Bisbee daily review., 1904-02-24
BOOMING THAT PAID
OHIO TOWN BEAuTlFIED AND BUILT
 UP BY ITS CITIZENS.

orig inator of the Boom Tells How
 the Movement Was Started and
 What Was Accomplished When All
 Took n Hand In the Work.
 "You ask how we boomed our town," said an Ohio man who haiis from one Buckeye State. Well. shall be glad to tell you and hope other towns may profit by 1t. My town has about 2,O00 inhabitants and 400 or 500 buildings. Up to the time we began work, which was three years ago, at least half the buildings were unpainted. There wasn't what you might call a decent fence in front of any residence. nor could one find ten rods of good side walk. Hogs and cattle were allowed to roam at large. the streets were full of holes, and our courthouse was dis grace 1t was what you might truth fully call a slipshod, ramshackle town. and it seemed as if everybody who could sell out was ready to do so and get away. There wasn't place in the town but that had gradually deterio- rated in value, and rival villages had drawn much of our trade.
 Well, it all began by my speaking to my wife and asking her to make move in the matter. She got three or four other women interested, called a meeting, and a committee was appoint ed. When they had got to work l called for meeting of the men. and 1t was agreed that we should take hand and do something for the town. We first took hold of the streets and filled md graded them. That was done at public expense. as were also the repairs to the courthouse. Then we took the sidewalks block by block. We got our lumber cheaper by contracting with one dealer. and the work was also done by one contractor. The next thing was the fences. and we pursued the same policy. The paint and oil were bought at wholesale and every citizen painted his own fence. One day twenty-two women turned out and handled the brush. all day long,, '
 'Of course we had a few Rip Van Wrinkles who wanted to continue their slumbers, but after few improve ments had been made they began walk ing up and doing their share. We started our work about the middle Of April. Before snow fell we had made a new town of 1t. Not dwelling or fence was left unpainted. We had good walks, good streets. flowers and shrubs everywhere. and the railroad company gave us new depot of brick. The merchants woke up and began to put in plate glass fronts and to adver- tise, and all their lost trade came back
 and more with it.
 ''One of the things we did was to clean out all the wells in town. There
 were nearly 200 of them. and some oi
 them had not been pumped out fol l twenty years. The year before wt | started in we had eighteen cases ol | typhoid fever. The year after we hac | not one single case. Some of the house | holders had to run in debt to make their improvements. but as an Offse
 real estate is worth p per cent more
 today. Not only that. but several new | business men and at least score ol l new families have come in. and WI | have got more new houses under way
 today than any other town of our siz' | in the state. In place of the cows ar; hogs we have flower beds and shrub bery, and in place of weather beateI
 houses and decayed fences we look iik'
 a girl in her Sunday clothes. It tool
 lot of talking to get the thing started and we almost had to use crowbar or
 some of the property owners. but we'v' got a town now to brag of and art
 going to keep it up and head the pro
 cession." A. B. LEWIS.