BUTLER TOWNSHIP.

The most current statement with regard to the name chosen for this township is that it was in honor of Maj. Butler. who fell in the battle known to history as St. Clair's defeat: but this is probably true in an indirect way only. The town ship was principally settled, to begin with. by pioneers from the neighboring county—Butler—and direct reference was had to the old home county rather than to the hero. in the choice of the name which the new township should bear. Butler County, however, was named undoubtedly in honor of the hero above mentioned.

The history of Butler Township will be somewhat meager. owing to the unusual difficulty of collecting data concerning it; but enough has been gleaned from various authentic sources to form an interesting and instructive sketch.

It is somewhat remarkable that the most diligent search of the records in the county offices gives no information concerning the date. etc.. of the organization of this township, and conversations with the oldest residents now living afford no definite clew to the mystery. The general impression among those who are now most likely to have opinions on the subject that approximate accuracy is that it took place in 1819-20. Dr. J. P. Love. now in his seventy-fifth year, and a resident at New Castine since 1833, says that about twenty years after the first settlement of what became Butler Township, the anomaly existed of four school districts that had never been legally or formally constituted, and of several road districts that had not been authoritatively defined ! In 1834. for the first time. these districts were legally bounded and laid out.

Butler Township is situated in the southwestern part of the county, being in the southern tier, and the second from the Indiana line, Harrison intervening. It is six miles square. The general surface is level, but is somewhat broken in the northwestern portion and in the vicinity of New Madison. There was a small tract in the central part, known as Maple swamp, the value of which was depreciated on account of being subject to frequent inundations,, but a drain was put through it by order of the County Commissioners, thereby draining this locality and rendering the " swamp " the richest and best of farming land, from the deep alluvium of the surface soil. Originally, the township was heavily timbered with such woods as no weak land can produce. and the fair proportion of timber that is still left standing is stalwart and symmetrical. It has been claimed that since the reclamation of Maple swamp there is less untillable soil in Butler than in any other township of Darke County. This is saying much, probably too much, but the fact remains that its fertility attracted within its limits at an early day men of ability and energy, who have brought it to a high state of cultivation and of public and private improvement. Eleven years ago, it had thirty miles of turnpike (or almost a mile to every square mile of its area) under contract, at a cost of $60,000—ample evidence of the truth of the above statement. The land was originally entered in eighty and one hundred and sixty acre parcels, principally, but more of the latter than of the former. In some instances. quarter- sections have been divided, but in more cases two eighties have been thrown together. Among the large farms of to-day are Joshua Fowble's, 250 acres and upward, one and a half miles northeast of New Castine ; Jacob Wolverton's. about 175 acres, just north of Castine. and Esquire Voris', just south.

The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railway runs through the northwestern corner of the township. Twin Creek rises near the northern boundary of Butler, runs almost south into Section 22. thence southeasterly to New Castine, and by a circuitous but still southeasterly course leaves the township a short distance west of the center of Section 36. Between Section 22 and the south line of Butler.

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it sends off several branches to the right and left. at an average distance of three- fourths of a mile apart. Mud Creek also enters near the center of the township line and extends southeast into Section 8. The Middle Branch of Mud Creek enters the township one-fourth of a mile east of the railroad, in the eastern part of Section 5. near the center of which it crosses the railroad and then runs nearly parallel therewith until it leaves the township. at the northwestern corner of Section 13. The first turnpike was built in 1869, a north and south road, running from Greenville to Eaton, through New Castine, called the Greenville & Eaton Pike. The east and west road, crossing the other at right angles at Castine. is popularly known as the New Garden Road. The name arose from the circumstance of semi-annual meetings held by the Quakers of New Garden, Ind., and the regular pilgrimage thereto of large numbers of Quakers from Union Township, Miami County, this State, over this road.

Job Camp, who came in 1814. is reputed to be the earliest settler in Butler. Francis Harter and his sons, also James Mills, came in 1817 or 1818; Jacob Weingardner in 1819. Abram P. Freeman came only a little later. Charles Harriman came to Butler in 1821 and settled where New Castine now stands. Jonathan Pitman, Joseph Danner and John Ellis also came at a very early date. Ellis was from Kentucky. Job Camp was from Hamilton County, but was raised in New Jersey. Jacob F. Miller was Justice of the Peace as early as 1816. Mark Mills represented the county in 1332 or 1833, and was probably also a Justice of the Peace.

David Harter. one of the oldest settlers, lived in the northwestern part of the township. Esquire Peter Fleck, for a long time a Trustee, lived close to the north line. toward the east. Esquire Baker, somewhat noted as a Democratic politician, lived east of Castine. He was elected to the State Legislature and settled in Greenville in the practice of the law. Politically, Butler Township is largely Democratic —so much so as to have been termed the "South Carolina of Darke County." Religiously, most of the people are either church members or in sympathy with the church. There are five church structures in the township, at which services are held at stated times, and six resident local preachers—men capable and earnest in their calling.

