GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 725 covered with sidewalks, although the last report of the city engineer does not give the total mileage of the sidewalks. No sidewalks were laid by the city during 1918 except those made necessary during the paving work, and which were paid for out of the paving funds and charged to street paving. Sidewalks were ordered on the following streets, but not constructed because the property would not stand the assessment : Branch street from Galloway to West on the south side; Columbus street from Church to Fair on both sides ; Leach street from Church to Third on the west side. BRIDGES AND VIADUCTS. The city has one water course running through it. The same overflowed on May 14, 1886, and on the next morning the bodies of twenty-three drowned persons were laid out in the mayor's office. Three other bodies were later found which had been washed out of the city, bringing the total deaths by drowning to twenty-six. The stream, Shawnee Run, an innocent looking rivulet, is spanned by thirteen bridges within the city limits ranging from thirty to forty feet. The viaduct across the Pennsylvania tracks on Monroe street, a steel structure, is 417.7 feet in length, the main span being one hundred and twenty-four feet long. This span was renewed in 1916, and the floor of the entire viaduct laid with wood block. POLICE DEPARTMENT. The police department under the present form of government is under the direct control 0f the city manager, who appoints the chief and all the patrolmen. The present chief is James H. Canaday. The patrolmen are Edward Wilkins, M. E. Graham, Charles Sims and Joseph Day. Sims, a colored man, is night policeman. The chief receives a monthly salary of ninety dollars, while the patrolmen receive seventy-five dollars per month. All cases coming under the jurisdiction of the city are now tried before the police judge, neither the mayor nor the city manager having any judicial functions. The city jail is used to hold prisoners pending trial, if they are not out on bond, and if subsequent trial results in conviction, they are placed in the workhouse to serve out their sentence. The present police judge is .E. Dawson Smith, who receives an annual salary of four hundred dollars. WORKHOUSE. The workhouse in Xenia is owned jointly by the city and county. It was erected in 1882-83 at a cost. of eight thousand dollars, the city and county sharing equally in the expense of its construction. It has since been maintained by the two, although since its beginning thirty-six years ago, 726 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO arrangements have been made with nine counties whereby they are allowed to place certain of their prisoners in the workhouse and pay the city of Xenia and county of Greene a fixed rate for their maintenance. These counties are Shelby, Miami, Clarke, Ross, Fayette, Clinton, Warren, Champaign and Logan. This institution was opened on November 12, 1883, for the reception of prisoners, the first superintendent being Maj. George A. Barnes. The succession of superintendents of the institution has been as follows, the dates given being the date on which the official took his office : Maj. George A. Barnes, November 12, 1883 ; Norman S. Tiffany, April 4, 1886; John Eyler, August 13, 1887; Elmer Todd, February 15, 1888 ; John Brewer, July 1, 1892; Moses R. Brannum, October 1, 1897; Joshua Yeo, February 16, 1897; Rankin Grieves, November 1, 1900; James B. Marshall, November 1, 1901; David E. Crow, January 15, 1902-January 2, 1918. David E. Crow was the superintendent until the present form of city government was established on January 2, 1918, since. when the position of superintendent has been held by the city manager, Crow being retained in the capacity of steward at a salary of one hundred and twenty-five dollars per month. CEMETERIES. The history. of the several burying grounds of Xenia shows that there have been at least five in the city during its long career of more than a century. Four of these cemeteries have been abandoned from time to time, and for about seventy years Woodland Cemetery has been the chief one of the city. Usually when a town is laid out its first citizens do not take into consideration the future expansion of the place. Such was the case in Xenia, and this has been responsible for the abandonment of the cemeteries established prior to 1847. It was in this year that the present Woodland Cemetery was laid out, the citizens by that time realizing that it would be necessary to provide more ample grounds than could be obtained adjoining any of the cemeteries then in use. Prior to 1847 there had been four separate cemeteries started, each being the property of one of the churches : Methodist, on Waterstreet, which was sold in pursuance of an order of the court ; Associate, at the corner of West and Market streets ; Associate Reformed, also known as the Gowdy cemetery, Water street; German Reformed, Church street. These church cemeteries were not used after the establishment of Woodland in 1849 and were one by one abandoned, and the bodies exhumed and Sllmmed in Woodland. The Associate cemetery ground reverted to the heirs of Maj. James Galloway, who sold it to the city for school purposes. Here was built the first ward school building in 1868, and later the present McKinley GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 727 building. From the newspaper accounts in the '40s it is evident that the cholera raging during that decade, was responsible for the agitation which finally Jed to the abandonment of the cemeteries in the city and the subsequent establishment of Woodland outside the city limits. There is nothing particularly interesting in connection with the history of a cemetery, but there have been preserved a few incidents in connection with the Woodland cemetery which might be mentioned in this connection. The first prominent undertaker in Xenia was David Medsker and for at least thirty years he buried more people in Xenia than any other, man. He came to Xenia on November 6, 1829, and died in the city on August 22, 1879. He became one of the directors of Woodland when it was started in 1847. In after years Medsker related some of his experiences in his profession, some of which may be interesting to the present generation. He first began lining coffins (the word casket was not then in use) about 1835, using white paper. Later he used muslin to line coffins. His first lined coffin was for Philip Davis, who was buried in 1835. It seems that when Medsker first came to Xenia, and f0r some time afterward, there were what were called professional mourners—a group of curious parasites who preyed on the sympathies of the relatives and friends of the deceased. In fact, so Medsker related in after years, two groups of these hired mourners had a contest in Xenia at one time, each group seeing which could put 0n the best exhibition of professional mourning. As soon as a person died a group of these parasites flocked to the house of the deceased and began their lamentations, sometimes by invitation of the relatives, sometimes without any invitation. Medsker continued in business up into the '70s, and stated that he had buried over seven thousand people in the county, the great majority of them being in Xenia or the immediate vicinity. David B. Cline was the first sexton of Woodland. He came from Virginia to Greene county in 1827 and located in Xenia in 1834. When Woodland cemetery was being surveyed in 1847 Cline assisted the surveyor and thus began his connection with the cemetery. He became the first sexton, dug the first grave and remained in charge until the Civil War. He remained at his post during the terrible cholera epidemic of 1848, when, during the months 0f July and August of that year, he buried eighty-five victims of the dread disease. A word may be added here about the scourge of that year. The first person to die in Xenia was a stranger who died at the railroad station in June. He is supposed to have brought the disease to the town. The first citizen of Xenia to die with the disease was Hillory Neil. It was necessary, of course, to inhume the body at once and the body actually reached the cemetery before Cline had the grave ready to receive it. According to the story of this burial of Neil, one of the men in charge of the body remarked 728 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO to Cline : "Can't you keep a few graves dug ahead, and not wait until a man dies, and you get an order before you begin the