The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1866-12-27

tWO-Story, heWeut tOg mouse, on Jne CORNER
of Second and Walnut streets. The same
building was used for u Church, Cou,t
House, Singing School and Billiard Saloon.
Nearly all of the first settlers OF Chilli
cothe were Presbyterians, or brought up
under Presbyterian influence. Rev. Rob-
ert w. Finley, OF Kentucky, was the irst
Presbyterian pastor In the town, and Rev.
Mr.. Speer, from Pennsylvania, was the
second clergyman Of that denomination.
Mr.. Speer is described as tall, gentle
manly man, wearing cooked hat Of the
Revolutionary era. The first Methodist
clergymen were Rev. Messrs. Harr and
Tiain. sil3aa1 4f U
Notwithstanding the fertile soil and 9TH
er attractions Of the Scioto valley, the set
tiers soon began 10 find that there was a
serious drawback to,all these advantages.
The autumnal evers4 were very severe,
and assumed fatal character, almost re-
sembling yellow fever. Whole families
were sometimes prostrated, and there were
instances where the dead laid uuburied for
several days, because their was no one
able to go to the neighbors. Fever and
ague also prevailed extensively. To add
to the distress, the bloody flux broke out
Us an epidemic in the summer Of 1898, and
for a while threatened to depopulate the
town of Chillicothe and its vicinity. Med
ical skDi seemed powerless to overcome
the disease, and nearly every case proved
fatal. The deaths for some time averaged
eight or ten day. .....
In consequence Of this alarming mortal
ity and sickness, in the Scioto coutitry, the
settlers began to look about for a more
healthy region, and thus their attention
seems to have been first directed to the
high and rolling lands of what is now
Highland county. They soon began to
remove, and in the course ofthe next few
years quite large accession was made tc
the population of that portion of Ross
which is now included within the limits
of Highland.
In the summer of 1897, Mr.. Henry Mas
sic, brother of Gen. Nathaniel Massie.
while engaged in surveying on the head
waters of Brush Creek, which were then
in the limits of Adams county, was so
pleased with the uplands lying some thirty
miles north of Manchester, that he formed
the plan oflaying out town in that To-
cality, believing that it might eventually
become the county-seat of a new county
His brother, Gen. Massie, with Macarthur
and others, had laid out the town of Chill.
licothe the year before, and seemed certain
of realizing fortune from the rapid in.
crease in the value of his lands and town
lots. Henry consulted with the General in
regard to his project, who warmly ap-
proved it, and promised all the aid he
could FENDER, in advancing the enterprise
{ "Accordingly," says Mr.. Scott) "on the
9Th day of April, 1898, the spring having
: been very late, he set out for Manchester
with a small company, to lay off the towr
on the uplands and commence the founda
ton of a permanent settlement The party
arrived on the evening of the 9TH at thC
: place of their future operations, and camp
: ed near fine spring. The next dav they
commenced erecting some permanent hut,
for their accommodation. They had brough
; with them on their pack-horses, meal, ba
con, salt, &C., sufficient for their immediat,
wants, also axes and other implements-
The company consisted of Henry Massie
oliver Ross and his daughter, a girl of Is
Robert Huston and another. Miss Ros.
: went as tent-keeper and cook, and wa!
p then believed to be the first white woman
, ever in the present county of Highland, il
consequence of which NIassie gave her ,
lot in the town when 1t was laid off, Hus
E ton and Ross were both Irishmen, and haC
D emigrated only few years before.
, "Massie had indulged in his dream O
founding n town so long, that he had be
come firmly convinced that it would sooI
t rival his brothers already successful en-
tcrprise on the Scioto. lIeaccordingly pro
. ceeded to lay out the town on grand scale
The universally admired plan of Philadel
: phia was adopted, and carefully applied
which formed the plat into regular ant
compact squares and intersected the street
at right angles. The two main cross street
were 80 feet wide and all the others G6. =
: The town plat covered over 400 acres, ant
9 looked superb on paper Each in-lot wa
S23 feet in front and 1856 in depth. Th
> public square, designed for the Cour
: Hon @, contained four in-lots, and was tn
o northeast corner at the intersection of th
two main cross streets. One lot was dona
: ted for school purposes, and an out-lot 70
a cemetery. The town being thus blaze,
out on the trees, was as vet an unbrokel
y lOIeoJ, DuJ SJlIl IL WAS necessary JDaI DeOpI
e at distance should know the name of tn
- place to which they were expected TO direc
their steps. Massie therefore determined
: after coming over in his mind many high
s sounding names, mono of which sxactl,
y pleased him, to name 1t for a favorite vii
lage in his native Virginia. So the embry
metropolis of the uplands received tn
: name of NEW MARKET. ...
: cater the town was laid out and careful
!, ly transferred to paper, Massie commence
n running off his lands adjoining, in lots I
!. suit the probable demand of newcomers
I While thus engaged, Ross and Huston Off
|, ciated as chain-men. They both continue
: in this service till they earned sufflclen
y wages to purchase for each a hundred acr
: lot of land adjoining the town plat.
"Having prepared copies of the plat {
y his town, Massie sent one, with a brief dc
n scription of the country, together with tn
i inducements which he believed it to be I
0 his interest TO hold out to actual settlers, I
: Maysville, Manchester, Chillicothe, &c. /
,, consequence, number of persons visite
IS his encampment during the summe
among whom were Jonathan Berryma
. and William Wishart, who were please
= with the country, and purchased, the form
or hundred acre tract of land adjoinin
> the town plat on the south, the latter col
, ner lot in the town.
, -. ...t,,-,.nd a. .-t.- \