The history of Hardin county, Ohio, Part 34

Author: Warner Beers & co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Warner Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1076

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PIONEER JAIL.

The first public building erected in Hardin County was a one-storied log jail, about 18x24 feet in size. The walls were double, and the logs being

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

hewed on four sides, fitted closely together, yet to make it more secure, the logs of the outside wall covered the crevices between those of the inside. The roof was made of clapboards, and through the center of the building ran a board partition, making two rooms, one for male and the other for female prisoners. The floor consisted of a solid layer of hewed log sleep- ers resting upon the ground, on top of which the boards were nailed. This jail was built on the site where the court house now stands, in 1833; but a few years prior to the burning of the first court house, in 1853, it was moved from the square to the southeast corner of the lot on which the latter struct- ure stood.

An incident that occurred in 1837, in connection with this jail, is worthy of mention. David Goodin says: "In 1837, a man named Halstead was arrested, in the northern part of the county, for stealing a horse, brought to Kenton, and incarcerated in the old log jail. William McGovern was Deputy Sheriff, and had charge of the prisoner. The weather was cold, and the jail containing no fire-place or stove, a large iron kettle was improvised as a heating apparatus by being filled with blocks of wood and a fire started therein, the smoke escaping as best it could. Soon after his arrest, Hal- stead complained of an intense thirst during the night hours, and asked that plenty of water should be left in the room. He also professed a relig- ious turn of mind, and requested McGovern to grant him candles so that he might have light by which to read his Bible after nightfall. The wily ras- cal's wishes were all readily granted by the Deputy, who loved to exercise the dignity and power of his office; but one morning on going to the jail the self-important official was dumbfounded upon discovering that 'the bird had flown.' Halstead had taken the blocks of burning wood from the kettle, and by constant toil had burned a hole through the solid log floor, tunnelled under the wall and escaped. It must have taken him many nights to do the work, using the water, which the unsuspecting deputy had left him for drinking purposes, to put out the fire, when daylight would compel him to forego his labors. Throughout the day he would have his bed over the scene of his work, thereby hiding it from prying eyes. He even stole the bedding to protect him from the cold, and was never re capt- ured, his escape being a standing joke on McGovern for many years after- ward." This jail was used until the erection of the present one in 1855.

FIRST COURT HOUSE.

In May, 1834, the erection of the first court house of Hardin County was begun on Main street, where Mr. Filler's dry goods store now stands. The contractors were John W. Williams and John Houser, while Boston Shawver, of Bellefontaine, was the builder. It was a plain brick struct- ure, two stories high, 30x40 feet in size, and was finished in October, 1835, though court was held in it prior to that date. A hallway ran through the center of the building from east to west, dividing it into two rooms. The Auditor had his office in the south room, and the Clerk occupied the room on the north side. The court room was in the second story, while the Re- corder and Treasurer had their offices in their homes or place of business, until the erection of the small frame building of two rooms, which stood adjoining the court house on the south. The Sheriff " had his office in his hat," is the reply we received from the pioneer official, Daniel Barron, in answer to a question on this subject, Everything around this building was finished in the plainest style, and in keeping with the pioneer times, but it was all that was necessary in those days, when money was scarce and log cabins the only kind of dwellings that the settlers could afford.

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

For eighteen years, justice was doubtless meted out with as much dignity, and the law expounded as logically in this old court house as it is to-day in the beautiful temples of justice that adorn nearly every couuty seat from the Ohio to the Lake; but on Friday morning, March 4, 1853, the building was burned to the ground. The fire was first discovered in the Auditor's office about 4 o'clock, A. M., and soon spread throughout the whole struct- ure. Most, if not all, of the early records in the Auditor's office were de- stroyed, as well as much damage done to those in the Clerk's and Sheriff's offices, the latter official having by that time a permanent office in the building. The Recorder and Treasurer saved all of their books without any serious damage, though the small frame in which their offices were located was burned at the same time. The loss to the county through the destruction of the " Commissioners' journal," which contained all of their official actions throughout the earlier years of the county's history, can never be replaced.

During the interval between the time the court house was burned and the completion of the present one, the county officials had to be furnished with temporary offices. The Commissioners rented a room in the "Millar Building," on the northeast corner of Detroit and Columbus streets, which was occupied by the Clerk of the Court of Common Pleas, while the Auditor, Treasurer and Recorder were provided with offices in the " Cope - land Building," on the southeast corner of Detroit and Franklin streets, the same building which Archie Davis now occupies for his grocery store. The Sheriff was without any regular office until the new court house was finished, and court was held in the United Presbyterian Church, on the southwest corner of Market and Carroll streets, also in the First Presby- terian Church, until the new building was ready for occupancy.

