980 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
It is interesting to note that the enumerator, whoever he may have been, reported that there were
only three persons sick in the town. He also reports two foreigners who are not naturalized.
Urbana ranked with the leading towns in the central part of Ohio until 1840, being exceeded in
size only by Columbus.
URBANA FROM 1830 TO 1848.
Following 1816, and` carrying the history of the town up to 1848, there are a few outstanding
events to be chronicled. During this time (1816-48) there were two court houses built, the brick
court house in the square and the front part of the present court house at the corner of North Main
and Court streets. A jail was built on the present site in 1830. Churches arose during this period
and many brick business houses and dwellings made their appearance. A study of the pen picture
of Urbana drawn by Henry Howe in 1846 shows that a number of the buildings he described in
that year are still standing in 1917. In fact most of the brick buildings around the public square
were erected before the Civil War, and likewise th0se on either side of North Main street up to
Court street.
The present Ganson building across from the court house occupies the site of a building erected
by John Hamilton and occupied by him for years as a hotel. It was his boast that he never served
a drop of intoxicating liquor at his hotel and his advertisements in the local papers informed the
public that he served nothing but water as a beverage. The three other hotels continually referred
to in the local papers during the early history of the county were the Weaver Tavern, now the
D0uglas Inn; the Ohio House, which stood where the present Odd. Fellow building stands on
South Main street, and the Bowles Hotel, later known as the Exchange Hotel and now -known as
the American House. The latter hotel boasts of a history dating back to 1811 and when the
building was remodeled in 1888 a banquet was held arid the post-prandial part, of the banquet
was largely concerned with the speakers recalling the former glories of this ancient caravansary.
It was there that William Henry Harrison dined in 1840; in that hotel it is claimed that every
governor of Ohio up to the accession of William McKinley had been dined and wined. The
building now occupied by the Urbana Broom Company was formerly the Washington Hotel.
CHURCH LIFE OF THE CITY.
The church history of the city is adequately treated in another chapter, but certain aspects 0f the
religious history of the town may be noticed in this
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 981
connection. The earliest churches have been mentioned in the entertaining article of Judge
Patrick. It was the custom for years, in fact, for nearly a hundred years, to have religious services
in the summer in the open. The campmeetings of former years in Champaign county were
famous all over this section of the state and are referred to in other places in this volume. The
housing facilities of the few churches during .the first few decades were insufficient to
accommodate the people. In the winter it was difficult to heat the churches and for this reason the
residences of the well-to-do were frequently used for religious gatherings. The court house also
was utilized as a house of worship for many years, and there are references in the minutes of the
county commissioners as late as the seventies to this use of the court room.
The Methodists erected the first large church building in the village, a hewed-log structure on
in-lot No. 207, and it was in use until about 1817, when they erected a brick building on East
Court street on lot 176. The old log building was later converted into an oil-mill, and was being
so used when it was destroyed by the tornado of 1830.
The Methodists and the Presbyterians had the religious field to themselves until the latter part of
the thirties, although there were frequent services in the court house by ministers of other
denominations, and they continue the leading denominations down to the present time. Religious
controversies furnished one of the chief modes of entertainment in the thirties and forties and
people attended debates on religious questions with the same zeal that they now display. in
attending moving-picture shqws. They liked to hear discussed such abstruse questions as to how
many angels could dance on the point ofa cambric needle, or whether a man could be "saved" if
he was not dipped completely under the water. The two branches of the Christian church (New
Light and Campbellite) frequently argued questions of doctrine, while the Universalists were
engaged in constant controversies with all the other Protestant denominations.
The colored people from the early history of the town had religious meetings of their own and in
the course of time built a church, first a Methodist and -afterwards, a Baptist, and both
denominations have flourished down to the present day. The Baptists were early in the field and
soon became strong enough to erect a building. Other churches entered the field from time to
time and the year 1917 finds the city blessed with three Methodist churches, two Baptists
churches, one Lutheran, Presbyterian, Swedenborgian, Episcopal, Church of the Nazarene,
Christian Science and St. Mary's Cath-
982 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
olic church. The churches have always been active in all reform work and during the one hundred
years of the town's continuous history have always been found on the right side of good
municipal government.
THE COMING OF THE RAILROAD.
A turning point in the history of the town is marked by the coming of the railroad in 1848. Up to
that time the only way to get grain shipped out of the county was to haul it out in wagons ; most
of the live stock was driven on foot and Champaign county live stock before 1848 trod the roads
north to Toledo, east to the Atlantic coast, and south to Cincinnati. There were stock buyers early
in the history of Urbana, but their troubles had only begun when they had their stock collected in
Urbana. But with the coming of the railroad all was changed.
The day the first train pulled into Urbana may truly be called a red-letter day in the history of the
town. No longer was the town isolated from the rest of the country. It had direct connection with
Sandusky on the north and with Cincinnati on the south. Before that time it took at least two
weeks to drive hogs to Sandusky, but even the old wood-fired engine could make the trip with a
trainload of hogs in two days. As a result business boomed in Urbana, and from that day the city
has had daily communication with the markets of the world.
The benefit of the railroads to the city can not be overestimated. It affected every line of industry
; it quickened the life of the churches and the schools ; the whistle of the locomotive was like a
tonic, and its reverberating echoes up and down the Mad river valley put new life into the whole
county. There was no longer need to haul the grain to Cincinnati or Sandusky by wagon and the
patient pig was transported in a palace car. Grain houses and elevators arose along the tracks of
this first railroad and stockyards were to be found at every station. The first railroad, the Big
Four, was soon followed with a second road, now the Pennsylvania, while the Erie reached the
city about the time of the close of the Civil War.
Early grain buyers, after the railroads came, were A. & L. H. Magrew and Erastus Sheldon. The
Magrew firm was composed of three brothers—Mathew, Lemuel and Merrill. S. B. Payne later
joined the Magrews and in 1868 the firm became Eicholtz, Payne & Magrew and this firm
continued in business for nearly thirty years. The Sheldon elevator later passed int0 the hands of
John. A. Mosgrove, William Wiley and F. A. Winslow and after the death of Winslow the firm
continued as Mosgrove & Wiley. The next owners of this elevator were Irving Bl0se and John
Edmonson, .but the new owners were not successful and the Woodcock Company took over the
ele-
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 983
vator a year later, and subsequently E. T. Woodcock became the sole owner. The elevators have
changed hands from time to time and in 1917 they are in the hands, respectively, of Blose
Brothers, the T. G. Powers Company and the Urbana City Mills.
