COUNTIES OF OHIO - 325 was the creation of Defiance County, with Defiance as its seat of justice. The real nucleus of the early settlement of these counties was at Defiance, and it was chiefly settled in what now constitutes Defiance County, by those who were active in the early official life of Williams County. In an agricultural sense, there are few better Northern Ohio counties than Defiance. The official bulletins for 1923-24 give these statistics : In 1923 there was an acreage of corn amounting to 37,000; wheat, 26,000 ; oats, 29,000 ; barley, 2,800 ; bushels of barley, 74,360 ; rye, 7,584 bushels ; buckwheat, 900 bushels ; tons of hay, 46,000 ; potatoes, 61,600 bushels ; horses in 1924, 8,100 head ; all cattle, 16,300 ; dairy cows, 9,990 ; swine, 32,100; sheep, 9,120. Number of acres in plow land in 1920, 195,583 ; woodland, 37,708 ; average size farm of county, 77.6 acres. The City of Defiance is on the south bank of the Maumee, at its junction wiith the Auglaize, on the line of the old-time canal, 152 miles northwest of Columbus and fifty-eight from Toledo. It was laid out in 1822, by Benj. Level and Horatio G. Philips. Its present (1920) population is 8,876. It has always been a good commercial center and many different articles have been manufactured here, including machinery, motor trucks, wagons, buggies, automobile accessories, steel harrows, screw machine products, wheelbarrows and steel barrels. Hicksville is twenty miles west of Defiance ; was laid out in 1836 by men from New York State, including Hon. Alfred P. Edgertown, for the "American Land Company ;" Miller Ainsworth, for John A. Bryan, Henry W. Hicks and others. Hicksville now has a population of about 3,000. Other villages are Sherwood and Ney. DELAWARE COUNTY Delaware was formed from Franklin County, February 10, 1808. It is situated directly north of Columbus. The surface is generally level and the soil a clay, save in the river bottoms. The streams include the Scioto and its numerous tributaries. The name of this sub-division of Ohio originated from the Delaware tribe of Indians, some of whom once dwelt within its present limits. But it should be understood that the true name of this once powerful tribe is Wa-be-nugh-ka or the "people from the East." These Indians had lived beyond the Mississippi, their tradition says, but later removed to the eastern part of the country, near Philadelphia. There they were located along what we know as the Delaware River, named for Lord Delaware, the Englishman. The present townships of this county are : Berkshire, Berlin, Brown, Concord, Delaware, Genoa, Harlem, Kingston, Liberty, Marlboro, Orange, Oxford, Porter, Radnor, Scioto, Thompson, Trenton and Troy. Of its population for various decades since its organization, the federal census reports give these figures : 1820, 7,639 ; 1840, 22,060 ; 1870, 25,175 ; 1880, 27,381; 1890, 21,187 ; 1900, 26,401; 1910, 27,182 ; 1920, 26,013 ; the present area is 445 square miles ; number persons per square mile, 58.5 in 1924. Its present county officials are : Probate judge, W. V. Aldrich ; clerk of the courts, Brouwen Kettering ; sheriff, Fred D. Harter; auditor, Wilbur J. Main ; county commissioners, C. L. Shoemaker, C. M. Shively, E. L. Gill ; treasurer, Russell H. Walter ; recorder, Earl A. Snow ; surveyor, Walter James ; prosecuting attorney, Burt P. Benton ; coroner, Reese Philpot ; county superintendent of schools, Paul M. Lybarger, of Delaware ; agricultural agent, E. K. Augustus. The records of 1923-24 show the following concerning the agricultural products of the soil of Delaware County for those years : In 1923 the number of acres of corn was 52,000 ; bushels raised, 1,976,000 ; wheat, acreage, 25,000 ; bushels, 300,000 ; oats, acres, 7,000 ; bushels. 175,000 ; barley, acres, 160 ; bushels, 3,360 ; rye, 350 acres ; bushels, 3,675 ; hay in tons, 60,000 ; potatoes, 37,120 bushels ; number horses in 326 - HISTORY OF OHIO 1924, 9,260 ; all cattle, 27,620 ; dairy cows, 16,210 ; swine, 39,400 ; sheep, 48,880. Number of acres in farm land improved, 229,560 ; average size of farms, 78.6. Fruit raising is a development of recent years. In the county are some famous apple orchards. The present-day city and villages of the county are: Sunbury, Delaware, Ashley, Ostrander. Delaware is the county seat, pleasantly situated on the west bank of the Olentangy River, twenty-four miles north from Columbus. It was platted in 1808 by Col. Moses Byxbe and Hon. Henry Baldwin ; the first lots were sold at $30 each. The first cabin was that erected in the fall of 1807 by Joseph Barber. It stood close to the spring and was made chiefly from poles, Indian fashion, and was fifteen feet square. Here a tavern was kept. The Methodists built the first church in 1823. The Presbyterian and Episcopal churches were erected in 1825. The mineral springs of this vicinity have been famous from a time before white men lived here and drank the pure waters. Among these springs is a group known as "Little Springs." The Ohio Wesleyan University, one of the largest Methodist institutions in America, was founded in 1842. The Ohio Wesleyan Female College, founded in 1853, was consolidated with the university in 1877. Ex-President Rutherford E. Hayes was born in this town in 1822. Another historic character was born here—General W. S. Rosecrans—that mighty strategist of the Civil war. His personality won the victory at Stone River. The City of Delaware had (1920) a population of 8,756. Many grape lovers may not know that the "Delaware Grape" originated in this locality, but such is the case. It was first seen growing here in 1850, having been brought here years before from New Jersey and with this soil and climate established a perfect grape which at first sold as high as $5 a root. Primarily known as the seat of a great educational enterprise, Delaware in recent years has also been developing important manufacturing industries. The chief products of these are furniture, shoes, rubber goods, iron bridges, gas engines, gas stoves and clay tiling. This city is the home of United States Senator Frank B. Willis. ERIE COUNTY This county was formed in 1838 from Huron and Sandusky counties. It now has an area of 256 square miles, its population per square mile, in COUNTIES OF OHIO - 327 1920, was 155.4. The county has an almost level surface, yet actually the southern line is 150 feet higher than the land is at the lake front. Immense limestone quarries are among the commercial interests of this portion of the state. Fruit is a fine crop including apples, peaches, and wonderful grapes are produced. While it is a small county, yet its agricultural resources, as shown by the following statistics from the Agricultural Bulletin for 1923-24, show creditable production : In 1923 it had 23,000 acres of corn, yielding 920,000 bushels ; wheat, 23,000 acres, yielding 506,000 bushels ; oats, 18,000 acres, yielding 684,000 bushels ; barley, 1,400 acres, 54,600 bushels ; rye, 1,520 acres, 25,840 bushels ; buckwheat, 707 acres, 14,140 bushels ; tons of hay, 21,000 ; potatoes, 321,900 bushels ; all cattle in county, 1924, was 10,430 ; dairy cows, 7,350 ; swine, 17,040 ; sheep, 11,820 ; land under cultivation in 1920, 117,102 ; average size of farms at present, 62.2 acres. Population since the establishment of the county has been as follows : In 1840 it had 12,457 ; 1850, 18,568 ; 1860, 24,474 ; 1870, 28,188 ; 1880, 32,640 ; 1890, 35,462 ; 1900, 37,650 ; 1910, 38,372 ; 1920, 39,789. Following were the county officers listed in 1924 : Probate judge, John Ray ; clerk of the courts, E. J. Perry ; sheriff, John B. Taylor ; auditor, Carl F. Breining; county commissioners, Leroy Parker, Edward J. Martin, E. C. Trinter ; treasurer, Walter J. Smith ; recorder, Richard E. Riegger ; surveyor, Arthur P. Johnston ; prosecuting attorney, Earl C. Krueger ; coroner, F. J. Lebling ; county superintendent of schools, I. S. Winner ; agricultural agent, H. A. Stevens. The civil townships in this county are as follows : Berlin, Florence, Groton, Huron, Kelley's Island, Margaretta, Milan, Oxford, Perkins, Portland, Vermilion. The county takes its name from the Indian tribe, and it is said in the Indian dialect the word "erie" means cat. The French established a small trading post at the mouth of the Huron River, and another at a point on the shore of the bay, on or near the site of Sandusky City, but these were abandoned before the Revolutionary war. Erie, Huron and a small portion of Ottawa County comprise that part of the Western Reserve known as the "fire lands," comprising a tract about half a million acres, granted by the State of Connecticut to the sufferers by fire from the British in their incursions into that state. When the early settlers under the "Fire-Lands Company" arrived at Sandusky they found on the present site of the place, a village of Ottawa Indians, and on the Peninsula some French Canadian settlers. The present villages and cities found in the county at this time are Sandusky City, Vermilion, Berlin Heights, Huron Village, Kelley's Island Village, Milan Village. CITY OF SANDUSKY Sandusky, the seat of justice for Erie County and a port of entry on Lake Erie, is at the mouth of Sandusky River and on Sandusky Bay. Its railroad lines are the Pennsylvania system, the Baltimore & Ohio trunk line, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, the Lake Erie & Western and New York Central. Electric interurban lines diverge in all directions from the Lake region to almost every city and village within a radius of fifty miles. The territory around Sandusky is an excellent farming section for certain crops and highly favorable to the growth of apples, peaches and grapes. When wine was allowed to be made from the grapes produced in such great abundance, the annual shipments amounted to $2,000,000. The farmer, however, gets more for his grapes now than when they were made into wine. According to government reports there were produced in Ohio 43,933,207 pounds of grapes, valued at $858,694. In 1919 there were produced in the state 41,722,796 pounds, valued at $2,920,600. 