500 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. membership of approximately two hundred and fifty members, but many of them are no longer active. This society is a branch of the old Salem Lutheran church from which have arisen three different societies. ZERKEL LUTHERAN. CHURCH, THACKERY. The Zerkel Lutheran church was organized on May 1, 1846, by Abraham Zerkel, for whom the church was named. The charter members included the following : Mrs. Lydia Zerkel, John Zerkel, Mrs. Mary Anne Zerkel, Jacob Seifert, Nancy Seifert, Jacob P. Bowers, Mrs. -Susan Bowers, David Foltz, Mrs. Christina Foltz, Jacob Zerkel, Mrs. Hannah Zerkel, Jonathan Zerkel, Mrs. Sabina Zerkel, Michael Zerkel, Jacob Schafer, Mrs. Anne Shafer, Henry Zerkel, Mrs. Helena Zerkel, John G. Nace, Mrs. Katherine Nace, Margaret Zerkel, Susan Meyer, Susan Schafer, Susan Zerkel, Amanda Zerkel, Mrs. Amanda Zerkel, Mrs. Catherine Zerkel, Sarah Zerkel, Sarah May, Zerem Zerkel, Mrs. Caroline Zerkel, George Zerkel, Mrs. Sarah Neece, G. W. Doser, Mrs. Elizabeth Anne Doser, Francis Ramsey, Cornelius Zerkel, John H. Bachman, Mrs. Margaret Rebecca Bachman, S. A. Zerkel, Mrs. Mary Zerkel, John Zerkel, Mrs. Nancy Zerkel, Mrs. Sarah Bowman, Lydia May, Absalom Schafer, Mrs. Elizabeth Schafer and Jacob Zerkel. Those who were also charter members, but who withdrew from the congregation in 1848 to form another church in connection with the joint synod of Ohio were : Solomon Schafer, Mrs. Sarah Schafer, Reuben Schafer, Jonathan Schafer, Samuel Schafer, Barnet Zerkel, Malinda Remker, Noah Zerkel, Mrs. Lydia Zerkel, Michael Nees, Mrs. Rebecca Nees, Sarah Nees, Elizabeth Zerkel, Lewis Zerkel, George Zerkel and Elizabeth Zerkel. The society erected a church building one-half mile east of the old Zerkel church, on Chapman's creek, but the organization was finally disbanded. The building was sold and is now used as a barn. The first site of the Zerkel church was donated by Abraham Zerkel and a building was erected early in the pastorate of Rev. Adam Helwig. This building was occupied as a place of worship until the present- church was erected in Thackery. This building was completed and was dedicated on December 12, 1900. The congregation was a part of the Urbana charge until 1853 when it became united with St. Paris. A complete list of pastors follows : Rev. Adam Helwig, May 1, 1846, to May, 1857; J. Borns, June 14, 1857, to June 19, 1864; Daniel Smith, 1864, (church in temporary connection with Zion and St. Paris churches, 1864) ; P. M. Diehl, 1865 ; J. H. Link, December 30, 1865, to October, 1866; Simon Fenner, January, 1867, CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 501 to August 31, 1870; Abraham Essick, September 4, 1870, to April 30, 1871; F. A. Matthis, June 1, 1871, to December 31, 1871; Alexander J. Imhoff., 1872; Rufus W. Hufford, 1873; Daniel. Summers, January 1, 1874, to April, 1875; Adam Helwig, June 1, 1875, to January 15, 1881; J. F. Hershiser, November 11, 1881, to June, 1884; H. C. Grossman, July 6, 1884, to March, 1886; Elias Minter, April, 1889, to April 1, 1892; E. Dickey, May, 1893, to November, 1894; Martin Luther Exline, December, 1894, to April, 1895; G. H. Schnur, Jr., June, 1896, to August, 1899; A. E. Renn, temporary; A. B. Garman, 1900 to 1905; W. Kennedy, May 1, 1905, to December, 1905; D. M. Horner, A. C. Martin, and M, R. Mohler, October 1, 1912, to April 30, 1917. The church rolls shows a membership of eighty-three, and of this number forty-three are in good standing. ST. JOHN'S LUTHERAN CHURCH, ST. PARIS. The St. John's Joint Synod church, the German Lutheran church, and the Reform church Were jointly organized but each had its own pastor. An unbroken list of the pastors since the organization of this society follows: In 1821 Henry Heinicke was selected to preach for the infant society and continued until 1827, then Reverend Espich assumed the duties as the pastor of the church. He served in this capacity until 1834, when Philip Pence became the pastor of the church. He was succeeded in 1835 by George Clapp, who remained with the church as pastor for a period of ten years. Reverend Heirch assumed the pastorate and continued in the service five years. At the expiration of this time Reverend Shuffle became the pastor and served until 1859. Reverend Richard and Reverend Becker were the next pastors. Rev. J. Hoffman received a call from the church in 1868 and continued as pastor until 1874 when Rev. James Manning, the father of Mrs. Harriet Brubaker, accepted the pastorate of the church and served until his death in 1879. His successor was Rev. James Miller, who was followed by M. H. Hockman, whose successor was Rev. P. S. Swinehart. In 1895 Rev. C. E. Krumm accepted the pastorate of the church and continued in this capacity until 1916. Reverend Long is the pastor of the church at the present time. The church which was built for the three societies already mentioned was designated as the Salem church and was located two and one-half miles northeast of St. Paris, near the Spring Grove cemetery. In 1863 the Lutherans built a church on the corner of Elm and Church streets, which church is now occupied by the society. The German language was used in the church for nearly half a century 502 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. and all the early records of the church are in that language. However, the services have been conducted in English for more than forty years, but there are people who still continue to designate this society as the German Lutheran church, although .the word German has long been dropped as part of the official title of the church. REFORMED CHURCH, ST. PARIS. The members of this congregation worshipped in the old Salem church until the erection of their own building in St. Paris in 1852. Rev. Jesse Steiner was the pastor of the congregation at that time. This ,church served the needs of the congregation until the erection of the present beautiful and commodious structure in 1905. The pastor at that time was J. C. Balliet; and to him is given a major portion of the credit for the building of the church, which was erected at a cost of about eight thousand dollars. The church has had numerous pastors, but in the absence of records no official list can be given, and the historian must depend on the memory of the pioneer members of the church for his information. Among the many pastors are the following : Jesse Richards, W. M. Andrews, Weaver, Scott, Fromme, Ketro, Yeisley, J. T. Hale, J. C. Balliet, Anthony, Copenhaver and Albright, the latter of whom came to this congregation only a few months ago. The condition of the church is all that could be wished for, there being at the present time about one hundred and forty members. The usual auxiliaries are connected with the church. REFORMED CHURCH, MILLERSTOWN. Perhaps the first meeting house built in Johnson township was the one erected jointly by the Reformed and Lutheran congregations on the site of the Salem cemetery. The building was a log structure of the usual pioneer type, and served as a meeting house until the two congregations decided to erect a new structure in 1842. But the two congregations were not long to exist side by side in the same church building. About 1844 the Reformed society introduced some new measures in their form of worship, and the consequence was a split between the two denominations. As a result the Reformed society erected a new building of their own. This edifice was occupied by the society until the present one was erected in 1888. This society and the one at St. Paris have always constituted a charge and are CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 503 served by the same pastor. The congregation is small, but the interest manifested by the society is very commendable. Reverend Albright is the present pastor. REFORMED CHURCH, ST. PARIS. The Reformed church began its existence in St. Paris in 1852, when Rev. Jesse Steiner organized the members of this denomination in that community into a society. The society was weak at first and had to be fostered with care. Under the guidance of Reverend Steiner it weathered the storms of its early existence, and has gradually become a strong and prosperous church. In 1905 the church erected a large and modern edifice that is a source of pride, not only to the society, but to the community at large. The church has a membership of approximately one hundred and thirty, and is being served by the Reverend Albright who has had charge of the work since the first of the year. CHRISTIAN CHURCH, URBANA. In 1884, a Christian church was organized in Urbana by Rev. Robert Moffitt, who was corresponding state secretary of the Christian missionary society. During the existence of the society it met in the building now occupied by the public library, on West Market street. Rev. William Dowling, of Marion, Ohio, served the congregation for a period of ten years, preaching half of the time. The church grew and prospered and at one time the society had a membership of nearly two hundred members. Rev. Nathan Johnson was the successor of Rev. Dowling and served the congregation for five years. He was followed by Rev. I. O. Randall who was the pastor for five years, and the last regular one connected with the society. After he severed connection with the church, the society was maintained by the church extension board for a period of four years. Then it was discontinued on account of removals and other natural causes. CABLE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. The formal organization of this society was made about 1860, but services were held in the community several years previous. The original membership consisted of about twenty, and the first elders were Alexander Pickard, Evan Perry, and John C. Guthridge. Alfred Whitridge was the first clerk. Shortly after the organization, a substantial brick church building was erected at a cost of one thousand five hundred dollars. 504 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. The ministers who have preached to the congregation include the following : Michael Riddle, Noah Walker, John Durnell, Benjamin Lockhart, James Goodwin, James Mathews, William Mathews, A. Clark, James M. Henry, Frank Parker, George Morse, John Erritt, S. A. Griffin, A. H. Moore, W. H. Martin, Jesse Roberts and O. A. Randall. CHRISTIAN CHURCH AT CHRISTIANSBURG. The Christian church at Christiansburg was organized in 1875 under very favorable circumstances. The society purchased the church property that originally belonged to the Presbyterians, for the sum of six hundred dollars. The Presbyterians organized a society at this place about I840 and held services for many years ; among the pastors being Revs. Springer, Smith, Martin and others. But finally the congregation was financially unable to support a church organization and. the church property was sold to the Christian church. Among the early ministers of the Christian church Were Reverends McCullough, Smith, Kirby and Dilse. CHRISTIAN CHURCH, CARYSVILLE. The Christian church at Carysville was formed under very unusual circumstances. In 1852, Rev. Justus T. Hunt was visiting in Carysville and was requested by a few members of the -Christian faith to conduct religious services on the following Sunday. Fearing that his efforts would not meet with much success, Mr. Hunt hesitated, but was (finally persuaded and announcement was made. of the service. Preaching service was held at the home of Samuel Bowersock and was attended by twenty-four interested people. The success of this meeting was such that another meeting was announced for a certain Sunday in August. On this occasion the residence of Mr. Bowersock was entirely too small to accommodate the crowd and the services were held in a neighboring woods. The interest manifested was so unusual that Mr. Hunt was persuaded to hold a revival during the winter months and the result was very satisfactory. As a result a church organization was formed in the following summer by Reverend Hunt and Joseph Warrington. Among the charter members were the following : Benjamin H. Martz, Samantha Martz, David Conner and wife, Samuel Halterman, Elizabeth Halterman, Elizabeth Cisco and Maria Woodward. After the organization had been made the members began to work for a building with the same zeal and earnestness. As a result a frame struc- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 505 ture, forty-four by thirty-six feet, was completed near the close of the year I853, and was dedicated by Reverend Hunt, who was the pastor for many years. BETHEL CHRISTIAN CHURCH. Early in the last century a very prominent man whose name was Barton W. Stone was a preacher of the Christian church in Kentucky. It was he who. stood as a champion of the people who were rising in rebellion against a growing ecclesiasticism in the church. From his church came a, colony of citizens to this section of the country about I814. Meetings were at first held in the forests, but in almost a year a church was formally organized and a meeting house, one of the very first in this part of the country, was erected. The members, entered into a covenant which follows : "We, the members of the Christian church at. Bethel have hereunto subscribed our names, taking the word of God for our doctrine, discipline and government, promising subjection to each other in the Lord, according thereunto in the year one thousand eight hundred and fourteen." The following list of charter members contains the names of many of the pioneers who were most influential in every righteous enterprise : Richard Clark, James Mcllvain, Thomas Baird, John Wall, Robert Crockett, William Newel, Alexander Black, Patty Crockett, Moses McIlvain, Flora Mcllvain, Nellie Baird, Nancy Clark, Netty Wall, Peggy Mcllvain, Jane Clark, Polly Wall, Jane Black, Polly Cartmell, Jane McNay, Nancy McNay, John Williams, Jane Williams, Jane Leeper, Malinda Wall, Patsey Crockett, Samuel Covington, Mary Covington, James Wall, Rhoda Shields, Thomas Clark, Robert Clark, James Steel, Jr., John G. Mcllvain, William Hopkins, Elizabeth Hopkins, Betsey Baird, Abner Snoddy, William Boyd, Ann Boyd, Peter Stipp, Elizabeth Stipp, Polly Leeper, Priscilla King, Hannah Snoddy, Aaron Rhodes, Elizabeth Rhodes, Polly Rhodes, Sarah Robertson, George F. Dunn, William Miles, Jeremiah Fuson, Jane Fuson, Catherine Snoddy, Betsy Vickers, Betsy Rhodes, Samuel Collins, Pattie Baird, Celia Baird, Robert Mcllvain, Benjamin Wall, Mary Kelley, Sarah Kelley, Jane Petty, Isaac Davis, Susananna Moose, Ann Mcllvain, Margaret Henning, George Petty, Eleonora Baird, Garland Crocket, John L. Mcllvain, Jacob Snoddy, Josiah Hopkins, James Stackhouse, Polly Stackhouse, Carmill Crockett, Houston Crockett, Asenith Crockett, Louisa. Crockett and many others. The religious importance of this church, commonly known as the Muddy Run church, is shown by the fact that for many years it was the only church 506 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. in the country near where West Liberty now is. People came for miles from every direction to attend divine services there in the old log meeting house. "THE WHITE PILGRIM." In the absence of adequate records not much of the very early history of this church can be given, but the names of a few who were instrumental in accomplishing a great deal of good in the church were the following pioneers : Caleb Worley, Richard Clark, James Hayes, Matthew Marvin, David Purviance, Levi Purviance, D. F. Ladley, Mahlon Baker, Hallett Barber, Richard Simonton, Hiram Simonton, Isaac