In the latter part of the sixties an elevator was established along the Pennsylvania road in Urbana,
to which was attached the first regular stockyards, commonly, called at that time the
"cattle-yards." The elevator part of the concern was the work of E. M. Bennett & Company, later
changed to Ross, Bennett & Company and still later to Blose, Bennett & Company. This elevator
subsequently fell into the hands of E. M. Bennett.
Two other events of importance marked the decade from 1850 to 1860. One was the
establishment of the University of Urbana by the Church of the New Jerusalem and the other was
the beginning of Oak Dale cemetery.
URBANA IN 1858.
There are still in existence a few copies of a map of Champaign county which made its
appearance in 1858. This was a wall map, showing the townships in color, together with the
villages, railroads and other features usually found on such maps, as well as plats of the different
towns of the county and a directory of the business and professional interests of each town. In the
case of Urbana there is given an interesting tabulation of county officials, churches and ministers
of the town, physicians, attorneys, bankers, etc., all of which is given in the appended table. In
many cases the addresses of business and professional men are given and they are included. The
complete list of officials, business men, etc., as it appears on the Champaign county map of 1858
follows:
County Officers—Probate judge, Samuel V. Baldwin, East Scioto street; clerk of the court, John
Russel, 97 Scioto street ; sheriff, John Clark, Jr., 157 Scioto street; auditor, S. P. Talbott, 166
Locust street; treasurer, James B. Armstrong, 9 Court street ; recorder, D. M. Fisher, 496 Pindar
street ; prosecuting attorney, John S. Leedom; southwest corner Reynolds and Walnut streets;
surveyor, C. W. L. Taylor, 138 Scioto street ; commissioners, Archibald Stewart (Salem
township), Philip Comer (Concord township), and John W. Davis, Mad River township; coroner
(City Marshal), Jacob Zumbro, 178 Court street ; infirmary directors, W. H. Fyffe, J. H. Patrick,
William Sampson.
Churches and Ministers—First Presbyterian, West Court, L. H. Long, 38 Church street; First
Methodist Episcopal, 24 North Main, M. Dustin, 25 Church street; Second Methodist Episcopal,
136 Water, I. C. Kingsley, 175 Court street; Baptist, 165 Court, [no minister given] ; United
Presbyterian, Market street, C. T. McCoughan, Female Seminary ; New Jerusalem, corner South
Main and Reynolds, J. R. Stuart, College Way, University Grounds; Evangelical Lutheran, 11
Court, M. B. Little; Roman Catholic, John street, A. F. Grogham; Episcopal, 160 Scioto, [no
minister given] ; African Methodist Episcopal, 133 Market, [no minister given].
984 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
Physicians—E. P. Fyffe, office 40 Miami, home 60 Market street; Adam Mosgrove, office
Miami, home 40 Miami street; J. M. Mosgrove, office Miami, home 40 Miami street ; J. B.
Stansbury, west side Public Square, home 150 Market street ; J. C. Brown, 2 North Main street
(upstairs), home Scioto street; J. S. Carter, southeast corner Public Square, home Scioto street.
Attorneys—J. H. Young, 9 East Court street, home High street; Ichabod Corwin, North Main
street, home 77 Water street ; J. H. James, 881 Main street, home High street ; L Geiger, Cundiff
block, 163 North Main; J. D. Burnett, Cundiff block, 163 North Main ; J. Deuel, 96 Scioto street,
home 186 Church street ; W. F. Mosgrove, home Church street; James Taylor, 9 Court street,
home 32 North Main street.
Banks and Bankers—Champaign County Bank, southeast corner Public Square, H. P. Espy,
cashier ; Farmers Bank, 163 North Main street, J. S. Clark, cashier ; Glenn's Bank, 8 North Main
street, E. Glenn, cashier.
Merchants—Moore & Ambrose, 2 North Main street; Alfred Brown, Cundiff block, 163 North
Main street; McDonald, Read & Company, North Main street ; Ross & Hitt, 3 Public Square;
Brand & Sons, 8 North Main street; Simeon Weaver, northeast corner Public Square.
Hardware Dealers—J. H. Patrick, 2 North Main street; W. M. Young, 154 Scioto street.
Grain and Cradle Makers—J. M. Gardner, 12 Court street.
Agriculture and Seed Store—Jamison & Zumbro, North Main street.
Produce Merchants—L. H. & M. Magrew, Miami street, at railroad; Mosgrove, Wiley &
Winslow, pork packers, Miami street.
Gardners and Nurserymen—C. H. & P. H. Murphy, Oakland street.
Flouring Mill—Bowers & Igou, corner Russel and Church streets.
Merchant Tailors and Clothing Stores—Griffith Ellis & Co., 2 North Main street; Robert Given,
48 Public Square; Moses Stadler & Company, wholesale and retail, 2 Miami street; Henry A.
Schloss, southwest corner Miami and Public Square.
Dealers in improved Copper Lightning Rods—C. H. Ward, South Main street.
Grocery and Provision Dealers—Frank Houston, wholesale and retail, south side. Public Square;
Thomas H. Berry, northeast corner Public Square; J. M. Brown, northeast corner Public Square;
H. Crabill, corner North Main and Ward streets; Anton Kauss, saloon, northwest corner Public
square ; George Moore, wholesale and retail, 2 Miami street.
Drugs and Medicines—Dr. J. B. Stansbury & Son, northwest corner Public Square; Carter &
Anderson, southeast corner Public Square; Kauffman & Nelson, 2 Public Square.
Books and Stationery—Deuel & Ruth, 163 North Main street ; E. S. Richards, southeast corner
Public Square.
Newspaper and Job Offices—Citizen and Gazette, southeast corner Public Square, J. Saxton,
editor ; Free Press, corner South Main and Public Square, Happersett & Sampson, editors.
Hats, Caps and Furs—Decatur Talbott, northwest corner Public Square.
Clocks, Watches and Jewelry—E. D. Johnson, southeast corner Public Square.
Barber Shops—Joseph W. Hendley, 1 North Main street; Peter Josse, 8 North Main
street.
Cabinet Warerooms—R. R. & C. F. Caldwell, corner Court and High streets.
