CHAPTER X.

TOWNSHIP AND CITY OF ATHENS LINKED TOGETHER, ONE AND

INSEPARABLE.

INTERWOVEN-METES AND BO UND S-18 0 5o AND 1851 TO 1883—ITEMS -BRIMSTONE PUNISHMENT-FIRST POST ROUTE--PROGRESSING SLOWLY- POPULATION AND COMPARISON OF GROWTH-TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, 1806 TO 1883 -TRUSTEES -TREASURERS-C LEEKS-JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

INTERWOVEN.

Athens Township is so interwoven with the city of Athens, so blended in their history with each other, that outside of their official acts there is little to record separate. In the exhaustive history of the city here given there is little left of township history to record. Its first settlement in 1798 was at Athens City, and its growth radiated from that point, and this settlement and this growth is fully recorded in the city's history. Its metes and bounds and its official life is here given, which is all that can be said except in a general way.

Athens Township is one of the two selected by Congress as a donation for a university and is six miles square, and is considered about as good a section of land as the Ohio Purchase contained. The valley of the Hocking widens as it nears the Ohio River, and much of Athens Township lies in this valley, and its arable land is rich and fertile. There are other valleys and streams, the latter flowing into the Hocking, and the former with a deep alluvial soil, which yields abundant returns for labor rendered, and these branch valleys are now filled with improved farms, well-built residences, and with an air surrounding them that tells of comfort, thrift and economy.

METES AND BOUNDS.

Athens Township is six miles square with an area in acres of 23,040 on a general average, but perhaps a few hundred acres could be added by measuring both sides of some of the most prominent

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226 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

hills. She has Dover Township on the north; Canaan on the east; her twin township, Alexander, on the south, and Waterloo, on the west.

Athens Township was not always of the present, if it can be so expressed, "regulation" size, but covered a somewhat extensive range of country. At its first organization it was composed of what is now known as Brown and Swan townships, of Vinton County, and Waterloo and Canaan, of Athens County, besides its own present boundary. This gave it thirty miles east and west by six miles north and south. For some reason, perhaps on account of its uneven surface, Southeastern Ohio, as laid off into counties, has been given very queer and irregular shapes, and they seem to have taken it from the forms of the townships, for a good many townships in early days could boast of an area equal to many counties of the present time. The old pioneer may have been educated in many things, but he had little idea of form or compactness, unless it came down to purely home or domestic matters. He could fill a wagon or a canoe until, like an omnibus of modern times, there was always room for more. Even township and range lines were ignored in many cases. Athens County is not so bad as some, but Hocking is thirty miles wide at its widest part, east and west, and Vinton is twenty-four miles north and south, and both out of all conceivable form or shape. However, there is nothing like being used to it, and the people of these counties live and thrive all the same. The few foregoing lines may not be altogether township history, but are facts, and a few facts now and then are not considered barred in historical writings.

ITEMS.

The first preaching done in the township was in 1799.

The survey of the township was completed in 1795.

The first settler came in 1798.

The first school established in Athens Township, says Walker's History, was in 1801, and was taught by John Goldthwaite. The school-house (a log one) was situated on Joseph Higgins's place, about three miles south of Athens. Henry Bartlett taught in this house several quarters, between 1802 and 1806. Michael Higgins, now seventy-four years old, attended Esquire Bartlett's school, and relates that, on one occasion, when the scholars undertook, according to a custom then prevalent, to bar the master out on a, certain day, and had made all very fast, Mr. Bartlett procured a roll of

HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 227

brimstone from the nearest house, climbed to the top of the schoolhouse, and dropped the brimstone down the open chimney into the fire; then placing something over the chimney, he soon smoked the boys into an unconditional surrender.

The first postoffice in the county of Athens was established at Athens in January, 1804, and the first Postmaster was Jehiel Gregory. The office was kept at his house, across the river, Aast of Athens, where D. B. Stewart's woolen factory is now situated.

The township was organized and given its metes and bounds within the county in the year 1805.

The first mill was built on the river in 1806, known as the Gregory Mill. It stood just east of the city of Athens.

The Miles Bros. erected another mill in 1832 upon the same site.

The Herrold Mill was built in 1816 and 1826. Judge Pruden connected with it the first carding machine and cloth-dressing establishment started in the township.

The first ferry across the Hocking River was that of Arthur Coates, below the South bridge, and the second that of Wm. Harper's which crossed the river just west of Athens. The first was started in 1800 and the latter some later.

The first important bridge built in the township is the one known as the East bridge, in 1834, the West bridge in 1836 and the South bridge in 1839. The first two were erected by Isaac Jackson, the last by Samuel Miller. They were toll bridges.

In 1806 tavern licenses in the township were $4, but those on the road to the salt-works were charged $6.

The first post route through Athens Township was opened in 1802, being the post route from Marietta via Athens, to Chillicothe.

PROGRESSING SLOWLY.

Athens Township, like the county, made but a gradual progress perhaps less so than any other township in the county outside the limits of the town. The growth and prosperity of the township seem to run pretty close together. The wealth showed no more rapid increase than the other.

The population in 1820 was 1,114; 1830, 1,703; 1840, 2,282. Up to this time the gain had been steady, but the next decade it seemed to stand still, even losing nearly all its natural increase. In 1850 the population had reached 2,360, only seventy-eight more than it had ten years previous. In 1860 the gain was better, the number

228 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

being 2,852, an increase of 492. Neither the actual gain nor the per cent. was quite up to the previous decade, the population of 1870 being 3,277. The population of the town of Athens that year was 1,696, leaving for the township 1,581. The census of 1880 gave the township and city a population of 4,517, the greatest gain in its history, both in town and township. The city increased in number from 1,696 to 2,457, or a net gain of 761, which was considerable more than the city and township had ever before gained in a decade. The township's growth was from 1,851 to 2,060, a net gain of 479, which, up to that decade, was above the average gain of town and township for the previous five decades. The trouble with the ,valley of the Hocking was, that up to 1871 its only line of travel was the canal and the stage lines. This, of course, prevented its rapid settlement; then its rugged hills were passed by as of little value for a half a century. All this was a drawback. A newer country had been found less rough and broken, easier of access, with the tide of railway building setting toward it as well as immigration, so the old land was passed by and the New West became the Mecca of those who sought a change. But when the iron horse had made his way down the valley and the real wealth of the country became known, with facilities of transportation, and daily intercourse with the outside world a veritable fact, Athens Township felt the inspiration, and township and town took a forward start, that gave it a net gain of about thirty-eight per cent. for the last decade. Since then she has still kept up the new life and progress and prosperity are going hand in hand.

