PART II.
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.*
INTRODUCTORY—DESCRIPTION—TOPOGRAPHY. ETC.—GEOLOGY—ALTITUDES IN THE COUNTY—THE DRIFT—COAL DEPOSITS—AGRICULTURE. ETC.
"And riper eras ask for history's truth."
—Oliver Wendell Holmes.
THE advantages resulting from the local history of cities and countries is no longer a matter of doubt. Whether considered solely as objects of interest or amusement, or as having the still wider utility of the places they describe, these records are worthy of high consideration and although in a country like ours. this department of history can claim to chronicle no great vents. nor to relate any of those local traditions that make many of the countries of the Old World so famous in story and song, yet they can fulfill the equal use of directing the attention of those abroad to the rise. progress amid present standing of places which may fairly claim, in the future, what has made others great in the past. And in any age. when every energy of the whole brotherhood of man is directed to the future, and when mere utilitarianism has taken the place of romance, it is a matter of more than ordinary interest and value to all, to note the practical advancement. and so to calculate. upon the basis of the past. the probable results of the future of those places which seem to present advantages, either social or pecuniary. to that large class of foreigners and others, who are constantly seeking for homes or means of occupation among us. Nor is it to these alone that such local history is of value.' The country already possesses much unemployed capital seeking for investment, while many. having already procured the means of living well. are seeking for homes more congenial to their tastes than the places where they
* Contributed by W. H. Perrin.
have lived but for pecuniary profit. To both of these, the history of individual localities is an invaluable aid in helping the one to discover a means of advantageously employing his surplus money, and in aiding the other to find a home possessing those social advantages which will render him comfortable and happy. But it is to the emigrant foreigner that local history is of the greatest benefit. Leaving, as he does, a country. with whose resources, social, moral and political, he is intimately acquainted, for one of which he knows almost nothing, such works, carefully and authentically written, are to him what the guide-books of the Old World are to the wonder-seeking traveler ; they present him at. once with a faithful view of the land of his adoption. and point out to him every ad vantage and disadvantage, every chance of profit or of pleasure, every means of gain, every hope of gratification, that is anywhere to be afforded.
Impressed with these opinions. it is proposed to present the citizens of Summit County with an authentic and impartial history ; one which may be implicitly relied on in its calculations and statistical details. and which shall present as accurate and faithful a survey as can he obtained from any data known to the writers of the different departments. or attainable by them. With all the care that may be exercised, however, the record will no doubt be found imperfect; incidents and names be left out, and matters escape notice which many will deem unpardonable omissions. This is one of the things which detract from the pleasure of writing local annals. But it is more or less unavoid-
182 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
able, as no one can know and remember everything, and both the time and space allotted to us are limited.
Summit County lies in the northeastern part of the State, with but one county between it and the lake, and is bounded on the north by Cuyahoga County, on the east by Portage. on the south by Stark, on the west by Medina. and embraces within its limits seventeen townships (including Cuyahoga Falls). It is situated on the highlands. or the "summit " (from which it derives the name of Summit), which separate the tributaries of the Ohio from the waters flowing north into Lake Erie. and has an average elevation of about five hundred feet above the lake. " The Cuyahoga River. rising in the northern part of Geauga County, runs for forty miles in a southwesterly direction, then in the center of Summit County turns sharply to the north. and pursues a nearly straight course to the lake. In Geauga and Portage. the Cuyahoga flows on the surface of a plateau composed of the carboniferous conglomerate. At the town of Cuyahoga Falls, in this county, this plateau is cut through in a series of cascades which give rise to much beautiful scenery. The river here falls 220 feet in two miles, so that from the vicinity of Akron to the north line of the county. it flows through a narrow valley or gorge more than three hundred feet deep. At frequent intervals, the Cuyahoga receives tributaries. both from the east and the west, and the valleys of these streams contribute their part to give variety to the topography of the central portion of the county." *
In the geological and physical features of the county, we shall draw our information principally from the State Geological Survey. It is the official report of the State on these subjects, and may be relied on as substantially correct. And as there were but a limited number of them printed, and they are even now becoming scarce, the extracts from them incorporated in this work will be found of interest and value to our readers. We quote further, as follows :
" The highest lands in Summit are the hills most distant from the channels of drainage, in Richfield, Norton, Green, Springfield, Tallmadge, and Hudson. In all these townships, summits rise to the height of 650 above the lake. The
*Geological survey
bottom of the Cuyahoga Valley, in the northern part of Northfield, is less than fifty feet above Lake Erie, so that within the county we have differences of level which exceed 600 feet. The altitudes in Summit County are thus officially given : Tallmadge. Long Swamp, above Lake Erie 470 feet ; Tallmadge road, east of Center. 543 feet ; Tallmadge. Coal No. 1, Newberry's mine. 520 feet ; Tallmadge, Coal No. 1, D. Upson's mine. 492 feet ; Tallmadge, summit of Coal Hill. 636 feet ; Akron, doorsill of court house. 452.65 feet ; Akron. railroad depot. 428.13 feet : Akron. summit level, Ohio Canal, highwater. 395 feet ; Akron. P. & O. Canal. 370.64 feet : Cuyahoga Falls. railroad depot, 428.13 feet ; Monroe Falls, road before Hickok house. 460 feet : Hudson Station. 496 feet ; Hudson town. 547 feet ; Boston, Ohio Canal. 94.66 feet : Peninsula. Ohio Canal. 125.66 feet ; Yellow Creek. Ohio Canal, 180 feet ; Ohio Portage. Ohio Canal. 188 feet Green. summit of Valley Railroad. 532 feet : New Portage. street in front of tavern. 400 feet ; lake. between New Portage and Johnson's Corners. 399 feet ; Wolf Creek, below Clark's mill. 390.74 feet ; Wolf Creek. in Copley, one mile west of north-and-south center road, 419.78 feet : Little Cuyahoga. Mogadore. 477 feet ; Little Cuyahoga. at Gilchrist's mill-dam. 457 feet : Little Cuyahoga, old forge at trestle. 439 feet ; Richfield. East Center. 531,80 feet ; Richfield, highest land (over). 675 feet : Yellow Creek, one-fourth mile west of Ghent, 371 feet.
'̊ The soil of Summit County is somewhat varied. In the northern part. even where underlaid by the conglomerate in full thickness, the soil derived from the drift contains a great deal of clay, and Northfield. Twinsburg, Hudson, etc.. are, as a consequence, dairy towns. The southern half of the county, however, has a loam soil, and the attention of the farmers has been directed more to grain-growing than stock-raising. This difference of soil was clearly indicated by the original vegetable growth. In Hudson and Twinsburg the forest was composed, for the most part, of beech, maple, basswood and elm, while in Stow, Tallmadge, and southward, the prevailing forest growth was oak. In Franklin and Green, the soil is decidedly gravelly ; the original timber was oak, in groves and patches, and these townships form part of the famous wheat-growing district of Stark, Wayne, etc. In the central part of the
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 183
county, between Akron and Cuyahoga Falls, a few thousand acres, called " The Plains," formerly presented a marked contrast to the rolling and densely timbered surface of all the surrounding area. This is a nearly level district of which the peculiar features are mostly obliterated by cultivation. but when in the state of nature, it had the aspect of the prairies of the West. It was almost destitute of timber, was covered with grass and scruboak (quercus banisteri), and, in spring, was a perfect flower garden ; for a much larger number of wild flowers were found here than in any other part of the county. The origin of these peculiar features may be traced to the nature of the substructure of the district. This area forms a triangle between the two branches of the Cuyahoga and the coalhills of Tallmadge ; the soil is sandy, and this is underlaid by beds of gravel of unknown depth. It seems that there once existed here a deeply excavated rock basin. which was subsequently partly filled up with drift deposits and partly by water : in other words, that it was, for a time, a lake. The waters of this lake deposited the sand which now forms the soil. and. in its deeper portions, a series of laeustrine clays. which are well shown iii the cutting recently made for a road on the north side of the valley of the Little Cuyahoga. near Akron. The sections of these beds are as follows :
.........................................................................FEET. INCHES.
1. Stratified sand ..............................................10
2. Blue clay ......................................................................4
3. Mixed yellow and blue clay. stratified ............1.......... 1
4. Blue clay ....................................................................10
5. Yellow clay.................................................................10
6. Blue clay...........................................................1
7. Red clay ........................................................................1
8. Yellow clay.......................................................1
9. Blue Clay.......................................................................8
10. Red Clay......................................................................2
11. Blue clay .....................................................................6
12. Red clay ....................................................................10
13. Blue clay .........................................................1 .........6
14. Red clay ......................................................................2
15. Yellow clay......................................................1..........6
16. Blue clay..........................................................2
17. Red clay .......................................................................1
18. Fine yellow sand ..........................................................1
19. Yellow clay ......................................................2
20. Blue clay.......................................................................4
21. Yellow clay... ...................................................3
22. Blue clay ...........................................................4
In another section, exposed nearly in the valley of the Little Cuyahoga. the beds which have been enumerated are seen to be underlaidby about sixty feet of stratified sand and gravel to the bed of the stream. To what depth they extend is not known. On the opposite side of the Little Cuyahoga, on the main road leading into Akron. the banks of the old valley present a very different section from either of those to which I have referred above. There we find a hill composed of finely washed and irregularly stratified sand. quite free from pebbles. About ten or twelve feet of the upper part is yellow ; the lower part, as far as exposed, white : a waved line separating the two colors. East and north of the locality where the detailed section given above was taken. heavy beds of gravel are seen to occupy the same horizon : from which we may learn that these finely laminated clays were deposited in a basin of water, of which the shore was formed by gravel hills. A portion of the city of Akron is underlaid by thick beds of stratified sand and gravel. These are often cross stratified. and show abundant evidences of current action. They also contain large angular blocks of conglomerate and many fragments of coal. some of which are of considerable size. We apparently have some of the materials which were cut out of the valleys that separate the isolated outliers of the coal measures which are found in this part of the county. Beds of gravel and sand stretch away southward from Akron. and form part of a belt which extends through Stark County. partially tilling the old. deeply-cut valley of' the Tuscarawas. and apparently marking the line of the southern extension of' the valley of Cuyahoga when it was a channel of drainage from tile lake basin to the Ohio. This old and partially obliterated channel has been referred to in the chapter on the physical geography of the State, and it will be more fully described iii the chapters on surface geology and those formed by the reports on Stark and Tuscarawas Counties. I will only refer to it, in passing. to say that the line of the Ohio Canal of which the summit is at Akron. was carried through this old water gap, because it still terms a comparatively low pass. In the western part of the State. the Miami Canal traverses a similar pass. and another. having nearly the same level with those mentioned. in Trumbull County, connects the valleys of Grand River and the Mahoning.
“The thick beds of gravel and sand which underlie the plain and stretch eastward up the
184 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
valley of the Little Cuyahoga, through Southern Tallmadge, perhaps form part of the great gravel belt to which I have already alluded, but may be of mere local origin. It seems to me quite possible that the Cuyahoga, in former times. passed eastward of its present course, from Kent or Monroe Falls to Akron ; that the falls of the Cuyahoga were then near the ' Old Forge,' and that this excavated basin beneath the ' plains' was scooped out by them. We know that the position of the falls has been constantly changing ; that they were once in Cuyahoga County, and have gradually receded to their present position. When they had worked back to the great bend of the Cuyahoga, they seem to have swung round the circle for some time before starting on their present line of progress. In this interval, the river appears to have flowed over a broad front of the conglomerate, and, cutting away the shales below, to have produced the rock basin which has been described. When the falls of the Cuyahoga were at the north line of the county, they must have had a perpendicular height of at least two hundred feet. for the hard layers in the Cuyahoga shale which produce the ' Big Falls' do not extend so far north. The entire mass of the Cuyahoga shale there is soft argillaceous material, which must have been cut out beneath the massive conglomerate, producing a cascade at least equal in height to that of Niagara.
"The north-south portion of the Cuyahoga Valley seems to have been once continued southward, and to have been connected with the old valley of the Tuscarawas, which is excavated far below the bed of the present stream. At the north line of the county, the valley of the Cuyahoga is cut down two hundred and twenty feet below the present river bottom, as we learn by wells bored for oil. The bottom of the valley of the Tuscarawas is, at Canal Dover, one hundred and seventy-five feet below the surface of the stream, and there are many facts which indicate that there was once a powerful current of water passing from the lake basin to the .Ohio through this deeply excavated channel. Subsequently, this outlet was dammed up by heavy beds of drift; and the Cuyahoga, cut from its connection with the Tuscarawas, to which it had been a tributary, was forced to turn sharply to the north, forming the abrupt curve that has always been regarded as a peculiar feature in the course of this stream. The courses of the tributaries of the Maumee are not unlike that of the Cuyahoga, and are probably dependent upon the same cause, namely, the depression of the lake level and the diversion of the drainage from the Mississippi system, with which it was formerly connected, into the lake basin. The drift clays which underlie the northern part of Summit County are plainly of northern origin, as they contain innumerable fragments of the Huron. Erie and Cuyahoga shales, and no such mass of argillaceous material could be derived from the conglomerate and coal measures which underlie all the country toward the south. The direction of the glacial stripe in the county is nearly northwest and southeast, and these clays are plainly the result of glacial action. It is interesting to note, however, that in the drift clay at Hudson a large number of masses of coal have been found, some of which were several inches in diameter. This fact, taken in connection with the character and history of the drift clays, proves—what we had good reason to believe from other causes—that the coal rocks once extended at least as far north as the northern limits of the county, and that from all the northern townships they were removed and the conglomerate laid bare by glacial erosion. A considerable portion of the drift gravels in the southern part of the county are of foreign and northern origin. As I have elsewhere remarked, these gravels and the associated lands show distinct marks of water action, and have apparently been sorted and stratified by the shore waves of the lake when it stood several hundred feet higher than now. The bowlders which are strewn over the surface in all parts of the county are mostly composed of Laurentian granite from Canada. and I have attributed their transportation to icebergs. In Northampton, many huge bowlders of corniferous limestone are found, and these evidently came from the islands in Lake Erie.