Undertakers—W. C. Stevenson, 71 South Main street; E. B. & W. R. Patrick, 8 North Main
street.
Stoves, Copper and Tinware—Helmick & Strothers, 1 North Main street.
Bakers and Confectioners—S. K. McCord & Company, 8 South Main street.
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 985
China, Glass and Queensware—Stansbury & Baldwin, southwest corner Public Square.
Carriage and Wagon Factories—G. W. & R. M. Hunt, end Court street ; Warren & Gaumer, 198
Church street; J. S. McClellan, 103 Scioto street ; Patrick Farquhar, South Main street ; Henry
Funk, 196 Church street.
Blacksmiths—John Hurd, 183 and 184 North Main street; Nathan Reese, Locust ; John S.
McClellan, 103 Locust street.
Patent and Enamel Leather Manufactory—Winslow & Beach, 118-120 Market street.
Saddle and Harness Manufactory—C. B. Coulter, 163 Miami street.
Boots, Shoes and Leather—M. Staley, southwest corner Public Square; W. V. Colwell, lot 55,
South Main street ; J. B. & I. B. Happersett, north corner of the Public Square.
Justice of the Peace—E. L. Small, 8 North Main street ; M. Rhodes, 8 North Main street.
Hotels—Fuller House, W. T. Fuller, Scioto street ; Ohio House, Parry Grove, South Main street ;
S. D. & O. A. R. Eating House, J. H. Hubbell.
Soap, Glue and Candle Manufactories—Ambrose & Hovey, one mile west of Urbana.
Meat Markets—Samuel Ward, stall in market house.
Livery Stables—W. F. Jenkins, 9 Scioto street ; W. H. Ganson, 16 Court street.
Ambrotype Artists—M. L. Albright, Cundiff block ; G. W. Collins, 154 Scioto street.
Dentists—B. A. Rose, 154 Scioto street ; F. M. Lee, 1 North Main street.
Insurance Agents—James S. Clark, Farmer block ; L. Geiger, Cundiff block.
Carpenters and Joiners—Peter Beam, pumpmaker, 105 Scioto street ; W. Stover, 214
Walnut street.
Flour Store—W. Hamilton, 2 North Main street.
Express Office—W. Hamilton, 2 North Main street.
Stone and Brick Mason—H. M. Chew, South Main street.
Brickmakers—D. H. Hovey, Scioto street ; H. C. Hovey, Miami street.
Lunar Oil and Lamp Store—L. Hunter & Company, southeast corner Public Square.
Miscellaneous—Armstrong, James B., civil engineer ; Baldwin, W., 206 Ward street ; Barchus,
L. H., 65 Market street ; Beach, R., South Main street ; Bowe, W., 5 Russell street ; Boyd,
Alfred, 289 Church street ; Brown, J. H., agent C. P. & I. R. R.; Bryan, J. H., 36 Church street ;
Deuel, A. C., superintendent Urbana schools ; Fithian, M., 154 Scioto street; French, S., 4 North
Main street ; Goodrich, B. F., auctioneer ; Gump, John, 31 Church street ; Guthrie, J. V., Main
street ; Happersett, I. B., 101 Scioto street ; Hill, J., Jr., civil engineer ; Hill, Joseph H., miller at
depot; Hitt, John W., northwest of town; Hitt, S. W., 21 Court street; Hunter, James, 208 North
Main street ; Hunter, Louis, southwest part of town ; Johnson, Isaac, 10-11 Court street ;
Johnson, J. A., North Main street ; Kanaga, F. C., northeast part of town ; Marsh, L. L., tailor, 1
South Main street ; Matthews, S. N., 203 North Main street ; Moore, W. B., South Main street ;
Mosgrove, J. A., corner Miami and High streets; McDonald, D., 14 Court street ; McDonald, H.
D., 1 North Main street ; McDonald, W., 10 Court street; McCullah, W., 4-5 Ward street ;
Poffenbarger, J., 40 North Main street ; Powell, J. H., stock dealer ; Read, Thomas, Scioto street;
Roof, C. W., 177 Court street ; Ross, T. B., Water street ; Ryan, Christopher, North Main street ;
Stansbury, E., 206 Ward street ; Stansbury, James B., Miami street ; Steward, J. P.,
carriage-trimmer, 30 Church street ; Stuart, Alexander, machinist, 15 Ward street ; Smith, G. E.,
35 South Main street ; Sowles, D. W., 144 South Main street; Ward, James, 207 Church street;
Warnock Rev. Davis, Light street; Wallace, S. H. teacher ; Weaver, Lemuel, Scioto street;
Williams, M. G., professor Urbana University ; Wiley, E. G., teller Champaign County Bank ;
Wiley, W., 35 Church street; Winslow, S. H., 39 Church street ; Wood, Alvin, University
ground; Wright, F. M., state auditor.
986 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
TWO DECADES, 1848-68.
The two decades from 1848 to 1868 carry the story of Urbana through the Civil War and up to
the time that it became a city. This period witnessed the erection of most of the brick business
blocks in the city and the beginning of real industrial life. The manufacturing industries
established during that period are referred to in the latter part of this chapter. None of them is
operating in the city today, with the exception of the broom-corn factories and flouring-mill. All
the foundries and the plants established for the manufacture of reapers, plows, drills and the like
have long since disappeared. The Civil War did not make any appreciable difference in the
growth of the town; at least, not more than was experienced by all other towns in the state. A few
hundred men, nearly all young men, enlisted from the town, but the most of them returned at the
close of the war. It cannot be said that the war had any serious effect on the growth of the city.
BANKS OF URBANA.
Another feature of the two decades from 1848 to 1868 was the rise of the modern system of
banking. There had been a bank of some, kind in the town since its early days. In 1816 John
Reynolds and others established a financial institution of some kind, which operated under the
name of the Urbana Banking Company and it seemed to have continued on down through the
years until some time in the forties. About that time an insurance company appeared in the town
which combined insurance and banking in a way which did not prove very successful along
either line. The forties and fifties witnessed some high finance on the part of Col. John H. James
which finally resulted in disaster. The records are not explicit as to what happened in the fifties in
connection with James and the local financial situation, but the final result is fairly well defined;
A glance at the plat of Urbana as it looks today will show a wide stretch of lots labeled
"Depositors Addition". This addition represents a part of the salvage of the people of Urbana who
had money in the James bank. Just how much money was lost by the people of the county will
never be known, but some of his depositors were partly placated by getting at least a town lot as a
reminder that they had had money in his bank.
