USA > Ohio > Clark County > The history of Clark County, Ohio, containing a history of the county; its cities, towns, etc.; general and local statistics; portraits of early settlers and prominent men, V. 1 > Part 14
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Carroll County was formed from Columbiana in 1832-33. It produces wheat, oats and corn, and valuable coal and iron. The surface is hilly. Car- rollton is its county seat. At Harlem is a celebrated chalybeate spring.
Clark County was formed March 1, 1817, from Champaign, Madison and Greene. Its second settlement was at Kreb's Station, in 1796. It is highly culti- vated, well watered and very fertile. The Mad River, Buck and Beaver Creeks furnish abundant water-power. It produces principally wheat, corn and oats.
Tecumseh, the old Indian warrior, was born at the ancient Indian vil- lage of Piqua, on the Mad River, on the site of New Boston. Piqua was
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destroyed by Gen. George Rogers Clarke. Skeletons, beads, gun barrels, tomahawks, kettles, etc., have been found in the vicinity.
Springfield, the county seat, is situated on the National road. It has con- venient transportation facilities, is handsomely laid out, and is noted for its cultured citizens. It is near Mad River, and Buck Creek runs through it.
Clinton County was formed in 1810. It produces chiefly wheat, oats, wool and pork. Its surface is undulating, in some parts hilly, and the soil fer- tile. Its streams furnish desirable water-power. The county was settled in 1803. Wilmington is the county seat, and was laid out in 1811. The first log house was built by William Hobsin.
Clermont County was the eighth formed in the Northwest Territory, by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December 9, 1800. The soil is exceedingly rich, and the surface is broken and, near the Ohio, hilly. Wheat, corn, oats, hay, potatoes, tobacco, barley, buckwheat and rye form the main crops, while beef, pork, flour, hay and whisky constitute its main exports. Its streams furnish good water-power. Batavia, its county seat, is situated on the Little Miami River, and was laid out in 1820, by George Ely.
Columbiana County was formed March 25, 1803, from Jefferson and Wash- ington. Its soil is very fertile, producing wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It is wealthy in mineral deposits, coal, iron ore, lime and freestone being abun- dant. Its water-lime stone is of superior quality. Salt water is found on Yel- low and Beaver Creeks. This is also the great wool-producing county of the State. It was settled in 1797. New Lisbon, its county seat, is well built.
The first paper-mill in Ohio was erected in this county, on Little Beaver Creek, by John Coulter and John Bever.
Coshocton County was organized April 1, 1811. Its principal products are wheat, corn, oats and wool. Hills and valleys alternate along the Muskingum River. Abrupt changes are strongly marked-a rich alluvum being overhung by a red-bush hill, while directly beside it may be seen the poplar and sugar tree. Coal and iron ore add to its general importance, while salt wells have proven remunerative.
Coshocton, the county seat, is built on four wide, natural terraces, at the junction of the Tuscarawas with the Walhonding.
Cuyahoga County was formed June 7, 1807, from Geauga. Near the lake, the soil is sandy, while a clayey loam may be found elsewhere. The valleys near the streams produce wheat, barley and hay. Fruit is successfully grown, and cheese, butter, beef and wool are largely exported. Bog iron is found in the western part, and fine grindstone quarries are in operation. The sandstone from these quarries is now an important article of commerce. As early as 1775, there was a French settlement within the boundaries of Cuyahoga. In 1786, a Moravian missionary came to the present site of Cleveland, and set- tled in an abandoned village of the Ottawas. Circumstances prevented a
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permanent settlement, and the British tacitly took possession, even remaining upon the lake shores after the Revolution.
The first permanent settlement was made at Cleveland in 1796. Mr. Job V. Stiles and family and Edward Paine passed the first winter there, their log cabin standing where the Commercial Bank is now located. Rodolphus Edwards and Nathaniel Doane settled here. The town was, in 1813, a depot. . of supplies and a rendezvous for troops engaged in the war.
Cleveland, the county seat, is situated at the northern termination of the Ohio Canal, on the lake shore. In 1814, it was incorporated as a village, and in 1836, as a city. Its elevation is about a hundred feet above the lake. It is a lovely city, and has one of the best harbors on Lake Erie.
Ohio City is another important town, nearly opposite Cleveland, on the Cuyahoga. It was incorporated in 1836.
Crawford County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian territory. The entire county is adapted to grazing. The soil is generally composed of rich vegetable loam, and in some parts the subsoil is clay mixed with lime. Rich beds of shell marl have been discovered. It produces wheat, corn, cats, clover, timothy seed, wool and cattle. Fine limestone quarries are worked with success.
