RICHLAND TOWNSHIP.
This township was taken principally from Wayne, with sixteen sections from Greenville Township and four from Adams, and on its organization. September 8, 1820. was bounded as tbllows: Commencing at the north line of the county, on the line between Raines 1 and 2. running thence south to the south line of Section 7, Township 12 north. Range 2 east ; thence east to the southwest corner of Section 11. Township 10 north, Range 3 east ; thence north to the county line ; thence along the north line of the county to the place of beginning. In March. 1829, all of Township 12. Range 2. belonging to Richland. was put into Greenville Township. In December. 1833 all the land bounded as follows was taken from Richland
410 - HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.
and erected into a new township. called Brown : Beginning at the northwest corner of Township 13, Range 2 ; thence south to the township line ; thence east to the east line of Section 35 ; thence north to the township line. and west to the place of beginning. Shortly afterward, that part of Townships 14 and 15 north, Range 2, lying directly north of the boundaries just given. was added to Brown Township, and in June, 1837, the township of York was formed from Richland, which was then reduced to its present proportions.
The topography of Richland present some salient points. The Stillwater, .which rises in the northern part of Brown and the southern extreme of the township of Mississinawa. and tends to the southeast. across the lands of the former. takes a very circuitous course through Richland. It enters at-almost the northwest corner of the township. and runs thence somewhat east of south of Beamsville, in the eastern part of Section 32. making many short bends in its course between those points. From Beamsville, it runs a mile southeast, then to the northeast a half-mile. then east again a mile, turns then abruptly to the north, then inclines to the northward, forms a bend, and flows southeast, into the lower end of Wayne Township.
The outlines of Richland are irregular. Along the tortuous course of the Stillwater, the surface is broken and in places hilly. with the usual fertile bottom lands. In other parts of the township. though there is an admixture of clay. it is blended with loam and under good treatment produces good crops. In general. the name—Richland—is no misnomer, and the overworked farms are exceptionally few.
The first settler in the township was Jacob Hartell, followed. nine months later. by David Riffle, with his two sons. Jacob and Solomon. and George Ward, who came in March, 1818. James Stephenson and George Plessinger came in 1819—the latter from Pennsylvania. A short time later, came George Beam. Adam Coppess, Henry Stoll. Philip Plessinger, Peter Brewer and John Homey. John Miller came in 1822. and John Coppess. Sr.. in 1824. We have thus some dozen pioneers left alone for a time. to occupy the lands of the future township. They received no accessions and lived along alone. The ague prevailed. and they withstood its chill and fever. The dreaded milk sickness ravaged the clearings, and they passed through the ordeal, to be thereafter known as the pioneers of the township. A number of years passed before any accessions were made to the population and those named were old settlers when the general migration. sweeping westward, deposited new settlers in the umbrageous forests of the country. Among these later corners were Daniel Warvel. from Warren County, Ohio, in 1834 ; E. Deming. from Connecticut, in 1836 : D. L. Miller. in 1837 ; W. J. Warvel. in 1838 ; D. Hartzell came the same year. from Pennsylvania ; Philip Hartzell came in 1843 ; George H. Winbigler in 1845 ; Alfred Coppess in 1848 ; H. Kent. from Maryland, in 1849, and John E. Braden and S. D. Rush, a year or so afterward.
Germans and those of Germanic descent form the largest element in the population. nearly all of whom speak English. The next largest element is American. There are a few Irish families. but no French. although numerous persons of that nationality have settled in the adjoining township of Wayne.
The first schoolhouse was built on the farm of John Coppess, right across the little stream opposite the Coppess graveyard. It was of logs, built on the pioneer plan. except the modern improvement of a small window with four panes of glass, located near the position occupied by the teacher ; the other apertures were closed by greased paper. The fireplace was capacious enough for the most exacting.
This schoolhouse was erected probably about the year 1825, perhaps a year or so earlier. The first teacher in this structure was John Wilkins, and his successor was Thomas Crawson. There are now seven districts in Richland. All the houses are built of brick. and have been in use for the past ten years. They are commodious, well arranged and permanent. fully accommodating the needs of the community. The school building at Dawn cost nearly $1,800. It is two stories, and will seat 124 pupils. There is a like structure at Beamsville.