"One of the most striking of the surface features of Summit County is the great number of small lakes which are found here. These are generally beautiful sheets of pure water. enclosed in basins of drift, gravel and sand. They form part of the great series of lake basins which mark the line of the watershed from Pennsylvania to Michigan, and they have been described, and their origin explained, in the
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 185
chapter on ' Physical Geography.' When a resident of Summit County, I mapped and visited nearly one hundred of these little lakes within a circle of twenty miles radius drawn around Cuyahoga Falls. Aside from the variety and beauty which these lakelets give to the surface, they afford many objects of scientific interest. They are usually stocked with excellent fish. and many rare and peculiar plants grow in and about them. They also contain great numbers of shells, some of which are rare. Springfield Lake. for example, is the only known locality of Melania grucilis, and Congress Lake contains two species of Linnea (L. gracilis and L. staynalis), both of which are found in few. if any other, localities in the State. Many of these are being gradually tilled up by a growth of vegetation that ultimately forms peat. In all those lakes where the shores are marshy and shake under the tread. peat is accumulating. We have evidence. too, that many lakelets have been filled up and obliterated by this process : for we find a large number of marshes in which there is now little water, but the surface is underlaid by peat and shell marl. sometimes to the depth of twenty or thirty Leer. Every township contains more or less of these. and some of them are quite extensive. The larger ones are usually known as whortleberry swamps or cranberry marshes. sometimes as tamarack swamps. from the growth of larch which frequently covers the surface. Among the largest of these is that west of Hudson. of Mud Brook. in which the peat is fifteen feet deep. Another lies east of Hudson. near the county line. In Stow. on Mud Brook. is a long peat swamp. in which the peat is not less than thirty feet deep. In Coventry is one in which the peat is said to be thirty or forty feet deep. and from this considerable peat of excellent quality has been manufactured by J. F. Brunot. These peat bogs have excited some interest as possible sources of supply of fuel. and yet. where coal is as cheap and good as in Summit County, it seems hardly probably, that peat can be profitably employed as a fuel. The best of peat. when airdried, contains nearly 20 per cent of water and 20 per cent of oxygen, and has a heating power not greater than half that of our coals. while it occupies double the space. Hence. unless it can be produced at half the price of coal in the markets of Summit County, it can hardly compete with it. Peat is, however, an excellent fertilizer, and many, even of the smaller peat bogs, may be made very valuable to the agriculturist. In some localities, such deposits of peat have been cleared up and cultivated for many years. without a suspicion that there was anything of interest or value below the surface. Deposits of' shell marl are frequently found underlying peat in cat swamps and filled up lakelets. This marl is composed of the remains of the shells of mollusks. which. after the death of the animals that inhabited them. have accumulated at the bottom of the water. In some instances, these marls are white, and nearly pure lime ; in others they are mixed with more or less earthy and vegetable matter. Such deposits occur iii nearly every township in the county, but they have attracted little attention. and their valuable fertilizing properties have been very sparingly made available. The deposit of shell marl on the road between Hudson and Stow. on land of Charles Darrow. is at least twelve feet deep and very pure. Similar marbles, though less extensive. are known in Hudson. Northampton and other parts of the county. Usually A sheet of peat or muck covers the marl. and it is not likely to be discovered. unless by ditching or special search. The simplest method of exploring marshes for neat or shell marl is with an auger made from an old two-inch or three-inch carpenter's auger welded to a small. square rod of iron. on which a handle is made to slide, and fasten with a key. With this all marshes may be probed to the depth of eight or ten feet with the greatest facility.
"The Erie shale is the lowest formation exposed in Summit County. and is visible only in the bottom of the valley of the Cuyahoga, where it is cut deepest in the township of Northfield. About one hundred feet of the upper portion of the Erie shale is exposed in the cliff's which border the river, being a continuation of the outcrops which have been fully described in the report on the geology of Cuyahoga County. The same fossils have been found in the Erie shale in Northfield, as those collected in the valleys of Chippewa and Tinker's Creeks.
"The Lower Carboniferous or Waverly group is freely opened in the valley of the Cuyahoga, and we here find some of the most satisfactory sections of this formation that can be seen in the State. It has also yielded. perhaps. as large a number of fossils in Summit County as
186 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
have been obtained from this group in any other localities. The Cleveland shale is the bituminous shale which forms the base of the Waverly group. and has been fully described in the reports on the counties which form the northern border of the State. The outcrops of the Cleveland shale which are visible in the valley of the Cuyahoga are continuations southward of those noticed in Cuyahoga County. As the dip of all the strata is here gently southward, and the valley gradually deepens toward its mouth. the Cleveland shale. though on the north line of the county more than 100 feet above the bed of the stream. sinks out of sight near Peninsula. less than ten miles from the county line. The average thickness of the Cleveland shale in Summit County is about fifty feet. and it presents prceisely the same lithological characters here as farther north. No fossils have been discovered in it at the localities where it has been examined in this county. but more careful search would undoubtedly result in the discovery of the seal s and teeth of fishes similar to those found at Bedford. As in Trumbull. Cayahoga and Medina Counties. the outcrops of the Cleveland shale in Summit are marked by oil and gas springs. which are plainly prodeced by the deomposition or spontaneous distillation of time large amounts of carbonaceous matter it contains. The oil and gas springs which have 'Ten noticed on the sides of the Cuyahoga Valley at and below Peninsula, are distinctly connected with the Cleveland shah'. and have. as a consequence. misled those who have been influenced by them to bore for oil in the bottom of the valley.
"The Bedford shale. a member of the Waverly group. is not well exposed in the valley of the Cuyahoga. though visible at a number of localities. It outcrops usually from slopes covered with debris. Where the limits of the formation are concealed, judging' from the glimpses obtained of the Bedford shale is apparently about seventy feet thick in the valley of the Cuyahoga. and consists mainly of soft, blue. argillaceous strata. similar to those in the gorge of Tinker's Creek. at Bedford. In some localities it is more or less red. and has been here. as elsewhere. used as a mineral paint. In the valley of Brandywine Creek. below the falls. the valley Bedford shale is fossiliferous, and contains the same species found at Bedford. Among these, Syringothyris type is the most conspicuous and abundant, and slabs may be obtained here which are thickly set with this fine fossil. forming beautiful specimens for the cabinet.
" The Berea sandstone is well exposed in the valley of the Cuyahoga in the northern part of the county, and forms two lines of outcrop—one on each side of the river—running from Peninsula to Independence on the west. and to Bedford and Newburg on the East. At Peninsula, the Berea-grit has been extensively quarried for many years. The base of the formation is here from thirty to sixty feet above the canal. so that the quarries are worked with facility. and their product shipped with comparatively. little expense. The entire thickness of' the formation in the valley. of the Cuyahoga is about sixty feet. The stone it furnishes varies considerably in character in the different localities where it is exposed. At the quarries of Mr. Woods. at Peninsula. it is lighter in color than at Independence. resembling the Berea stone iii this respect. as also in hardness. Some layers are nearly white. and a large amount of excellent building stone has been shipped from this locality and used for the construction of various public buildings at Cleveland. Detroit. Buffalo. Oswego, etc. This one is more firm and durable. but is harder and less homogeneous than that from the Amherst quarries it is. however, so highly esteemed. that a ready market has been found for all that has been taken from the quarries. During 1871. the stone shipped from Peninsula was equal to 2.800 car loads of ten tons each. Between Peninsula and the county line. the outcrops of the Berea grit have been but imperfectly explored. They are much obscured by the debris of the higher portion of the cliffs and the examinations necessary to determine the value of the stone would require the expenditure of considerable time and money. There is every probability, however, that good quarries could be opened at a great number of localities, and I think that I am quite safe in predicting that in future years this portion of the valley of the Cuyahoga will be the theater of a very active industry growing out of the quarrying of Berea grit for the Cleveland market. Should the railroad, now proposed. be constructed through the valley, this. with the canal, will supply such facilities for transporta-
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY. - 187
tion, that, if the quality of the stone should be found suitable, this district will contribute as largely as any other to the market of the great lakes. From the differences which are everywhere exhibited in the quality of the stone in neighboring outcrops of the Berea grit, the banks of the Cuyahoga should be carefully examined. in order to discover such localities as will furnish stone of a superior quality. It is not too much to expect that some of these will have great pecuniary value. The Berea grit forms the solid stratum that produces the falls of the Brandywine at Brandywine Mills, and it is here considerably more massive than at the outcrops further north on the same side of the Cuyahoga. No fossils have been found in the Berea grit in Summit County. It is elsewhere, as a general rule. remarkably barren, and yet. at Chagrin Falls, fossil fishes have been obtained from it. and at Bedford a Discina. a Lingula and an Annularia, These. and perhaps other fossils. may hereafter be met with in the Cuyahoga Valley.
“The Cuyahoga shale is the upper division of the Waverly group. and is better exhibited in Summit County than in any other part of the State. It has a thickness of from 150 to 200 feet. and has been given the name it bears. because it forms the greater part of the banks of the Cuyahoga. from Cuyahoga Falls. to the north line of the county. A. short distance above Peninsula. the Berea grit sinks beneath the river. and the whole thickness of the Cuyahoga shale is revealed in the interval between that rock and the Conglomerate which caps the bluffs. In this part of the valley. the Cuyahoga shale exhibits little variety in composiiion and consists of a mass of soft argillaceous material, interstratified with thin and local sheets of tine grained sandstone. rarely thick enough to serve as flagging. The surfaces of these sheets are marked with mud furrows. and, occasionally. with the impressions of fuciods. At the Big Falls' of the Cuyahoga. eighty feet below the conglomerate, a number of layers of tine-grained sandstone. from six to twelve inches in thickness, and occupying a vertical space of about twenty feet, locally replace the softer material of the Cuyahoga shale. and produce the beautiful waterfall at this locality. These harder strata may be traced for a mile or more clown the river, but are not distinguishable iii the sections of the Cuyahoga shale in the northern part of the county. The sandstone of the Big Falls is a compact, homogeneous rock, almost identical in character and utility with the ' blue stone' of the East Cleveland quarries, although lying at a considerably higher level; the East Cleveland stone being a local modification of the lower portion of the Bedford shale. The upper part of the Cuyahoga shale near the Big Falls, has furnished a great number of fine specimens of 'cone-in-cone,' and they are referred to by Dr. Hildreth, in his notes on Cuyahoga Valley, published in Siliman's Journal in 1836. This singular structure has given rise to much speculation ; it was, at one time, supposed to be organic ; subsequently. the result of crystallization, and it is now considered by Prof. O. C. Marsh as of purely mechanical origin. The cone-in-cone ' consist, as is well known, of a series of hollow cones. like extinguishers, placed one within another, and it sometimes makes up the entire mass of a stratum, several inches in thickness and many feet in lateral extent. It is by no means confined to this horizon, but is found in the older paleozoic rocks. in the coal measures, and is, perhaps. more abundant than anywhere else, in the cretaceous formation in the far West. This structure is apparently confined to rocks of a peculiar chemical composition, viz. : to earthy limestones, or argillaceous shales impregnated with lime. The concretions. which include the great fishes of the Huron shale. not unfrequently exhibit the cone-in-cone' structure. and, in some instances. where the calcareous material forms simply a crust on the fossil. that crust still shows more or less of it. From the locality under consideration, in the valley of the Cuyahoga. I have obtained specimens of 'cone-in-cone' enveloping nodules of iron ore. and radiating iii all directions from such nuclei. Specimens of this character. and the hones of Dinichthys, coated in all their irregularities, with cone-in-cone,' seemed to me incompatible with the theory that this structure is the product of mechanical forces, and appear rather to confirm the conclusion that it is an imperfect crystallization. Throughout most of its mass. and in most places. the Cuyahoga shale is very barren of fossils. This, however, is fully compensated for by the extreme richness of some layers and some localities. This is the rock which was excavated in the formation of the canal in the valley of the
188 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
Cuyahoga. below the falls, and through which an effort was made to conduct the water of the river to the proposed town of Summit. In this excavation, the formation was fully opened for several miles. and yet, with the most careful search, at various times during the progress of the work, I was only able to obtain a mere handful of fossils. At the base of the formation. however, immediately over the Berea grit, the Cuyahoga shale is sometimes crowded with millions of Lingala melia and Discina Newberry. The same species also occur at the Big Falls of the Cuyahoga, and the valley of the Little Cuyahoga. near Akron. In the upper part of the Cuyahoga shale. in various parts of Medina County, and at Richfield, in Summit County. immense numbers of fossils are found. and those which form a long list of species. The Richfield locality is already quite famous. as extensive collections were made there before the commencement of the present survey by Messrs. Meek & Worthen and Dr. Kellogg. Quite a large number of crinoids were discovered here by the latter gentleman. which proved new to science, and were described by Prof: James Hall.