328 - HISTORY OF OHIO The fisheries of Sandusky are important. In a recent season there was a business transacted from this source amounting to $1,500,000. Sandusky is 105 miles north of Columbus, and sixty from Detroit and Cleveland. The first permanent settlement was effected in June, 1817, when the locality was known as Ogontz, from an Indian chief who lived there before the War of 1812. The town was laid out under the title of "Portland," in 1817, by its proprietor, Hon. Zalmon Wildman, of Danbury, Connecticut, and Hon. Isaac Mills, of New Haven. The population in 1900 was 19,664 ; in 1910 it was 19,989, and in 1920 was 22,897. In 1846 a historian wrote of Sandusky : "It has the largest and best harbor on the great chain of lakes, having the advantage of a large and land-locked bay, while the other lake ports are mostly the mouths of rivers. Sandusky Bay is eighteen miles long, furnishing ample room for all the water craft that could be required." Among the state and public institutions of Sandusky should be mentioned the Ohio Soldiers' and Sailors' Home and the Ohio Fish Hatchery. As early as 1888 there were 65,000,000 pickerel hatched here. During the Civil war more than 15,000 Confederate prisoners were kept on Johnson's Island, three miles out from Sandusky. The greatest number at any one time was 3,000 prisoners. These were mostly officers from the rebel army. When a man sold the prisoners whisky, he was drummed out of the place with a large card attached to his breast and back, reading "I SOLD WHISKY TO THE REBELS." From late reports it is learned that Sandusky has 141 industrial establishments, twenty-eight of which are engaged in the manufacture of iron and steel products. Among the leaders in heavy, modern productions are farm tractors, marine and local stationary engines, iron and steel castings. Chemicals, paints and dyes, since the World war commenced, have been added to the industries of the city. Being on the lake, with cheaper water transportation than any railway can furnish, the trade in coal and lumber at this port has come to be immense in its annual tonnage. The pay-roll in Sandusky for the wage-earners in 1922 was in excess of $4,000,000. The tax duplicate for 'the city in 1923 was $40,097,670. Milan is twelve miles from Sandusky City and eight miles from Lake Erie. It has a commanding position on the bank of Huron River, and is widely known as the birthplace of Thomas A. Edison, the electric "wizard" and great American inventor. Before railroad days, as many as 600 wagon loads of grain were brought by wagon to this point for COUNTIES OF OHIO - 329 shipment by canal. Twenty sail-boats a day were sometimes here loaded, in all 35,000 bushels of grain shipped out in a single day. Berlin Heights is a village of more than ordinary importance, though small in population it is. It is the largest of the three villages of Berlin Township, the other two being Ceylon and Berlinville. This is a noted township for its interest and successful work in horticulture. Being along the lake front, frost does not materially affect apples, pears, peaches and grapes. In a social way this village, from 1863 on for a number of years, was a "hot-bed" or center of free love and socialistic beliefs. A number of societies were formed, but all short lived. While it is true only one citizen of the township was identified with the movement, its supporters being drawn from various states, yet the influence for good in the community was not the most desirable. So strong was the feeling that, headed by a band of devoted Christian ladies, a mail sack containing many copies of the paper advertising their doctrines was seized en route to the postoffice and burned in the streets publicly. Huron, at the mouth of Huron River, and on Lake Erie, is nine miles east of Sandusky City. Way back in 1885 this place was headquarters for one of the largest fishing industries along the lakes. About 500 tons of these fine lake fish were frozen and shipped to market every winter. Two thousand tons were salted during fall and spring months. The town here possesses one of the finest of lake harbors, carrying as much as fifteen feet of water at all times of the year. Here the French had a harbor as early as 1749. The Moravians and Christian Indians were early settlers here. Castalia is at the head of Coal Creek, five miles to the southwest of Sandusky City. It was laid out in 1836 by Marshall Burton and named from the Grecian fount. When platted, it lay bordering a 3,000 acre tract of beautiful prairie. It is noted largely from its many beautiful and cold lime water springs, gushing up to gladden the heart of man and beast. The waters petrify many objects, even the water-wheels in use by the numerous mills decades ago. The Village of Venice is on Sandusky Bay, near the mouth of Cold Creek and on the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railroad. The date of its founding was 1817, when a mill-race was commenced to bring the waters of Cold Creek to the present site of Venice Mills. The flouring mills thus established in 1833 furnished the first permanent market for wheat in the "Fire Lands." The first hundred barrels of flour were sent to New York, but later it found better sale in the western states. Five hundred barrels of this flour was sent to Chicago and sold at $20 a barrel—then Chicago was but a struggling frontier town without supplies to subsist on. Kelley's Island is really a township of this county ; it lies in the lake, thirteen miles from Sandusky, and contains a little more than four square miles. Originally it was known as Cunningham Island. Cunningham was a French trader with the Indians and located here in 1803. The sales of wood, especially fine cedar timber, more than twice paid for all the island had cost its purchasers. Also the lime stone here found was later developed into great rock quarry interests and many of the finest business blocks in near-by large cities were constructed from the stone coming from this island. From 1810 it was learned that grapes had a natural home and growing place here. Charles Carpenter planted out the first grapes which he brought from Connecticut. Within a few years so well did this fruit stand the climate that 1,000 acres were in use, and this was about one-third the area of the island. In 1880, 700 tons of grapes were produced here and the Kelley Island Wine Company handled the product. Grapes are still raised in abundance and find a ready market. Among the odd antiquities found on this island is what is known as "Inscription Rock," which contains strange yet not difficult to understand markings cut in the stone. This strange rock is about thirty or 330 - HISTORY OF OHIO forty feet long by twenty-one wide and twenty feet high. Scientists from many parts of the globe visit this rock formation. Vermilion, another village of Erie County, is at the mouth of the Vermilion River, so named on account of the red paint found along the creek by the Indian tribes. The first settlers to locate here came in 1808-10 in the persons of William Hardy, William Austin, George and John Shearts, Almon Ruggles and as many more. The harbor was dredged to make it possible to run boats taking twelve feet of water ; this was executed in 1842. A light-house was soon built and boat-building commenced in earnest. Erie County contributed a large share to the anti-slavery movement that preceded the Civil war. Sandusky was the port of "supreme desire" to fugitive slaves on their way to Canada—and liberty. FAIRFIELD COUNTY This county was formed December 9, 1800, by proclamation of Governor St. Clair and took its name evidently from the fair fields it contained. It appears to have almost every variety of soil that brings forth the best vegetation, whether in grass, grain, flower or fruit. The southern portion is hilly and rough, with a thin soil. One of the great sources of wealth found here lies beneath the surface in the form of fine, workable sandstone, which has been quarried in immense