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CHAPTER XXV.
Pg. 194
ORANGE TOWNSHIP
LOCATION - TOPOGRAPHY - ORGANIZATION -
VILLAGES - SETTLEMENTS - RAILROADS -
"UNDERGROUND" RAILWAY STATION - POPULATION
Orange Township (a part of)
was originally under the name of One-leg Township, Tuscarawas County
and commenced to receive its pioneer settlers soon after Ohio was
admitted into the Union. Benjamin Knight, Samuel Dunlapand
a few others built their log cabins along Conotton Creek and
by the addition of other settlers the early clearings grew rapidly
so that within a few years the distance between neighbors was not so
that within a few years the distance between neighbors was not so
very great.
The land embraced within Orange Township is made up of
two or more of the original surveyed townships of the county.
As now constituted it has part of townships 13 and 14, in range 6
and parts of townships 14 and 15 of range 7. It has an area of
twenty-seven and one-half miles.
It is bounded by Monroe Township on the north, by Perry
on the east, by Harrison County on the south, by Tuscarawas County
on the west. Its general topography is quite rough and hilly
and is underlaid with valuable minerals including coal and clays.
The railroad found traversing the territory of Orange
Township is the Wheeling & Lake Erie line.
The villages of the township are Sherrodsville,
Leesville, New Hagerstown.
The population of Orange Township is 1840 was 1,528; in
1870 it had decreased to 1,207; in 1880 it was placed at 1,327; and
in 1910 it was 1,700.
Before the Civil war and the consequent freedom of
slaves, this township was a station on the old so called
"Underground Railroad", by which slaves were spirited through from
slave states north into Canada. Among the noted "conductors"
of this route towards the north star, were Messrs. Joseph S. Burr
and Joseph Millesack. The route lay from Port
Washington, in Tuscarawas County, through Leesville, thence to
Salem, Columbiana County, via Baxter's Ridge in Harrison Township on
by way of Judge Georgees in Fox Township, Carrollton
County. Carrollton was always avoided if possible, as it was
not considered a safe locality in which to try to hide a fugitive
slave.
In 1884 Hon. William Adair was a resident of the
township at Leesville. He was the author of the celebrated
liquor law; a member of the Constitutional Convention of Ohio.
He was then practicing law there. Leesville was also the home
of Mrs. Mary A. Kail, poetical writer of note - see some of
her verses elsewhere in this chapter.
[Page 194]
LEESVILLE
Leesville, situated in
sections 28 and 29 of Orange Township, was platted Aug. 1, 1812, by
Thomas Price and Peter Saunders. It is on the Wheeling
& Lake Erie Railroad, one hundred miles northeast of Columbus and
twelve miles southwest of Carrollton. It is on Conotton Creek,
formerly spelled Kanotton and is of Indian origin as a name.
Early settlers knew this stream was One Leg, so called from a
one-legged Indian who lived on its banks and for whom a township was
named in Tuscarawas County. Around this little place centers
much of history; has long been known as an intellectual and
Railroad, and in those days its little public hall at times was
visited by such bright and shining abolition lights as William
Lloyd Garrison, Fred Douglass, Wendell Phillips, Parker Phillsbury.
This was also the home of the
celebrated genius and clock-builder, Charles Dunster, who
made with his own rough tools an ingenious astronomical clock which
kept the time of several of the larger cities of this country.
He was a self-taught man and wrought out this wonderful piece of
machinery in an ordinary blacksmith shop, where he also earned his
daily bread.
Another unique character who naturally finds a place
high on the honor roll of the county, is Mrs. Mary E. Kail,
authoress of "Crown Our Heroes," and "Ohio." She was born in
Washington City, but from early childhood lived in Carroll County.
At one time she was a clerk in one of the departments at the
national capital, but for political reasons was "let out" by an
incoming administration. Her style as a poet can be best
judged by reading her poem entitled "Ohio":
Ohio, I love three for deeds thou has done;
Thy conflicts recorded and victories won;
ON the pages of history, beaming and bright,
Ohio shines forth like a star in the night.
Like a star flashing out o'er the mountain's blue crest,
Lighting up with its glory the land of the West;
For thy step onward marching and voice to command,
Ohio, I love thee, thou beautiful land.
Commonwealth grandly rising in majesty tall -
In the girdle of beauty, the fairest of all;
Tho' thunders of nations around thee may roar -
Their strong tidal waves dash and break on thy shore -
Standing prouder and firmer when danger is nigh,
With a power to endure and an arm to defy;
Ohio shall spread her broad wings to the world,
Her bugles resounding and banners unfurled.
A queen in
her dignity, proudly she stands,
Reaching out to her Sister States, wealth-laden hands,
Crowned with plentiful harvests and fruit from the vine,
And riches increasing in ores from the mine. |
[Page 196]
While with liberty's banner unfurled to the sky
-
Resolved for the Union to do or to die -
Her soldiers and statesmen unflinchingly come,
'Mid booming of cannon and roll of the drum.
To
glory still onward we're marching along.
Ev'ry heart true and noble, re-echoes the song.
Every pledge to each other, through years that have
fled,
We have hopes for the living, and tears for the
dead.
Bless the heroes who suffered, but died not in vain;
Keep the flag that we love - without tarnish or
strain.
Thus uniting with all shall my song ever be
Ohio, my home-land, my heart clings to thee. |
At present the village of Leesville has
business interests as follows:
General Store - Thomas McCreary
Grocery - James Kugas
Hardware - J. H. Benedun.
Harness Shop - A. R. Shearer
Barber - Albert Chaddock.