"The carboniferous conglomerate underlies all the higher portions of the county. and forms the surface rock over all the middle and northern portions. except where cut through by the Cuyahoga and its tributaries. Though generally covered and concealed by beds of drift. the conglomerate is exposed and quarried in all of the townships north of Akron. It is. however. best seen in the valley of the Cuyahoga, where it forms cliff's sometimes 100 feet in perpendicular height. The rock is about 100 feet in thickness. generally a coarse-grained, light drab sandstone. but in some localities, and especially near the base of the formation. becoming a mass of quartz-pebbles. with just enough cement to hold them together. There are also some local bands of the conglomerate which are red or brown in color, and furnish a building-stone of great beauty. At Cuyahoga Falls, such a hand has been quarried for many years, and has been used for the construction of the best buildings in the town. This stone is brown, contains much iron, and is very strong and durable. At Akron. a similar local stratum in the conglomerate at Wolf's quarry, has a deep. reddish-purple color, and forms, perhaps, the most beautiful building-stone in the
State. This has been quite extensively used in Cleveland. Unfortunately, the quantity of this variety of building stone is not large. Its peculiar color is probably due to the fact that the iron of which it contains a large quantity. is in the condition of anhydrous sesquioxide, and has associated with it a small percentage of manganese. Splendid sections of the conglomerate are seen in the gorge of the Cuyahoga. below Cuyahoga Falls. Here, nearly the entire thickness of the formation is exposed. and vertical and overhanging walls of 100 feet in height give great variety and beauty to the scenery. In descending the valley of the Cuyahoga, the walls of conglomerate recede from the river. of which the immediate banks are formed by the underlying shales. By the washing out of these, the blocks of conglomerate have been undermined and thrown down. and thus the valley has been widened until in Boston and Northfield the conglomerate cliffs are several miles apart. They still preserve their typical character. however, and this is well exemplified by the ledges. in Boston, which—like those of Nelson. in Portage County, on the other side of the conglomerate plateau—are favorite places of resort to the lovers of the picturesque. The fossils of the conglomerate are exclusively plants. These are generally broken and floating fragments, but are exceedingly numerous. their casts often making up a large part of the rock. In certain localities we find evidence that they have been gathered by the waves into some receptacle, and heaped up in a confused mass, like driftwood on a shore at the present day. Since the conglomerate is composed of coarse materials which could be only transported by water in rapid motion, it is evident all delicate plants would be destroyed from the trituration they would suffer in the circumstances of its deposition; hence, we only find here the remains of woody plants, and of these usually only fragments. The most common plants are trunks and branches of Lepidodendron, Sigillaria and Calamites, also the nuts which have been described under the name of Trigonocarpon. Of all these, the calarnites are the most common, and they are sometimes entire, showing not only the upper extremity but also the roots. More frequently, however, they are broken, and it is not at all uncommon to find the nuts to which I have referred, in the interior of a calamite, indicating that when floating about
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 189
they were washed into the hollow, rush-like stem. Generally, the plants of the conglomerate are represented simply by casts ; their carbonaceous matter having been entirely removed. Occasionally, however. a sheet of coal is found, surrounding the cast of each. and in some localities every plant is preserved in this way, the amount of coal enveloping the casts corresponding to the quantity of woody matter in the plant. Still more rarely. when many plants have accumulated. their carbon has made an irregular coal seam, but never exceeding a few inches in thickness, and a few rods or feet in extent. These coal seams, however. differ in many respects from coals of the over-lying coal measure. as they have no underclays. are very limited in extent. and evidently represent heterogeneous collections of drifted; woody matter. The pebbles of the more pebbly portions of the conglomerate are sometimes as large as one's fist. but more generally range from the size of a hickory nut to that of an egg. They are most always composed of guartz. but in every locaiity where they are abundant more or less of them may he found which are composed of quartzite or silicious slate. which shows lines of stratification. Sometimes these quartz pebble:. when in contact with the impressions of planets. are distinctly marked by such impressions. This circumstance has given rise to the theory that they are concretionary in character that they have been formed where found. and are not fragments of transported quartz rock. There can be no question. however. that these pebbles are pertions of quartz veins. which have been brought hundreds of miles from some area where metamorphic crystalline rocks have suffered erosion. In process of transportation. the attrition to which these fragments were subjected. comminuted all but the most resistant. viz.: the quartz. The banded. silicious slates which are represented in the pebbles that accompany those of pure quartz. as well as the internal structure of the quartz-pebbles themselves. afford conclusive evidence that their origin is such as have described. *
“All the southern part of Summit County is underlaid by the productive coal measures. and workable seams of coal are known to exist in Tallmadge, Springfield. Coventry, Norton. Copley. Franklin and Green Townships. The line of the margin of the coal basin passes from
Portage County into Summit in the northeastern portion of Talimadge. It then runs westerly nearly to Cuyahoga Falls, and then sweeps round to inclose what is known as Coal Hill ; the continuity of the coal measures being severed by ' Long Swamp' and the valley of Camp Brook. On the east side of this stream, the outcrop of the coal rocks passes southward to the valley of the Little Cuyahoga ; turning up this to the line of Portage County ; thence sweeping back on the south side of the valley across the township of Springfield to the vicinity of Middlebury. It thence runs southwesterly to New Portage. where it crosses the Tuscarawas and strikes northwesterly through Norton and the corner of Copley to the Medina line. There is also a narrow patch of coal-measure rocks forming an isolated hill (Sherbondy Hill) southwest of Akron. on the west side of Summit Lake. Along the line I have traced, we find the outcrops of only the lowest coal seam—Coal No. 1 (the Briar Hill coal)—and this not with any great constancy, inasmuch as the coal occupies limited basins. and their margins are exceedingly sinuous and irregular. A large part of the territory which holds the place of the coal. fails to hold the coal itself. from one or the other of two causes, which frequently disappoint the miner in this region. as well as in the valley of' the Mahonlug. These causes are : First. that the lowest seam was formed from peat-like carbonaceous matter which accumulated on the irregular bottom of the old coal marsh. and the margin of this marsh ran into innumerable bights and channels. which were separated by ridges and hummocks where the coal was never deposited ; second, in many localities where the coal was once found. it was subsequently removed by erosion. The heavy bed of sandstone which lies a little above Coal No. 1, was deposited by currents of water moving rapidly and with such force as to cut away the coal in many channels, and leave in its place beds of sand, which, subsequently hardened. have become sandstone. These are frequently encountered by the miner, and are designated by him, as horsebacks. Hence this excellent stratum of coal has been discovered to be wanting over much of the area where it was supposed to exist, and has therefore been of less value to Summit County than was' anticipated in the earlier days of coal mining. The first mineral coal used on the lake
190 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
shore was sent to Cleveland by my father, Henry Newberry, from his mines in Tallmadge, in 1828. It was there offered as a substitute for wood in the generation of steam on the lake boats. Wood, however, was so abundant. and the population was so habituated to its use, that it proved very difficult to supplant this by any other fuel ; and it was necessary that nearly twenty years should pass before the value of the coal beds of Summit County was fully realized. Then coal-mining began with real vigor. and many thousand tons of excellent coal have since been sent every year to Cleveland from the mines in Tallmadge and Springfield. As has been stated. the coal of these townships proved to be very irregular in its distribution. and variable in thickness and quality. It is restricted to basins of limited extent, and is wanting over much of the area where it was supposed to be present. In the deeper portions of the basins or channels it occupies, the seam is from four and one-half to six feet in thickness. and the coal a bright. handsome open-burning variety, containing little sulphur. and a small percentage of ash. It is softer and more bituminous than the coal of the same seam in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. but is still capable of being used in the raw state in the furnace. and is very highly valued both as a steam coal and a household fuel. In the southern part of the county. Coal No. 1 is more continuous. and has been proved, by recent researches to exist over a large part of Springfield. Franklin and Green. and to reach into Coventry and Norton. Many mines have been opened in the townships referred to, and about two hundred and fifty thousand tons are now sent from this region annually to Cleveland. Most of this coal is similar in quality to that of Tallmadge, but in some localities, as at Johnson's shaft in Franklin. we find a recurrence of the block character, which distinguishes the coal of the Mahoning Valley. In former years, nearly all of the coal used or exported from the county, was mined in Tallmadge. and this mainly from ' Coal Hill.' which lies between the center of Tallmadge and Cuyahoga Falls. Several mines were once in active operation in this hill. Of these mines, that of Henry Newberry was situated at the north end of the hill, and those of Dr. D. Upson, Asaph Whittlesey and Francis Wright on the east side. On the opposite side of the valley, mines were openedby Mr. D. Harris and Dr. Amos Wright. In all these mines the coal has been nearly exhausted, as it was found to rise and run out in the interior of the hill. From this fact, a belief has come to be quite general, that the coal is pinched out in the body of this and other hills, by the weight of the superincumbent material ; whereas, we have here only an instance of what has been before referred to, of the thinning out of the coal on the margin of the old coal swamp. In the central and eastern portion of Tallmadge, most of the laud rises high above the coal level, and basins of coal will doubtless be hereafter discovered there. but the same causes which have rendered coal mining so uncertain heretofore, will undoubtedly limit the productiveness of the nominally large coal area which is included within the township lines. In the southern part of Tallmadge. the surface is occupied by heavy beds of drift. by which the underlying geology is very much obscured. Here. as in the adjoining township of Brimfield. iii Portage County. nothing but patient and careful search will determine the limits of the basins of coal which unquestionably exist in this vicinity. As the dip of the coal rocks is toward the south and east. in Springfield. Green and Franklin. Coal No. 1 lies lower than in the more northerly townships where it occurs : hence it can only be reached by buring. and that sometimes to the depth of 100 feet or perhaps even 20u feet. We have every reason to believe. however, that a considerable area in Green Township is underlaid by Coal No. 1, where it lies fur below drainage : and it is almost certain that careful search, by boring. will reveal the presence of basins of coal in this township. such as are not now suspected to exist, and such as will. contribute largely to the wealth of the county.
" In Summit County the lowest seam of coal is usually separated from the conglomerate by an interval of from twenty-five to fifty feet, which is filled with shale or shaly sandstone, and, immediately beneath the coal. by a seam of fireclay. from two to six feet in thickness. This fire-clay is, in some places, of good quality, and may be used for ,fire-brick and pottery, but it is generally more sandy and contains more iron than the under-clay of the higher seam—Coal No. 3—to which shall have occasion to refer again. Coal No. is usually overlaid immediately by gray shale. from ten
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 191
to forty feet in thickness. This shale contains, especially where it forms the roof of the coal, large numbers of fossil plants, which are frequently preserved in great beauty and profusion. About I50 species have already been collected from the shale of Coal No. I, in the northern part of the State, and nearly all of these are found in Summit County.
“Coal No. 2 is found thirty to fifty feet above Coal No. 1 in many parts of Summit County—as in the Valley of the Mahoning—the second seam of coal in the ascending series. and which we have called Coal No. 2. It is usually from twelve to eighteen inches in thickness, and, though persistent over a large area. is nowhere u Summit County of workable thickness. Above Coal No. 2. and frequently cutting it out is a bed of massive sandstone. which is a marked feature in the geology of the county. This is well seen in Coal Hill. Tallmadge, and extends through the southern part of the county. passing through Stark. where. in the valley of the Tuscarawas, about and above Massillon. it s quarried in many places along the bank of the canal. The thickness of this sandstone varies very much in different localities. and it Way he said to range from forty to one hundred feet. It is also somewhat variable in diameter. but is often massive. and effords a building-stone of excellent quality. It may generally be distinguished from the sandstones of the Carboniferous conglomerate by the absence Of quartz pebble So far as I knew, no pebbles are found in the sandstone over the coal in Summit County. In Trumbull and Medina there are some local exceptions to this rule. for patches of conglomerate are sometimes found there immediately overlying the lowest coal seam. In Summit County the 'pebble rock.' found in the explorations for coal. affords infallible evidence. when it is reached, that the horizon of the coal has been passed.
Coals No.. 3 and 4 come next in order. Near Mogadore. in Springfield Township : the higher lands are found to be underlaid by a stratum of limestone. beneath which are usually a thin seam of coal and a thick stratum of tire-clay. the latter supplying the material from which nearly all the stoneware of the county is manufactured. From twenty-five to forty feet above the limestone to which I have referred, is another. which also overlies a coal seam. Both these may he seen in Green Township, between Greenburg and Greentown, and they may be traced thence southerly, through Stark, Tuscarawas and Holmes Counties, and, indeed, nearly or quite to the Ohio River. These are the limestone coals that will be found frequently referred to in the reports on the counties that have been mentioned, and those on Portage, Trumbull and Mahoning. The lowest of these limestones lies from 130 to 160 above Coal No. I; the upper limestone about 150 to 200 feet. Hence they will serve as useful guides in boring for the lower coal seam in those parts of the county where it lies considerably beneath the surface.