quantities and shipped far and near for building purposes. The area of this county is 495 square miles. Its population is now 81.8 to the square mile. The lands watered by the sources of the Hockhocking River, and now within Fairfield County, Ohio, when first discovered by the settlers at Marietta, were owned and occupied by the Wyandot tribe of Indians. By the Greenville treaty in 1795 the Wyandots ceded all their territory on the Hockhocking River to the United States. In 1797 Ebenezer Zane opened "Zane's Trace" from Wheeling to Limestone (Maysville). It passed through the site of Lancaster, at a fording known as "crossing of the Hockhocking." He located at Lancaster one of the three tracts of land given him by the government for his work performed in opening the "Trace." The present civic townships of this county are : Amanda, Berne, Bloom, Clear Creek, Greenfield, Hocking, Lancaster, Liberty, Madison, Pleasant, Richland, Rush Creek, Violet and Walnut. The county officers are as follows: Probate judge, William A. Snyder ; clerk of the courts, Mary A. Geiser ; sheriff, Charles J. Speriky ; auditor, H. N. Walford ; county commissioners, Absalom Hartman, John H. Young, Lewis P. Hoffman ; treasurer, Z. C. Musser ; recorder, D. C. Matz ; surveyor, T. M. Spangler ; prosecuting attorney, Charles A. Radcliffe ; coroner, Cyrus C. Guisinger ; county superintendent o f schools, J. F. Bemiller ; agricultural agent, H. F. Thayer. The population by ten year periods since the county's organization has been as follows : In 1810 it had 11,361; 1820, 16,508; 1840, 31,558; 1850, 30,264 ; 1860, 30,538 ; 1870, 31,138 ; 1880, 34,284 ; 1890, 33,939 ; 1900, 34,259 ; 1910, 39,201; 1920, 40,484. The county has one city, Lancaster, and the following villages : Amanda, Sugar Grove, Lithopolis, Carroll, Baltimore, Basil, Pleasantville, Rushville, West Rushville, Bremen, Pickerington, Millersport and Thurston. The following statistics are from the report of the state agricultural department for the year 1923: Acres of corn, 65,000; bushels harvested, 2,795,000 ; wheat, 48,000, acres, 912,000 bushels ; oats, 2,000 acres, 74,000 bushels ; barley, 40 acres, 880 bushels ; rye, 700 acres, 11,200 bushels ; tons of hay, 57,000 ; potatoes, bushels, 80,910 ; number of horses in county, 10,240 ; all cattle, 30,520 ; dairy cows in 1924, 13,200 ; swine, 57,300: sheep, 16,670. The average size farm in the county in 1920 was 76.8. COUNTIES OF OHIO - 331 In the autumn of 1800 Ebenezer Zane laid out Lancaster and in compliment to several Pennsylvanians from Lancaster, that state, he named the town New Lancaster ; and it so remained until changed by legislative act to Lancaster, in 1805. The first white child born in Fairfield County was the son of Mrs. Ruhama Greene, who immigrated here in 1798 and settled three miles west of Lancaster, where her child was born. A great natural curiosity of the county is the bold and romantic eminence of sandstone, two hundred feet high, overlooking the country. It is called Mount Pleasant. The Indians called it "The Standing Stone." It measures a mile and a half in circumference at its base and is only thirty by one hundred yards at its apex. It is a reminder of the boundary towers made by mountain scenes along the Mediter-ranean. It is really the ending of the sandstone formation in this part of Ohio. It is frequently visited by sightseers and has attracted tourists from foreign lands. The City of Lancaster, seat of justice, is twenty-eight miles south-east of Columbus and used long ago to be described as being "on the Hockhocking River and canal, on the Zanesville and Chillicothe turn-pike." It had a population in 1920 of 14,706. It has long had an abundance of natural gas for heating and illuminating purposes. It was first discovered in February, 1887. One of these gas wells had a pressure of 700 pounds to the square inch and was, when drilled, the strongest gas well in Ohio. In recent years the city has had a steady and substantial growth, due largely to the development of its manufacturing industries. It has thirty important factory plants, including the Eagle Machine Company, the Hocking Valley Manufacturing Com-pany, railroad shops, glass works and shoe factories. Fire clay and glass sand abound, and the continued growth of the city seems assured. All of the church denominations and many of the popular modern civic societies and lodges are well represented in Lancaster. Among noted men who were residents of the county must be mentioned Gen. William T. Sherman and Thomas Ewing, the latter a United States Senator from Ohio. More extended notice of both is found elsewhere in these volumes. FAYETTE COUNTY Fayette County was formed in March, 1810, from parts of Ross and Highland counties. Its present area is 413 square miles. It has a population of 52.1 to the square mile. Here one finds a flat surfaced country, where fully one-half of the soil is a dark vegetable loam on a clayey subsoil mixed with a limestone gravel. In the early settlement, this flat, wet surfaced land did not appeal readily to home-seekers. Again another drawback was the fact so much of the land was in the hands of non-residents. But time passed on, the wet lands were reclaimed and have for many years been among the most productive sections of the state. The county ranks high among the stock-raising districts of the state. The agricultural products of this locality are summed up from the recent Agricultural Bulletin issued by the state, which gives figures as follows : In 1920 the county had 235,262 acres of cultivated land ; the average size farm was then 131.7 acres. The total number of horses in 1924 was 9,970 ; cattle, 19,250 ; dairy cows, 5,630 ; swine, 87,110 ; sheep, 15,860. In 1923, number acres in corn, 79,000 ; bushels raised, 3,239,000 ; wheat, 39,000 acres, yielded 702,000 bushels ; oats, 6,000 acres, raised 162,000 bushels ; barley, 640 acres, 13,440 bushels ; rye, 1,360 acres, produced 27,200 bushels ; tons of hay, 19,000 ; potatoes, 17,500 bushels. The county is made up of civil townships as follows : Concord, Green, Jasper, Jefferson, Madison, Marion, Paint, Perry, Union and Wayne. 332 - HISTORY OF OHIO Since its first census enumeration in 1820, the population has been by decades as follows : In 1810, 1,854 ; 1820, 6,336 ; 1830, 8,180 ; 1840, 10,979 ; 1850, 12,726 ; 1860, 15,935 ; 1870, 17,170 ; 1880, 20,364 ; 1890, 22,309 ; 1900, 21,735 ; 1910, 21,744 ; 1920, 21,518. The 1880 census returns gave the county as having 17,000 of the 20,000 population, Ohio-born ; Virginia furnished 1,052 ; Kentucky, 298 ; Pennsylvania, 291 ; Ireland, 256 ; Germany, 136. The first settlers included these pioneers : Col. James Stewart, Jesse Milliken, Wade Loofborough, Thomas McDonald, Dr. Thomas M. Gara, John Popejoy, Gen. B. Harrison, Jesse Rowe, John De Witt Hamilton, Benjamin Rogers, William Harper, James Hays, Michael Carr, Peter Eyeman, William Snider, Judge Jacob Jamison, Samuel Waddle, James Sanderson, Smith and William Rankin. The first Court of Common Pleas in this county was held by Judge Thompson, at the cabin of John Devault. The grand jury held their deliberations in a stable and in a hazel patch near by. The county has one city, Washington Court House, and the following villages, Milledgeville, Octa, Jeffersonville, New Holland, Bloomingburg. In 1923-24 the county officials of this county were as follows : Probate judge, Nye Gregg ; clerk of the courts, Amelia D. Waddell ; sheriff, William L. Lewis ; auditor, Walter L. Robinson ; county commissioners, John N. Browning, Elmer Junk, F. D. Theobald ; treasurer, Ida B. Rothrath ; recorder, W. B. Hyer ; surveyor, Tom J. Grove ; prosecuting attorney, Ray R. Maddox ; coroner, C. P. Lutrell ; county superintendent of schools, Oliver S. Nelson ; county club agent, W. W. Montgomery. Washington Court House, the county seat, with 7,962 population, is situated on a tributary of Paint Creek, forty-three miles southwest of Columbus. This has always been noted as a live-stock center. Stated days in each month are given over to stock sales and as many as 8,000 head of various kinds of stock have been exchanged here in one day. These sales are usually of cattle and horses. The city has a shoe factory, flouring mills, machine shops and fertilizer plant. In 1885, in the month of September, Washington Court House was partially destroyed by a cyclone. Six persons were killed and a vast amount of property loss was sustained. It was carefully estimated that half a million dollars' worth of property was destroyed in the wake of the awful storm. It took place at eight o'clock in the evening. Jeffersonville, thirty-five miles southwest of Columbus, is the center of what for many years has been known as a great stock center and grain belt. In 1880 its population was 374; in the report of 1920, it is given as 790. Bloomingburg is on the east fork of Paint Creek, five miles to the easterly from the county seat. It is a small village with an excellent rural trade, being, as it is, situated in a very well cultivated part of the