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In the line of improvements for the aid of settlers in building. there was it horse-mill on Ilartell’s farm. In connection therewith, was a still-house, the two beinr operated by Jacob Hartell in 1837 and 1838. There was another mill on the Hathaway farm. one mile southwest of Beamsville. This was a water mill. used only in grinding corn, and had sandstone grayheads" for buhrs. This mill was the property of Thomas Hathaway. The next mill was built as a saw-mill and remodeled into a grist-mill, at what was called Johnson's Station. The town. Dawn. was then designated Eden. The last-named mill was run by steam. and in it was used the first stationary steam engine used in the township. In addition to these. there was the - Bloomer located at Bloomer Town, now called Stetvideo. This structure was raised about the same time as the Eden mill during the years 1853 and 1854.
The mill at Eden burned down while it was a saw-mill ; it was rebuilt as a and. afterward. enlarged into a grist-mill. Upon the foundation and with the frame of the old mill the present new mill was constructed.
In the connection of enterprises which have exercised a helping and comfort- giving influence, it has ever been customary to preserve the names, when possible. of those who inaugurated or began them. For this reason. we may mention William Goodheart. as the pioneer mail carrier ; J. H. C. Dill. of Beamsville, as the earliest storekeeper. and Adam. Coppess. as the first blacksmith, who erected his forge the year of Ids advent here.
The first sermon delivered in Richland Township was by John Childers. a minister of the Baptist denomination. in the house of James Stevenson, when. Alfred Coppess now lives. The first church building was erected as a schoolhouse. and was purchased the Methodist Episcopal society. It was located in the Copposs neighborhood on the farm of William Oliver. The next building used tOr worship was erected for that purpose by the members of a society of the United Brethren in the year 1.842. It was built of loss at Beamsville on land donated by Fred. Beam.
This house has been repaired and modernized. and is still standing.
Among the heaviest or largest thrm owners in the township are B. F. Coppess who has 301 acres. Alfred Coppess. John E. Braden. John Coppess and David Martell. Orhrinal entries were mostly in quarter and eighth sections. The general depth at which well water is brunet is thirty feet, but it varies from twelve to forty-five feet.
The Cleveland. Columbus. Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad crosses the north end of the township. and has a station known as Nevada, and the Pittsburgh. Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad enters Richland about a mile west of the southeast owner and runs diagonally to a point three-fourths of a mile north of the southwest corner. Stelvideo. situated in the southern part of Section 9, is a station on this latter road.
From the earliest days along the years up to the present, the political opinion has been Democratic. and the party vote predominates by 100.
The following leading statistics from the report of 1879 show the capacity urn production of the Richland farms. The enure number of acres owned is 12,426. of which 7.478 are tilled, 946 in pasture, 3,771 in woods and 231 in waste lands. The extent of wool-growing may be inferred by the clip of 1,244 pounds. Upon 1,927 acres. 36.891 bushels of wheat were raised ; 834 acres in oats produced 31.341 bushels and 2,718 acres of corn yielded heavily of the staple product. Rye. barley. flax and potatoes are produced. Fifty-two acres in tobacco produced 69,390 pounds. and the dairy product was 33,502 pounds. Of sweets there were 2.745 gallons of sorghum sirup. 929 gallons of maple sirup, and from 113 hives. 1.227 pounds of honey. The orchards have not been neglected, and from 235 acres planted in trees, there was a yield of 5.776 bushels of apples, 45 of pears. and 35 of peaches.
The village of Dawn contains a population of about one hundred and fifty. The original plat was made by L. W. Johnson. and it was known by that name.
412 - HISTORY OF DARKE COUNTY.
The site was established at the center of Section 20. in 1854. when the proprietor erected a saw-mill. The first addition to the village was made by Shelley. Birch and others. Afterward Uriah Winbigler, U. F. Davidson and James McFarland. also laid off additions. The original proprietor was the first Postmaster. and James McFarland here erected the first forge.
There is a church at Dawn. built by the Methodists in 1872. on land donated by C. W. Demem. The business of the place supports three stores kept by J. W. Duckall. J. B. Wertz and James Woods. The first named is also a grain and produce dealer, the last named is Postmaster. J. F. Show is the proprietor of a large saw-mill with which he does an extensive business. Rush & Chirger operate a steam grist-mill. It has two stories, has four runs. and is propelled by a forty- horse power engine. This mill stands on Section 20. and does both custom and job work. Its capacity is sixty barrels a day. 0. Davison erected a tile factory in the spring of 1877, on his lands just south of Dawn. Twenty kilns of 275 rods assorted size, are burned annually. requiring 130 cords of wood. It is the only tile factory in the township. The drying shed is 120 feet long and a second shed of 60 feet in length is being built. The village of Beamsville is situated on the Stillwater at the center of the west side of Section 32. Range 3. and at the crossing 01 the Greenville and Dallas pikes. There is about 150 population. It was laid out hy .John Beam in 1837. The first house put up in the place was raised by the proprietor of the village and it is still standing. Additions to the original plat have been made by Messrs. Hartell. Earheart and Plessinger. The Stillwater Hotel. kept by Samuel Minim. was built in 1834-35. It was primarily a single story. but several Years taxing elapsed, a second story was added. The first landlord was namee Stillwell. .John C. Dill was storekeeper in the early day. and among physicians were Drs. Ford, Smith, Hoover, Hostetter. Peck and Tillman.