" I have already alluded to the former productiveness of the coal mines of Tallmadge, and have mentioned the fact that most of these mines are now abandoned ; the basins of' coal in which they were located having been practically exhausted. Considerable coal is. however, still produced in the township, and it is altogether probable. that with proper search, other basins will be discovered, from which its coal industry will be revived. The ` Centre ' and a large area north. south and east of it, lie considerably above the coal level, and as the dip is southeast. there are some localities where the horizon of the coal is nearly one hundred and fifty feet below the surface. Over most of the district I have mentioned. borings should be made to at least the depth of one hundred feet before the search is abandoned. It should be remembered. too. that the basins of Coal No. I are frequently narrow. and the territory will only be fairly tested by borings made at frequent intervals. The principal center of coal industry in the county at present. is in Springfield and Coventry. Steer's Mine. the mines of the Brewster Coal Company, and Brewster Brothers. and the Middlebury Shaft—all located near the line between the above mentioned townships—are now producing a large quantity of coal for shipment to Akron and Cleveland. The maximum thickness of the coal seam here is about five feet. and it thins out on all sides toward the margin of the basin. Doubtless here, as elsewhere. the basins of coal are connected, and future explorations will result in tracing such connection south and east into other important deposits. * * * * *
“At the Franklin Coal Company's mine, in the Northern part of Franklin, the coal is four and a halt' feet thick, of good quality, closely
192 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
resembling that obtained at Massillon. It lies from sixty to one hundred feet below the surface, the massive sand rock above it ranging from forty to fifty feet in thickness. In the southwest corner of Franklin Township, the coal where opened is not as thick or as good as in the last-mentioned localities. At Steer's new shaft in Coventry, the coal is 4 feet thick. 90 to I10 feet from the surface. overlaid by I5 feet of black shale and from 30 to 40 feet of sandstone. Little coal has yet been mined here, but it seems to be of excellent quality. A section taken near the north line of Franklin Township includes the following strata :
1. Sandstone ................40 to 60 feet.
2. Shale .......................20 to 30 feet.
3. Hard iron ore........................1 foot.
6. Coal......................................4 1/2 feet.
" On the land of Mr. Thomas Britton. one and a half miles east of Middlebury. is an important deposit of iron ore. which I refer. with some hesitation, to the horizon of Coal No. 1. The drift from which the ore is taken exposes four feet of rock. which includes a thickness of about two feet of ore. Sherbondy Hill. west of Akron, is capped with the coal rocks. but gives no indication of any valuable deposit of coal. A band of iron ore. similar in character to that referred to above, but thinner. is exposed in this locality. A sheet of the coal measures under-lies the surface in the west part of Norton Township, and a small area in Copley. but up to the present time no important coal strata have been found there. A boring made half a mile north of the center of Norton revealed the following section :
1. Earth ................................17 feet.
2. Shale ............................... 16 feet.
3. Conglomerate. . .. ............75 feet.
All the borings made for coal iii the township give similar results, the conglomerate being struck after passing through a thin bed of coal shale. * * * * *
"The fire-clay which underlies Coal No. 3 has already become one of the important elements of wealth to the county. This deposit, in parts of' Summit County, is of unusual thickness and purity, making excellent stoneware and fire-brick. It is estimated that there are produced from this stratum of clay in Springfield Township alone, about one and a half millions of gallons of stoneware each year; and a very large amount of the material is transported into other parts of the county and State. It is of interestto notice in this connection that this bed of fire clay is the same with that worked at Atwater in Portage, and still more extensively in Columbiana County. Over how large an area it Summit County it maintains the dimension: and excellence it exhibits in Springfield, we have. as yet. no means of knowing. At East Liberty it is apparently of good thickness ant quality, but in central and southern Stark County—where exposed in the valleys of the Nimishillen and Sandy—it is of less value. The Springfield clay is eminently plastic. and hence better fitted for stoneware than fire-brick, but by mixing it largely with sand. and. still better with the hard clay of Mineral Point. Mr. J Parke Alexander. of Akron. has produced tire brick scarcely interior in quality to any other made in the State. or even any imported. To get the best results with this clay alone. in making fire-brick. it should be first ground, made into a paste. and this burned. then again coarsely ground and the fragments cemented with one-sixth to one-tenth of fresh plastered clay, molded and burned again.
" The following analyses will give additional information in regard to the useful minerals of this county. They were made by Dr. Worm ley. State Chemist. with the exception of No. t, which was made by Prof: W. W. Mather
1. Peat—Coventry Peat Company. Coventry
Ultimate Composition in Normal State.......................Percent.
Carbon...........................................................................59.56
Hydrogen ........................................................................6.43
Nitrogen ..........................................................................1.23
Sulphur.............................................................................0.33
Oxygen ..........................................................................34.85
Ash...................................................................................6.60
......................................................................................100.00
Moisture ........................................................................10.40
Consisting of hydrogen ...................................................4.15
Oxygen ............................................................................6.25
2. Coal No. I —Johnson's shaft Franklin Township.
3. Coal No. l----Franklin Coal Company. Franklin Township.
4. Coal No. 1—D. Upson's mine. Tallmadge Township.
5. Coal No. 3—Greentown. both benches.
..........................................No. 2. .....No. 3. .....No. 4. .....No. 5.
Specific gravity .................1.256 ,,,,,,1,271 ......1,264
Water ...................................2.70 ........3.40 ......5.067 ........3.25
Volatile combust. matter.. .37.30 .......36.10 ....39.231 .....38.75
Fixed Carbon......................58.00 .......58.70 ....58.404 .....55,05
Ash .......................................2.00 .........1.80 ......2.298 .......2.95
..........................................100.00 ......100.00 ....100.00....100.00
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 193
...........................................No. 1..........No. 2........No. 3......No. 4.
Sulphur ...............................0.930..............799.......0.549.........1.73
Ash .....................................White..........White......White.
Coke................................Compact. ...Compact....Compact.
.....6. Iron Ore—H. Roberts. Middlebury.
7. Iron Ore—Over Coal No. 3, Greentown.
................................................No. 6. .....No. 7.
Specific gravity.......................3.333 ......3.342
Moisture combined...................1.24 ........2.65
Silicious matter ......................21.08.......12.23
Iron. Carbonate ......................58.76........70.68
Iron. Sesquioxide......................4.53 .
Alumina ...................................1.00..........0.40
Manganese ...............................0.80 .........1.65
Lime phosphate ........................1.81
Lime carbonate..........................4.25 ........7.00
Magnesia carbonate ..................5.22 ........5.54
Sulphur.......................................0.41.........0.17
Phosphoric acid ......................................:0.013
..................................................99.10 ..100.333
Metallic Iron .............................31.53 .....34.12
Phosphoric acid ..........................0.83 ......0.013
8. Fire Clay—Mogadore.
9. Fire Clay—East Liberty.
...................................................No. 8. ......No. 9.
Water (combined)..........................5.45 .........7.00
Silicie acid ..................................70.70........62.00
Alumina.......................................21.70 .......24.80
Iron ..............................................................traces
Lime ..............................................0.40 ........1.75
Magnesia .......................................0.37 .........0.42
Potash and soda ..............................................3.22
.....................................................98.62 ........99.39
The foregoing comprises the geology of Summit County, together with its coal deposits and mineral resources. Closely connected with the geology of a country is the science of agriculture. Indeed. the geology of a country," it has been truthfully said, determines the character of the industrial vocation of the inhabitants of that country.' In accordance with the geological formations, mining farming. herding flocks, manufacturing, or even fishing, becomes the prominent industry. "From the connection of geology with agriculture, mining and manufactures, it may be said that in its different branches this science lies at the foundation of our modern civilization, inasmuch as the occupations, the wealth and power of communities and nations, in many, we may, perhaps, say in most, instances. depend directly upon the character. structure and resources of that portion of the earth which they inhabit."* From the
* State Report.
wealth, then, of Mother Earth, we draw our sustenance, and when we have run out our span of life, we return to her sheltering bosom.
" Where is the dust that has not been alive?
The spade, the plow, disturb our ancestors;
From human mold we reap our daily bread."
It is said that the agriculture of the State of Ohio may be regarded, in a general sense, as "being of a mixed character." The same may very truthfully be said of Summit County. Its agricultural resources are not only extensive, but the adaptability of the soil in the different sections of the county to agriculture, is to be found in but few counties of the State. In the southern part, wheat is the main staple ; in the central and northern portions, grazing, perhaps, predominates, while corn is extensively grown. In the last State Agricultural Report, we find, pertaining to Summit County, the following statistics:
Wheat, 25.955 acres, yielding 518.979 bushels ; rye. 352 acres, yielding 5,150 bushels ; oats. 14.284 acres, yielding 542.382 bushels ; barley, 63 acres, yielding 14.010 bushels ; corn, 15,422 acres, yielding 1,077,945 bushels; timothy, 22.788 acres, yielding 31.951 tons of hay ; clover, 4,882 acres, yielding 6.910 tons of hay. While much attention is devoted to stock-raising, the breeding of tine stock is not carried to that extent that it is in many sections of Ohio. More attention is given to cattle and sheep than to other stock, and to the two (cattle and sheep) the former is considered of more value in this community, and the dairy business is one of the largest interests of the agricultural class, not only of Summit County but of the Western Reserve. From the State Report above quoted, we extract the following of this county : " Number of cattle•, 24,348, value, $364,184 ; number of pounds of butter. 775,915 ; number of pounds of cheese. I,389.735." The same report has the following in regard to the dairy business of the Reserve : " Already, complaints are made that dairy farming is deteriorating the soil, but this complaint can scarcely be well founded, or, if well founded, must have reference more to the mechanical than the chemical condition of the soil. Soils very similar. geologically considered, have been pastured and tilled in England since the days of the Saxon heptarehy, and no recuperating process practiced until within the past hundred years, and yet these British soils were at no
194 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
time barren. There is no distinctive breed of cattle recognized on the Reserve as being peculiarly a dairy breed, but those in highest favor are generally a cross breed. such as short-horn or Devon crossed on the ' native.' * * * The factory system of cheese-making was introduced some years since. and has proved eminently successful. Having no reliable statistics at hand, there is no hazard in stating that there are fully one hundred and fifty factories in active operation at the present time." Our space, however, will not admit of an extended notice in this connection, but the subject will be alluded to again in the several township histories. In addition to the cattle statistics of the county from the same report. we gather the following : Number of horses. 8.552. value. $469.0I0: number of mules. I79. value. $8,730 : number of hogs, 1I,577. value. $%2.220 : number of sheep, 24.963. value. $58.8I7: number of pounds of wool shorn. 75.I68.
Without going further into this branch of the subject. we will now give place to the following interesting sketch of the Agricultural Society of Summit County. prepared especially for this work by S. A. Lane. Esq., and which will be found of value to our readers :
The loss. by fire. of the records pertaining to the Agricultural Society matters of Summit County prior to I839. made the task of collating the proper materials for the commencement of this chapter somewhat difficult, there being radical differences in the recollections of the several living participants upon whom the writer called for information. By a patient search of the files of the Summit County Beacon of those clays, though its columns were far less prolific of local news then than now, we have been able to present to the reader a reliable, if not a very attractive, resume of the matters proper to be here treated of. Though for some years there had been a growing interest in the subject throughout the State, and, under the fostering care and aid given thereto by the Legislature of Ohio, a State Agricultural Society, and quite a number of county societies, had been organized previous to that date, the first move looking to the organization of a society in Summit County, was in 1849. From his position as Auditor of the county. N. W. Goodhue, Esq., had abundant opportunity to ascertain the views of the people of the county upon the subject, and, believing, after consultationwith Col. Simon Perkins and others, that a favorable and hearty response would be mad thereto, on the 3Ist day of October. 1849, Mr Goodhue caused to be published in the Beacon the following notice :
AGRICULTURAL MEETING.
I, N. W. Goodhue. Auditor of Summit. County. Ohlo. hereby give notice that a public meeting will be held at the court house. in Akron. on the 14th day of November next. at 2 o'clock. P. M.. for the purpose of perfecting the organization of a County Agricultural Society. the preliminary steps contemplated in the act of March, 1839. having been already taken.
NATH'L. W. GOODHUE.
County Auditor,
Auditor's Office. Summit Co.. Akron.
October 31. 1849.
An editorial in the same issue of the Beacon thus calls attention to the above notice :
Attention is culled to the notice of the Auditor. in another column. issued in pursuance of law for an agricultural meeting on the 14th proximo. be rejoice that a move has been made in the matter.
the agriculturists of Summit County. The neighboring counties have their agricultural associations in successful operation. They have seen and felt the advantages flowing from them. And while the whole State seems to he awakening to it new interest. end searching after an improved agriculture, it would be mortifying to see the experienced and enterprising farmers of Summit County asleep. Speed the plow! Let the good work to forward in earnest:
In the Beacon of November 21. 1849. appears the following official report of the proceedings of this preliminary meeting :
AGRICULTURAL. MEETING.
Agreeably to public notice. previously given. a large number of gentlemen met in the court house in Akron. at 2 o'clock P. M.. November 14, 1849, for the purpose of perfecting the organization of a County Agricultural Society. The meeting was called to order by the County Auditor. A temporary organization was had by appointing ('apt. Amos Seward, President: H. G. Weaver, Vice President and Nathaniel W. Goodhue. Secretary. After the object of the meeting had been stated. the Chair, on motion, appointed a committee of five to report a constitution and code of Bylaws for the government of the soclety, consisting of Lucius W. Hitchcock and William A. Hanford, of Tallmadge: Talman Beardsley, of Coventry; Sylvester H. Thompson, of Hudson. and John by, of Franklin. On motion, a committee of one from each township was appointed to procure members to the society as follows: Bath, William Hale: Boston, Hiram V. Bronson; Copley. Jonathan Starr; Coventry, Avery Spicer: Franklin, John Hoy: Green, Alexander Johnston; Hudson, Van R. Humphrey; Northamp-
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY. - 195
ton. Reese Jones: Northfield, John C. Wallace; Norton. Henry Van Hyning; Portage. Lucius V. Bierce: Richfield. Isaac T. Welton: Springfield, Henry G. Weaver; Stow, Edwln Wetmore; Tallmadge. Samuel Treat: Twinsburg. Lyman Chamberlain: Akron. Lucius S. Peck: Middlebury, Nathaniel W. Goodhue; Cuyahoga Falls. Henry Wetmore: Hudson. Sylvester H. Thompson.
