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was the forest, and there was an unbroken stretch of seven miles northward in which there was not a single house as late as 1847. The people of New Harrison and Gettysburg went to Covington and to the "Falls" to mill-eight and nine miles distant. Adams' mill was too small and the quality too poor to obtain favor, save for grinding grists of corn. The first schoolhouse in this neighborhood was located on the farm of William Adams, about a mile west of New Harrison. It was of logs, on the pioneer plan, and is now in use as a dwelling. Samuel Robinson was one of the first teachers in it.

The Methodist Church at New Harrison was built about 1844, by Jacob Woods. It was a frame, was 40x50 feet in size, and stood on land donated by the builder. It was torn down several years ago.

A store was first kept in New Harrison by the village proprietor, Samuel Robinson, and then by Jacob Woods. Rev. Sharp, a Christian minister, was the pioneer blacksmith of the place, and was engaged at the forge between the years 1841 and 1844.

Tavern-keeping was first done by Gideon Level, who, in 1845, sold to Jeremiah Shade. Various changes have occurred till the property, now owned by J. F. Winner, is in use as a saloon and drinking resort. J. Miller, blacksmith, Aaron Welbaum, wagon-maker and grocery-keeper, are recently engaged in their business. No physician has been located here since the war. Dr. H. W. Corwin practiced and lived here from 1842 to 1844, and prior to the earlier date, a botanic physician had practiced here, known as Barker-a dealer in " roots and herbs." After Dr. Corwin, came Drs. Williams, Jenks, McElroy, Harbison and Greer. The village answers well its purpose as a convenient locality for accommodation of surrounding population.

We have spoken incidentally of Gettysburg and the origin of its name. Here are located the Premium Flour Mills, with four runs of stone, a capacity of 100 barrels per day and a manufacture of 40,000 bushels of wheat into flour annually, beside supplying a market for 150,000 bushels of grain.

John Hershey built the first house in the village, a tavern, which stood on the present site of Dr. Campbell's residence. Among the pioneer efforts in Gettysburg was the store of James Auld, started in a log house, where Mr. Keefauner now lives. Mr. Auld, in 1840, built a brick store building on the southwest corner of Main and Bridge streets, and moved into it his stock. Later, he occupied a small house directly across Main street, where are now Hershey & Dorwin.

A saddler-shop and cabinet-shop were started at an early date. John Stolz, in 1845, was the saddler, a business now done by Charles Naylor.

Blacksmithing was done by Henry Cohn, in 1842, in a frame building; some six years later, he erected a brick shop on the old site, on the south side of Main and east of Bridge street. Ten years later, he died, and the shop was enlarged, remodeled and changed into a dwelling, now owned by Mrs. Cohn.

The first schoolhouse in the village was of brick, and was located on Corwin street. It was built some thirty years ago, and is now in use as a dwelling. The present schoolhouse was erected in 1866, at a cost of nearly $5,000. Samuel Paulding had the contract for the woodwork. Rev. Jackson was the first teacher therein. His successors have been Dr. Newcomb, William Stone, Simeon Robinson, Mr. Graves, Cyrenius Tyrrell, William McKee, Mr. Schell, J. E. Polley, Edward Lockett, Samuel Brumbaugh, J. E. Laurence and Rev. C. W. Choate. In fourteen years, almost as many different teachers—a lesson on the mutability of teaching, as unstable as the everchanging circuit of the old itinerant preachers. The above record should teach a judicious selection and a permanent employment to realize the full advantages possible to be derived from free schools.

The first Postmaster of Gettysburg was James Auld. The office had been kept at New Harrison, but, in accordance with a petition presented, it was removed to this place and Mr. Auld was appointed. He and Dr. Corwin drove over and brought the effects of the office to the village. One Barrett had the contract to

carry the mail from Greenville to Troy. This was before the turnpikes were built. When there was good weather and the roads were tolerable, Barrett drove a twohorse vehicle, at other times he went on horseback. Mr. Auld was also the first Justice of the Peace in Gettysburg. One of the first cases that came before him was of interest to the community. It grew out of a trade in horses, in which one party thought himself badly cheated. Attorneys were engaged from Shelbyville and Piqua, and the inexperienced Justice was confused and bewildered by the amount of rhetoric and argument. He recovered, and by the aid of native good sense was enabled to render an equitable decision. Soon after, a burglar, who had raided a store in Hillsdale, was arrested a short distance east of Gettysburg, brought to the village and tried before the Squire. He was tried, bound over, sent to the penitentiary, served his time, and within a month after his release, had burglarized the residence of the father of Dr. Corwin, in Bellefontaine.

