The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-09-28
In THE DAYS OF THE PIONEERS.
Events in the Tuscarawas Valley One Hundred
Years Ago.
Smith,
TOWNS OF THE PAST AND PRES
ENT ALONG THE TUSCARA-
WAS RIVER.
CHAPTER X.

lie DSlul WhClC bhS 6iNNN
trail crossed the Tuscarawas River
In early days, was considered the
head of navigation. The river OF the
present day has scarcely more than
one-third the volume of water which
flowed along it's channel one hundred
years ago; and from this point con-
siderable traffic was began and car
ried on its waters by means of fiat
boats, about fifteen years after the
first settlement of the country.
In the spring of the year 1916,
George Birmingham, a Quaker, with
his wife and family, came to the
mouth of the Sandy, having purchas-
ed from Richard Carter Ca large land
owner) a tract of 500 acres, and set
tied upon it. The Brantingham chill
dren were four in number, Joseph,
George, Hannah and Sarah. They
were from the city of Philadelphia,
but having come to a new country,
they soon learned to exchange their
city ways for the active life and en-
joyment of hte backwoods. The great
est drawback to the happiness and
satisfaction of the Brantingham fam
lily in their new home, was the want
of religious society of their own
faith, and this alone was the cause of
their leaving five years later, after
having divided the land into smaller
tracts and sold it. His neighbors
frio i,N IN 70 oil I'm RI or
giving as a reason the fertility of the
land and the abundant wealth In store
for him in the course of time, as the
country became more thickly settled
and the facilities for transportation Of
crops, etc., were better established.
His only reply to their solicitations
was: IF we live for hog and hominy
alone we need not leave, but If
we live for something better
we had better 60" In 1921 they
moved to the vicinity of Salem, Ohio,
where George Birmingham, Sr, died
In 1845, aged Is years, and his wife,
Phoebe, died in the spring of 1858,
pretty near 80 years old
In the year 1919, Mr.. Birmingham
laid out the town of Calcutta 1t was
located on the north bank of the San
dy and embraced a goodly number of
lots; several of these were sold, and
warehouse was built on the bank of
the river Several fat-bottomed
boats were loaded here for the south
ern trade, the cargoes consisting of
-four, whiskey, bacon and pottery
ware, the latter being manufactured
at Canton. A store was also estab-
lished and continued for several years
by Frederick C. Phersich, a German.
His goods were valued at about $500,
and comprised axes, hoes, salt, to-
bacco, groceries, and a small quantity
a good supply of whiskey, as his
greatest profit was realized from its
sale. On this account his store be-
came quite a resort" There were
about half dozen log cabins erected
in Calcutta, in which families resided
for a few years. There was a black
smith shop run for short time, and
it has been said that printer named
White also came there with the in
tention of starting a newspaper in or
, der to publish the news and do an
advertising business. We have never
been told what success he met with or
whether he even made any effort in
his line at the place at all He prob
ably was looking up location and as
the outlook was not at all favorable
r he remained but a few months and
then left. The warehouse did quite
d a thriving business for a few years;
but as time passed and the country
became cleared, the body of water in
the river gradually diminished SO that
the navigation of the river was no
longer safe, and several shipwrecks
with loss of cargo, put an end to the
New Orleans trade upon the Tuscara-
was. The last flat-boat that passed
down the river was about the year
1928 or probably little later.
a. The main idea in view in building
up town at this place was the
trade on the river, and that having
become unsafe, and the stream no
longer navigable, unless at high wa
ter. the future city Of Calcutta was
abandoned with it, and nothing now
remains to mark the place, where
once expectations of fiattering char
scter were entertained by those who
were its projectors. The last of the
cabins standing in the town (two in
number) were torn down and remov
ed about a half century ago, by q
farmer named John Kahler, who had
purchased the land embraced in the
town plat. At one of these cabins
was well of so or 10 feet depth, In
which upon one occasion when at.
tempting to clean it. the man who
was let down for that purpose was
amOtharad IN death hu the foul ar I,