county. Its population in 1920 was 552. FRANKLIN COUNTY By legislative act, April 30, 1803, Franklin County was formed from the County of Ross and named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. The surface of the land is generally level. The more elevated portions have a heavy clayey soil. East of the Scioto River, which runs through the county, the surface is generally underlaid with shale. The river bottom lands are a rich dark loam especially suited to the growth of Indian corn. The uplands, not naturally so fertile, respond most satisfactorily to intelligent cultivation, tile draining and the application of fertilizer. By such treatment many farms of the clayey land have been brought to a high standard of productivity. They have thus been COUNTIES OF OHIO - 333 adapted not only to the growth of grain crops, but of fruits as well. Commercial apple and cherry orchards are in bearing. The entire county was within the area covered by the glacial ice that came down from the north and left everywhere a deposit of drift of varying thickness. Beneath this drift the western half of the county is underlaid with Monroe and Columbus limestone—the latter predominating. A little farther east occurs the Delaware limestone. Then follow large areas of Ohio shale, succeeded by smaller outcroppings of Bedford shale, Berea grit, Sunbury shale and Cuyahoga formation. Beneath these outcropping strata, as evidenced by numerous wells each drilled to a depth of over 2,000 feet, there is a regular succession of rock layers extending down through the Silurian and into the Ordivician to the Trenton limestone. Had these wells been driven to a greater depth they would doubtless have revealed the earlier formations down to the limit where the sedimentary rocks come into contact with those of ignaeous origin. The remains of interesting extinct forms of animal life have been found here. Among these is the skeleton of a mastodon, now on exhibition at Orton Hall, Ohio State University. The primitive inhabitants of Franklin County were the Mound Builders. Evidence of this fact still exists in the form of a few mounds that have withstood the razing and leveling influence of civilization. When the white men came to this region it was occupied chiefly by the Wyandot Indians. They had a large town on a site within the present corporate limits of the City of Columbus. From this point they sent forth their hunters and their warriors. Hither they brought their captives. Among the latter were Jeremiah Armstrong, who was ransomed and returned to friends in Pennsylvania and who afterwards came back to Columbus and kept a hotel. Robert Armstrong, another captive, chose to spend the remainder of his days with his captors, took an Indian wife and reared a family. Hither came John Brickel, another Indian captive, with reminiscences of his remarkable experience, to purchase a few choice lots offered by Lucas Sullivant in the Village of Franklinton. Here in the Dunmore war Col. William Crawford surprised and put to flight a band of Mingoes who were making an effort to escape the conditions of the treaty at Camp Charlotte. Here in 1810 the Wyandot chief Leatherlips was sentenced to death by chiefs of his tribe, ostensibly for witchcraft, but really, it is believed, because of his friendship for the whites, and executed near the northern boundary of the county. A monument has been erected at his grave. Here Tarhe the Crane came to meet Gen. William Henry Harrison and offer his allegiance in the War of 1812, to the great relief of the citizens of the county. Present townships of this county are : Blendon, Brown, Clinton, Franklin, Hamilton, Jackson, Jefferson, Madison, Marion, Mifflin, Montgomery, Norwich, Perry, Plain, Pleasant, Prairie, Sharon, Truro and Washington. This county made the following showing agriculturally as per the recent agricultural bulletins of 1923 : Acres of corn, 74,000, produced 3,034,000 bushels ; wheat, 44,000 acres, 792,000 bushels ; oats, 10,000 acres, 310,000 bushels barley, 150 acres, 3,150 bushels ; rye, 1,090 acres, 17,440 bushels ; tons of hay, 60,000; potatoes, 278,300 bushels ; number horses in county in 1924, 12,510 ; cattle, 32,170 ; dairy cows, 20,730 ; swine, 54,300 ; sheep, 15,350 ; area of land farmed in 1920, 265,116; average size farm, 70.2 acres. Present officers of county affairs : Probate judge, Homer L. Bostwick ; clerk of the courts, Herold C. Gockenbach ; sheriff, Frank N. Holycross ; auditor, Arthur J. Thatcher ; county commissioners, H. E. Hartman, Fred W. Atchersom, Milton W. Westlake ; treasurer, William M. Ginder ; recorder, R. J. Williams ; surveyor, Curtis C. Lattimer 334 - HISTORY OF OHIO prosecuting attorney, John R. King ; coroner, Joseph A. Murphy ; county superintendent of schools, Charles W. Cookson. Population.—Since 1810 the population, by decade periods, has been : In 1810, 3,486 ; 1820, 10,172 ; 1830, 14,741; 1840, 25,049 ; 1850, 42,909 ; 1860, 50,361 ; 1870, 63,019 ; 1880, 86,797 ; 1890, 124,087 ; 1900, 164,460 ; 1910, 221,567 ; 1920, 283,951. Per square mile, 549.2. In addition to the City of Columbus, Franklin County has a number of interesting and prosperous villages. According to the census of 1920 the number of these incorporated reaches an even score. With the population of each they are as follows : Westerville, 2,480 ; Upper Arlington, 620 ; Linden Heights, 1,731; East Columbus, 1,328 ; Grand- view Heights, 1,185 ; Bexley, 1,342 ; Canal Winchester, 791 ; Grove City, 905 ; Worthington, 705 ; East Linden, 724 ; Groveport, 671; Reynoldsburg, 491 ; Hilliard, 451; Gahanna, 347 ; Lockbourne, 279 ; Harrisburg, 258 ; Marble Cliff, 216 ; Dublin, 211; New Albany, 200 ; Hanford, 160. The Village of Westerville derives its name from its founder, Matthew Westervelt, who laid it out in July, 1839. It was incorporated July 19, 1858, and the first officers were elected in October of the same year. It is now noted as the seat of Otterbein College, an institution with a long and honorable history and bright prospects for the future. While a student in this institution Benjamin Russell Hanby wrote the words and music of "Darling Nellie Gray." As the home of the Anti-Saloon League of America, Westerville is known throughout the civilized world. The Village of Worthington was founded by Col. James Kilbourne in May, 1804. It was incorporated March 9, 1835. On the day following the first election was held, at which Colonel Kilbourne was chosen mayor. On February 20, 1808, Worthington Academy was incorporated and conducted here with success until February 8, 1819, when it was reincorporated as Worthington College under the presidency of Rev. Philander Chase, who was later succeeded by his son. Salmon P. Chase was a student in this institution. It continued until 1832, when it gave place to the Reformed Medical College, which was subsequently moved to Cincinnati. Other schools established here and finally abandoned were the Female Seminary and the Ohio Central Normal College. The educational ideals of Worthington have always been high. Though the village has not grown rapidly, it is now becoming an attractive residence place for business and professional men with offices in Columbus. Though long ago disappointed in its desire to become the capital of Ohio, its early ambitions seem destined finally to be in a measure gratified. The City of Columbus is growing northward so rapidly that at a not distant date it will absorb Worthington—providing, of course, that Worthington is willing to become a part of the capital city. Groveport had its beginning as early as 1833. Later two towns were laid out on opposite sides of the main street by names respectively of Wert's Grove and Rarey's Port. Later the names were combined into Groveport. It was incorporated in 1847. Canal Winchester was long one of the most populous villages of Franklin County. It was laid out about the year 1827 by Reuben Dove, a Virginian, and named it Winchester, after Winchester, Virginia. It was afterward named Canal Winchester to distinguish it from another postoffice in the state by the name of Winchester. It was not incorporated until 1866. Dublin, one of the smaller villages of the county, has an interesting history. It was laid out by John Sells in 1818. It was platted by John Shields, an Irish surveyor, who named it after the city of Ireland in which he was born. It was incorporated in 1855. Grove City was platted under the direction of William F. Bruck on land owned by his father-in-law, John Smith, in 1852 and given the COUNTIES OF OHIO - 335 name which the village still bears. It was incorporated in 1866. Its growth, at first very slow, has been accelerated in recent years and it has gradually passed other older villages in population. Upper Arlington, Grandview Heights and Bexley are modern resi-dence suburbs of Columbus with a steady and assured growth and destined, by absorption or as separate municipalities, to become an important part of the Greater Columbus of the future. COLUMBUS, THE CAPITAL CITY OF OHIO "Whatever can be known of earth we