A bridge across Greenville Creek, at this village, was begun in the fall of 1876, by the Cincinnati Bridge Company, and was finished in 1877. Its cost was about $5,000.

The village has a population of about two hundred. A town hall is located on the east side of Bridge street, near Corwin street. It was built about ten years ago. There are two churches in Gettysburg, the Methodist Episcopal and the Presbyterian. The church edifice of the first-named was built in the spring of 1875. It formerly stood two miles southeast of town on the farm of Ch. Hershey, whence it was removed and remodeled at the time above stated. It was moved by Silas Reck, and located upon land purchased for $200 from Mrs. Jane Harmer. The first minister was Rev. Valentine Staley, followed by Benjamin Powell, R. D. Oldfield, and by the present incumbent, George Matthews. The first Sabbath-school here was superintended by J. Hershey, who, save two terms, has been continuously in service to this time. W. Reck was the first Secretary. The membership is seventy-five. The building owned by the Presbyterians was built in 1847 or 1848, and is located at the west end of Corwin street. It is of brick, in size 40x55 feet. Those prominent in building were William Carr, John Meyer, Alexander Horner and Dr. Darwin. The lot was donated by Mr. Horner. The number of members at the present time is about sixty. The first Pastor was Rev. Thomas Elcock, now of Van Wert. Among other Pastors have been Revs. Alexander Gulick, John W. Drake, W. E. Hill, W. H. Moore, Rev. Wyckoff, and the present Pastor, L. E. Jones. The Superintendent of the Sabbath-school is Rev. C. W. Choate. Bradford is an enterprising and thriving village of about eighteen hundred population, about eight hundred of whom reside upon the west side of the creek, in Darke County. The first house built in West Bradford was erected by John S. Moore in 1868. The first grocery was kept by Routzong & Moore, and stood in 1869 on the corner of School street and Miami avenue. The pioneer blacksmith was Joseph Lefler. The village has the usual number of shops, stores and like local industries, which go to make up its business interest. A medium-sized Catholic Church stands in the southwestern part of the village. It was built in 1875. The first Pastor was Father Shelhamer. There are two hardware stores and a saw and planing mill. This last is owned by William Stover & Co., who took possession in September, 1878. The building is two stories, 50x75 feet. The capacity of the mill is about six thousand per day of twelve hours. Engine, fifty horse-power. Besides the saw-mill there is machinery adapted to woodworking in general. The mill was established by Reck & Marland in 1870, but has known much improvement and enlargement since. It is located west of Miami avenue and south of the railroad. Within the last year, 300,000 feet of walnut lumber have been shipped and sold from this mill, most of which went to supply New York and other Eastern markets. Prior to the erection of a new schoolhouse, the children attended District No. 2, one mile west of town, at which school J. W. Cable was the first teacher. The first

schoolhouse on the west side was constructed in 1876. The contractors were Dennis Dwyer and George Manix. The cost of the structure was about $28,000. It is four stories high, including the basement. Its ground dimensions are 75x56 feet, with two towers additional, 22-feet-square base and 70 feet altitude. The building is finished in fine style, and is an ornament to the town. A hall in the fourth story is well furnished, and will seat 600 persons. There is a good school bell, and heating is done by steam. The school enumeration is 410. The present School Board are Solomon Routzong, D. J. Smith, William Weaver, N. Iddings, Valentine Staley and R. T. Hughes. D. S. Myers has been Superintendent from the first, a fact creditable to all parties. The other teachers have taught the same period. They are M. J. Hunter, Mrs. D. S. Meyers, Miss Minnie Garber, Miss Clara Gulick and Miss Jennie Baumgardner.

The corporation is a unit; that is, there are not two sets of civil officers, and there is but the one post office, which has been shifted from one side to the other according to caprice and political supremacy. Moore was Postmaster in 1869; then W. H. Sowers held the office, which was then removed to the east side, where it has since remained. The first Mayor of Bradford was Peter H. Smith; Clerk, Ed. Davidson; Marshal, George Doll. The present officers of Bradford are: J. A. W. Smith, Mayor; M. J. Williamson, Clerk; H. W. Smith, Marshal; and the members of the Council are D. J. Smith, John Gettz, and Messrs. Beck, Kinney and J. M. Fink. For a place of recent growth, West Bradford has shown much promise, and the township of Adams, in its early and later settlement, has evidenced much of enterprise and vigor.