On motion, Lucius V. Bierce and Van R. Humphrey. Esqs.. were requested to deliver addresses at the next meeting.
On motion. ordered that the proceedings of the meeting be published in the several papers of the county. On motion. adjourned to meet in the courtroom on Wednesday. the 28th inst., at 10 o'clock A. M.
AMOS SEWARD, President.
H. G. WEAVER. Vice President.
N. W. GOODHUE. Secretary.
From a postscript attached to the foregoing report. it is learned, that at this meeting, about seventy names were presented for membership. In the Beacon of December 5. 1849. is found the full report of the second meeting of the embryo society. as follows :
AGRICULTURAL MEETING.
The Summit County Agricultural Society met November 8. at 1 o'clock P. M.. pursuant to adjournment. and was called to order by Capt. Amos Seward. Chairman. In the absence of Henry G. Weaver. Vice President. Milo Stone. Esq.. of Tallmadge. was chosen Vice President.
On motion, a committee of one front each township represented. was appointed by the Chair. to recommend officers for the society.
Committee appointed at former meeting. reported a constitution for the society, as follows:
"ARTICLE 1. This society shall be called the Summit County Agricultural Society.
" Art 2. The officers of this society shall consist of a President. Vice President. Secretary, Treasurer and five managers. who. together. shall constitute a Board of Director's for the general m management of the affairs of the society: they shall he elected annually by the members of the society and hold their offices until their successors are appointed. The President shall preside at all meetings of the society. and of the Board of Directors: sign murders on the Treasurer for awards of premiums and other appropriations of the Board of Directors. The Vice President. in the absence of the President. shall he the presiding officer of the society and Board. The Secretary shall keep an accurate record of the proceedings of the society. and of the Board of Directors: attend to correspondence ordered by the Board. and report annually to the State Board of Agriculture. The Treasurer shall receive the funds of the society, and pay them in accordance with the awards of the committees on premiums. and the votes of the Board of Directors. upon the order of the President, and shall. at the annual meeting, render a full account of his doings. The Board of Directors shall meet at the call of the President; a majority shall constitute a quorum for the transaction of business, and the Board shall have power to transact all business for the society, that shall not conflict with this instrument.
"ART, 3. Members of this society must be residents of this county. and pay $1 annually to the Treasurer of the society.
"ART. 4. All competitors for premiums must be members of the society.
"ART. 5. A list of the premiums offered by the society must be printed in the several newspapers published in the county, at least one month previous to the day of exhibition.
" ART. 6. All articles offered for premiums must be owned by the persons offering the same. or by members of their families. and products of the soil. or manufactured articles, must he produced or manufactured within the county.
“ART. 7. Premiums on grain and grass crops shall not be awarded for less than one acre.
" ART. 8. The awarding committees shall consist of three persons each. and shall be annually appointed by the Directors of the society.
"ART. 9. The annual exhibition of the society shall he held between the 1st day of September and the 1st day of November in each year, of which notice shall be given with the list of premiums offered.
"ART. 10. The annual meeting of this society shall be at the court house. on the third Wednesday in November of each year. at 10 o'clock A. 31., at which time officers of the society shall be chosen.
“ART. 11. This Constitution may be amended at any regular meeting. by a majority of the votes cast.'' L. V. Bierce. Esq., addressed the meeting. Committee reported officers for the society. which report was accepted. and the persons recommended were unanimously chosen officers of the society. as follows : Simon Perkins. President ; Henry G. Weaver. Vice President : William A. Hanford. Secretary : William H. Dewey. Treasurer: John Hoy. Sylvester H. Thompson. Avery Spicer. Philo C. Stone and James W. Weld. Managers.
On motion—" Resoived : That the thanks of this society be presented to L. V. Bierce. Esq.. for his interesting address. and that he lie requested to furnish at copy for publication."
Mr. J. Teesdale presented a circular from the State Board of Agriculture. which was referred to the President. Secretary and Capt. Amos Seward for reply. On motion. adjourned.
AMOS SEWARD. President.
MILO STONE. Vice President.
N. W. GOODHUE. Secretary.
Thus was the " Summit County Agricultural Society " duly and legally organized, and entitled to draw from the county treasury, yearly, for its support, the sum of $137.50. as provided by law. The various officers, directors and committees, together with the people of the county, generally, both farmers and villagers, from this time on worked heartily and cordially for the success of the society, and for the favorable outcome of its first annual fair. In
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the Beacon of August 21, 1850, appears this announcement :
AGRICULTURAL NOTICE.
The Board of Directors for the Summit County Apicultural Society wlll meet at the office of L. V. Bierce, Esq., on Thursday, the 22d inst., at 1 o'clock P. M., to appoint committees to award premiums at the Annual Fair, to be held at Akron, on the 2d and 3d days of October next. Those who have obtained members will please forward the names and money to the Auditor's office at Akron.
SIMON PERKINS, President.
W. A. HANFORD, Secretary.
AKRON, August 19, 1850.
In the Beacon of September I1, 1850, appears the premium list, offering premiums ranging from $I to $8 on cattle ; from $3 to S8 on horses ; from $2 to $5 on sheep ; from $2 to $4 on swine ; best kept dairy, $I0 ; best butter, $3 ; best cheese. $3 ; from $1 to $3 on farm implements ; from 50 cents to $3 on domestic manufactures ; from $2 to $3 on factory flannels and cloths ; $I on grains and seeds ; from $1 to $2 on vegetables and fruits; from $I to $5 on field crops. Following, is a list of the awarding committees : Cattle—Milo Stone. of Tallmadge ; Frederick Baldwin, of Hudson ; Marcus Newton, of Richfield. Horses—Thaddeus H. Botsford, of Middlebury ; John Hoy. of Franklin ; Henry Van Hyning. of Norton. Saxony Sheep—John Brown (old "Ossawatamie" of Harper's Ferry fame), of Portage; Justin P. Goodale, of Middlebury ; Anson A. Brewster. of Hudson. Merino and other Sheep
—Isaac T. Welton, of Richfield ; Jacob Allen, of Akron ; Jonathan Starr, of Copley. Swine Miner Spicer, of Akron ; William Wetmore. of Stow ; Simon P. Starr, of Copley. Dairies
—Edgar B. Ellsworth, of Hudson ; John B. Clark, of Hudson ; Ethan Ailing, of Twinsburg. Butter and CheeseMrs. Dana D. Evans, of Akron ; Mrs. Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge ; Mrs. Amos Avery, of Tallmadge ; Mrs. Edwin Wetmore, of Stow. Farm Implements—Samuel Treat, of Tallmadge ; Alexander Johnston, of Green ; Mills Thompson, of Hudson. Domestic Manufactures—Mrs. Henry G. Weaver, of Springfield ; Mrs. George Kirkum, of Akron ; Mrs. John Hoy, of Franklin ; Mrs. N. W. Goodhue, of Middlebury. Factory Products—Roswell Kent, of Middlebury ; Anson A. Brewster. of Hudson ; Orlando Hall, of Akron ; Grains and Seeds—Nathaniel Finch. of Akron ; William Hale, of Bath ; Philo Atwood, of Springfield. Vegetables and Fruits—Van R. Humphrey, of Hudson ; Lucius S. Peck, of Portage ; Prof. Seymour, of Hudson. Field Crops—Clark Sackett, of Tallmadge ; John Hall, of Springfield; Talmon Beardsley, of Coventry. Nonenumerated Articles—Joseph Hawkins. of Twinsburg ; Peter Voris, of Bath ; Daniel Hine. of Tallmadge. A " plowing match " was also announced for the second day of the fair ; premiums, $5 and $3. No trotting nor racing premiums were offered.
The Beacon of September 18, I850, editorially says :
We are gratified to find that much interest is being awakened in the approaching agricultural fair in this county. As there has not been an exhibition of that character in the county since its organisation. those who have charge of the arrangements have not the benefit of that amount of experience they would like in the performance of their duty. Still, they have done and will do what they can. The work of preparation should la entered into in earnest. Hundreds can contribute their mite to the interest of the occasion. Let the exhibition be worthy of the object in view, and let then. be a gathering which will render the day a memorable one.
The First Fair, October 2 and 3. 1850.—Having no grounds nor buildings of its own. by permission of the County Commissioners. the court house and surrounding grounds were made use of by the society in giving its initial exposition. In the Beacon of October 16. 1850. A is the official report of President Perkins and Secretary Hanford. together with a full list of the premiums awarded. aggregating about $160.0 —quite a sum, when it is considered that no entrance fees on articles exhibited were charged, while admission to the fair was also free. " A team of thirty-four yoke of oxen. from Tallmadge, and another of fifteen span of horses, from the same town, attracted considerable attention." says the report. Gen L. V. Bierce, of Akron, delivered the annual address.
The Beacon of same date editorially says :
The highest expectations were more than realized. The attendance on both days was very large. several thousand persons being present, all of whom seemed inspired by the happiest spirit, and abundantly compensated for what of labor and care was incident to the exhibition. * * * The display of stock was unexpectedly good, the arrangements being such as to give a fair opportunity for exhibiting the animals brought in. The specimens of fruit grain and vegetables were exceedingly fine. * * * A variety of farming implements were exhibited. ; * *
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The courthouse was fitted up for the horticultural exhibition and the handiwork of Flora. The highest praise is due to the ladies for their taste in adorning the room, and the myriad evidences of their skill displayed on every hand. The pyramid of flowers, prepared at Mrs. Dodge's, and the various smaller pyramids and rich bouquets exhibited, were the center of attraction, exciting universal praise by their gorgeous display of colors. The display of fancy needlework would have excited admiration anywhere. Among other things exhibited in the ladies' department, worthy of note, were a variety of bedquilts ; a counterpane, richly worked ; worsted work ; a straw-bonnet made from straw raised in this county ; some fancy cotton work, etc., etc. * * * An exhibition terminating so propitiously cannot but lead the way to others, and establish permanently a society whose first fruits are so pleasant to the eye and taste. In the awards of the future the managers of the fair should not be forgotten.
Second Annual Meeting.—The second annual meeting of the society was held at the court house, November 20, 1850. Treasurer Dewey reported : "Total receipts, $327.53 ; total payments to date, $221.86 ; balance in treasury. $105.72—$I00 of which is due for premiums." Officers were chosen for the ensuing year, as follows : Simon Perkins. of Portage, President; Amos Seward, of Tallmadge, Vice President Nelson B. Stone. of Akron. Treasurer ; Nathaniel W. Goodhue, of Middlebury. Secretary Henry Van Hyning, of Norton ; Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge : Milo Stone. of Tallmadge ; James M. Hale. of Akron. and Harvey Baldwin. of Hudson. Managers. On motion. the thanks of the society were presented to Secretary William A. Hanford. and his assistants. Messrs N. W. Goodhue and C. B. Bernard. for their services to the society.