But there were successful banks which arose during this period. James B. Armstrong started a
private bank which later became a national bank, and one of the Glenn brothers started another
private bank. The 1851 con-
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 987
stitution of the state provided for a new kind of bank under state supervision and one of these
state-controlled banks appeared in Urbana, only to become a national bank in after years. It might
be said that banking in Urbana has been generally free from the disasters which have befallen
some banks in so many other cities.
URBANA AS A CITY, 1868-1890.
The civic development of the city has been noticed. It is certain that the city did not have the five
thousand people credited to it in 1868, and it was not until several years later that the population
really reached that number. The city has now completed nearly fifty years of history, and will be
half a century old in 1918. For the purpose of the present discussion this period is divided into
two parts : From 1868 to 1890, and from 1890 down to the present time. The year 1890 is taken
as a dividing line for several reasons, but chiefly for the reason that it marks the time when the
city began to engage in. city expansion. It also marks the time when the city began the
introduction of the several public utilities which it now enjoys. All the public utilities which the
city now has, with the exception of the waterworks, have been introduced since 1890. The city
did not have its ten-year siege with the waterworks plant until after 1890.
The years from 1868 to 1890 saw a large number of new industries started in the city, but several
which had been previously in operation were closed. The largest concern 0f this period was the
Urbana Machine Works which made its appearance about 1870. Later the plant was started
which developed into the Illinois Car Company. A multiplicity of iron and steel plants of one
kind and another tried to get started during this period, but they failed one by one--all except the
car shops. It may be said that all of the present industrial plants of the city in 1917, with the
exception of the car shops, the broom factories and flouring-mill, are developments of the past
two decades.
This period (1868-1890) saw the rise of one more bank—the Third Nati0nal Bank. It also saw the
beginning of all the building and loan associations which are now in the city. Three such
organizations are still in existence and they are among the strongest institutions of their kind in
the state. Reference should be made here to a local insurance company—the Western
Mutual—which has been in continuous and successful operation since 1846: The city now has
three banks, three building and loan associations and one local insurance company. It may thus
be seen that the city is well provided with financial institutions. The good which has been done
by the
988 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
local building and loan associations is incalculable; they have made it possible for hundreds of
families to own their own homes who would otherwise never have been able to have acquired
them.
URBANA IN 1878.
There is nothing romantic about an ordinary city directory, but it really has great historical value,
and especially after a lapse of years. Fortunately there has been preserved a complete business
and professional directory of the city as it appeared in 1878. To those who were living in Urbana
at that time this should prove very interesting. It will be noticed that very few industrial
establishments then in existence are in the city in 1917. There are many names which are familiar
today, but in different lines of activity. Many professions and industrial establishments found in
the city forty years ago are no longer to be found, while several now existing were unknown in
the seventies. The saloon, the tannery, the soap and glue industry, etc., are gone forever, but the
1917 city directory lists osteopaths, building and loan associations, garages, paper and straw
board factories, etc., all of which were unknown to the people of 1878. The complete list follows
:
Aker, Joseph, saloon; Alibright, M. L., dry goods; Ambrose, F. M. meat market; Ambrose,
Newton, glue factory; Anderson, John J:, town marshal; Anderson & Tappan, druggists;
Aughinbaugh & McComb, carriage manufacturers; Ayers, J. H., physician; Bailey, Edwin,
saw-mill; Baker, W. M., agricultural implements; Barber, E. C., grocer; Barber, O. H., grocer ;
Barry, Thomas, blacksmith; Bechtolt, George, plow manufacturer; Benjamin, H. N. & Company,
grocers; Bennett, Edwin M., Jr., elevator ; Bennett, P. R., Jr., jeweler ; Berry, T. H. & Son,
grocers; Bethel, George, night watchman; Blose & Edmondson, produce and commission
merchants; Blose, E. T., grain dealer; Birkinmeier, F., saloon; Boal, R. H., dentist; Borger &
Raugh, plow manufacturers; Branashan, John, tailor; Bremer, Louis, blacksmith; Brennan, Mary,
dressmaker ; Breslin, John, saloon; Broadwell, A. M. & Company, hardware; Brown, J. C.,
physician; Brown & Wilson, boots and shoes; Brusman, Emma, dressmaker ; Budge, William,
grocer; Bunnell, D. M., marble works; Busser, William T., cigar manufacturer ; Butcher, J. C.,
physician; Butcher, J. M., physician; Byrd, Peter, dairy; Carpenter, B. W., grocer ; Carroll,
Catherine, seamstress; Carter, J. S., physician; Champaign Building and Loan Association;
Champaign National Bank ; Christopher, H. W., saloon and restaurant; Church, H. A.,
agricultural implements; Citizens National Bank; City Loan and Building Association; Collins,
G. A., tailor ; Collins, John, tailor ; Converse, Charles, dentist; Converse, L. D., dentist; Coulson,
J. C., groceries; Cowan, Mrs. E., seamstress; Ferron, John, restaurant; Fisher, Ella, dressmaker ;
Fisher, Joseph & Company, clothiers; Fisler & Chance, druggists; Fitzpatrick, James, saloon;
Fitzpatrick, P., grocery ; Foully, Stephen `A., stock dealer ; Fox, Henry & Company, woolen
factory ; Frank, T. J., attorney ; Fulwider & Ward, grocer ; Fulwider, Henry, saloon; Garber,
Samuel, blacksmith; Garber & Taylor, flour mill; Geiger & Russell, attorneys; Gerhardt, Scott,
blacksmith; Gilbreath, Mrs. L. A., milliner ; Goldsmith, A., clothier ; Graney, T. J., tailor;
Gribble, W. H.,
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 989
editor Daily News; Gugenham & Gardner, saloon and billiard hall ; Gulick & Hayward,
proprietors of daily and semi-weekly Uniion Democrat; Guy, Dye & Company, boots and shoes ;
Happersett & Brothers, boots and shoes ; Happersett & Hovey, grocers ; Happersett, John, boots
and shoes ; Happersett, J. B., boots and shoes ; Hazard, C. R., hardware; Hedges, Samuel,
drayman ; Heiserman, Aaron, carriage manufacturer ; Helmick, John M., stoves and tinware ;
Hennessey, Patrick, blacksmith; Herman, J. P., cigar manufacturer ; Hill, Anna, seamstress ; Hill,
E. A., blacksmith ; Hitt, T. .S., physician ; Hitt, White & Mitchell, general store; Hollinger,
William, photographer; Holloway, Joseph H., physician ; Holloway, W. H., physician ; Hopkins,
Louisa, seamstress ; Holacher, Isaac, tailor ; Horn, Jacob, blacksmith ; Horr, R. C., attorney ;
Houston, F. & Company, grocers; Houston, W. M. & H. C., homeopathic physicians; Hovey, D.
