HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 75 following a southwest course, crossed the Hocking at Lancaster. Here Zane established another section of land. The little creek winding up through the alluvial meadows of Fairfield county was considered navigable for "small boats." The town of Lancaster was laid out in 1800, by John and Noah Zane, sons of Col. Zane. From here the Trace continued toward Chilli cothe by passing near the present village of Amanda and through Tarlton and the Pickaway Plains, crossing the Scioto at Chillicothe. Here they were obliged to locate. their land on the west side of the river. Zane sold it to Humphrey Fullerton. Caleb Atwater says in his history of Ohio (1838) that Fullerton's widow yet owned it. From Chillicothe, the road ran southwest, crossing Paint Creek near the junction of the North. Fork and the Yocatangee, followed the latter stream a distance and crossed Black Run, where it intersectd Todd's Trace, which it followed to Maysville by way-of Manchester. In 1799 a post office was established' at Chillicothe. Mail was brought over the Trace once' a week. Gen. Sanderson of Lancaster was post-boy between Chillicothe and Lancaster. Zane's trace became the great highway of emigration. Droves of pack horses were driven across it. Many of the settlers of south central Ohio found their-way through the primeval forest by means of this blazed path. The first settler of Pickaway county, Caleb Evans, came through from Kentucky on Zane's Trail. The first settlement in Highland county was about half a mile north of Sinking Springs, on Zane's. or rather Todd's Trace. Rude taverns were erected for the accomodation of the guests. At Lancaster there was one and at Zanesville, McIntire's tavern became' famous for having once entertained Louis Philippe,. 76 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. In 1798, a Mr. Graham located upon the site of Cambridge, Guernsey county. His was the only dwelling between Zanesville and Wheeling. Along this road the itinerant preacher came with saddle bags and "pious mien." By degrees the road was widened in part and in many places it was changed altogether, until it is almost lost. The Wheeling and Maysville pike only follows the Trace approximately. There are variations of three miles and over. The Trace followed the high ridges mostly and in many places went down precipitous bluffs. The pike goes around the hills. Zane's road may well be said to be the initial step in the policy of "internal improvements." It served its purpose well and had much to do with the developement of the central west. Along it sprang up the settlers' cabin and the little clearings testified that the "white man's foot" had come. It opened up the most fertile portion, that was then accessible in Ohio. It was the connecting link between the east and the settlements made in the southwest. Ebenezer Zane certainly deserves the credit of being one of the Founders of the Northwest. He died in 1812 and his body lies on Ohio soil. In the village of Martins Ferry, Belmont county, is the Zane burying ground surrounded by a brick wall. In this neglected enclosure, situated on a terrace overlooking the Ohio, as it begins to bend around the state, is a slab upon which are these words : IN MEMORY OF EBENEZER ZANE who died 19th November, 1812, in the 66th year of his age. He was the first permanent inhabitant of this part of the Western World, having first begun to reside here in the year 1769. He died as he lived, an holiest man. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 77 The Refugee Tract. During the Revolutionary War many of the people living in Canada and other British Provinces, sympathized with the American patriots in their efforts to throw off the British yoke. For this "crime" of sympathy their presence became obnoxious to such of their neighbors as swore by the "divine right of kings." Things became so intolerable that they were obliged to abandon their homes and take refuge among their friends in the colonies. Their lands were confiscated. They were thus rendered homeless. Many of them entered the patriot army. When the war clouds had blown away and the independence of the colonies was assured, it was no more than a matter of justice, that some means be inaugurated for the reimbursement of these faithful friends. As early as April 23, 1783, and again on April 13, 1785, Congress passed resolutions, that as soon as they consistently could, ample grants of land would be made to remunerate the Refugees for their sacrifices in the cause of the colonies. Congress, however, had no land at its disposal, till .after the organization of the Northwest Territory in 1787. It was not till eleven years later that final action was taken in the matter. On the 17th of April, 1798, Congress invited all "refugees" to file their claims with the Secretary of War and give a true and full account of their services and losses. Two years were given in which to file them. At the expiration of that time there were sixty-nine applicants. On the report of the Secretary of War Congress on February 18, 1801, appropriated about 100,000 acres. The land selected was a tract four and one-half miles wide, ex- 78 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. tending from the Scioto on the west, toward the Muskingum on the east, as far as necessary to contain the number of acres in the appropriation. There was some discussion in Congress as to where it should be