Bucyrus is the county seat, and was laid out February 11, 1822, by Samuel Norton and James Kilbourn, original owners of the land. The first settler in the town proper was Samuel Norton. A gas well has been dug in Bucyrus, on the land of R. W. Musgrove, which burns in a brilliant light when con- ducted to the surface by means of pipes. Crawford's Sulphur Springs are located nine miles from Bucyrus. The water is impregnated with sulphuretted hydrogen. It deposits a reddish-purple sediment. In its nature the water is a cathartic, and is diuretic and diaphoretic in its effects. A few rods away is a burning spring. The Annapolis Sulphur Spring is clear and has gained consid- erable fame by its curative qualities. Opposite Bucyras is a chalybeate spring of tonic qualities.
There are some beds of peat in the county, the most extensive one being a wet prairie called Cranberry Marsh, containing nearly 2,000 acres.
Darke County was organized in March, 1817, from Miami County. It is abundantly timbered with poplar, walnut, blue ash, hickory, beech and sugar maple. It yields superior wheat, and is well adapted to grazing. In this county occurred the lamentable defeat of St. Clair, and the treaty of Greenville.
Greenville is the county seat, and was laid out August 10, 1808, by Robert Gray and John Dover. In December, 1793, Wayne built Fort Greenville on this spot, which covered about the same extent as the present town.
Delaware County was formed February 10. 1808, from Franklin. It pro- duces mainly wheat, corn, oats, pork and wool.
Delaware is the county seat, and was laid out in the spring of 1808, by Moses Byxbe. The Delaware Spring in the village is of the white sulphur or
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cold hydro-sulphurous nature, valuable for medicinal qualities in cases of bilious derangements, dyspepsia, scrofulous affections, etc.
Defiance County was inaugurated March 4, 1845, from Williams, Henry and Paulding. The Maumee, Tiffin and Auglaize flow through it. The Black Swamp covers much of its area.
Defiance, the county seat, is situated on the Maumee. It was laid out in 1822, by B. Level and H. Phillips. A large Indian settlement occupied its site in very early times. Wayne arrived here August 8, 1794, captured the place, finding about one thousand acres of corn, peach and apple orchards, and vegetables of all varieties. Here he built Fort Defiance.
Erie County was formed in 1838, from Huron and Sandusky. The soil is alluvial, and yields large crops of wheat, corn, oats and potatoes. It possesses inexhaustable quarries of limestone and freestone. Immense quantities of bog iron are also found. The Erie tribe is said to have once occupied the land, and were extirpated by the Iroquois. As early as 1754, the French had built set- tlements. In 1764, the county was besieged. Pontiac came here with warlike demonstrations, but made peace with the whites. Erie was included in the " fire lands" of the Western Reserve.
'Sandusky City is the county seat, and was laid out in 1817, then termed Portland. At that time it contained two log huts. The town is finely situated, and is based upon an inexhaustible quarry of the finest limestone. In the "patriot war" with the Canadians, this city was the rendezvous for the "patriots.".
Franklin County was formed April 30, 1803, from Ross. It contains much low wet land, and is better adapted to grazing than agricultural purposes. It was in early times occupied by the Wyandot Indians. Its first white set- tlement was made in 1797, by Robert Armstrong and others. Franklinton was laid out in 1797, by Lucas Sullivan. Worthington was settled by the Scioto Company in 1801. Col. Kilbourn, who was interested in the work, constructed the first map of Ohio during his explorations, by uniting sectional diagrams.
Columbus, the capital of the State of Ohio, is also the county seat of Franklin County. After the organization of a State government, the capital was "portable " until 1816. In 1810, the sessions were held at Chillicothe, in 1811 and 1812 at Zanesville, removing again to Chillicothe, and, in 1816, being located at Columbus. The town was laid out during the spring of 1812. A penitentiary was erected in 1813, and the State House was built in 1814. It was incorporated as " the borough of Columbus," February 10, 1816. The city charter was granted March 3, 1834.
It is beautifully located on the east bank of the Scioto. The Columbus Institute is a classical institution. 'A female and a theological seminary also add to its educational advantages. The Ohio Lunatic Asylum is also located here-also the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Blind. East of the
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State House is the Ohio Institution for the Education of the Deaf and Dumb.
Fairfield County was formed by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, December 9, 1800.
The soil is varied, being in some parts exceedingly rich, and in others very sterile. It produces principally wheat, corn, rye, oats, buckwheat, barley, . potatoes and tobacco.