work, and thus keep us waiting ?" "Certainly," said Cline, "if you will let me take the .measure of people before they die, and if you think it is a good idea. And I will just take your measure now while you are here, and have the grave ready for you." The man in charge of the body had no more to say. The day following the death of Neil his wife succumbed to the disease. The deaths gradually increased until people were dying at the rate of four and five each day. The citizens were naturally panic stricken and many of them left town. A young blacksmith came to Cline one afternoon, ordered a lot for his wife's sister who had just died ; the grave was immediately dug and the woman buried that afternoon. The man was in good health, but overnight he was stricken and he was buried in the forenoon of the following day. Relatives of persons stricken with the disease even ordered graves dug before the death occurred. Cline filled the position of sexton until the '60s, when he was replaced by James R. Hedges. The successors of Hedges have served in the following order : Andrew Rader, W. L. Wright, J. H. Douthett, Hunter Bull, Samuel Bull and Samuel H. Maynor, the present incumbent. The Bull brothers both died while serving. The first regulations for the management of the cemetery were issued in December, 1847, the president of the board of trustees at that time being E. F. Drake, with J. A. Coburn as secretary. The presidents of the board have served in the following order : E. F. Drake, Alfred Trader, Daniel Martin, Brinton Baker, Horace L. Smith and Charles F. Howard. Mr. Howard has been serving as president since 1898. The secretaries have been as follow : J. A. Coburn, John B. Allen, Benoni Nesbitt, John C. Carey and Clinton F. Logan. The present officers of the Woodland Cemetery Association are as follow : Charles F. Howard, president; Horace L. Smith, vice-president ; C. F. Logan, secretary ; M. L. Wolf, treasurer. The directors include the four officers and Lester Arnold, H. H. Eavey, J. A. Piper, S. B. LeSourd and M. A. Broadstone. The association bought twenty acres in 1847, being authorized to form the association and purchase land for burial purposes in accordance with an act of the General Assembly, dated February 25, 1845. Twenty additional acres were purchased in 1877, following the legislative act of March 20, 1877. The first burial in the new cemetery was made by John Shearer, the father of Judge Charles C. Shearer, in 1849, the first person interred being a daughter of William Hollingshead. The total number of burials up to March 18, 1918, was eight thousand two hundred and forty-two. The year 1917 saw one hundred and sixty-three burials in the cemetery, while 1918 witnessed ,thirty-six up to March 18. GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 729   During 1913-14 the cemetery trustees erected a beautiful mortuary chapel of stone in the cemetery at a cost 0f about seventeen thousand dollars. The chapel proper has a seating capacity of two hundred, while the receiving vault beneath has a capacity of twenty-four bodies. The chapel is one of the finest of its kind in the entire state. The stone columns at the entrance of the long drive to the cemetery formerly adorned the front of the old court house, and when that old structure was razed in 1900 they were given to the cemetery trustees by the county commissioners. The galvanized iron balls on top of the columns were an afterthought of the trustees.   There are fewer than half a dozen colored persons buried in Woodland, the colored people having had a cemetery of their own since 1870. There is a section of the cemetery set aside for soldiers of the Civil War and many of them find a resting place there: The cemetery is always kept in fine condition and the grounds are beautified with many different kinds of trees and ornamental shrubbery. The Catholic church has a well-kept cemetery on the upper Bellbrook pike about two miles west of town. It was established about 1850. The colored' people maintain their separate burying ground on the upper Bellbrook pike adjoining the city on the west. It was opened about 1870 under the name of the Cherry Grove cemetery. Its present trustees are William Jenkins, L. P. Hilliard, James Harris, Charles Roundtree, Jerdon Robb, Mark Sanders, M. Summers, Payne Jamison and R. E. Holmes. The secretary of the board of trustees is Albert Landrum. There are still a few bodies in the old cemetery on East Water street, the old Associate Reformed cemetery, but it has not been used since Woodland was opened.   PUBLIC BUILDINGS OF CITY.   It seems certain that the first building erected by the city was a market house, and it appears to have been erected on the court house square in 1814. It is certain that there was such a structure located there in 1824, proof of which is furnished by the following record from the county commissioners' minutes, dated June 8, 1824:   From an order made by the Commissioners on the 6th day of June, 1821, granting leave to the Citizens of Xenia to remove the old Market House and erect a new one on the Publick Ground, after obtaining leave of the Associate Judges of Common Pleas. The Citizens not having obtained leave of said judges, but the Common Council of the Town of Xenia having obtained leave of the said Judges, aforesaid, to erect a Market House on the Public Ground, therefore it is now ordered that the Common Council of the Town of Xenia have liberty to erect a Market House on the north end of the (south) Public Ground in such a manner that the west end of the said Market House will range with the west end of the Court House, and that the Pillars thereof be twelve feet from Third- Street. They also allow Twelve feet of Ground on the South side of the Pillars for the use of said house.   730 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   The building erected shortly after this order of 1824 was in use for several years, but by the '50s it seemed to have been abandoned as a public market house. As early as 1851 the commissioners' records show that they were trying to get the building moved from the square, but for some reason the city failed to do so. On March 12, 1859, a pre-emptory order of the commissioners was sent to the city council asking that the building be removed, and it appears that it was shortly afterwards demolished and was never re-established. The order of that date follows.:   Whereas, the market house belonging to the incorporated village of Xenia was built and is still standing on the ground donated to the county as a public square. And whereas, no markets have been opened or held in said market house for some months past and, from appearance, it seems to have been converted into a place for keeping vehicles of various kinds, contrary to the original design, Therefore—   Resolved, that the Common Council of said Incorporate Village be and is hereby most respectfully requested to remove said market house with all its appurtenances from the public square.   Ordered that the County Auditor furnish the Mayor of said incorporate Village with a copy of the foregoing preamble and resolutions.   FIRE HOUSES.   The first fire house in the city was erected in 1831, following an agreement between the county commissioners and the town, whereby the former agreed to allow it to be constructed on the public square. The official record concerning this so-called engine-house is as follows, dated March 9, 1831:   On the application of the Common Council of the Town of Xenia, by John Gowdy, their recorder, for the privilege of erecting a small frame house on the Public Ground in Xenia for the purpose of keeping the Fire Engine, belonging to said Town, in ; it was therefore agreed by the Commissioners that said privilege be granted, as follows : To commence on Detroit, four feet north of the house built by James Collier ; thence with said Street north fourteen feet, and back thirty feet ; which privilege is granted during the pleasure of the Commissioners, and said Council have power to move said House whenever they think proper.   WM. BUCKLES.   From this location on the public square the next fire house was located on Greene street, next to the alley, where it was stationed for several years. The city, however, rented its quarters here. Another fire house was located on Whiteman street, between Main and Second streets, this being sold when the present new Station was ready for occupancy on East Main street. Of .the two present fire stations the one on East Main was completed in 1914, the other one at the corner of West Second and Cincinnati avenue was a gift to the city.   