The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1876-07-11
lily opposite wheeling.n mentioned by
Ensign Armstrong ,, \ think hi tss hF''

\ BiRRs and fourteen men HsLteu ~
defense. Near the cabin, on the highes.
part Of the knoll, stood an unfinished
block house, The firing attracted the
attention Of the Wheeling block house.
which fred a swivel at intervals during
The iight 10 assure The brave defenders
| on this side Of their sympathy anu help
AZ soon as daylight came. The sayaEes,
fnlly appreciating tho meaning oil the
sWiyeIs report, became the more exas-
ncrated, and fought with increased iasy,
hi abandoned The conflict at daylight,
Iosy;ng one OF their number dead. vi
The cabins defenders, seven were wound
aJHone Mr.. Walker, mortAlly. A
niece Of Capt. KirkwOod, visiting at Buf-
| faIo Creek, twenty-five miles away,
dreamed The cabin was attacked, and
hastily rousing up, started for home, ar.
irving at Wheeling q little after sunrise.
Soon after this Captain K. moved with
his family 10 Newark, Delaware, and on
his way met some Of General 81. Glars
forces on their way TO Cincinnati, and
breathing war against the Indians for
their attack upon his cabin, promptly &C.
cepted the command Of 4 company and
brayely led them at the defeat Of st,
Clair, In November following, in Darke
county, Ohio, when he fell cheering his
men in bayonet charge. Captain Kirk
WOO was the father Of Joseph Krkwood,
the proprietor once Of the town bearing
his name. Tho McsWords and Joseph
Large house, being the same, which Ia
referred 70 in histories, as SO yards east
OF the blockhouse, Is the old frame oppo'
site the Methodist church.
Canloa (how Bridgeport was laid out
in six blocks, by Elijah Woods, in 1906,
It's boundaries were the present pike east
and west, Bank street north and south,
both then country roads. A State road
from Marietta TO Wellsville, crossed near
the mouth OF the creek thence north.
Elijah Woods tavern then constituted
the town. John Pettis now bought the
north block and erected thereon the brick
house opposite the passenger depot. II
was the largest brick house in the county.
There were two houses above Fleming's
OF Whisky Run. One was occupied BY
Thomas Thompson who kept tavern and
run opposite his home the Jumper ferry,
then called. Elijah Wood run the "low.
er ferry" both being merely across the
back river. :: ..
The next building was by Messrs.
Rhodes, on block 2, for tavern, and is
the frame attachment OF the Belmont
House."
Elisha Fitch bought block o, and
erected thereon warehouse, storeroom
and frame dwelling on the opposite cor
ner, which is the old frame at the north
end Of the creek bridge. The. first steam
power used in tho town was by VIM, Cos
| ling, who converted Zane 4 Pentneys
storeroom, near the mouth of the creek.
into cotton yarn and batting factory.
HORTON HOWARD.
As forming an important part Of the
earliest history of Bridgeport, both by his
sterling integrity, his unswerying fidelity
10 the right as he az he was enabled to sec
1t, as we'll as by his great intelligence and
manly virtues, We cannot omit the name
OF Horton Howard,
He was not a resident Of Bridgeport
but his was name and influence that
belonged.t to no special latitude, and L
Canton as we'll as elsewhere. Horton
Howard was born in England, moved
with his relations to North Carolina and
remained there many years. Being Q
Quaker, he had many computations Of
conscience relative to holding any part
nj the human family in bondage, and
after fully canvassing the matter, he con-
cluded TO set his 100 slaves free and move
to the great West. He started on hi.
Journey to explore the country and kept
diary OF every days proceedings,
Armed with n commentator from the
Quaker Church to examine "them partS,"
as bis commission read, he arrived al
Wheeling in or about 1798, and called on
Noah Zane, who treated him with great
courtesy and cordially. They two WIS.,
tied what is now called Maules settlement,
5 miles west Of Bridgeport, and Mr.. How:
ard in his diary says: at was land
beautious to behold" Being well pleased,
he returned to Carolina, set free his
slaves, and moved his family to the piece
Of land lately occupied by DR.. Bracken
FIVE miles west Of Bridgeport, One Of his
former slaves, called Minor, accompanied
him, and died not many years ago with
Nehemiah Wright. After being on hit
farm for some time, he moved TO st,
Clairsyille, and there, with Thomas H
Genin, Benz. Lundy and other celebrated
friends, gave large and healthy tone tc
the abolition Of slavery. In fact, it may
be said that these men were the fountain
and origin Of the abolition movement 10
this section OF the country. So highly
was he esteemed by the rulers Of the Ma.
ton that Madison made him receiver Of
the land office in Delewale, Ohio, which
he held for many years. He wrote a let.
ter 10 Henry Clay on fighting the duel
| with Randolph, which attracted great at
tention. Horton ]. Howard, his SOM the
eiitor Of the National Historian, publish
cd at 81. Clairsville. is now residing IL
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa. The elder Howard
practiced in Columbus, Ohio, in the lat
Ter part Of his life, the botanic system o.
medicine, and while SO engaged was seized
with the cholera in 1882, and died with
number Of his family,
From 1906 till 1914 but little business
was done ut Bridgeport. But in the lat
ter year there was a manifest increase In
business matters, which consisted mainly
in shipping small quantities Of provisions
by hat.boats TO New Orleans, and the
building OF the boats. The town consist.
ed OF four houses. The Oldest house 10
town Is the frame attachment 10 the Bel
mont house. Small steamboats, were
about this time, also built here by Mr.,
Pettus, who also built the Robinson
House, now owned by Robt, Achison
The amount Of capital employed annual.
| ", all told, was about 81, 900.
Moses Rhodes kept public house from
1914 to 1928. A source Of revenue was
from emigrant trains west, The next ter
years made but little advancement in thu
material prosperity Of the place, but thu
products OF the Touring mills, springint
up on every hand, now numbering abou
thirty, and pouring their products int
Canton, made It an important shipping
point, and business largely increased.
From 1924 10 1884, and indeed on I'll
1874, there was but little substantial i'm
provement in business, the crash Of 1855
materially interfering.
From 1874 to 1854 business ,qnadru