The journal. (Caldwell, Ohio) 1934-1961, 1955-03-03

- nan lS3 lStll GA 1OuilOSI O1 Int
provements back there, which in
now, are as follows:
The real beginning of public
improvements in Caldwell was
started near the middle of the
year 1895 During that year the
Mills building on the northwest
corner Of the public square, now
owned by the Order of Odd Eel
lows, was erected by Stephen
Mills, Sr., and his sons, Henry,
Stephen and Ulysses. Upon it's
completion private electric
plant was installed with John
j. McAdams as the superintend-
ent, manager, engineer and all
around electrician. A year or so
thereafter lines were extended
to few business places around
the square. This service was con-
tinued for some years; or, until
Mr.. Mccormick same from
Cleveland TO Caldwell and in
stalled an electric plant in the
marshy land just south of the
present Pennsylvania railway
depot. From this plant came the
first street electric lights, with
incandescent lighting extended
into many private residences and
elsewhere.
This service was continued
until the year 1898, the year fol-
lowing the two disastrous con-
flagrations that laid waste to the
entire north side of the public
square and the greater part of
the south side. These fires
brought the necessity Of ade-
quate fire protection and an
electric plant to the attention of
the city dads Of the village at
that time with result that both
were provided in the fall of that
year-and each has been
glowing success ever since.
In later years the necessity of
street paving dawned upon an
other set of ''city dads" and it
was not too long until work of
that project was started. The
first streets to be paved were
those surrounding the court
house park, then west on North
street and later to practically
every street in the village, as
we'll as hard surfacing of all the
alleyWays in the central part of
town.
The first water supply was
drawn from Duck Creek and
pumped into the reservoir on
the high hill west of here, the
water being composed largely Of
mud and was unfit for any pur-
pose other than fighting fires
and sprinkling. The pressure was
then, and is now, 1875 pounds.
Some years ago land was pur-
chased, north of Caldwell an ade-
! quate reservoir installed, water
graVitating therefrom to the
! power plant where it is purified
and then pumped into the
reservoir and from there gravi-
tates to our citizens for domestic
use and other purposes. Both
systems - electric and water -
are highly satisfactory to con-
sumers of whatever kind; and we
mean to hold onto them, in spite
of efforts on the part of outside
concerns to purchase one or the
other or both.
In addition to the foregoing
conveniences Caldwell is pro-
vided with natural gas for heat
ing purposes by two gas COM
panies. During the year 1898 the
Ohio Fuel Gas Company found
its birth right here and in Noble
county. The first gas in immense
quantities was found by Treat
& Crawford on the Tucker Gun
ningham land at the edge of
Dudley and piped into Caldwell
during the fall of 1893 by the
Ohio Fuel. AT about the same
time John S, Dunn and his sons,
Orton and Linnie, brought their
gas from farther south in this
county into Caldwell and both
companies have since been in
operation. The Dunn Company"
is now the Permian Oil and Gas
Company.
Our religious institutions and
school system are too well known
to necessitate even the slightest
delinitation at this time.