H., meat and vegetable market; Howard, J. W., blacksmith; Hoyt & Friedrick, dry goods and
millinery ; Hughes, W. W., musical instruments; Humphreys, George H., undertaker;
Humphreys, Thomas, Sr., pump maker ; Hurd & Company, boots and shoes; Industry Loan and
Building Association; James, John H., attorney; Jones, Carrie and Francis, dressmakers; Jordan,
William, tailor; Keeffe, T. O., cigar manufacturer ; Kenaga & Baker, livery; Kiefer, C. C. & Son,
coal dealers; Kimber, E., coal dealer; Kinney & Bro., blacksmiths; Knight & Gibbard, plumbers;
Kulencamp & Son, confectionery and bakery; Kuntz, Jacob, tailor; Ladkins, James T., tailor;
Leonard, Chris, physician; Lewis, Jonathan, manufacturer washington machines; Linville,
Howard, agricultural implements; Long, J. W., meat market; Lyons, Margaret, seamstress;
Madden, C. J. & Company, books and stationery ; Marquardt, A., flour mill; Marsh & Rhodes,
manufacturer of lawn mowers; Marsh, T. W., cigar manufacturer; Martz, B. F., attorney; Marvin,
S. H., livery ; Maurer, Mary, milliner; McCarthy, Charles, proprietor Washington House;
McCarthy, E., grocer ; McCarthy, J. J., merchant tailor; McCauley, John C., saddles and harness;
McDonald & Rock, general store; McLain & Company, druggists; McLain, J. L., physician;
McRoberts, J. W., fruit stand; Miller, C. A. & Brothers, manufacturers Climax wind mills;
Miller, E. C., manufacturer spring beds; Miller, J. F., boots and shoes; Miller & Thomas, dealers
in coal; Moore, G. N., grocer; Morrow & Wissinger, dealers in coal and coke; Mosgrove, James
M., physician; Mosgrove, William A., physician; Murphey, C. H., florist and nursery; Murphy,
Michael, proprietor Murphy House; Myers & Boyd, blacksmiths; Nelson & Conwell, druggists;
Niles, Henry T., attorney; Nolan, James, grocer ; Oberlin, Simon, tailor; O'Brien, Dennis,
drayman ; O'Conner & Son, grocers; Oettinger, Fred, manufacturer mineral and seltzer waters;
O'Gara, Thomas, drayman; Osmun, Hattie, milliner; Patton, Maria, milliner; Pence, John M.,
grocer ; Perrin, W. H., saddles and harness; Perry Brothers, manufacturers brooms and brushes;
Pierce, Mrs. J., milliner ; Purtlebaugh & Poland, attorneys; Rector, Eliza, seamstress; Roberts,
James R., notions; Robinson, J. J. & Sons, manufacturers of brooms; Rods, A. P., dealer in
marble and monuments; St. Mary's Academy, Rev. M. W. Walsh, principal; Sayre, M. M.,
attorney ; Sayre, Samuel, proprietor Hamilton House; Scott, T. W., dentist; Shaul, John AI., dry
goods; Skeen & Pence, meats and vegetables; Smith, Charles G., tanner and manufacturer of
leather goods; Sowles, D. W., proprietor Exchange Hotel; Sowles, F. V., attorney; Stadler,
Moses, clothier; Stayman, Conwell & O'Neal, planing mill and lumber yard; Stevenson, Albert
and Irwin, undertakers; Steward, J. G., coal dealer; Stockert, C. & Sons, grocers; Stough, C. L.,
proprietor Weaver House; Sullivan, William J., physician; Sweet & Pendleton, planing-mill and
lumber yard; Swinnerton, S. E., milliner ; Taylor & Leedom, attorneys; Third National Bank of
Urbana; Todd & McDonald, attorneys; Tudor, Mary and Julia, dressmakers; Urbana Citizen and
Gazette, Saxton & Brand, proprietors; Urbana Gas Company, Joseph Light, superintendent;
Urbana University, Rev. Frank Sewall, president; Urbana Water works, L. C. Hovey,
superintendent ; Wal-
990 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
lace, J. G., boots and shoes; Warnock, W. R., attorney ; Warren & Gaumer, carriage
manufacturers; Williams, Judd, jeweler; Wilson, George W., stoves and tinware; Wissinger,
Oscar, coal dealer; Young, Chance & Gowey, attorneys.
OTHER FEATURES OF CITY, 1868-1890.
The year 1878 saw the introduction of the first waterworks plant in the city. It was privately
owned until 1910, when it was taken over by the city from one Veneer. The latter part of this
period witnessed the first effort of the city to indulge in municipal ownership. This was the entry
of the city int0 the natural-gas business in 1889, but it was not until two years later that the gas
was ready to use. The same year the city started into the gas business it began the construction of
the present city building.
This same period witnessed the building of new school buildings, new churches, and many of the
present fine residences. There was an extensive addition made to the old court house which was
erected in 1840, and the present jail was completed. But to the uninitiated the city l00ked
practically the same in 1890 as it did in 1870.
URBANA, 1890-1917
The historian who attempts to make a birds-eye picture of the city as it appears in 1917 finds a
wide variety of things forcing themselves to his attention. In the matter of public buildings the
foll0wing may be noted : Present high school and ward school buildings and the Catholic school
building, Clifford theatre, Masonic Temple, Childrens Home, City Building and the Curry
Institute, while a number of other buildings, residences and business blocks have been built since
1890. The Western Mutual Fire Insurance Company and the Home Loan Company have erected
handsome buildings, while, at least a dozen large brick factory buildings have come into
existence.