The first preacher at Beamsville was Rev. M. Winterinute. Baptist. who was succeeded by Rev. Seymour Craig. Rev. George Adams. Christian. came it 1848-49. The United Brethren Church was built some six years earlier than this later date. A township house was built here in 1874. The place contains twc wagon-shops—one owned by J. Stagger. the other by William Price. There is also a cornet band of ten horns and two drums which enliven the evening hours with inspiriting music. This band was organized in March. 1879. and is led by William Loudom and Frank Plessinger.
The iron bridge over the Stillwater. just south of town. was constructed during the summer of 1878, an 1 ccst $1.900. exclusive of masonry. Another iron bridge over the same stream West of Beamsville. on the Dallas pike. cost $2,100. besides mason work, and was Created in 1875.
Stelvideo, located near the center of the south line of Section 9. Range 3. Township 11 (the same being part of the boundary between Richland and Adams), is a small village, numbering 100 inhabitants. It was laid out in 1851. by Solomon Farmer, the present owner of 125 acres of land adjoining on the east. This person is now the oldest living resident of this vicinity, and one of the oldest in Richland. A few lots have been laid off since the original platting by George Hartell. Jr., but they are not in demand. Stelvideo is a station on the Pittsburgh. Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, surrounded by a fine farming country, well cultivated and profitably productive. The population is composed mainly of the owners of adjacent or adjoining farms. Its origin is thus denoted : About the time when the " Forty-niners " were en route, overland. to the gold fields of the far Pacific, John Patterson determined to realize his expectations nearer home. He had inherited a large fitrm. located east of Stelvideo. There being promise of quite a village here. Mr. Patterson bought a number of lots. erected a steam sawmill. a two-story tavern. and induced the erection of several other buildings. These improvements were made In 1552 and 1853. Through correspondence with Alfred Brisbane. S. Andrews. Dr. Nichols and other noted Socialists. Stelvideo soon became a center for modern radicalism of all kinds. save and except “free
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love... Meantime. the dress-reform movement was being agitated by Amelia. Bloomer and other ladies. The costume was generally adopted by the feminine population of this village. So many isms and ologies, so much amplitude in freedom and brevity in costume was obnoxious to the people resident in the neighborhood, who proceeded to make Patterson and his confreres desirous of going elsewhere. The Pluribus Unum Hotel was vacated, several houses partially completed were left unfinished, the saw-mill and other property was disposed of at a sacrifice. and Mr. Patterson and his followers moved to Berlin Heights, in Huron County, where quite a colony of modern Liberalists of various phases assembled. They published a weekly newspaper, and, for a time, attracted popular attention.
The first house put up in the immediate vicinity of Stelvideo was by Jacob Hartell. The first schoolhouse near by was a small log structure which stood about fifteen yards east of the present brick house, on the Solomon Farmer place. The first Postmaster was Aaron Frampton. It is stated by Peter Brewer, who is the second oldest resident, that in the early days, the residents here were accustomed to go about sixteen miles to mill, to where the present Coppock Mill stands. Sometimes the trip was extended to near Milton, and on occasion to Union. not far from Dayton. The present smithy here was built as a carpenter- shop in 1866, by Peter Farmer ; it was later used as a dwelling, and was finally, April 15. 1S73. utilized by the present "village blacksmith," D. W. Inman, of whom it may be said :
Week in, week out, from morn till night,
You can hear his bellows blow."
And the distich is as applicable to him now and for four years past as ever it could have been to Longfellow's original.
There are no churches at this place. Dr. Ligafoo is the local physician. He was preceded by B. F. Zeller and Dr. Morrison, who was among the first doctors in this part of the township.
Messrs. Coppess. Brewer & Bro. are grain-dealers at the railroad warehouse. Their annual purchases range from fifteen thousand to twenty-five thousand bushels of wheat and a smaller quantity of corn. The Brewer Bros. also have a store, located just northeast from the railroad crossing. One of the brothers, Jessner, is the Postmaster here. the other, John, is station agent.
The speedy lapse of time will soon have made the record of these now active a worthy remembrance, and events are only as yet in a formative state, hence the descriptions of the present will be the history of the near future.