CHAPTER XIV
SALT CREEK TOWNSHIP
When Pickaway County was erected, it was formed out of portions of Fairfield, Ross and Franklin counties. Salt Creek township comprised the territory taken from Fairfield County. It is six miles square and is bounded on the north by Fairfield County, on the east by Hocking County, on the south by Ross County and on the west by Pickaway township, Pickaway County. It is one of the earliest settled townships of the county, as well as one of the most productive.
The principal stream is Salt Creek, which runs through and gives its name to the township. It rises in Fairfield County and flows southeasterly through the township, leaving it in the southeastern corner, at the same time gathering up several tributaries in its course, the largest of which is Laurel Creek, which is mostly in, Hocking County. Moccasin Creek flows south through the eastern part of the county, then goes into Hocking County, where it joins Laurel Creek:. The most important western branches of Salt Creek are Pike Hale Run and Plum Run, which have a general southeasterly course. Scippo Creek, a branch of the Scioto River, enters the county in the northwest corner of section 6 and leaves it in section 7.
Along Salt Creek and in the prairie portions of the township are excellent corn lands, while the more elevated portions are better adapted to the growth of the small grains and grass. In the southern portion of the township, where there is more or less prairie, the surface; is comparatively level, while in the eastern portion it is somewhat broken and hilly; on the whole the surface of the township may be described as being quite rolling.
Noble forests covered the greater portion of the township, when the first settlers came here, the principal varieties of timber being the oak (of several kinds), hickory, walnut, mulberry, cherry, buckeye, paw-paw and elm.
In the early settlement of the township, deer, wild turkeys and small game were very numerous, the killing of a deer being quite an ordinary occurrence. Wolves were plenty and very annoying, killing the sheep of the settler and making a hideous noise with their constant howling. The township was not much inhabited by bears, although they frequently came in and several were killed by the hunters of Salt Creek. The last bear killed in Pickaway County was shot in Salt Creek township in 184o by Jonathan Dreisbach and John Reichelderfer, who shot the animal simultaneously.
In the apportionment of the justices of the peace by the Board of County Commissioners on April 6, 1810, Salt Creek had two, viz.: Jacob Lutz and William Drury. By act of the Legislature, passed March 7, 1843, that part of Adelphi in Salt Creek township was attached to Ross County. The population of the town-ship in 1900 was 1,680. The present township officials are as follows : Trustees--William. Allen, A. A. Reichelderfer and George C. Lathouse; clerk, Perry Aldenderfer; treasurer,. Wayne Reichelderfer; assessor, Daniel L. Heffner; justices of the peace--Earnest Goldfredrick and Isaac W. Rossiter; constables--Henry Imler and Charles Hunt.
166 - HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY.
EARLY SETTLERS.
While the land of the township was not put on sale by the government until 1801, there were quite a few squatters that located here previously, who had been attracted by the rich lands, along Salt Creek. Some of these squatters remained and purchased land, while others moved to other sections. Among those who were here before 1801 and who therefore may be termed squatters were : Alexander Berry, John May, Conrad Kline, Matthias Hedges, Andrew Bussard, Christopher (or Christian) Myers, Jacob Sayler, Sr., and George Pontious.
The first man to enter land in Salt Creek township was John Shoemaker, who came from Berks County, Pennsylvania, in the spring of 1801. At the sale of government land, in May of that year, he made an entry of land, after which he returned to Pennsylvania. The first patent was issued to him and bears date of April 20, 1802, being signed by Thomas Jefferson, president of the United States and James Madison, Secretary of State. He returned to Ohio in 1806 with his family.
William Stumpf came here from Berk's County, Pennsylvania, in the fall of 1801 and entered section 24. He then returned home and two years later settled on his property. He was largely engaged in the business of buying and selling cattle, driving the cattle across the mountains to Eastern markets.
In 1802 Jacob and John Lutz came here from Pennsylvania, arriving in the township on the 15th day of September. The eldest son of Samuel Lutz, Samuel, was then a youth of 13 years. On October 15, 1811, Samuel Lutz married Elizabeth Fetherof and went to farming on a 185-acre tract given him by his father. He was a pioneer surveyor of the county and it is a matter of record that in 1810 he surveyed the first public road ordered by the commissioners of Pickaway County. For a period of over 70 years he continued in service as a surveyor, also following agricultural pursuits. He served in the militia in the War of 1812, was in the State Legislature for four sessions and for 18 years filled the office of justice of the peace. He lived to the age of 102 years. His 100th anniversary was celebrated by a large company of his friends gathering at his home to do him honor. One of his sons was the well known John A. Lutz.