The electric line reached the city. in 1901 and has been of great benefit to the city. It now has
direct connection with Springfield on the south and Bellefontaine on the north. The railroads
increased their trackage, enlarged their freight departments and in other ways improved their
facilities in the city. Along with these improvements may be mentioned the improved roads
leading from the county seat to the various parts of the county. The city itself undertook the
paving of its main streets and now has the main streets, north and south, and east and west,
through the public square, paved within the corporation limits. Court and Reyn0lds streets are
also partially paved.
The several public utilities of the city have all been introduced since
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 991
1890. The electric light, telephone, sewerage system, disposal plant, etc., are matters of recent
history. They are treated in detail in the latter part of this chapter. It is these public utilities which
give the city its metropolitan appearance today.
INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT.
The outstanding feature of the city's growth during the past two decades is its industrial
development. While there have been several enterprises which have proved disastrous, there have
been at least a score which have been of distinct value to the city. The only thing which makes a
city grow is its industrial enterprises. Take away the factories of Urbana and the city would soon
become what is known as a "dead" town; take away half a dozen of the factories which now give
employment to as many hundred men and the population will be decreased at least two thousand
five hundred. According to the best data available the factories of the city employ about one
thousand five hundred men and women. At least two of these plants are seasonal, the two
canning factories, and this reduces the total of employed to one thousand two hundred and fifty.
A conservative estimate would indicate a population of at least twice this number, that is, two
thousand five hundred, which may be classed as dependent on the factories. This gives a fairly
definite idea of the importance of the industrial establishments of Urbana. The following pages
attempt to sum up the industrial life of the 1805 since its beginning in 1805. Not every industry
has been listed, but an attempt has been made to mention the more important industries which
have appeared during the past one hundred and twelve years.
UREANA INDUSTRIES, 1805-1917.
The artist would find himself involved in a maze of historical facts and traditions who would
attempt to paint a sries of pictures of Urbana as it has appeared at each decade of its history since
William Ward arrived on the site of the future county seat in 1805 with a corps of surveyors to
lay it off. Nothing is quite so treacherous as the human memory and he who tries to reconstruct a
scene from memory must do so at the risk of distorting facts and allowing tradition to supply the
details of the scene.
There are certain facts which remain fixed longer in the memory than others. It is probable that a
series of pictures depicting the industrial life of the city since the first industry located in the
village could be drawn with
992 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
more exactness than anything else., The files of the newspapers furnish the best basis for a
review of the industries of the city and since they are available since 1849 down to the present
day it is comparatively easy to follow the growth of the industrial life of the city from year to year
for the past sixty-eight years. The industries of the period from 1805 to 1849 have been recorded
by local writers or former years, some of whom lived in the village from the time the first
industries made their appearance. William Patrick arrived in the village in 1811 and several years
later he wrote an article summing up, all of the industries which were in existence in that year.
He also catalogued most of the industries of the following decade and his summary of the
industrial life of the growing town, supplemented by summaries of other local historians of the
first half century of the city's life, furnish sufficient data to reconstruct a fairly complete picture
of the industrial life of the city for the one hundred and twelve years of its existence.
If William Ward could return in 1917 to the city which he laid out in 1805 he would be more
surprised at the transformation which the years had wrought than Rip Van Winkle was when he
awoke from his long slumber. His town site of two hundred and twelve lots is now in the center
of a flourishing city of eight thousand happy people; the Indians who watched his surveyors with
their chains and poles, walking up and down and across the one hundred and sixty acres which
composed the townsite, have long since been gathered to their Happy Hunting Ground.
If William Patrick could return to the city in 1917 and attempt to write as full a description of it
as he did in 1811, he would have the same task confronting him which faces the present
historian. His forty-odd families composing the embryonic village of two hundred have given
way to about twenty-two hundred and fifty families and a population of approximately eight
thousand. The industrial life of the city up to the time of the Civil War was confined to a very
few industries and these employed only a very few men. A summary of the industries in 1917
shows a total of twenty-six industrial plants employing more than five men, with a total of fifteen
hundred employes.
BEGINNING OF TOWN'S INDUSTRIAL LIFE.
The early history of all villages is very much the same. Each has its saw-mill, grist-mill, tannery,
blacksmith shop, wagon and carriage shop and many had a woolen mill. There is hardly a city of
Ohio which did not
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 993
have these same industries in its infancy. The first two were universally found; likewise the
tannery and blacksmith shop. The wagon shop and woolen-mill were not so common. Oftentimes
these industries were combined in one establishment, this being particularly true of the saw- and
grist-mills.
The first influx of settlers to Urbana included several artisans of different trades. There were
carpenters and cabinet-makers; masons and brickmakers; blacksmiths and wagon-makers;
weavers and hatters ; tanners and shoemakers. Practically all of these had learned their trade as
apprentices, many of them as indentured apprentices, and undoubtedly many of them had
traveled as journeymen mechanics. The opening of a new county in Ohio was duly noticed in the
newspapers of the state and there were always adventurous spirits ready to try their fortunes in a
new county seat. Hence Urbana within a very few years had a full. complement of mechanics
representing the ordinary trades of the time.
The first decade of the town's career saw the beginning of most of the industries that flourished
down to the time of the Civil War. One thing which, more than anything else, stimulated the
industrial life of the village during the first decade was the War of 1812. Urbana was an
important center of military activity from 1811 to 1815 and it is undoubtedly true that the
presence of troops in the village greatly stimulated its growth. There was a constant demand for
artisans of all kinds, and blacksmiths, carpenters, shoemakers, wagonmakers, etc., found plenty
of work to do during the years of the war. Many of these men became permanent citizens of the
town and their descendants are still to be found in the county.
GROWTH OF THE "INFANT INDUSTRIES."
A summary of the industrial. life of the village in 1811 as given by William Patrick shows the
following artisans : George Hite, wheelwright; David Helmick, cabinet-maker ; John Huston,
carpenter ; Isaac Robinson, brickmason; Frederick Ambrose, potter ; Lawrence Niles, hatter ;
William and John Glenn, tanners. It is not definitely established who opened the first grist-mill,
but in 1814 John Reynolds and Elisha C. Berry had a flour-mill in the southeastern part of the
city, near the site of the later flour-mill. The fact that the townsite was not on a stream of a
sufficient size to turn a water-wheel accounts for the fact that there were many mills within a
radius of a few miles of Urbana before there was one in the town. There
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994 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
were three mills on Kings creek before 1808 and one of them was in operation as early as 1803.
