One hundred years ago, an Indian trail from old Piqua to old
Chillicothe was the only highway this locality could boast
of.
A mere pathway, wide enough for one person, or one
horse single file, now winding around a precipitous hill,
now passing around the border of a swamp, now taking a
straight course for the shallow fording of a river, such
were the public. highways one hundred years ago. And
going back in imagination to a period of which we have no
historic record, we find here and there evidences of a race
of people prior to the red men, and altogether different in
their habits and modes of life. They are by some
writers called the Mound-Builders, and one of those large
cone-shaped structures is about all the proof they have left
in this locality to tell us they ever existed. Some
antiquarians infer that these people, whoever they were,
were tire worshipers, charcoal and appearances of rude
altars being found in excavations made in those mounds; and
who knows but in that unknown period, even before the war
whoop of the Indian had ever been heard in these primeval
forests - that even right here in Mad River Township, and on
the Knob Prairie Mound, was heard the agonizing cries of
little children whom mistaken parents compelled to pass
through the lire to appease the ire of their offended God?
Mad River Township possesses, in common with the comity
of which it forms a part, many natural advantages not
accorded to all other localities of like extent. A
gentle, rolling upland of deep, rich soil, a second bottom
level black, loamy soil, a prairie naturally wet in places,
and in places swampy, but easily drained, excellent for
pasture or meadow. An abundance of building-rock of
excellent quality, inexhaustible quantities of excellent,
lime rock, also here and there a specimen of fire-proof rock
of a dark grayish color, soft and free from sand or grit,
very durable for furnaces, abundance of gravel dispersed at
convenient points, easily accessible and good quality for
roads; abundance of water for stock, having on the north Mad
River, a tributary of the Great Miami; toward the center
flows the Muddy Run, a tributary of Mad River, and other
smaller living streams interspersed at various points: also,
large never-failing springs in many places, as the Layton
Springs, situated on what is now known as the Rubsam
farm - a spring that in former time, was utilized for
milling purposes, and forms a tributary of Mad River,
emptying into that stream at the head of the Republic
Paper-Mill dam, and contrib-
Page 720 -
utes largely to the power used for propelling the machinery
attached to the Republic Works at Enon Station; the
Partington Spring, a beautiful, never-failing spring flowing
from the rocks on the side of a very steep bluff, and having
about twenty-five feet fall, and farming a power that, in
former times, drove the machinery for a woolen factory; the
Galloway Spring, on what is now the Frank Johnson farm,
a large spring on the side of the hill overlooking Muddy Run
bottom; the Indian Spring, near the present site of Enon, on
the north side of Cox's Grove (since the ditch has been
made, this spring boils up in the center of the ditch).
This spring was once an Indian rendezvous, a regular camping
ground when on their hunting expeditions, and many other
springs of more or less notoriety. The timber is of
medium growth, principally oak of the different varieties;
one variety, however, is likely to become extinct - the
black oak, which, for years past, has been dying off
rapidly; also hickory, some walnut, and along the bottoms
are poplar, beech, ash and some other species; and now,
looking back one hundred years, we behold all those
materials which nature has furnished, and which are so
necessary to the development of a civilized state of being,
in possession of a race who appreciated a forest only as a
retreat for game, and as a place of concealment from
enemies; who regarded the steep cliffs along the Mad River,
which are now being rapidly transformed into lime and
building material, as nature's breastworks for the
protection of the red man, and as barriers to the progress
of his enemies. And now, to contrast the present
condition of this region of country with what it was one
hundred years ago, it is evident that some powerful agency
has been at work to transform this once howling wilderness
into fruitful fields; to replace the narrow, serpentine
trail of the savage by the broad public highway; to replace
the little hut by a stately palace; to supersede the traffic
in hides and pelts by horse and foot, by mammoth cargoes of
produce and merchandise, live stock and human freight, borne
forward with the speed of the wind by methods unknown one
hundred years ago. The agencies that have brought
about this wonderful transformation will occupy an important
place in the subsequent part of his historic record.
