CHAPTER V
DARBY TOWNSHIP
This township was first settled about 1800. The greater part of the township was taken up in large tracts and until very recent years large estates were the rule, marry of which were leased to tenants. The development of the township therefore was not so rapid as was the case in the townships east of the Scioto River. Darby township is situated in the northwest corner of Pickaway County, being north of Monroe and Muhlenberg townships and west of Scioto and Muhlenberg. The greater part of the eastern boundary is formed by Darby Creek. For a long period prior to 1878, however, this was not the case, as the eastern boundary of the township extended some miles beyond the creek. For the convenience of the township organizations, Darby Creek on October 14, 1878, was made the dividing line between Darby and Scioto townships. This creek, which might well be termed a river, has a number of tributaries that traverse the township. Greenbrier Run, the principal of these, rises in the northwest corner of the township, flows in a southeasterly direction and empties into Darby Creek just below the township line. Opossum Run, which rises in Madison County, enters Darby town-ship near the northwest corner, flows south along the west line and finally empties into Deer Creek near Era. Van Buskirk's Run, another tributary of Deer Creek, the greater part of whose length lies in Monroe township, has its beginning in Darby township. The surface of the township .is very level except along the water-courses, where it is slightly rolling. The soil is well adapted to the raising of both wheat and corn, of which large quantities are grown. At the time of the early settlement, the greater part of the township was covered with great forests of oak, hard maple, hickory and red and white elm. Several varieties of oak trees were to be found. The population of the township in 1900 was 1,601. The township officers for 1906 are as follows : Trustees--J. T. Robinson, William Willoughby and T. S. Ridgway; clerk, I. C. Hall; treasurer, A. M. Daugherty ; assessor, D. M. Min-shall; justices of the peace--R. H. Deyo and Charles E. Thacker.
EARLY SETTLERS.
The first settlements in the township were made chiefly by Virginians about the year 1800. Five brothers by the name of Poulson--Andrew, Cornelius, John, Elijah and William--came to Ohio from Virginia on pack-horses in that year and located' near Chillicothe. Two years later they came to Darby township and settled on Darby Creek. Courtney Tanner moved in from Kentucky about 1804 or 1805. Isaac and John Alkire came to this section of Ohio in 1804 with their father, William Alkire, who settled in Madison County; the two sons settled in Darby township. One of the first settlers on Opossum Run was Peter Long who came. from Virginia in 1804 or 1805. About 1810 John Mantle, Sr., settled here. He was a man of great size, weighing 480 pounds at his death on November 5, 1831. John and
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Andrew Gilliland came to the township about 1812; Thomas Noland, in 1815; Stanton Adkins, about 1819; Sampson B. Smith, in 1824; Joseph Dolby, in 1826; Thomas D. Ridgway, in 1845; and Benjamin F. Renick, in 1841. Other early settlers were: Isaac McHenry, Obadiah P. Thomas, Richard Heath, John Bowman, James Morse, Jonas Deyo, Benjamin Davis, John W. Bell, Frederick L. Smith, Robert McDowell, Elisha Cory and John W. Kennedy.
At the period of the township's settlement, as well as for a number of years thereafter, the settlers never lacked for fresh meat as it was readily obtained in the forest, where deer and wild turkeys abounded. Wild hogs were frequently met with and were always dreaded, especially the ferocious wild boars. The wild hogs were not valued for their flesh; they were regarded as dangerous pests and were hunted mainly to rid the country of them. Wolves, wild cats and opossums were also numerous, together with smaller game. On Darby Creek, on the farm later owned by David Davis, there was a camp of Indians of the Wyandotte tribe for several years after the first settlers came. They buried many of their dead here .and a number of skeletons, with guns and other implements, have been plowed up. Their inter-course with the whites was of an entirely friendly nature.
CHURCHES.
The first religious meetings in this township were held by Thomas Reynolds, an exhorter of the Methodist denomination, who came to this country soon after 1800. He was active in the ministry for many years and died at the age of 80 years. Robert Finley, a traveling Methodist preacher, was the first regular clergyman in this section. Among the early preachers in this township were Jacob Young, a Methodist, and Isaac Henry, a Baptist; the latter settled in the northwest corner of the township on Opossum Run about 1807.
A Methodist society was formed at a very early date and meetings were held in barns and buildings until a log house was erected in 1844. This church was called the Free Will Church, any denomination that chose to do so being allowed to worship in it. The Methodist society subsequently disbanded, but finally reorganized and worship ed for five. years in the schoolhouse near the old Free Will Church. A church building was erected in. 1870 at a cost of about $2,300, and was called. the Renick Church, in appreciation of the interest and activity shown in its erection by Benjamin F. Renick; services were discontinued here some time ago ; the building was. removed to the vicinity of Deer Creek and. is now used by the Holiness Church.