The mills were scattered along the creek within the distance of a mile. Arthur Thomas and
Joseph Petty both had what were known as tub-mills, while John Taylor had an Overshot mill.
The first steam flouring-mill of the town was started by John H. James. on the west side of
Russell street in the thirties. In 1858 Wiley, Winslow & Company established a steam
flouring-mill on Miami street and the following year the mill passed into the hands of Weaver,
Magrew & Company. J. H. Woodward later bought the mill and put in Hungarian-process
machinery. A second steam flouring-mill was established in 1858 on North Russell street by.
Bowers, Igou & Hitt; but this mill only ran a short time. It was dismantled and a part of the
machinery was sent to Minneapolis. Hitt later bought the hominy-mill of E. C. Morris on West
C0urt street. Later Hitt bought a flour-mill on the site of the present waterworks.
The beginning of the present Woodward mill, usually referred to as the Urbana City Mills, dates
fr0m 1870. In that year J. T. Woodward, W. B. Woodward and. George Baldwin established a
flour-mill in the Brown building on Miami street. S. M. Michael succeeded this firm in this mill
when the present mill was built on its present site in 1886. The new mill was started out under
the firm name of J. T. Woodward & Company. Later J. T. Woodward retired from the firm and
the mill was operated by W. B. Woodward & Son until June 27, 1910, when W. B. Woodward
retired and was succeeded by his son, W. A. Woodward. The mill has a capacity of seventy-five
barrels daily. This is the only flour-mill in the city and is one of the most prosperous industries in
the city.
HAZY HISTORY OF SAW-MILLS.
The first saw-mill was probably located on the site of the present city waterworks plant shortly
after the town was laid out. The history of the saw-mills of the town is rather hazy, but it is
known that Lewis Hunter (known as "Luby" Hunter) had a mill on this site in the fifties. In 1859
Joseph Wiley and James Brown started the first planing-mill under the name of Wiley &
Company. Robert. Colwell and Henry B. Stayman later joined the firm. In 1877 Barton O'Neal
bought Colwell's interest and the firm became known as Stayman, Colwell & O'Neal, C. F.
Colwell being one of the members of the firm. O'Neal sold his interest in the mill in 1886 to H.
M. Hubbell and the firm with many changes continued business until
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 995
the plant was sold to Joseph Murphy in 1902, the Colwell Lumber Company selling to Murphy in
that year. H. M. Hubbell owned a saw-mill which likewise passed into the control of Murphy.
Another saw-mill of a past generation was the Parshley & Walker mill which occupied the site
later used by the Urbana Bridge Works. Strayer & Stafford bought the mill in 1865. and later
Gearhart & Breedlove were added to the firm and .this quartet was in charge of the mill when it
burned down in the seventies. The mill was rebuilt by Ackerman, McClellan & Quein, but
McClellan soon sold his interest to 'William Bisbee and later Bisbee bought the interests- of his
partners and continued it, for a number of years. The last first-class saw-mill to be established in
Urbana was started in 1889 by C. O. Taylor, W. W. Downs and Frank A. Downs. Their mill was
located on North Russell street. and they did a flourishing business for several years. The Murphy
Lumber Company operates a planing-mill at the present time, and this is the nearest approach to
a saw-mill.
RAILROADS VS. INDUSTRIAL LIFE.
Returning to a discussion of the industries of the city prior to the Civil War, it may be noted that
a turning point in the city's industrial life was brought about by the appearance of the first
railroad in 1848. In that year direct connection was opened with Sandusky on the north and, two
years later, with Cincinnati on the south. Within the next ten years the present Pennsylvania
railroad put the city in direct touch with Columbus on the east and with Indianapolis on the west.
With the building of the Erie railroad through the county a few years later, Urbana was given
three railroads and placed in a position where it could compete with the best cities in this secti0n
of the state. There have been attempts to build a road direct from Columbus through
Mechanicsburg, but there is little probability that such a road will ever be built, or, if it is, it will
be an electric line. The ,electric line which was built through the county in 1901 connects the
county seat with Springfield and points to the south, and with points north to Lima. An
increasing amount of freight is being carried on the electric line, particularly milk, garden
produce and articles of small bulk.
This discussion of the railroads is introduced at this point to show the importance of the railroad
in the development of the industrial life of the county seat. There is no need to enter in any
argument to show that without the railroad, Urbana would not have any industries worth
mentioning. The railroad and industrial development go hand in hand, and
996 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
Urbana in 1917 would be an unimportant town if the railroad had never reached it; not even the
fact that it was the county seat would have saved it from industrial oblivion.
THE WOOLEN INDUSTRY.
To return to a discussion of the early industries of the town. Within the past few years there has
disappeared from Urbana an industry which was practically a century old ; an industry which
flourished for upwards of a hundred years, and then collapsed. It has had its day ; its whole story
is told as far as Urbana is concerned. Nothing is left for the chronicler to do but sketch its career.
The following account of the woolen industry attempts to give only a brief summary of the
industry as it flourished in Urbana.
The beginning of the woolen industry in Urbana dates from 1816, when a small tract of land
containing five acres was bought by John Reynolds from the Ward brothers, John and William,
Jr., "for the express purpose, use and convenience of establishing a manufactory for wool and
cotton." For nearly one hundred years the woolen industry was kept up, but changing conditions
finally brought about the downfall of an industry which was for many years the most important in
the town.
A volume might be written concerning the old woolen-mill. The person who visits the
southeastern part of the town will find on the edge of the old millpond a large three-story
building where once thousands of spindles hummed their merry tunes from morn till night. To
follow through the complexities of the changing 'ownership of the mill would be a fruitless task.
For years the name of Fox suggested to every farmer in Champaign county the old woolen-mill
and long after he severed his connection with the mill it was spoken of as the Fox mill. Among
the many owners, managers, lessees or superintendents of the mill who will be remembered by
the older generation may be mentioned J. G. Johnson, T. Cook, Enos Coulson, Elisha Berry,
Edmond Hovey, Ephraim Stuart, J. M. Johnson, P. B. Ross, S. W. Hitt, Henry Fox, John Hume,
and Major E. B. Hall.
