The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-02-09
OLD LANDMARKS NO. 81


One of the land marks" in Canton
Is the mill race that conducts the wa
ter from the west branch OF the Mimi
shillen creek to our city water power
station. More than seventy years ago
Jacob Smith erected his old mill where
the city water power house is now 10
Gated; he also built the brick residence
that stands on the hill Immediately
west of the old mill, or power house as
now known.
In those days farmers raised quite
which was used in making linen and
cloth of various kinds, for their own
garments, and the seed from the Aax
thus raised found ready market at
the Smith oil mill. Also In those carly
times in tbs history Of Canton, most Of
the families of the tswn kept q COW or
two, and were pernitsed TO lst their
cows go to the public pastures thai
then embraced most all the plein lands
lying west of the creek to what ives
then known rs Buck HILL" which Is
often called "whipple HILL" thee
miles west of Canton. In afSti.tisa TO
the public pastures that the cows Of
those days in Canton got, the ''oil
cake" from Smiths oil mill was very
much uesd and this made 1t YssAaable
business TO the prsIriassr Of the oil
mill, to And ready market not only
for the oil thus made from fiaI seed,
but to find a constant demand for oil
cake left after the oil had been formed
cut Of the fax seed. It Is quite ser-
tain that The cloth made from the az
raised by the iarnsss in etark eouaty
SIXTY or seventy years ass, was AAsh
more durable than Rueh sf the ''sAeA-
dy" that is now thrown upon tks paaY-
ket
The regular dry goods merchants OF
today keep very little broad cloth, cas-
sinners, satipets or other kiAds Of cloth
for mems garRSents-that business is
now most entirely controlled by the
clothing men, and merchant taiIers.
At this time know Of no oil mills
in the county; there might be, but !
cannot recall any. There Is a very ex-
tensive business done in Warren, O.,
in the manufacture of linaeed oil the
business was started there some years
ago by the late G. o. Griswold, who
did very extensive business in that
line while he lived. Since his death
In recent years, l think the business
is carried on more extensively than
ever, under the title or the American
Linseed Oil Co., whose headquarters
are New York City. They have oil
mills In various towns throughout the
country, but so far as Canton is con-
eerned, the making Of linsSed oil can
be put down as one of her lost indus
tries"
So far as / know there Is at this
time very little fax raised in Canton
township, or even in the county; IL
might be II an oil mill was near at
hand, that more would be raised, but
If fax was raised, would the boys and |
girls Of the present time be willing to
wear the "homespun" clothing as in
the early years of Stark county? II
think it is quite doubtful, indeed.
The great factories for making all
kinds OF cloth goods, which have been
established throughout the eastern
states, and some in the western states. |
have well nigh destroyed all the sim
liar factories that were standing
throughout the western states some
years ago; the modern machinery and |
the manner OF doing business is quite |
different from what it was when some
OF us older citizens were young. In the
former times it was quite common to
have Joseph Hartman, William Lem
mon, Jacob Rex, and other tailors of |
Canton, go with their customers to
the dry goods stores, to select the cloth
for mems garments, and get all the
trimmings to make up the
same land after having taken the
measure OF the customer, to wait for
weeks before the suits would be made
up. The world moves too fast for the
men and boys Of these times to thus
wait.
F1fty-five years ago, or a little more
! well remember that some of the sew
ing women Of Canton got quite pro-
voked at John p. Rex and myself for
introducing the Singer, and the Wheel