Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1876-07-07

OF the former Judges whose term of Office |
had not expired, but who had either resign. |
ed or in some other way caused the whole |
bench to be vacated, which required an en- |
tire new set Of Judges TO be appointed. In |
the absence OF evidence on this point, it is |
fair to presume they resigned in conse- |
quence of the fixing Of the county-seat at |
Perrysburg, for the next term was also a |
a special term held by the same Judges, |
on the 9th day of March, 1923, at Perrys- |
burg.
In the meantime the two villages at the |
foot OF the rapids, Perrysburg and Maumee |
City, had grown rapidly, and instead Of that |
unity OF interest and reliance on each other |
so natural to small beginnings, spirit of !
rivalry began and each village sought the |
county-seat as means by which to advance
its material interests and extend its fame |
In this Perrysburg was the winner and the |
county-seat was permanently located there |
in the year 1923. The Commissioners at
their first session in Perrysburg, begun on
March 3D., 1923, awarded the contract of
building the FIRST court house in the county
to Daniel Hubbell and Guy Nearing at the
price Of eight hundred and ninety-five dol
lars and on the 10Th Of the same month
they examined and accepted the Jail which
had been removed by contract from Mau-
NEE City to Perrysburg These buildings
are still standing. The old court house has
undergone many changes and served in
variety of ways the interest and pleasure of
the citizens OF Perrysburg. 1t is now occu-
pied as dwelling house and harness shop.
while the old Jail has been more uniform
in its habits, serving the general purposes
of stable.
PERRYsBuRG TOWNSHIP Co-ExTENsIvE WITH
WOOD COUNTY.
By this time the settlements on the South
side of the river at or near Perrysburg, had
become so large as to require separate
township organization, and accordingly the
| County Commissioners on the 18th day of
May, 1923, ordered that so much of the
! township of Waynes6eld as is included in
| the county of Wood and lying on the South
side of the Maumee river, be set off and
organized into township by the name of
Perrysburg, and that the election of township
officers be held on the 10Th day of June
1873, at the house Of Samuel Spafiord in
said township"
This order organizing all of the county Of
Wood South of the Maumee river into
| township, rendered the reorganization of
! township for Hanco& county, which up to
| this time had been part Of Waynesfed
township, necessary, and accordingly the
| Commissioners organized it into a separate
| township by the name of Findlay. And
! Henry county. which by former order had
been included within Auglaize township,w was
/ erected into separate township BY the
name Of Damascus
COMMERCE.
! After the return of the settlers to the foot
of the rapids at the close of the war, the
commerce of the county so auspiciously
began, as shown by the report of Maj. Amos
| Spafford, above alluded to- reopened on a
larger scale Many vessels with emigrants
visited this locality, chief among them we're
the Black Snake, Pilot, GueITier and the
| Eagle. The Eagle was the last built and
the largest Of the feet which sailed regular
/ ly from the Maumee river at that early
| period to the other ports on Lake Erie
She was vessel of sixty tons burden. The
| first trip of the Black Snake to the foot of
the rapids was in the year 1915. She was
commanded by her owner, Capt Jacob
/ Wilkinson. She had on board as cabin boy
| young David Wilkinson. The boy became
| charmed with the country, and resolved to
make it his future home, and in after years
rose to eminence in his profession as a
sailor He commanded successfully the
! schooners Guerrier, Eagle and Caroline.
and the steamers Commodore Perry and
Superior.
The large profits made by the vessels
which enjoyed the early trade of the Maui
NEE river, and the valuable ship timber
with which the land in the vicinity of Per
| rysburg was covered, made Perrysburg a
desirable place for u ship yard, and one
was early opened there and Capt. David
Wi knsOn and John HolIister became the
| pruprictors, and from the year 1880 TO
1872 there were built there the schooners
at I.,, In, -
IL tr, and the 81 MGys, and the steamers
Com. Perry Amthony Hdyne, 81. Louis,
Superior, Gen Vance, and since that time
there h, 5 been built at this yard the propeI-
lers Sampson and BHcepkdius, and the
steamers H'dJash, John Hoyhster and
. Cora Lock- and the schooner SlF. Ross
and MaHmee Taiiey, Beside many smaller
vessels.
Between the years 1923 and 1910 there
was transacted at Perrysburg as large a
commercial business as any port on Lake
Erie, excepting Buffalo and Cleveland
This business was transacted chiefly through
the forwarding and eOmmissioR<houses OF
\ 4IOllister x Smith, and Bingham & Go.
FThrough these houses nearly all the goods
consigned to Northern Indiana, and large
portion Of Northwestern Ohio, and Southern
Michigan were forwardedEby teams from
/ L -
Maumee river where they were taken ON
keel boats pirogues and Rat boats, and
transported to Fort Wayne, and thence dis
| tributed to their several destinations
| These boats returning brought back furs
skins and dried meats, which were brought
to Perrysburg by the teams which had car
ried goods TO the head of the rapids From
1885 to 1910, this business together with
the emigrations sFhirh came 20 this port by
water, affordedSt very lucrative business
for nearly all the schooners and steamboats,
in the service.
There were between the above dates, ,stea m
boats enough running from Perrysburg to
Buffalo, to form daily line had they been
50 arranged, besides many schooners, ns The
steamers could not carry all the freight
offering for this port. In addition To- the
above, there was daily line OF steam boats
running between Pcrrysburg and Detroit.
1t NAV be asked, what has become Of this
commerce the answer is, itstill exists, but
the headquarters have been removed, and
other modes Of transit have driven the
steam boats and vesaela from the river.
But this commercial activity did not ex-
haust all the business energies Of the peo-
pie. Ii forwarding merchants, and steam
boat owners were coming money, there were
those who, on paper at least, we're making
fortunes for future enjoyment. At this
time the speculation in lands and town
lots ran high; when all other means failed
each individual thought himself equal to
the task of making money by speculation
in town lots as some EIeu of the present
day, incapable of maintaining family by
any ordinary business occupation, rush into
politics, and think themselves equal to the
task Of regulating the currency, and gov
erning the nation. Paper was cheap and
few dollars spent in surveying and
plating, soon put town on record, and by
the sale OF lots at enormous prices few
put money in their pockets, but the panic
Of 1887, burst this bubble, and lands and
lots which had been valued at thousands,
fell to hundreds by the year l840, from
which time the progress of Wood County
as above stated, has been steady and sub
stantial.