CITY BUILDING.   The present city building at the northeast corner of Detroit and Market streets was erected in 1867, and was completely overhauled in 1880. At that time the upper part was converted into a public hall and arranged for   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 731   dramatic performances. The building for this reason is usually referred to as the opera house. It houses all the city officials, and also contains the city jail.   THE PUBLIC LIBRARY OF XENIA.   It has been more than one hundred years ago since the first effort was made to establish a public library in Xenia. The little village could hardly have numbered more than five hundred souls at the time, but this did not daunt the forefathers. They wanted a library and they got it. The winter of 1815-16 witnessed an agitation for a library of some kind, not exactly a free library as is understood to-day, but some kind of a reading room. The agitation finally resulted in the drawing up of a subscription paper setting forth the purpose of the movement, the rules under which the proposed library was going to operate, and the general management of the institution when it got started. The first meeting of the subscribers to the library was to be held on the fourth Saturday of March, 1816, at which time an organization was to be effected. The subscription paper, together with the list of signers, follows :   To provide the means of diffusing knowledge and literature is an object of the greatest importance to society, and claims the attention of every friend of humanity. For this purpose, we, the subscribers, have determined to establish a public library in the town of Xenia, which shall be open to all under the following regulations :   1st. Each subscriber shall pay to the librarian five dollars on each share annually.   2nd. The subscribers shall meet on the fourth Saturday of March, 1816, and on the same day annually forever and elect by ballot nine directors, who shall be a standing committee, five of whom shall form a quorum, to regulate the affairs of the library, with the following powers, to-wit : To appropriate the funds of the library for the benefit of the subscribers ; to appoint a president and librarian from their own number, and to assign them their duties ; to call a meeting of the subscribers on matters of importance at any time when they think necessary, and to enact by-laws for regulating the affairs and securing the interest of the library.   3rd. At each annual meeting a report of the proceedings of the committee, together with a list of the books purchased, shall be laid before the subscribers for their inspection.   4th. Two-thirds of the subscribers present at any annual meeting shall have power to alter or amend these regulations.   5th. Any person neglecting his annual subscription or any fine imposed upon him, when amounting to the sum of two dollars and fifty cents, shall forfeit his share to the use of the company, and if under that sum he shall not enjoy any of the privileges of a subscriber until such sum shall be paid.   6th. Any manager may be removed from office at any time by a two-thirds vote of the subscribers.   7th. Shares may be transferred on the books of the librarian, and each subscriber shall be entitled to draw books in proportion to the number of his shares.   8th. The library shall go into operation immediately after forty shares shall have been subscribed.   SUBSCRIBERS—James P. Espey, Josiah Grover, William T. Elkin, Philip Good, William Ellsberry, Samuel Pelham, Joshua Martin, Moses Collier, Stith Bonner, Thomas Hunter, John Gaff, John Haines, Thomas Gillespie, James Collier, John Smith, William Laughead, William Alexander, George Junkin, Jesse Watson, Robert W. Stevenson, Anthony Cannon,   732 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   Samuel McBeth, Bratton & Beall, Jacob Haines, Francis Kendall, James Towler, Matthew Alexander, Josiah G. Talbott, Jacob Smith, Henry Morgan, James Lamme, James Galloway, Jr., Lewis Wright, W. A. Beatty, Alexander Armstrong, William Richards, Daniel Reece, James Popence, William Currie, Robert D. Forsman, Thomas Embree.   Here are forty-one citizens who expressed a willingness to help establish a library in the town—one of the first in the state of Ohio. There are, unfortunately, no records extant showing just what was done by this library "company." But it is interesting to know that more than a century ago the town saw the wisdom of establishing a library, although it was not until the fall of 1899 that the first free public library was established in the city.   The history of the library situation in Xenia from 1816 down to 1878 is obscure. There is no question that the town had a library of some kind during most of this time, but it seems to have completely disappeared by the '70s. The history of the local library was prepared for a state publication in 1899 by Isadore F. -King, who traced the growth of the library of Xenia only from 1878. There seems to be no question that there was no library of any kind at that date, nor does there appear to have been for a number of years. The Young Men's Christian Association had a small library in its quarters, but it circulated only among its limited membership.   As is often the case in public-spirited matters, the women of Xenia should be credited with starting the present library in Xenia. In the winter of 1877-78 a group 0f eight young women organized what they called the "Tuesday Club," the members being Elizabeth Ewing, Jennie Morris, Anna McCracken, Clara Allen,. Bell Gatch, Elousa F. King, Isadore F. King and Emma C. King. They prepared literary papers, discussed literature in a more or less dilettante sort of fashion, but found themselves seriously handicapped because there was no library. It was this need on their part which ultimately led to the beginning of the present library. The few books of the 'Young Men's Christian Association and another library, known as the Lyceum, were of little value, and besides were stowed away in an inaccessible place. This state of affairs was directly responsible for the energetic members of the Tuesday Club organizing on August 20, 1878, the Young Women's Library Association, their first officers being as follow : Anna McCracken, president ; Emma C. King, vice-president Jennie Morris, secretary ; Belle Gatch, treasurer. But the young women had more enthusiasm than money, and while enthusiasm is a very necessary thing to have, yet it will not purchase books: They bethought themselves of the few books of the Young. Men's Christian Association and made a proposition. to John A. Shields, who had them in charge, that they be allowed the custody of the books for the nucleus, of a library for the town. In order to go about   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 733   the matter in a business-like manner they submitted the following proposition in writing to the managers of the Young Men's Christian Association :   Recognizing the need of a public library in Xenia, the. Young Women's Library Associaciation has been organized. We have no room, no books, no money, but we believe we have energy and perseverance, and we hope to have success. Our object in coming to you is to ask the loan of your room, your furniture, your books, in consideration of which we pledge the following :   1. To keep the library open at least once a week.   2. To be responsible for the safe keeping of the furniture and books except in case of fire; to replace any books that may be lost, but not holding ourselves responsible for their wear while in use.   3. To add new books to the library as we shall be able, such books to be the property of the Young Women's Library Association.   It is needless to say that the managers of the Young Men's Christian Association very gladly accepted the proposition of the women. They immediately started out to get books donated to the library, and at the same time sold dollar tickets which entitled the holder to use the library free of c0st for a period of one year. Eli Millen, the owner of the building in which the room was located, offered to let them have the room free of rent, and as long as the library remained in the building it paid no rent for the use of the room. Here was opened a public library on September 14, 1878, and this date may be taken as the beginning of the history of the present library of the city. At the close of the first year the association was able to report one hundred and thirty-seven members holding tickets entitling them to the use of the books.   