PRESENT COURT HOUSE AND JAIL.

On the 4th of April, 1853, the Commissioners of Hardin County sub- mitted a proposition to the voters thereof as to whether the new court house should be erected on the square, which was decided in the affirmative by a vote of 1,058 to 72. Bids were immediately advertised for, and May 18, 1853, the contract for the building was awarded to Jenkins & Kenedy, for the sum of $17,450. The court house was to be inclosed by the 1st of October, 1853, and entirely completed one year from that date. The firm of Jenkins & Kenedy, after securing the contract, turned it over to Keys & Ayres, which action was approved by the Commissioners June 8, 1853, under the same bond and specifications previously entered into with the first-named firm. Though specified in the contract that the building should be inclosed by October 1, yet we read in the Hardin County Republican of October 28, 1853, the following item in relation to the court house: "This building, should the weather continue favorable for a few weeks, will be under roof, and consequently safe from the inclemency of the coming winter." Early in August, 1854, the interior of the building was so far finished that the Commissioners accepted it for immediate use, and the county officials occupied the offices provided therein. Upon the full completion of the structure, it appearing to the Commissioners that on account of some changes made by the builders from the specifications and plans first agreed upon, said contractors were not entitled to the full amount claimed by them, a reduction of $249.87 was made, thereby mak- ing the entire cost of the court house $17,200.13. The County Commis- sioners under whose supervision the contract was let and the building erected, were Thomas Hueston, Thomas Rough and John F. Henkle.

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

In the spring of 1857, the Town Council of Kenton entered into an ar- rangement with the Commissioners, whereby they agreed to grade the square and gravel the walks, the Commissioners on their part to erect a fence around the same. The grading, etc., was done under the auspices of Elias Collins, with David Thompson as General Superintendent, and soon the slight, natural elevation, upon which the court house was erected, presented a beautiful slope in every direction, gradually receding toward the streets surrounding it. During the summer, a board fence was built by Horace Church, the lumber being supplied by John Espy, and the whole cost of lumber, building and painting was about $500. In the course of time, the square was planted with trees, and in a few years had the appearance of a small park in the center of the town.

The general appearance of the square at the present time is prepossess- ing. The architectural design of the court house belongs to the Grecian temple order, though modified to meet the necessities of the times in which it was erected. It is a two-storied brick building, with stone trimmings, is 74x51 feet in size, with an open vestibule at each end ten feet in width, over which the roof extends, supported by four massive stone pillars, giving to each entrance a very handsome appearance, besides adding twenty feet to the exterior length of the structure. From the roof, at the east end of the building, rises a frame cupola or belfry three stories in height, sur- mounted by a large, brass globe and weather-vane, while a flag-staff, from which often floats the National banner, graces the west end. The interior is finished in the plainest manner. A wide hall runs through the center from end to end, dividing the first story. On the north side, are located the offices of the Treasurer and Probate Judge, each containing an iron, fire- proof vault, put in during the summer of 1878. Across the hall, on the south side, are the offices of the Auditor, County Commissioners, Recorder and Sheriff, in each of which there is a small, brick vault, constructed when the court house was erected, but they are not fire-proof. The court room is in the second story, with the Clerk's office adjoining it on the east, and two small rooms cut off the west end for jury and witness rooms. There is no vault in the Clerk's office, and in case of fire it is doubtful if any of the records in this office could be saved. In fact, it is admitted by those best informed on the subject, that none of the vaults in the court house, except the Treasurer's and Probate Judge's, would successfully resist the destruc - tion of the building by fire.

The square is inclosed by a handsome iron fence built in July, 1880, by the Champion Iron Fence Company of Kenton, at a total cost of $2,800. There is a gate at each corner of the square and one facing each front of the court house; thus the grounds are traversed by walks leading from six entrances to the building. Forest and ornamental trees make an inviting shade from the summer's sun, while their well-trimmed and neat appearance creates a landscape pleasing to the eye and creditable to the county.