N. Walters, Samuel Fuson, James Fuson, Jeremiah Fuson and Joseph Thomas. Many of these men were widely known in their day, and rendered noble service not only to this church but to many of the churches of Kentucky and Ohio. Among these, David Purviance stands out as an exceptional character. Joseph Thomas, better known as "The White Pilgrim," because he usually dressed in white both winter and summer in emulation, as he believed, of the apostolic examples. He was about six feet high, light complexion, straight, athletic, and ruggedly healthy. These men and many others wielded a wonderful influence for good in the community through the old Muddy Run church until it was finally disbanded, about 1840. Soon after this the congregation was divided; part going to West Liberty and the others meeting about tw0 miles west of the site of the old church in Champaign county. GLADY CREEK CHURCH. The congregation at Glady Creek began holding services in the school house just across the road from where the church was later built as early as 1841. In 1842 the church was organized and the following covenant taken June 4 : "To whom it may concern, Witnesseth, that we whose names are hereunto subscribed have this day been organized as the church of Christ at Glady Creek, covenanting and agreeing to take Holy Scriptures as our rule of faith and practice." In 1844 the first log church building was completed and occupied by the congregation. This stood for about twenty years until it caught fire during a series of special meetings and burned to the ground. For some months the congregation were compelled to hold their meetings in the grove, until a new frame building was erected on the site of the old one the following year. This structure, which was a very good CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 507 one for those days, was used for a meeting house for more than fifty years, or until the congregation united with the West Liberty church in 1912. Some very strong characters have been found in the Glady Creek church, among whom are Henry Hanger, William SteWart, Peter Hanger, William Crockett. A partial list of pastors who preached to the two congregations follows : Elder Fuson, Elder Linn, Rev. H. Y. Rush, Rev. C. T. Emmons, Elder Lawrence, Elder Chrisman, Rev. W. A. Warner, C. W. Shoate, Rev. G. D. Black, Rev. Byron G. Long, Elder Brown, A. B. Henderson, Rev. S. A. Lane, Rev. G. R. Mell, Rev. Rebecca Kershner, Rev. G. W. Lawrence, Rev. L. W. Gade, Elder Spade, .Rev. W. H. Thompson, Rev. L. W. Ryan, Rev. McCague, Rev. B. F. Clayton, Rev. J. E. Kauffman and Rev. E. C. Kerr. CHRISTIAN CHURCH, WOODSTOCK. The Christian church at Woodstock is in a rather feeble condition. The membership from the time of organization has never been very large and now it has dwindled to twelve or fourteen active members. The church is now without the services of a pastor and the property belongs to the church conference. Ministers who have served the congregation within the last few years are : Rev. F. G. Strickland, Rev. F. O. Snyder and Reverend Duckworth. UNITED BRETHREN CHURCHES. The Rosewood United Brethren church, located in the village of Rosewood, was organized in the summer of 1899. Services, however, were conducted a few years before the church was formally organized. Rev. M. L. Miller, who served the congregation until 1899, was one of the first ministers. Other pastors with their dates of service include the following: A. H. Ballanger, 1899-1900; A. F. Davis, 1900-01 ; A. W. Denlinger, 1901-03 ; E. C. Petry, 1903-06, G. W. Hamilton, 1906-10; J. H. Mayne, 1910-11; M. F. Hawley, 1911-15; M. O. Stein,. 1915 to the present time. A church building was erected the year following the organization at a cost of two thousand dollars. A parsonage was built the same year at a cost of one thousand five hundred dollars. In connection with the church is a wideawake and enthusiastic Sunday school with an enrollment of one hundred and seventy-five. J. E. Hoffman is the superintendent. Another of the church's auxiliaries is a Young People's Society composed of fifty members, of which C. A. Maurice is the president. A Ladies Aid Society is also one of the helpful organizations con- 508 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. nected with the church. The membership of the church at the present time is about two hundred. The Union United Brethren church in Adams township dates its organization from 1832. A log church house, which was erected soon after the organization was effected, was occupied as a place of worship until 1850, when a neat frame structure was erected. The present brick church building was built in 1886 at a cost of about one thousand five hundred dollars. The church belongs to the Rosewood circuit and has a membership at the present time of sixty. Rev. M. 0. Stein has been the pastor since 1915. In connection with the church is a Sunday school of fifty-five members and a Ladies Aid Society of twenty members. SALEM UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. This society, located in Harrison township, was ,originally organized by Reverend Antrim but remained in a dormant state for many years. In 1850, Jacob Starver, Joseph Hoffman and Roster Robinson were successful in reorganizing the society with but only six charter members. A building was erected and dedicated by Rev. Henry Corner in 1851 and is in use at the present time. The church belongs to the Rosewood circuit and Rev. M. 0. Stein is the pastor. A Sunday school is maintained with an enrollment of sixty-five, and a Ladies Aid Society, with a membership of twenty. UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH AT CARYSVILLE. This society was organized by Rev. William Miller in 1848 with the following charter members : John Rusk, Eva Rusk, Mary Halterman, Allen Halterman, Mercy Halterman, John G. Wilkinson and Susan Wilkinson. A Sunday school was organized the same year, of which John Rusk was made the superintendent, a position which he held for many years. Shortly after the organization of the church a church house was erected with a seating capacity of five hundred. The church enjoyed an active existence until it was merged with the Antioch society in 1899, forming the church at Rosewood. ANTIOCH UNITED BRETHREN. CHURCH. The Antioch United Brethren church, in Adams township, was organized about 1854 by James Wilkinson with fifteen charter members. A church house was built on section 6 immediately after the organization of the society, and was dedicated by Rev. William Miller CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 509 The church played an important part in the religious life of the community during its existence. In the beginning of 1899 it was merged with the Carysville society to form a church at Rosewood. ZION UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. The Zion United Brethren church, located near RoseWood in Adams township, was organized several decades ago, but it is now nearly extinct. The church belongs to the more radical school of the United Brethren denomination. BOWLUSVILLE UNITED BRETHREN CHURCH. The Bowlusville United Brethren church, 0f which Reverend Heer is the pastor, is one of the younger churches of that denomination in the county. The church building stands just over the line in Champaign county. The membership, which numbers sixty-seven, is about equally apportioned between Champaign and Clark counties. UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, WOODSTOCK. The first Universalist sermon ever preached in the vicinity, was delivered in I832 or 1833 by Father W. H. Jolly in a small grove owned by Benjamin D. Sibley, and situated east of the old brick school house on the eastern edge of town. Since at that time there was not an avowed Universalist in the community, that sermon was discussed by the people for months afterward. Following Father Jolly, came Rev. George Rodgers, who delivered two or three discourses in the school house. About 1833 Asher A. Davis, a young man of eighteen or nineteen years of age came to the vicinity as a settled pastor of the New Light church, a denomination having a church organization and a building about four miles east of Woodstock. Soon after Reverend Jolly and Reverend Rodgers had preached here, Mr. Davis began to mix a little Universalism in his sermons. This aroused considerable excitement among the members of the church, and Reverend Davis was removed from his pastorate. In a few years Davis returned and preached a few strong, unadulterated. Universalist sermons. The very members of the New Light church, who had been most clamorous for his removal on account of his Universalist tendencies, proclaimed themselves, and soon organized a society which was not a church but a mere organization. 510 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Rev. W. Y. Emmett was probably the first clergyman who preached regularly for the society. About this time Rev. John A. Gurley and Rev. E. M. Pingree, who came from Cincinnati, preached occasionally. In the winter of 1842 or 1843, Brother Emmett held an oral discussion with Elder Price, a Presbyterian clergyman, at Mil ford Center, five miles east of Woodstock. After the discussion, Elder Price came to Woodstock and delivered a disgusting tirade against Universalism. It is reported that he boasted that he had demolished Universalism, root and branch, and had buried it beyond any hope of resurrection. Cyrus Waite, a young man about twenty-f our years old, replied to Elder Price's tirade, and his effort was regarded remarkable for a young man of his age and experience. The winter following the discussion at Milford Center, Father Emmett organized the first Universalist church at Woodstock. The meeting for that purpose was held on North Railroad street in a building, which in liter years was utilized as a blacksmith shop. Soon after the church was organized, Rev. George Messenger began to preach once or twice a month. He was instrumental in inducing the members to erect the first church building, which was occupied for half a century. It was a large and well-proportioned brick edifice with a gallery on both sides and at one end. This building was dedicated in June, 1844, the occasion being the meeting of the Ohio state convention of Universalists, which was held at Woodstock. No record of the dedication has been found, but it is the general belief that the dedicatory sermon was preached by Rev. John A. Gurley. The ministers who served the church during the next decade were : Cyrus F. Waite, Dr. R. Biddle-come, J. C. Pitrat, Henry Gifford, W. B. Linnell, Elihu Moore, James A. Gooch, William Ebert, N. Doolittle, Alpheus Sweet and perhaps others whose names cannot be obtained. Progress of the Church.--Prior to 1863, no regular services were held for a long time, but on the evening of January 6, of that year, Rev. J. W. Henley, then pastor at Mt. Gilead, conducted religious services. He had arranged to preach one Sunday a month at Irwin, but, being encouraged by the attendance that stormy evening, he arranged to divide the day between Irwin and Woodstock. He received little encouragement for a few months, but in June of the same year, eleven young ladies united with the church. This marked the beginning of a new era. During the year several other persons united with the church and a reorganization was effected. Just before the year expired, Rev. J. W. Henley and Rev. Cyrus F. Waite were elected as joint pastors. The former, however, received an urgent call to Spring- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 511 boro and resigned. Rev. George H. Vibert took his place for a short time. Reverend Waite continued as pastor until his death in September, 1865. About that time Rev. A. M. Sowle, pastor of the New Light church, was converted to Universalism and. was made pastor of the church. Rev. S. P. Carlton was the next pastor, and served the congregation for a period of four years, during which time several additions were made to the church. Following him. came T. N. Glover, C. H. Dutton, Mrs. Lotta D. Crosley, W. J. Crosley and A. Day. In the spring of 1864 Doctor Henley was invited to become pastor of the church and served the congregation for a period of six years, during which time nearly forty members were taken into the church. Rev. A. K. Beem, who was perhaps the next pastor, served for nearly two years. At the expiration of this time he accepted a call from a church in Iowa. Several attempts had been made prior to 1890 to erect a new church, or to remodel the old one. However, it was not until 1893 that Rev. John R. Carpenter succeeded in initiating a movement; which resulted in the erection of a beautiful new house of worship, located on the site of the old church. This new edifice was dedicated on Easter Sunday, April 14, 1895. The occasion was one of interest and rejoicing among the people of Woodstock. The dedicatory service was in charge of Doctor Cantwell, who was successful after continuous effort of, four hours and a half in relieving the church from all debt. This beautiful edifice, when fully equipped and furnished, cost approximately six thousand dollars. The handsome parsonage, which .was erected in 1903, was made possible by a gift of five hundred dollars by E. Burnham. Pastors of the church, other than those mentioned, include the following : Henrietta G. Moore, O. G. Colegrove, who served the church until April, 1907, a period of nine years; Dr. L. E. Rexford, Stewart Baker, 1909- io; Harlan Glazier, 1915 to October, 1916, and Elmer Robinson, June, 1917, present pastor. This church is regarded as one of the strongest Universalist centers in the state, and it by far the strongest in the county. UNIVERSALIST CHURCH, MILLERSTOWN AND ST. PARIS. A Universalist church was organized at Millerstown in September, 1860, by Rev. T. S. Guthrie, with a membership of twenty-six. Not many years elapsed until a church building was erected, the dedicatory sermon being preached by Rev. S. P. Carlton. In 1879 the building was sold to the Bap- 512 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. tists and the members joined with adherents of the same faith at St. Paris in forming the church there. The old. Methodist church was purchased for four hundred dollars and Rev. James Lower was called as the first pastor. He 'Served the congregation only a short time and was succeeded by Rev. B. Blackford. The congregation, which flourished for many years, has been dormant for some time; however, meetings are held sometimes by the few families that remain. The church house stood where Doctor Baker's house now stands. It is now in the "flats", and is used as a store room. WESTVILLE UNIVERSALIST CHURCH. The Universalist church located at Westville was formally organized on April 29, 1877, with sixteen charter members. The erection of a church building was begun shortly after the organization had been made, the edifice being dedicated on January 13, 1878, by Rev. S. P. Carlton. The structure was very beautiful and commodious in every respect. The approximate cost was eight thousand dollars ; the greater amount of which was contributed by Squire Loudenback, who also gave the church an endowment for its annual support. The church has had no regular pastor for several years, but preaching services are conducted quite frequently by calling in preachers from other places. The church maintains an active Sunday school, and continues to be an important agency for good in the community. EPISCOPAL CHURCHES. Church of the Epiphany.