located. It was a question whether it should .be taken out of the Military Bounty or Congress Lands. It was finally compromised by taking a part out of each. The location was therefore made along the line between these two tracts. The northern boundary of Perry county is that line. Two miles of the Refugee Land is in Perry and two and one-half miles in Licking. On the east the Refugee Tract extended a short distance into Muskingum County. The four northwestern sections of Madison township fall within the limit. As far as we are able to learn none of the patents issued to these claimants were ever located in Perry County. Only 65,280 acres were needed to satisfy the claims. To this must be added 5,000 acres more for school purposes. About 30,000 acres reverted to the government. Heroes of the Forest. Our county had been traversed by white hunters for some years before actual settlements were made. In the year 1773/a Baptist missionary accompanied by a trader named Duncan, is said to have traveled over the path taken by Christopher Gist. Lewis Wetsell and Simon Girty, famous hunters and traders, visited the Indian town at Lancaster. To reach that place, it would be necessary to follow some of the various Indian trails through our county. We are quite sure that traders stopped within our borders for purposes of barter. In the eastern part of Bearfield Township, near the Morgan County line, HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 79 is evidence of a trading post. Only a few years ago, Clete was found at this place, a Spanish coin of the eighteenth century, some bits of iron and vermillion. The latter, evidently, was to sell to the Indians for decorative purposes. The surveying of the land and the opening of Zane's Trace had the effect of opening the land to settlement. Perry County had the advantage of some of the other counties in that its hills were more healthful than the flat lands of Fairfield and Pickaway. Who the first permanent settler in our county was is not definitely known. It is not probable that there were a1801efore the year 1800. In 18oi, however, we know positively, of several. A man by the name of George Arnold had entered some land in Reading Township, where the town of New Reading now is. He did not settle on the land, but sold it to Christian Binckley, the great-grandfather of Capt. T. D. Binckley, present Representative from this county. He thus became the first permanent settler, as far as known. He came from Washington County, Maryland. In 1802, several additions were made to the population of our county. Among the first to arrive was Peter Overmeyer, who came with his family from Northumberland County, Pennsylvania. It might be interesting to note that he, too, was the great-grandfather of our own Capt. Binckley, of New Lexington. Peter Overmeyer was the father of the Peter Overmeyer who died but a few years since, and grandfather of J. B. Overmeyer, ex-treasurer of this county. The younger Peter Overmeyer was three years of age when he came to Perry County. Living to a ripe old age, he had seen the growth of the entire county. He 80 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. had experienced the hardships of pioneer days, had received his education in .the crude way in which it was to be got at that time, and no man was more able to narrate the early experiences in the woods of Perry County than he. His name deserves to go on the list of the "Heroes of the Forest." In the same year that Peter Overmeyer came to Reading, other settlements were made in the vicinity.. Robert Colborn settled east of Somerset. Frederick Heck came to the neighborhood of Otterbein and George Bowman took up his residence on west Rush-creek. From this time the settlements were made more rapidly. Fink and Miller, the proprietors of Somerset, came in 1803. Soon small clearings began to appear in the woods, the settlers' cabin was being built and the smoke curled from the stick chimney. The Pioneers had come mostly from the states of Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland and New York.. The Pennsylvania Germans and the Virginians predominated. The method of bringing families and household goods was by wagon or horseback. Often the head of the family had come on ahead and had the cabin ready for occupancy. If such was not the case, the wagon in which they came served as their home till the trees could be felled for the house. These homes were made of round logs. The roof was clapboards, held in place by long poles. The floors were logs hewed on one side. Greased paper served for windows. One end of the house was utilized for the fire-place. The hearth consisted of flat stones.. Here the cooking was done with utensils few and simple. A pot and skillet were deemed sufficient, and the family that owned a "Dutch Oven" was considered fortunate. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 81 The clothing was spun and woven by the women from flax raised in the clearing. Linsey-wolsey was a common fabric. It was a mixture of wool and cotton. The food was necessarily coarse and plain. Hominy was a staple diet. For meats they depended in part upon the animals of the forest. But hogs were soon raised and "hog and hominy" became popular. These were the "Good old times" about which we hear so much. To old people who live in the past, this may be true. But they were hard times, nevertheless, in more ways than one. It was an experience that few care to repeat. In spite of the hardships and many disadvantages, our pioneer fathers extracted their share of life's enjoyment. People helped each other more then than now. There were log-rollings and barn-raisings and cornhuskings. These were always made social affairs. The settler's cabin had no newspaper and few books. The Bible was one of these and its contents was read and re-read, till it was committed to memory. The long winter evenings were passed in work of various kinds. The pioneer knew very little beside labor. During the day, mother and daughters often helped in the fields. In the evening, wool and flax were to be spun, stockings knitted, clothes made, brooms from hickory splints manufactured, harness mended, corn shelled and dozens of other duties, then to go to bed and sleep during the long winter nights and awake in the morning, and find on the bed covers, a thin layer of snow, which had sifted in through the clapboard roof. The men and women who came to the woods of Perry County, cleared its forests, built for themselves 6 H. P. C. 82 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. and families their rude homes, extracted from the land by dint of hard labor, food and clothing, and then left to succeeding generations a heritage of material wealth, independence of mind, and above all a high type of manhood and womanhood, certainly may be called "Heroes of the Forest." Their work is done. The third and fourth generations now occupy the land they conquered. They now sleep in the soil, wrested from the hands of untamed Nature and around their narrow beds can be heard the hum and buzz of the industry of a newer time for which they laid the foundation. "Careless crowds go daily past you, Where their future fate has cast you, Leaving not a sigh or tear; And your wonder works outlast you — Brave old pioneer ! Little care the selfish throng Where your heart is hid, Though they thrive upon the strong, Resolute work it did. But our memory-eyes have found you, And we hold you grandly dear; With no work-day woes to wound you — With the peace of God around you — Sleep, old pioneer !" — Will Carleton. The Evolution of Perry County. On July 27, 1788, Arthur St. Clair established the County of Washington, with Marietta as the seat of government. Washington County comprised the whole eastern part of the state. Its western boundary line began with the Cuyahoga River, which it followed to its source, thence by the portage between that river and the Tuscarawas to the forks of the latter with the Muskingum. From this point a line was drawn HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 83 to the source of the Scioto, then along that river to its mouth. Perry County was wholly in Washington County. On the ninth of December, 1800, the county of Fairfield was organized. Al part of Washington was used in the erection of the new county. The present townships of Thorn, Hopewell, Madison, Reading, Clayton, Jackson, Pike, Mondaycreek, Saltlick, Coal, the four western sections of Pleasant and the four western sections of Harrison, were incorporated in Fairfield, while Monroe, Bearfield, the twelve eastern sections of Pleasant and the eighteen eastern sections of Harrison remained with Washington. The county of Muskingum was established January 7, 1804. It was formed from Fairfield and Washington. The Perry County townships, taken from Fairfield were Madison, Clayton and the four western sections of Harrison. The remainder of Harrison, which belonged to Washington was also added to Muskingum. It will be seen that the present county of Perry was divided among three counties — Fairfield, Muskingum and Washington. Fairfield had Thorn, Hopewell, Reading, Pike, Jackson, Saltlick, Mondaycreek, Coal and the four western sections of. Pleasant. Muskingum had Madison,. Clayton and Harrison. Washington had Bearfield, Monroe and the twelve eastern sections of Pleasant. December 26, 1817, is the date of the organization of Perry County. It was fifty-second in order of formation and was erected from the counties of Washington, Muskingum and Fairfield. With but one exception the present boundaries of the county were then established. The house of Thomas Mains in Somerset was designated as the place for holding court. The excep- 84 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. Tion alluded to in the foregoing refers to the attaching of a part of Licking to Perry. Most of the maps do not show this. The northern boundary of Perry is usually considered as a straight east and west line. On February twentieth, .1837, the following act was passed by the Ohio Legislature : "That the south half of sections seventeen and eighteen, in township number seventeen of range number seventeen, refugee, be, and the same is hereby attached to Thorn township, in the county of Perry, and shall from henceforth, be considered for all purposes whatever, a part of said county." The object of this transfer was on account of certain lands that lay north of the township line and south of Buckeye Lake. Because of the body of water between this land and the main part of Licking County, as a matter of convenience to the owners, it was given to Perry. Village Settlements. Lack of space precludes anything but a brief statement of the village settlements in our county. The dates here given are the official dates of the platting of the towns. The villages usually existed before the plat was made. Their growth was generally slow and the several additions were made as