The official records show but little of importance, being simply the natural business which came before them. The names of those who conducted the township business for a period of nearly eighty years, are here added:

TOWNSHIP OFFICERS, ATHENS TOWNSHIP.

The first election for township officers in Athens Township was held at the house of John Havner, on the point of the hill, near where Bing's wagon shop now stands, on the first Monday in April, 1806, when the following persons were elected, viz.:

Jehiel Gregory, John Lowry and William Harper, Trustees; John Hewitt, Robert Linzee, Joel Abbot, Daniel Mulford, Canada Lowry and Uriah Tippee, Supervisors; John Corey, Clerk; Chauncey Perkins, Treasurer; Robert Fulton, Lister; Alvan Bingham

HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 229

and Abel Mann, Overseers of the Poor; Robert Lowry, Philip M. Starr and William Biggerstaff, Constables.

At succeeding elections, the following officers were chosen:

TRUSTEES

1807 Leonard Jewett,
1808 John Havner,-
1809 Leonard Jewett,
1810 Leonard Jewett,
1811 Silas Bingham,
1812 Jehiel Gregory,
1813 Ebenezer Currier,
1814 Robert Liozee,
1815 Robert Linzee,
1816 Robert Linzee,
1817 Edmund Dorr,
1818 Edmund Dorr,
1819 Edmund Dorr,
1820 Edmund Dorr,
1821 Edmund Dorr,
1822 Edmund Dorr,
1823 Edmund Dorr,
1824 Edmund Dorr,
1825 Edmund Dorr,
1826 Edmund Dorr,
1827 Sol. Goodspeed,
1828 Sol. Goodspeed,
1829 Sol. Goodspeed,
1830 Sol. Goodspeed,
1831 Sol. Goodspeed,
1832 Sol. Goodspeed,
1833 John Mintun,

1834 John Mintun,

1835 Josiah Coe,

Jehiel Gregory,
William Harper,
Ebenezer Currier,
Jacob Lindley,
Hopson Beebe,
Martin Mansfield,
Joel Abbot,

Wm. Whitesides,
Wm. Harper,

Wm. Harper,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

John White,

Reuben J. Davis,
Reuben J. Davis,
Reuben J. Davis,
Reuben J. Davis,
Frederic Abbot,
Frederic Abbot,
Frederic Abbot,
Frederic Abbot,
Edmund Dorr,

Silas Bingham.
Aaron Young.

John Abbot.

John Abbot.

Joseph B. Miles.
William Harper.
Stephen Pilcher.
Stephen Pilcher.
Arthur Coates.
Arthur Coates.

David Pratt.

Abel Mann.

Abel Mann.

Abel Mann.

Abel Mann.

Abel Mann.

Abel Mann.

Silas Bingham.

Columbus Bierce.
Josiah Coe.

Josiah Coe.

Josiah Coe.

Josiah Coe.

Josiah Coe.

Josiah Coe.

Samuel Lowry.
Samuel Lowry.
Daniel Stewart.
Daniel Stewart.

1836 John Brown,

1837 Justus Reynolds,
1838 Justus Reynolds,
1839 Edmund Dorr,
1840 Robert McCabe,
1841 Robert McCabe,
1842 Amos Crippen,
1843 John R. McCune,
1844 John R. McCune,
1845 John Ballard,

1846 John Ballard,

1847 George Connett,
1848 George Connett,
1849 George Connett,
1850 Leonidas Jewett,
1851 O. W. Pickering,
1852 O. W. Pickering,
1853 O. W. Pickering,
1854 Peter W. Boyles,
1855 Peter W. Boyles,
1856 Thomas Davis,
1857 Thomas Davis,
1858 Thomas Davis,
1859 Thomas Davis,
1860 Thomas Davis,
1861 C. R. Sheldon,

Solomon Goodspeed,

John White, Jr.,

John Brown,

John Brown,

John Brown,

John Brown,

Norman Root,

Justus Reynolds,
Justus Reynolds,
Henry Hay,

Henry Hay,

Henry Hay,

Andrew Kessinger,
John Brown,

John Brown,

John Brown,

John Brown,

James W. Bayard,
Richard Dobson,
Richard Dobson,
Richard Dobson,

Charles Goodspeed,
Charles Goodspeed,
Charles Goodspeed,
Ezra Goodspeed,

Ezra Goodspeed,

Samuel B. Pruden.
Ebenezer Currier.
Ebenezer Currier.
Daniel Stewart.

Christopher Sheldon.
Christopher Sheldon.
Christopher Sheldon.
Christopher Sheldon.
Christopher Sheldon.
Wm. T. Dean.

Wm. T. Dean.
Nathan Goodspeed.
J. R. McCune.

J. R. McCune.
Joseph Morrison.
Joseph Morrison.
Joseph Morrison.
Joseph Morrison.
Joseph Morrison.

L. R. Jarvis.

Thomas Laughlin.
Thomas Laughlin.
Richard Dobson.
Thomas Laughlin.
Thomas Laughlin.
Thomas Laughlin.

230 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY

1862 C. R. Sheldon

1863 C. R. Sheldon

1864 C. R. Sheldon

1865 Ezra Goodspeed

1866 Ezra Goodspeed

1867 Ezra Goodspeed

1868 Ezra Goodspeed

Ezra Goodspeed,
Jesse Davis,

Jesse Davis,

B. F. Finney,

B. F. Finney,

B. F. Finney,

Parker Carpenter

Alfred Morrison.
Jefferson Reynolds.
A. J. Reynolds.

A. J. Reynolds.

A. J. Reynolds.

A. J. Reynolds.

A. J. Reynolds.

TREASURERS.

