The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1872-05-23

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I-qus sid III 2ni12lLzzLL ll-4 n.E 80
"a Pencil Sketch Of the Town!
I-sid ieoi1.ioT zT--T g77TTVJ7 -77--s aoi7isoSl
a The Past In Contrast with the Present!
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Review OF ear Prominent Business
-om9a shl 10 Interests .aiIm. lis
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I = Seventy years ago the spirit of en-
| terprise, and speculation was as ac-
tive, as now, but the results were not
quite as rapid or abundant, owing in
the main, 10 the lack of ready modes
of intercemmunieation between dis
tant points. Men were very much
The same then as now, md undoubted-
ilysthe Pioneer, was A. d. 1880. ami
mated by neaIl Y the same motive, as
prompts the speculatorv in towns OF
the present day that is, the ends to
accomplish Is, 4of were the same.
bus ,1sts9 Seventy age. sfo-sb
b. Nearly seventy years ago, what is
now the beautiful and ienterprising
village of Rayenpa, was an unimproy-
ed waste, Inhabited only by the beasts
0ftiie forests, and roaming bands of
lreds men. Lordly trees stood upon
residences. of to-day and there was
nothing here, per Sc, to create or sus-
| tain town, unless it was its beauti
ful location. The ground upon which
sthe town now stands is portion of
sWhat.is known as the .sWextern Re-
serve and perhaps il would not be
inappropriate here to explain the Ori-
gin of the name sWesrern Reserve" as
applied to this section of country.
Years ago, before the revolutionary
war, a strip of land extending west,
from Pennsylvania to the Pacific
Ocean, was granted by the crown Of
England to the State of Connecticut,
but which after the war was claimed
by the United States, and so to COM
promise the matter, a reserve of q cer-
tain portion of the lands claimed in
this State was made, this being the
locality chosen,- and since which time
has been called the Western Reserve.
Sometime about 1900, the ground
where Ravenna now stands was pur-
chased from the State of Connecticut
by Mr.. Benjamin Tappan, of Massa-
chusetts, and John Tappan, a son of
the former, came OH from the East and
took possession, he being the first
settler of Rayenna.
81 llsy Location of County Seat.
Commissioners appointed by the
the State had been, in 1907 or s, dele
gated to select a suitable site for the
seat of justice of the newly created
county of Portage. Mr.. Tappan re-
quested attention be paid to his pre-
tensions and the desirability of his
land. There were other contestants,
but Ravenna was chosen chiefly from
being a central point and a beautiful
location Herein is the prinneval orr
gin OF RaYenna, in law a town had
been created, lii fact there was moth
ing but huge trees and the wild beasts
that found home beneath their shell
ter. s ;sloa - Az9 9a0 .'ea
~ :.'e survey of the Town.
This decision of the Commissioners
was filed, and the town was surveyed
and laid out in lots. Mr.. Tappan do
mated to the county the site where the
court house now stands, and also lots
for. school and church accommoda-
tions. Both the county and Mr.. Tap
pan made money by the operation.
~ o. D0oG improvements. .i7ttA
And now that the town or county
seat had been designated, it became
necessary to improve it. And accor-
dingly8 few, trees were felled and a
few. log cabins erected, but the pro-
gress was very slow, and in seven or
eight years later the town numbered
only fifty or seventy-five Inhabitants.
Among the old, or original settlers
were Joshua Woodward, Judge
Whetmore, David Thompson, and
David Grier, who built the first hotel
erected in the place, and which forms
a part of what is now the Exchange
Hotel. But it was not one of the
modern concerns like those of the
present day, where the "blase" guest
sits down toa dozen courses, but
humble structure, ,ain which the fare
was of primitive character !; where
corn pones and venison were the sta
Pile diet. These then were among the
first Improvements in the place. 1t
was about this time that James Haz-
lett started the first store, and to him
| is due the honor of inauguratlng mer-
camille enterprise. Soon after anoth-
er store was opened by Oviatt & Kent
Here was the first competition In
trade in .Rayenna, and from these
two Insignificant little establishments
have sprung the fifty odd business
houses of. to-day. Verify their pro-
geny has been prolific. In the first
few years the 'accessions to the popu-
lation were few and in nfrequent. There
was. nothing here at that early day to
attract immigration, except the bare
fact that Ravenna was the County
seat. The country was almost will
derness, mo- milling privileges, there
were few comforts of any kind to be
obtained, and consequently the
growth of the town was very slow.
and becoming discouraged, either re-
turned to their old homes in the East,
or sought some more favorable locali-
| ty in some of the older towns. But
still though its growth was very slow,
| it moved steadily onward. Churches
were organized, the Congregational
lists being first, and these ''avaunt cou-
riers" of ''the faith" were followed by
others. Merchants were attracted,
| mechanics and all the various. classes,
composing the integrals of towns. To
be sure many annoyances and incon-
veniences were to be submitted to.
The mail for instance put in All ap-
pearance once . week /; there was no
market. for surplus products nearer
handPittsbufgh or Detroit, and from
Pittsburgh all the supplies for the
merchants had to be hauled. Such
were the, inconveniences and depriva-
tiohs'that the early Pioneer was sub
ieet to.9dW gnd as lE1gatiJ - yE6s
-9Bot oitsIaonCourt House 9G a.aa5i
| 1.-THE first Court House of Portage
County was a small log structure To-
Gated on or near the present building.
After the location of the county seat
and previous to the building of the