—The church of the Epiphany in Urbana was organized into a parish in 1847, under the rectorship of Rev. Charles B. Stout. Such men as Dr. Adam Mosgrove, Abraham and Samuel Robinson, T. M. Gwynne, W. F. Slater, John Morrison and others were among the charter members. In 1849 the present church building was erected on the corner of Kenton and Scioto streets, and about the year 1884 the building was greatly improved under the rectorship of Rev. E. M. McGuffey. The present seating capacity of the church, exclusive of the choir, is about two hundred and fifty ; all of the seats are free. The parish has had a long and varied experience, but its present condition, both numerically and financially, is very gratifying. During the existence of the .church the following rectors have had charge of the parish : Charles B. Stout, 1848-53; N. C. Pridham, 1853-54; T. J. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 513 Grover, 1855-56; W. H. Dyer, 1863-65; John A. Dooris, 1865-69.; W. J. Patrie, 1868-70; Wallace M. Probasco, 1870--; James B. Britton, 1873--; C. L. Pindar, 1876—; Edward M. McGuffey, 1881-85; James H. Davet, 1886-----; Frank J. Mallett, 1889-91; Frederick Brookins, 1892-93; George E. Edgar, 1893-95; D. C. Wright, 1896-1900; Francis B. Baer, May 12, 190I to October 1, 1902 J. M. McGrath, October, 26, 1902, to January 18, 1903 ; Charles A. Eaton, September 20, 1903,. to February 28, 1904; H. M. Nodder, June I, 1905, to December 31, 1905; R. M. Brown, February 10, 1907, to April, 1908; A. P. Bissell, January 1, 1910, to March 5, 1911; Augustine J. Smith, December 11, 1911, to June 1, 1915; W. A. Stimson, October, 1915, to the present time. The communicants of the church number about one hundred. Church of Our Savior, Mechanicsburg.—The Church of Our Savior at Mechanicsburg, located on the east side of South street, was organized in I892 by Charles Belleville, Dr. John H. Clark, Marion Howard, Wash P. Moore and Thomas E. Shepherd, the executive committee. A beautiful brick edifice of Gothic architecture was erected in 1893 at a cost of six thousand dollars. The church was re-dedicated in December, 1895. The church is equipped with a pipe organ and brass altar furnishings, and is adorned with beautiful windows. Thus it is one 0f the most distinctive churches of the city. The pastors who have served the congregation include the following: G. II. Edwards, 1892-93; G. E. Edgar, 1893-95; R. B. Foot, 1895-96; N. -Slayton, 1896-98; F. V. Baer, September 4, 1898, to May 5, 1901; J. M. McGrath, supply for a few months; Charles E. Byrer, 1902-05; W. A. Pearman, 1905-07; Reverend Zimmerman and A. E. Jones, 1910-11; A. H. Marshall, 1911-I5 ; William A. Stimson, 1916-17. In connection with the church is a very active Sunday school, a junior auxiliary of twelve girls, and a woman's guild. ST. MICHAEL'S CATHOLIC CHURCH. St. Michael Catholic church, located on Walnut street, Mechanicsburg, was organized as a mission in 1867. The parish was not organized until 1880. Prior to 1867, the few Catholics in and about Mechanicsburg attended divine service at Urbana or Rosedale. Occasionally mass was celebrated by a missionary priest in the home of some member. Since 1872, the pastor of the Marysville parish has attended to the religious needs of St. Michael's church. (33) 514 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Rev. J. F. Kearney of Urbana was the first pastor to minister to the religious needs of the parish. He was succeeded in his work by Rev. J. Welsh of Urbana. Other pastors in the order of service are the following: Rev. H. Kiffmeyer, 1872-74; Rev. H. Paul, 1874-75 ; Rev. H. Menke, 1875- 76; Rev. P. P. Mazuret, 1876-80; Rev. M. L. Murphy, 1880; Rev. J. H. Brunner, 1881; Rev. A. Dexter, 1881-89; Rev. John F. Hickey, 1889-91; Rev. John G. Vennerman, 1891-1903; Rev. John Cusack, 1892; Rev. Herman Rechtin, 1903-06; Rev. John J. Kelley, present pastor, appointed in August, 1906. The erection of the present brick structure was begun in 1885 under the pastorate of Rev. A. Dexter. It was dedicated by Most Rev. William Henry Elder, D. D., archbishop of Cincinnati, on Thanksgiving Day, 1886. The original cost of the edifice was about five thousand dollars. The church was remodeled during the pastorate of Rev. John G. Vennerman, in 1901. In connection with the church is a Sunday school of twenty-three members, taught by the pastor and assisted by Anna Dorsey. Other auxiliaries are the Ladies Aid Society and the Holy Name Society. The choir is composed of six members, with Gertrude Hackett as organist. The present wardens of the church are William Hackett, Sr., Michael Dorsey, P. H. Tully and John Dundon. The present membership consists of thirty-eight families; or an individual membership of one hundred and thirty-five. One of the most beneficent gifts ever received by the church was given by Bridget Tully, who died on October, 1904. According to her will, she gave her home to the parish to be used as a pastoral residence. IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH. The church of the Immaculate Conception at North Lewisburg was organized as a mission in 1863, and as a parish in 1869. However services were conducted by missionary priests prior to this date. Ground for the church was donated by Patrick Moran and wife, and a frame structure was erected under the pastorate of Rev. A. Young, of Bellefontaine, in 1869. The building was remodeled in 1903 during the pastorate of Rev. John G. Vennerman. Among the pastors of the church have been the following: Rev. A. Young, 1869; Rev. P. P.. Mazuret, 1876-80; Rev. M. L. Murphy, 1880- Rev. J. H. Brunner, 1881; Rev. A. Dexter, 1881-89; Rev. John Hickey, 1889-91 ; CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 515 Rev. John G. Vennerman, 1891-1903 ; Rev. H. Rechtin, 1903-06; Rev. John J. Kelley, present pastor, appointed in August, 1906. The auxiliaries connected with the church include a Sunday school of thirteen members, taught by the pastor and assisted by Frank Tehan; a Ladies Aid Society, and a Holy Name Society. The wardens of the church are J. H. Benedict and P. M. Burke. The present membership of the congregation consists of eighteen families or an individual membership of seventy-seven. During these times of strife and war it is very fitting and appropriate to reproduce an article that was placed in the cornerstone of this church on September 12, 1869. The article follows : "In the year of our Salvation 1869, on the twelfth day of September, the day dedicated in Christian liturgy to the Holy Name of Mary. the Virgin, Mother of God the Redeemer, and in honor and in invocation of that name, many people devoutly standing around, Rev. Nicholas Raymond Young, by the favor of, and in virtue of faculty granted by the Bishop of the Diocese laid this cornerstone, as a perpetuate testimony to truth and faith. Pope Pius IX sitting in the chair of St. Peter, John Baptist Purcell being Archbishop of Cincinnati, Ulysses S. Grant being President of the United States, Rutherford B. Hayes being Governor of Ohio, the American Republic happily reposing in the bosom of peace." SACRED HEART CATHOLIC CHURCH, ST. PARIS. The Sacred Heart Catholic church at St. Paris was organized in 1882 by Father Cary. A beautiful site was secured for the building, which was erected the same year at a cost of approximately four thousand dollars. This building was partly destroyed by fire on July 6, 1914, but was immediately repaired. The church has had a struggle to maintain an existence, but, through the efforts of a few devoted members, the principles of the church have ever been furthered. The membership of the congregation numbers about forty souls. The church has been served by a large number of pastors, among whom were Fathers Cary, Bulger, Mazeiret, O'Keefe, Brown, Crowley, McNamara, Seward, Doherty, Ryan, Skulen, Shoemaker, Vaughn, Berkmier, VanDerbusch, Lehman and Bergher. 516 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. ST. MARY'S CATHOLIC CHURCH, URBANA. Rev. George Hickey, Pastor. The first Catholics at Urbana were Irish immigrants, who came for the most part in the forties and fifties as railroad laborers. At first they were few in number, and had little of this world's goods, yet they were filled with the riches of faith. Literally they were strangers in a strange land, living in the midst of people who viewed their faith and their nationality askance and with suspicion. Their life was truly a hard one. In the beginning, all the religious services they had occurred when an occasional priest came by. Later on, when a .priest was stationed at Springfield, he attended to the wants of the Catholics of Urbana and the vicinity. For the greater part of this sketch we are indebted to the genial editor of the Catholic Telegraph, Dr. Thomas Hart, who, with painstaking care, ransacked the old files of the Telegraph for items concerning Urbana and brought to light many facts and incidents for which heretofore we had sought in vain, notably among them the date of cornerstone laying, and dedication and the title of the church. The following we take from the pages of the Telegraph: "Archbishop, then Bishop Purcell, made his first episcopal tour of his diocese, at that time including the entire state, in 18.34. In his letter to the Telegraph, August I, 1834, he writes : 'In Urbana there are only two Catholic families. They are deservedly esteemed by their fellow citizens for many excellent qualities and afford in blameless integrity of life the best refutation of the prejudices sometimes not culpably entertained, but too often maliciously communicated against Catholics, by those to whom their lives and doctrines are unknown, or whose interest, crime—it is to misrepresent them. The bishop preached in the court house at Urbana and proceeded the next day to Dayton in company with an esteemed friend, Rev. Father Collins.' " (As Father Collins prepared the mother of the present pastor for her first communion and was for years her confessor as well as her ideal of the Catholic priest which she often held up to her sons for imitation, it is most interesting to know that he was one of the first priests to visit Urbana.) In 1850 Urbana was attached to Springfield as a mission, mass being celebrated once a month by Father James Kearney. At first, mass was said in the market-house ; later the court house was secured as the place of worship. When ill health compelled Father Kearney to leave Springfield for Cincinnati, Father Howard continued the monthly visits tb Urbana. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 517 In 1852 Father Meagher was sent to Urbana to organize a parish. He remained but a short time, however, and Father Howard resumed his monthly visits: In January of 1853, we find the Archbishop including Urbana in his episcopal visitation, preaching and administering the Sacraments. The account of this visit relates that five hundred dollars is on hand, as much subscribed, and a fine lot promised for a church, "the building of which has long been delayed." Father Grogan was sent to Urbana and commenced in the spring of 1853 work on the church. The foundation was laid. by Thomas Conway (whose daughter is the widow of the late mayor, David Green, and who, with her sister, Mrs. J. D. McCarthy, are still members of the parish). On the feast of Corpus Christi, May 26, 1853, the cornerstone was laid. The Telegraph thus records this interesting event in its issue of June 4 : "The cornerstone of the Urbana church was laid with the usual formalities last Thursday. The stone is being hauled for the foundation and the brick will be burned on the ground adjoining the church. Like that of Bellefontaine, it will be sixty by forty feet." Parish Filled with Gladness.—On Christmas day, 1853, gladness filled the hearts of the Urbana flock, because on that day the holy sacrifice of the mass was offered 'up in the new church. To quote the Telegraph: "What did it matter if the walls were unplastered, if there were neither bench nor chair, unless the worshippers brought them ? It was their own, their church, and they remembered the lowly crib at Bethlehem." The issue of the Telegraph, July 7, 1855, has this concerning Urbana : "There were twenty-six persons confirmed on Monday last in the church of the Immaculate Conception, Urbana. This church is not yet dedicated. It is a handsome and substantial structure, and was much wanted. The pastoral residence is under the same roof, and quite convenient. An efficient teacher has been secured for the school, which will be held in the church until the completion of the school house.". The spring of 1856 saw the dedication, three years after the cornerstone of the church, an account of which is in the Telegraph of June, 1856: "The church of Urbana was dedicated to the Almighty, in honor of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, by Very Rev. Joseph Ferneding. The archbishop preached. There were thirty persons confirmed. A steeple, the pews and a gallery are yet to be built—all of which will be done with as little delay as possible. The congregation is steadily increasing." On February 19, 1859, St. Mary's lost its pastor, by the death of Father Grogan. He was succeeded by Father Kearney, who, having recovered his 518 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. health, was appointed to his former mission charge. He remained pastor until his death, February 10, 1878. Father Kearney is inseparably connected with the history of Urbana's Catholic church, and is remembered and revered as the "Father of the Parish." His pastorate was a most fruit, ful one as well as the longest. Esteemed by the Urbana citizens, regardless of creed Or color, as a scholar and a true Christian minister, his own people looked up to him as a father, strict and on occasion "cross and able to use the -stick"; but withal kind, faithful, self-denying and true. As a tribute to his memory the spacious auditorium in the school building has been named "Kearney Hall." The Telegraph tells us of a wonderful mission given in May, 1863, by Father P. Hennbury, C. PP. S. : "The church was crowded almost to suffocation at the high mass celebrated by the pastor, Father Kearney. Box platforms were extemporized outside the windows, and every space within hearing distance was packed. The congregation is to build a new school house, and the mission made clear that the church must soon be enlarged. The number of communicants will fall little, if any, short of seven hundred." An item in the issue of November 27, 1867, states : "A considerable improvement has been made in St. Mary's church, Urbana, under the pastoral charge of Father Kearney. It has been lengthened; a new and commodious presbytery (now the convent) has been erected, and a neat, well-aired and well-lighted school house. The school is attended by one hundred and fifty: six boys and girls, who, when examined by the archbishop, gave satisfactory evidence of intelligence and application. There were one hundred confirmed. Persons had come from distances of seventeen, eighteen and twenty miles to receive their share of the great spiritual grace. About five hundred and thirty received holy communion." Increase in Catholic Population.