CLERKS

1807
1808
1809
1810
1811
1812
1813
1814
1815
1816
1817
1818
1819
1820
1821
1822
1823
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
1829
1830
1831
1832
1833
1834
1835
1836
1837
1838
1839
1840
1841
1842
1843
1844
1845
1846
1847
1848
1849
1850
1851
1852
1853
1854
1855
1856
1857

Chauncey Perkins,
Alexander Stedman,
Alexander Stedman,
Alexander Stedman,
Alexander Stedman,
Alexander Stedman,
Eliphaz Perkins,
William Weir,

Charles Shipman,
Charles Shipman,
Ebenezer Blackstone,
John Gillmore

John Gillmore,

John Gilimore,

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore,

John Gillmore,

James Gillmore,
James Gilimore,
James Gillmore,
James Gillmore,
James Gillmore,
Charles Shipman,
Allan V. Medbury,
Allan V. Medbury,
Allan V. Medbury,
Isaac Barker,

Isaac Barker,

A. G. Brown,

A. G. Brown,

Elias Hibbard,

Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,
Joseph H. Moore,

E. H. Moore,

Samuel Pickering,
Samuel Pickering,

Lot L. Smith,

Joseph L. Kessinger,
Joseph L. Kessinger,
Joseph L. Kessinger,
John B. Paul,

John B. Paul,

John B. Paul,

WM. P. Kessinger,
Wm. P. Kessinger,
Wm. P. Kessinger,

John Corey.

John Corey.

John Corey.

John Corey.

John Corey.

John Corey.

Nehemiah Gregory.
Alexander Proudfit.
Alvan Bingham.

James Gillmore.

James Gillmore.

James Gillmore.

James Gillmore.

James Gillmore.

James Gillmore.

James Gilmore.

James Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

John Gillmore.

David Pratt.

David Pratt.

Robert E. Constable.

A. B Walker

A. B. Walker.

N. B. Purington.

D. W. Cunningham.

D. W. Cunningham.

D. W. Cunningham.

D. W. Cunningham.

D. W. Cunningham.

D. W. Cunningham.
David M. Clayton.

David M. Clayton.
David M. Clayton.
Wm. Loring Brown.
Wm. H. Bartlett.

Wm. H. Bartlett.

Wm. H. Bartlett.

H. K. Blackstone.
Daniel S. Dana.

Daniel S. Dana,

Samuel S. Knowles.
Daniel S. Dana.

Daniel S. Dana.

George H. Stewart.
George H. Stewart.

HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 231

1858

1859

1860

1861

1862

1863

1864

1865

1866

1867

1868

Wm. P. Kessinger,

Elias Tedrow,

Elias Tedrow

Elias Tedrow resigned in December,

1860, and A. D.
Brown appointed.

A. D. Brown,

A. D. Brown,

A. D. Brown,

A. D. Brown,

A. D. Brown,

A. D. Brown,

E. H. Moore,

E. H. Moore

George H. Stewart.
George H. Stewart.
George H. Stewart.

Norman Root,

Norman Root.

Norman Root.

Norman Root.

Norman Root.

Norman Root.

Norman Root.

C. R. Sheldon.

JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.

1814—John L. Lewis, Abel Miller, Henry Bartlett.

1817—Henry Bartlett, Stephen Pilcher.

1829—Reuben J. Davis, A. G. Brown.

1835—A. G. Brown.

1836—Henry Bartlett.

1838—Abram Van Vorhes.

1842—Henry Bartlett.

1844 Norman Root.

1847--A. G. Brown.

1848—Sumner Bartlett.

1850—H. K. Blackstone, Enoch Cabeen.

1851—Daniel S. Dana.

1852—Norman Root.

1853—Daniel S. Dana, Jacob T. Stanley.

1855—Oscar W. Brown.

1856—Norman Root, Doloro Culley.

(Resigned Nov. 10, 1858.)

1858—William Golden, Wm. Loring Brown.

1859—Norman Root.

1861—William Golden, Wm. Loring Brown.

1862—Norman Root.

C. R. Sheldon (Resigned July 18, 1864), May 5, 1864.

Wm. A. Thomas, Oct. 14, 1864.

Wm. L. Brown, Dec. 2, 1864.

Norman Root (Died Sept. 21, 1867), Feb. 15, 1865.

Geo. W. Baker (Resigned Sept. 1, 1868), April 6, 1867.

Oscar W. Brown, Sept. 11, 1867.

Hiram C. Martin (Resigned March 10, 1870), Dec. 4, 1867.

Wm. A. Thomas, Sept. 9, 1868.

Wm. Golden, April 9, 1870.

Sumner Bartlett, Sept. 13, 1870.

R. E. Constable, April 11, 1873.

Wm. Golden, April 11, 1873.

H. L. Baker, Aug. 21, 1874.

R. E. Constable, April 5, 1876.

Wm. Golden, April 5, 1876.

H. L. Baker, Sept. 4, 1877.

Wm. Golden, April 14, 1879.

R. E. Constable, May 6, 1879.

Wm. Golden, April 11, 1882.

Ed. T. Rose, April 11, 1882.

R. E. Constable, May 6, 1882.

OFFICERS SINCE 1869.

1869.—Trustees, Ezra Goodspeed, A. J. Reynolds and Parker Carpenter; Clerk, W. A. Thomas; Treasurer, Thos. H. Sheldon.

1870.--Trustees, Parker Carpenter, A. J. Reynolds and Jacob Lash; Clerk, W. A. Thomas; Treasurer, Thos. H. Sheldon; Justice of the Peace, Wm. Golden.

1871.—Trustees, Jacob Lash, H. L. Baker and Josephus Tucker; Clerk, W. A. Thomas; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon.

1872.—Trustees, Jacob Lash, H. L. Baker and Parker Carpenter; Clerk, Josiah B. Allen; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon; Justices of the Peace, W. A. Thomas, Sumner Bartlett.

1873.—Trustees, A. Morrison, Judiah Higgins and H. L. Baker; Clerk, J. B. Allen; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon; Justices of the Peace, Wm. Golden and R. A. Constable.

232 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

1874.—Trustees, A. Morrison, Judiah Higgins and Joseph Dorr; Clerk, J. B. Allen; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon.

1875.—Trustees, A. Morrison, Judiah Higgins and Joseph Dorr; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon.

1876.—Trustees, Augustus Norton, James H. Irwin and A. Morrison; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon; Justices of the Peace, Wm. Golden and R. A. Constable.

1877.—Trustees, same as above; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, T. H. Sheldon.

1878.—Trustees, A. Norton, C. W. Goodspeed and John Cuckler; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, Judiah Higgins.

1879.—Trustees, C. W. Goodspeed, Josephus Tucker and J. K. Cuckler; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, Judiah Higgins; Justices of the Peace, Wm. Golden and W. H. H. Mintun.

1880.—Trustees, C. W. Goodspeed, J. K. Cuckler and Joseph Dorr; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, D. H. Moore, Jr.

