MARION
COUNTY
was organized March 1, 1824, and named from General Francis Marion, of
South
Carolina, a partisan officer of the Revolution. The surface is level,
except on
the extreme east. The Sandusky plain, which is prairie land, covers
that part
of the county north of Marion end west of the Whetstone, and is well
adapted to
grazing: the remaining part, comprising about two-thirds of the
surface, is
best adapted to wheat. The soil is fertile. The principal farm-crops
are corn,
wheat and grass, a large proportion of the prairie land being
appropriated to
grazing: much live-stock and wool is produced in the county.
Area about 430 square miles. In
1887 the acres cultivated were
118,256; in pasture, 48,900; woodland, 29,570; lying waste, 913;
produced in
wheat, 367,801 bushels; rye, 1,188; buckwheat, 446; oats, 400,809;
barley,
3,201; corn, 1,193,790; broom-corn, 200 lbs. brush; meadow hay, 18,492
tons;
clover hay, 7,412; flaxseed, 1,788 bushels; potatoes, 42,267; tobacco,
104
lbs.; butter, 437,341; sorghum, 1,256 gallons; maple sugar, 3,647 lbs.;
honey,
4,005; eggs, 679,743 dozen; grapes, 7,775 lbs.; wine, 179 gallons;
sweet
potatoes, 95 bushels; apples, 7,221; peaches, 355; pears, 619; wool,
323,938
lbs.; milch cows owned,
5,066. School
census, 1888, 7,299; teachers, 279. Miles of railroad
track, 161.
Township And Census |
1840 |
1880 |
|
Township And Census |
1840 |
1880 |
Big Island |
554 |
1,226 |
|
Morven |
976 |
|
Bowling Green |
324 |
1,219 |
|
Pleasant |
1,414 |
1,188 |
Canaan |
1,027 |
|
|
Prospect |
|
1,724 |
Claridon |
1,084 |
1,771 |
|
Richland |
1,138 |
1,210 |
Gilead |
1,150 |
|
|
Salt Rock |
607 |
551 |
Grand |
605 |
485 |
|
Scott |
854 |
553 |
Grand Prairie |
716 |
485 |
|
Tully |
870 |
878 |
Green Camp |
361 |
1,362 |
|
Waldo |
|
997 |
Marion |
1,638 |
5,151 |
|
Washington |
880 |
|
Montgomery |
552 |
1,765 |
|
|
|
|
Population
of
Marion in 1830, 6,558 ; 1840, 18,352; 1860, 15,490 ; 1880, 20,565, of
whom
16,332 were born in Ohio; 1,057, Pennsylvania; 268, New York ; 202;
Virginia ;
133, Indiana; 33, Kentucky; 1,017, German Empire; 450, Ireland; 193,
England
and Wales; 69, British America.; 16, Scotland, and 16, France. Census, 1890, 24,727.
Soil, Surface, Climate and Wind.—This
county
is on the broad watershed between Lake Erie and the Ohio, about fifty
miles
south of the west end of the lake. It is watered by the Scioto and its affluents, and by affluents of
the Little Sandusky and Tymochtee.
It is
mostly flat and has a black prairie soil, and its
streams are but from four to six feet below the level of
the land. Good gravel for
road-making is found in the
south part and potters' clay abounds. Good building stone is quarried. The winters seldom keep the ground
frozen, and
from; November to April there is a continual strife for mastery between
the
cold zone of the north and
the hot of the
south. Its yearly average of thermometer is
50o1;
2o warmer than Cleveland and 2o
to 5o colder
than Cincinnati. The
average depth of rain, including snow as melted, is forty inches; on
the lake
shore, thirty-three inches; Cincinnati, forty-six inches. From May to October
the average temperature is delightful.
Hail storms and hurricanes seldom occur.
June, 1835, a frost killed the wheat and the young leaves
of the
forests. In
Page
190
1855
there was
frost every, month. In 1824
the famous
tornado which arose near West Liberty,
Logan
county, destroyed a number of buildings in Bellefontaine,
carrying bits
of shingle and clothing into Big Island township,
a distance of thirty miles; it there wrestled with the big
forest, lost
its breath and succumbed. Another tornado, the year after, began in
Scott township and
extended beyond New Haven, in Huron county,
going northeast, making sad havoc.
The cabin of one "old Jake STATELER"
was in its track; he was
alone, saw it
coming, pulled up a puncheon
from the
floor and darted under. When
he crawled
out his cabin had vanished and a clearing made through the forest of a
quarter
of a mile wide. He was astonished, but being alone "there was no use of
talking."