The Jail .- The contract for erecting the present jail was awarded April 4. 1855, to Joseph B. Davis, of Cincinnati, for the sum of $3,900, the building to be completed inside of one year. The Commissioners were Thomas Rough, John F. Henkle and Samuel Wood. The jail was finished, and turned over to the Commissioners November 9, 1855, who, at that time, allowed Mr. Davis $210 for extras, over and above what the contract called for. In 1856, the Sheriff, Day Pugh, built a kitchen, porch and cistern for the jail, at a cost of $124. The jail stands on Lot 48, north side of Carroll, between Main and Wayne streets. It is a two-storied,

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

plain, brick structure, 27x36 feet in size, with an old and dilapidated ap- pearance, indicating that its best days are past, and that it is not in har- mony with this age of progress. A hall divides the building into two parts; the east end contains five iron cells, and the Sheriff lives in the opposite end. At the legislative session of 1882-83, a bill was passed authorizing the Commissioners to appropriate any amount necessary up to $30,000, toward the erection of a new jail. We understand from the board, that nothing will be done this year (1883) on the proposed structure. The site or plans have not yet been selected; but it will not be long ere Hardin County possesses a jail in keeping with her wealth and prosperity, and in harmony with the spirit of the nineteenth century.

COUNTY INFIRMARY.

Prior to the erection of the County Infirmary, the poor of Hardin County were "farmed out," each township contracting for their support to the lowest bidder. In April, 1858, a proposition was submitted to the people as to whether a poor farm should be procured and an infirmary erected, but it was defeated by a large majority. About 1866, the Commissioners pur- chased 160 acres of land, of John Parkinson, located two miles and a half northeast of Kenton, but nothing was done toward improving it, nor was it ever occupied for the purpose intended. In the fall of 1868, B. R. Brun- son and David Snodgrass, two of the County Commissioners, concluded that the farm was not a suitable site for the infirmary, and against the protest of Samuel Wood, the other member of the board, voted to change the location, and selected a site west of Kenton, on the Lima road, in Section 31, Pleasant Township. The land was owned by Dr. W. H. Philips, from whom they purchased 160 acres, he taking the old farm in part payment. A further addition of forty-four acres was bought of Dr. Philips and Ben- jamin Rarey, in 1871, the farm now containing 204 acres. The design for the building was furnished by M. Rumbaugh; in 1869, the structure was commenced, finished the following year, and opened for inmates January 5, 1871, under the superintendence of A. W. Fisher.

It is a large three-storied brick building, the shape of the letter H, and rests on a solid stone foundation. The trimmings are of stone and galvan- ized iron, while the front and ends of the structure, with their numerous juttings, angles, circular and dormer windows near the roof, presents a pict- uresque and handsome appearance. The main building is 50x112 feet in size, with a two-story wing in the rear of the west end 46x60. On each side of the main entrance, which is reached by a flight of stone steps, is a large bay window extending the full height of the building, adding much to its architectural beauty. Immediately behind the infirmary is a brick building used for a bake-house, containing a winter cellar, and close to it is the smoke-house. Still farther to the rear stands a large T-shaped frame barn on a brick foundation; also the usual number of other outbuild- ings necessary for a well-regulated farm. Near the barn, is a pond of water sometimes resorted to in filling the boilers, while a Fairbanks scales is lo- cated in the same vicinity.

The interior of the infirmary is as follows: Each story is divided into four quarters, by two large, airy halls through the center of the building, one running east and west, and the other north and south. The first story contains a men's sitting room, a store-room, two dining-rooms, two kitchens, two cellars and two bath-rooms. Six rooms in the central portion of the second story are occupied by the Superintendent and family. In the west

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

end of this story are four sleeping rooms for male occupants, while the east end contains the same number for female inmates. The third story is of similar construction, the male and female patients each occupying five rooms in their respective departments. This story also contains a water- closet in each end, and two rooms for patients with contagious diseases. In the first story of the rear wing are located the engine, boiler, steam heating apparatus and wash-room; and above this, in the second story, is the laun- dry, and five cells for insane patients. This part of the infirmary also con- tains the mill for grinding corn, etc., and still to the rear is the fuel house and workshop. The institution is heated throughout by steam, and has tele- phonic communication with Kenton. The general furnishings are similar to the average public building of this sort, and the whole interior presents a well-lighted and healthful appearance. The different stories are sup- plied with water from two tanks located in the garret of the infirmary, which are filled by steam power from a 2,000 barrel cistern in the rear yard. The water in one of these tanks is kept heated during the cold weather, thereby giving the inmates the comforts of hot and cold water baths. In the front wall, near the east end of the building, is a marble slab, bearing the following inscription:

M. RUMBAUGH, Architect.

B. R. BRUNSON, Superintendent.

H. D. SCHREFFLER, SAMUEL HAVIL, Brick Builders.

D. P. STEVENSON,

A. S. HOON, Builders. August, 1869.

Near the west end is another tablet, which reads as follows:

S. WOOD, D. SNODGRASS, B. R. BRUNSON, Commissioners. August, 1869.

Upon the completion of the building, Bernard Mathews, Thomas Espy and Archibald Davis were appointed as Directors of the institution, and served until the October election of 1871, when John Elder, Jacob Sponsler and Benjamin Beamer were elected. Thus the board remained one, year, and in 1873 it stood Sponsler, Beamer and John Elder; 1874, Beamer, Elder and Theodore Strauder; 1875, Elder, Strauder and Daniel Benton; 1876, Strauder, Benton and Paul Castor; 1877, Benton, Castor and Conrad Kahler; 1878, Castor, Kahler and David Obenour; 1879, Kahler, Obenour and John Pfeiffer; 1880, Obenour, Pfeiffer and Silas Stevenson; 1881, Pfeiffer, Stevenson and David Obenour; 1882, Stevenson, Obenour and John Pfeiffer; 1883, Obenour, Pfeiffer and Silas Stevenson.

The Superintendents have been as follows: January 5, 1871-March, 1872, A. W. Fisher; March, 1872-March, 1876, Isaac E. Wilson; March, 1876-March, 1878, Joseph Nevitt; March, 1878-March, 1879, Leander King; March, 1879, up to the present time, Isaac E. Wilson. The average number of inmates has been about sixty five; the present number is fifty.

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

The grounds in front of the building are planted with flowering shrubs and ornamental shade trees, while a circular driveway cuts the landscape in- to artistic designs, the circle in turn being divided by a walk from the front gate to the main entrance of the infirmary. Surrounding the building is the splendid farm under a high state of cultivation, and possessing twelve acres of fruit trees. The view from the summit of the infirmary is one of the grandest in this part of Ohio. Overlooking Kenton on the east, and following the windings of the Scioto River as it flows lazily onward through the rich valley, the eye may gaze off upon beautiful natural landscapes, and

the scenes drink in the grandeur of God's sublime creation. The in- firmary, as it stands to-day, including farm and improvements thereon, has cost about $80,000. Dr. A. G. Byers gave as his judgment, all things con- sidered, that Hardin County has the best infirmary in the State. It is an admitted fact, disputed by no one, that the prime mover in the purchase of this farm and the erection of its elegant and commodious building, was Ben- jamin R. Brunson. To him then is due much of the honor of this grand monument to the Christian charity, growth and progress of Hardin County.

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

CHAPTER VII.

BOUNDARY LINES, ERECTION OF TOWNSHIPS, AREA AND LOCATION-TO- POGRAPHY-NATURAL DRAINAGE-SURFACE FEATURES-GEOLOGICAL

STRUCTURE-THE NIAGARA, WATERLIME, LOWER CORNIF- EROUS AND DRIFT-MATERIAL RESOURCES-RE- CLAMING THE MARSH LANDS-WILD AN-

IMALS AND

REPTILES-TIM-

BER AND SICKNESS.

H ARDIN COUNTY is bounded on the north by Hancock and Wyandot Counties, on the east by Wyandot and Marion, on the south by Union and Logan, and on the west by Auglaize and Allen. It is divided into fifteen townships, and originally embraced thirty-seven sections, now included in Wyandot County which was erected February 3, 1845. Prior to the organ- ization of Hardin County, the township of Round Head was erected, and comprised a large scope of territory north and east of its present bound- aries. We have spoken elsewhere of the destruction of the Commissioners' journals by the burning of the court house on the 4th of March, 1853. Those journals contained the official acts of the Commissioners from the erection of the county up to that time, including the erection of every town- ship excepting Lynn, so that with their destruction was forever buried the exact dates of the formation of the remaining fourteen townships. We have obtained, however, by considerable research through the election re- turns, and here give the date of the first election held in each township, which designates the time of their organization under the jurisdiction of Hardin County. Round Head Township, April 1, 1833; Taylor Creek, May 4, 1833; Blanchard, May 4, 1833; Dudley, October 8, 1833; Goshen, May 24, 1834; Cessna, May 31, 1834; Pleasant, October 14, 1834; Hale, June 25, 1835; Marion, April 4, 1836; Jackson, April 4, 1836; Washing- ton, April 4, 1836; McDonald, June 18, 1836; Liberty, October 10, 1837; Buck, April 7, 1845; Lynn, was erected September 8, 1857, and the first election held therein on the 19th of September, 1857. Hardin County is located on the water-shed between Lake Erie and the Ohio River, and con- tains an area of 440 square miles. It is situated in latitude 40° 35' north, and longtitude 83° 40' west from Greenwich. Its highest elevation is 1,371 feet above the Atlantic Ocean, while Kenton is 1,017 above tide water. The French traders called this portion of the northwest "the land of Goshen," indicating richness and fertility. In 1874, the report of Prof. N. H. Winchell, on the geology of this county, was published, and as the survey was made under the auspices of the State, we cannot do better than to give a verbatim copy of said report.