—The remarkable increase in the Catholic population of Urbana is indicated by the mission given, in February, 1876, when "two thousand communicants approached the holy table, eleven being converts." In June. of the same year three hundred and twenty-two were confirmed; three hundred children attended the Sunday and day school. "All that was wanted was a good school house, the present one being too small." But Urbana's priest had concluded his work and in the thirty-third year of his ministry Father Kearney on February 10, 1878, laid down the burden of his pastorate. Father James Henry (who, in December, 1912, celebrated the 37th year in the ministry and the 25th of his pastorate of St. Patrick's, Cincinnati) took charge until the appointment in March, 1878, of the most CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 519 eloquent priestly son the Cincinnati archdiocese has ever known, Father Martin Walsh. His. pastorate was short, but brilliant, being closed by his sudden any untimely death, March 31, 1880. He will be remembered as the pastor who brought the good Sisters of Mercy, October 5, 1878, to teach in the school and to visit and comfort the sick and take charge of the women, and girls' sodalities. How well the Sisters have advanced the interests of religion, the present condition of the parish demonstrates. This same year (1878) Father Walsh purchased the Young Ladies' Academy, a large four-story brick building and now used as a tool and die factory. The price paid was twelve thou-. sand dollars. On the first day of school three hundred and sixty pupils applied for admission. This building, familiarly known as "the convent," was used as a school until th1904-1905. school year of 1904-1905. For the second time within two years a deep gloom was cast over the parish by the death of the pastor. Father Walsh, wonderfully gifted, was only twenty-seven years of age. By one of those strange coincidences, the present pastor is the only person in the parish who was present at Father Walsh's first mass, he being a lad at the same time, living in the same town, Glendale, where Father Walsh had his home. The archbishop, having sent the orator of the diocese to Urbana, now selected the "saint of the diocese" in the person of Father Michael Donoghue. Father Michael, as both priests and people fondly remember him, in his humility considered the parish too big and too rich for him; and he asked the archbishop to send him to a poorer and more humble parish. Accordingly Father P. A. Quinn succeeded him in the Urbana pastorate in July, 1880.. Again the archbishop showed his predilection for the Urbana parish by sending this time "the business man", the financier, of the diocese. His coming was timely, as the financial affairs had become more or less involved. Father Quinn remained long et ugh to straighten out matters. He greeted his successor, March, 1883, in the person of Right Rev. John B. Murray, who celebrated in October, 1913, the fiftieth anniversary, or golden jubilee of his ordination. Father Murray won his way at once into the hearts of the Urbana people, a place which he has always kept. Under his administration the debt incurred by the purchase of the Academy, was liquidated. During his pastorate, as a personal mark of honor .to the pastor, Urbana was made one of the newly created "irremovable parishes." Father Murray was also appointed dean of this part of the diocese. Relinquishing his Urbana charge in obedience to the call of his superior 520 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. to assume charge of St. Edwards, Cincinnati, Father John M. Bonner succeeded him in July, 1889. During Father Bonner's pastorate of fourteen years, many improvements were made. Again the church was enlarged, refloored, frescoed, stained-glass windows and fine new oak pews put in. Father Bonner, the son of an eminent physician of Cincinnati, was a man of culture, highly gifted by nature and endeared to all by his courtly, gentle and winning ways. The parishioners sincerely mourned his demise on March 16, 1903. The Present Pastor of the. Parish.—Fathers C. J. Conway and John Cogan had temporary charge of the parish until the arrival of the present incumbent on June 24, 1903. The new pastor found the people dissatisfied with the "convent" as a school. It was at quite a distance from the church, two railways and a traction line went past it. On the one hand, the railroad crossing, where throughout the day freight trains were almost continually passing, not to speak of the limiteds that went whirling by, made it dangerous for the children. On the other hand, the noise and smoke from the switching locomotives and traction cars and passing trains interfered seriously with the teaching. Ascertaining this desire of the parishioners to sell the convent to be general, and personally favoring the sale himself, the pastor placed the convent on the market for sale. Through the efforts of the capable and energetic wardens, a sale was negotiated in the fall of 1904 and the convent was sold for eight thousand three hundred dollars ; seven thousand three hundred dollars in cash and one thousand dollars taken in stock in the purchasing company, later known as the Niles Sanatorium Company. In the following spring some adjoining ground to the church property was purchased, and on May 24, 1905, the feast of Our Lady, Help of Christians, the first spadeful of earth was dug by the pastor. On July 2 the cornerstone of the new school was laid by the only living ex-pastor, Monsignor Murray, then rector of the Seminary. Father Simon Ryan, S. J., a son of the parish, preached. The school was dedicated by Archbishop Moeller on September 9, 1906. Father William D. Hickey, brother of the pastor, delivered the dedicatory sermon. Besides the new school building, the former parsonage was moved to another part of the church ground, remodeled, and enlarged into a commodious residence for the devoted Sisters. It is situated most conveniently, both to the church and school. A substantial rectory of pressed brick was built on the site occupied by the old one before its removal. The school is a large, pressed brick structure, having eight large and two small rooms, besides a CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 521 spacious auditorium. One feature of the new building is the heating system. A separate boiler house was built and a large boiler installed. This boiler, by means of underground conduits and an automatic air-pump, heats the four buildings comfortably, cleanly, safely and economically, as a ten years' test has demonstrated. The school was designed by a competent architect firm of Columbus, Ohio, and has been highly praised by the Sisters and others engaged in the work. On the first Sunday of January, 1913, the pastor was able to state the the parish was free of all debts and financial obligations, and had a little money in the treasury. In September, 1905, owing to unavoidable delays, the school building was far from being ready for occupancy. The children, with the Archbishop's permission, were sent to the four public schools, including the high school of Urbana. It was an interesting test of the comparative efficiency of the two systems, with the advantage if any, with the public schools. The Catholic children had the disadvantage of new and unusual surroundings, strange teachers and a different method and system of teaching. The school is recognized today as being one of a very high standard. Five Sisters have charge of the school work, not including a special music teacher. The enrollment for the Past school year was one hundred and sixty. For several years prior to 1915 the need of a larger play gr0und became urgent, a circumstance which led to the purchase of the Downey property, directly across from the church and school. The parish has enjoyed a gradual growth from year to year, and today has approximately two hundred and seventy families. FRIENDS CHURCH, URBANA. In the summer of 1906, Walter Malone and Edward Mott, representatives of the Ohio yearly meeting, conducted a tent meeting in Urbana the result of which was the ultimate organization of the Friends church. Among the persons who were active in starting the church and aided in the organization were, Paul Esmond and wife, William Huffman and wife, Newton Browning and wife, and Mrs. Lillian Hamilton. With the organization perfected, the next important question was a house of worship. After considering several locations the Howard Weaver Mission, located on Dugan street; was purchased, and services held there until September 21, 1911. About thi time the old church building of the First Baptist church, and later used as a   522 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. place for holding a mission Sunday school, was bought and is used as the house of worship at the present time. The first pastor of the church was Charles Stroup, who preached to the little flock about two years. He was followed by Henry Johnson, and he in turn by Mrs. Ida Allen, who was really responsible for putting the church on its feet. Her successor was Mary Martin, who served as pastor one year. She was succeeded by Charles Cary, the present pastor who has been with the church as pastor about two years. The Sunday school work in connection with the church is perhaps the most important feature. An active Sunday school has been maintained from the beginning, and the superintendents who have in a large measure been responsible for the good showing are, Paul Esword and William Huff man. The church is out of debt, and is growing in strength and spiritual life and if present conditions are indicative, it will be a power f0r g0od in the future. This church is the infant society in point of years in the Goshen quarterly meeting, but is recognized as the most spiritual of the body. One of the old time Quakers who gave liberally of his time and money for the upbuilding of this church was Joseph Townsend. MT. CARMEL FRIENDS CHURCH. By Cynthia H. Cowgill. The Friends society, located in the western part of Wayne township, organized about 1825 with the following families constituting the original membership : Thomas Cowgill, Sr., W. H. Baldwin, John Robinson, John Miller, Henry Cowgill, Lydia Gray, Jesse Baldwin, and a few others. Until the erection of a meeting house in 1832, services were conducted in the homes of Thomas Cowgill, Sr., W. H. Baldwin *and John Robinson. For a limited time the society worshiped in a small building known as Ryan's place in Salem township. The first house of worship was occupied until the early seventies. In 1873 a neat and substantial building was erected on a site of the old church. Beginning with 1866, Eli Cowgill and wife, Abarilla, preached to the little flock until they removed to their farm at Camp Chase in 1879. Joseph Townsend then became the resident pastor for nine or ten years. He was followed by J. Calvin Stratton, who remained seven or eight years. During the next seven years, Henry R. Johnson was the pastor, and was succeeded by Howard E. Watkins, who remained six years. After his removal, Henry R. Johnson, Mary E. Martin and Mary E. Sipe served brief periods as pastors. The present pastor CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 523 in charge is Charles NI. Cary. Preaching services, during the greater part of these years, has been held every other Sunday ; but regular devotional services are held every Sunday, with or without a preacher. It is the established order of the Friends church not to depend solely on a minister to conduct its meetings. The Mt. Carmel meeting belongs to the Weatland monthly meeting, Goshen quarterly meeting, and the Ohio yearly meeting of the Friends church. A monthly meeting was established here in 1876, to be held every three months ; and the quarterly meeting has been held here once, during the year since 1882. Many changes have come to this little church in recent years. Death and removals have depleted and changed the membership very greatly. However, with these adversities, it has always been an active and earnest church, keeping a good attendance of its membership, maintaining an active Sunday school, and a Christian Endeavor society for several years. The church has a membership of one hundred, of which number only three are descendants of the original members of the Mt. Carmel meeting, and only one who has been a lifelong member of the Friends church. The first burial ground for Mt. Carmel church was donated by Thomas Cowgill, Sr., in 1832, at the time of the building of the first meeting house. In 1882 his son, Dr. Thomas Cowgill, bought an adjoining lot of two acres, which he set apart and gave as a public burying ground. In 1904 this tract was formally transferred to the trustees of Salem and Wayne townships by the trustee of his estate, Thomas A. Cowgill. In 1913, the trustees of Mt. Carmel church, having bought of J. H. Wilkins a small addition to make the grounds symmetrical, also transferred the church burying ground to the trustees of Salem and Wayne townships. The last tract, together with the former, is known as Mount Carmel Cemetery. THE FRIENDS CHURCH, NORTH LEWISBURG. Among the earliest settlers in Rush township were many Friends who came from the eastern states, principally from Pennsylvania and North Carolina. No sooner had a sufficient number come into the vast wilderness than religious services were conducted in the homes of these faithful and devout Quakers. A meeting house, however, was not erected until 1842, when a small frame structure was erected on nearly the same site as the present one. The present church building was erected about 1879, and, 524 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. although it is very substantial, it bears a simplicity which is so characteristic of the Friends denomination. At one time a large percentage of the families living in and near North Lewisburg were either Friends or adherents to the faith. In order that their posterity might be trained not only in the general rudiments of education, but also in their church discipline, select schools were conducted from year to year. In so far as can be ascertained at this time, the Friends have never conducted a select school in the present building ; and it is generally supposed that these schools were discontinued about 1875 or 1876. Although this old-time school has been out of existence for many years, the results that have been brought about through their influence continue to bear fruit. Among those who have in the past been very closely identified with this church are Thomas, James, Joshua and John Winder, Griffith Lewis, Stacey Biven, Joseph Fell and William Townsend. The church has had no regular pastor for several years, and its future is by no means certain. At the present time the membership is composed of only six or eight families who are regular in their attendance. These few faithful families, however, maintain an active Sunday school, hold their regular prayer meetings in their own homes, and give their share to the general support of the church. As no permanent records can be found, the many names of persons who have acted as pastors of the society cannot be given. During the early history of this church, everyone felt free to consider himself as the pastor, and not until within the last decade did the society hire their minister. Those who are remembered as acting as pastors within the last twenty or twenty-five years are Wallace Johnson, Mary E. Sipe and Frederick J. Cope. THE HOWARD WEAVER MISSION. The Howard Weaver mission was organized in Urbana as a Sunday school in 1867. Services were held in different places until 1875, when Lemuel Weaver built and donated to the society a brick house in the north part of the city. When the building was opened on Christmas day, 1875, the mission association was organized and the deed given the trustees, Milo G. Williams, C. F. Colwell and David, H. Hovey. The