And thus came into existence the present library. Some of the women who worked so faithfully to get it started are still living in the city, and it must be a source of gratification to them to know that they shared in the honor of establishing it. From 1878 to 1885 the library was open only on Wednesday afternoon and all day Saturday, the members taking turn acting as librarian. The fund for the purchase of books came solely from the sale of tickets and the few fines which were collected. By 1885, however, the members became so numerous that it was decided to keep the library open every afternoon except Sunday, and all day Saturday. Prior to this time the young women who had started it had incorporated themselves under the name of the Xenia Library Association, the original eight becoming the members of the association. This took place on November 8, 1881. In 1885 the association decided to make a strenuous effort to increase the value of the library by calling upon the Citizens of the city for donations. Their efforts were rewarded with donations to the amount of $227.50. The management now felt that they could afford to employ a librarian, and Clara Martin was employed in this capacity. She was soon followed by Ella Carruthers, who in turn gave way to Elizabeth 0. Kyle. On May 1, 1888, the present librarian, Etta G.   734 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   McElwain, took charge of the library and has been connected with it as librarian continuously since that date.   The next change in the history of the library followed the legislative act of February 13, 1898, an act which empowered boards of education in cities of the fourth grade, second class, to levy a tax not to exceed one-half mill for the benefit and support of free public libraries. The management of the local library discussed the question of taking advantage of the law, and, finding that the Xenia board of education was willing to co-operate, they decided to relinquish in its favor. The women had struggled for twenty years to maintain the library and at ,times some of them felt that their efforts were not appreciated, but they subordinated any personal desire they may have had and voted unanimously to turn over the library to the city. They city provided the necessary tax levy and on September I, 1899, the first free public library in Xenia was thrown open to the public. While the year 1899 thus marks the beginning of a new epoch in the history of the library, there was to be another important change within the next three years. In the fall of 1902 the management was the recipient of an offer from Andrew Carnegie, offering to give twenty thousand dollars for the erection of a library building provided the city furnished a site and guaranteed two thousand dollars a year for its maintenance. The proposition was promptly accepted and a site was donated by Mrs. Louisa R. Lackey and Diana Roberts, the site comprising a tract of one hundred and fifty square feet. The board of education accepted the site and agreed to the proposition of Carnegie, a resolution of November 12, 1902, by the board of education providing for the levying of a tax of not less than one-half mill nor more than one mill for the support of the library. The city council went on record with a resolution on November 28, 1902, in which it approved the action of the board of education and formally thanked the donors of the site and Mr. Carnegie for his generous gift. Furthermore, the council pledged the credit of the city Of Xenia toward the consummation of the agreement made between Carnegie and the board of education, and agreed on its part to assume the contract in case the hoard of education did not or was unable to fulfill its part of the contract.   And thus Xenia secured its present beautiful library building without the cost of a cent to the city, to the board of education, or to anyone else. The building cost $20,000, the full amount originally donated by Carnegie, and then there was no money with which to furnish it. Again Carnegie was appealed to for assistance, and a second time he came to the assistance of the people of Xenia. This time he donated $1,350, all of which was used in equipping the library with furniture. The corner stone of the library was laid on July 22, 1904, and it was completed and opened to the public on Tuesday, June 7, 1906.   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 735   Now follows an account of how the city lost the library, and how the county had to step in to save it from extinction. The cause for the inability of the board of education to continue its support of the library arose from the fact that the taxing sysem of the state was so changed as to make it impossible for the school board to raise the necessary money to support both the schools of the city and library. It was hoped that the city council would come to the rescue of the library, but it repudiated its agreement of 1902. To state-the facts plainly, the city was not in a financial condition where it could spare the two thousand dollars annually that was required for the maintenance of the library. It was at this crisis in the history of the library that the board of governors appealed to the county commissioners for assistance, and that body agreed to furnish the necessary funds to keep the library going.   This unfortunate state of affairs arose in 1913, and while the matter was under discussion all the available funds of the library were used: Something had to be done—and done quick, or the library would have to be closed. It was at this juncture that several public-spirited friends of the library came to the front with donations of four hundred dollars, a sum sufficient to bridge over the period between the time that the board of education refused to contribute further until the county took over the library. The transfer took place on June 4, 1913, and at the same time the name of the library was changed from the Carnegie Library. to the Greene County Library. The commissioners asked that. the old board of governors continue in office and perform their duties as they had in the past. In fact, the only change in the library was that of name and the source of its maintenance. In 1917 the county tax .for the support of the library amounted to $2,765.34, the library deriving $179.24 from fines, the sale of magazines and a few minor sources of revenue.   The management of the institution is vested in a board of governors composed of twenty women. They elect the librarian, select the books and magazines and attend to the general management of the library. The present officers are the following : Anna McCracken, president ; Margaret Moorehead, vice-president ; Mrs. Clara Shields, secretary. The board of governors is self-perpetuating, the members filling all vacancies. The first scientific cataloguing of the books was done in August and September, 1892, by Katherine L. Sharp, a library expert. There have been three bequests to the library which deserve special mention : The James E. Galloway collection of about two hundred and fifty volumes and a number of bound newspaper files; the J. P. Chew collection of bound newspapers for a long period of years ; the Dr. Samuel C. Poland collection of coins. The latter collection is one of the finest in the state, numbering 1,076 coins and representing all the countries of the world. The three cases in which the coins are displayed bear the date of the gift to the library—September 5, 1910. The donors of one or more volumes number   736 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   probably a hundred, while a number of book publishers have donated books in the past.   The number of volumes in the library on March 25, 1918, was 17,234. During 1917 there were 780 volumes added, and about this same number is added annually. There are 53 magazines on file, the New York Times, the New York Tribune, and copies of the local Xenia papers. During the year closing September 30, 1917, there were 47,745 volumes issued to 4,010 readers for home reading. This was an increase of 13,930 volumes over the previous year, and an increase of 630 in the number of readers. The librarian and her assistant attempt to keep a check on the number of readers who visit the library, and during the past year they numbered 8,491, an increase of 2,353 over the preceding year. The library was open 304 days in the last year and handed out an average of 157 books each day it was open, 324 being the largest number handed out and 34 the smallest. The monthly circulation ranged from 5,077 to 3,013 volumes.   