By
the treaty
concluded at the foot of the Maumee rapids, September 29, 1817, Lewis Cass and Duncan McArthur
being commissioners on the part of the United States, there was granted to the Delaware Indians a reservation of three
miles square, on or near the
northern boundary of this county, and adjoining the Wyandot reservation
of
twelve miles square. This reservation was to be equally divided among
the
following persons: CAPTAIN PIPE,
ZESHAUAU or James
ARMSTRONG, MAHAUTOO
or John ARMSTRONG, SANOUDOYEASQUAW
or Silas ARMSTRONG, TEOROW or BLACK
RACCOON, HAWDOROUWATISTIE
or Billy
MONTOUR, BUCK WHEAT, William
DONDEE,
Thomas LYONES, JOHNNY CAKE, CAPTAIN
WOLF,
Isaac and John HILL, TISHATAHOONES or Widow ARMSTRONG, AYENUCERE,
HOOMAUROU or John MING, and YOURDORAST. Some of these Indians had lived
at Jeromeville, in
Ashland and Greentown, in Richland county,
which last village was burnt by the whites early in
the late war. By the treaty concluded at Little Sandusky, August 3,
1829, John McElvain
being United
States commissioner, the Delawares ceded
this
reservation
to the United States for $3,000,
and removed west of the Mississippi.—Old Edition.
Marion in 1846.—Marion,
the county-seat, is forty-four miles north of
Columbus. It was laid out in
1821 by Eber BAKER and
Alexander HOLMES, who were proprietors of the soil.
It is compactly built; the view, taken in front of the
Marion
hotel, shows one of the principal streets: the court-house appears on the left, the Mirror office on the
right, and
Berry's hill in the distance. General
Harrison passed through this region in the late war, and encamped with
his
troops just south of the site of the village, on the edge of the
prairie, at a
place known as "Jacob's well." The town is improving steadily, and
has some
fine brick buildings: it contains 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist and 1
German
church, an academy, 2 newspaper printing offices, 15 dry goods, 1 drug
and 5
grocery stores, 1 saw, 1 fulling,
oil and carding
mill, and about 800 inhabitants; in 1840 it had a population
of 570.—Old
Edition.
MARION,
county-seat of Marion, about forty miles north of Columbus, is the
centre of a
fine agricultural and grazing country. It is on
the N. Y. P. & O., C. C. C. & I, C. H. V.
& T. and C. &
A. Railroads, and is noted for its extensive quarries and lime-kilns.
County Officers, 1888: Auditor,
William L. CLARK; Clerk, Harry
R. YOUNG; Commissioners, Isaac
A. MERCHANT,
William L. RAUB, Phillip LOYER; Coroner,
James
A. McMURRAY; Infirmary Directors,
Horace
W. RILEY, Zaccheus W. HIPSHER, Jacob D. LUST;
Probate Judge, John H. CRISWELL; Prosecuting
Attorney, Daniel R. CRISSINGER; Recorder, Charles HARRAMAN;
Sheriff,
Patrick KELLY; Surveyor, James
W. SCOTT, Treasurer, George W.
COOK. City officers, 1888: C.
P. GALLEY, Mayor; A. L. CLARK, Clerk; Chas. MEYERS, Treasurer;
W. E. SCHOFIELD, Solicitor;
John WELSCH, Street Commissioner; John CUNNINGHAM,
Surveyor; Charles BUENNEKE, Marshal.
Newspapers: Star,
Independent, W. G. HARDING, editor; Independent,
Republican; George CRAWFORD, editor; Democratic, Mirror, Democratic, Ned
THACTCHER, editor. Churches:
2 Methodist, 1 Catholic, 3 Albright,
2 Lutheran, 1 African Methodist Episcopal, 2 Baptist, 1 Episcopal, 1 United Baptist, 1 German Reformed,
and 1
Presbyterian. Banks: Fahey's,
Timothy
FAHEY, president, A. C. EDMONDSON, cashier; Farmers', Robert KERR,
Page
191
Top
Picture
Drawn by
Henry Howe 1846.
VIEW
IN MARION.
Bottom
Picture
Wm.
H. Moore, Photo.,
Marion,
1887.
VIEW
IN MARION.
Page
192
president, J. J. HANE, cashier;
Marion County, James S. REED,
president, R. A. JOHNSON,
cashier; Marion Deposit, P. WALLACE, cashier.
Manufactures and Employees.—F. Dale,
staves and headings, 13 hands; Marion Malleable Iron Co., 50; Bryan
&
Prendergast, planing
mill work, 20; B. J. Camp,
turning and scroll sawing, 3; Reiber
Flouring Mill
Co., 3; Marion Steam Shovel Co., 80; Gregory & Sears, flour,
meal and feed,
6; Huber Manufacturing . Co., traction engines, etc., 179; Huber
Manufacturing
Co., boilers, 34; Marion Manufacturing Co., thrashers, hullers, etc.,
41; Linsley &
Lawrence,
flooring, siding, etc., 6.—State
Reports, 1888. Population
in 1880, 3,899. School
census, 1888, 1,655; A. G. CROUSE, school superintendent. Capital invested in industrial
establishments,
$443,200. Value
of annual
product, $854,500.—Ohio
Labor Statistics, 1887. Census,
1890, 8,327.
The
most interesting object in Marion is
the SOLDIERS'
MEMORIAL CHAPEL, inasmuch as it is an ever-pleasing object-lesson to
inculcate
patriotism. It was dedicated August 22, 1888. It
is all stone, marble, slate and iron—no
wood except the doors.
Twenty-eight
hundred names of soldiers are inscribed on marble tablets within its
enclosure,
giving company, regiment, etc.