the times demanded. It is only in western states that the town is built on paper first. Our mining towns have been of rapid growth and some of them have declined quite as rapidly. The nucleus of our villages was generally a country store, a ford in a stream, or a grist-mill. Then would come the blacksmith, the cabinetmaker and shoemaker. The store often served as tavern. Liquid refreshments were handed out over the same counter with calico and HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 85 nails. There were many such settlements throughout the county, with such dignified names as "Beanville," "X Roads," "Dogtown," "Hard Scrabble," etc., that were never platted. New Reading, in Reading Township, is in reality the oldest town in the county. It was not laid out until 1805 and thereby lost its distinction of official priority for Hanover was platted by Jacob Ditto in 1804. Its life was short. One of the first acts of the Common Pleas Court, upon the organization of the county, was the annulment of the Hanover town plat. New Reading was originally called Obermeyersettle, or, in English, Overmeyertown, from its founder, Peter Overmeyer, who was among the first settlers in the county. The town received its name from Reading, Pennsylvania, the home of many of its first citizens. When the county was organized in 1817 New Reading was a competitor for the county seat. It is said that this is the reason for the two rows of sections being taken off of Richland Township, Fairfield County, and given to Reading, thus making the latter a 48-square mile township. The town was so near the edge of the surveyed township that it was thought to be detrimental to New Reading's ambition. At the end of the first decade, Reading Township possessed the entire trio of Perry County villages. Somerset dates from 1810. It was settled about six years previously by Fink and Miller, who were Pennsylvania Germans. Fink's Tavern afterward became famous for it was a mid-way stop between Zanesville and Lancaster. On account of this fact the town was at first called Middletown. The tavern stood near the site of the present school building. The town was named for Somerset, Pennsylvania. When the county 86 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. was organized in 1817, Somerset was one of the four towns asking to be the capital. Because of its central position to the majority of the people, it was selected. Thornville became a town in 1811. Its originator was Joseph McMullen. It too enjoys its second name. At first the poetic name of Lebanon was given to it but on account of another Lebanon in Ohio, it took Upon itself French airs, followed the English custom, and christened itself with the plebeian name of Thornville. It has however made up for the deficiency in its name, by being the most beautiful village in Perry County. It verifies the sayings—"What's in a name ?" "A rose by any other name would smell as sweet," etc. The word Rehoboth means roominess. The originator of the Perry County Rehoboth, evidently had that in mind when he platted the village. To this day can be seen the public square, which was one of the characteristics of the first towns. But there was another motive for making the square in Rehoboth, beside that of being artistic. When that town was laid out in 1815 by John and Eli Gardner, with prophetic eye they saw the time when a new county would be erected. That new county would need a capital, and the capital would need a court house, and a court house would not look well unless it fronted a public square. True to its purpose it became a formidable rival to Somerset. They were worsted in the contest and their public square serves as a reminder of the ambition of the thrifty citizens. When tobacco became the staple Crop of the county, Rehoboth was the center for this trade. Had the county been organized twenty years later, Rehoboth would to-day be the county seat of Perry County. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 87 Bristol is located at an interesting point in the county. Situated at the turn of the water-shed, the waters of its vicinity find their way into the Muskingum by South Fork, and into the Hocking through Rushcreek, Big Mondaycreek, Little Mondaycreek and Sundaycreek. Besides through its main street ran the old Monongahela Indian Trail, along whose path the Indian braves took their white captives to the Scioto towns. Later the white surveyor stretched his chain from Fort Harmar to Standing Rock and the Lancaster and Marietta Road connected the Muskingum with the plains of Fairfield. Bristol was at first named Burlington. It too was a bidder for the court house. Platted in 1816 it gave evidence of considerable growth. The Commissioners, when they visited the place concluded it was too far south. The town has never recovered from this blow given it in its very incipiency. New Lexington became a town in 1817. James Comley was its founder. The first house in town was built by Jacob Barnthistle, a tanner. This house stood where Kishler's Buggy Shop now stands. Soon other buildings were erected but the growth was slow. The name was given it in honor of the Lexington of Revolutionary fame. After an exciting contest, lasting seven weeks, it became the county seat in 1857. Crossenville dates from 1817, when William Crossen laid it out in lots. It was for a number of years quite a thrifty village, carrying on a large tobacco. trade. Wolf Town was a hamlet north of Junction City. It was never platted but it contained a tannery and several stores. It was sometimes known as "Hard Scrabble." 