The first schoolhouse was built in 1824. on Section 35, near the present site of New Castine. A second schoolhouse, a log cabin, was located up the road toward th:, creek. A man by the name of Bentley now lives on the ground occupied by the old schoolhouse. in the southeast corner of the town. The third schoolhouse in this neighborhood was a frame building, located about half a mile east of Castine. The fourth was a brick structure, put up on the same ground. The last and present schoolhouse is a frame, two stories, also on the same ground. One teacher is employed in the summer and two in the winter. There are nine school districts in Butler Township ; the houses are mostly of wood. Samuel Satterley was the first teacher in Butler. James L. Hunt and P. V. Banta (the latter now of Greenville) were teachers about 1833. The first meetings were held in private houses. and afterward in schoolhouses. The first church was built at New Castine in 1849. by the United Brethren : Otterbein Chapel, located in the northwestern part of the township. was built about the same time. In 1830, a blacksmith-shop was built by Joseph Danner, on the west side of the southeast quarter of Section 26 ; his land patent; for eighty acres, bears date the same year. In 1833. Dr. J. P. Love bought him out. From 1833 to 1837, coopering was the most conspicuous mechanical business in the township, but there were also blacksmith- shops, while shoemaking had begun to be quite a business outside of household manufacture ; pottery was carried on at Castine and elsewhere, and there was also a hatter's establishment in the place. From that time until 1842, we are credibly informed by an old resident, the little village did more business than ever before or since. These and the still earlier day's of which we have spoken formed the log-cabin period. The old-fashioned spinning-wheel was in every home, the flax

464 - HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.

brake on every farm, and in every third or fourth house the loom did faithful service. Candle-molds went the rounds, and woe to the unlucky borrower who caused a dent therein. Splint-bottom chairs served the twofold purpose of seats and, when turned over, of racks. for the suspension of tallow clips in the formative stage. The distinction between base-burning parlor and cooking stoves had never entered the heads of the foremost families ; indeed; the only arrangement for both heating and culinary purposes was the old-time, wide-mouthed. friendly fireplace. save and except an occasional plain box-stove. made of unadorned plates of iron— and these were scarcer in the community then than pianos are now. Even as late as 1833 the township was a wilderness. Hardships had to be overcome, of course. and difficulties surmounted, but it should not he supposed that there were no compensating advantages. The pioneers not only lived. but lived Game. fish. wild fruits, berries, etc., were abundant and cheap. Clothing, though not stylish. was neat and comfortable, and cost little more than the labor necessary to make it. The habits of the people were simple. and their expenses light. Per contra, nearly all modern conveniences were wanting, and modern luxuries unthought of. The usual place for milling was at Frazier's stone mill, six miles down Twin Creek. in Preble County. The market was at Dayton and Cincinnati—thirty-two and sixty-two miles distant. Now the distance is two miles to the nearest shipping point, viz., Manchester, on the Dayton & Western Railroad. In 1830. the population of the township was 512 ; in 1870. 1.524.

NEW CASTINE.

This is a village of 200 inhabitants, a little over twelve miles south from Greenville and six and a half miles southeast from New Madison. It is located on Sections 35 and 26, at the center of the east and west line between them, and one and a half miles within the eastern boundary of Butler Township. New Castine was laid out in 1832, on land that belonged to John Ellis, Joseph Danner and Frederick Smith. Dr. J. P. Love. who came in 1833, bought out Danner's and part of Smith's, and a man from Pennsylvania, Samuel Brosserman. bought the rest of Smith's interest. The original proprietors had. without legal notice or due course of law, got a surveyor to lay off lots and had commenced selling the same. when Mr. Love, who was somewhat posted in legal matters. informed them that they had no right so to do, and that for every lot they had sold they were liable to a fine of $50. A plat was immediately made, and the necessary steps taken to prevent prosecutions. Castine was incorporated in 1842-43, but the charter was allowed to expire through default of the citizens, and the place has now no corporate existence. Dr. J. P. Love occupied tile first house built in Castine—on the northeast corner of Main and Main Cross streets. At the same time. another log-cabin was put up by William Boswell, but not finished until afterward. Soon after, another was erected by George Hickman. The present Eagle Hotel was built by John L. Robinson, located at the southwest corner of the two principal streets. Russell Evans, now deceased, ran a hotel on the east side of Main street the third lot from the corner. He began in the hotel business in 1843. He had been keeping a " grocery " here and there in rented quarters. His hotel was burned down in the fall of 1879. " The Eagle" was the first and only hotel built as such. It has changed hands many times. James Hanway was for a long time a resident of New Castine, but moved to Kansas in 1857. R. M. Pomeroy, now President of the Pacific Railway, sold goods here two years from 1838 to 1840. Pomeroy kept store at New Paris, then at Castine. then at Spartansburg, Ind., then at Cincinnati, and finally went to Boston. Mass. Dr. Love sold the first goods in New Castine and continued in the trade until 1838 ; he began again in 1842 and continued until 1851 ; for six years. he dealt in pork and hauled the cured meat to Cincinnati in, wagons. He has only practiced medicine at intervals and upon urgent solicitation of his patrons. The following physicians have practiced in the village and township since 1833.

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Drs. Birt. Cooper. David Marsh. Stevens. Palmer. John L. Matchett, T. R. Luff, Isaac Thomas, Humphrey and Frank Matchett, the two latter being the present resident physicians.

The United Brethren. Church was built in 1849, as before stated. Among the leading promoters of the enterprise were George Byers. Samuel Coblentz and Henry Wehrly. The Dunkard Church was built about eight years ago. Wendell Minnich. a preacher of that denomination. was the first man who worked up an interest in the matter. At first. the meetings were held in a house that was built the a potter's house, located on Lot No. 12. Minnich died some twenty years ago, after which his brother-in-law, George Syler, was preacher till the new house was erected eight years since. The Dunkards bought their lot of Frederick Trump. Among the early preachers in this vicinity was a Presbyterian named Cracken. William McCale preached in George Byers' barn in 1833. The United Brethren held meetings there, and also at Samuel Coblentz. For an account of the schools. see Township History.