Second Annual Fair.—In the Beacon of September 10, 1851. appears the notice of President Perkins and Secretary Goodhue. announcing the second annual fair of the society, to be held at the court house in Akron. October 16 and 17. with a somewhat enlarged premium list. Committees as follows : Cattle—John Newton. of Richfield ; Perry C. Carothers. of Tallmadge Frederick Baldwin. of Hudson. Milch Cows—William H. Dewey, of Akron ; .Joseph Hawkins. of Twinsburg ; Clark Sackett, of Tallmadge. Oxen—Perley .Mansur. of Hudson; Isaac T. Welton. of Richfield: Ebenezer Pardee. of Norton. Fat Oxen—Dennis A. Hine. of Middlebury ; David French. of Green Henry Van Hyning. of Norton. Best ten yoke oxen in a string. from one township. and best ten span horses—Jedediah D. Commons. of Akron ; Charles W. Brown, of Portage ; Charles B. Cobb, of Akron. Horses—Thaddeus H. Botsford, of. Middlebury ; John Miller, of Norton ; Ezra Starkweather, of Twinsburg. Longwool Sheep—Jacob Allen, of Akron ; William Hale, of Bath ; Samuel N. Goodale, of Akron. Merinos—James W. Wallace, of Northfield ; Jonathan Starr, of Copley ; Van R. Humphrey, of Hudson. Saxons—William A. Hanford, of Cuyahoga Falls ; Lucius W. Hitchcock. of Tallmadge ; Peter A. More, of Copley. Swine—Avery Spicer, of Coventry ; George Darrow, of Hudson; John Hoy, of Franklin. Pottery Ware—Allan Hibbard, Lorenzo B. Austin and James Christy, all of Akron. Farming Implements, First Class—Alexander Johnston, of Green; Benjamin Bear, of Franklin; Samuel 31. Combs, of Tallmadge. Second Class—John B. Clark, of Hudson ; George Lillie, of Northfield; Talmon Beardsley, of Coventry. Harness Work—Jonathan Page, of Richfield ; John Johns, of Middlebury ; Harvey S. Weld, of Richfield. Boots and Shoes—Zebulon Jones, of Akron ; Peter Voris, of Bath ; John M. Cutler, of Akron. Stoves, Castings and Machinery—Bradbury T. Blodgett, of Akron ; Harrison N. Gillett. of Cuyahoga Falls ; William S. Irish, of Middlebury. Carriages, etc.—David A. Scott, Lewis, Benjamin and Nathaniel Finch, all of Akron. Musical Instruments —Amos Wright, of Tallmadge ; George P. Ashmun, of Hudson ; Henry Bill. of Cuyahoga Falls. Cabinet Ware—Henry S. Abbey. of Akron : Joseph T. Holloway. of Cuyahoga Falls ; Henry B. Horton, of Akron. Blank Books. etc.—Elisha N. Sill, of Cuyahoga Falls; Lucius S. Peck and Jared Jennings, of Akron. Flannels. etc.—Mrs. Henry G. Weaver. of Springfield ; Mrs. Elias W. Howard, Mrs. George Kirkum and Mrs. Allan Hibbard. of Akron. Linens—Mrs. Louisa A. Baldwin. of Middlebury ; Mrs. Harvey Baldwin, of Hudson ; Miss Sarah A. Stone. of Tallmadge; Mr. Alvin C. Voris, of Akron. Stockings, etc.—Mrs. Dana D. Evans. of Akron ; Mrs. Ira Hawkins, of Portage ; Mrs. Daniel Hine and Mrs. Lucius C. Walton, of Tallmadge. Factory Products—Roswell Kent, of Middlebury : Harvey B. Spellman, of Akron, and Ezra S. Comstock, of Cuyahoga Falls. Grains and Seeds —Solomon Markham, of Green ; Jeremiah B. Lambert, of Bath ; Andrew Harris of Springfield. Vegetables and Fruits—Daniel MeNaugh-
198 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
ton, of Middlebury ; John E. King, and Lucius V. Bierce, of Akron. Crops—Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge ; Avery Spicer, of Coventry ; Edwin Wetmore, of Stow. Farms—John C. Wallace, of Northfield ; James W. Weld, of Richfield ; Andrew Hale, of Bath. Butter—Mrs. Samuel M. Combs, of Tallmadge ; Mrs. John Hoy, of Franklin ; Mrs. William L. Clarke, and Mrs. Frederick Wadsworth of Akron. Cheese—Mrs. Simon Perkins and Mrs. Sebried Dodge, of Portage ; Mrs. Mills Thompson, of Hudson ; Mrs. William L. Clarke. of Akron. Fancy-work—Mrs. Henry W. King, of Akron.; Mrs. Lucius C. Walton, of Tallmadge ; Mrs. George E. Pierce, of Hudson ; Mrs. Hoyt L. Henry, of Middlebury ; Mrs. John B. Clark. of Hudson ; Mr. Charles B. Bernard, of Akron.
Of this second exhibition. the Beacon of October 22, 1851, says :
The annual fair of the Summit County Agricultural Society was held on Thursday and Friday of last week. They were festive days among the farmers of Summit, and such a congregating toether of the true nobllity of our county—the toiling masses, whose brows are browned by heaven's sunlight, whose hands are hardened by honest toil, and whose hearts are softened by the kindlier sympathies of humanity—we have rarely seen. The turnout was tremendous. exceedlng largely. it is thought, that of last year. There was a perfect jam in and around the court house throughout each day, rendering it almost impossible to see many objects of interest, and demonstrating the absolute necessity of erecting a suitable building for the future agricultural and mechanical exhibitions of the county. * * * Hon. Van R. Humphrey, of Hudson, delivered an address to the multitude, who were assembled ln the court house inclosure for want of a building of sufficient capacity to receive them. It was listened to with interest and profit, and was in keeping with the interest of the occasion. * * * It will afford much gratification to our citizens generally to learn that Col. Simeon Perkins, the President of the society, with a munificence characteristic of the man, has donated to the society several acres south of Akron, admirably adapted for future exhibitions, the erection of suitable buildings, etc., for the use of the society. A subscription was started for inclosing the round, and we cannot permit ourselves to doubt the success of the laudable enterprise.
In the Beacon of November 26, 1851, is the official report of the annual meeting of' the society for 1851, held in the court house November I9. The officers elected for the ensuing year were as follows : President, Avery Spicer, of Coventry ; Vice President, Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge ; Secretary, Nathaniel W. Goodhue, of Middlebury ; Treasurer, Nelson B. Stone, of Akron. Managers—Peter Voris, of Bath ; Thomas H. Goodwin, of Akron ; Isaac T. Welton, of Richfield ; Samuel M. Combs, of Tallmadge ; Solomon Markham, of Green. A committee of one from each township and village in the county was appointed "to solicit subscriptions to defray the expenses to be incurred during the coming year in the erection of suitable buildings and fences and preparing other permanent fixtures for the use of the society." Among the proceedings of this meeting is found this highly commendable item :
Resolved, That this society will award no premiums on anything that will intoxicate.
At a meeting of the Directors, held at the court house. it was arranged that the fair for 1852 should be held on Wednesday and Thursday. October 6 and 7, at the court house. the new grounds donated by Col. Perkins not being yet fitted up. The premium list, as published in the Beacon of September 8, is about the same as in 1851, and the committees judiciously selected from every portion of the count). The courtroom was used solely as a floral and fineart department. A small admission fee to this department was charged. the receipts being something over $100. The hall was occupied by a display of fashionable furniture. stoves, etc. On the north side of the building was erected a temporary frame structure, forty by sixty feet, for the display of fancy work, mechanical products. farming implements, vegetables, fruits, etc. Horses. cattle, sheep, hogs, poultry, etc., were grouped, at convenience of exhibitors, in various parts of the inclosure. In its editorial notice of this Third Annual Fair, the Beacon, of October 13, 1852, says : " It was attended by a larger number of persons, and, what is equally gratifying, the exhibition, taken as a whole, was, undoubtedly, far in advance of its predecessors. * * * The gorgeous flowertree, nearly ten feet high, blazing with dahlias of every conceivable shade, was a thing of beauty. * * * From the garden of Hon. E. N. Sill, of Cuyahoga Falls, as also from the gardens of Col. Perkins and Mrs. Dodge, were some of the finest dahlias we have ever seen. A design of cut flowers of every variety, arranged by Mr. Thomas Wills, Mr. Sill's gardener, excited universal admiration. * * * But one opinion was expressed on one point, viz.: the necessity of the immediate erection of suitable buildings
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY. - 199
for the agricultural fairs of Summit. It is , folly to expend more on temporary buildings. It each township will move and select a good committeeman, as Tallmadge has done, the amount for the buildings, etc., may be raised in a fortnight. Col. Perkins is still ready to donate the use of six acres of land as the site. If the society does not take the work in hand, the Commissioners should do so." The annual address was delivered by Herman Canfield. Esq., of Medina. In their report, the officers of the society say : The necessity of a permanent building is apparent to all. The officers of the society labor under much embarrassment, and all that is necessary is the co-operation of each township, and the means requisite for inclosing six acres of ground and erecting a large and commodious building, can be raised. We hope that the importance of immediate attention to this matter will be borne in mind. and that measures will be taken immediately for raising whatever sum is necessary."
At the annual meeting of the society held at the court house in Akron. November 17. 1832. officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows : President. Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge
Vice President, Sylvester H. Thompson. of Hudson ; Secretary, Nathaniel W. Goodhue, of Akron; Treasurer. Nelson B. Stone. of Akron; Directors. Talmon Beardsley, of Coventry Andrew Hale, of Bath : William Payne. of Richfield ; Lucius W. Hitchcock. of Tallmadge Henry W. Howe. of Akron. A committee of one in each township was appointed to solicit funds to build permanent buildings for the use of the society.
The Beacon of September 7, 1853. editorially says : The Board of Directors of the Summit County Agricultural Society have contracted for inclosing the new fair grounds of the society. the erection of a suitable hall for future exhibitions, etc. The work is to be completed by October 10 ; the expense to be paid mainly by subscriptions, the county doing its share." The grounds, six and a half acres, were substantially fenced, a building 40x100 feet was erected, and the grounds otherwise fitted up. at a total expense of about $1,800. and the fourth annual fair was held there on Wednesday and Thursday October 12 and 13. 1853. Increased interest and attendance were manifested. A small entrance fee of 10 cents was charged, by which between $700 and $800 was realized, and,though somewhat in debt on improvements, the society was at last firmly established on a sound financial basis.
The fifth annual meeting of the society was held at the court house on Wednesday, November 16, 1853. Officers elected—President.. Daniel Hine, of Tallmadge ; Vice President. James M. Hale, of Akron ; Secretary. Nathaniel W. Goodhue ; Treasurer, Nelson B. Stone ; Directors, Talmou Beardsley, of Coventry ; Samuel 31. Bronson, of Tallmadge ; Henry W. Howe. of Akron ; Ethan Ailing, of Twinsburg; and Jeremiah B. Lambert. of Bath.
The fifth annual fair was held on the grounds of the society October 11 and 12, 1854. Though the season had been very dry, there was a very fine display of field and garden products. fruits. flowers. etc.. and, while stock and other departments were quite largely represented.
Ladies' Equestrianship" was a prominent feature of this exhibition, and added very materially to the interest as well as to the financial results of the fair. Receipts, *S00.
The sixth annual meeting was held on the 22d day of November. 1834. at the court house. officers and Directors of previous year being reelected.
The sixth annual fair was held October :3. 4 and 5, 1855. Yearly membership badges were sold at $1 each, and a gate tee of 10 cents was collected. the total receipts with ground rents being $903. Ladies horsemanship. both driving and equestrianism. was the chief attraction of the fair: premiums being awarded as follows : Miss Harriet J. More. of Copley, $20 : Miss Anna E. Howe. of Akron. $15 : Miss C. L. Stauffer. of Springfield. $10. A premium of $20. donated by spectators, was also awarded to Miss Cordelia Alden. of Medina. for her superior equestrianism, the awards of the society being confined to residents of the county. At this fair also every department in which premiums were offered was a success. both in point of number and quality of animals and articles exhibited.
At the seventh annual meeting held at the court house in Akron November 21, 1853, officers for the ensuing year were elected as follows : President, Talmon Beardsley, of Coventry ; Vice President. Andrew Hale, of Bath ; Secretary. Henry W. Howe. of Akron ; Treasurer, Charles B. Bernard. of Akron ; Directors, Wm. B. Ashmun, of Tallmadge; Simon P. Starr,
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of Copley ; James M. Hale, of Akron ; Houston Sisler, of Franklin; Julius Pond, of Hudson.
Secretary Howe announces, in the Beacon of September 17, 1856, that the Summit County Agricultural Society have added to their list of premiums, to be awarded at their next annual fair, the following : " Fastest trotting horse owned within the county, $30 ; fastest trotting horse, under four years old. owned within the county, $20. A half-mile ring has been prepared, and a lively competition may be expected." In a subsequent issue, Secretary Howe thus expatiates : " The farmers and mechanics of the county will remember that this is especially their festival, while all the ' rest of mankind' intend to be there to join them. The list of premiums is large. the grounds are beautiful and convenient ; the contests, upon two days, between the fast trotting horses, will be spirited ; the ' ladies riding.' upon the last day of the fair, will attract all who love : women and horses,' and the smiling faces of friends will everywhere greet those who are in attendance. * * * Come all who delight in seeing the best of stock, the finest of fruits, grains and vegetables, who have a taste for the products of the ' gude housewife,' and can appreciate the value of churns and cultivators, carpets and carriages. Come all who can admire the beautiful in flowers, in needlework, in painting ; or can find pleasure in ' crowds of fair women and brave men,' expecting a rare entertainment, and you need not go away disappointed."
Of this, the Seventh Annual Fair, held on the 8th, 9th and 10th days of October, 1856, the Beacom concludes a lengthy and enthusiastic editorial as follows : " On the whole, we are satisfied that the Summit County Fair of 1836, not only surpassed all its former fairs, but, in point of numbers attending and of a substantial excellence of stock, grains, vegetables, mechanical and artistic skill, and whatever else makes up the show, was beyond any county fair of Ohio or any other State. We feel confident that Summit is entitled to the premium. In this judgment, we are supported by the voluntary expressions of many witnesses who were present from abroad." The receipts at this fair were $1,230.50, which, with receipts from county authorized by law, paid the entire indebtedness of the society, running expenses, premiums, balance due for buildings, etc.. and left a surplus in the treasury of $224.73.
At the Eighth Annual Meeting, held November 19, 1856, the following officers were elected : President, Talmon Beardsley, of Coventry ; Vice President, Andrew Hale, of Bath ; Secretary, Henry W. Howe, of Akron ; Treasurer, Alvin C. Voris, of Akron ; Directors, Joseph Hawkins, of Twinsburg ; William Johnston, of Copley; Lucius L. Strong, of Tallmadge ; Adam Yerrick, of Green ; John R. Buchtel, of Coventry.
Eighth Annual Fair held October 7, 8 and 9, 1857.—Increased number of entries, increased interest and increased attendance ; nearly three columns in the Beacon of October 14 being devoted to an editorial review of the fair. At the Ninth Annual Meeting, held on the 18th of November. 1857, officers were elected as follows : President, Samuel M. Combs, of Tallmadge ; Vice President. Andrew Hale, of Bath ; Secretary, Dudley Seward. of Akron ; Treasurer, Alvin C. Voris. of Akron ; Directors, Avery Spicer, of Portage ; Lucius L. Strong, of Richfield ; William B. Ashman, of Tallmadge ; Joseph Stauffer, of Green ; Horace P. Cannon, of Twinsburg.
