Morgan County Democrat. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1886-1943, 1938-05-26

eral Daniel Morgan, to be maze up
of parts of the counties of Wash
ington, Muskingum and Guernsey.
On January 26th, 1918, three COM
missioners were appointed to locate
the county seat Let me digress
here a minute to relate personal
incident. When / was about 10
years old l went with my grand
father, E. NJ Stanbery, up along the
hillside above where the old dairy
used to be, along the right of way
of the old Calico railroad. one after
noon, when he was showing the
town to some visitors. Someone
had put a board up between two
trees to make seat there, and on
reaching that spot, they stopped to
talk. l was sitting on the seat when
| heard my grandfather say to one
of the visitors, "This is the county
seat and for a number of years
was of the opinion that the seat
where l had been sitting was the
county seat. On December 2Sth,
1918, the first election of officers
for the county was ordered for "The
! first Monday in April" (1S19. No
record of this election has ever been
| found. The question of the loca~
tion of the county seat was the one
important question of the day NAL
ia had been laid out in 1916. Nc.
! Connelsville was laid out in 1917,
and several other towns had been
| laid out on paper in other parts OF
the county. Two of the commits
| IoCo oil
and it was thus SO established. At
that time the county was much larg-
er and more of it lay to the east,
and it was that part of the county
| that was opposed to McConnelsville
as being too far from the center OF
the county.
The first election of county Of
ficials was held October 18th, 1919,
! when a sheriff, coroner and three
commissioners were voted for. The
! election centered on the commits
sioners. as they would have the au-
| thority to erect county buildings.
Each part of the county presented
candidates and full vote was out.
About 500 votes were cast, which
resulted in the election of William
Montgomery, of Bloom; Richard
Cheadle of Windsor, and John Shut
of Deerfield. The majority was
small and the dissatisfied voters got
up petition asking the appoint
ment of another board of commits
sioners, and sent it to Columbus.
When this news got out counter
petition was signed and taken by
Jacob Adams to Columbus and when
the original was up for action by
the general assembly it was "indefi-
nitely postopend," and thus ended
the question of the county seat.
In 1916 Homer and Marion town
ships were taken from Athens coun-
ty and seven sections from Roxbury
township in Washington county
and were added to Morgan county.
In 1851 Noble county was organ
lied and the townships of Brook
field, Noble, Olive. Jackson and a
half of Manchester, were taken from
Morgan county. The early records
lost, but we have enough to show
that the following townships had
been organized in 1919: Bloom,
Bristol, Brookfeld, Center, Deer
field, Meigsville, Morgan, Noble,
Olive, Olive Green Cor Jackson)
Penn, Windsor and York. Deerfield
township was organized before Nor
gan county was formed. The other
townships of the present county
were organized after the county was
formed. Malta seems to have been
the last as it was not organized un-
til 1889.
The first public building erected
was a Jail, built of logs, specially
constructed to hold those who might
be put in it. But it was never used
for that purpose and was sold to
help built the court house. In
1920 the second Jail was built, Of
logs, like the first, on the rear of
the lot where the court house now
is.
A rather detailed discussion OF
these first buildings may be found
in Robertson's history, pages ia,
ct seq, and to those who may be in
terested l suggest you read this as
it has much of interest in it.
In these days when we hear much
of the rising cost of living, it may
be of interest to know what some
items of every day use cost in 1918.
We find that salt was SIS per bar
rell, but later, when the production
of salt had become one of the chief
industries Of this valley, the price
declined as mass production mount
ed Tea was from 50 to So per
io Or
the war of 1912 the British captur-
ed a ship of Stephen Girard's, load
ed with tea, which was subsequent
ly sold on the open market and at
least one chest of this same tea was
sold here in McConnelsville by ia
cob Adams, the leading merchant OF
that day. Sugar was Ice per pound.
Iron and nails were 10c to 15c per
pound. Calico was soc to 75c per
yard. Muslin from 35c to soc per
yard. Wheat was 25c to soc per
bushel, and flour $3.50 to So per
barrell Corn was 15c to zoe per
bushel. Butter 5 Il C to 12hc per
pound. Pork was $3.50 to 50 per
hundred pounds. Beef varied from
so to SO per hundred In 1910
wheat was soc per bushel. The var
iation in price from time to time
was as great, or greater, in proper
tion then as it has been within the
last few years. AS examples / will
cite the prices on few items at diff
perent periods: In 1888 wheat was
75c. In 1878 it was $125, and in
1885 dropped back to 90c per
bushel
In milling wheat under the old
burr system it was figured that it
took five bushels Of wheat to make