The
War of 1812
led to a large knowledge of this county, several "war roads" passing
directly through it to the seat of war. The
most clearly defined was that up
the
Scioto, by a spot now in Pleasant township
called
"Rocky Point." This was a
favorite camping-ground, possessing a fine spring of water around
magnificent
forests, filled with game. An
encampment
of troops under General Green at Rocky
Point
gave rise to the name "Green's Camp," now become Green Camp township; while "Jacob's
Well," on a hill near Marion, is a spot where General
Harrison also paused. Up
to 1812 but few attempts were made to invade the country still
reserved to the Indians, except as the restless hunters and traders sought the fine game reserves of the
plains
for meat or peltries. The
bee-hunters, a
venturesome, vagabondish
set, who
preferred to "line" a "bee-tree" to any other pursuit, brought
back rich treasures of sweets that the wild bees had stored in the woods along the borders of
the plains,
beyond the line of settlement. Their
trail came in eastward from Knox,
or up the valley of
the Scioto from Delaware.
The
first
tract of land
entered within the
confines of Marion county,
north of the treaty line, was by Mr. Q.
H. GRISWOLD,
of Worthington, a teamster for government, and it comprised the
fractional
section at Rocky Point, He was a man of sagacity, and he had
become
"captivated with the beauty of the
valley and the second bottom lands. The
river sweeping in comes through arches of overhanging maples; the
immense
walnut, oak, and other hard woods that attained hero their finest
development;
the plentiful game supplies; the springs and runs all seemed to make an ideal tract." South of the treaty lines, the first
settlements were made between the years 1805 and 1814, in Waldo and
Prospect townships, by the BRUDIGES, DRAKES, WYATTS, Ephraim
MARKLEY, Evan EVANS, etc. It is not known for certain who was the first settler in Marion. Eber
BAKER, who laid it out, came
here in 1821. He influenced
the commissioners to select it
as the county-seat in 1822. There were rival claims, but when decided
upon the
few settlers here got up a great jollification, and having no
artillery, bored
holes in several oak trees, and putting in powder, shattered some of
them to fragments.
The
first structure put up after this was a double log-cabin, built by Mr. BAKER,
which, with additions, became the first tavern. In 1825
the place had three taverns, three stores, and seventeen
families. The tavern rates were six and a quarter
cents a lodging, twice that—or a "York shilling”—for a horse's feed, and thrice
that for a meal To movers, emigrants passing through for farther West,
a large
discount was made from these prices.
Old-Time
Style of Doing Business.—How the business of the place was
conducted before the
era of railroads, Mr. J. S. Reed, in the "County
History," thus states: "The first stores opened in Marion
were
branches from other towns, unless the Holmes firm formed an exception. The village was
laid out in 1822. In
1824, when
the county was organized, there were three stores, three taverns, and
several
workshops and cabins. The stocks of goods were small and consisted of
whisky,
tobacco, powder and lead, cotton cloth
and calico. These were the
staples, and there was no
money in the country. Every
one wanted to buy, but no one had
anything to pay with. Coon, mink and deerskins were legal
tender,
and great quantities of them were gathered in by traders. Credit was
given
freely to the people, and as a large part of them were transient and
single,
there were
Page
193
many fittings, and loans were about
equal to gains.
Occasionally an exceptionally mean was advertised, and the office of
Lynch was threatened in plain terms by the
people,
to deter a repetition of similar "With slow growth the village made its
way up to 1839. Goods were
sold at
enormous prices, and credits were the rule.
But
little money entered into trade. Very few made both ends meet; no one
made
anything beyond a living. As an illustration of the
independence of the
old regime merchants, we mention an instance that occurred on the lot
now
occupied by MOORE'S grocery, where Joel D. BUTLER
kept a store. BUTLER came From
Delaware and established a branch store for
a firm in
that place. Everything was
kept neatly in
place, and no crowd could induce him to wrinkle and tumble his goods. A
lady
came in one day and was a little hard to please, as ladies are, once in
a
while, now-a-days. After what would be called a brief
showing by modern clerks,
Butler left the lady, came round the counter, filled and lit his pipe,
and sat
down saying, 'You don't want a d---d thing, and you had better clear out, the sooner the better.' With all his brusqueness the man
managed to
own his store, and the room neat north, which he afterwards sold to J.
S. Reed & Co., who
occupied it for a long term
of years. He did, however, fail, having adhered to old methods of
business until
he used himself up in the unequal contest. He
took money of the farmers, paid them interest by the year, kept no
regular
account of his indebtedness made no provision for payment, and by and
by, when
his creditors called for money, failed.
"About this time a Yankee merchant
opened out,
and cut down the old system, by selling for cash at small profits. The
old traders, who
had taken up the business
without
training, were shocked. Every
effort was made to drive
off the Yankee, but in vain; he
had come
to stay. Gradually the
business of the
county changed into better shape. Farmers prospered, for they saved
half their
expense; merchants prospered, for they ceased
to lose their profits in bad debts. In
place of stocks of goods amounting to $2,000 or $3,000, stocks of
$20,000 or
more began to be common.