Ninth Annual Fair. October 6. 7 and 8, 1858.—The crowd upon and about the little six-acre inclosure, with the teams of visitors and animals for exhibition, produced, according to the local reporter. "a perfect jam," and the cry for larger grounds was universal. Total entries for premiums, 965, as follows : Cattle, 105 ; horses, 152 ; sheep, 48 ; swine, 10 ; poultry, 19 ; grain and seeds, 64 ; fruits, 40 ; garden products, 154 ; field crops, 9 ; butter, cheese and sugar. 51 ; farm implements, 30 ; domestic productions, 124 ; flowers and shrubbery, 44 ; carriages and harness, 17 ; boots, shoes. etc., 10 ; bonnets, etc., 7 ; fine arts, 17 ; iron and tin ware, 7 ; miscellaneous, 45 ; female equestrians, 6. Total receipts, $1.350.
At the Tenth Annual meeting, November 17, 1858, the following officers were elected : President, Samuel M. Combs, of Tallmadge ; Vice President, Horace P. Cannon, of Twinsburg ; Secretary, J. Park Alexander, of Akron ; Treasurer, John R. Buchtel, of Akron. Directors—Avery Spicer, of Portage ; Lucius L. Strong. of Richfield ; Lewis Ailing, of Twinsburg ; Edwin Upson, of Tallmadge ; Charles Coe, of Norton. At this meeting, the question of procuring other and more extensive grounds was discussed, and an adjourned meeting for the
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY. - 201
further consideration of the subject was held at the office of Edgerton & Sanders, in Akron. January 8, 1859. At this meeting, President Combs, Vice President Cannon and Treasurer Bechtel " were appointed a committee to re ceive sealed proposals from any of the townships within the county for the site of fair grounds, and that such proposals be established by approved security for the amount subscribed. The attention of those interested is solicited. Proposals to be handed to Mr. Buchtel by October 29."
Of this action. the Beacon of January 12, 1859, editorially, says : The citizens of Cuyahoga Falls, we are informed, propose to give $6,000 for the permanent location of the fair grounds at or near that village. The question is of importance to local interests as well as to those of the society itself: The latter will be. we doubt not. the governing consideration with those who will decide upon the matter. Other things being equal, the county seat would seem to be the proper location for a county society; but there is some plausibility in the claim that Cuyahoga Falls is more central. and, if the citizens of that village subscribe $6,000 in good faith for that purpose. they exhibit a high appreciation of the advantages of securing the annual fair as a permanent institution. We commend the consideration of this subject, in all its bearings. to the business men. property-holders and citizens of Akron. only observing that the competition of the people of Cuyahoga Falls is formidable and may be successful.
At an adjourned meeting. held January 29. 1859. the following proposal was submitted : The society can have the present location of .he fair grounds for $125 per acre by paying $150 down and $200 each .January following. with 6 per cent annual interest. and that they ;an have more or less land south of the present ;rounds, in addition. at $80 per acre. or an change on the opposite side of the road, acre for acre." This proposition was accepted by a vote of forty-nine in favor to ten against. Al in adjourned meeting. held February 19. 1859, t was voted" to confine the society to the present location of the grounds."
Thus matters stood until late in the following summer. In the meantime. not only had he contiguous lands been sold to other parties, but there was a rapidly growing conviction in he public mind that the future success of the society demanded both more room and a more eligible location than the old grounds afforded. So, too, in consequence of the differences of opinion which had obtained as to the matter of location, spirited rivalry had grown up, not only in the two " union " organizations in the northeast corner of the county, at Twinsburg, and the northwest corner of the county, at Richfield, but in the spirited "union" association then being projected at Cuyahoga Falls. These considerations stimulated a number of the most active promoters of the society. in connection with the officers, to a combined and vigorous effort to the accomplishment of the desired change. At this juncture. our public-spirited fellow-citizen. Hon. David L. King. submitted a proposition. which. being at once accepted, placed the society in possession of Summit Grove-nearly thirty acres overlooking the city on the west-the beautiful grounds now occupied by the fine residences of Lewis Miller. Esq.. Capt. Arthur L. Conger. and others. on Ash street and Park place, and immediately east of the southern portion of the beautiful grounds of the Akron Rural Cemetery. This fine tract of land was leased to the society. the five years. at a reasonable annual rental. Mr King stipulating to either will the ground to the society at a price to be named by him. or to pay the society for its buildings. fences. etc. at their appraised value, on the expiration of the lease.
Of these grounds, and the estimation in which they were held by the public, the following extracts from the of September ; and 14, 1859. abundantly testify :
The spot hes been appropriately named Summit Grove. is an elevated plateau with sparse but large spreading oaks, of native growth furnishing resting-place and shade free from undergrowth.
airy and dry : in short. a natural park. For the purpose of securing and lnclosing this elegant piece of around. erecting he proper buildings, and putting it ln order for this and future falrs, the citizens of Akron. responsible business men. have contributed something more then $1.500.* * * have never seen so much energy on the part of commutees and citizens, in any public enterprise. as has been displayed in preparing the County FairGrounds at Summit Grove * * * Not in the
East or the West has any society a location more inviting, etc., etc.
The buildings. fences. etc.. from the old were removed to the new grounds. which, with the necessary additions. the erection of sheds. sta-
202 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
bles, pens, etc., the construction of a superb half-mile track, and other improvements. involved an expense of $3.128.60, of which amount $1,870.07 was contributed by the citizens of Akron. and $1.258.53 was paid by the society ; a large amount of labor. of men and teams. also being donated by the people of Akron and contiguous towns. in the fitting up of the grounds.
From this time forward. the Summit County Fair became. emphatically, the Fair of Northern Ohio, not only drawing together. in annual Harvest Home Festival in October of each year, the great mass of the people of Summit County. but attracting many visitors from contiguous counties. and even from the more remote portions of the State.
At the annual meeting of November 16. 1859, a new constitution was adopted increasing the number Of directors from five to eighteen—one for each township. At this meeting. officers were elected as follows : President. Horace P. Cannon. of of 'Twinsbur : Vice President. William Wise. of Green : Secretary. James Mathews. of Akron : Treasurer. John R. Buchtei. of Akron. Directors : Bath. Andrew Hale : Boston. Edmund H. Cole : Coventry. William Buchtel : Cuyahoga Falls. George Sackett : Copley. Vincent G. Harris Franklin. Henry Dailey : Green. George Crouse : Hudson. Julius Pond : Middlebury, Charles A. Collins : Northampton. Reese Jones: Northfield. John C. Wallace : Norton. Charles Coe ; Portage. Avery Spicer ; Richheld. John K Hurlbut : Springfield, John Ewart ; Stow. Virgil M. Thompson ; Tallmadge, Clark Sackett : Twinsburg, Lewis Alling.
Resolutions were unanimously adopted expressive of sorrow and condolence at the death of Capt. Amos Seward, of Tallmadge. the first President of the society under its written constitution. and one of its most enthusiastic supporters. Also a resolution tendering to the retiring Secretary, J. Park Alexander, the thanks of the society for his able and efficient services during the preceding year.
At the expiration of the time for which the grounds had been leased, Mr. King, pursuant to his agreement. submitted a proposition to the officers of the society. to sell them the entire tract for $5,000. on very easy terms of payment, stipulating only, that should the grounds ever cease to he used for fair purposes. they should revert back to him. his heirs. etc. This truly munificent proposition; unfortunately for the society and the county, was not accepted, a portion of the management, comparing the price named with the value of farming lands less eligibly situated, and more remote from the city, not being able to appreciate the magnificent prize they were letting slip through their fingers until it was too late. The society now leased. for the period of ten years, of Mr. P. D. Hall. about thirty acres of land, covered by a fine grove of original forest trees, in the western part of the city, fronting on Maple street upon the south. and Balch street upon the west, and a short distance northwest of Akron Rural Cemetery. To these grounds was removed the buildings, fences and fixtures from "Summit Grove." and others were added. trotting track graded. etc., at an expense of over $1.000 to the society, over and above the liberal contributions of both money and labor, from the citizens of Akron and surrounding townships. These grounds were first occupied by the society in October. 1864. the fair of that year not only proving a very great success, but being followed up with such increasing interest, year by year. that the management were enabled to accumulate a fund of several thousand dollars in the treasury of the society. with which to purchase grounds at the expiration of their ten years' lease. in the meantime, however, the rapid growth of the city of Akron had so enhanced the value of the grounds then occupied as to place them entirely beyond the reach of the society, while most of the lauds adjacent to the city. suitable for fair purposes. had been taken up and improved, or were held so high as not to be within the supposed ability of the society to purchase.
At the annual meeting in January, 187 0. a committee was appointed to select grounds to be purchased by the society, the committee reporting to the Directors March 15, 1870, the propositions which had been made to them, as follows : S. W. Bartges. thirty-five acres of the Maliison farm, on Wooster avenue, at $500 per acre; S. H. Coburn and Samuel Thornton, thirty acres, south of city limits and west of Main street. at $400 per acre ; A. C. Voris and E. Steinbacher. twenty-six acres, on the south line of city and east of Main street, at $500 per acre ; Messrs. Falor and Allyn, such portion of their lands on the north line of Coventry Township as the society might need, at $400 per acre ; and Mr. J. H. Kramer, a tract of
HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY - 203
twenty acres along the Ohio Canal, south of city limits, at $250 per acre.
June 4, 1870, at a meeting of the society, called to consider these several propositions, the vote to purchase grounds was reconsidered, and the matter for the time being was dropped.
October 24, 1870, another resolution to purchase grounds forthwith was adopted, and the committee, consisting of Edward Cranz, of Bath, James Hammond, of Copley, and David S. Alexander. of Akron, were, on motion of King J. Ellet, of Springfield, instructed to purchase the Coburn and Thornton tract, at a price not to exceed $400 per acre. At the annual meeting, January 18, 1871, the minutes of the October meeting were amended so as to show that a resolution offered by William Wheatley, of Richfield, was adopted, authorizing the committee to look around and purchase grounds which, in their judgment, would be for the best interest of the society ; the committee in the meantime having purchased of James McAllister thirty acres off from the east portion of his farm, on the north side of the Medina road, one mile west of Akron, at $200 per acre. with a cash payment of $2.000. February 14. 1872. committee reported grounds all paid for, with a balance due the Treasurer of $153.94.
A very considerable number of the members and patrons of the society. both in the city of Akron and in the eastern. northern and southern townships of the county. dissatisfied with the location which had been selected. had so agitated and discussed the question. that. at the annual meeting of the society. held January 20. 1874. after quite a stormy debate, a resolution offered by Mr. Jacob H. Wise, that it was impracticable for the society to use the McAllister grounds, and that a committee be appointed to sell said grounds and secure others, accessible by railroad running through the county, was referred to the officers of the society, with instructions to report at the next annual meeting. . t an adjourned meeting, held February 7. 1874, a resolution was adopted that Nelson V. Wadsworth, of Hudson; John H Christy, of Akron ; Jared Barker. of Bath ; King J. Ellet. of Springfield ; Daniel Hine. of Tallmadge ; James Hammond, of Copley ; and Dennis Treat, of Talimadge, constitute a committee to report to the Directors at their next meeting what, if anything, should be done in the matter of disposing of the McAllistergrounds and purchasing others. April 9, 1874, the committee submitted a majority report in favor of retaining and improving the grounds owned by the society, and a minority report in favor of disposing of those grounds and purchasing the Fuse tract, near Betters' Corners, northeast of Akron, the majority report being adopted by a vote of ten to six. October 7, 1874, the Directors resolved, by a vote of eight to five, to proceed at once to improve the McAllister grounds. January 20, 1875, at the annual meeting of the society, the officers of the society, to whom was referred the resolution offered by Mr. J. H. Wise. at the previous annual meeting, reported in favor of purchasing the Fouse tract, Mr. Fouse submitting a proposition to sell fifty acres to the society at $200 per acre. Mr. A. T. Burrows also submitted a proposal to sell forty-five acres of his land on the Chuckery," at $400 per acre, or the whole tract at $450 per acre. A ballot on grounds resulted as follows : Burrows tract. 336 ; McAllister grounds, 218. March 6, 1875, Dennis Treat. John H. Christy and Stephen H. Pitkin were appointed a committee, by ballot. and empowered to purchase the Burrows tract and sell the McAllister grounds. April 24. committee reported that they were unable to either buy or sell. A resolution was then adopted. appointing Dennis Treat, of Talimadge, and William Wheatly, of Richfield. who, with a third man. to be selected by them from without the county. should finally decide the matter.
May 24, 1875. Mr. Treat reported that Hon. R. P. Cannon. of Portage County. had been selected as the third member of the committee, and that a tract offered by Mr. Jacob H. Wise, on the Chuckery," had been agreed upon by a majority of the committee, Mr. Wheatly dissenting ; but that, since his return home, Mr. Cannon had receded from his action, and declined to make any further report. A resolution was adopted, authorizing the committee to call to their aid Hon. J. P. Robinson, of Cuyahoga County, and that the committee. as thus constituted, proceed to locate grounds. June 19, 1875, Mr. Treat reported that the committee had failed to agree upon a location, Mr. Wheatly reporting that the committee had failed for want of effort, Mr. Treat not aiding him (Mr. W.) in urging Dr. Robinson for an opinion. Letters from Dr. Robinson were read, counseling the society to meet and agree upon a
204 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
location. The following resolution was then adopted :
Resolved, That all of the Directors meet June 26, and view all the grounds offered, and then meet at the Secretary's office for a final vote.
