Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1870-04-22
Written for the Delaware Gazette.
PIONEER SKETCHES OF della
WARE COUNTY.
Number seven.
DELAWARE CITY.

-Skrty-fzO0 years ago this Spring Della
ware City was surveyed on its present
site-then a dense wilderness. The ori-
ginal design was to locate the town east
of Milestone River" For some IN
explained reason that plan was abandon
ed. Late in February, or early in March,
1908 Hon. Henry Baldwin, of Pittsburgh,
and Moses Byxbe, ST., the original pro-
prietors of the soil, laid off the town on
its present site. The streets running
north and south commencing at the east,
were named respectively, Henry, Union,
Sandusky, Franklin, Washington. and
Liberty The first and last named were
the boundaries of the town proper on
the east and west.
The streets running east and west were
North, Winter, William, Abraham, now
Spring St. J, Tammany, (nOw Hill, and
South, now called Third Street. The
first and last named of these streets were
the northern and southern boundaries of
the town, respectively. Each of the
streets were flour poles" in width except
Sandusky, William and Abraham, which
were ''six poles" wide That portion of
the city included within the above named
boundaries was divided into one hundred
and eighty-six lots, commencing at the
south east corner of North and Liberty
streets, and numbering by tiers, first east
and then west, (omitting the tier on Ell
ther side of Delaware Rum, until the
whole were numbered. The lots thus
designated contained "seventy-seven and
one-half acres, be the same more or
less Those not numbered in the cen
traI tiers, between William and Abraham
streets, lying on either side of Delaware
Run, were reserved for future disposal
of for the benefit of the town as the pro-
prietors may think proper hereafter. =
The entire square bounded by North,
Franklin, Winter and Sandusky streets,
was reserved for burial place and
other religious purposes.
The block bounded north by Delaware
Run, west by Franklin street, south by
Abraham (now Spring. street, and on
the east by Sandusky, on the southeast
corner of which Evans & Carnahan's S
Carriage Mandatory now stands, was
"a public square intended for public
buildings The square lying on either
side of South (now Third) street, and
between Sandusly and Franklin streets,
was ''the ground for a parade and other
public uses.
William street inclined to the north
from Washington westward, and follow
ed the north bank of Delaware Run
across the Central Union School House
lot, instead of crossing said run at Lib
erty street as at present. The western
terminus of Winter street was at Frank
lin, and the eastern at Henry street.
Around the plat of the town thus de-
scribed, were laid off forty-seven out-lots,
containing each from one to seventeen
acres. The proprietors personally ap-
peared before Arthur O'Harra, a Justice
| of the Peace in and for the county of
Franklin and State of Ohio, on the 9th
dav of March, 1903, and attested by
| oath that they were the founders of Del
aware and on the nth of the same
month, the "plat and explanation" of
| said town were recorded, in Book d,
page 400, by Adam HOzack, Recorder
of Franklin County.
! In the same month the Commissioners
/ chosen by authority of the General AS
| sembly to locate the County-seats of
! Delaware, Knox and Licking, chose
/ Delaware as the "seat of government
of Delaware county. The contest for
| this honor was between Berkshire and
the favored locality. Amusing incidents
are recited of the inducements offered to
these Commissioners to secure their pref
erence in making choice. Possibly a
valuable bonus, but more probably the
liberal donations of land for public
purposes made Delaware acceptable in
their choice.
The first brick house in Delaware was
built in the fall of 1903, by Rev. Jacob
Drake, a Baptist clergyman. 1t stood
on Winter street, near where the resi-
dence of Judge Williams now stands.
Mrs. Drake laid the inside walls.
The first Jail was built of logs, ana
stood on Tammany street, (now Hlll) at
! the head of Franklin street. In those
days" it was somewhat difficult to get a
criminal sentenced to jail, and IN some
cases harder to secure a culprit. On one
occasion special efforts were made to re-