Abraham Monnett, George Dunkel and Jacob Shoemaker came here in 1803. The last named subsequently moved to Circleville and was associate judge of Pickaway County for a number of years. The arrivals in 1805 included Conrad Brancher, Christopher Holderman and John Judy. In 1806 John Reichelderfer and family and his son John and family came to this township from Berks County, Pennsylvania. John Rarmon, Henry Wissler (Whisler, as the name is now spelled), Abraham Dreisbach and Henry Drum also settled in Salt Creek in 1806. Abraham Heffner and Nicholas Whitesel came here in 1807; George Dreisbach and his brothers in 1811 ; also their brother-in-law, Peter Spyker, in the same year. Jacob Sayler, son of Jacob Sayler, Sr., previously mentioned, came here some time during the War of 1812; Godfrey Creamer, who had been a soldier under Napoleon Bonaparte, about 1820; Andrew Delong, in 1831 ; and George Riegel, in 1832. Other early settlers of the township were : Samuel Lybrand, John Burns, Joseph Schoots, Benjamin Kepner, Henry Mathias, Jacob Spangler, Samuel Noble and David and Jacob Foust.
CHURCHES.
As early as 1805 a Baptist Church was organized in the southwestern part of the township. It was called the Salt Creek Baptist Church until 1812, when the Lemuel Church uniting with it, the name was changed to Union Baptist Church. The first meetings were held at the dwellings of the members until a meeting-house was erected in section 28, which was constructed of hickory logs. In 1841 or 1842 a church building was erected at Prairie View (now Whisler) at a cost of about $2,000. Rev. Benjamin Case, who was the first pastor of the society, is supposed to have organized it. This church has been out of existence for 30 years or more.
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Another early church of the township was the German Reformed Church, organized at Tarlton about 1807 by Rev. George Wise, of Lancaster. About the same time a German Lutheran society was formed, and the societies shortly afterwards united in the erection of a log meeting-house. About 1830 they put up a log and frame building, which continued to be used by the two societies for some years. The German Reformed society erected a brick church of their own prior to 1861, in which year the Lutherans built a frame church edifice. The German Reformed society continued to prosper until sundry innovations 'upon established usage were introduced into the church by Rev. Samuel Jacobs, who finally joined the Cumberland Presbyterians, taking most of his church with him. The litigation over the ownership of the church property that followed resulted in favor of the new organization, and the remnant of the original society built a frame house in the southeastern part of Tarlton. About 30 years ago the German Reformed society fell into difficulties, their church was sold at sheriff's sale and the society disbanded.
St. Jacob's Evangelical Lutheran Church at Tarlton was organized November 8, 1861. A Lutheran society had' existed at Tarlton, however, from a very early date, the meetings having been held as stated in the preceding paragraph, in the same building with the German Reformed society until the organization of St. Jacob's Church and the erection of the present church building, which is a frame structure valued at $1,200. The following have served as pastor of St. Jacob's Church since 1882: Revs. J. E. Wesner, W. H. Fishburn, G. W. Hudson, James F. Beattes, W. L. Hunton and J. M. Wenrich, of Stoutsville, the present pastor, who took charge in 1891. The present membership of the society is 125. Orestes Mowery is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of 50.
Tarlton Presbyterian Church.--The Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Tarlton was finally changed to a Presbyterian Church, of which Rev. W. W. Carhart, of Whisler, is now pastor. The church property is valued at $1,500; while the building, as has been indicatedin a preceding paragraph, is an old one, the property has been improved by the building of cement walks and presents a very creditable appearance. The present membership of the church is 115. Harvey Mowery is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of 100.
Whisler Presbyterian Church.--In February, 1859, a Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Prairie View (Whisler) was organized by Rev. Archibald Brice at the Oak Grove M. E. Church, the society comprising some 10 or 11 members at its formation. Until the completion of their house of worship, a frame structure, erected in the fall of 1860, which is still doing service, the society met in a frame school-house. Some time ago, the society became a Presbyterian Church, and is now known as the Whisler Presbyterian Church. The church building is valued at $1,000. The society has also a good parsonage at Whisler, built about 10 years ago at a cost of $1,800. The church has a membership of about too. Rev. W. W. Carhart is pastor. The flourishing Sunday-school connected with this church has a membership of about 125; the superintendent is Mrs. Nellie Quillen.