little building was a very fitting memorial of Howard Weaver, son of Lemuel Weaver, who was one of the earliest missionary workers in the city among the poor and the destitute. The society was under the, control of no 'religious sect, but managed and CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 525 controlled by persons of all the various denominations of the city. For many years the Sunday school and the mission was under the general direction of Rev` . Josiah G. Talbott, a most worthy man, during whose service much good was accomplished. There were scores of people who received religious instruction at this place that otherwise could not have been induced to attend divine service in the regular churches. The mission ceased its active existence in 1880. CHURCH OF THE NEW JERUSALEM. On the corner of Reynolds and South Main street is a beautiful stone church which is the result of much toil and struggle on the part of the followers of the New church. This edifice, which is considered one of -the most beautiful in Urbana, is a fitting monument to the devoted efforts and unselfish endeavor of early Swedenborgians in Champaign county. Before presenting the history of the local church, it is well to trace that of the Swedenborgian church from its beginning. The New church comprises a body of Christians who hold to the religious doctrines set forth in the writings of. Emmanuel Swedenborg, a learned and pious Swede, who lived from 1688 to 1772. In 1784, James Glen, a stanch member of the New church and one of its zealous missionaries, came from London, England, to Philadelphia where he lectured on the Swedenborgian doctrines, of which he was the first avowed advocate in America. When he had finished his missionary campaign in the United States, he went to other fields to sow the seed of the creed, leaving several v0lumes of Swedenborg's works behind. These afterward fell into the hands of Francis Bailey, a Philadelphia printer, who, with his wife and Miss Hettie Barclay,. became ardent supporters of the doctrines of the New church. Since Mr. Bailey was a printer, he could very effectively spread the new teachings, and in 1789 he took from his press the first volume of the New church doctrines printed in America. In the same year Miss Barclay was the moving force in organizing a New church society at Bedford, Pennsylvania. It is of peculiar interest that the New church in Urbana can be traced directly and distinctly back to the church at Bedford, Pennsylvania. Sometime before 1826 there came to Urbana, Thomas Gwynne, a member of the New church, who had received the teaching of the creed through Josiah Espy, of Bedford, Pennsylvania, where the New church society was started. Josiah Barclay, a nephew of Miss Hettie Barclay, married Isabella Murdoch, a sister-in-law of John Gwynne, and also came here to live. In 1826 526 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. John H. James came from Cincinnati to live in Urbana. His wife, Mrs. Abbie James, was the daughter of Francis Bailey, of Philadelphia, the printer from whose press issued the first volumes of the Swedenborgian philosophy in the United States. By 1836 a little group of believers had been gathered together, and were visited by ministers and missionaries of the New church from time to time, some of whom were Rev. M. M. Car11, 1831; Alexander Kinmont, 1836 and 1838; Rev. T.. O. Prescott, 1842 and 1845; Rev. Sabin Hough, 1847; and Rev. James P. Stewart, 1848 and 1849. ORGANIZATION OF LOCAL SOCIETY. Soon the little group of Swedenborgians grew to such proportions that the subject was broached of establishing a New church college in Urbana to co-operate in the organizing the work of the church. On November 8, 1850, the society of the New church was organized in Urbana, and an act of the General Assembly of Ohio incorporating it was passed on March 20, 1851. A constitution, was adopted on December 28, 1851, and on January 3, 1852, the first board of trustees was elected as follow : John H. James, David Gwynne and William Murdoch. Milo G. Williams was made secretary. The incorporators were Milo G. Williams, James P. Stuart, William M. Murdoch, David Gwynne, John H. James, Edward U. Blake, Thomas M. Gwynne and John Murdoch. The families constituting the New church community were wont to meet in their homes on Sunday evenings to hold a simple service, which consisted of a chapter from the Bible, a passage of scripture chanted, the Lord's Prayer repeated and a sermon selected from some Swedenborgian writer. Since the numbers in the society had reached sufficient proportions and a resolution had been passed in 1852 looking to the purchase of a building lot, a site for a church edifice was purchased on the corner of South Main and Reynolds streets in 1855. In the same year a plain wooden structure, thirty by fifty feet, known as New Church Hall, was erected. It was opened for service on January 3, 1856. On that day Rev. James P. Stuart conducted the worship and Willard G. Day, a student in Urbana University, delivered a lecture on the "History and Character of the Word." On May 14, 1856, Rev. James Stuart was elected pastor of the church and served until he resigned in 1858. Since that time the University has furnished the pastors from its professors and students who considered this as a part of their regular duty. The intention of the arrangement is that the society co-operate with the university in the support of public worship CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 527 for the united benefit of the church and the university. Since the resignation of Reverend Stuart in 1858, worship has been conducted by John C. Ager, 1859; Rev. J. C. Eaton, 1860; George Nelson Smith, 1861; Charles Hardon and Rev. A. J. Bartels, 1862-63 ; Charles Hardon, ordained in 1864, regular minister from 1864 to 1866; Rev. J. M. Miller, 1866; Rev. E. A. Beauman, 1867; George Nelson Smith, ordained in 1868, regular minister in 1868 and 1869; Rev. Frank Sewall, 1870-1886; Rev. William H. Mayhew, 1887-90; Rev. L. N. Tafel, 1892-94 ; Rev. John Whitehead, 1895-97; Rev. Russell Eaton, 1897-1917. Rev. Louis A. Dole is the present incumbent. In the later seventies the New church society had grown to such numbers that the old church building became inadequate to accommodate the membership. In 1879 the society voted to give the university the old house of worship which was to be removed to the rear of the church lot and converted into a school for girls and a primary school. It was to be under the direction of the trustees of the university to which a perpetual lease of the rear part of the church lot was given for the purposes of the school. This was done in consideration of a sum being raised sufficient to warrant the beginning of a new church to be erected on the site of the old one. After these arrangements were all completed, the cutting and laying of the stone for the new edifice was begun, July 1, 1880. On July 3o the corner stone was solemnly laid under the direction of Rev. Frank Sewall. The building, which cost twelve thousand dollars, is constructed entirely of Springfield limestone from the quarry of Mr. A. Holcomb. The master builder was Thomas Allison, and the master mason, Mr. Laury. Since the edifice was planned by Reverend Sewall, its beauty of design and architectural symmetry stand a memorial to his devotion to his flock. After the new school building was completed for the use of the girls' and primary school of Urbana University, it was formally opened and dedicated with religious service by Reverend Sewall on Sunday, September 12, 1880. Close Alliance with Urbana University.—The close alliance of the New church society and Urbana University is a very happy arrangement, for as the university supplies the educational needs of the members the church ministers to their spiritual needs. At preesnt the resident members of the church are not many, eighty-five, but this number is increased annually by additions to the faculty and students of the university. The church is glad each year to welcome these new ones, and in fact all who may desire her spiritual ministrations. 528 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. The present church officers are Rev. Louis A. Dole, pastor; W. F. Ring, treasurer ; R. C. Horr, secretary; W. F. Ring, R. C. Horr, C. Davis Brown, J. H. Williams, and Dr. C. H. May, trustees. MENNONITE CHURCH. A few adherents of the Mennonite faith from Mifflin county, Pennsylvania, settled in Salem township in 1845. Among the families, who were prominent in the organization of the church here, were David Kauffman, Joseph Kauffman and Jacob Hooley. Other families represented were the Detwilers, Hartzlers and the Lantzes. By 1849, a sufficient number had come into the community to justify holding their first meeting at the home of. Christopher Yoder. Services were held at the homes of the various members until the erection of the church in 1857 on a site adjoining the Hooley farm. In 1877, another edifice was erected one mile northwest of the first building. This building, which is occupied at the present time, was thoroughly remodeled in 1915, and today is one of the very pretty country churches in the county. The first minister to serve the congregation was Rev. Jacob Hartzler. He was a very strong minister of the gospel and his influence in the church during its infancy can never be overestimated. He was succeeded by Rev. Joseph Kauffman, and he by Rev. John Wary. John King was the next pastor, and continued to serve his people for several years. He was followed by Moses Stutzman, who was one of the strongest preachers the local church has had. After several years as pastor, he was succeeded by Rev. Rufus Yoder, who in turn was followed by Christian King. The next pastor was Rev. J. J. Warye, and he was succeeded by Rev. S. E. Allgyre, the present incumbent. Levi. Hartzler is also one of the local pastors, but the oversight of the church is in the hands of Rev. Allgyre. This church is perhaps one of the strongest of the country churches in the county, having a membership at the present time of nearly two hundred members. Services are held every Sunday, and the interest manifested is all that can be desired. THE SHAKERS. A peculiar religious sect, calling themselves the Shakers, gained a temporary foothold in the Cranston district, on Pleasant run, in Rush township, about the year 1828. Most of the meetings were held on the farm of Joseph Johnson, which in later years was known as the Enrique Miller farm. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 529 The mode of worship of the sect was very peculiar in that the members exercised both soul and body. After one of the elders preached on some doctrinal subject, a hymn was sung. The congregation, with the sexes opposite each other, formed themselves in a circle around a band of singers, to whose music they danced and made merry. A man named McNemo, who was leader and preacher, was assisted by one Burlinghame, a former Christian minister. The latter married a girl of the neighborhood whose name was Burnham, and both of them were active workers in this religious movement. Samuel Rice was among the earliest converts. At one time he was a notorious gambler, but later he reformed and united with the Christian church. He remained a member of that church until he arrived in the Cranston district ; then he joined the Shakers. He was so enthusiastic about the new country and its religious influences, that he returned to his former eastern home and was successful in persuading several families to emigrate to this county. As time advanced the Shakers grew in numbers, and an attempt was made to form a permanent organization, but it was unsuccessful. In time, most of the adherents to this sect returned to their former church homes. (34) CHAPTER XXIV. EDUCATION. The history of rural education in Ohio has never been written, but it did not differ materially in the first half century of the state's development from that of other states of the Middle West. Like her sister state to the west, Ohio was content with what was called the subscription school until after the adoption of the constitution of 1852. The first schools in the state were found in the Connecticut Reserve along Lake Erie, and were introduced by the thrifty Yankees from the Nutmeg state. Only the more populous and progressive communities were blessed with any kind of schools at all during the first quarter of the nineteenth century. The school houses were invariably rude log structures, devoid of any comforts ; and the teacher was usually equipped as meagerly as the room in which he held forth. Teachers were very scarce, and often the teacher was some farmer in the community who offered to "keep school" for two or three months during the winter season. That these early schools were appreciated is shown by the fact that there were often from sixty to one hundred pupils enrolled under one teacher. The man who could handle such a number of children and teach them anything at all, must have been a person of unusual physical courage, if not of mental ability. With the aid supplied by the neighboring hickory groves, this pioneer teacher succeeded in keeping at least a semblance of discipline; and in some mysterious manner he handled his juvenile army and actually taught them the rudiments of "readin', `ritin' and 'rithmetic." Until 1852 only four branches were required to be taught in Ohio schools, reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling. Male teachers were required to take examination in reading, writing and arithmetic, but not in spelling; on the other hand, the female teachers, for some reason which the reader is left to imagine, were allowed to substitute spelling for arithmetic if they so desired. Evidence of proficiency in the above subjects was sufficient for applicants to secure certificates entitling them to teach from six to eighteen months. It is said that on more than one occasion the examiners were unable to read the papers of their applicants, and granted their certificates accord- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 531 ing to the amount of paper consumed in the examination. Be this as it may, there were many excellent teachers and the majority of them were masters of the four subjects which they taught. GRADUAL GROWTH OF THE CURRICULUM. After the adoption of the constitution of 1852 there was a decided improvement in the schools of the state. Grammar and geography were added to the curriculum, and, as may be imagined, there were many protests against the innovation. A few years later, some of the courageous men in the state succeeded in getting the study of history introduced into the course of study ; but the bravest act was that of the men who introduced physiology into the public schools. This latter subject aroused violent opposition on the part of many people, an opposition that may be compared with that which the study of eugenics has stirred up within the past few years. Additions to the- curriculum have been made from time to time until now the common school teachers are required to pass an examination in eleven subjects. The latest subject to be added is agriculture; and, could our forefathers step into our modern school room in this county and see the boys and girls testing seed corn or determining the fertility of the soil, they. would no doubt think that the teacher was a fit candidate for an insane asylum. What the pioneer of the twenties and thirties might have thought of teaching sewing in the public schools would