1881.—Trustees, same as above; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; •Treasurer, D. H. Moore.

1882.—Trustees, C. W. Goodspeed, Joseph Dorr and Parker Carpenter; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, D. H. Moore; Justices of the Peace, Wm. Golden, R. A. Constable and Ed. T. Rose.

1883.—Trustees, C. W. Goodspeed, P. Carpenter and A. H. Simms; Clerk, Alex. Ewing; Treasurer, D. H. Moore.

CHAPTER XI.

THE CITY OF ATHENS-THE HOME OF CULTURE, REFINEMENT

AND INTELLIGENCE.

WHAT SHE WAS AND IS—ADVANCE OF CIVILIZATION—FOOTSTEPS OF THE OLD PIONEER—WHEN SETTLED AND BY WHOM—ACT FOR THE LAYING OUT THE TOWN OF ATHENS, 1799—INCEPTION AND GROWTH—CONDENSED HISTORY— COMPARISON NOT NEEDED—SALE OF LOTS AND PURCHASERS— INCORPORATION—GROWTH—SCHOOLS —CHURCHES—CEMETERIES—BIBLE SOCIETY—LODGES—THE PRESS OF ATHENS—WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES.

WHAT SHE WAS AND IS.

The City of Athens is situated in the beautiful valley of what in olden times was called the " Great Hockhocking." Placed upon its hundred hills in this magnificent valley, it was a pioneer settlement in Southeastern Ohio, and the second in the territory now known as the State of Ohio. Standing upon a high bluff, the scenery is one of beauty, and the Athenians can not only be proud of its surroundings, and its early or pioneer existence, but also because it has arisen from the wilderness a veritable rose blooming, and fragrant with beautiful ,life, a seat of learning, and the record of a noble generation of men, who have made a glorious name in the annals of State history. Her pioneers were men of education, men who stood in the front rank of culture, and intelligence in the Puritan States, and whose children and children's children have proven themselves worthy sons of noble sires. Such were the founders of the proud and beautiful city of Athens. Cultured, refined and hospitable, it was no wonder that she drew to her other noble men of those early days, and that she has since become famous throughout the State for the true nobility of her people, the beauty of her surroundings, her culture and refinement, and the unostentatious generosity of her sons and daughters.

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234 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

THE ADVANCE OF CIVILIZATION.

The hunter first trod the site of the ,city of Athens, and within her limits the buffalo, the bear, the deer and wild turkey, gave up their lives, but they soon left for more quiet fields, and, like the red men, gave way before the steady march of civilization, the ring of the woodman's ax and, last, but not least, before the unerring rifle of the pale-face. Scarcely can there be found within the broad limits of our magnificent commonwealth a more beautiful site for a city than this of Athens. Lying upon the banks of the murky Hocking, with an extended view of the valley, which is everywhere recognized not only for its beauty, but for the richness of its deep alluvial soil, the great fertility of which after nearly a century of cultivation has not failed or allowed its resources to diminish; surrounded by valleys and hills, and looking out upon a broad expanse of well-cultivated fields, guided by intelligent labor, she invites to her those natures who wish to rise to a higher plane, those who wish to retire from the vortex of business strife to give their minds and talents to those researches which develop man's best nature and brings forth his greatest intellectual force and endeavor. So the Athens of to-day is the seat of culture, education and refinement, and her future is but brightened by the noble record of her past.

FOOTSTEPS OF THE PIONEER.

Following the footsteps of the hunter the old pioneer was not long in finding this favored spot, and still less time in deciding that it would be his present and future home. In 1797 the first permanent white settler located in this county, and in 1798 the first one built his cabin on the site of the city of Athens. Of course the country was a wilderness, an unbroken forest; and it was the woodman's ax, while clearing the land, that marked the era of civilization, and of progress which time has not diminished. It was early in the year 1798 that Athens was first inhabited and the first Indian corn waved its grim foliage to the breeze, the proof of man's labor and the date when progress should henceforth rule the country and become the light which was to shed its rays upon a 'people prosperous, peaceful and happy. Quite a number settled in and around the site of the city, and there were, perhaps, a score of families within the radius of a few miles before the new, year of 1799 entered upon its diurnal course. Of course not all of these

HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY - 235

settled upon the immediate site of the city of Athens. Walker's History gives the number of only six families who resided within the present city limits, but this was an error of nearly one half, or in other words, there were twelve to fifteen families located here. That Gillespe killed the buffalo is probably true; that deer and wild turkeys were killed on the site is also true; but when this land was surveyed-and platted for a town or city, it was known to the settlers who came here as under .the auspices of the Ohio Company. The college grounds were located in 1796, the survey having been commenced the previous year, or in 1795. Two settlements started almost together—Amesville and Athens—and around these two points the pioneers located first; and as immigrants continued to arrive they spread over a greater extent of country. A company came in 1799, more than half of whom settled at Athens or immediately around the present site of the city —none on the hills, but all in the valley.

" At this time, December, 1800, there were not more than five or six cabins on the town plat. Mr. Earhart lived on the brow of the hill where Bing's carriage shop is situated. Othniel Tuttle had a cabin on the southwest corner of the old graveyard. Dr. Perkins bought this cabin, moved it down the road and added it to his own near where Dr. E. G. Carpenter now lives. Solomon Tuttle lived on the corner of the Atkinson lot opposite the Currier homestead. Christian Stevens had a cabin just back of the col-. lege green, and a man by the name of Braketield lived twenty or thirty rods east of the southeast corner of the green. Alvan Bingham, known by older citizens as " Old Judge Bingham," lived half a mile northeast of where our Auditor, A. W. S. Minear, now resides. During the next four or five years, though increasing but slowly it received the addition of numbers of valuable citizens.

"The first school-house on the town plat was a small brick building, which stood on the site now occupied by the city hail. It was built in 1806. David Pratt taught here several years. Some of those who succeeded him in giving shape to the growing thought of the present and preceding generations are Mrs. Sarah Foster, Miss Sallie Jewett, Rev. J ames McAboy, Prof. Andrews, Rev. Joseph Marvin, Dr. Charles Townsend, Samuel Marsh, Rev. J. M. Stevenson, Miss Haft and others."