Jerusalem Church, or the Stumpf Church as it is frequently styled, was organized' by Revs. George Wise and Jacob Leist about the year 182o as a German Reformed society. Rev. Jacob Leist was one of the earliest of the pioneer preachers of this region. He came to Salt Creek township in its early settlement, began preaching soon after his arrival and continued in the ministry for a great many years. He proved a valuable accession to the settlement and during the long period of his ministry was highly esteemed for his moral worth. He married Elizabeth Shoemaker, daughter of Judge Jacob Shoemaker and fixed his residence where Leistville now stands, there residing until his death. The church services were held in a schoolhouse, located in the northeast corner of section 26, until 1831, when a brick house of worship was built. The present, neat, brick church was erected in 1877 at a cost of $3,000. Rev. Henry King and Rev. Jacob Leist--the former a Reformed minister and the latter a
168 - HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY.
Lutheran--preached to the church for upwards of 25 years. Rev. Mr. Weaver is now pastor.
In 1819 or 1820 members of the German Reformed and Lutheran denominations residing in the western part of the township built a log meeting-house, in which services were held for a number of years, although no organization was ever effected. A United Brethren society was subsequently formed there, and occupied the house for some years, when it disbanded. The meeting-house finally burned down.
The Dresbach U. B. Church was organized about 1820 at the house of George Dreisbach ; among the first members were George Dreisbach and wife, Henry Dreisbach and wife, John Dreisbach and Elizabeth Whitesel. The appointment has been for many years on the Pickaway Circuit, which now embraces four appointments : Pontius, Morris, Dresbach and Fairview. The pastor of the circuit is Rev. O. M. Martin, who succeeded Rev. D. W. Lambert in September, 1906. In 1829 the present brick church on the north line of the township was built. Until six years ago, when the parsonage at Circleville was bought, the pastor of the Pickaway Circuit resided at Tarlton. The church has a present membership of 42. In 1841 a general conference of the United Brethren churches of the United States was held at the Dresbach Church.
The Tarlton U. B. Church was organized about 1840 by Revs. Lewis, Ambrose and Joshua Montgomery and consisted of eight members. The building was erected two or three years later and stands just north of the county line. Before the erection of the church, the society held its meetings at the house of Jacob Larick. The church was formerly quite prosperous.
The Tarlton M. E. Church was organized sometime before 1825. The first meetings of the Methodists in this township were held at a very early date at the house of Abraham Monnett. The Tarlton church was formerly in the Adelphi Circuit, Chillicothe District, which embraced 20 appointments in Pickaway, Vinton, Ross, Fairfield and Hocking counties. In 1841 Tarlton Circuit was formed from Adelphi with seven appointments, of which the Tarlton church and Haller's Chapel were the only ones in Pickaway County. In 1870 South Perry Circuit was detached from Tarlton, leaving the latter with four appointments : Tarlton,
Pickaway County ; and Hopewell, Amanda and Oakland, in Fairfield County. The meetings of the Tarlton church were held in the log schoolhouse until 1840, when a church edifice was erected. The following were the pastors of the Adelphi Circuit up to the time the Tarlton Circuit was formed : Revs. E. H. Field, George C. Crum, William Westlake, Philip Nation, John Stuart, John W. White, John Stuart, Wesley Roe, Benjamin Ellis, David Lewis, Benjamin Ellis, J. B. Austin, Charles C. Lybrand, Richard Daughty, James Parsons and Richard Daughty. The first preacher, after the formation of the Tarlton Circuit, was Rev. Daniel Poe, who was followed by Revs. James Laws, Alexander Morrow, Joseph Morris, David H. Sargent, John M. Clark, Andrew Carroll, E. T. Webster, John W. Steele, McCutcheon, Gortner, Fink, Howard, Bennett,. Anderson, Kirkman, G. G. West, L. Whitehead, John T. Miller, Isaac F. King, Benjamin Ellis, John T. Miller, Andrew Carroll, Benjamin Ellis, Thomas R. Taylor, W. F. Filler, B. Wolfe, Ross, Sibley, Weir, Ebright, Hall, Hanawalt, Thomas Hall, Pickets, McClintock, T. S. Thurston, Isaac Mackey and Berry, who was pastor in 1879. Rev. R. A. Blair of Adelphi, is the present incumbent. The church has a membership of about 100. The church building is valued at $3,000 and the parsonage, a seven-room structure, is valued at $1,500. The Sunday-school, of which William Shoemaker is superintendent, has a membership of about 80.