"It was a great undertaking to get off
the wheat taken in for goods during the winter, and to
sell and reinvest
in goods, and get them back into store again. There were so many,
changes in
value, so many expenses and risks, that but few merchants succeeded.
The
statistics of Marion county mercantile business establish failure as
the rule,
and success as the exception.
"The long
string
of covered wagons, frequently
fifty in one
line, loaded with grain for the lakes, each with bed and lunch-box,
which
slowly and patiently toiled over the long distance, with its night
encampment,
its camp fires and pleasant group of story-tellers have disappeared,
and are
now known only by traditions. The old-fashioned store with its scant
stock of staples; its handy whisky-bottle
and tin
cup; its ample daybook and its ledger; its quaint salesman with few
words and
plain dress, and meagre
pay; its fearful prices with Noah's ark
fashions; all these have
gone to the death to be seen no more
Young America with its 'make or bust;' its plate-glass
windows; its expensive, fashionable goods;
dandy-dressed clerks, diamonds
and lavish
salary, and the woman of the period, equal in fashionable extravagance; all these have come in, and the cost and
expense of
the modern machine would have shocked the old-timer
and driven him to suicide.
"
A STAGE COACH JOURNEY
ACROSS OHIO IN 1834.
About
the year
1834 a deputations was sent by the Congregational Union of Great
Britain on a
visit to America. It
consisted of Rev.
Messrs. READ and MATTHEWSON. Mr. READ
published their experiences of travel under the title of "Visit to American Churches." He rode, without his companion,
across the State from Sandusky,
which he reached by boat from Buffalo, and passed through Marion on his way to Cincinnati. The observations of an intelligent
gentleman
and an accomplished descriptive writer at that early date render his
narrative
unusually instructive. As the
county was
then largely a wilderness and he passed through the grand solemn
forests and by
the cabins of the new-comers in the little clearings, his account makes
a
profound woodsy impression upon the reader:
In the middle of the day we reached
Sandusky. It has
not more than seven or eight
hundred inhabitants; but it is, nevertheless, a city with its corporate
rights
and officers.
Sandusky
Described.—It
is truly a city
in a forest; for the large stumps of the original pins are still
standing in
the main street, and over the spots that have been cleared for
settlement, the
new wood is springing up with amazing vigor, as if to defy the hand of
man. I went to the
best inn in the
town. It has been
better had it
been cleaner. It
was, however,
welcome to me, as a heavy thunderstorm was just beginning to put forth
its
tremendous power. I
congratulated
myself on my safety, but my confidence was quickly moderated, for the
rain soon
found its way within the house and came spattering down the walls of
the room
in strange style. By-the-bye,
few
things seem to be water-proof here.
Page
194
A second time, my luggage soaked
through. I had placed it under the upper deck of the vessel as a place
of
perfect security, but searching rain came on in the night, the deck
leaked and
my portmanteau suffered. However, I had made up my mind in starting not
to be
disturbed by anything that might be injured, lost, or stolen on the
way—a
precaution that had certainly more wisdom in it than I was aware of—for
without it I might have had a pretty good share of disturbance.
Already, much
was injured, and some was stolen; of the future I could not speak, but
if
things went on in the same promising manner I had the prospect of being
returned to New York in a coatless, shirtless and very bootless
condition.
There are two places of worship
here:
one for the Presbyterians and the other for the Episcopal Methodists.
The first
is without a minister, and neither of them in a very flourishing state.
They
stand on the green sward; they are about thirty feet square and for
want of
paint have a worn and dirty aspect. The good people here reverse the
Dutch
proverb: it is not "paint costs nothing," but "wood costs
nothing," and they act accordingly. They will, however, improve with
the
town, and at present they offer accommodation enough for its wants, but
half
the adult population certainly go nowhere.
Rough
People.—Indeed
the state of religious and moral feeling was evidently very low here;
and I
heard more swearing and saw more Sabbath-breaking than I had before
witnessed.
There were many groceries, as they call themselves here; groggeries,
as their enemies call them; and they were all full.
Manners, which are consequent on religion and morality, were
proportionally
affected. I felt that I was introduced to a new state of things which
demanded
my beat attention.
Stage
Coach Experience.—Having
rested here over the Sabbath, I arranged to leave by coach
early in the morning for Columbus. I rose, therefore, at two. Soon
after I had
risen the bar-agent came to say that the coach was ready and would
start in ten
minutes. As the rain had made the roads bad this was rather an ominous
as well
untimely intimation, so I went down to take my place. I had no sooner
begun to
enter the coach than splash went my foot in mud and water. I exclaimed
with
surprise. "Soon be dry, sir," was the reply, while he withdrew the
light, that I might not explore the cause of complaint. The fact was
that the
vehicle, like the hotel and the steamboat, was not water-tight, and the
rain
had found a entrance.
There was, indeed, in this coach,
as
in most other, a provision in the bottom—of holes—to let off both
water and dirt; but here the dirt had become mud and thickened about
the
orifices so as to prevent escape. I found I was the only passenger; the
morning
was damp and chilly; the state of the coach added to the sensation, and
I
eagerly looked about for some means of protection.I drew up the wooden
windows—out of five small panes of glass in the sashes three were
broken.