The shifting ownership of the earlier period of the mill's history became more settled in the
fifties. In 185i, Philander B. Ross became associated with John Reynolds, the original owner, and
in 1864 S. W. Hitt became a member of the firm. In 1866 Ross was the sole owner and in that
year he sold it to Henry Fox and John Hume, who operated it under the firm name of Henry Fox
& Company. At the death of Mr. Henry Fox,
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 997
December 26, 1891, Mr. John Hume took over the Fox interest and became sole owner of the
factory. The factory was managed by him until Mr. George E. Batchelder took charge in the fall
of 1895 and continued in charge until his death in July, 1899. In the spring of 1900 Major E. B.
Hall moved to Urbana and assumed the management, continuing until 1906, when he returned to
New York, where he remained until the time of his death within a year. In 1907 the Urbana Mills
Company was incorporated for the purchase of the property and for the purpose of manufacturing
worsted cloth. The officers of this company were : Joseph Fisher, president ; S. A. Scheuer,
vice-president ; W. E. Brown, secretary and treasurer. This company was in business from 1907
until 1913, when it was decided to abandon the manufacturing of worsted cloth, and the mill was
closed down.
The first building, a frame structure, was replaced by the present brick structure in 1881, while
the stone addition was added in. 1883. In 1889 the stone addition was enlarged and the mill was
overhauled and put in a good state of operation. During its years of greatest prosperity it
employed from seventy-five to one hundred people, and during the first five years of this century
was employing sixty people every working hour and every day in the year. Its chief products
were fancy cassimeres, worsteds, cheviots, covercloths and whipcords for overcoating and
carriage goods.
THE TANNING INDUSTRY.
Another of the first industries of the village more than a hundred years ago was the tanning
industry. In the 'days when all shoes and boots, mostly boots, were made by hand, every
community had a tannery. There were several in Champaign county, and for half a century there
were always two in the county seat. The business continued in the county seat until about 1900,
although the tanneries throughout the county had disappeared many years previously.
The local tanning industry is as old as the city of Urbana. Scarcely had the town been laid out
before Zephaniah Luce had established a tannery on Miami street, on lots 51 and 52. Luce lived
until the fifties and at his death the plant passed to the hands of his son, Douglas, who kept it
going until 1852.
The second tannery in the little village appeared in 1809 and was the property of the Glenn
brothers, William and John. It was located on East Water street on lots 124, 125, 126 and 127.
The Glenns made the raw leather, engaging extensively in the manufacture of all kinds of harness
998 - CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO.
and saddlery leather. They built up a big plant for a place the size of Urbana and at one time in
their career gave steady employment to about fifteen men. At the height of their prosperity they
had no fewer than forty vats in use. The Glenns retired about 1863 in favor of a man named
Davis, who later disposed of the plant to Thomas J. O'Roark and Parker and John Bryan. The
new firm set out to enlarge the plant and proceeded to install new vats and several important
improvements. They had hardly got started after reopening than a flood ( June 16, 1868) swept
down the Town branch and practically put the tannery out of business. Several of the new vats
were destroyed and the destruction was so complete that the owners decided to make no effort to
continue in business.
A short time before the Glenns retired from the business the first steam tannery was erected in
the town. It was probably the steam tannery of Winslow & Company, which was put into
operation about 1850, which lead the Glenns to dispose of their plant, and also was the cause of
Douglas Luce closing up his tanner; on Miami street. The steam tannery stood on Water street.
The new company was composed of S. A. Winslow, William S. Jamison, and Albert and Asa
Whitehead, but for some reason it was dissolved in 1853. The business was evidently not very
profitable, if frequent changes in ownership is indicative of anything concerning its prosperity. In
1863 it was being operated by I. O. Runkle and a short time later the business was under charge
of Runkle, Davis & Company. Four years later the firm was known as Runkle & Johnson and
two years later Jacob Johnson appeared as full owner. Johnson seemed to have made a distinct
success of the business if his long ownership may be taken to prove that it was financially
profitable. He manufactured shoe and harness leather under the Keith & Eyler method of tanning.
Johnson continued the tannery until he disposed of it to Charles G. Smith. Sometime later the
plant passed under the control of the Oak Saddlery Leather Company, an incorporated company
composed of C. N. Couffer, president ; F. F. Stone, vice-president ; W. W. Wilson, treasurer ; F.
McC. Conifer, secretary. The company was incorporated for fifty thousand dollars and intended
to operate on a larger scale than any of the preceding owners of the tannery. The company sold
the entire plant to William M. Killen in 1895, who operated it only a few years. This last tannery
in the city was located on the site of the original Glenn tannery.
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO - 999
BREWERIES AND DISTILLERIES.
Industries change as rapidly as the character of a city changes, and many once flourishing
industries of early Urbana have long since been gathered to the world of departed spirits—the
industrial Valhalla. Concerning many of the minor industries of former years, especially those of
half a century ago, there is very little remembered by the present generation. Most of the facts
concerning these industries of other days have been gleaned from the newspapers and from
interviews with the older citizens of the city.
About the middle of the last century there were three separate attempts to operate a brewery in
Urbana. While data is very meager it is well established that Thomas Humphreys had a brewery
on Scioto street near Kenton, where he manufactured a light brew about the middle of the fifties.
What became of Humphreys or how long his plant was in operation is not now known. About the
middle of the sixties George Schaffer started a small brewery in the southern part of the city and
operated it for a number of years—not over ten years. There is also evidence to show that some
one, whose name passed with his brewery, started a small plant on the site now occupied by the
electric-light plant. Evidently the brewing industry was never profitable in Urbana, or at least
these abortive attempts would seem to indicate as much. History has failed to preserve the record
of a single distillery in the city, although there was a flourishing distillery about three miles north
of the town. Other distilleries were found scattered over the county, but for some reason none
was ever established in Urbana.
CARPET AND RUG WEAVING.
Few of the first settlers had any carpets. Many of the first cabins even had dirt floors, and the
great majority of them had puncheon floors which did not invite the use of a carpet. There were,
of course, many houses with plank floors and within a few years after the county was organized
most of the better class of settlers had at least one room which was carpeted.
Hence there arose the carpet-weaving industry. It is not known how many looms were scattered
throughout the county in the earlier days, but they undoubtedly numbered two to three to a
township. In Urbana a factory was established in the forties to weave carpet. Harvey Stump
started the factory at the corner of Market and Kenton streets, but it is impossible to trace the
history of his little factory. It is known that he conducted it for