be an interesting subject for contemplation for a vivid imagination, but such instruction is actually given in the school rooms of Champaign county today. PASSING OF THE RURAL SCHOOL. Between 1870 and 1880, improvement in the rural schools was directed along five main lines : the building of more school houses ; the addition of teaching aids in the school rooms (maps, books, etc.) ; raising the educational requirements of teachers ; the payment of higher salaries to teachers, and compulsory attendance on the part of pupils. Between 1885 and 1890 the rural school reached its greatest efficiency and enjoyed its highest splendor of sentimental glory. No orator thought his speech complete without a reference to the little red school house, and there are not lacking today spellbinders who appeal for votes on the ground that they are still in favor of this same little red school house. But the day of the rural school of a dozen or two dozen pupils has 532 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. gone from the state forever—the red school house of our forefathers has seen its day. By 1890 the exodus from the rural districts to the urban centers had begun to assume large proportions. Between 1890 and 1910, some rural districts in Ohio lost thirty-three per cent. of their population. Many a school in the state which boasted of an enrollment of fifty or sixty in the middle of the last century dwindled down to a paltry dozen, or even less, by 1900. Hundreds of rural schools have been abandoned within the past ten years, and hundreds more are doomed. So it came to pass that the rural schools and the system of rural education generally became a burden to the people, not only from a financial standpoint, but also because of their inefficiency. Farmers are now demanding that their children have as good educational advantages as those provided for the children of the city. So insistent has become this demand, that townships all over Ohio are abandoning their rural one-room buildings and erecting one large centralized building to accommodate all the children of the township. CONSOLIDATION AND CENTRALIZATION. Champaign county, within the past sixteen years, has taken the first step toward consolidation and centralization, and the success which has attended the efforts of the school officials thus far points to a new era in rural education in the county. The present condition of the schools of the county is discussed detail farther on in this chapter. In the history of the respective townships of the county, mention is made of the first schools in each, together with the early teachers. The future of rural education is brighter than ever before; never have the people been so wide awake to the value of good schools ; never has there been as much interest in practical education as at the present time. The boy of the future will not only be able to manipulate the "three Rs" with greater efficiency, but he will also leave the school room with a knowledge of many other things which will make of him a better and more useful citizen of the commonwealth. The girl of the future will know more about cooking, dressmaking and the domestic arts at the time she leaves school than her grandmother did when she died. The times have changed ; the world is demanding things today that our forefathers never dreamed of, and it is the glory of the American people that they are adjusting themselves to these conditions. In 2017 Champaign county will look back on 1917, even as we of today are harking back to 1817, and wondering that it took us so long to realize what kind of training we should give our children. May we citizens of 1917 leave nothing undone to make CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 533 our schools a fitting agency whereby our children may have the best training that modern thought can evolve: If we do not, we are derelict in our duty ; if we do, we may be assured that our children's children will arise and bless our names. PRESENT SCHOOL SYSTEM. The state constitution of 1912 made some very radical changes in the Ohio school system, which with subsequent statutory legislation, has practically revolutionized things in the educational affairs of the state. It is not possible in this article to do more than give a brief survey of the schools as they are now managed. The office of county superintendent was created and given certain well-defined powers and duties. Provision was made for district superintendents in each county, who were to relieve the county superintendent of the cares of supervising all the. schools of the county. There can be no question that the present school code is a distinct step in advance, and, with competent officials, the schools should become a more efficient factor in the life of the state. The county superintendent is elected by the county board of education, the five members of which are selected by the presidents of the various boards of the county. The county superintendent has supervision of all the schools of the county, except those of Urbana, the city being a school district of itself. J. C. Neer, the present county superintendent, was the first person elected to that office and entered upon the duties of the same on August 1, 1914. He is a man of varied experience in educational work, having taught in Concord township and in Urbana city, all of his labors having been performed in Champaign county. Since he was the first man to hold the office, he has, in a manner, had to blaze the trail. Champaign county has won special distinction and recognition from the state department of education for the manner in which it has installed the new system ; and many encomiums have been passed upon the educational work which has been accomplished in .the county during the past three years. Under the original plan there were fifteen elementary school districts, or groups, in the county, each of which was under the supervision of a superintendent; but in June, 1915, the county board of education combined these fifteen groups of elementary schools into one district to meet the conditions of the Winans law.. In addition' to this large group of elementary schools, there are two others : one composed of first grade and the other, of second-grade high schools. 534 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY. OHIO. The district superintendents, who have at least thirty teachers under their supervision, receive salaries ranging from one thousand to fifteen hundred dollars a year. High-school teachers receive from seventy-five to one hundred dollars a month ; and the salaries of village school superintendents range from twelve to fifteen hundred dollars annually. Teachers in the rural schools receive salaries varying from fifty to seventy-five dollars a month. Each school district in the county receives state aid : thirty dollars a teacher, and two dollars for each enumerated child. There are now (1917) one hundred and fifty-two teachers outside of the Urbana schools. Including those in the Urbana system, there are one hundred and eighty-eight. All of the schools of the county have at least an eight-months term, and some of them have nine months. NORMAL SCHOOL. Recent legislation provided for at least one normal school in each of the eighty-eight counties of Ohio, and Champaign county established its first normal in the school at Kings Creek. This law for the training of teachers is in charge of the county superintendent, who is obligated by law to teach not, less than one hundred n0r more than two hundred hours a year of nine months. He is responsible for the teaching of school methods, management and law. The course covers only one year, and those finishing this in a satisfactory manner are granted a year's certificate to teach in the county. The first class was graduated in 1917 and consisted of the following members : Clarence Elliot, Ruth Essman, Leona Jernegan, Edith Mabry, Christine Rhoades, Rachel Steinberger and Sarah Tritt. TEACHERS OF COUNTY, 1916-17. The county teachers' institute is recognized by the new school code, but it is not mandatory that They be held in every county. In Champaign county it has been the custom to hold annual meetings of all the teachers under the direction of the county superintendent. The institute for I916 was held on August 21-25, inclusive. The county board of education as now constituted is made up as follows : J. H. Snarr, president ; H. H. Carr, vice-president ; G. L. Freeman ; J. C. Neer, superintendent ; W. B. Crim, district superintendent, and Melvina K. Ellis, director normal school. The teachers who had charge of the school work of the county during the school year 1916-17, by townships and towns, are as follow : CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 535 Adams township—A. B. Buroker, Kathryn Gries, Mabel Stephenson, W. A. Gayer, Celia Evringham, Emma Pickering, Mabel Krigeor, Hazel Harmon and Harlena McNeil. Concord township—Waldo Zerkle, E. A. LoLacheur, Hazel Fitzgerald, W. L. Pond, Alta Kizer, Katie Vaughan, Marie Kesler and Ruth Zea. Jackson township—J. A. Caldwell, Mary Richardson, Roxie Gentis, Cleta Jenkins, Gladys Anderson, Freda Ford, Scott A. Mowen, Mabel. Jenkins and Grace Gentis. Christiansburg—A. W. Draper, Clara Wenger, Bertha Howell and Elsie Strouse. Johnson township—Gertrude Conway, Bessie Dugan, Lelia Hamilton, Carey Barger, Alta Bodey, Hazel Neal and W. H. Brelsford. Harrison township—Hugh Eleyet, Hazel Hill, Mildred Shanley, Leona Sidders, Lucile Pyle and Hazel Geuy. Mad River township—J. R. Price, Ruth Cox, Alys Sinclair, H. W. Hess, W. W. Offenbacher, Dora Turner, Alice Kollefrath, J. R. Kite, McKinley Nichols, J. M. Gard, Burnette Parmenter and Estella Neese. Mechanicsburg and Goshen township—Bert Highlands, Edna Paschall, Martha Rowinsky, Ella Clemans, J. C. Woodward, W. Thompson, Zita Deveraux, Anne Dorsey, Ada Longbrake, Lena Morgan, Lottie Hunt, Blanche Messick, Donna Colwell, Ruth Vaughan, Rhea K. Sweeney, Blanche Smeltzer, W. H. Talbot and Bess Hunter. North Lewisburg—C. O. Taylor, Florence Hunter, Edith Hick, R. M. Hunter, Hazel Overfield, Edna Cook, Margaret Barnes, Frances Wehe and Alice Freeman. Salem township—D. 0. Brelsford, W. H. Whiston, F. P. Blose, Hazel Petty, Iva Nichols, E. L. Blair, Jennie Lockwood, Beatrice Swisher, Sarah Ream, Louzetta Miller, Frank H. Thomas, Phyllis Gifford, Nelle Yoder, Chauncey Kauffman, Gladys Kite, Ruth Arrowsmith and Ruth Brown. St. Paris—J. M. Turner, Blanche Lowther, Florence Wyman, Harvey Loudenback, Bertha McBeth, Tillie Kizer, Vera Klapp, Christena Nitchman, Glenn Colvin, Helen Frye and Florence Jones. Union township—Howard Thornburg, W. F. Essman, Mary K. Cartwell, Wendell Graham, Margaret Emory, Imogene Gardner, Dorothy Lowe, Rachel Everett, Beatrice Wilson and Sarah Dorsey. Urbana township—F. C. Bowers, Hiram Petty, Doris Coover, J. P. Houser, Ethel Thornburg, Clara Hayes, Ida Fuson and J. F. Blager. Wayne township—Frank Nichols, Frederica Nichols, Cliffe Spain, R. G. Johnson, Dixie Braley, Ethel Clay and Ada W. Madden. 536 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Mingo--B. A. Aughinbaugh, Helen Kinnard, Arthur Curl, Mrs. Edna Mason and Lillian Miller. Woodstock—R. D. Conrad, Eliza Allison, Mabel Briney, F. E. Peneton, Sarah Vogelgesong, Marjory Kimball, Ada Holycross, Sara Martin, Grace Reed, Harriett Smith and T. R. Davies. Urbana (city)—I. N. Keyser, superintendent. High School—K. E. Whinnery, J. H. Williams, Dona Robertson, Nelson Thomas, J. M. Thorpe, Dasie C. Merriman, Mary Collins and Letitia P. Fell. South ward—Edgar G. Weller, Florence Dovell, Charlotte Harmstead, Letitia Fell, Mary Woods, Phyllis Ireland, Margaret Bixler, Cecil Buroker and Helen Lincoln. North ward—T. M. Wiant, Jennie L. Brown, Ola Turner, Elizabeth Fuson, Christine Erickson and Eloise Everett.. Only ten of the teachers, who began their work at the beginning of the school year 1916-17, failed to complete the year's work. Of this number nine were women. BEGINNING OF COMMON SCHOOL. The school of a hundred years ago represented to an extent the communal interests of six or eight families. The site for the log school house, which was usually about twenty by twenty-eight feet, was deeded conditionally on its use for school purposes. The qualifications of the teachers were left to the householders, and the teacher's remuneration ranged from six to ten dollars a month, paid by the patrons on the basis of per capita attendance. The length of the term was three or four months. In 1825, the General Assembly received so much complaint concerning the school legislation of 1821, that an attempt was made to remedy the existing conditions. A state fund for common-school purposes was ordered to be levied annually, boards of examiners were appointed, better trained teachers were employed, and school revenues were collected. In 1837, .there were seven thousand seven hundred and forty-eight township districts in Ohio, with five officers to the district. This made for the state a total of thirty-eight thousand seven hundred and forty petty officials, of which Champaign county had for its quota a regiment of six hundred men. FORM OF TEACHERS' CONTRACT. The teachers' contract of a hundred years ago is vastly different from the one which he has to sign at the present time (1917). A contract such CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 537 as was used at that time is here reproduced.: "We, the subscribers, being desirous of having a school taught in _______ Township, and district for the term of ten weeks, agree to pay the sum of ten dollars and board for teaching said school, and we do further agree to pay our equal proportion of the above sum, and find our equal proportion of firewood according to the number. of scholars we shall subscribe or send to school to be taught in the house formally occupied by EARLY STATISTICS. The early accessible statistics, which throw any light on the early educational conditions in Champaign county, are dated 1837. In fact, just eighty years ago there were only eighty-seven teachers in the county, and the school attendance was nine hundred and five. The amount of taxes for school purposes amounted only to three hundred and forty-one dollars, and the amount collected under the leases of sections 16, eight hundred and eleven dollars. During the next thirteen years, the influx of settlers into this county greatly increased the population and the school attendance. Thus in 1850 the attendance had jumped from nine hundred and five in 1837 to six thousand, and the number of teachers from eighty-seven to one hundred and one. In 1860 there were enrolled in the schools of the county six thousand six hundred and seventy-nine pupils with two hundred and six teachers, including one superintendent of schools, and two high school teachers. The attendance of the public schools of the county reached its maximum in 1876, when six thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine children were enrolled. The number of teachers at that time was two hundred and twenty-• four, including three superintendents of schools, and four high-school teachers. The expense of operating the schools for that year was one hundred and eight thousand five hundred dollars. Since 1876 the attendance of the schools has steadily declined. Today there are one hundred and eighty-eight teachers employed, one hundred and fifty-two of whom are in the schools outside of Urbana—a number less, by thirty-nine, than in 1876 for the county. TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The histories of early schools