I endeavored to secure the curtains; two of them had most of the ties
broken
and flapped in one's face. I could see nothing; everywhere I could feel
the
wind draw in upon me; and as for sounds, I had the call of the driver,
the
screeching of the wheels and the song of the bull-frog for my
entertainment.
But the worst of my solitary
situation was to come. All that had been intimated about bad roads now
came
upon me. They were not only bad, they were intolerable; they were
rather like a
stony ditch than a road. The horses' on the first stages could only
walk most
of the way; we were frequently in up to the axle-tree and I had no
sooner
recovered from a terrible plunge on one side than there came another in
the
opposite direction. I was literally thrown about like a ball. Let me
dismiss
the subject of bad roads for this journey by stating, in illustration,
that
with an empty coach and four horses, we were seven hours in going
twenty-three
miles; and that we were twenty-eight hours in getting to Columbus, a
distance
of one hundred and ten miles. Yet this line of conveyance was
advertised as a
"splendid line, equal to any in the States."
Russell's
Tavern.—At
six o'clock we arrived at Russell's tavern, where we were to
take breakfast. This is a nice inn; in good order, very clean, and the
best
provision. There was an abundant supply, but most of it was prepared
with
butter and the frying-pan; still there were good coffee and eggs, and
delightful bread. Most of the family and the driver sat down at table,
and the
two daughters of our host waited on us. Mr. RUSSELL, as is commonly the
case in
such districts, made the occupation of innkeeper subsidiary to that of
farming.
You commanded the whole of his farm from the door, and it was really a
fine
picture, the young crops blooming and promising in the midst of the
desert.
Pious
Family.—From
the good manners of this family and from the good husbandry and
respectable
carriage of the father, I hoped as to find a regard for religion here.I
turned
to the rack of the bar and found there three books; they were, the
Gazetteer of
Ohio, Popular Geography and the Bible; they all dennoted intelligence;
the last
was the most used.
The
Grand Parairie.—Things
now began to mend with me; daylight had come; the
atmosphere was getting warm and bland. Ihad the benefit of a good
breakfast;
the road was in some measure improved; it was possible to look abroad
and
everything was inviting attention. We were now passing over what is
called the
Grand-Prairie, and the prairies of this Western country are conspicuous
among
its phenomena.The first impression did not please me so much as
expected. It
rather interests by its singularity than otherwise. If there be any
other
source of interest it may be found in its expansion over a wide region.
Land here is worth about two
dollars
and a
Page
195
half per acre; and you may get a
piece of five acres,
cleared, and a good eight-railed
fence round it for fifty dollars.
German
Settlers.—Mostt of the recent
settlers
along this road seem to be Germans. We passed a little settlement of
eight
families who had arrived this
season. The
log-house is the only description of house in these
new and scattered settlements.
I
passed on occupied by a doctor of medicine, and another tenanted by two
bachelors, one of them being
a judge.
Grandeur
of
the Forests.—The most interesting sight to me was
the forest. It now appeared
in all its pristine state and
grandeur, tall, magnificent, boundless. I had been somewhat
disappointed in not
finding vegetation develop
itself in larger forms in
New England than with us; but there was no place for
disappointment here. I
shall
fail, however, to give you the impression it makes on one. Did it arise
from
height, or figure, or grouping, it might readily be conveyed to you; bu it arises chiefly from
combination. You must see in it
all the stages of growth, decay, dissolution and regeneration; you must
se it
pressing on you and overshadowing you b its silent forma, and at other
times
spreading itself before you like a natural park; you must see that all
the
clearances made by the human
hand bear no
higher relation to it than does a mountain to the globe; you must
travel in it
in solitariness, hour after hour, and day after day, frequently gazing
on in with solemn delight, and
occasionally casting
the eye round in search of some pause, some end without finding any,
before you
can full understand the impression. Men say there is nothing in America
to give
you the sense of antiquity, and they mean that, as there are no works
of art to
produce this effect, there can be nothing
else. You
cannot think that I would depreciate what they mean extol; but I
hope you
will sympathize wit me when I say that I have met with nothing among
the most
venerable forms of art which impresses you so thoroughly with the idea of indefinite distance and endless
continuity of
antiquity shrouded in all its mystery of
solitude
illimitable and eternal.
The
Clearances, too,
which appeared I
this ride, were on so
small a scale as strengthen this impression, and to convey distinct
impression
of their own. On the the
vast trees of the forest had been girdled, to prevent the foliage from
appearing to overshadow the ground;
and
the land at their feet was grubbed up and sown with corn, which was expanding on the surface
in all it luxuriance. The
thin stems of Indian-corn were strangely contrasted with the hug trunks
of the
pine and oak, and the verdant surface below was as strangely opposed the skeleton trees towering above,
spreading
out their leafless arms to the warm sun an the refreshing rains, and
doing it
in vain. Life and desolation were never brought lo together.