NATURAL DRAINAGE.

" In this county are some of the sources both of the Sandusky and the Maumee, which flow northward to Lake Erie, and of the Scioto and Great Miami, which empty into the Ohio. The Scioto, the chief river of the county, first flows north, entering the Scioto Marsh, where its channel is

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HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY.

said to become lost in lateral expansion, as in a lake. It leaves this marsh in an easterly direction, and, receiving tributaries only from the south, it may be said to drain only the southern half of the county. In a similar manner, streams flow northward into Hog Creek Marsh, in the northern part of the county, and are thence turned westwardly along the the channel of Hog Creek, which drains that marsh, and finally reach the Maumee River. The Blanchard, which rises within a mile of the Scioto at Kenton, also has a general northerly course. In the township of Goshen, there are several small streams, which find their way into the Tymochtee Creek, in a north- easterly direction. The north branch of the Great Miami drains south ward a small, narrow valley in the southwestern corner of the county. With this exception, the general slope of the whole county is toward the north.

" Two natural divides or ridges cross the county. The most southerly is that which prevents the northward drainage of the Scioto Marsh, deflecting the Scioto River easterly across the county, instead of permitting it to fol- low the natural slope. Were it not for this ridge, it would probably con- tribute its waters to the valley of the Blanchard, or through the Hog Creek Marsh into the Hog Creek Valley. The second divide in the same way pre- sents the northward drainage of the Hog Creek Marsh. Streams rise im- mediately on the northern slope of this ridge in Hancock County, and pur- sue their course uninterruptedly to the Blanchard, in a due northern direc- tion. The northern line of the county runs about on the summit of this ridge. It is a low, gentle swell in the surface, hardly observable in passing over the country. The more southerly divide may be more properly termed a ridge. These divides have been traced westward through Allen and Mercer Counties, and are regarded as glacial moraines."

SURFACE FEATURES.

"The surface features of Hardin County are dependent on the condition in which the original Drift was left by the glacier. The southern part of the county, especially in the townships of Buck, Round Head and Taylor Creek, is occupied with a rolling surface. The northern portions of Mc- Donald and Lynn Townships are flat, with a clay soil. The southeastern part of the county may be denominated flat, or gently undulating. Along the north side of the Scioto and the Scioto Marsh, crossing the entire coun- ty, there is a tract of more elevated land, sometimes broken by long undula- tions, and not infrequently rolling or hilly. This strip has a width of from one to three miles. North of it, the surface becomes nearly or quite flat, with only isolated and unimportant exceptions. Two extensive marshes and a portion of another are embraced within Hardin County. Their aggregate area (in this county) is about 25,000 acres. Some efforts have been made to render them cultivatable by artificial drainage,and with a good degree of suc- cess. Formerly, water covered them the greater part of the year, but now in summer time a team can be driven across them in various directions with entire safety. It is evident that the valley of the Scioto is the proper, if not the only, channel through which to drain the Scioto Marsh. By lower- ing its outlet, and constructing a system of tributary ditches, the whole area could be given a dry and arable soil. Another low valley spreads north- ward in Cessna Township, which might be utilized for the same purpose; yet its outlet is so near the outlet by way of the Scioto that not much would be gained. There are some indications that formerly a portion of the sur- plus water of the marsh found escape through this valley into Hog Creek Marsh, The Cranberry Marsh is drained westward into the Blanchard.

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The history of Hardin county, Ohio, Part 34

Author: Warner Beers & co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : Warner Beers & Co. Number of Pages: 1076

Author: Warner Beers & co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : Warner Beers & Co.
Number of Pages: 1076