June 26, 1875, the Directors visited the Long, Allyn, Howe, Powder. Fouse, Burrows. Wise, Alexander and McAlister tracts, and adjourned to July 3. At the adjourned meeting, July 3. 1875, the Directors proceeded to ballot for location, with the following result : First ballot —McAllister, 7 ; Fouse. 5 ; Burrows, 2 : Allyn. 1 : Powder, 6—21 votes. Second ballot—McAllister. 7 ; Fouse. 3 ; Burrows. 1 ; Alexander. 1 ; Powder. 10—21 votes. Third ballot—McAllister. 7: Fouse, 3 : Alexander. 1 ; Powder. 10—21 votes. Fourth ballot—McAllister. 8 : Fouse, 3 ; Wise. 1 ; Powder, 9—21 votes. Fifth ballot—McAllister, 8 ; Fouse. 1 ; Wise. 1 : Powder, 11—21 votes. The Powder tract having thus received the majority of the ballots cast, it was ordered that the President and Secretary proceed to close a contract for said tract, conveying to the owners thereof the McAllister grounds, and executing the necessary papers to secure to them the balance of the purchase price, 85,000.
The grounds thus selected, derisively called the “Powder Patch." from the fact that the works of the Austin Powder Company, now of Cleveland. were originally located thereon, is a tract of forty-five acres, in the valley of the Little Cuyahoga River. and within the corporate limits of the city of Akron. It is contiguous to both the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio, and the Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Columbus Railroads. while the track of the Valley Railway, from Cleveland to Canton, which originally ran on a high trestle, directly ' through the grounds, has been thrown around the southern edge of the enclosure, thus doing away with one of the main objections which was urged against their selection, while adding very greatly to its accessibility and convenience in the transportation of stock and visitors to and from the fair. It is a romantic and picturesque spot, with the ever-limpid waters of the Little Cuyahoga, meandering through them from southeast to northwest, while innumerable large springs, on the adjacent hills, furnish an abundant supply of water for artificial lakes, fountains, etc ; the name of Fountain Park " having been given to the groundsby common consent. A substantial high picket fence incloses the grounds, and commodious floral, commercial, agricultural. mechanical, domestic and dining halls and offices have been erected ; an abundant supply of cattle-pens and stables have been provided ; one of the finest half-mile trotting tracks in the State has been built ; an extensive covered stand with ample seating capacity, erected ; thousands of hitching posts provided ; ornamental trees and shrubbery planted and the preliminary work done toward making "Fountain Park." not only one of the most convenient and beautiful fair grounds in the State, but. as contemplated improvements are completed. one of the most desirable pleasure resorts in Summit County.
The first meeting held upon the society's own grounds. in October, 1875. notwithstanding
the bitterness of feeling that had been engendered in regard to their selection. was a very decided success, as has been each subsequent yearly exposition of the society. the growth and steadily increasing popularity of its annual fairs. being well illustrated by its semi-decennial gross receipts, from 1850 to 1880. which. in round numbers. were as follows : For 185u. 8327 ; for 1655, $903: for 1860, $2.100 ; for 1865. 82.800 for 1870. $3.698 ; for 1875, $5,014; for 1880, $7,444. This munificent increase of patronage. has not only enabled the society, besides paying its heavy running expenses, premiums, etc.. to go steadily forward with the improvement of its grounds, and to pay the interest and very considerably reduce the principal of the debt incurred in the purchase of the original grounds, and the erection of the necessary buildings thereon, but has warranted the management in purchasing between seven and eight acres of additional land at $200 per acre, the fair grounds. proper, now covering an area of something over fifty-two acres. In 1876, the constitution was so amended as to give a Director to each ward of the city of Akron, thus making the present number of Directors of the society twenty-four.
The space assigned to this chapter not permitting a detailed statement of the proceedings of the successive annual meetings of the society during its entire history, we can only give, in brief, the name, place of residence, and term of service, of the several gentlemen who have filled the offices of President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, from 1860 to the pres-
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ent date (1881). Presidents—Perry C. Carothers. Tallmadge, 1861. 1862 ; Horace P. Cannon. Twinsburg, 1863, 1864 ; J. Park Alexander. Akron, January, 1865, to March, 1870, when, tendering his resignation, John R. Buchtel, of Akron, was elected to fill the vacancy ; James Hammond, Copley, 1871 to 1874, inclusive ; Dennis Treat. Tallmadge, 1875, 1876 ; John F. Moore. Copley. 1877. 1878. 1879 ; Stephen H. Pitkin, Portage, 1880 ; Simeon Dickerman. Northampton. 1881. Vice Presidents—Charles Coe. Norton. 1861. 1862, 1863 ; Dennis Treat. Tallmadge. 1864, 1865. 1866 ; James Hammond. Copley. 1867 to 1870. inclusive ; Dennis Treat. Tallmadge. 1871 to 1871. inclusive : John F. Moore. Copley, 1875. 1876 ; King J. Ellet. Springfield. 1877. 1878 ; Wellington Miller. Norton. 1879. 1880. 1881. Secretaries—James Mathews, Akron. 1861. 1862 :.J. Park Alexander. Akron. 1863. 1864 Hiram Viele. Akron. elected for 181)5. but resigning. James Atkins. Akron. appointed to till vacancy :.Jonathan Starr. Akron. 1866. 1867 : Othello W. Hale. Bath. Secretary : Hiram S. Falor. Coventry. Assistant Secretary. 1868 : t:eorge W. Crouse. Akron. Secretary : Hiram S. Falor. Assistant. 1869 : Hiram S. Falor. Secretary. 1870 : Stephen H. Pitkin. Portage. 1871 to 1879. inclusive : John H. Christy. Akron. 1880. 1881. Treasurers—John R. Buchtel. 1861. 1862 : Jacob H. Vise. Akron. 1863; George D. Bates. Akron. 1864 to 1870. inclusive : John H. Christy. Akron. 1871 to 1875. inclusive. Mr. Christy resigning September 15. 1875. John .J. Wagoner. Akron. appointed to till vacancy : John H. Christy again elected for 176. but again resigning September 6. 1876. William B. Raymond. Akron. elected to till vacancy. and reelected for 1877: Herbert A. Peck. Tallmadge. 1878 to 1881. inclusive considerable number of the people of the western. northwestern and southwestern portions of the county being dissatisfied with the selection of the “Powder Patch” by the Summit County Agricultural Society, and honestly believing that the location was not only ineligible and inconvenient. on account of the broken nature of the ground. but absolutely dangerous for stock, because of its proximity to railroads. formed themselves into a joint-stock company, with a capital of 85.000. leased the all grounds. recently vacated by the old society and. refitting them in good style with new buildings, fences, sheds, etc., under the name and style of the "Summit County Fair Association," held a very successful fair of four days in September, 1875, with James Hammond, of Copley, President ; Frank A. Foster, of Copley. Vice President ; Wellington Miller, of Norton, Secretary ; and Philander D. Hall, Jr., of Akron. Treasurer. Vigorous efforts were made by the officers and members of the organization to make the "Summit County Fair Association " one of the permanent institutions of the county, and its second exhibition, in September, 1876. was also reasonably successful. Exhibitors and visitors, however, not particularly desiring to contribute equally to the support of two rival fairs so near together in point of time and locality, and the new grounds of the old society rapidly growing into public favor, the interest in the new fair on the old grounds" gradually died out, and the association disbanded, its affairs being placed in the hands of a receiver for liquidation. The" little unpleasantness " in regard to the selection of grounds by the old society having given way to general good feeling among the agriculturists, manufacturers, merchants and other fair promoters and supporters, it may be safely predicted that all will henceforth vie with each other to make the Summit County Agricultural Society and its truly delightful grounds the model institution of its kind in Ohio.
The great distance of the extreme northeastern and northwestern townships of the county from the county seat. together with the remoteness of contiguous townships in adjoining counties from their respective county seats. led to the formation of prosperous and spirited union fair organizations in the localities indicated, some twenty-five years ago. In 1851. the people of Richfield organized a township society, under the name and style of "Richfield Agricultural Club." the annual exhibitions of which became so popular that. in 1858, six other townships. viz.: Bath and Boston, in Summit; Brecksville and Royalton, in Cuyahoga, and Hinckley and Granger, in Medina, united with her in an association known as the Union Agricultural and Mechanic Art Society.' which was admirably managed for a number of years. the grounds being leased for the period of ten years, and the building, fencing, etc.. being largely done by voluntary contributions. On the expiration of its lease, the
206 - HISTORY OF SUMMIT COUNTY.
association reorganized as a stock company, and purchased the grounds previously occupied, increased vitality and activity following the reorganization for several years. As the county fairs, however, of Summit and adjoining counties, increased their attractions, the interest in the local organization began to wane. and the society disbanded in 1875, selling its grounds and closing up its affairs in 1876. At Twinsburg, also, after a township exhibition upon the public square for two or three successive years, there was organized a " union fair" association, composed of the townships of Twinsburg, Hudson and Northfield, in Summit County ; Aurora, in Portage County. and Solon and Bedford, in Cuyahoga County. The first meeting of the society was in September, 1856, and, like the Richfield association, its annual fairs were, for many years, very successful and popular, the society owning its own grounds of some thirteen acres. The patrons and promoters of this fair being largely interested and engaged in dairying, and other kindred industries, a succession of dry and unproductive seasons, together with the decease and removal of a number of its most active supporters. so dampened the ardor of its remaining members that the meetings were at length discontinued, the last fair of the society being held in September. 1871, the grounds being sold and the affairs of the society closed in 1872.
The Summit County Agricultural Society failing to accept the very liberal proposition which had been made by the people of Cuyahoga Falls for the location of the county fair grounds at or near that place, a number of the citizens of that and adjacent townships organized a Union Fair Association in 1859, and fitted up grounds. about a mile north of the village, on the Hudson Road. The first regular fair of the society was held September 1, 2 and 3, 1859, and was in every respect a first-class exhibition, both in point of display and attendance, netting its projectors some $600 over and above expenses. In addition to the usual list of premiums offered for cattle, horses and other farm stock, agricultural and mechanical products, domestic Manufactures, etc., especial encouragement was given to matters pertaining to the turf, many local celebrities in the way of 1 high and fast steppers being attracted thither. The managers, however, failing to secure the attendance of the intended " big card "—thethen greatest of American trotters. Flora Temple—for the regular fair, arranged for a meeting on the 28th day of October, the same year, at which that renowned animal was pitted against another reputed very fast nag, " Ike Cook." The weather proved to be unpropitious and the track heavy, but though the attendance was meager. the match came off on time, the Beacon of November 2 recording the result as follows : " Flora Temple, 1. 2. 1 ; Ike Cook, 2, 1, 2. Time—First heat. 2.28 ; second heat. 2.34 ; third heat, 2.33. This enterprise proved a losing venture. absorbing nearly. if not quite. all the profits of the September fair. Again in 1860, September 5. 6 and 7, the regular annual fair of the society was held. also being reasonably successful, though little more. if any. than paying the running expenses. The third annual fair was held upon the grounds of the society September 23. 24 and 25. 1861. The war of the rebellion was then upon us. and military displays at local fairs became very popular. The show was a very fine one. but the attendance was small. except on the last day. the military display and competition drawing together quite a large crowd. There were present the Bath Guards. Capt. Schoonover: the Buckeye Guards. of Copley. Capt. Sackett ; and the Cowles Tiger Zouaves. from Bedford. Cuyahoga County ; the latter. however. a very fine company. being excluded from competition for the prize by reason of being one member short of the required number. After a drill of thirty minutes each, the first prize, a silk flag, was awarded to the Bath Guards, and the second. a worsted flag. was awarded to the Copley Guards. At the conclusion of the drill, a fantastic cavalry company, consisting of some seventy-five or eighty horsemen (representing the secesh army). came upon the grounds, and after skirmishing around awhile. to the infinite amusement of the crowd. were finally surrounded. and the entire company taken prisoners. by the three companies of " regulars," assisted by the Tallmadge Artillery, Capt. Barnes, and the Young America Gun Squad. of Cuyahoga Falls, who performed the battery service of the occasion. The military and a large number of invited guests were given a free dinner upon the grounds, by the members of the society and the citizens of Cuyahoga Falls. and vicinity. Though a success as a show, this third fair was a financial unsuccess,
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the receipts being less than the disbursements, and war matters and other enterprises engaging the attention of its promoters, no further meetings were held. and the affairs of the society were closed.
The writer trusts that no apology is needed from him for the space devoted to the subject of the Agricultural Society matters of Summit County. A careful perusal of the foregoing pages not only forcibly illustrates the value of harmony and unity of purpose. in all efforts topromote the public welfare, but also clearly shows the inestimable worth of such associations, as educators of the people, not alone in matters of husbandry. manufactures and similar sciences, but also in a social and moral point of view ; for who does not acknowledge the benign influences arising from the friendly mingling together of the masses of the people from time to time, in such pleasant and cheerful gatherings as the annual fairs of the Summit County Agricultural Society have grown to be.