know," Sneered Europe's wise men in their snail-shells curled. "No !" said one man in Genoa, and that No Out of the darkness summoned this New World. Of all the cities that bear the honored name of that "man of Genoa" the most populous, enterprising and progressive is Columbus, the capital city of Ohio. It has an interesting history. It was born to fame. It was the destined capital of the first state formed from the Northwest Territory. The seat of government of that entire territory was, when it was first organized in 1788, at Marietta; later, in June, 1791, it was moved to Cincinnati ; then again on November 1, 1800, it was transferred to Chillicothe, where it remained until Ohio was admitted into the Union. For a brief period, 1810-1812, it was transferred to the City of Zanesville, which had ambitions to become the permanent capital. Shortly afterward it returned to Chillicothe, where it remained until the seat of government of the state was finally fixed on the east bank of the Scioto River opposite the town of Franklinton. The legal steps by which it became the capital of Ohio are briefly indicated as follows : Many sites were ambitious to become the seat of government for the state. It was generally understood that Chillicothe would not be selected ; a site more nearly in the geographical center of the state was desired. The general assembly, on February 20, 1810, passed an act author-izing the selection by both houses of a commission of five members "to hear arguments, inspect localities and recommend a site for a permanent seat of government." James Findlay, W. Silliman, Joseph Darlington, Resin Beall and William McFarland were appointed commissioners. Franklinton, a considerable town opposite the present site of Columbus, was a very active applicant for the honor at the hands of the commissioners. After a thorough survey, however, they decided against this site. Their chief objection was that the ground was too low and that the danger from floods was too great to warrant this choice. Having failed to persuade the commission to favor Franklinton, the influential men of this town later cordially supported the efforts of the syndicate offering the present site of the capital. The members of this syndicate, who owned the land on which it was proposed that the capital should be built, were Lyne Starling, John Kerr, A. McLaughlin and James Johnson. They proposed, if their offer of the site "on the east bank of the Scioto River nearly opposite the town of Franklinton" should be accepted, to lay out a town, to convey to the state ten acres for public buildings and ten acres for a penitentiary ; to erect a state house, offices, penitentiary and such other buildings as the Legislature might direct. The syndicate was to contribute $50,000 for these improve-ments, and any sum in excess of this sum was to be paid by the state. The erection of the buildings was to be under the direction of the Legislature, which later chose Joel Wright of Warren County as its 336 - HISTORY OF OHIO agent. He was succeeded February 10, 1814, by William Ludlow, under whose direction the public buildings were completed. The name of Ohio's capital was fixed by a Senate joint resolution passed January 20, 1812. The name Columbus, it is claimed, was first suggested by Hon. Joseph Foos, at that time a member of the State Senate from Franklin County. The resolution as amended and agreed to in the Senate and finally concurred in by the House read as follows : "Resolved by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, that the town to be laid out on the high bank, on the east side of the Scioto River, opposite the town of Franklinton, for the permanent seat of government of this state, shall be known and distinguished by the name of Columbus." In passing it is worthy of note that Worthington was a very active rival in the effort to be chosen as the seat of government. At some stages of the proceedings it seemed that this village had fair prospects for the realization of its ambition, but a very careful study of the legislative proceedings does not verify the traditional story that Worthington lost by a single vote of a member of the general assembly whose convivial habits swayed him to the support of the present site. 1 Other contestants for this prize were Delaware, Zanesville, Lancaster, Circleville and Newark. Land owned by John and Peter Sells, including the present site of Dublin, was also seriously considered. The Delaware site was favored in the report of the senate committee January 17, 1812. The site selected for the capital of Ohio was well chosen. Though somewhat south of the geographical center of the state, it is not far distant from that point. It is located on ground sufficiently elevated to protect it from floods. Geologically it is in the midst of the surface formations of the. Devonian period. Beneath the soil are the Ohio shales. Immediately under these are the beds of Devonian limestone which come to the surface a little to the east. From this limestone the state house was built. This rock formation abounds in fossils, a number of which can be seen in the blocks used in the walls and steps of this building. In the land formation of Ohio, the site of the capital emerged from the epicontinental sea, which extended from the south at one time over the entire country. When the land on which Columbus is now located permanently arose from the waters of this sea they still extended for thousands of years over the eastern portion of what is now Ohio. In comparatively recent geological time, from eight to forty thousand years ago, according to various estimates, the great glacier of the ice age extended over most of Ohio and all of Franklin County. It left here the rich drift that it brought down from the north together with granite bowlders from beyond the Great Lakes. Prior to the descent of this glacier this region was covered by a luxuriant vegetation that supported many striking forms of animal life. Over the site of Columbus roamed the mastodon and the mammoth, long ago extinct. In Orton Hall of the State University there is on exhibition the skeleton of a mastodon, found within the limits of Franklin County, that doubtless browsed on the herbage along the banks of the Scioto, perhaps on the very site of the capital city. Remains indicate that this was also the favorite home of the mammoth. In a county north of Columbus have been found the remains of one of these animals. They will soon be mounted and placed on exhibition in the museum of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society. 1 - Columbus has its traditions. Among them are stories of how Worthington was defeated in its effort to become the capital city by the advocates of the present site who plied a member of the Legislature with drink and then voted him against Worthington. Another story has it that the one vote necessary to turn the scale was won at a game of poker. Neither is true. The official record shows that Worthington never came within one vote of the coveted prize. COUNTIES OF OHIO - 337 When primitive man first made his appearance here is uncertain. The mound builders were attracted to this region, however, and left within the limits of the city site a number of their earthen structures, most of which have entirely disappeared. One of the largest is remem-bered in the name of Mound Street. The last engagement of the Dunmore war 2 was fought between Virginians and Indians of the Mingo nation on ground near the Ohio Peni-tentiary, now included within the corporate limits of Columbus. Columbus had its beginnings in the stirring scenes of the second war with Great Britain. On the very day that President James Madison signed the declaration of war, June 18, 1812, the opening of the sale of lots for the new capitol began. As the news of the declaration of war did not reach Franklinton until some days later, the sale of lots proceeded without interruption of such an announcement. On the site of the capitol nothing of primary interest occurred during that struggle, but west of the river in view of the site, the town of Franklinton was the scene of great military activity. It was the rendezvous for the assembling of troops for the Northwestern army. From this village went forth a regiment to accompany General Hull on the long march through the wilderness to Detroit. The ill-fated expedition ended with a surrender to the British and threw open the entire Northwest to the incursions of the foe and their savage allies. This reverse to American arms filled the settlers in the vicinity of Columbus with consternation. Attacks were expected from the Indian allies of the British and the people of the surrounding country began to flock into Franklinton for protection. The attitude of the Indians that thus far had been neutral seemed to be in doubt and fears were expressed that they would ally themselves with the British cause. In this crisis William Henry Harrison, who was placed at the head of the Northwestern army, called a meeting of the Indians in Franklinton. This