When the county took over the library in 1913 the scope of the library was changed s0 as to make it more nearly a county library. Arrangements were made to establish branch libraries over the county, and already ten separate communities have taken advantage of this arrangement to secure books : Yellow Springs, Cedarville, Alpha, Bellbrook, Jamestown, Bowersville, Spring Valley, Goes, Caesarscreek and the Bryson school. Books are sent on request to these stations in lots of fifty for periods of three months. They are kept by some responsible person, the local library, the school, or even in a store, as at Goes. The idea is to make the library of as much value to the people of the county as possible. During 1917, 1,529 volumes were sent to these various stations. The addition of this work made it necessary in the fall of 1913 to provide an assistant for Miss McElwain. This position has been held since October I, 1913, by Mrs. Winifred H. Armstrong. The present librarian, Etta G. McElwain, has been serving in this capacity for thirty years, and it is not too much to say that she has done more than any other person to keep the institution on its feet. She has kept pace with the latest developments in library science and the result has been that there is no better managed library in the state. There has never been a more faithful and efficient servant of the public in Xenia than Miss McElwain, and the people of the city owe her a debt of gratitude for her long service with the library.   THE POSTOFFICE OF XENIA.   The postoffice history of Xenia is peculiarly mixed up with the political history of the city, county and nation. For one hundred and thirteen years postmasters have come and gone, and during this long period of more than a century one postmistress has appeared on the scene. To go into detail and tell   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 737   why one man was appointed to the office and not another would involve a discussion not only of local politics but even of national politics. There have been times in the history of Xenia when aspirants for the postoffice have gathered around the wires on election night and waited with bated breath to hear whether New York and Indiana were going Democratic or Republican. If the former, then some Democrat of the city heaved a sigh of relief, for it meant that he was going to get the postoffice, and, conversely, the Republican aspirant slowly and .sadly wended his way homeward to wait for the next election four years later.   This was the situation from the beginning of the town until April 1, 1917. Up to that time, and especially since the '30s, the postmaster in Xenia was always of the political faith of the. party in power. They were usually appointed because they had, or thought they had, contributed to the election of the successful candidate for the presidency. But all this was changed with the presidential order of April 1, 1917, an order which placed the postmasters of all first, second and third class offices under civil service. This means that in the future no postmaster can be removed except for cause; that all postmasters who were in office on April I, 1917, are to retain their positions as long as they perform the duties of the office satisfactorily.   It would take a volume to tell of the successive campaigns waged by local aspirants for the postoffice in Xenia. Seventeen different persons have held the office, one incumbent, James Hoyle, serving on two different occasions. No doubt in the early days of the town there was not much of a fight over the office, for the reason that it was not very remunerative. For several years after the office was established in 1805 the incumbent was not able to make a living from the office, and it was not until near the time of the Civil War that the office reached a point where it was worth the trouble of making a fight for it. It is not certain who was the first postmaster to devote all of his time to the office, but from the best evidence it appears that James Hoyle, who was first appointed in 1853, was the first man to attempt to make a living from the office.   James Towler, a Methodist preacher, was the first postmaster of Xenia, and, according to the best authority, assumed the duties of the office on April 1, 1805. He had little to do, and his compensation was so meagre that he probably had no opposition to reappointment during the time that he held the office from 1805 to 1818. Year by year the business of the office has increased until the one man who once kept the office and also carried on his regular occupation at the same time has given way to thirty-four employees. The few dollars that Postmaster Towler annually took in a hundred years ago are now offset by such a sum as $30,720.03, the amount collected in 1917. For several years after the postoffice was established the town did not   (47)   738 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   have daily mail. It was on a star route running between Columbus and Cincinnati during part of the time, and at other times it was on a route running between Columbus and Dayton. At first it only received mail once each week; later the mails were increased to two per week, then to three, and some time before 1846 the town was getting daily service. The mail was brought in on the old stage coaches which made regular trips between Cincinnati and Columbus, or from Dayton to the capital. But with the coming of the Little Miami Railroad in the fall of 1846 the town began to receive two mails each day. As .other railroads reached the town, more mails were received. In 1918 the local office receives twenty-seven mails daily and sends out twenty-six.   The location of the postoffice for tile past hundred years is a matter which has been practically impossible to determine with any degree of accuracy. The memory of the average man is a very treacherous thing, and the local papers are painfully silent on such matters as the location of the postoffice. The historian has seen the advertisements of uncalled for letters as far back as 1814, but in no case was there any indication where the postoffice was located. It is known that the office was located during the regime of Postmaster Towler in his log house on West Main street, his house standing on the site now occupied by the North building. It is not certain just when he opened the office, nor when he received his commission, the fact that the records at Washington were destroyed when the capitol and other buildings were destroyed by fire during the War of 1812 accounting for the inability of the historian to get the exact date of the beginning of the postoffice in Xenia. It is thought that it was about April 1, 1805, and this date is accepted as about the time he assumed the duties of the office.   Following the removal of the office fr0m the log cabin of Towler, it has been more or less definitely located at ten different sites. At the time of the dedication of the present postoffice in 1915 Postmaster Orr assembled all the information he could gather concerning the history of the office from its beginning, and all the facts herein contained are taken from 'his speech at the dedicatory services on that occasion. Mr. Orr enumerates ten sites for the office since the time it left the cabin of Towler, to-wit : The present site of the residence of George L. White on West Market street ; East Main street, next room west of Sanz's shoe store ; South Detroit street, where H. E. Schmidt's grocery now stands (other authorities state that it was just north of the Schmidt grocery) ; East Main street, in the room in the Howard block now occupied by the drug store of D. l). Jones ; corner of Greene and Main streets, where the Citizens National Bank is now located; Greene street, in room now occupied by L. S. Barnes ; Greene street, in room adjoining the alley to the south ; Greene street, in room of George White's store ; corner of Greene and Market streets, in room occupied by the Ford agency; in present building since December 30, 1914.   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 739   To quote from Mr. Orr's interesting account of the office : "Let it be recorded that on the evening of the 30th day of December, 1914, at 6:30 o'clock, the windows of the government-leased quarters were closed for the last time in the building at the corner of Market and Greene streets, and half an hour later the mail and officials of this office were installed in this new building which the government had erected for the purpose—a building which should withstand the elements for a thousand years."   