Lancaster is the county seat, laid out by Ebenezer Zane in 1800. In 1797, he opened the road known as "Zane's Trace," from Wheeling to Limestone -- now Maysville. It passed through Lancaster, at a fording about three hundred yards below the present turnpike bridge. Near the turn stands an imposing eminance called "Standing Stone." Parties of pleasure frequently visit this spot.
Fayette County was formed from Ross and Highland in 1810. Wheat, corn, cattle, hogs, sheep and wool comprise its main productions. " The bar- rens" are situated in the northeastern part. This tract is covered by a growth of grass.
Washington is its county scat, laid out in 1810.
Col. Stewart was active in the interests of this section, and his memory is sacredly revered. Jesse Milliken was prominent in public affairs.
Fulton County, bordering on Michigan, was organized in 1850. It is drained by Bean Creek and other small affluents of the Maumee River. The surface is nearly level, and a large part of it is covered with forests of ash, beech, elm, hickory, white oak, black walnut, etc., furnishing excellent timber. The soil is fertile. Wheat, corn, oats and hay are the staple products. Wau- seon is the county scat.
Guernsey County was organized in March, 1810. Wool is a staple prod- uct, together with beef, horses and swine. It produces wheat, corn and oats.
Cambridge is the county seat and was laid out in June, 1806. Mr. Graham was the first settler on the site of the town, and his was the only dwelling between Lancaster and Wheeling.
The first cannel coal found in the county was discovered near Mill's Creek.
Greene County was formed May 1, 1803, from Hamilton and Ross. It produces wheat, corn, rye, grass-seed, oats, barley, sheep and swine. The streams furnish good water-power. There are five limestone quarries, and a marble quarry of variegated colors. The Shawnee town was on the Little Miami, and was visited by Capt. Thomas Bullit in 1773. When Daniel Boone was captured in 1778, he was brought to this town, and escaped the following year. Gen. Clarke invaded this county and the Indians reduced the town to ashes.
Xenia, the county seat, was laid off in the forest in 1803, by Joseph C. Vance. The first cabin was erected in April. 1804, by John Marshall. The Rev. James Fowler built the first hewed-log cabin. David A. Sanders built the first frame house. Nine miles north of the town, on the Little Miami River, are the Yellow Springs, which are impregnated with sulphur.
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Geauga County was formed in 1805 from Trumbull. It exports sheep, cattle, butter and cheese. It is situated at the head of Chargrine, Cuyahoga and a part of Grand Rivers, on high ground, and is subjected to snowstorms more frequently than any other part of the Reserve. Its first settlement was made in 1798, at Burton. Chardon is fourteen miles from Lake Erie, and is 600 feet above it. . It was laid out as the county seat in 1808.
Gallia County was formed April 30, 1803, from Washington. Its princi- pal crops are wheat, corn, oats and beans. The surface is generally broken. Its first settlement was made in 1791, by a French colony, at Gallipolis. This colony was sent out under the auspices of the Scioto Company. This town is now the county seat.
Hamilton County was the second established in the Northwestern Territory by proclamation of Gov. St. Clair, January 2, 1790. Its surface is gen- erally rolling. It produces the ordinary farm products, and a great variety of fruits and vegetables for the Cincinnati market. Vineyards thrive well within its limits, and the manufacture of wine is carried on to a considerable extent.
This county was the second settled in Ohio, and the first within the Symmes purchase. Settlers arrived at the spot now occupied by Cincinnati, and three or four log cabins were erected. Gen. Arthur St. Clair arrived here in Janu- ary, 1790. The army of Wayne encamped here later, at Fort Washington. Mr. Maxwell established in 1793 the Sentinel of the Northwestern Territory, the first newspaper printed north of the Ohio River. In 1796, Edward Free- man became its proprietor, and changed the name to Freeman's Journal. January 11, 1794, two keel-boats sailed from Cincinnati to Pittsburgh, making regular trips every four weeks. In 1801, the first sea vessel built at Mari- etta came down the Ohio.
Cincinnati, the county seat, was incorporated January 2, 1802. It was char- tered as a city in 1819. The city is beautifully laid out and delightfully situ- ated. Its public buildings are elegant and substantial, including the court house and many literary and charitable institutions.
The Cincinnati College was founded in 1819. It stands in the center of the city. It is built in Grecian-Doric style, with pilaster fronts and facade of Dayton marble. Woodward College is also popular.