A Methodist Episcopal Church was organized at Derby soon after the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad was run through Darby township and Derby made a station. The church. building was erected in 1887 at a cost of about $2,000. The church has 117 members, while. the attendance at Sunday-school is about 125.. The Sunday-school superintendent is I. C.. Hall. The pastors of this church have been the following : Revs. W. S. Fisher, H. R. Pfaltzgraf, A. B. Sniff, William Benzing, N. C. Patterson and J. H. Mindling, who is the present incumbent and also has charge of the churches at Yankeetown and Era.
The Methodist Episcopal Church at Era has a membership of 23. The value of the: church building is $1,200. The pastor of the. Derby M. E. Church preaches here. H. S.. Kennedy is superintendent of the Sunday-school,. which has an average attendance of about 20.
The Disciples' Chapel at Derby was built in 1887, soon after, the organization of the-society. , Church services have not been held regularly for a year or more. The attendance is about 50, while the Sunday-school has an attendance of about 20. Miles Green is superintendent of the Sunday-school.
From about 1844 until the time of the Civil War there was a class of the United Brethren in Christ located at Era, then known as Palestine. A frame meeting-house was erected here about 1850 which stood for many years. Questions of a political nature caused dissension and division among the members, and the society was finally broken up.
110 - HISTORY OF PICKAWAY COUNTY.
SCHOOLS.
It is not known exactly when the first school was taught in this township, but it is thought that John Poulson taught one of the earliest, if not the earliest school about 1815. The first school in Era (Palestine) was kept by Miss Emmerett Moore. The township Board of Education, elected in November, 1904, is constituted as follows : F. P. Fitzgerald, A. R. White and Charles Poulson--four years; O. M. Dick and A. S. Morton--two years. A. R. White is clerk. The Darby township High School at Derby was erected in 1886 at a cost of $5,000 and is a substantial brick building. The high school is what is termed second-grade, having a three-years course. S. M. Sark is superintendent.
PHYSICIANS.
In the years that have elapsed since a settlement was made at Palestine (Era), a number of physicians have been located here, among whom may be mentioned : Dr. Olds, who settled here in 1830; Dr. Harriman; Dr. William Wilson, Dr. Roswell Shepherd, Dr. George W. House, Dr. Cromley and Dr. W. T. Williman. At the present time there are no doctors located at Era; Derby, however, has two, namely : Dr. Alfred Deyo, who also conducts a drug-store, and Dr. Addison L. Stump. The late Dr. C. W. Higgins was probably the first physician to locate at Derby.
MILLS.
The first grist-mill to be built on Darby Creek and in this township was the Harris-burg mill, which was erected by Joseph Chenoweth over 70 years ago ; previous to its erection Chenoweth had built on the site of this mill a saw-mill, the first in the township, but it was finally burned down. A carding-mill was established at the same place by Elijah Chenoweth and Alfred Bird. The Harrisburg mill is still in operation and is now known as the Harrisburg roller mill; it is operated by A. R. Eesley and has a capacity of 50 barrels per day. Two other grist-mills along Darby Creek were the one built by James Kepler, five miles below Harrisburg, and the one a mile farther down, erected by John G. Garrison.
ERA.
This old settlement of Darby township was until a few years ago known as Palestine. It is situated on Deer Creek near the Madison County line and is a station on the Baltimore & Ohio R. R. It was laid out about 1829 by Josiah Rush and George Alkire. One of the first buildings erected in the place was a tavern built by Messrs. Mitchell and Pritchard. Rush & Alkire opened the first store. Other early stores were those of John V. Davis, Samuel Diffenderfer, Thomas Fellows, Joseph Tenney, Jerrold Sweetland and George Neff & Son. A postoffice was established here at an early date with Joseph Tenney as postmaster. Samuel S. Fetherholf, the present postmaster, has conducted a general store here for many years and is one of the oldest postmasters in the county at the present time. The grain elevator at Era is owned by Mogan & Loofbourrow. Era had a population of 210 in 1900. The town is not incorporated.
DERBY
Is a. station on the Baltimore & Ohio R. R., located nearly in the center of the township. It was established at the time when the rail-road was put through the township.
It has quite a number of business houses and is a growing place, having a population at the present time of between 250 and 300. Among the business interests are the following: George Neff and G. M. Garrison, general stores; John Cox, grocery; Joseph Bower, jewelry; Dr. Alfred Deyo, drugs; William C. Minshall, meat market and confectionery ; W. A. Higgins, machinery; A. M. Daugherty and S. M. Sark, dealers in poultry ; Derby Hotel, run by E. Buzzard; Mantle Hotel, conducted by Mrs. Mantle; Jones & Company, grain elevator; Frank Fast, blacksmith; Sam Franck
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contractor; J. L. Hall & Son, manufacturers of tile and brick; and M. C. Edwards, dealer in agricultural implements, stoves and hardware of all kinds. There are two livery stables in town, run by M. C. Edwards and Jones Brothers. G. M. Garrison is postmaster. One rural route runs from Derby. Derby Lodge, No. 770, I. O. O. F., is a flourishing society; it is now building an Odd Fellows' Hall, which is to be of pressed brick and will cost $4,000. The foundations are now being put in.