Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-09-03
LkCONOk NOTES.


Early History -.
In the winter Ot 1874. a literary Sncrty
was formed, which met IN the school build
ing, with Cyrus Zimmerman A. president
John Mercer and Fred J. Miller were among
the leading members. II was carried on
several winters with considerable interest,
and then was discontinued.
April -, 1873, th9 writer took the census
of l.agonda. and found population of 42O,
- families. The town then contained IL
dwellings.
I.aConda was represented at the Centen-
NAL at Philadelphia OlS76b by Rev. r F.
Bushong and family, W. II. Berger and
wife, James IL. Neal, Peter Fry and Fred
Sim0nS.
In the political campaign of 1876 lagonda
cast Just one hundred votes, 20 Of them
were for Rutherford b. Hayes, and 80 ion
Samuel }. Tilden.
In the year 1876 the record shows La
gonda had II births, i marriages. : deaths,
and Is new buildings were erected.
William Carr, who at one tim" owned
large pnrtinn nf the eastern part of the
town. died March 5. 1876, aged - years. He
had lived here q years.
In the spring of l>11 Lag0nda school dis
triCt had l3O voters. all told. In the elections
for director, the vote cast usually ran
from three 10 a dozen. At the above eleC-
ton. somehow, a wonderful strife
Sprang up. The rival candidates were
John Il. WiSeman, then hOOkkeeper for
WarirT Mitchell X Co., and the other. y.
G. krrShner, then. rs now, q foreman in
the shop: each had his friends, and the
contest became hot and bitter; every voter
in the district was urged Ia turn out. The
excitement ran high and such a poll was
never heard Of before OF since. When the
votes were counted. WiSeman had sixty
and kershner tfty-four. total of ia,
showing how well the sick, lame and indif-
fe"ent were drummed up.
In 1879, the city cUunci! granted the priv
lice 10 Springfield township. of electing
an additional justice of the peace especially
Tor LagOnda The time was fixed. nom-
nations made, the election held the result b,
ing the following vote: Wm.W. Burnett, 400,
Robert Conrad. 397; Dr. j. w. Nelson. $50:
Edward NJ. Smith, %, Burnett being
elected. He filled the Office for some time
and then moved into the city proper. Soon
after that corporation was extended La
gonda was taken in, which abolished that
one officer, so that Burnett was the first and
only esquire Lagonda ever had aS a village.
In the spring of 1850 George Eaton
started a hack line from Lagonda to the
city, starting at Lay bouru ~ Sons grocery
and running Ia Market street first. 4 one
horse vehicle soon gave place to two
horse passenger wagon. After some time
Eaton sold out to David Compton,
who ran IL for some months
and then sold out his stock
TO Edward Powers. who added facilities
and built up good paying business, con
Iinuing unit! the street car line was put
through to LagOnda. which of course
knocked Ed out of time. and our very pop
ular hack line became thing of the past:
but it served lis purpose well for years, no
Oae being better known or more popular
than good natured. genial Ed Powers.
The first telephone in Lagonda was put
IN the office of Warder b. and c.. in 1880.
followed soon after by one in Ross Mitch
ellis residence, Grants slaughter house. Dr.
Nelson's drug store. LaybOurn n Sons, and
Reeds and GOrdOns groceries.
In 1879 Lagonda was plated and an eff
fort made tC have it Incorporated aS a vii
lage. hut the city officials fought il 80 pei
sistenily that the scheme failed.
IIcN ,uu> 10 1873 the mail facilities of
LagOnda were very poor. The best ar
rangement for years was to have the mail
brought out each day by the driver of
W dIutl. hlitutI ~ 70. tAl'ItNS wagon
when the mail for the firm was taken out.
and the rest dumped out upon the counter
IN Martin CAMS grocery, and was public
property, any one going and selecting his
own mail, or any one Cl>e'S
aS desired The result was
that papers were often missing, and much
complaint: some two years previous to
1878 Warder b. n C. had the mail matter
given out from their office, by Ed Ar
thur, one of the clerks, just as a matter of
accommodation. but the mail would be
gwen out only at stated hours. when the
bell rang At noon and night. This. though
some better than the old plan, was still un-
satisfactory. In the latter part Of 1873. the
question of a post office was agitated;
petition signed by l22 persons was sent to
Gen. J. Warren keifer. our member in con
greSs. asking that II. G. I.aybourn be
appointed postmaster and all office be
established in LagOnda. Through the efforts
of keifer. the petition was granted. and the
commission came. dated March 81. 1879.
The Office was held in the grocery of Lay
bOurn n Sons until October q. 1855. when
it was discontinued by reason of our village
having been taken into the corporation, and
the mail delivered by carrier. Elmer f.. Bail
being the first carrier. IL. {. Lay bourn
was. therefore, the first and last postmaster
of Lagonda.
BY assuming an outlay of 20 cents day
amy responsible person or family can secure
the whole of the Encyclopedia Britannica
at once.