The act of laying off the town of Athens was passed and approved by General Arthur St. Clair, Dec. 18, 1799, a little less than two years from the time the first cabin was erected. This act leads as follows:

236 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

WHEREAS, In the county of Washington, within this territory, the townships Nos. 8 and 9, in the 14th range have been appropriated and set apart for the purpose of endowing a university; and whereas, the application of the same to the purpose aforesaid has been entrusted to the Legislature of this Territory ; therefore, to enable the said Legislature the better to determine the situation whereon to establish the said university:

Be it resolved by the Legislative Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly, That Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Ives Gilman and Jonathan Stone, Esquires, be requested to lay off, in the most suitable place within the townships aforesaid, a town .plat which shall contain a square for the college, also lots suitable for house lots and gardens, for a president, professors, to tors, etc., bordering on or encircled by spacious commons, and such a number of town lots adjoining the said commons and out-lots as they shall think will be for the advantage of the university, who are to make a return of the said town plat and lots, describing their situation within the said townships, to the Legislature at their next session, and shall receive such compensation for their services as the Legislature shall and may direct and allow.

EDWARD TIFFIN,

Speaker of the House of Representatives.

H. VANDERBURGH,

President of the Council.

On receiving a copy of this act of the Territorial Assembly, the gentlemen named therein took steps to carry out its provision, and did so, being ready to report at the next session of the Territorial legislation. That body, on receiving the report, passed the following act entitled,

An act confirming the establishment of the town. of Athens in the County of Washington.

WHEREAS, By a resolution of the Legislature of this Territory, of the 18th day of December, 1799, Rufus Putnam, Benjamin Ives Gilman and Jonathan Stone, Esquires, were requested to lay off a town in the most convenient place within the townships numbered 8 and 9, in the 14th range of townships as set apart by the agents and directors of the Ohio Company, for the uses and purposes of a university, which should be so laid off as to contain a square for colleges, and lots suitable for house-lots and gardens for a resi

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dent, professors and tutors, with out-lots and commons. And, whereas, the said Putnam, Gilman and Stone, in conformity to the said resolution, have laid Off the said town within the ninth, tenth and fifteenth, sixteenth and twenty-second sections of the aforesaid ninth township, and have returned a plat of the same; therefore, to establish and confirm the same:

SECTION 1. Belt enacted by the Legislative Council and House of Representatives in General Assembly, And it is hereby enacted by the authority of the same, that the return and report of the said Putnam, Gilman and Stone be accepted and approved, and that the said town shall be confirmed and established by the name of the town of Athens; Provided, That the trustees of the university therein to be established shall have power to alter the plan of said town, by extending the house lots into the commons or out-lots which adjoin the town, or by altering the streets, when, on actual survey, they may find it necessary or convenient; Provided also, That such alterations be made and a plat of the town, out-lots on commons, with a designation of the uses of the commons, be re corded in the office of the recorder of the proper county, prior to the offering to lease any of said lots.

SEC. 2. And be it further enacted; That the house-lots numbers 55 and 56 in the said town of Athens, or some other two lots therein, equally as well situated, to be designated and set apart by the trustees of said university when appointed, shall be reserved for the accommodation of public buildings that may be necessary to be erected for the use of said town and the county in which it may be situated; which two lots, when agreed upon V by said trustees, shall be particularly noted on the plat of said town and vested in the county to and for the uses designed thereby.

EDWARD TIFFIN,

Speaker louse of Representatives.

ROBERT OLIVER

President of the Council.

Approved, Dec. 6, 1800

ARTHUR ST. CLAIR

Governor.

When the last act of the Territorial Legislature was passed, Athens could well boast of from fifteen to twenty families, and instead of Cincinnati being a town on paper at that time, or credited with 750 inhabitants, it had more thousands than hundreds above given, the cause being that it was the western and southern outpost of the Northwest Territory at that time. Athens County,

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while being probably settled first, was only because it was nearer the eastern border; but while some stopped here, others followed the river, and Cincinnati did not bag far behind. It was from that point that Mad Anthony Wayne made the first successful campaign against the Indians, after Generals Harmar and St. Clair both had met with overwhelming defeat and disaster. General Harmar was defeated in September, 1790; St. Clair in November, 1791, and General Anthony Wayne commenced the formation of his army, at Cincinnati, in April, 1793, but did not move against the Indians until the following year, 1794. His celebrated battle was fought Aug. 20 of that year, and peace was declared in 1795. So an army of 3,500 men left Cincinnati in July, 1794. This would show that Walker had made a very great mistake in putting the population of Cincinnati in the year 1800 at 750 when in fact the census of that year gave the county of Hamilton 14,692, and the city of Cincinnati held most of it. Ten years later Athens County had a population of 2,791.

It has been thought best to correct this statement here, as the history above mentioned is much quoted, and its errors of figures resulted probably from a want of correct statistics at hand. Iu making the above correction, however, in regard to the population of Cincinnati, it is done only for the purpose of conforming to known history and to the census of that year.

INCEPTION AND GROWTH.

The following early history of Athens is condensed from an address by Mr. A. B. Walker, delivered in June, 1875, on the occasion of the opening of the new city hall. It contains facts which can not be gathered from any other source, and will be found of particular interest in this connection. The portions taken are mainly such as pertain alone to the town of Athens.

At the public opening of the new city hall in Athens, June 8, 1875, Mr. A. B. Walker, an aged and respected citizen of the place, delivered the following address, a familiar historic narrative sketch of the town of Athens :

" The occasion which we celebrate is peculiarly fitted to direct our minds and lead our thoughts to reminiscences bearing upon the history and growth of our town. The first opening of a new city hall is an event of sufficient moment to arouse the municipal consciousness and reanimate the local patriotism which must belong to all who have common interests and common surroundings.

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" Each achievement, like the present, is a milestone that marks our progress ; every such occasion places us on a height where we can glance back on the path already traversed.

"Since the shades of the native forest fell on this spot a momentous and salutary change has taken place in the physical, intellectual and social condition of this people.

" The material resources requisite to produce a public hall at a cost of perhaps $30,000, and the felt need of a place of public entertainment convenient of access, are matters of the highest commendation, and such as may well lead to an inquiry into the sources of our corporate life. Let us therefore examine in brief some of the causes that have operated in producing Athens.

" On the evening of the 6th of April, A. D. 1788, while a heavy mist hung over the river, a little flotilla of one large boat, one flat-boat and three canoes dropped quietly down the beautiful Ohio, and lodged on a point at the mouth of the Muskingum. It was a winged seed, which contained the germ of the subsequent civilization of this broad State.

