Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1932-10-27
Stevens Stand


The old Stevens stand, or corner,
was perhaps one of the first public
places in the township While the
location is known to hundreds, yet
passersby could not locate the site.
The site is all that is left. The
buildings have long since been torn
down and moved away. Somehow
we can't help feeling that this place
should be marked. The site is at
the junction of routes rs and rs, a
few rods east of the Lebanon M.
E. church. While as we have said
everything that would show there
had ever been life and prosperity
here, is gone. it will ever be 1.-The
Stevens stand" to us old timers.
When the business and buildings
gave way to the onward march OF
settlement, the Cool store site was
next chosen to carry on. While the
store has always been known to the
older generations as Coofs, the
postoffice has always been Bristol
or rather was, until it was discon.
tinued.
The Stevens stand was a genera
store and shoe maker shop Over
In Caldwell lives Taylor Bevans whG
we are informed hauled goods tC
this store in his boyhood. Some
day we hope to talk with him, and
then we will write history.
Not so many years ago folks
were worried about the movemen
of the population to the town anc
city Now there are not enough
houses in the country to accommo
date those who have wanted to come
back. Many houses have gone dowl
until the owners feel that it viii
not pay them to fix them up, fo'
Hhe rent they would get out o
them.
Our mind goes back to our boy
hood, when political meetings Were
held in nearly every school house
When men from the county sea-
preached the gospel of their party
candidates had better chance tt
be crooked, and not be found be
fore the election than now-i1
seems to keep aspirants busy run
ming hither and yon, trying to husi
up. cover up, or clean up something
Crops
II may be of interest to our read
Sars in other states to know abou1
the crops raised here. From the
earliest coming of the white man
in,
In the early days it was corn for the
stock and corn bread for the inhab
itants For some time the neares
mill was at GAINESVILLE, where the
corn was taken on horseback
Later on we want to tell Of tht
mills here. 1t has been the custom
here to raise crop or two of corn
then SOW the land to timothy, at tht
time the wheat is sown, and the fol
lowing spring SOW the land to clio
Yer. The following season, the on
when the wheat is harvested, tn
meadow seems to be all clover, AM
then the next it is all timothy, D
timothy and clover mixed. Of lat
years much land is sown to alfalfa
Many farmers SOW red clover an!
alsike with oats in the spring. Al
of the small grains grow here, bu
many of them are not paying crops
Rye, millet, buckwneat and barley
are raised in small quantities. We
find the meadows do not last as they
did in our boyhood. We remember
field that was part of Grand
father Rays farm that is now own
ed by c. C. Wilson, across the road
from Benny McConnelPs residence
that was in meadow when grand
father bought the farm in 1882, and
was moved continuously for some
20 years. No doubt the wearing out
of the soil is partly the cause OF
the short life Of the present mead
OWs, but we remember our fore
fathers would not cut the timothy
until half of the seed had fallen Off,
and now timothy is cut green.
stock in their corn fields, as quick
as they would their meadows. Now
they pasture them from the time
the hay is taken off, until late in
the spring, many times too late.
Gus Carnes, son of a collier, was
born in GAINESVILLE, and came to
Bristol township with his parents
when a small lad, and has ever since
been resident Of the township.
His father had only a meager edu-
cation, but he gave his sons Gilbert
and Gus a chance to get an educa-
tion. And we must say here that it
rs good thing for the boys that
their father and mother picked the
time they did for them to be born,
and go to school, for under the
present system they could not have