The Catholics have founded the St. Xavier's College. Lane Seminary, a theological institution, is at Walnut Hills, two miles from the center of the city. It has over 10,000 volumes in its libraries. No charge is made for tuition. Rooms are provided and furnished at $5 per year, and board ranges from 62} cents to 90 cents a week. The Cincinnati Law School is connected with Cin- cinnati College. The Mechanics' Institute was chartered in 1828, and is in all respects well supplied with apparatus. A college for teachers was established in 1831, its object being to perfect those contemplating entering that profession in their studies and system.
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The Cincinnati Orphan Asylum is an elegant building, and has a library and well-organized school attached. The Catholics of the city have one male and female orphan asylum. The Commercial Hospital and Lunatic Asylum of Ohio was incorporated in 1821.
Cincinnati is a large manufacturing city, and possesses fine water-power facilities. It communicates with the world by means of its canal, river, turnpikes, and railways. North Bend is another prominent town in this county, having been the residence of Gen. William H. Harrison, and the site of his burial place. The town was of considerable importance in the early settlement of the State. About thirty yards from Harrison's tomb is the grave of Judge Symmes.
Hancock County was formed April 1, 1820. It produces wheat, oats, corn, pork and maple sugar. The surface is level and its soil is fertile. Blanchard's Fork waters the central and southern part of the county. Findlay, the county seat, was laid out by ex-Gov. Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry, in 1821. It was relaid in 1829. William Vance settled there in the fall of 1821. At the south end of the town, are two gas wells. In the eastern part, is a mineral spring, and west of the bridge, is a chalybeate spring.
Hardin County was formed April 1, 1820, from the old Indian Territory. It produces, principally, wheat, corn and swine. A portion of the surface is level, and the remainder undulating. Fort McArthur was built on the Scioto River, but proved a weak stockade. Kenton is the county seat, situated on the Mad River.
Harrison County was formed from Jefferson and Tuscarawas January 1, 1814. The surface is hilly, abounding in coal and limestone. Its soil is clayey. It is one of the important wool-growing counties in Ohio. It produces large quantities of wheat, corn, oats and hay, besides a considerable number of horses, cattle and swine.
In April, 1799, Alexander Henderson and family settled in this county, and at the same time, Daniel Peterson and his family resided at the forks of Short Creck. The early settlers were much annoyed by Indians and wild beasts. Cadiz is the county seat, and was laid out in 1803 and 1804, by Messrs. Briggs and Beatty.
Henry County was formed from the old Indian Territory, April 1, 1820. Indian corn, oats, potatoes, and maple sugar constitute the main products. The county is well supplied with running streams, and the soil is unusually rich.
The greater portion of this county is covered by the "Black Swamp." Throughout this swamp are ridges of limestone, covered with black walnut, red elm, butternut and maple. The soil is superior for grain. Fruit thrives and all varieties of vegetables are produced in large quantities. Simon Girty, noto- rious for his wicked career, resided in this county. Girty led the attack on Fort Henry, in September, 1777. He demanded the surrender of the fort, and menaced its inmates with an Indian massacre, in case of refusal. The
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action began, but the fort gained the victory. He led a ferocious band of Indi- ans, and committed the most fiendish atrocities.
Napoleon, the county seat, is situated on the Maumee River.
Highland County was formed in May, 1805, from Ross, Adams and Cler- mont. It is a wealthy, productive county. Its wheat commands a high mar- ket price. The crops consist of wheat, corn, oats, maple sugar, wool, swine and cattle. Its first settlement began in 1801, at New Market, by Oliver Ross, Robert Keeston, George W. Barrere, Bernard Weyer and others. Simon Ken- ton made a trace through this county in early times. Hillsboro is the county seat, and was laid out in 1807, by David Hays, on the land of Benja- min Ellicott. It is situated on the dividing ridge, between the Miami and Sci- oto. The Hillsboro Academy was founded in 1827.
Hocking County was formed March 1, 1818, from Ross, Athens and Fair- field. Its principal products are corn, wheat, tobacco and maple sugar. Its surface is broken and hilly, but is level and fertile beside the streams.
The Wyandots once occupied this tract, and built a large town herein. In 1798, a few white families ventured to settle. Logan is its county scat, and is situated on the Hocking River.
Holmes County was formed from Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne, Janu- ary 20, 1824. It produces wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, maple sugar, swine, sheep and cattle. The southwestern portion is broken. Thomas Butler was the first settler, in 1810. Millersburg is the county seat, and was laid out in 1830.
Huron County was organized in 1815. It produces hay, wheat, corn, oats, barley, buckwheat, flaxseed, potatoes, butter, cheese, wool and swine. Nor- walk is the county seat.