About noon we arrived at a little
town an stopped at an
inn, which was announced eight-railed as the
dining-place My very early
breakfast me for dinner. The
dinner was a very poor affair. The chief dish was ham fried in butter—originally hard, and the harder
for
frying.
I
tried to get my teeth through it, and failed. There remained bread
cheese and
cranberries; and of these I made my repast.
While here,
a German woman, one of the recent settlers,
passed by on her way home. Her husband had
taken the fever and died. She had come to buy a coffin for him,
and other articles of domestic use at the same time. She was now
walking home
beside the man who bore the coffin; and with her other purchases under
her arm. This was a sad specimen
either of German phlegm or of the hardening effect of poverty.
Mormon
Emiqrants—here, also, was a set of Mormonites, passing through to
the "Far West."
They are among the most deluded
fanatics. A gentleman
inquired of one of them, why
they left their own country "Oh" he said, "there
is ruin
coming on it." “How do you know?"
“It was revealed to me." "How
was it revealed to you?" “I saw five letters in the sky." "Indeed what were they?" "F-A-M-I-N,"
was the reply; a reply which created much
ridicule and some profanity.
Passengers
Aboard.—we
now took in
three persons who were going
on to Marion. One was a colonel, though in mind,
manners
and, appearance among the plainest of men; another
was a lawyer and magistrate; the third
was a considerable farmer.
All of them, by their station and
avocation, ought to have been gentlemen;
but if just terms are to be
applied to them, they must be
the opposite of this. To me
they were always civil; but among
themselves they were
evidently accustomed
to blasphemous and corrupt
conversation. The colonel,
who had admitted himself
to be a Methodist, was the
best, and sought to impose restraints on himself
and companions; but he gained very little
credit for them. I was grieved and
disappointed; for I had met with nothing so bad.
What I had witnessed at Sandusky was from a different and lower class of persons; but here
were the
first three men in respectable life with whom
I had
met in this a State; and these put promiscuously before
me—and all bad. It was necessary to guard against a
hasty and prejudiced conclusion.
Marion.—On reaching Marion I was released
from my unpleasant
companions. I had to travel through most of
the
night; but no
refreshment was
provided. I joined in a meal that was nearly closed by
another party, and prepared
to go forward at the call of the
driver. I soon found I was to be in different circumstances. We were nine persons
and child,
within. Of course, after
having been
tossed about in an empty coach all day,
like a
boat on the ocean, I was not unwilling to
have the prospect of sitting steadily in my corner; but when I got fairly pinned
inside, knees and feet, the
hard seat and the harder
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196
ribs of the coach began to search out
my bruises, and I
was stilt a sufferer. However, there were now some qualifying
considerations. The road was
improving, and with it the
scenery. I
had come for fifty miles over a dead flat, with only one inclination
and that
not greater than the pitch of Luagate hill; the land was now finely
undulated. My company, too,
though there was something
too much of it, was not objectionable; some of it was pleasing.
There were among them the lady of a
judge and her
daughter. The mother was
affable and fond of
conversation. She was glad we
had such agreeable society in
the stage, as “that did not
always
happen." She talked freely on
many
subjects, and sometimes as became a judge's
lady
of refinement and education; but she did it in broken grammar,
and in happy ignorance that it was broken. As
the night shut
in, she, without the least embarrassment, struck up Home." sang off, very fairly, "Home Sweet Home."This
was all' unasked, and before strangers; yet none were surprised but
myself. I
name this merely as a point of manners. The lady herself was unquestionably modest, intelligent,
and, as I
think, pious.
Delaware.—At nearly, 1 o'clock we arrived at
Delaware. Here I was promised
a night's rest. You shall
judge whether that promise was
kept or broken. There was no
refreshment of any kind prepared or offered; so we
demanded our lights to retire.
The judge's lady and daughter were shown into
a closet, called a room. There was no fastening to the door, and she
protested
that she would not use it.
I insisted that it was not proper
treatment. All the
amendment that could be gained was a
proposition"to fetch a nail, and she could nail herself
in, and be
snug enough.” I was shown into a similar closet.
There were no dressing accommodations. I required them,
and was
told that those things were in common below.
I refused to use them; and at length, by showing a little
firmness
and a little kindness, obtained soap, bowl and towel.
I dressed. By
this time it was nearly 2
o’clock. I was to be called at half-past 2:
and I threw
myself on the bed to try to sleep with the soothing impression that I
must
awake in half an hour.
Worthington.—At half-past 2 I was summoned,
and having put myself m readiness,
and paid for a night’s lodging,
I was again on my way. The day broke
pleasantly,
and the country was very beautiful. We forded the
Whetstone, a lively
river, which ornamented the ride. We passed through Worthington, a
smart town,
prettily placed, and having a good college, and arrived at Columbus,
the
capital; at 9 o'clock.
Columbus has a good location in the
heart of the State. It contains about 4,000
persons, and is in
a very advancing condition. This indeed is true of all the settlements
in this
State, and you will hardly think it can be otherwise when I inform you
that
forty years ago there were only 100 persons in the
whole territory, and that now there are about a million.