88 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. We now pass over a period of eleven years, during which time no new towns were erected in our county. In 1828 Mt. Perry was platted. But Hendrick's Mill around which the town grew was built in 1820. Millertown, in Monroe Township, can boast of being the oldest village in southern Perry, unless we except Bristol. It was platted in 1834 by Jacob Miller. During the Civil War, John Morgan, the celebrated Confederate cavalry leader, camped within its precincts. Straitsville, Saltlick Township, now Coal, was laid out in 1835 by Jacob and Isaac Strait. In its early history it boasted of a few stores and a tavern. During the first three years of the Civil War, this town was a recruiting station. Its quiet lanes were aroused by the tocsin of war. Through its streets, companies of Perry County boys were marched and drilled in the military art. From its station on the hill it looked after the boys in blue as they went toward New Lexington, to take the cars for the scene of conflict. Where is Mount Hope ? Jackson Township had but one town, so at the Cross Roads where the Somerset and Logan Road crosses the Lancaster and Harmar Road, a town was platted in 1835 and named Mount Hope. But the hopefulness of the place soon vanished and no town was ever built. A postoffice named Asbury existed for a short time. The place is still called Mount Hope by the people of the community. A town that once bid fair to succeed and enjoyed for a time quite a lucrative trade, was Oakfield. It was platted in 1838 by Job Tharp. It was the social as well as the commercial center of the neighborhood. Oakfield is located on the water-shed. HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 89 When the Ohio Canal was built, and the Licking Reservoir, laying in sight of Thornville, presented a fine expanse of water, the thrifty farmers of Thorn township concluded that a boat way should be cut through the 'feeder, to the head of the lake, that they might be able to ship their grain. This idea resulted in the laying out of the town of Thornport in 1839. This Canal scheme, like "Eliphalet Chapin's Wedding " was not an unalloyed success. It soon ceased operations and the great ware-house, that was built to store their grain, stands now as a monument to these days of yore. Sego, our "String Town on the Pike," began its official existence in 1846, when William Curry built his blacksmith shop there. It gets its name from a town in Africa. It was near this village that General Ritchie lived, while in Congress and within it Dr. Thompson. President of the Ohio State University, lived when a boy. Porterville is nearly in Morgan county. Situated on the county divide, it is surrounded. by a fine farming community. The town was platted in 1848 by John Porter. It was also for a time called Ruskville, after the family name of Jerry Rusk, who here played when a bare-foot boy. Saltillo, (properly pronounced Sawl-teel-yo) is a name of Spanish-Mexican origin. Its beginning was a tavern, which for many years served as a stopping place for travelers. In 1849 it became a town. Its proprietor vas F. Bradshaw. In the same year of the founding of Saltillo, Chapel Hill, Monroe township, originated. This was an Irish community, where in 185o, a Catholic Church was erected, from which fact the town gets its name. 90 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. It was also called Thompsonville for a time in honor-of one of its founders. Maxville, the only town of which Mondaycreek can boast, was laid out in 185o by William McCormick, from whom it gets its name—Mc's ville. There. had been a store at this place for some years previous. It was owned by Henry Keck. At the end of the first half century of the county's existence there were within its bounds the following post offices : New Lexington, Somerset, Buckeye Cottage (Saltillo), Rehoboth, Thornville, Mt. Perry, Sego, McLuney, Porterville, Whippstown, Oakfield, Max-. Crossenville, East Rushcreek (now Junction. City) and Straitsville. Middletown is midway between Somerset and Logan. A tunnel was being made through the hill south of Middletown and this brought quite a number of laborers there. A store was built and the town laid out in 1853. Clarksville, also in Jackson Township, was established by Daniel Clark in 1854. St. Patrick's Church is located here. The building of Junction City, only a mile away, totally and permanently eclipsed the older town, and but for the church, you might pass through the village and never know it. Like a great. many of our towns, McLuney was a village before it was surveyed into streets and alleys. In 1850, McLuney, already enjoyed the distinction of having a post-office. It was not until 1855 that it was organized. Its name is derived from the creek upon which it is located. We now pass over a period of fifteen years during which town building in Perry County seemed to be at HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 91 a standstill. During the Civil War our commercial activity was dormant and it was not till 1870 when the coal and iron fields began to be developed, that there began a period of renewed activity. Our county was taking a new lease of life: There were three periods of growth in the county. The first was the establishment of the pioneer home. The village then existed for the