of the townships are very scant, due to the absence of all of the early records, and also to the fact that people are living now who were educated in those early days. However, in a brief and general way an effort has been made to trace the educational movement 538 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, 0I110. in each township, along with facts and conditions as they exist at the present time. The histories of the village schools, including Christiansburg, Mechanicsburg, North Lewisburg, St. Paris and Woodstock, are to be found in the histories of these respective villages. ADAMS TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. Although the settlers were required to work very diligently in order to earn a livelihood, yet one of the foremost things of interest was the education of their children. Previous to 1820, the children of this township were not given the privileges of an education. The first school house in the township was erected on the Ritter land in section 6, about 1820 or 1821. Samuel Bates, who was a farmer of little more than average erudition, was one of the first teachers; and as a remuneration for his services received two dollars for each pupil in attendance. The next school house in the township was erected three or four years later in the northwestern part. As early as 1829 the township was divided into four school districts, two of which had buildings. In 1901 the township located at Rosewood its central high school, which was continued until it was supplanted by the present system in 1911. When the voters of the township voiced their sentiments for consolidation and the erection of a building at Rosewood, the one-room district school houses were abandoned, and now there is only one school building in the township. This building accommodates three hundred and three pupils. A large majority of the pupils are hauled to the school in the thirteen wagons owned by the township. The longest time on the road for any one wagon is one hour and twenty minutes, and the shortest forty-five minutes. The longest distance is six and one-half miles. A. B. Buroker has been the superintendent of the schools from the beginning and is to continue in the same capacity for the coming year. His assistants for 1916-1917 were the following : Kathryn Gries, principal ; Mabel Stephenson, assistant; W. A. Gayer, seventh and eighth grades; Celia Evringham, sixth and seventh grades ; Emma Pickering, fourth and fifth grades ; Mabel Krigeor, third and fourth grades; Hazel Harmon,, second grade; Harlena McNeil, first grade; W. A. Gayer, manual training; Celia Evringham. The enrollment for the school year was three hundred and twenty-six. CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 539 CONCORD TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. Settlers living in the vicinity of the Harbor graveyard were the first to make preparations for the education of their children. Near this graveyard on the farm of William Harbor was erected the first school house, about 1820. But not in all cases did the pioneers wait to construct a school house, as was true in this township. An old house standing on the farm of Valentine Russell was used for school purposes for several years. As time advanced a school house was built on the farm of John Miller ; however, some contention arose as to the proper location and it was torn down and removed to the west side of the John Shriver farm. The house was occupied until 1838, when it was vacated in favor of the building that had been erected on the site of the present school house. Two of the early teachers in the township were H. Neer and William Mouser. In the course of time, one-room houses were provided throughout the township and were in use until the adoption of the present system. Concord township was among the last to adopt the plan of township supervision, but among the first to come under the system of consolidation. The township organized a high school at Eris in 1898, with D. H. Taylor as the first superintendent. He was followed by Paul Gulick and Joseph C. Neer. The township was half "consolidated" before centralization came in 1914. Under the present system about one hundred and ninety pupils are transported in ten wagons owned by the township. The longest haul is six miles and the time consumed varies from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The average wage paid to the drivers is a little less than thirty-six dollars and fifty cents per month. The school house has an auditorium with a seating capacity of three hundred, where chapel exercises, community lecture courses, entertainments and graduation exercises are held. The enrollment of the school for the past year was two hundred and fourteen. The superintendent for 1916-17 was Waldo Zerkle and his assistants were : E. A. LoLacheur, principal ; Hazel Fitzpatrick, assistant ; W. L. Pond, seventh and eighth grades ; Alta Kizer, fifth and sixth grades ; Katie Vaughan, third and fourth grades; Marie Kesler, second grade, Ruth Zea, first grade. GOSHEN TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The history of early educational processes in Goshen township is vague, and from the sources now at hand doubtless will remain so. One of the 540 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. first school houses in the township was erected on the Edward Guy farm, just east of Mechanicsburg, and formerly within the corporate limits of the village. There were very few log school houses built in this township prior to 1820, but, between 1820 and 1830, five or six were erected in what might be designated as the settled communities. It is a regretable fact that the names of the early teachers have not been preserved for the present generation, but in no instance are records available to show who they were. Today there are four of the one-room schools remaining in the township, all of which are under township supervision. The Mechanicsburg-Goshen school district has been consolidated, and the entire township now enjoys the advantages of a high school in the village. Only two wagons are employed, as only about twenty-five pupils need transportation. The longest distance is six miles, and the average time consumed is one hour. There are eleven teachers and a superintendent in the village and four teachers in the outlying schools. The teachers for the past year include the following : Bert Highlands, superintendent ; Edna Paschall, principal; Martha Rowinsky, assistant ; Ella Clemans, assistant ; J. C. Woodward, assistant ; T. W. Thompson, eighth grade ; Zita Deveraux, seventh grade ; Anne Dorsey, sixth grade; Ada Longbrake, fifth grade; Lenna Morgan, fourth grade; Lottie Hunt, third grade ; Blanche Messick, second grade ; Donna Colwell, first grade ; Ruth Vaughan, district No. 2 ; Rhea K. Sweeney, district No. 4 ; Blanche Smeltzer, district No. 7 ; W. H. Talbott, district No. 8 ; Bess Hunter, music. The total enrollment for the schools during the past year was five hundred and seventy-one, one hundred and one of whom were in the high school. HARRISON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The majority of the pioneers of Harrison township were people who keenly felt the need of an education, and therefore they were not slow in taking measures to give their children such advantages. The first school house in the township was erected in 1815. Another early school house was located in section 19, on the farm of a man named Taylor. One of the first teachers at this latter place was a man named Piper. During the period from 1820 to 1835, many log school houses were erected in the township. The citizens of the township were among the first to organize the territory into school districts and to make use of the public lands set apart for school purposes. Harrison township was among the first to adopt the plan of township supervision, but unfortunately gave up the plan after a few years trial. Today CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 541 the township is in the throes of the preliminary step to centralization—the selection of a suitable site that will benefit the greatest number. This is usually a bone of contention, a fact particularly true in this township, where the courts are trying to straighten out the controversy. As the situation now stands, the township has four one-room school houses and one two-room, building ,the latter being at Spring Hills, all of which accommodate one hundred and fifty-five pupils. Two township-owned wagons haul about twenty-eight pupils to the school at Spring Hills. The teachers for the school year 1916-17 include the following : Spring Hills, Hugh Eleyet, intermediate ; Hazel Hill, primary ; Mildred Shanley, district No. 2 ; Leona Sidders, district No. 3; Lucile Pyle, district No. 5 ; Hazel Guey, district No. 6. The total enrollment for the schools of the township during the past year was one hundred and sixty-six. JACKSON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The first school in Jackson township was conducted in the Grafton settlement and was maintained by local subscription, the teacher charging from one dollar and fifty cents to two dollars a quarter for each pupil. Not very long after the first school house was built, another one was erected just north of Christiansburg. The first teacher who taught in the latter was John Hutton. As the number of settlers increased, another school house was erected south of the village. Today there stands five one-room school houses in the township as evidence of the interest taken by the people in education. Much to the credit of the voters, these buildings have all been abandoned, and the opening of the school year 1917-18 will see the pupils assembling in a new, modern, thirty-thousand-dollar, centralized school building. With the opening of this building the township will have two school buildings, the one just mentioned, and the one at Thackery, which has a principal, and assistant, an intermediate teacher and a primary teacher. The teachers who were in charge of the school work during the past year were as follow : Thackery—J. A. Caldwell, principal ; Mary Richardson, assistant ; Roxie Gentis, intermediate ; Cleta Jenkins, primary ; Gladys Anderson, Apple ; Freda Ford, Bollinger ; Scott A. Mowen, Grafton ; Mabel Jenkins, Honey Creek ; Grace Gentis, Mohock. A total of two hundred and sixty pupils were enrolled in the township during the past year. 542 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. JOHNSON TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The early school history of Johnson township will ever remain in obscurity, as there are no early records at hand and nothing has ever been written on this subject. What is generally thought to be the first school house in the township was erected on section 6, about two miles east of St. Paris. The site is now known as the Snapp school. In 1824 the school law for districting the township was passed, but it was many years thereafter before the schools were supplied with public funds. Section 16, reserved for school purposes, was not sold until about 1830, and the proceeds put into the school funds. The oldest school building standing is that in district No. 2, about two miles north of St. Paris. The citizens of Johnson township seem to have been content with the old-fashioned school house for almost a half century, as little improvement was made until within the last few years. When the people did act, they did so with vim and vigor, as they are preparing to erect a new seventy-five thousand dollar school building at St. Paris, the finest in the county. With the completion of this building, the school-building question will be solved for a number of years. The teachers who had charge of the work during the past year follow : Gertrude Conway, district No. i ; Bessie Dugan, district No. 4 ; Lelia Hamilton, district No. 5 ; Carey Barger, district No. 6 (A) ; Alta Bodey, district No. 6 (B) ; Hazel Neal, district No. 10; W. H. Brelsford, music. The total enrollment was one hundred and fifty-five. This does not include the St. Paris schools, a full history of which is given in connection with the chapter devoted to the town. MAD RIVER TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. No authentic evidence is at hand concerning the very early schools of Mad River township. It is known, however, that subscription schools were conducted until about 1826, at which time the township was divided into eight school districts, there being two hundred and thirty-three families in all. Among the best known of the early teachers were Isaac Neff, who taught in the township for twenty years ; and David Loudenback, a teacher of more than average ability, who taught for several years. The schools were usually well attended, in some cases having as many as eighty to ninety pupils in one room. During the course of time several school houses were erected through- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 543 out the township and continued to be occupied until the germ of consolidation took root. Consolidation was forced upon Mad River township by degrees. It was suggested as a money-saving measure, and the school board consolidated a number of the smaller schools as a means of avoiding their maintenance in separate buildings. This plan worked so admirably that in the spring of 1901 the school board 'voted to suspend all the sub-districts of the Westville precinct, and transport all the pupils to Westville. A building was accordingly erected for that purpose and dedicated for school purposes in the latter part of November, 1901. The school board saw the wisdom of establishing a high school; and in keeping with the idea of consolidation, a high school of the second grade was instituted. In the course of time the board saw fit to raise the standard of the school and it was made one of the first grade. The first superintendent of the school under the present system was John J. Richeson, who was a thorough school man and did much toward making the schools of Westville what they are today. The teachers for the school year of 1916-17 were the following: Westville : J. R. Price, superintendent ; Ruth Cox, principal ; Alys Sinclair, assistant ; H. W. Hess, seventh and eighth grades; W. W. Offenbacher, fifth and sixth grades ; Dora Turner, third and fourth grades; Alice Kollefrath, first and second grades. Mad River school district is centralized in two places, at Westville and at Terre Haute. A recently completed building and the enlarged, remodeled building at the latter place accommodate two hundred and seevnty-three pupils, ten teachers and the superintendent. Nine wagons are employed in hauling the children to school. The average wage paid the driver, who furnish their own conveyances, is thirty-eight dollars and fifty cents a month. The time consumed on the road varies from an hour to an hour and fifteen minutes. The teachers of the Terre Haute school for the. year 1916-17 were J. R. Kite, principal ; J. M. Gard, assistant ; McKinley Nichols, sixth, seventh and eighth grades ; Burnette Parmenter, third, fourth and fifth grades; Estelle Neese, first and second grades. The total enrollment for the two schools in 1916-17 was two hundred and ninety-three. RUSH TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. Probably the first school in Rush township was established in 1820, and was taught by Asabel Woodsworth. The school was soon transferred to Phoebe Smith's cabin, which stood on lot No. 24 in the village of Wood- 544 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. stock. Schools