Many stories are told of the efforts of the Greene street merchants to keep the office on that street, the object, of course, being to attract the trade to their stores along the street. It is said that Millen, the owner of the building where the office was located for a number of years, allowed the government the room at a ridiculously low rental in order to keep the office on that street. The present beautiful postoffice building was erected on East Main street, at a cost of $135,000, and dedicated on July 4, 1915, although the office had been opened in the new building since the 30th of the preceding December.   There are now thirty-four employees connected with the local office. The present postmaster, Harry E. Rice, took charge on February 13, 1916. The assistant postmaster is Walter E. Wike, who is the oldest employe in point of service. Mr. Wike went into the office as a clerk in 1873 during the administration of Mrs. Lowe, remaining three years. He was out of the office from 1876 to 1883 and in the latter year returned as clerk for a four-year period. He was then out again for a year, but returned in 1888 and has been there continuously since that year. The next oldest clerk in point of service is Anna M. Greenlease, who has been in the office since October 1, 1893, while Harry L. Clark, a city carrier, has been on duty in that capacity continuously since October 4, 1893.   City carrier service was inaugurated during the postmastership of M. M. Gaunce (1885-1889), the first three carriers being M. J. Dunn, John Hook and Martin V. Lucas. Dunn is the only one of the three now living.. The present city carriers are Benjamin F. Eckerle, J. Howard Jones, Clarence W. Barnes, Harold B. Fetz, Harry L. Clark, George I. Gaines and Orlando Sprigg. The two substitute carriers are Joseph P. McCormick and Revelle Hurley.   Rural free delivery was established during the administration of J. M. Milburn (1898-1903), there being only one carrier, Charles Thompson, at first. He received only three hundred dollars a year for his services, a striking contrast to the one thousand two hundred dollars now received by the rural carriers. There are now ten regular rural-route carriers and four substitutes. The regular carriers are as follow, their names being given in the order of their route number : Edwin A. Redfern, Harry M. Weber, Andrew J. Love, David R. Brewer, Bert J. Winter, Harry E. Marshall, Levi F. Allen, Baldwin Allen, Albert Kendrick and Alphonso Lane. The substi-   740 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   tute carriers are Lester Lane, Emory Beall, William H. Jenkins and James H. Harner. Eight of the carriers use automobiles when the roads will permit. Their average route covers twenty-five miles, and they serve from one hundred to one hundred and sixty patrons each. The clerks in the office include the following : George E. Hamilton, Anna M. Greenlease, Warren E. Rodgers, Leigh A. Taylor, Cora C. Williams, Milton A. Smith and 011ie C. Custer. Mary H. Hopkins is a substitute clerk. Thomas F. Kiely is the special delivery messenger. The mail is hauled to and from the railroad stations by Fred Scurry.   The postal savings department was established on September 5, 1911, but this feature has never been very much patronized in Xenia. Experience has shown that the department is mostly used by foreigners and since Xenia has very few of these, there has been little use made 0f the department. The parcel post was established on July 25, 1913, and has proved immensely popular from the beginning. For the benefit of future generations it might be stated that three-cent postage was re-established on November 2, 1917, the country having employed two-cent postage for more than thirty years. The present war has added heavily to the duties of the postmaster. He acts as a recruiting agent, as a government detective, and in other ways acts as a direct intermediary between the government at Washington and the local community. All the sales of war saving stamps and thrift stamps f0r the county are accounted for by the postmaster of the county seat in each county. They were first offered for sale at the local office on December 3, 1917, the apportionment of the county's sales for the year 1918 being placed at five hundred fifty-eight thousand dollars. The amount of these stamps to be bought by the counties of .the various states is prorated on the basis of population, Greene county being estimated to have a population of thirty-two thousand.   It is interesting to note that every postmaster since the days of Thomas G. Brown has been connected with local newspapers at some time or other a fact which may account for the fact that so many papers have arisen in the county seat since the Civil War. John H. Purdy was the editor of the Xenia Free Press in the '30s. Brown is the oldest of these postmasters now living, although he has not been a resident of the city for several years. now making his home in Coshocton. The only other postmasters living are Lewis H. Whiteman and John Francis Orr. The complete list of postmasters from 1805 down to the present time follows : James Towler, April 1, 1805 ; George Townsley, July. 7, 1818 ; John H. McPherson, November 13, 1828 ; William T. Stark, May 14, 1829 ; John H. McPherson, June 9, 1841 ; John H. Purdy, September 5, 1842 ; William M. Stark, December 20, 1845 ; Daniel Lewis, May 2, 1849 ; James Hoyle, May 12, 1853 ; Will-   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 741   iam Lewis, April 8, 1861; James Hoyle, November 17, 1866; Manorah F. Lowe, April J0, 1867; Thomas G. Brown, March 3, 1879; M. M. Gaunce, December 5, 1885; Nelson A. Fulton, September 6, 1889 ; Lewis H. Whiteman, March 15, 1894; Joseph M. Milburn, May 24, 1898; John F. Orr, June 23, 1903 ; Harry E. Rice, February 13, 1916. The one woman who held the office, Manorah F. Lowe, was the widow of Col. John W. Lowe, the first field officer of Ohio to be killed in the Civil War. He was shot on the battlefield at Carnifix Ferry on September 18, 1861. It was in recognition of his service that President Johnson appointed his widow postmaster of Xenia in 1867, and she was later appointed by President Grant, serving in all twelve years.   XENIA BECOMES A CITY.   The city council of Xenia held its first meeting on March 3, 1834, and from that time until January 2, 1918, the city was governed by a mayor and council. A study of the minutes of the council during all these years reveals many interesting things, not all of which would make delectable reading. There are on record many things of which the city can not be proud, while on the other hand there is a great preponderance of things well done.   The musty old volumes tell of mayors who filled their pockets full of money derived from fines and then skipped out for parts unknown, but on the other hand it also tells of mayors who exercised the most scrupulous care in the performance of their duties. There have been good mayors, bad mayors, and some mediocre; thus it is in every City in the country. There have been good councilmen and bad councilmen; councilmen who looked after the interests of the people they were supposed to represent, and councilmen who have looked solely after their own interests. There has probably never been a single council in the city that has not had some of the best citizens of the city in it, but when they were in the minority their influence was practically negligible. However, with the beginning of 1918 the days of the old form of government are over, and there is little chance that it will ever return.   The first city officials in 1834 were the following : Cornelius Clark, mayor ; L. P. Frazer, recorder ; Alexander Conner, marshal; Jonathan Jones; clerk of the market house; Jonathan H. Wallace, David Douglass, Joseph Harbison, John Howard and John Charters, trustees. Cornelius Clark, the first mayor of the town, was a lawyer. Jones was not appointed market-house clerk until the second weekly meeting, March 10, 1834, but his salary of twenty dollars a year evidently did not appeal to him, since he soon   742 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   resigned and was appointed marshal to succeed Conner, who refused to give bond for the performance of his duties.   