GREENVILLE AND GREENVILLE TOWNSHIP FROM 1840.

If there ever was a time in the history of this nation when stagnation was wide-spread, and indeed almost universal, it was between 1840 and 1848. Darke County could not be said to be an exception to the general rule in this regard. No public works whatever, worthy of mention, were begun or carried forward within the period named, save and except the building of the second county jail. It is true, a railroad charter was secured, as elsewhere mentioned in its proper place in this work, but nothing was done in the way of construction until late in the fall of 1848, and the summer of 1849. There was but little progress, comparatively. Still the county was moving on its way. Farmers were improving their farms, but the recompense for their labor was not sufficient to stimulate ambition. There were no railroads, no turnpikes, and no conveniences to facilitate business that at all compare with what were soon after instituted and enjoyed. The nearest markets were Dayton and Piqua, and the best prices that could be obtained for produce frequently amounted to but little more than the labor and expense of hauling the same from the more remote sections of the county. An anecdote illustrative of this is worth recording in this connection. A Dunkard, whose name we shall not give, but who will be remembered by some of the older readers of these lines, took three wagon-loads of wheat to Piqua-it having been noised abroad that that place could and would and did pay better prices just then for grain than Dayton or any other market hereabouts. Arriving there, he found the price had suddenly gone down, like the mercury before a chilling blast, and in his unqualified disgust, he forgot that he was or ever had been a Dunkard, and gave the town a sound berating, more profane than sanctimonious. He was compelled to sell one load in order to pay his teamsters and the other current expenses, but declared that he would never sell another bushel of anything in that town, and would wait for the railroad, if it didn't come for five years. Emphasis was added to the assertion by the fact that the other two loads were drawn back to Darke, and by the further fact that he never again took an ounce of anything to sell to the market that had so provoked him to the use of words specifically disapproved by the

tenets of his religious faith. It is true he sold to a purchaser at his own home, but he "waited for the wagons" drawn by steam.

Private enterprises, in sympathy with those of a public character, progressed slowly during this period of national prostration, financially speaking. Within the limits of the corporation, as of the county, no improvements were made of sufficient moment to be made a part of history. There were no changes in the limits of Greenville, except some subdivisions of additions previously laid off, and the change of outlots to inlots. The merchants and manufacturers of the place kept on the even tenor of their way, without attempting especially great things in their lines.

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But a day of better things" had almost dawned, and, as the following paragraphs abundantly show, the county and its principal town soon moved onward in an unbroken career of progressive achievement.

Greenville, in 1848, contained 2,000 inhabitants. There were three drygoods stores, four groceries, and no saloons. Liquors were sold at some of the groceries, and at the bars of three hotels-the Broadway Hotel, by Charles Hutchins, the Buckeye, by J. L. Winner, and by J. R. King, of the King House. There were three churches-the Methodist, Presbyterian and the New Lights. That part of town that now lies south of Fourth street was almost all covered with a thick undergrowth of timber, and where the court house and jail now stand, water stood the greater part of the year, and supplied a favorite resort for sportsmen in pursuit of the wild duck and the pigeon. The leading doctors were I. N. Gard, Ayres, Lynch and Koogler, and turnpikes were unknown.

In 1850, Brown & Glines were engaged in tailoring, Schmidt & Knox as druggists, A. La Mott & Co. in the dry-goods and grocery business. Weston & Ulley were in the hardware trade, and William Allen was agent of the Knox Insurance Company. Sarah and Ruth Edwards kept a millinery store opposite the M. E. Church, and E. M. Hoffman was in the book trade on Main street. The business houses were actively and prosperously employed.

Three impor

In 1860, the town had made striking and gratifying progress. tant railroad lines had been constructed, four turnpike roads had been built, and. diverging from the county seat, connected with as many thriving and prosperous villages. The population had increased; two good newspapers, the Democrat and the Journal, were being published, each with about eight hundred patrons, and then, in the midst of this satisfactory growth, war broke in and engrossed attention.

street.