" Of the four natural divisions of Ohio, —the lake country, the Miami country, the Scioto country and the Muskingum country, the Ohio Company wisely (as time has proved) decided in favor of the Muskingum country, which gave to our section of the State priority of occupation. The letters patent granted by Congress gave them about 1,000,000 acres, lying within the limits Of Washington County. Indeed, at that time, the ambitious boundaries of Washington County reached out to the headwaters of the Big Miami, and encircled the present sites of Portsmouth, Cleveland and Columbus.

" The auspicious location of our town is more than evinced when we consider it in its wider geographical connections. The Scioto and the Muskingum form a parallelogram which, lying north and south, or nearly so, is bisected diagonally by the Hockhocking River, having its source near Columbus, on the Scioto, ninety miles above the mouth of the latter, and emptying into the Ohio only a few miles below the mouth of the Muskingum. Now the Hockhocking, with its tributaries, contains the great mining field of Ohio, and Athens County enjoys the happy distinction of occupying the preferred portion of this charming valley, while the town of Athens is the central point in the valley, as it is the middle point between Parkersburg and Marietta on the east, and Chillicothe on the west.

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" Every access by the river and that general fertility and picturesqueness which invited first the occupation of water-courses, may have fixed this bluff and the adjacent bottoms as an eligible site for a settlement. The haste to found the college would prompt to a selection of the most accessible place, which at the same time should be sufficiently interior. Thus it appears that the college and town were mutually parent and child to each other; for while the growing village was intended to become a source of revenue and nourishment to its infant charge, the university, on the other hand, became a leading and efficient cause in hastening the inception of a corporate town, in giving it a local habitation so desirable, and a name linking it with the choicest associations of literature and learning in the distant past.

"The county of Athens was first settled in 1797, but was not regularly erected into a separate county by legislative enactment until the year 1805—eight years after its first settlement. It is singular however, in being the second county in Ohio, as the town of Athens is the second town in the State. Upon the latter fact we may be pardoned in indulging a natural pride, since antiquity is no slight element in the historic estimate of a place."

The town of Athens was incorporated by the following act:

" An act to incorporate the town of Athens, and for other purposes.

" Jan. 28, 1811.—SEc. 2. That the trustees of the Ohio University are hereby authorized and directed to lease to the commissioners of the county of Athens for the time being, in-lots numbers 35 and 37, on which the court-house and jail now stand, and also in-lot number 18 reserved for the purpose o building a school-house and meeting-house, on a nominal rent for ninety-nine years, renewable forever; also, to lease on the terms aforesaid, the ground reserved for a burying ground.

" This act to be in force from and after the passage thereof.'

" About the year 1820 a company for that purpose bored a well for salt water on Sunday Creek, to a considerable depth, but abandoned the undertaking. Ten or twelve years after other parties resumed the boring and soon struck a vein of good salt water. This was the first successful salt-well bored in the Hocking Valley. The manufacture of salt in this valley soon became a prosperous business, imparting of its advantages to all the surrounding interests of the county. To provide for its export with other surplus productions, two channels of traffic were opened, which, though

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now in disuse, bore quite a prominent part in the early commercial history of our town.

"Athens, with its surplus pork, flour, wheat and other agricultural productions, and now engaged in the very considerable manufacture of salt, must not only make use of the Hockhocking River, as it offered the advantages of descending navigation during the spring and autumnal freshets, for the passage of large flat-boats loaded and intended for the Southern markets, but to facilitate the transit of salt to the interior and central part of the State a canal down the Hocking Valley to Athens, for the double purpose of transporting both the salt and the coal to the interior of the State, was justly deemed indispensable to all the interests of the valley. For the timely construction of the Hocking canal, we are largely indebted to our late townsman, Hon. Calvary Morris. It was through his indefatigable endeavors that the canal was chartered and pushed vigorously to completion in the face of the most stubborn opposition of the commissioner and a majority of both Houses of the Legislature. A public dinner was tendered to Judge Morris on his return, as a token of the high estimation in which services were held. The canal opening up the valley to the north was an outlet toward the middle portion of the State and the Western markets generally.

"The middle section of this town's history presents fewer salient points to the eye, but we may say in general that the several causes that operated in giving the place early notoriety, were still active in controlling its subsequent advancement. Athens, in its type, is a pioneer town, and is well built for one of its class. Its central position in the thickly settled Southern part of Ohio; the growth of a thrifty, agricultural and stock-raising county of which it is the natural focus and constituted seat of justice; the seminal principles of a rugged virtue and industry unconsciously engrafted upon it by its founders; the intellectual and moral atmosphere diffused by its schools, courts, churches and university; its handsome situation and picturesque surroundings; all these have ever made Athens an attractive place of residence.

"Few towns have retained such a hold upon their people as is evinced by the large number of old inhabitants in proportion to the population. This circumstance coming into notice has given rise to the proverb that ' No one can permanently remove from Athens who has once tasted the waters of the Hockhocking.'

"Situated in one of the two college townships, Athens may well

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regard herself as a natural custodian of the college allotment or endowment lands; rejoicing in its elevation; guarding with jealous. interest against any encroachments tending to abridge its power, mold doing as much as may be to aid its future advancement.

" It is gratifying to be able to say concerning the town that its old age, which entitles it to some degree of veneration, appears to bring with it no indications of decrepitude. For all purposes or internal improvement and energetic action in securing advantages of a public nature from without, Athenian enterprise has suffered no abatement. The exterior dress of the town is proof enough of this. Its recently improved streets, both in grades and pave ments; its multiplied shade-trees; its gaslights; its beautiful new cemetery, and more particularly its asylum for the insane, are all features that at once strike the eye of a stranger, producing A decidedly favorable impression; and last, but not least, we make mention of our railroads and telegraphic communications of the most important character; all not only combine to reflect the highest credit upon the action and enterprise which secured them, but are also encouraging as harbingers of an era that may one day, in the early development of this valley, mike Athens one of the noticeable and important railroad centers of Ohio."

COMPARISON NOT NEEDED.