Incubator Factory - C. E. Adair
The village has
churches and lodges as follows: A Methodist Episcopal
church, a Masonic lodge, a Grange, an Eastern Star Chapter
and a Daughters of the Revolution Chapter Chapter.
The postmasters have included these: John
Hoover, Robert Cummings, Mary E. Blackburn, B. W. Adair,
John Scott, B. W. Adair, John Scott, B. W. Adair, R. H.
Miller, M. W. Herron.
The postmasters have included these: John Hoover,
Robert Cummings, Mary E. Blackburn, B. W. Adair, John Scott,
B. W. Adair, John Scott, B. W. Adair, R. H. Miller, M. W.
Herron.
The present village officers are: Mayor, A. E.
Knight; councilmen, Robert Parker, A. Adair, L. W.
Leech, C. Clark, C. B. Gartree; treasurer,
J. H.
Benedun.
NEW HAGERSTOWN.
This is a
defunct village and never grew to be of great importance -
see "Village Plats" for its origin.
THE VILLAGE OF SHERRODSVILLE
This is one of the
villages of Ohio which has met with numerous changes in its
prosperity since its founding. It has numbered its
population by the thousand and noted for its business push
and enterprise as well as for its decline and periods of
stagnation. These changes have all been caused by
purely natural causes over which no man, or set of men, has
had any control.
Sherrodsville was named for Charles Sherrod who
owned the land where the village now stands. He had a
machine shop in the nearby country and there manufactured a
small type of threshing machines which were sold over quite
a large scope of country. Near this point, before the
days of the Civil war, a postoffice was established and
called "Sherrodsville postoffice." It is now located
on the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad and the water course
known as
[Page 197]
Conotton Creek, flows by the village. This
platting is within the civil townships of Orange and Monroe
and was platted about 1882 by John Pearch and
Allen Pearch on the west side of Conotton and another
section of the platting was by Henry Barrick
over in Monroe Township.
Luther Pearch started the first store in the
village and the pioneer hotel was erected and conducted by
Samuel Maughiman and wife. Later the hotel was
known as the American House.
The 1920 commercial interests of the village of
Sherrodsville are: Reece Scourfield, Pearch
Brothers, J. D. Williams; millinery, Miss Mattie
Griffith restaurant, R. M. Campbell, John Holcroft;
garage, James Pilgrim; lunch and soft drinks,
Robert Bryden who also operates a dance hall. The
undertaker of the village is Edward Baxter; the
flouring mill which has been in operation for thirty years
is the property of N. E. Morgan.
The first lumber dealer in the place was the
present postmaster, W. D. Beamer, who opened a lumber
yard there soon as the railroad was completed.
The various religious denominations have here formed
societies and churches including these: Lutheran,
Methodist Episcopal, Catholic and Congregational and all
have supported pastors and erected houses of worship.
The church chapter of this work will treat this in detail.
The lodges of Sherrodsville are the Knights of Pythias,
Maccabees, Red Men and Woodmen -- See Lodge chapter.
MINES AND QUARRIES.
At an early
day the coal miners' monthly pay-roll was $40,000 at this
place, but today has decreased to about $8,000.
However, new developments seem to point to a new and better
day in the coal industry of the place. It was about
1905 when coal mining commenced to lessen in the output.
From 1900 to 1903 the industry of quarrying building stones
here was developed to some extent, but finally went down and
this injured the business of the place. However in the
autumn of 1918 the Ohio Bluff Sand Stone Company took over
the old Craig quarry two miles east of the village
and are now preparing to do an extensive business and it is
said at this date, November, 1920, have contracts with
builders in Milwaukee and New York City for immense
buildings, including a Catholic cathedral and numerous
handsome residences, which will keep this company busy for
the next five years. It is believed that as high as
two hundred men are soon to find constant employment in this
industry. The company in charge took down an immense
stone saw and planing mill plant in Bedford, Indiana, for
the purpose of utilizing the stone near Sherrodsville, which
it is said by master builders and artisans to be far
superior to the far-famed Bedford (Ind.) building
stone.
Concerning the shipping facilities of Sherrodsville let
it be said that the old "Conotton Valley" Railroad, a narrow
gauge line, was constructed to this place in 1882 and the
Wheeling & Lake Erie line
[Page 198}
from Carrollton was finished to Sherrodsville in the fall of
1885. At present both lines are standard guage and
both owned by the Wheeling & Lake Erie system.
POSTOFFICE
The
postoffice of Sherrodsville is still a fourth class office.
Its postmasters have been as follows: Luther
Pearch, Daniel Narigon, Doctor Dunlap, George Barrick, S. J.
T. Pearch, M. V. Shuman and present postmaster, W. D.
Beamer, who began his duties in May, 1918.
VILLAGE GOVERNMENT.
This is an
incorporated village under the laws of the State. Its
present mayor is S. J. T. Pearch. The village
owns a two story frame hall, built in 1895. The
present population is not far from four hundred.
This village had a great fire about 1889 by which most
of the business houses of the place were wiped out.
Again on Aug. 11, 1911, eighteen buildings were burned, loss
of $45,000, and but small insurance on account of the poor
fire protection afforded the village. The insurance
companies would not carry such poor risks. The
citizens from Carrollton, Leesville and Bowerston rushed
rapidly to the scene, but all combined could avail but
little. Many of these business houses were never
rebuilt as at about that date the mining company dismantled
its property. The result of this fire may still be
seen in the affairs about the once prosperous village.
END OF ORANGE TOWNSHIP.
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