It is practically impossible in some years to tell who was the mayor, the records of the council meetings often not 'being signed by the mayor. And in order to add to the perplexity, the annual elections seldom speak of the mayor by name, the minutes of the first meeting in April simply stating that the mayor was present, but without naming him. The list of mayors from 1834 down to 1918 as near as it has been possible to make it is as follows : Cornelius Clark, 1834-1835 ; Aaron Harlan, 1835-1836; Daniel Martin, 1836-1838 ; Aaron Harlan, 1837-1838 ; Roswell F. Howard, 1838- 1839 ; Nicholas Casper, 1839-1840; Roswell F. Howard, 1840-1841; the records from 1841 to 1853 are missing and it is therefore impossible to determine the mayors for this period, but when the rec0rds begin again in 1853 Joseph A. Sexton was mayor and he may have been for a number of years prior to that time; the records since 1853 indicate the succession without a break : Joseph A. Sexton, 1853-1856; R. Partington, 1856-1858; James Kyle, 1858-1864; H. B. Guthrie, 1864-1865; George W. Wright appears to have been mayor a short time in 1864 and ,1865, but the record is not clear on this point ; John Little, 1865, resigned; George W. Wright, appointed September 11, 1865, removed April 11, 1866; Lewis Wright, appointed April 11, 1866, and apparently was serving as mayor pro tem for a time; John Little, 1866-1867; Warren Anderson, 1867-1870; Joseph M. Keever, 1870-1876, left the city suddenly for Canada ; Warren Anderson, 1876, appointed to fill out the unexpired term of Keever ; George W. Neville, T 876-1880; Wilbur F. Trader, 1880-1882; Guthrie Marshall, 1882-1884; Wilbur F. Trader, 1884-1888; Charles F. Howard, 1888-1895, resigned in November; John A. North, 1895, appointed to fill unexpired term of Howard; C. W. Linkhart, 1896-1903 ; Wilbur F. Trader, 1903-1906; William F. Brennan, 1906-1910; William Dodds, 1910-January 2, 1918.   THE NEW CITY GOVERNMENT OF XENIA.   The year 1918 witnessed the beginning of a new era in the history of municipal government in Xenia. For more than a hundred years the city had been under the old regime, a system which might have worked if the proper kind of citizens had taken the interest in public affairs that they should. It is a matter of municipal history throughout the United States that no city government is any better than the citizens that have it in charge. If a set of corrupt politicians secure control of a city, it is nearly impossible to get rid of them, and as a result the city continues to suffer year after year.   Bi-partisan political machines have governed some cities of the country   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 743   for years, and it is because of their corrupt methods in administering municipal affairs that other methods of governing cities have been developed. Xenia has had its share of maladministration at the hands of politicians who had no other interest at heart than the filling of their own pockets or, occasionally, they might have suffered some of their friends to help in getting rid of the money of the taxpayers. It has been said that some of the valuable franchises of the city have been granted only after the lavish expenditure of money on the part of the interested company seeking the franchise.   When Galveston was nearly destroyed by a great tidal wave in 1900 it was universally admitted by the citizens of the stricken city that heroic measures would have to be taken in order to bring the city out of chaos. It was in this hour of tribulation that the beginning of the present city manager system of government was born. It Is not too much to say that it was this destructive tidal wave of 1900 that is responsible for the introduction of a new system of municipal administration throughout the United States. Its wonderful success in Galveston led other cities to try the plan and now there are hundreds of cities in the country using some form of the plan first tried out in Galveston, later developed in Des Moines, Dayton arid other cities. This new form of city government is variously known as the "Commission" form, the "City Manager" form or the "Home Rule" form of government.   The first definite step taken by the city toward the adoption of the city manager form of government was the election of a group of fifteen citizens who were to frame a charter for the city. At an election held on April 3, 1917, the following fifteen citizens were selected for this purpose : E. D. Smith, Austin M. Patterson, William S. Rogers, S. H. Deacon, Thomas Gilroy, W. A. Galloway, M. J. Hartley, R. E. Holmes, Jacob Kany, Frank McCurran, W. L. Miller, George H. Smith, Jordan Robb, C. S. Frazer and G. A. Willett. This group of citizens were known as the Charter Commission, and organized by selecting E. D. Smith as chairman, Austin M. Patterson as vice-chairman and William S. Rogers as secretary. It was the charter which this commission framed that was voted upon on August 30, 1917. They concluded their deliberations on July 9 and at 0nce ordered the charter and a general statement of what it proposed printed in order that the citizens of the city might be able to see what kind of a government was proposed.   In the summer of 1917 the agitation for the adoption of this new form of city government for Xenia began to take form. The citizens of the city, irrespective of party, who were interested in good government were uniformly back of the movement to secure the new f0rm 0f government. The   744 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   elements of the city who were opposed to good government used every method at their disposal to defeat the movement, and left no stone unturned to maintain the old regime. It is true that there were some good citizens who were somewhat in doubt as to the efficacy of the proposed new form of government, but they were in an overwhelming minority. The summer and fall were spent in discussing the proposed change in municipal affairs. The election was set for August 30, 1917, but for at least three months prior to that date the matter was thoroughly reviewed fr0m every angle. A campaign of education was inaugurated and by the day of election every voter had had the opportunity to hear the question discussed from all sides. On the day of election all the elements of the city opposed to good government made their last stand. Even after the polls were closed on that eventful day there was an attempt to manipulate the result of the election, the returns being withheld in some of the precincts as long as possible. Those in charge of some of the ballot boxes even telephoned into the headquarters of the opposition and inquired how many votes would be necessary to defeat the proposed new charter. It was only when it was found that enough fraudulent votes could not be delivered to change the result that the vote in some precincts was reported. And thus was ushered in a new era in the city government of Xenia, and August 30, 1917, may very properly be taken as a turning point in the history of the city, the form of government then adopted going into operation January 2, 1918. The charter adopted by the voters on August 30, 1917, is provided for by the "home rule" provision of the state constitution. The key note to this f0rm of government is efficiency, economy and direct official responsibility.   The general control of the city government is vested in a commission of five members, who are the only elective officers of the city, all other officials being selected by this centralized group of five persons. These members were elected at the November, 1917, election : Two for two years and three for four years, the one receiving the highest number of votes to be president for the first year, the commission thereafter being allowed to choose its own president. The commission designates one of its own members as mayor, but his authority is limited, the office in fact being little more than an honorary one. The members of the commission receive a nominal salary of one hundred and fifty dollars a year. The entire official responsibility for the conduct of the city's affairs rests on these five men. They conduct the management of all the various departments of the city through such .officials as they may select. These officials are city manager, who is the real head of the city's government, and, as administrative head of the city, is directly responsible to the commission for his compensation and time of service ; city solicitor, whose duties are prescribed by statute   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 745   and do not differ materially from those formerly performed by this official under the old form of government ; city auditor, who is given large discretion and authority in issuing warrants for money, being a much more important official under the new government than he was under the old form ; city treasurer and police judge, whose duties are similar to those of the same officials under the old regime ; trustees of the sinking fund, four in number, whose terms of office are fixed by the commission; civil-service Commission of three members, who shall have a six-year tenure. It should be stated that the tenure of the other five officials—city manager, solicitor, auditor, treasurer and police judge—may be terminated at any time by the commission ; in other words, they hold office at the will of the commission. The city manager appoints all of the other employees that the city may need.   