conference was held June 21, 1813, on the grounds of Lucas Sullivant, and a very interesting account of it has been preserved in the Sullivant family memorial. No better description can perhaps be given than the following extract which has appeared frequently in print ; "The Delaware, Shawnee, Wyandotte and Seneca tribes were repre-sented by about 50 of the chiefs and warriors. General Harrison represented the government, and with him were his staff and a brilliant array of officers in full uniform. Behind was a detachment of soldiers. In his front were the Indians. All around were the inhabitants of the region, far and near, with many a mother and maid as interested spectators. The general began to speak in calm and measured tones, befitting the grave occasion, but an undefined oppression seemed to hold all in suspense, as, with silent and almost breathless attention, they awaited the result of the general's words, which seemed to fall on dull ears, as the Indians sat with unmoved countenances and smoked on in stolid silence. At length the persuasive voice of the great com-mander struck a responsive chord, and when Tarhe, or Crane, the great Wyandot chief, slowly rose to his feet, and standing for a moment in graceful and commanding attitude, made a brief reply, and then, with others, pressed forward to grasp the hand of General Harrison, in token, not only of amity, but in agreement to stand as a barrier on our exposed border, a terrible doubt and apprehension was lifted from the hearts of all. Jubilant shouts rent the air, women wept for joy, and stalwart men thrilled with pleasure as they now thought of the assured safety of their wives and children from a cruel and stealthy foe, and prepared at once, with cheerful alacrity, to go forth to the impending battles." One can scarcely realize that all this occurred within the present limits of Columbus a little over a century ago. 2 - See chapter on "The Dunmore War." 338 - HISTORY OF OHIO A large, native bowlder, with appropriate bronze tablet, now commemorates this important conference. It was unveiled in Miller Park, now in the City of Columbus, formerly in the town of Franklinton, June 28, 1904, under the auspices of the Columbus Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The War of 1812 absorbed the thought of the people in the Ohio Country and considerably delayed work on the public buildings of the new state capital. These were not ready for occupancy until 1816. On December 2 of that year the general assembly convened in Columbus for the first time. It is said that "the members generally came on horse back, and sent their horses to the country for the winter. Several boarded in Franklinton and one or two in the country. On the adjournment of the general assembly, several of the members living in the country bordering on the Ohio River below Portsmouth, descended the Scioto in skiffs." Columbus was incorporated as a borough February 10, 1816 ; as a city, March 3, 1834. Improvements in addition to the public buildings had already been made. A number of citizens were desirous of adding to the new borough the town of Franklinton and a bill was introduced in the Legislature to make this a part of Columbus, a ward retaining the name of Franklinton. This wounded the pride of those living across the Scioto from the state capital, especially the pioneers of that town. A protest was framed bearing the signatures of Lucas Sullivant and a number of other prominent citizens of Franklinton. This was presented in December, 1817, to the general assembly and the project for uniting the two towns was abandoned. Among other reasons advanced in the protest is the following: "Many of us were the first and early adventurers to Franklinton whilst the surrounding country was an unbroken forest. We have cast our lots in Franklinton. We wish to remain unincorporated until we deem it to our interests to apply for an act of incorporation entirely separate and distinct from Columbus." In 1824 the county seat of Franklin County was moved from Franklinton to Columbus. In 1870 that town became finally incorporated with the capital city. The Ohio Gazeteer for the year 1818 presents a pleasing picture of the new capital of Ohio. We quote from the description : "COLUMBUS, a flourishing post town, and capital of the State of Ohio. * * * It now contains about 200 houses and 1500 inhabitants. There are also four or five English schools and a very respectable school for young ladies. Here are likewise ten mercantile stores, a bank, two printing offices and a market house. The public buildings of the state, consisting of a state-house, a building for the public offices, and a penitentiary, are all of brick. The state-house is a handsome edifice 75 by 50 feet upon the ground, and two lofty stories high, fronting the west. From the center of the roof rises a neat belfry, ornamented with a handsome spire ; the top of which is 106 feet from the ground. Adjoining the balcony, on the two sides are handsome railed walks, from which the spectator may view the whole town as upon a map. And from this station is likewise a most pleasing view of rural scenery in every direction as far as the eye can reach. The low situated town of Franklinton one mile to the west, and the intervening meanderings of the slow winding Scioto, add new charms to the surrounding prospect." The same publication describes Franklinton as a post town of about seventy dwelling houses and adds, "But on account of its proximity to the rapidly improving town of Columbus it seems not to be flourishing." After the close of the War of 1812 Columbus improved steadily and at times rapidly. The early inhabitants were subject to all the vicissitudes of pioneer life, which brought many enjoyments and with them struggles and hardships. For years very little money was in COUNTIES OF OHIO - 339 circulation. Products of the farm and forest and stream as well as skilled labor were paid for "in trade" by a system of exchange, remnants of which are still remembered by older persons now living. Eggs and butter less than fifty years ago in many parts of Ohio were bought in stores at so much a dozen or pound in cash or so much, usually a larger amount, "in trade." In 1817 a correspondent quotes prices as follows : Sugar, 12 1/2 cents per pound ; venison, a whole deer, 4 shillings or 66 cents ; turkeys, 25 cents each ; fish from 4 to 5 cents a pound. Much game was brought to the town by the Indians. In 1822 the following prices were quoted : Wheat, 25 cents a bushel ; corn, 12 1/2 cents a bushel ; oats, 14 cents a bushel ; pork, 2 cents a pound ; beef, 3 cents a pound ; lard, 6 cents a pound ; tallow, 8 cents a pound. The following fruits by the bushel were listed at : Sweet potatoes, 75 cents ; potatoes, 18 to 25 cents ; apples, 37 cents ; peaches, 12 to 18 cents ; dried peaches, $1 a bushel. Groceries were quoted as follows : Tea, $1.25 a pound ; coffee, 37 cents a pound ; loaf sugar, 37 cents a pound ; maple sugar, 10 cents a pound ; salt, $1 a bushel ; wool, 50 cents a pound. Prices from time to time fluctuated, but local products were uniformly cheap with very few exceptions. The correspondent who faithfully recorded these prices writes enthusiastically under date of October 2, 1817, of the fruit produced in the new country, especially peaches. She says : "Such fruit I never saw before. One of the neighbors sent me a basketfull, several of which measured a full quarter of a yard in circumference." Fine peaches are still seen in season in many gardens in Columbus. The northern part of the city and the country still further north are well adapted to the growth of apples, cherries and many other fruits. The Brown Fruit Farm, just north of Columbus, is a large commercial orchard that is now cultivated with remarkable success. In the pioneer days of Columbus the people were not infrequently subject to epidemics that carried many of them to premature graves. There was such a visitation from the autumn of 1823 to the springtime of 1826. The correspondent under date of August 10, 1823, speaks of Columbus as presenting "nothing but a scene of trouble, sickness and death." After nightfall lights could be seen in every home where vigils were kept for the dying and dead. In October of the same year the scourge was so severe in the surrounding country that there were "scarcely enough well people to bury the dead." In some instances entire families were swept away. In March of 1826 the town was "severely afflicted with influenza." Deaths were not so frequent, however, as from the fever of the years immediately preceding. The correspondent from whose manuscript these are gleaned wrote : "I have three little darling children in the graveyard. We have two here." This correspondent was Mrs. Betsy Green Deshler, the wife of David W. Deshler and the mother of William G. Deshler, the well known banker and capitalist of Columbus who erected and left as one of his monuments the Deshler Hotel. It is worthy of note in this connection that David W. Deshler, when he came to Columbus