simple wants of the traveler,. hunting new home, and for the pioneer settlement. The second period was a period of growth in which the productions of the soil began to appear more- abundantly than the settler could use for himself. The village now existed to give a market for these superfluous products. The third period was that in which the mineral wealth was utilized. Villages and towns-now served as convenient homes for the men working in the mines. Our next period will be one of manufacturing,. when our raw material will be converted into the finished article before it leaves us. Before speaking of the towns built since 187o, it might be interesting to note the following : A PROPHECY FULFILLED. Buckeye Blossoms, published in 1871 by Mrs. M.. E. Porter, has this to say of Perry County. "This little county (Perry) comparatively un- known, is destined at no distant day to become a central attraction. Coal and iron are found in abundance and of superior excellence ; and railroads are being made and companies organized for the purpose of mining these extensively. New Lexington on the Cincinnati and Zanesville Railroad is the county-seat. Oakfield and Somerset are very fine towns." 92 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. New Straitsville is the pioneer mining town of the county, having been laid out by a mining company in 1870. It had a phenomenal growth. In 1871, Ferrara, a town with a distinctly Italian name, was laid out between the present locations of Rendville and Corning. Upon the organization of the latter the name Ferrara disappeared. A town had existed for some time on the present site of Junction City. The post-office was known as East Rushcreek. Later, George Wolfe laid out on his farm a village and called it by the scriptural name Damascus. Mr. Edmiston also had an ambition to build a city and on an adjoining farm he began a town, calling it Trio City, because of the three railroads. These towns became rivals and the matter was finally settled by a compromise in 1872 and the present cognomen was received. The place had been known as Wolfe's Station after the C. & M. V. R. R. was built. Shawnee, the metropolis of the county began its existence in 1872. It was laid out by T. J. Davis. McCuneville really dates back to 1829 when the original salt works were erected. From that time until its platting in 1873 by the McCunes it received the name of the " Salt Works." When the McCunes built their extensive salt plant here, it was intended to name the town Salina, but there was already one town in the State by that name. Then for a time it was known as Tallyho. Tallyho is the huntsman's cry to urge on his hounds. The fact that the old "salt lick" was a famous hunting ground, made the name quite .appropriate. But some man's name had to be perpetuated and the ubiquitous "ville," like Banquo's HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 93 ghost showed itself and McCuneville was the unfortunate result. Glenford, as a town existed for many years before the plat was made. Its mill at the Ford of Jonathan's Creek had long ground the farmer's grain. It was not till the railroads ran through it that it began to grow. Moxahala, on the South Fork of the Moxahala, was a furnace town, laid out in 1873. Crooksville, the "clay city" of the county, was organized in 1874. In recent years it has been of rapid growth, and is now one of the most important towns in the county. Roseville, a much older town, is hardly to be considered a Perry County village. The part lying on the Perry side is of recent growth. The town was originally called Milford. Buckingham was laid ont in 1873. Dicksonton was built in 1875 and is now a deserted village. Baird Furnace also belongs to the class of "has beens." Corning is our "oil city." It was laid out in 1878 by Joseph Rogers. Rendville was platted the next year by Capt. T. J. Smith and W. P. Rend. The most recent of our mining towns is Congo. It was built in 1891-92. It is a model mining town. Organization of the Townships. Bearfield Township is so named because of the numerous bears found there at an early date. It was settled in 1812 by James Black and was organized in 1818 as an original township of Perry county. Clayton Township is so called from one of its first 94 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. settlers. It was settled in 1806 and organized in 1810 under Muskingum county. Coal Township is the young-est in the county. It was organized in 1872 by striking off thirteen sections from Saltlick. It derives its name from the abundance of the mineral of that name to be found in the hills. Harrison Township was formerly a part of Clayton. Hence it belonged to Muskingum county. It was organized in 182o. It was named for General Harrison the Hero of Tippecanoe. The township was settled about 1806. Hopewell Township was organized in 1810. It was settled early in the century by one Ridenour. Origin of its name is unknown. But no doubt it was significant of the feelings of the early settlers who were mostly Germans. It was a venture, this settling in a wilderness, but they "hoped well." Jackson Township was organized as a part of Fairfield county. The only authority that we have says that it was organized about 1805. There is some doubt about this. There can be no question why it was called Jackson. But at that time (1805) General Jackson was unknown to fame. It is true that he was a favorite in Tennessee, and that he had been in the