and social improvement of the little community. She became a prime mover and original member of what was called the Methodist So- ciety, of that time, and she contiued to labor in that sphere until 1806, when several persons of this religious affinity organized themselves in what should be regarded as the First Methodist Church of Springfield. Whilst speaking of this time as one of religious dearth and gloom, we have occasion to note the life of this Christian woman, especially, and to regard her as a sort of morning star, in the opening up of the religious day. She was said to have been remarkably gifted in prayer, and her choice words and sweet voice, melting in its tenderness, were frequently heard in supplication in seasons of social worship, at her church. The character and work of this good woman would naturally claim our strong interest in her history.
Mrs. Smallwood was the mother of six children-three boys and three girls-all of whom reached mature years, and. under the
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early teaching of their pious mother, identified themselves with the church and engaged in its active work. Her burning and shin- ing light, amid the irreligious atmosphere surrounding her early life, had doubtless hurried the coming of a better religious era in Springfield.
For several years individual Christians had assembled them- selves occasionally for worship, but in a somewhat unorganized capacity. Their usual place of meeting was at Nathaniel Pinkerd's log school house, on the northeast corner of Main and Market streets, where a deep religious feeling was experienced by many, who soon after began to look toward a regular church organiza- tion.
As we wish to consider the religious denominations, in chro- nological order so far as possible, and inasmuch as the Methodist people seem to have been the pioneers in this regard, we shall make a note of their work, first, and follow the destinies of that denomination down to the present time.
METHODIST EPISCOPAL.
Methodist ministers belonging to the old Mad River and Springfield Circuits had been preaching in Springfield at stated times, commencing as early as the year 1805, with Rev. John Thompson in charge. He was followed in 1807 by Revs. A. Mc- Guire and Isaac Quinn ; and then again the appointees on the Springfield Circuit in 1808 and 1809 were Revs. T. Milligan, J. Davidson, W. Mitchell, Hezekiah Shaw, William Young and Saul Henkle. Rev. Saul Henkle was the first settled minister of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Springfield. He came from Har- din County, Virginia, in the Spring of 1800. He had a wife, and a child two months old. He moved into a log house built by Archibald Lowrey, which was first occupied as a tavern, and he lived there until 1825, when he removed to his new brick house on High street. He was spoken of as a devout Christian, whose chief aim in life was to promote the glory of God and the moral and religious welfare of the people. His ministerial life covered . a period of twenty-eight years, during which time he preachd al- tnost constantly, and was present at almost every marriage and fu- neral occasion. In 1827 he edited and published a religious paper,
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called "The Gospel Trumpet." and he performed all the labor him- self at his own residence. He was described as a little below the ordinary height, of slender form,a little inclined to stoop, and had a remarkably bright and pleasant face, and a manner indicating his ministerial character. He was rather slow of speech, but quite choice in his use of words, and his thoughts were elevating and instructive. He died in Springfield in the year 1837, leaving a widow, who was a lady of superior Christian character. She sur- vived him thirty-seven years.
The records go to show, that to the Methodist Episcopal Church belongs the credit of first establishing public worship as an organization, though they did not ereet their church building until the year 1814, four years after one had been built by the Christian Society, of which we will speak later on. This first- named Methodist Episcopal Church was built during the pastoral charge of Revs. Joseph Tatum and Joseph Oglesby, when the Mad River Circuit had a membership of 1.200. The incumbents of the Springfield Station for the next nineteen years may be summarized as follows: Rev. Abbott Goddard, for 1815 : Moses Crume and Henry Bascom. 1816; Walter Griffith and William Williams, 1817; John Sale and John Strange, 1818; Russel Big- low and Robert W. Finley. 1820: A. McLean, 1821 ; Thomas S. Hitt and George W. Maley, 1822; James Collard and John J. Taylor. 1823; William Larnin. 1824; James T. Wells and George Gatch, 1825; Augustus Eddy and Levi White, 1826 and 1827 : Burroughs Westlake and Alfred M. Lorain, 1828 and 1829 ; Levi White and Elias Potter. 1830: William H. Raper and James T. Donahoe. J. W. Reagan, Richard Brandruff and Joseph Hill then served as supplies until 1833. In 1833 William H. Raper being Presiding Elder of the Lebanon District, the new Springfield Cir- cuit was formed with a membership of 950; the first preachers under this arrangement being Revs. Joshua Boucher, J. P. Tay- lor and A. Sellers. It was during this year that the church edifice · was built at the southeast corner of Columbia and Market streets. It was large, two stories in height, with a gallery, and afforded ample room for the largest congregations that were likely to as- semble in the town at that day. The church was without a belfry. and was called together at the ringing of the Court House bell.
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which, by arrangement, was rung at the same hour on the Sabbath for all the churches in the place. Afterward a belfry and a bell were procured, the bell being the same as now in use at the Central M. E. Church, on the northwest corner of Center and High streets. This is the same organization, which was removed. later, from its old location on the corner of Columbia and Market streets.