The Whisler M. E. Church, formerly known as the Oak Grove M. E. Church, was organized in 1858 by a union of the Warren schoolhouse class and that at Hallers Chapel. A church building was put up that summer and dedicated in the fall of the year by Rev. Mr. Felton. About two years ago the society built a new frame church at Whisler at a cost of $2,000 and the name was changed to Whisler M. E. Church. Rev. J. L. Landsittle, of Adelphi,
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is pastor. The church has a membership of about 50 members. George Fox is superintendent of the Sunday-school, which has a membership of about 50.
Union Chapel of they M. E. Church is a frame building valued at $1,000, situated in Salt Creek township near the home of S. S. McClelland.
The English Evangelical Lutheran Church at Tarlton was formed by Rev. Nathan B. Little in 1835 with about 30 members. The church building of the Old School Presbyterians was occupied as the place of worship until 1841, when the. society erected the church building at Tarlton they have since used. For the last seven or eight years services have not been held regularly. A minister has been engaged who will serve both this church and the English Evangelical Church at Circleville. The church is not in a flourishing financial condition. The membership is only 20, whereas in 1879 it was about 6o; nearly all the former members have died or moved away. The Sunday-school, of which Miss Ida Mowrey is superintendent and James Porter of Leistville, assistant superintendent, has a membership of 30.
In January, 1875, a church of the Evangelical Association was formed at Pleasant View, two miles north of Whisler, composed of about 20 members. The church building was erected the following summer and was dedicated September 5, 1875, by Rev. R. Dubs. Rev. S. E. Rife was the first pastor. Other early pastors of this church were Revs. Hankey, Wingard, Ellenberger, Munn, Rinehold and Evans. This organization has been split into two societies. both of which worship in the same church building. Rev. Davis, who lives near the church, is pastor of one, and Rev. Stumpf, who lives at Stoutsville, is pastor of the other.
CEMETERIES.
The oldest cemetery in the township is the one known as the Stumpf burying-ground, in which the first person buried was Jane Defenbaugh, who died in October, 1804. The ground for her burial was donated by George Dunkel, The cemetery at the Dresbach U. B. Church is also one of the oldest in the township ; many of the Dreisbach family have been buried here. Mound Hill Cemetery, located near Whisler, is still used for interments and is in good condition. The township cemetery is located near the center of the township and is controlled by the township trustees. There are also a number of other burial grounds scattered through-out the township.
SCHOOLS.
What was probably the first schoolhouse in the township was built on the southwest quarter of section 24, about 1803 or 1804. About the same time a rude log structure was built in Tarlton near the site of the present Methodist Episcopal Church. A man named Mitchell kept the first term of school in this house. The first school in the southwestern part of the township was kept in a log schoolhouse on the farm. of Joseph Schoots, in section 33. One of the early teachers was Timothy Beach. The Board of Education of Salt Creek township, elected in November, 1904, is constituted as follows Daniel D. Mowrey, Rufus Reichelderfer and Jacob Friece--four years ; Allen Drum and George B. Armstrong--two years. There are nine school buildings in the township. The school at Whisler has two rooms, which are taught by Oliver Floyd and Anna Pontius. This is a special district; A. W. Imler is clerk of the board.
The trustees of the Tarlton Special School District are as follows : L. B. Thomas, Henry Mowrey, Clay F. Macklin and M. D. Kreider, there being one vacancy. The Tarlton school building was erected in 1899, at a cost of $4,000. It includes a high school department, in charge of the principal, W. L. Davis; a grammar school, taught by George W. Bochert; and a primary department, taught by Elsie Davis. The high school has a four-years' course and is classified as third grade.
EARLY MILLS.
The first sawmill in the township of Salt Creek was erected by John Lutz, on
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Moccasin Creek. The earliest on Salt Creek were those of Dunkel and Stumpf near Adelphi and the Reichelderfers (John and Christian). The first settlers here had their grinding done at Crouse's mill in the vicinity of Chillicothe; at a later date they had their grist ground at Van Gundy's mill, on the Kinnickinnick. A grist-mill in Salt Creek township was built by Jacob Strous on Salt Creek in 1820. A sawmill was built here in 1825, the original grist-mill was replaced by another in 1831, and a carding machine put in in 1834. All these were rum by water power. In 1810 of 1811, Abraham Barnet erected a sawmill on Salt Creek at Tarlton. It was run as a sawmill until 1815, in which year the property was purchased by George Wolf, who made extensive improvements and also built a flouring mill. At length finding that the water power was not sufficient for his purpose, he made an original experiment about 1830 or 1831, in the line of introducing steam power, which, however, proved a complete failure. A steam sawmill was built at Tarlton in 1849 by a joint stock company.