The inn at
which we
stopped is the rendezvous
of the stages. Among
others there were two ready to start for Cincinnati. on
seeking to engage my place the inquiry was, "Which will you
go by, sir? the fast or
slow line?"
Weary as I was of the slow
line, I exclaimed, "Oh, the fast line,
certainly!" I quickly found myself enclosed in a good
coach:
carrying the mail, and only six persons
insideon this
journey we had but three.
Rough Travelling.—In demanding to
go by the
fast line I was not aware of all the effects of my choice. It is certainly a delightful thing
to move with some rapidity over a good road; but on a bad road, with
stubborn
springs, it is really terrible. For miles out of Columbus the road is
shamefully bad; and as our horses were kept on a trot, however slow, I
was not
only tumbled and shaken as on the previous day, but so jarred and
jolted as to
threaten serious mischief Instead, therefore, of finding a lounge, or
sleep, as
I had hoped, in this comfortable coach, I was obliged to be on the
alert for every jerk. And
after all I could do, my teeth were jarred, my hat was many times
thrown from
my head, an all my bruises bruised
over
again. It was really an amusement to see us
laboring to
keep our places.
Jefferson.—About
noon we paused at the town
called
Jefferson. We were to wait
half an hour;
there would be no other chance of dinner;
but there were no signs of dinner here. However, I had been on very short
supplies for
the last twenty-four hours and considered
it my duty to eat if I could. I
applied
to the good woman of the inn, and in a very short
time she placed venison, fruit-tarts and tea before me;
all very
clean and the venison excellent. It was a refreshing repast, and the
demand on
my purse was only twenty-five cents.
"How long have you been here?" I said to my hostess, who stood
by me fanning
the dishes to keep off the flies. "Only
came last fall, sir." " How old is this town? "
"Twenty-three months, sir—then the first house was
built."
There are now about 500 persons
settled here, and
there are three good hotels. There is something very striking in these
rapid
movements of life and civilization in the heart of the forest.
Noble Forests.—On leaving Jefferson we plunged again
into the forest,
and towards evening we got on the greensward or natural road. This was
mostly
good and uncut, and we bowled along in serpentine lines, so as to clear the stumps with much freedom. The scenery now, even for the
forest, was
becoming unusually grand. It repeatedly broke away from you, so as to accumulate the objects in
the picture, and to furnish all the beauties of light, shade and
perspective.
The trees, too, were mostly oak, and of finest growth. Their noble
stems ran up
some hundred feet above you, and were beautifully
Page
197
feathered with verdant foliage. There, they
ran off in the
distance, park-like, but grander far in admirable grouping, forming
avenues,
galleries and recesses, redolent with solemn loveliness; and here they
stood
before you like the thousand pillars of one
vast
imperishable
temple for the worship of the
Great Invisible. Well might our stout forefathers
choose the primitive forests for
their sanctuaries. All
that art has done in our finest Gothic structures is but a poor, poor
imitation!
Yellow
Springs and Springfeld.—I passed in this day's ride the
Yellow Springs and
Springfield. The former is a watering-place. There is a fine spring of
chalybeate and an establishment capable of receiving from 150 to 200
visitors; it is resorted to for the purposes
of health, hunting and fishing. Springfield
is a
flourishing town, built among the handsome hills that abound in this
vicinity.
It is one of the cleanest, brightest, and most inviting that I have
seen. But
all the habitations were as nothing compared with
the forest. I
had been travelling
through it for two days and nights, and still it
was the same.
Now, you came to a woodsman's
hut
in the solitudes; now to a farm; and now to a village, by
courtesy
called a town or a city; but
it was still
the forest. You drove on for miles through it unbroken; then
you came
to a small clearance and a young settlement; and then again you plunged into the wide everiasting forest to be with nature
and with God.
This
night I had also to travel and, weary as I was, I was kept quite on the
alert.
A
Thunderstorm.—I had longed to witness a storm in
the forest, and
this was to happen earlier
than my
anticipations. The day had
been hot, but
fine; the night came on sultry, close
and
silent. The beautiful
fire-flies appeared
in abundance; summer lightning began
to
flash across the heavens. All
this time
clouds were moving from every part of the circumference to the centre
of the
sky. At length they formed a heavy, dense, black canopy over our heads,
leaving
the horizon clear and bright. The lightnings,
which at first appeared eared to have no centre, had now consolidated
their
forces behind this immense cloud, and were playing round its whole
circle with
great magnificence and brilliancy;
continually the prodigious cloud was getting larger and darker and
descending
nearer to us, so as powerfully to awaken expectation. The splendid
coruscations
which played round its margin
now ceased
and all was still. In an
instant the
forked lightning broke from the very centre of the cloud; the thunder,
deep and
loud, shook the earth, and rolled and pealed through the heavens; the
heavy
rain dashed in unbroken channels to the ground, and the mighty winds
burst
forth in their fury and roared and groaned among the
giant trees of the wood. There
were we, in the deep forest and in the deep night and in the midst of a
storm
such as I had never witnessed. Oh, it was
grand!
God's own voice in God's own temple!