Athens needs no comparison with other points, nor is she envious of their growth and prosperity. Comparisons are said to be odious, and this is so in this case, for it is entirely unnecessary. Athens is not, cannot be, and would not be a commerical emporium if she could. If so, she would not be Athens; and the fact that she is ATHENS, is her pride and boast. Anything else would be her destruction. She represents a seat of learning the oldest in the State, and she herself is really an enlarged edition of the famed college. She is the home of all that goes to make an intellectual paradise on earth. Refined, cultured, generous and hospitable, situated in one of the most beautiful valleys in the State, nature and art have combined to make her, what comparison would but lower. The first tavern, built of logs, was kept by Wm. McNichol, nearly opposite to where the old Abbott House stood. Wm. Dorr built a store. Dr. Perkins's cabin was on what is now State Street, and that of Dr. Leonard Jewett was on College street. The town seemed to take on new life after it was incor-

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porated, and attracted considerable attention at that time from the outside world. Game was abundant all through the country, and Athens became somewhat of a trading point, dealing in the furs brought in and also in wild meats, for it furnished most that the inhabitants used at that time. Hogs and cattle were scarce, and few would kill them for meat.

Athens was not experiencing any very rapid progress, but it was steady. The first circuit preachers appear to have been Rev. Jno. Meek and Rev. James Quinn, who were appointed to the Hooking Circuit in 1804. The Rev. Joseph Williams was on the circuit the following year. The trustees in charge of the town passed an ordinance for the sale of lots to take place Nov. 5, 1804. It was their desire that Athens should become the county-seat of the new county which was shortly to be organized, and was organized the following year, 1805. The town was at once surveyed, laid off and platted, in readiness for the above sale, and rules prescribed for the purchase and payment of lots. The sale came off on the above date, and in Walker's History is the following account of the sale.

THE FIRST SALE.

INCORPORATION AND GROWTH.

An act for the incorporation of the town of Athens was passed by the Legislature Jan. 28, 1811, and the act covered what was known as the town plat, as recorded in the recorder's office of the county of Washington. It was given the name of the " Town of Athens," with all the rights and privileges accorded corporate bodies, and provided for annual township elections. At that time Athens had, probably, a population of about 200 inhabitants, and her growth from that time up to the opening of the Civil War was slow, reaching in the neighborhood of from 1,250 to 1,300 in population. The decade between 1860 and 1870 was a marked era of dullness, and Athens made but little progress, either in population or material progress. The year 1870, however, found her recovering from the prostration of preceding years and she commenced that decade with a population of 1,696. Undoubtedly this recov-

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ery from her former listless activity resulted from the fact that in 1867 she had secured to her site the Southern Lunatic Asylum. The struggle to secure this aroused all the dormant energies of her people, and, although the good effects of this important element to her growth was not at first felt, yet by the opening of the decade between 1870 and 1880, its great benefit began to leave its mark on the daily progress of her business life. The prize was won and the citizens showed of what stuff they were made by promptly purchasing, adjoining the city, 150 acres of land, known as the Coates farm, commanding a most beautiful view of the valley of Hocking, and lying upon an elevation, which gives of itself and the magnificent buildings which adorn its crest, as pleasant a scene as man's eye need rest upon. The blue of heaven, the lofty hills lying in the background, and G A's earth surrounding it with a carpet of green, make it one of the most attractive ot sights; and if insanity cannot be cured, it has in this instance a home where Nature in her most glorious garb, blended with art, has done her best for the comfort and happiness of the atflicted ones. From 1870 to 1880 the city of Athens made somewhat more rapid strides toward metropolitan greatness, her population increasing during that decade nearly fifty per cent., the census giving her 2,457. The improvements made were also of a more substantial nature, and few cities of the State of her size can boast of finer brick blocks, a growth more stable, handsomer residences, or more beautiful lawns and pleasant surroundings than the city of Athens.

SCHOOLS.

The Union system of schools was adopted in Athens in the year 1850. At a meeting of citizens held Jan. 12 of that year, at which S. Miller acted as Chairman and F. F. Baker as Secretary, the following Board of Directors was chosen: L. Jewett and 0. W. Pickering, three years; E. H. Moore and Wrlliam Walker, two Tears; E. P. Talpey an' William Golden, one year. This board chose L. Jewett as President and E. H. Moore as Secretary. Salaries of teachers in those days were surprisingly low. We find from the records that in 1853 C. Grant received $150 for his services one year; Miss Rice, $5.50 per week; Miss Gould, $5.03 per week; D. S. Dana, $8.30 per week; Misses Sanderson and Beaton, $4.00 per week, each.

Several different buildings were used for the schools before the

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present fine building was erected. Among the many eligible sites offered for school purposes, the board finally decided to accept the Frost lot, consisting of in-lots 132, 130, 150 and 151. Sept. 17, 1853, $8,000 were voted for a school building, to be raised in four annual levies of $2,000 each, and afterward $4,000 more were voted. Various grounds, have since been appropriated for the improvement of grounds, and other purposes, $2,000 having been spent in the last ten years. The property is now valued at about $30,000. The building was first used in 1858.

The first Superintendent of the Athens schools was Cyrus Grant, chosen Dec. 23, 1853. He served till Oct. 15, 1855, a period of one year and ten months, at $450 per year. He was succeeded by John H. Pratt, who served five months, until March 22, 1856. J. K. Mower was then chosen Superintendent, holding the position two years and eight months. He was followed by J. H. Pratt, for three months. The next to hold the office was J. H. Doan, for two years and five months, resigning Aug. 9, 1861. M. M. Travers then served one year, and after him for one year and a half the Superintendent was W. H. Scott, now President of Ohio University. C. A. Barker was chosen Feb. 6, 1864, and served two years and five months. July 16, 1866, the present Superintendent, J. M. Goodspeed, was elected. His salary was at first $600, but has been variously increased, and is now $1,200.

The present corps of instructors includes J. M. Goodspeed, Superintendent; Miss Kate Boyd, High School; Miss Emma Dana, Mrs. Stalder, Ella White, Clara Weiher, Lizzie Cochran, 011ie Wilson, Sallie Kessinger, Fronie Foster and Ella Pickering. The present Board of Directors are Judith Higgins, President; J. M. Wood, H. M. Lash, E. B. Clarke, E. J. Jones and A. B. Frame. Superintendent Goodspeed is Clerk of the Board. The course of study comprises five years in the Primary School, four years in the Grammar School and three years in the High School. The High School course is an English course, none of the languages being prescribed as studies. Students may, however, elect to pursue Latin for two years. The roll of graduates comprises 109.

CHURCHES OF ATHENS.

Presbyterian.—The First Presbyterian Society of Athens was organized in the autumn of 1809, by the Rev. Jacob Lindley. The original members of the organization were but nine in number, viz.:

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Joshua Wyatt and wife, Josiah Coe, Arthur Coates, Dr. Eliphaz Perkins, Alvan Bingham, Mrs: Sally Foster and the Rev. Jacob Lindley and wife.