Again, this time in 1869, we survey the prospects of the city. Never in its previous history had the town made such rapid advance in the construction of new buildings. In May of this year, there were over sixty buildings in course of construction or of remodeling. A foundry and machine-shop was erected and put in operation by Messrs. James McKhan, A. T. Bodle and John Stoltz, on Third A building and loan association was organized and in full operation. stimulating and aiding in the building of homes. Messrs. Linderworth & Winget were busy running their planing-mill. The German Reformed congregation had bought the Presbyterian Church, on Broadway and Fourth streets. Streets had been graded, the question of a park was mooted, and, while teachers' institutes indicated interest in education, popular attention was being directed to the public schools.

The town had become now, if not before, a prominent business commercial center, with rich and wealth-producing surroundings. The principal merchants of this time were La Mott & Farver, also, in the fur trade; Sumter & Compton, F. & J. Waring, Workman & Daily, Hart, Arnold & Co.; G. B. Wilson kept a book store on the corner of Main street and the public square, and John Van Mater was successor to Schmidt & Knox. There were dissolutions of old partnerships and new combinations. There was selling out and moving in-all the changes incident to vital energy, restless activity, dissatisfaction and plucky hopefulness, while some

few, continued year after year in one place, in the same business, and, in time, became known and prosperous. A large, artistic school building attracted the eye, and exerted an attractive influence on the stranger. Along the broad streets were lines of shade-trees. Old structures were demolished, and upon their sites rose new ones. In June, there were in process of erection twenty-three dwellings, and a number more were contracted for the near future. In the line of manufacture, there was the steam planing-mill of Messrs. T. P. Turpen, William Kerr and M. C. Benham; on the first floor were four machines, a planer, rip and other saws, operated by Messrs. Wallace and Mills. There were turning rooms, cabinet finishing rooms, and on the second floor were seven machines in use for finishing. The buoyancy of hopeful expectation lent courage to business men and professionals and to citizens, and in both public and private concerns the county seat felt the healthful stimulus of trade and improvement in the county, and maintained its supremacy unbroken. An event calculated to exert a potent influence on the fortune of Greenville transpired in the spring of 1877. On more than one occasion, citizens of large tracts of closely built cities have been alarmed by claims to the ownership of their lots, and to this Greenville was another instance. Samuel and James Armstrong, of Cincinnati, two brothers, sons of the early proprietor of Greenville, and owners of considerable real estate about the city, put in the market sixteen acres at $15,000. This was laid off in the south-middle part of the town, streets were graded, and already full half the area is occupied by good residences. The Armstrongs still hold over an hundred acres. Railroads and the schools take off a part. In 1859, four acres were condemned by the city and appropriated for school sites, upon which the present imposing and roomy structure stands. The brothers left Greenville in their boyhood and returned about 1850, to assert that lands in the city were held by a defective title, that the right of ownership was in their hands, and they served a notice of ejectment upon persons residing upon the disputed lands. The citizens employed able attorneys, and the litigation continued four or five years, at considerable expenditure of money. The prospects were dark and discouraging, when aid came from an unexpected quarter. The son of a former Sheriff, at Troy, Miami County, while looking over the papers of his father, espied an old receipt with the name of Armstrong attached. This paper was promptly sent to the city's attorneys, at Greenville, and proved to be a receipt for the final payment on the disputed territory. This, being adduced as evidence, decided the case and gave the citizens security.

In 1851, Moses Hart, Esq., erected a steam flouring-mill, which was put in motion by the proprietors, Messrs. Turner. The millwright work was done by D. R. DeRush, of Preble County. The mill had a capacity to grind and pack 150 barrels of flour per day. This improvement noted here was at the time spoken of as one of the most important thus far made in the county. At the commencement of business, numbers of citizens were assembled and expressed their gratification at the result. This, in connection with the building of five large, commodious business houses, each of three stories, dwellings in process of construction and churches contracted, marks one of the most favorable crises of the city. The old court house stood in the center of the capacious public square, and as a new house was imperative to meet the demands of a greatly increased official business, and to make a proper representation of Darke County, a dispute arose among citizens generally, and the business men located about the square, concerning the location of the new house. In 1874, it was intended to leave the old walls of the court house standing, and to build a vestibule tower to them, which would make the building the same as at present, but after the tower was built, excavation having been made for a basement, a wet time set in, during which the rain undermined a corner of the building, it settled, and an ominous crack showed the necessity of pulling it down, which was done, and the present handsome structure was erected, and is known and used as the city hall. It is of two stories, sixty-five feet square, a hall above, and Mayor's office, engine room and election room below.

The

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