Never did I see so
much of
the poetic truth and beauty of that admirable ode, "The voice of the
Lord," etc. It ceased as suddenly as it began. The winds which bore the
cloud away left all behind calm; and the fire-fly, which had been
eclipsed or
affrighted, reappeared and sparkled over us in the profound darkness,
and
presently the stars of a higher sphere looked forth benignantly on the
lower
elements and all was peace.
Lebanon.—The early morning found me still travelling,
and getting seriously unwell. I thought I must have remained at
Lebanon, a town
about twenty miles from Cincinnati to sicken
and
suffer without a friend; and then all the loneliness of my
situation
came over me. The stage halted here an hour;
this allowed me some time to recover, and I resolved, if it were
possible, to
go forward to what I might regard as a resting-place.
Happily, everything was now
improving. The road was
not unworthy of MacAdam,
and we bowled over it at the
rate of nine miles an hour. The country was covered with hills finely
wooded,
and all about them were spread farms, in a handsome and thriving state
of
cultivation. Many ornamental cottages now appeared, and the whole
suburbs put
on a cheerful and beautiful
aspect. At last we drove into
the Western metropolis.
I had travelled three
days and three nights, and was
so wearied, bruised and hurt that I could not, with comfort, sit, lie,
or walk.
The remainder of this day I spent in my chamber.
Cincinnati is really worthy to be styled a
city, and it is a
city "born in a day and in the wilderness.
"It has a population of 30,000 persons, and is not more
than thirty-six years old. Its streets are composed of
transverse lines; the straight lines
are broken by the undulating surface of the ground; the surrounding
hills stand
up beautifully at the head of all the streets, and the Ohio runs off
finely at
its feet. There are several
good streets;
some enlivened by business, and others
ornamented by comfortable dwellings and the spreading acacia, but there
are no
very striking objects.
Some of the churches are good, but
not remarkable
except the old Presbyterian church in the main street, which is large
and
Dutch-built, with a brick face, with two brick towers projecting on it,
which
towers have turrets as heavy as themselves and which turrets a are chiefly remarkable for two dials which
each agree. When
I saw them they both wanted three minutes to six, and I doubt not if I
could
see them now they still want just three minutes to six. Besides this there is, as it is called, "Trollope's Folly"
an erection in which
that lady, thus complimented,
exhausted her
means and certainly did not show her taste.
I was struck by the number of
barbers' shops and groceries or grog-shops;
it should seem
that no man here shaves himself, and that temperance has not yet
fulfilled its
commission. I believe there are not less than two hundred grog-stores
in
Cincinnati.
Page
198
CALEDONIA
is
nine miles northeast of Marion, on the C. C. C. & I. and N. X.
P: & O.
Railroads. Newspaper: Argue, Independent, A. D. FULTON, editor
and publisher. Churches: 1 Universalist, 1 Methodist
Episcopal and 1 Presbyterian.
Bank: Caledonia
Deposit, William ROWSE, president, C. H. ROWSE, cashier
Population,
1880, 627. School census; 1888, 250.
La
RUE is
fourteen miles west of Marion, on the Scioto river
and
C. C. C. & I. R. R. Newspaper:
News,
Independent, S. C. KOONS, editor and publisher. Population,
1880, 614. School
census, 1888, 242.
PROSPECT
is ten
miles south of Marion, on the C. H. V. & T. R. R. and Scioto
river.
Newspapers: Advance, Independent,
CLOWES & PETTIT, editors and publishers; Monitor,
Independent, S. W. VAN
WINKLE, editor and publisher. Churches: 1 Presbyterian, 1
Methodist
Episcopal, 1 Baptist, l German Reformed and 1 Lutheran.
Banks: Citizens', F. C. Freeman, president, Joseph CRATTY, cashier; Prospect, B. K. HERBSTER,
president,
George W. COOK, cashier. Population,
1880, 600.
School census, 1888, 262. Capital invested in manufacturing
establishments, $10,000. Value of annual product,
$9,500.—Ohio Labor Statistics, 1888.
BLOOMINGTON, in the western part of the county Population, 1880, 271. School
census, 1888, 150.
WALDO,
seven
miles southeast of Marion, on the west
branch of
the Olentangey
river.
Population, 1880, 248. School
census, 1888, 51.
GREEN
CAMP is
six miles southwest of Marion, on the Scioto river
and
N. Y. P. & O. R. R. Population,
1880,
312.School census, 1888, 117.
THREE
LOCUSTS
is a post-office and village at the
junction of
the C. C. C. & I. P. & O. and O. C. in the
northeast part of the
county. The village was
platted in 1881. Mr.
John M. BAKER, who owned the
first house
built here, applied to the Department at Washington to have a
post-office here and named "Baker."
On their
refusal to give this name, some of the citizens assembled under the
friendly
shade of a beautiful group of three locusts that were standing there,
for it
was a hot summer's day, and, while discussing the matter, one of them
looking
up was seized with an inspiring thought and said, " Why not call it
'Three
Locusts?"' The suggestion was acted upon and Mr. BAKER
became the first post-master of the only Three Locusts on
the
globe.
Big Island township
got its name from a big grove in the midst
of
prairie land.