Jackson County was organized March, 1816. The country is rich in min- erals and abounds in coal and iron ore. The exports are cattle, wool, swine, horses, lumber, millstones, tobacco and iron. Jackson, the county seat, was laid out in 1817. The old Scioto salt-works were among the first worked in Ohio by the whites. Prior to this period, the Indians came some distance to this section to make salt. When Daniel Boone was a prisoner, he spent some time at these works.
Jefferson County was proclaimed by Gov. St. Clair July 29, 1797, and was the fifth county established in Ohio. It is one of the most important manufacturing counties in the State. Its resources in coal are also extended. The surface is hilly and the soil fertile, producing wheat, corn and oats. The old "Mingo", town was on the present farms of Jeremiah Hallock and Mr. Daniel Potter. The troops of Col. Williamson rendezvoused at this point, when they set out in their cruel Moravian campaign, and also the troops of Col. Crawford. when they started on the campaign against the Sandusky Indians. Here Logan, the powerful and manly chief of the Mingo nation, once resided. He took no active part in the old French war, which closed in
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1760, except that of a peacemaker. He was a stanch friend of the whites until the abominable and unprovoked murder of his father, brother and sister, which occurred in 1774, near the Yellow Creek. He then raised the battle cry and sought revenge.
However, Logan was remarkably magnanimous toward prisoners who fell into his hands. The year 1793 was the last spent in Indian warfare in Jeffer- son County.
Fort Steuben was erected on the present site of Steubenville, the county scat, in 1789. It was constructed of block-houses, with palisade fences, and was dis- mantled during Wayne's campaign. Bezalcel Wells and Hon. James Ross laid the town out in 1798. It was incorporated February 14, 1805. It is situated upon an elevated plain. In 1814, Messrs. Wells and Dickerson built a woolen manufactory, and introduced merino sheep to the county.
Knox County was formed March 1, 1808, from Fairfield. It is drained by the Vernon River. It produces wheat, corn, oats, tobacco, maple sugar, pota- toes and wool. Mount Vernon was laid out in 1805. The early settlers found two wells on the Vernon River, built of hammered stone, neatly laid, and near by was a salt-lick. Their direct origin remains a mystery. Gilman Bryant, in 1807, opened the first store in Mount Vernon. The court house was built in 1810. The Indians came to Mount Vernon in large numbers for the pur- pose of trading in furs and cranberries. Each Saturday, the settlers worked on the streets, extracting stumps and improving the highway. The first settler north of the place was N. M. Young, who built his cabin in 1803. Mount Vernon is now the county seat, beautifully situated on Vernon River. Kenyon College is located at Gambier. It is richly endowed with 8,000 acres, and is valued at $100,000. This institution was established under the auspices of Bishop Chase, in July, 1826, in the center of a $4,000-acre tract belonging to Kenyon College. It was chartered as a theological seminary.
Lucas County is of comparatively recent origin. A large portion is covered by the " Black Swamp." It produces corn, wheat, potatoes and oats. This county is situated in the Maumee Valley, which was the great arena of histori- cal events. The frightful battle of Wayne's campaign, where the Indians found the British to be traitors, was fought at Fort Meigs, in this county. Maumee City, the county seat, was laid out in 1817, as Maumee, by Maj. William Oliver and others. It is situated on the Maumee, at the head of navigation. The surface is 100 feet above the water level. This town, with Perrysburg, its neighbor, is exceedingly picturesque, and was in early times frequented by the Indians. The French: had a trading station at this point, in 1680, and in 1794, the Brit- ish Fort -- Miami-was built. Toledo is on the left bank of the Maumee, and covers the site of a stockade fort, known as Fort Industry, erected in 1800. An Indian treaty was held here July 4, 1805, by which the Indians relinquished all rights to the " fire lands." In 1832, Capt. Samuel Allen gave an impetus to the place, and Maj. Stickney also became interested in its advancement.
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Speculation in lots began in 1834. The Wabash & Erie Canal interest arose in 1836. Mr. Mason and Edward Bissel added their energies to assist the growth of the town. It was incorporated as a city in 1836. It was the center of the military operations in the " Ohio and Michigan war," known as the "boundary conflict."
The Ordinance of 1787 provided for the division of the Northwestern Terri- tory into three or five States. The three southern were to be divided from the two northern by a line drawn east and west through the southern point of Lake Michigan, extending eastward to the Territorial line in Lake Erie. The consti- tution of Ohio adds a provision that if the line should not go so far north as the north cape of Maumee Bay, then the northern boundary of Ohio should be a line drawn from the southerly part of Lake Michigan to the north cape of the Maumee Bay.
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