with his young wife, had practically no capital but health and character. He and his wife lived for a time in a small house, which he built, of only two rooms, and one of these was used as a shop. He was a cabinet maker and carpenter by trade. Afterwards he became a successful business man, a banker and one of the influential citizens of Columbus. An event of primary importance to Ohio and its capital city was the westward extension of the old National Road, or the Cumberland Road as it is known in official literature. On October 5, 1825, United States Commissioner Jonathan Knight, accompanied by associate engineers, came to Columbus after having completed the survey from Zanesville to this city. One of these engineers was the youthful Joseph E. Johnson, afterward the famous Confederate chieftain in the Civil war. 340 - HISTORY OF OHIO The road was not fully completed to Columbus until the year 1833. "The opening of this great thoroughfare was an event of immense importance commercially," we are told. "It was a revolution." At the height of its prosperity, huge freight wagons carrying from eight to ten tons each and drawn by from six to twelve horses, rolled over it, while gaily colored stage coaches speeding at the rate of ten miles an hour passed at frequent intervals. The National Road had much to do with the rapid growth of towns along its route, including the City of Columbus. This historic highway crossed the Scioto River at West Broad Street. Revival of interest in it marked the opening of the new bridge, recently completed, at that point. Other means of transportation, however, were in a brief period to minimize the importance of this great historic highway. In 1825 work was commenced at Licking Summit, near Newark, on the first Ohio canal. The Fourth of July was Chosen as the auspicious occasion for beginning this great internal improvement. Governor DeWitt Clinton, of New York, under whose administration the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo had been built, was present to lift the first spade of earth and was followed by Governor Morrow. Thomas Ewing delivered the oration to a great crowd of people, and "men around him wept for joy" at the commencement of this work which was expected to bring a new era of prosperity to Ohio. A system of canals was gradually completed within the state. A lateral branch of the Ohio Canal, connecting the main line with Columbus at Lockbourne, was commenced April 30, 1827. The event was celebrated in Columbus with much ceremony. Hon. Joseph R. Swan delivered an address. On September 13, 1831, water was let into the Columbus branch and on the 23rd of the same month the firing of cannon announced the arrival of the canal boat, Governor Brown, from Circleville with many prominent citizens of Pickaway County on board. For a time traffic over this branch flourished until the canal system of the state gradually gave way to its swifter and more powerful competitor, the steam railway. The success of the steam railway experiment in England early attracted attention to this country and to Ohio. The local interest was attested in a meeting of citizens of Columbus held in the state house January 9, 1836. Governor Lucas presided. Resolutions were adopted expressing satisfaction with the movement to construct a railroad from Cincinnati to Charleston, South Carolina. The first railway chartered in Ohio was the Milan & Newark Railroad, which was incorporated February 7, 1832. It was not, however, until February, 1850, that a railroad train actually steamed into the City of Columbus. On the 22d of that month a trial trip was made on the railroad from Columbus to Xenia. The locomotive was named The Washington. On the 27th of this month the first regular passenger train, drawn by this locomotive, steamed out of Columbus. On March 2, 1850, the state officers and the general assembly made a trip over the road to Cincinnati and return. From the establishment of the capital at Columbus transportation lines, roads, turnpikes, canals and railways have sought to connect it with different parts of the state. It has become an important railway center. Seven trunk lines with eighteen divisions now connect it with different parts of the country. Seventy passenger trains pass through the city daily. Nine interurban electric lines add materially to the transportation facilities. In the early half century of the history of Columbus migration to Ohio was largely to the rural districts. Forest and prairie lands were sought and settled. The one great industry of the state through this period was agriculture. The tide was steadily toward the country. The rapid growth of villages and cities had not yet commenced. But the urban population steadily increased, though not so rapidly as that of the farming districts. After the Civil war, however, manufacturing establishments began COUNTIES OF OHIO - 341 to spring up in the municipalities of the state and the tide of migration and immigration gradually turned toward the cities. A native son of Ohio and President of the United States fittingly described this change in the statement, "The fires of productive industry were lighted at the funeral pyre of slavery." Today in spite of the cry "back to the country" the tide is still strongly toward the cities. This is evident in the growth of Columbus, which is increasing rapidly in population. Much has been said of the achievements of Ohio in statesmanship and war. Because of the fortunate location of the state and the character of its population, Ohio has frequently been referred to as the "heart of the Republic," and the political and social interests of the state of course pulsate from its capital and heart center, Columbus. Mention has been made of the activity of Columbus, or Franklinton, which is now a part of Columbus, in the War of 1812. The war with Mexico was not generally popular here. It was an Ohio United States Senator, the eloquent Tom Corwin, who said that if he were a Mexican he would say to our troops advancing into that country, "We will greet you with bloody hands and welcome you to hospitable graves." In spite of the opposition, however, Ohio responded with alacrity and enthusiasm to the call for troops. Her quota was soon filled and notice was given that no further enlistments were desired. In spite of this opposition to the Mexican war, however, the people of Ohio responded with alacrity and enthusiasm to the call for troops. On May 20, 1846, Governor Mordecai Bartley issued his first call. Recruiting began in Columbus immediately after the issue of the gov-ernor's call. Three companies were promptly organized here. Ohio's quota was more than filled in a very short time and notice was given that no further enlistments were desired. The governor was somewhat embarrassed a little later when a company from Seneca County "marched into Columbus on the evening of June 10, with drums beating and flag flying." Arrangements were made for provisioning this unit until some assignment could be made. No adequate space can be given in this sketch to describe the military activities in Columbus during the great Civil war. In the state house grounds, at the northwest corner of the capitol, stands a monument surmounted by a bronze effigy of the Roman matron, Cornelia, with outstretched hands and underneath her classic words, "These are my jewels." Below this inscription are the "jewels," the famous sons of Ohio and the Republic—Grant, Sherman, Sheridan, Stanton, Chase, Garfield and Hayes. To these might be added the dashing cavalry leader, Custer. Nothing could more adequately suggest the participation of Ohio in the war for the Union than these names. In the cabinet and on the field Ohio was dominant in the sisterhood of states through that historic struggle. A panorama of the scenes witnessed here thrills the reader as he peruses the history of the stirring, tragic and glorious days of 1861-1865. Camp Chase, in Columbus, was the scene of active recruiting and training for service. It was also the site of a famous Confederate prison. In the cemetery there 2,260 Confederates who died in the prison were buried. The remains of 126 of these have been removed, leaving the total number now buried at Camp Chase 2,134. The names of these have been preserved. In recent years the cemetery has been well kept and memorial services are now annually held there. The war with Spain found Ohio united in support of the administration of an Ohio President, William McKinley. A prominent figure in the United States Senate at the time of the declaration was Joseph Benson Foraker, whose eloquent insistence that this must not be a war of conquest but for the liberation of Cuba, is still remembered. The declared purpose for which the nation took up arms under the leader-ship of these two Ohio Statesmen is becoming a fixed policy of our government. The war had been expected and the agitation for the 342 - HISTORY OF OHIO recognition of Cuba had been actively advocated in Columbus the suddenness with which the declaration came, however, and the prompt marching of the regiment of regulars from the Columbus barracks thrilled the people and brought forth the largest crowds that up to that date had assembled in the city to cheer the soldiers on their way to meet the foe. Ohio's participation in the World war is too recent and too vividly remembered to require portrayal here. Through the period from the call to arms to its conclusion the khaki uniform was seen at all times on the street and regiments frequently marched in review past the capitol on their way to cantonments or overseas service. A procession never to be forgotten was the march of thousands of mothers of soldiers dressed in white on June 9, 1918. Ohio furnished her quota of officers and men and in the brief period of the service in foreign lands gave some names to history. Brig.