In 1834 Revs. Joshua Boucher and Granville Moody were in charge of Springfield Circuit, with Rev. Wlliam H. Raper as Pre- siding Elder. This church was then continuously served by pastors as follows : For the years of 1835 and 1836, Revs. Wil- liam A. Barrett, John Alexander. Michael Marley, E. B. Chase and Joseph Gasner: Mifflin Harker and James L. Grover, for 1837; M. Harker and Solomon Howard, 1838; William Young and Samuel Clark, with Zachariah Connell as Presiding Elder, 1839. In 1840, the charge at Springfield became a station, with Rev. William Young as pastor and a membership of 330. The pastorates were then continued as follows: Solomon Howard. in 1841; John W. Weakley, 1842 and 1843; William Herr, 1844; Uriah Heath, 1845 : Randolph P. Foster, 1846 and 1847 ; Charles Elliott, 1848.
About this time a portion of the old church colonized and formed the High Street M. E. Church, the two bodies being served by Revs. Charles Elliott and Solomon Howard. In 1849 and 1850, the parent organization was supplied by Rev. Maxwell P. Gaddis, when there was a membership of 446. Then came Rev. Granville Moody, in 1853 and 1854: Rev. James F. Chal- fant, 1855; Joseph Newson, 1856; W. T. Ellsworth. 1857 and 1858; M. Dustin, 1859; Charles Ferguson, 1860 and 1861.
In 1862, the church having sold its old property on Columbia street, purchased a lot and commenced building on the northwest corner of Center and High streets, and took the name of the Cen- tral M. E. Church of Springfield. The line of pastors then con- tinued as follows: Rev. S. L. Yourtee, 1863 to 1865 : J. W. Cas- sett, 1866 and 1867; Asbury Lowrey, 1868; S. A. Brewster, 1869. 1870 and 1871; C. W. Ketchum, 1872, 1873 and 1874; E. T. Wells, 1875. 1876 and 1877:W. A. Robinson, 1878. 1879 and 1880; A. B. Leonard. 1883 to 1886; William Runyan, 1886 to
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1887; John Pearson. September 1, 1887 to 1888; Thomas N. Pearne, from September 1, 1888, to 1890; C. W. Barnes, 1890 to 1804; C. W. Rishell. 1894-95 ; V. F. Brown, 1895-99, and C. M. Van Pelt, from September 1, 1899, to the present, when the mem- bership is 950, and the Sunday school has an average attendance of 398.
The present building, erected in 1862, at a cost of $22.000, added materially to the architectural beauty of the city. and con- stitutes a busy headquarters of Christian activity. This venerable M. E. Charch has had seventy-one pastors since its existence of ninety-five years. which, perhaps, with the exception of one or two other churches, is the greatest number of pastors which has ever served any other church in the State of Ohio during the century just past. Springfield should thank God for the high privilege of having had such a religious organization, all these years, in its midst.
HIGH STREET M. E. CIIURCH.
The High Street Methodist Episcopal Church of Springfield. organized in April, 1849, with about 80 members, and has since become quite an efficient factor in the Christian cause here in this city. Levi Reinhart, Edmund Ogden, Christopher Thompson, L. N. Olds, John M. Young and S. S. Moler constituted the Board of Trustees. Their first church building was dedicated July 27, 1851, Rev. John Dillon. afterward professor in Drew Theological Sem- inary, preaching the sermon on the occasion. The pastors of this charge sucessively were as follows: Revs. Isaac Dillon, in 1849 ;. John S. Inskip, 1850: John W. Weakley. 1851 ; William H. South- erland, 1852-53; M. Dustin, 1854-55; John F. Marley, 1855-56; W. I. Fee. 1857-58; Allen Trimble Thompson, 1860; George C. Crum. 1861-62: A. B. Wambaugh, 1864: G. H. Dart. 1865-66-67 ; Thomas Collett. 1868-60-70. During this last-named pastorate the church edifice was remodeled at a cost of $18,000. Thence onward the pastors were: Rev. Lucien Clark, from 1871 to 1874; William L. Hypes, 1874; S. B. Smith, 1875 ; F. G. Mitchell, 1876- 77-78; Thomas J. Harris, 1879, during whose pastorate the me :- bership was about 350. Next in the pastorates were: John F. Marlay, 1882-85 : R. H. Rust, 1885-00: John R. Shannon, 1890-91;
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A. H. Lucas, 1891-95; John A. Story, 1895-1901. Number of church membership, 500. and of Sunday school, 300.
ST. PAUL'S M. E. CHURCH.
The second colony from the First, or Central Methodist Episcopal Church was organized into a church under the most favorable auspices, and took the name of the St. Paul's Methodist Episcopal Church of Springfield. This plan was effected on the Ioth day of February, 1880, and involved the hearty and enthusi- astic co-operation of 150 persons, many of whom were veteran Christian workers. They purchased a very fine, elevated lot. sit- uated on the west side of Yellow Springs street, and erected upon it one of the most beautiful brick church edifices iff the city, nearly one-third of which was contributed by Mr. P. P. Mast, one of Springfield's most liberal and philanthropic citizens, and who was a faithful member of the church thus benefitted.
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