FIRST OFFICIALS OF NEW CITY GOVERNMENT.   The first officials elected under the new charter took their respective offices on January 2, 1918, following the election of November 6, 1917. The commission is composed of the following : J. Thorb Charters, president; Dr. A. D. DeHaven, vice-president ; Arthur Whallen, mayor ; C. S. Frazer and Harry Fisher. Mr. Charters became the first president by virtue of receiving the highest number of votes, while Mr. Whallen was chosen mayor by the members of the commission. The commission selected the following officials : Kenyon Riddle, city manager ; J. A. Finny, solicitor ; Roy C. Hayward, city auditor; J. E. Sutton, city treasurer ; E. Dawson Smith, police judge ; M. J. Hartley, Horace L. Smith and S. 0. Hale, civil-service commission. The old members of board of trustees of the sinking fund were retained in office, this being provided for by the charter. They are to hold until the expiration of their terms 'of office, after which their successors are to be appointed by the city commission, the commission having the power to fix their tenure. The members of the board of sinking-fund trustees are George Galloway, John A. Nisbet, Eber Reynolds and J. W. Santmyer. They serve without compensation.   Kenyon Riddle, the new city manager, is a native of Herrington, Kansas, where he was born in 1890. He received his education in the University of Kansas, where he specialized in civil. engineering. After leaving the university in 1912 he followed the profession of civil engineer for a couple of years, beginning his first work as city engineer at Abilene, Kansas, in 1914. Here he took charge of all the city's construction work and so efficient was his work that the city officials soon began to turn the management of the city over to him. He gradually developed a system of city government which attracted attention, a system which became known as   748 - GREENE COUNTY, OHIO   the "engineer plan" of city government. In the latter part of 1915 he resigned his position to resume his profession in a private capacity and was thus engaged when he was called to Xenia to become its first city manager. While he has only been in charge of the city's affairs a short time, he has already demonstrated his fitness for the position and has earned the confidence which the citizens have in his ability.   XENIA COM MERCIAL CLUB.   The Xenia Commercial Club was organized on January 25, 1915, with one hundred and twenty-six charter members. The object of the club was to create an effective working organization for the advancement of the general welfare of the city along all lines. The club has been an active factor in wakening the people of the city to a realization of its possibilities and in this way has been of real benefit.   Frank L. Smith was the first president of the club, and has been followed in order by the following : C. L. :Darlington, C. L. Jobe and Charles W. Adair, the present incumbent. The other current officers are the following : F. Leon Spahr, vice-president ; C. S. Frazer, treasurer ; C. F. Ridenour, secretary.; G. A. Willett, R. W. Irwin, John W. Prugh, Elbert L. Babb and C. L. Jobe, board of managers. The quarters of the club are at 21 East Main street. The club meets every month, at which time the program consists generally of a banquet and speaker. The business of the club is transacted entirely by the board of managers which meets every afternoon before the regular meeting and places its business on the minutes which are then read at the regular meeting. The officers of the club meet with the board and have a voice the same as board members. The club officers are elected annually, being nominated at one regular meeting and elected at the next one. Every year the club is responsible for a minstrel show for its benefit and each such show is followed by a banquet to the cast, which is one of the big affairs of the club social calendar. The dues are ten dollars a year paid semi-annually. The club rooms consist of an office, parlor with phonograph and piano,' desk and stationery, pool and billiard, baths, kitchen and dining room, committee room and large assembly or dance hall. The whole occupies two floors, which the club rents.   MAIN INDUSTRIES OF XENIA IN 1918.   The manufacture of cordage, shoes, monuments, canned products and flour constitute the chief products of Xenia at the present time. The Hooven & Allison Company has been engaged in the manufacture of rope, twine and cordage of all kinds since the '70s, although the present company is the successor of other companies. The R. A. Kelly Company is an offshoot of one   GREENE COUNTY, OHIO - 749   of the companies which was the predecessor of the Hooven & Allison Company. Robert A. Kelly came to Xenia in 1876 and took employment with a cordage company then in operation in the city, and had the honor of installing the first machinery to make rope. Later Kelly organized a company of his own and since that time there have been two separate cordage companies in the city. The Hooven & Allison Company has a branch mill in North Kansas City, Missouri, in charge of J. F. Orr, former postmaster of Xenia.   The shoe industry dates from the '80s, but it was not until P. H. Flynn became connected with the local company in 1890 that the business began to prosper. He has been president of the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company since 1891. The business started in an old plow factory. Two large additions to the original building have been erected—one in 1895 and the other in 1900. In the latter year Flynn assisted in the organization of the Buckeye Shoe Company, which at once erected a large building adjoining the building of the Xenia Shoe Manufacturing Company, but this new company was absorbed by the old company in 1903. The output is confined to shoes for women.   The monument industry in Xenia had its beginning in 1864, in which year George and Andrew Dodds, brothers, located in the city. The present company, known as the George Dodds Sons Granite Company, is the out growth of the business established by the two brothers, the present firm name not being used until 1911. There are also two subsidiary companies : Victoria White Granite Company, with quarries at Keene, New Hampshire Milford Pink Granite Company, with quarries at Milford, Massachusetts. The Dodds brothers maintain branch offices in Chicago, in charge of Earl C. Dodds, president of the company : Indianapolis, in charge of Ralph C. Dodds. Leslie J. Dodds is head of one of the wholesale ,departments of the Wilson Brothers, of Chicago. John C., Frank W. and George F. Dodds, the other three of the six brothers, are located at the main offices in Xenia.   The manufacture of powder, from the very nature of the business, cannot be carried on in a city, but Xenia has always claimed to be a center of the industry, although the powder-mills are about five miles north of the city. The first powder-mill in the county, and one of the first in the state, was established in 1846 by the three Austin brothers, the site of their plant being near an old scythe factory on the Little Miami river between Xenia and Yellow Springs, the site of the present mills. The Austin brothers continued the business until 1852, when Joseph W. King bought an interest in the plant, the firm name being changed to Austin, King & Company. In 1855 King became the sole owner and at once incorporated the Miami Powder Company; under which firm name the business was conducted until December, 1914, when the plant was purchased by the Aetna Explosives Company. King sold the Miami Powder Company in 1878 and established another plant at King's Station, in