Public service was held for a time in the little brick school-house which stood just east of the present site of the Presbyterian church, and afterward in the court-house until the year 1828, when the present brick church was built. In 1815 the church numbered forty-seven members, and a revival that year added forty-three. In the year 1820 there were fifty-six added to the church, and the whole number of church members at that time was 177.

Articles of association were drawn, written in the hand of Joseph B. Miles, and adopted by the society in the early days of its existence.

Though among the earliest religious societies organized in the State, this church was not incorporated till 1828. The act, passed Feb. 7 of that year, names as the incorporators: Columbus Bierce, Isaac Taylor, Joseph B. Miles, Charles Shipman, Francis Beardsley, Samuel Miller, Eben Foster, John Perkins, Hull Foster, John Gillmore, and Cephas Carpenter, and Messrs. Miles, Bierce, Taylor, Beardsley and Carpenter were constituted Trustees of the church, to act as such till the first annual meeting. The Rev. Jacob Lindley acted as Moderator of the session and Pastor, until about 1828, since when eighteen ministers have served the church either as stated supply or as Pastors. The entire list in the order of time. is as follows:

Rev. Jacob Lindley, contemporary; Rev. Samuel Davies Hoge, contemporary; Rev. Robert G. Wilson, Rev. John Spaulding (now of New York City), Rev. William Burton, Rev. Timothy Stearns, Rev. N. B. Purington, Rev. Wm. H. McGuffey, Rev. Wells Andrews, Rev. Aaron Williams, Rev. Moses A. Hoge, Rev. Addison Ballard, Rev. Alfred Ryors, Rev. S. Dieffendorf,

Rev. John H. Pratt, Rev. James F. Holcomb, Rev. Ernst W. Schwefel, Rev. J. M. Nourse, and Rev. Isaac W. Montfort.

Rev. John H. Pratt began his labors here in 1854, laboring one year as " stated supply," after which he received a call as Pastor. During the period of his pastorate (fourteen years), 200 members were added to the church. The deaths and removals of members during the same period were, however, numerous—the latter especially so—so that the present active membership is only about 170.

248 - HISTORY OF HOCKING VALLEY.

Some years since, the church was rebuilt and a lecture-room added. The old-fashioned lofty pulpit has given place to a moderu platform. In those days the pulpit being in the front end of the church, the congregation faced about on taking their seats.

The church is prospering, and a Sunday-school is connected which is doing effective service in its sphere.

The Methodist Episcopal Church—Is the pioneer religious organization of Athens, and indeed of the whole Hocking Valley. The Methodists have had a society here from the year 1800, when a Rev. Mr. Quinn made a missionary tour up the Hocking Valley and preached in Athens, and during the early as well as rater years of their church history here, have numbered among their preachers some very able, earnest and useful men. In 1805 Rev. Jacob Young preached on this circuit; Rev. George C. Light preached here about the same time. In 1806 Peter Cartwright, who afterward became celebrated in the church, visited Athens and Alexander townships, preaching and forming societies. About 1815 Rev. Thos. Morris (afterward Bishop Morris) was on this circuit and preached statedly at Athens. Among the early Meth odist preachers here were Rev. Cornelius Springer, Rev. Daniel Limerick, Rev. Curtis Goddard, Rev. Abraham Lippett, Rev. John Ferree, Rev. Abraham Baker, Rev. Henry S. Fernandez, Rev. Absalom Fox, Rev. Asa Stroud and Rev. Robert 0. Spencer, some of them being on the Muskingum and some on the Athens circuit.

For the first few years the Methodists held their meetings at different houses, but in 1812 or 1813 they built a brick church, now owned by Henry Wright. In 1825 they erected a brick parsonage adjoining. The church building, having been used as such nearly thirty years, fell into decay and was then used for some years as a foundry; it has now disappeared. The parsonage forms a part of Mr. Wright's present house. The present Methodist church was built in 1837 and thoroughly remodeled in 1861. Other important improvements have been made at short intervals up to the present time, one of the most important being the addition of a fine lecture-room in the rear of the main building in 1875. The present parsonage, situated on College street, was built in 1876. It is to be regretted that the records of this old and useful church society have not been better preserved. The Pastors since the war have been: Rev. Ansel Brooks, appointed in 1865; Rev. J. M. Jamison, 1867; Rev. J. H. Creighton, 1869; Rev. E. H. Heagler,

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1870; Rev. W. T. Harvey, 1873; Rev. O. J. Nave, 1S75; Rev. J. W. Peters, 1876; Rev. J. M. Weir, 1877; Rev. M. V. B. Evans, 1879; Rev. S. D. Hutsinpillar, 1881. The church is now in a state of gratifying prosperity. A Sabbath-school is kept up by the church society throughout the year. It is well attended and is very prosperous. The superintendency has changed hands several times in the last few years, Mr. D. L. Sleeper holding the position A present.

Catholic Church.—The St. Paul's Catholic Church of Athens was organized about the year 1846. No regular service was held for a while, but irregular meetings were held in the court-house.

The first regular service was conducted by Father John Albrick, of Pomeroy, who came over once a month. Father Albrick was succeeded by Father McGee, a Dominican from Somerset, Ohio. Father Gells, from Pomeroy, succeeded him, and he in time was succeeded by Father Tenerie, from Vinton County. During all these changes the church was growing stronger, both in number and influence, and if not rapid was sure. It was during Father Tenerie's administration that the timber for a church building was gotten out. This was in the year 1861. During the service of Fathers Madzell and Curtzen the church was completed and ready for occupancy in 1863. Since then services have been held by the Reverend Fathers in the order named, viz. : Fathers O'Reily, Slavens, Campbell, Hartnedy, T. J. Lane and John Madden. The church is attached to the diocese of Columbus, Ohio, and has at this time a membership of 300. It is progressive and prospering.

Colored Churches.--The colored citizens of Athens have two church organizations of the denominations of Methodist and Baptist. They also have two church buildings, one a brick church . belonging to the Methodist congregation and the other a frame, that of the Baptist. The churches are fairly supported and in a fair condition, though some money is yet due upon their buildings.

CEMETERIES.

For considerably more than half a century, says Walker's History, after Athens was settled, the dead were buried in the old graveyard northwest of town, which was set apart for that use by the trustees of the university in 1806. The place never was ornamented to any extent, and for many years only a few forest trees