were taught there until 1824, when a log school house was built. Lester Smith taught the first school. During the course of time several one-room .school houses were built in various parts of the township and were occupied until within the last two or three years. The south half of the township, including Woodstock, was the first to vote for the centralization of schools. The new building was completed and occupied in the fall of 1915. Nearly one hundred and fifty pupils are hauled to the village from various parts of the school district .six wagons are employed, and the longest drive consumes but an hour. The northern half of the township voted to consolidate in 1915, but the building was not completed until 1916. Today this building is doubtless as complete as any in the county, and stands as a monument to the good judgment of the voters of the school &strict. An extended discussion of the early schools of Woodstock is given in the chapter on the town. The teachers for the northern consolidated district of the township at North Lewisburg are C. O. Taylor, superintendent; Florence Hunter, principal; Edith Hicks, assistant ; R. M. Hunter, seventh and eighth grades; Hazel Overfield, fifth and sixth grades; Edna Cook, fourth grade ; Margaret Barnes, third grade; Alice Freeman, second grade; and Frances Wehe, first grade. The teachers for the southern consolidated district at Woodstock are the following R. D. Conrad, superintendent; Mabel Briney, principal; Eliza Allison, assistant; F. E. Peneton, seventh and eighth grades; Sarah Vogelgesong, sixth grade; Marjory Kimball, fifth grade; Ada Holycross, fourth grade; Sarah Martin, third grade ; Grace Reed, second grade; Harriet Smith, first grade; T. R. Davis, music. For 1916-17, the total enrollment was two hundred and sixty-seven, of whom forty-seven were in high school. SALEM TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. Salem township, although quite rich in the lore of its pioneer history, is very deficient in accounts of its early schools. Probably the first school house was built in 1814, on land known as the Samuel Black farm. Among the pioneers who were interested in education, and who aided that cause in every way possible, were Isaac Gray, Enos Baldwin, John McAdams, Aaron L. Hunt, William H. Baldwin, Nathan Moffitt, and Colonel John Thomas. Some of the early teachers of the township were Robert Crocket, Daniel Baldwin, Edward L. Morgan, John Organ, Henry Cowgill and Jesse Baldwin. In the winter of 1826-27, Dr. Samuel A. Latta taught school in a log- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 545 cabin school house on the land known in later years as the David Fulweider farm. At night he taught a grammar school. Just how many one-room school houses were built in the township prior to centralization is not known, but it suffices to say they have all been abandoned. Salem township was among the first in the county to establish a high school. The school was established at Kings Creek in 1891, with Professor Barber as the superintendent. He was followed, in the order mentioned, by D. C. Bryant, C. E. Brashares, D. H. Sellars and E. D. Conover. The township has fourteen wagons, which transport more than three hundred of the four hundred and sixty-four pupils, attending the three schools at Kings Creek, Couchmans. and Kennard. The average salary paid the drivers is about forty-five dollars and fifty cents a month ; the longest distance traveled is seven miles, which, with one exception, is the longest of any in the county. The township employs a superintendent and fifteen teachers, including one who teaches music and drawing. The names of those who were in charge of the school for 1916-17 follow : Kingscreek—D. O. Brelsford, superintendent ; W. H. Whiston, principal ; F. P. Blose, assistant ; Hazel Petty, assistant ; Iva Nichols, eighth grade ; E. L. Blair, sixth and seventh grades ; Jennie Lockwood, fifth grade ; Beatrice Swisher, fourth grade ; Sarah Ream, second and third grades ; Louzetta Miller, first grade. At Couchman—Frank Thomas, room A ; Phyllis Gifford, room B ; Nellie Yoder, room C. At Kennard—Chauncey Kauffman, room A; Gladys Kite, room B. Ruth Blose, Ruth Arrowsmith and F. P. Blose had charge of the domestic science, music and art, and manual training, respectively. The total enrollment for the three schools for the past year was four. hundred and seventy-seven, eighty-one of whom were enrolled in the high school. The county normal school, as before stated, is maintained at King's Creek. UNION TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The first school house in Union townhsip seems to have been built prior to 181o, and stood in section 28. George Minturn was probably the first teacher. Another school house was built about 181 0 or 1812 on the Runyan farm, where the school was taught by John Owens and later by a man named DeLong. The course of study in these early schools consisted of instruction in Webster's speller and Pike's arithmetic. These schools, as it was with others at this early time, were run on the subscription plan. Today Union township has seven one-room school houses, nearly as many (35) 546 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. as all the rest of the townships combined. The conditions in the township are not favorable to consolidation, although the time probably will come when such a system will be adopted. The worst hindrance to such a plan is the faulty condition of the roads, especially those of the north and south, and until these are greatly improved cons0lidation must wait. However, the people are beginning to show an interest, for at Mutual a modern two-brick school building is under construction and will be ready for occupancy for the school year of 1917-1918. The teachers for the past year follow : Howard Thornburg, Ludlow ; W. F. Essman, Buck Creek ; Mary K. Cartwell, Long Pond ; Wendall Graham, Mutual; Margaret Emory, Wild Rose ; Imogene Gardner, Union ; Dorothy Lowe, No. 10; Rachel Everett, Oak Ridge ; Beatrice Wilson, Pisgah ; Sarah Dorsey, Yankee Hill. The total enrollment in the township for the past year was two hundred and fifty-seven. URBANA TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. The early history of the Urbana township schools is largely that of the subscription schools of Urbana. These were begun as early as 1808, and their history is found in that of the city schools. One of the earliest of the township schools outside of the village limits was on the north side of the Urbana and Mechanicsburg road, opposite the entrance to Patrick avenue. Other school houses were erected as they were needed ; and at the time the township voted to consolidate her schools, there were eight of the one-room school houses in use. During the past year they have all been abandoned and the pupils are now conveyed in modern wagons to the centralized school, which is similar in most respects to the others of that kind in the county.. In the summer of 1917 the township trustees offered for sale the eight one-room brick school houses of the township. The teachers in charge of the work, beginning with the school year 1916, included the following : F. C. Bowers, high school; Hiram Petty, Pence; Doris Coover, Kenega; J. P. Houser, Humes; Ethel Thornburg, Hedges; Clara Hayes, Infirmary ; Ida Fuson, Dallas ; J. F. Blager, Prairie. The total enrollment for the year for the township was two hundred and twenty-three, six of whom did high school work. WAYNE TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS. A public-spirited man of the name of Isaac Gray seems to have been the first to start the educational movement in Wayne township. He, with the CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 547 assistance of a few neighbors, erect814 rude cabin in 1813 or 1i814 for school purposes. The cabin, similar to all of its kind, stood a short distance southeast of the site of the Carmel church. There were several other pioneer school houses erected at various places during the settlement period, but no authentic account of them can be obtained. At North Salem was erected a log house which served as a church an1830.ool house from 1824 to 183o. As time advanced and the population of the township increased, several one, room school houses were erected in various places. These were occupied until the citizens voted to supplant them by the more modern centralize schools. Today, there are two such schools in the township—one at Mingo, and the other at Cable. The building at Cable was occupied during the school year of 1916-1917, while the school at Mingo will be ready for occupancy in September, 1917. Both of the buildings represent the latest designs in architecture, and, as community centers, will certainly answer well the purpose. The teachers for the school year of 1916-17 included the following: At Cable, Frank Nichols, principal; Frederica. Crawford, assistant; Cliffe Spain, seventh and eighth grades; R. G. Johnson, fifth and sixth grades ; Dixie Braley, third and fourth grades; Ethel Clay, first and second grades; Ada W. Madden. At Mingo, B. A. Aughinbaugh, principal; Helen Kinnard,Arthuth and eighth grades; Arthur Curl, fifth and sixth grades; Mrs. Edna Mason, third and fourth grades; Lillian Miller, first and second grades. The total enrollment for the Cable school during the past year was one hundred and fifty-five; and for the school. at Mingo, one hundred and four. CENTRALIZATION AND CONSOLIDATION. Centralization and consolidation have had a constant and steady growth in Champaign county, beginning in Salem township about twenty-one years ago, when the Dilbert school was transported to Kings creek. The first attempt on a large scale was made by Mad River township when one-half of its schools were centralized at Westville. This was followed almost immediately by Concord consolidating the south half of the township at Eris about seventeen years ago. Kings Creek's old three-room building soon gave place to its present eight-room building. Adams township was the first township in the county to have complete consolidation. Its bew building was occupied in 1911. This school has ever since been an. inspiration to citizens of various parts of the state to give the boys and girls of their respective communities better educational advantages. 548 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO. Concord township came next with complete centralization in 1914. Thus sentiment has grown until at the present time in this county more than one thousand three hundred children are riding to school in seventy-one wagons at the average daily expense of eleven and one-half cents per pupil. This number will be considerably increased during the coming school year, when there will be but fifteen one-room school houses left operating in Champaign county. During the last few years, there has been almost as much sentiment in favor of giving the boys and girls in the smaller villages and rural communities good educational opportunities as there is in the cities. Why should the boy on the farm be expected to obtain an education under adverse conditions ? Is he constituted any differently from the city boy ? Beginning with the erection of the thirty-thousand-dollar ten-room building at Rosewood in 1911, with its auditorium seating four hundred people, and rooms in the basement for manual training and domestic science now in full use, other communities began to feel that their boys and girls were as meritorious of the best educational advantages as are those in Adams township. In 1914 Concord township erected a twenty-five-thousand-dollar building which is somewhat smaller than the one at Rosewood, having eight rooms and an auditorium with a seating capacity of two hundred and seventy-five. Soon Salem issued bonds for thirty-five thousand dollars with which to build a new high-school building having the largest auditorium in the county, seating seven hundred people. In the northern part of the township is a splendid grade building, thus completely consolidating the schools at Kennard, Couchmans and Kings Creek. Woodstock, which includes the south part of Rush township, voted twenty-seven thousand dollars to take care of the youth of that district and the new building has been occupied since the holidays of 1915. Next to fall in line with the centralization movement was North Lewisburg and the northern part of Rush township. Expending approximately forty-five thousand dollars, they erected a new high school building, containing one of the finest auditoriums in the county, and a large gymnasium under the auditorium. In 1916, the Mingo school district voted thirty thousand dollars worth of bonds to erect and equip a thoroughly modern building which represents the latest designs of present-day architects. Next to feel the influence of the consolidating movement was the Wayne-Cable district where twenty thousand dollars was voted to erect a new high school building and auditorium ; which, with the present fifteen-thousand- CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 549 dollar comparatively new building, is a tribute to the civic, pride of the entire community. Mad River township, with a vote of thirty-three thousand dollars, has completely consolidated her schools at Terre Haute in one of the finest little buildings in the county ; it has an auditorium seating three hundred, four class rooms and manual training and domestic science departments. The citizens of Urbana township were not to be behind the times with respect to education, and in the spring of 1916 voted to construct a thirty thousand dollar school building in the center of the township and establish a first-grade high school. The building is much like the other centralized school buildings of the county in point of architecture and modern improvements. The latest consolidated school building is in the course of construction in Jackson township. The building which will cost approximately thirty thousand dollars, is to he modern in every. detail; it will be ready for occupancy the first of September, 1917. The largest and finest of all the consolidated schools of the county, that of the Johnson-St. Paris school district, is yet to be built. This district includes an area of twenty-one miles square. The building is to be built on the north side of east Main street, in the Batdorf addition, St. Paris. The cost of the structure will be about seventy-five thousand dollars. If the location of a site for the erection of a centralized school can ever be amicably agreed upon, Harrison township will have advantages similar to those of the rest of the townships and rural communities. Already eighteen thousand dollars has been voted for that purpose. When the buildings now under construction and contemplation are completed, Champaign county will have expended approximately three hundred and eighty-six thousand dollars -within a period of six years for school buildings. This is a record which doubtless cannot be equalled in the state, and one which serves as a criterion of the thrift and progress of the county in general. As conditions now exist, there are twelve schools outside of Urbana doing high school work. Seven of this number are of the first class, and five of the second. In these centralized schools, thirteen special teachers are employed, five of whom teach music ; two., drawing; three, home economics, and three, manual training. Today there are nine school districts wholly centralized ; four partly so, and only one where there is no centralization.