The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1876-05-12


William L. Henderson, Surveyor, Thom-
as Z. johnson, Peter George and Isaac
Baker, Road Commissioners. Thought
1t good chance to see the county, so /
vent as chairman. We started out
from Main street and ran due west one
mile and quarter; that brought Us
south of the ridge where Mr. Joel Pen
dleton now lives. Mr. George then said
he knew there was better land for a road
north, of us. and he would not 20 any
further On that line. So we then ran
north until we struck the ridge, and
then came back and started from near
where DR.. Detwiler now lives, that then
being the western limits of the town
plat, and run the line back to the ridge,
and that spoiled the appearance of that
street. l came home that night and
resigned. Iconciuded l had seen coun-
try enough. For that days work / got
a county order for IS cents, worth IS
cents on the dollar.
We had fort here a. that time, on
the ground where Judge Cory has his
residence. The block house stood on
the southeast corner, and was used by
Wilson Vance for horse stable. Some
writers say there were four block houses,
but never saw but one. 1t was built
of round logs; the first story about
feet high, and then covered over with
logs which projected over the wall a few
feet; then they built another story on
them with the wall out to the end of
the logs, something like bank barn.
Between the logs they had what they
called loop-holes. The pickets were
made by splitting a log through the CEN
ter and then digging trench and ending
them up. think they stood some eight
or ten feet above ground.
As q protection from modern artillery
they would be of little use, but against
rifle balls and Indian arrows they were
good defense But the spade and the
pruning knife, and lager beer factoyr, has
taken the place of the sword and the
musket on that ground.
We celebrated the Fourth of July,
1910, on that ground. That was a year
of great political excitement; 80 much
SO that the parties could not unite long
enough TO celebrate the Fourth. While
the Wings occupied the site of the old
fort, the Democrats held theirs east of
Eagle Creek, near where Mcconnell &
Rockwelrs mill now stands. Here /
must tell little anecdCte of Mr.. E.
Colt, late citizen of this place, now of
Bowling Green, Wood county. He was
a very clever man, though very eXcitable
In his young days. He was orator of the
day Tor the Democrats. The story went
that he was giving the Wings particular
bark, end got the steam SO high that it
began to blow of, and he said, 81 tell
you, gentlemen, by mighty, have seen
a hundred Fourth of Julys, but never
saw one like this" That part was un-
true, undoubtedly, but 1t done as we'll to
laugh over as though it had been true.
In the spring of 1882 l boarded with
the late William Taylor. He kept a
little tavern across the alley from where
DR.. Oesterlin now lives, called the
''Findlay Inn."
Mr.. President, In conclusion, will try
to draw a comparison between then and
now. Then we had no roads, but now
We have many one part of the year they
are good, and the other part very bad.
Then we had one school house in Find.
lay. which was hewed log house about
Is feet square, with one room; It stood
near where the old depot now stands,
and was used for a school, church and
court house. In the year 1910 It was
moved away to give room for the large
frame building now standing at the west
end of Crawford street. 1t was pur-
chased by the late Abraham Daughen-
baugh, and was put on the north end of
the lot now owned by Mr.. Canadian.
The property afterwards fell into the
hands of John Henderson, and he tore
it down. think it should have been
preserved.
We have now four school houses, two
of them fine buildings, costing perhaps
sixty thousand dollars. We then had no
church building in the county: we
now have eleven In Findlay, some of
them quite fine structurs; but now you
can hardly travel two miles in any d.
rection without passing churches or
school-houses. Then Findlay had As
inhabitants, now there are 5000; We
were then surrounded with dense forests:
our county is now covered with mag:
niflcent farms, well stocked with all the
domestic animals known inAmerica. with
beautiful residences and barns, equal to
those of any county; fruit in abundance,
of all varieties generally raised in our
then if we wanted to travel
We had to 60 by ox-wagon, now we have
In almost every direction. We
lack one thing yet, and that ls good Ma
roads, leading in every direc-
tion from Findlay. Roads are getting
of less account to me every year. have,
as you may understand, helped to settle
two new counties, and think have,
in that line, done my duty.
/ expect to emigrate again before long
this time don't expect to be a pio-
neer. Enoch. Moses and Elijah will be |
there ahead of me, with millions more.
expect there to find roads ready made,
of vastly better material than this coun-
try can produce,
1t was decided to hold the next an
aual pie-nic in the Court House yard,
on the first Saturday in September next.
Nelson Poe, Lewis Thomas and 8. F.
Dulin were appointed to read pioneer
'ketches at the meeting to be held in
next.
The Association then adjourned.