-Gen. Edward Sigerfoos, the highest ranking officer killed in action, was a native Ohioan and a graduate of the Ohio State University. Capt. Edward V. Rickenbacker, America's ace of aces, was born and reared in Columbus. He was given a great public reception, February 17, 1919, on his return from his distinguished service overseas. Those who gave their lives in the war are tenderly cherished in memory and monuments and memorials to their heroic sacrifice are yet to be reared. The great reserve army, not eligible for service at the front, responded liberally to every patriotic call. The aggregate financial aid subscribed was in excess of $88,000,000. The City of Columbus has been the scene of many great political meetings and conventions. One of the most famous of these was that held here on February 22, 1840, when Gen. William Henry Harrison, a citizen of Ohio, with great acclaim was nominated for the presidency. Over 20,000 from all sections of the state attended this convention. To Columbus came Abraham Lincoln on September 16, 1859, to deliver his first notable address in Ohio. On this occasion he formed acquaintances and cemented friendships that helped him a year afterwards to become the nominee of his party for the presidency. Here the political contest of Brough and Vallandingham in 1863 was vigorously and acrimoniously waged. Since its incorporation Columbus has been widely known through its hotels. The most historic of these is the Neil House. It commemorates the name of its founder, William Neil, for many years a prominent citizen of Columbus. It had its humble beginning about the year 1822. Later a substantial building was erected in 1837. This burned down November 6, 1860, the day Lincoln was elected President. Soon thereafter was rebuilt on the same site the building which has recently been razed to make way for a more stately structure now in process of erection, which will be one of the finest hotels in the country. The Neil House has entertained many distinguished men and women in various walks of life. Fifteen presidents, eight of them from Ohio, have written their names in the Neil register : Jackson, William Henry Harrison, Lincoln, Johnson, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Arthur, Cleveland, Benjamin Harrison, McKinley, Taft, Roosevelt, Wilson, Harding. Ohio congressmen and senators have registered at the Neil. It has numbered in its list of distinguished guests Charles Dickens, Henry Clay, William Dean Howells, Jenny Lind, Louis Kossuth, Admiral Farragut, Tom Corwin, Phil Sheridan, Horace Greeley, Stephen A. Douglas, Adelina Patti, W. J. Bryan, James G. Blaine, Orville Wright and more than a score of others equally eminent. The Chittenden Hotel was built by Henry T. Chittenden, a capitalist long identified with the city. The Deshler Hotel perpetuates the name of one of the pioneer families of Columbus. It was erected by the late William G. Deshler, for many years in financial affairs the most prominent citizen of Columbus. Fort Hayes Hotel has recently been built on COUNTIES OF OHIO - 343 West Spring Street near the Chittenden. These hotels, the Southern at the corner of High and Main streets, and a number of other excellent hostelries fairly well accommodate the large traveling public attracted to the city. The first manufacturing concern was established in 1822. Its chief product was plows. It continued for almost a third of a century. The manufacturing interests of Columbus have had a healthy growth since the Civil war. They are so thoroughly diversified that dullness in a particular line does not materially affect the city. According to the census of 1920 there were 960 manufacturing establishments in Columbus engaging 23,425 persons, employing a capital of $102,975,000 and turning out annually an aggregate product valued at $124,022,000. The value of the products of the principal manufacturing industries of Columbus were reported as follows for the year 1919 : Foundry and machine shop products, $18,632,901 ; cars and general shop construction and repairs by steam railroad companies, $15,213,729 ; boots and shoes, $10,198,135 ; slaughtering and meat packing, $6,516,428 ; printing and publishing newspapers and periodicals, $4,094,919 ; automobile bodies and parts, $3,668,580 ; fertilizers, $2,832,917 ; confectionery and ice cream, $2,575,127; book and job printing and publishing, $2,185,510 ; lumber and planing-mill products, $1,691,612; stoves, ranges and hot air furnaces, $1,133,658. By reference to the Ohio laws it appears that the act incorporating six banks in the state, passed February 23, 1816, authorized the establishment of the first bank in the town of Columbus. The first section of this act begins as follows : "Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That a bank shall be established at Columbus, in the county of Franklin, and those who shall become stock holders in said bank in the manner hereinafter prescribed, their successors and assigns shall be and hereby are created a body corporate and politic by the name and style of the president and directors of the Franklin Bank of Columbus." The charter of this bank extended to January 1, 1843. Its capital stock was $100,000. Those authorized to secure "subscriptions toward the constitution of the stock" were : Samuel Parsons, Lucas Sullivant, Gustavus Swan, John Cutler, John Kerr, Alexander Morrison, James Kilbourn, Jarvis Pike and Henry Brown. It is recorded that a meeting of citizens of Detroit in January, 1820, agreed that notes of this bank and a number of others in Ohio should he received at a discount of 20 per cent. The bank was still in existence June 10, 1837, and was represented in a meeting of bankers in Columbus on that date by Gustavus Swan and Alfred Kelley. The Clinton Bank of Columbus, which was incorporated July 3, 1834, was represented at this meeting by Joseph Ridgeway. The Clinton Bank numbered among its first directors William Neil, D. W. Deshler, Noah H. Swayne and William L. Sullivant, all prominently identified with the business interests of Columbus. In the earlier portion of the half century preceding the Civil war, the business of banking in Ohio and other states was in a very unsatisfactory condition. The value of the notes issued by various banks was usually uncertain and many of them became worthless. The aggregate loss thus inflicted upon the people of Ohio through this period can perhaps never be estimated. Columbus, however, was not as unfortunate as many other cities. The first two banks chartered weathered all storms and the Franklin Bank of Columbus reached its charter limit in 1843 in safety. At this time the state bank of Ohio was organized and the Franklin Bank of Columbus on January 1, 1845, became one of its branches. It was 'thoroughly reorganized and continued in business until August 23, 1854, at the close of a successful career. The list of Columbus banks covering the entire period since the establishment of the capital city is a long one and the record is marked, 344 - HISTORY OF OHIO of course, by the vicissitudes of the times and some failures. On the whole, however, banking here has been on a substantial basis and the credit of those institutions has been uniformly high. At present there are no private banks in Columbus and all of the banking institutions here belong to the Clearing House Association which was organized in 1872, with T. P. Gordon, president, and P. W. Huntington, vice president. The present officers are : President, D. F. Dickson ; secretary, Walter A. Fox. Following is the list of the active member banks of the Columbus Clearing House Association : The Market Exchange Bank. The Huntington National Bank. The First National Bank. The Hayden Clinton National Bank. The Columbus Savings Bank. The Ohio National Bank. City National Bank. Commercial National Bank. Citizens Trust and Savings Bank. The National Bank of Commerce. The following banks are associate members of the Columbus Clearing House Association : The Fifth Avenue Savings Bank. The Commonwealth Savings Bank. The Northern Savings Bank. The Brunson Savings Bank. The following aggregate represents the standing of the banks forming the Clearing House Association : Statement of April 1, 1923.