United States Senate where he neither made a speech nor voted. At this time he was living the quiet life of a farmer and listening to the schemes of Aaron Burr, who tried to draw him into the net, into which the unfortunate Blennerhassett fell. There is one thing certain. If Jackson township was organized in 1805 it was named for another Jackson. If it was named for the Hero of New Orleans it must have been subsequent to 1805. Very few people settled HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 95 in that township prior to that time. From then, however, to 1820 the growth was rapid. Madison Township is an original one in this county. It was settled about 1800 or a little later by William Dusenberry. It is named after James Madison and was organized soon after the county. Mondaycreek Township was settled in 1815 by Timothy Terrell. It was a part of Fairfield county. It was organized in 1823. It is named from the two principal streams flowing through it. Monroe Township was also organized in 1823. It is named from the then President of the United States. It was previous to this, a part of Bearfield for political purposes. It was settled in 1814 by John McDonald and James Dew. Pike Township was organized in 1814 by Fairfield county. It was named for General Pike of the Revolutionaly War. The first settler was John Fowler who came from Maryland in 1811. Pleasant Township was organized in 185o. It contains sixteen sections, taken as follows : Nine from Bearfield, three from Pike, three from Monroe, and one from Saltlick. The origin of its name is manifest. Reading Township was christened by Peter Overmeyer, who came from Reading, Pennsylvania, in 180i. It was a part of Fairfield county and was organized in 1807. But when Perry county was organized, two rows of sections were taken off of Richland township, Fairfield county, in order to give the new county the requisite area. Saltlick Township was so called from the "salt-lick" at McCuneville. It was settled by John Hazelton and organized in 1823. 96 - HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY. Thorn Township was organized in 1804 or a little later by Fairfield county. It was named from the numerous thorns that grew about the Great Swamp. It was settled in 1801 by George Stinchcomb and others. Section 16. The Ordinance of 1787 stipulated that "Section 16" of every Congressional township should be reserved for the maintenance of schools in that township. The-object of this school grant was not so much for the furtherance of education by Congress as it was an incentive to settlers. This reservation was not open to sale or settlement, and consequently the territorial Legislature could do nothing with it. When Ohio became a state these lands were granted to her to be disposed of by the Legislature. There was thus left to Ohio for school purposes the splendid endowment of 704,000 acres. The income only from this land could be used. In consequence up to 1827 they were leased and rented in various ways. The appraisement of their rental value was often low and much mismanagement caused the revenue to be of little value. The Legislature finally in 1827 provided for their sale. The money was turned into the State Treasury and the township to which the section belonged should receive six per cent interest. Much of it was sold at once but in some parts of the state there are tracts yet unsold. In our own county the first was sold in 1831 and the last in 1883, We have twelve "school sections." The townships of Pleasant and Coal, being formed from other townships do not happen to have Section 16 within their limits. The amount received from their sale in Perry county was $27,829.33. This gives the schools an annual income of $1,669.76. It HISTORY OF PERRY COUNTY - 99 after the first settlers the missionary came, not to convert, but to gather the people into congregations. To speak of all of the church communities in this county would demand more space than the size of this book will justify. Only a short time elapsed after the settlement at Overmeyer town, till there came Rev. William Foster a Lutheran missionary from Pennsylvania. The first sermon ever preached in the woods of Perry county was in what is now the orchard owned by the late George Weisman. In 1805, at New Reading, the first congregation in the county, and the first of the Lutheran Church in the state was organized. This organization is yet in existence. The next year, 1806, Zion's church of Thorn township was begun. This was erected by .the Lutheran and German Reformed congregations, and is the second oldest in the county. The Reformed minister was Rev. John King, who settled in the county in 1803. He was the first, therefore, to permanently locate here for Rev. Foster was a traveling missionary. This Rev. Foster organized the Lutheran church at Somerset in 1812. He died in 1815 and is buried in the Zion cemetery. The Somerset congregation has a very interesting history. The church was located in what is now known as the Old Lutheran Cemetery. It was built of hewed logs and had a gallery. It had also a pipe organ, built by Henry Humberger. It was in this church, in 1818, that the Joint Synod of Ohio was organized, and the first preacher, Rev. Andrew Hinkle was licensed to preach. The "Lutheran Standard,". the official organ of the Ohio Lutheran Synod was also for a time printed in Somerset. At one time, the Lutheran Seminary, now Capital University, was expected to be located here.