PHYSICIANS.
The first physician to take up his residence in the township was Dr. Waldo. Dr. Otis Ballard settled at Tarlton in 1817, and practiced until 1842, when he was compelled to retire on account of poor health. In 1879 the town had two physicians : Dr. J. J. Baker and Dr. J. R. Kelch. The former is still actively engaged in practice here. The village has two other physicians : Dr. Samuel J. Irwin, who has been located here since 1888; and Dr. Frank M. Macklin.
TARLTON LODGE 218, I. O. O. F.,
Was organized March 6, 1853, the first officers being : J. W. Steele, N. G.; J. Metzler, V. G.; Sylvester V. Firor, secretary, and Archibald Lybrand, treasurer. The lodge is a flourishing one and owns its own building, which is valued at $3,500.
TARLTON
Was laid out about 1801 by Benjamin Newell, and was first called Newellstown. It is situated on Salt Creek, on the north line of the township and in 1900 contained 388 inhabitants. The Columbus & Southern Railroad runs through the town, The first building erected here was the log cabin of Christopher Myers, and the first store was kept by a man named McLane. Jacob Sayler kept the next store on the same lot where the cabin of Myers stood. Other early traders here were Samuel Lybrand, William and Stephen Julian, and Singleton & Carr. The first tavern was kept by John Shoemaker in his log dwelling. An early tavern in the east end of the village was kept by a man named Markwood. The first frame building erected in the township was the dwelling of John Shoemaker at Tarlton. Adam J. Nye settled at Tarlton soon after the close of the War of 1812. For many years he kept a tavern and was also in trade. The road through Tarlton was once the principal road from Kentucky to the East and General Jackson and Henry Clay used to stop here on their way to the seat of government.
The first postoffice was established in the township at Tarlton sometime prior to the War of" 1812, Samuel Lybrand being the first post-master. Adam J. Nye succeeded Lybrand and kept the office in his tavern. C. Thomas is the present postmaster. One rural route runs from Tarlton.
The present village officials are as follows : Mayor, M. D. Kreider; marshal, Ben Macklin; clerk, E. D. Wolfe ; treasurer; L. B. Thomas ; Council--J. W. Shoemaker, Edgar Ward, Z. N. Macklin, Wayne Reichelderfer, M. D. Hedges and Virgil Durrant.
The business interests of Tarlton include the following: Barr Brothers, C. Mounjoy, Henry Mowery and C. Thomas, general merchandise; Nick Fethererolf, bakery ; A. W. Zehrung, hardware; Samuel J. Karshner, carriage trimming and harness ; W. L. Rice, cooper; D. K. Wilson, buyer and shipper of wool; S. Defenbaugh & Son, undertakers; Roberts' Hotel, run by Mrs. C. W. Roberts ;
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Tarlton Hotel, conducted by J. C. Shaeffer; Joseph Boyer and M. D. Hedges, blacksmiths ; J. F. Oberdorfer, lumber and planing-mill; Wesley Grove, carriage and wagon repairing; Mowery & Kelch and Edgar Ward, coal; James Kelch, manufacturer of sealing wax; Leist & Durrant, concrete contractors ; John W. Zehring, firmer; Lewis Spangler, boarding-house; and Samuel Hartranft and Henry Mowery, feed stables. Barr Brothers also sell implements; Nick Fethererolf, Barr Brothers, C. Mounjoy and C. Thomas are buyers and shippers of poultry. Irwin & Ballard are now building a good-sized elevator at Tarlton.
WHISLER, STRINGTOWN AND LEISTVILLE.
Whisler is a small settlement of about 20 families, situated in the southwestern part of Salt Creek township. The postmaster is William Fox. Leist & Fox and J. W. Wilkins sell general merchandise; Simon Hamilton is the village blacksmith.
Stringtown is a settlement located a little east of the center of the township, extending along the Circleville and Adelphi pike. The population of the entire settlement is said to be about 75 or 80. Levi Imler conducts a grocery and Noah Butterbaugh is engaged in blacksmithing.
At Leistville, which is situated on the western border of the township a little north of the center, is a small settlement of about 40 or 50 population. Andy A. Grove has a blacksmith shop here.