First comes the backwoodsman with his ax, and levels the
forest, and, with the aid of his oxen, breaks the soil and
cultivates his crops. Next, or simultaneously, comes
the mechanic, with a few rude tools; the minister of the
Gospel, the school-teacher, the merchant and the medical
practitioner follow, fine artisans, skilled mechanics,
statesmen and lawyers bringing up the rear. Mad River
Township has for its northern boundary, its entire length,
the Mad River, the general direction of this line being from
northeast to southwest. On the east it is bounded by
Springfield and Green Townships. On the south it is
bounded by the Greene County line the entire length,
commencing at the southeast corner of the township and
running due west four sections, thence due north one
section, thence west to Mad River at the western limit of
the township. The entire length of the township from
east to west in a straight line is about nine miles.
The length of the boundary line on the north without
including the meanderings of the river, is between ten and
eleven miles. The width of the township at the widest
point is about six and a half miles, and from the
description it will be seen it runs to a mere point at the
extreme west end, and contains about thirty-three square
miles.
The last census, taken the present season, gives Mad
River a population of 1,812, against 1,493 in 1850; a gain
of the 319 in thirty years. But it must be borne in
mind that, during this period, a vast army has been steadily
marching Westward, and that Mad River was not exempted from
the draft to supply this vast and ever-increasing army with
new recruits, and, in addition to this, the Soldiers'
Monument in the Enon Cemetery bears the names of about
thirty Mad River Township boys who were swallowed up in the
maelstrom of the great
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J. M. Hanes
Mad River Tp.
Page
723 -
rebellion. The first settler within the limits of the
territory now comprised in Mad River Township was James
Galloway, on what is now the Francis Johnson farm,
Section 5, Range 8. Mr. Galloway came in an
early day; the exact date is not fully determined, but not
later than 1798. He came from Pennsylvania to
Kentucky, and, on account of the insecurity of land titles
at that time in Kentucky, owing to military claims, he
removed with his wife to Ohio, as above stated, taking a
tract of 400 acres, partly upland and partly rich bottom,
along the Muddy Run. Mr. Galloway was a
blacksmith, and he brought with him an anvil and a few
tools, and, as he was the only blacksmith for many miles
around, he had a good run of custom. His principal
customers for a few years were Indians, who were then on
friendly terms with the whites. There is a story about
the anvil which he brought with him that we will relate, not
vouching for its truth, however, and it is this; that he
made a "lizard" a kind of sled, from the fork of a tree, and
placed the anvil on it and drove in pins to hold it in
position, and fastened the lizard or sled to his horse's
tail, and thus hauled his anvil from Cincinnati to Muddy
Run. The anvil is in possession of T. J. Barton,
Springfield, Ohio, a relative of Mr. Galloway, and is
in a good state of preservation, and will probably weigh 175
pounds. A day-book used by him is in possession of
Francis Johnston, a relative of Mr. Galloway,
having charges as early as 1794. Some of the entries
on this book would appear singular if made at the present
day, but, to illustrate the customs of those days, a few are
as follows:
"March 2, 1799. - Adam M. Farson, to one ring
and stepel made of his iron 1s. 10˝d
"March 7, 1800. - Robert McKinney, to one ax
steeled of his steel 5s. 7d.
"April 26, 1800. - David Lowry, to share laid of
my iron, colter laid, 19s. 3d."
And many other similar charges, showing that a very
small amount of iron, that to-day would not be regarded or
accounted of any value, was then carefully and economically
used and strictly accounted for. The English currency,
pound, shilling and penny, occurs in this book down to and
during a part of the year 1805, during a part of which he
used the English and United States currency interchangeably.
After 1805, the United States currency prevails. Mr.
Galloway was a soldier in the Revolutionary war.
The next settlers after Mr. Galloway were
Joseph and Robert Layton, in 1801.
They came from Pennsylvania, and Joseph settled on a
part of Section 32, now known as the Rubsam farm.
Robert Layton settled on a part of the same
section, on what is known as the William Layton
farm. Joeph Layton was elected
one of the first Trustees of the township; was afterward
elected Justice of the Peace, and became one of the first
Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Clark County.
In 1801, Abel Crawford came from Kentucky and settled
on Section 27, Range 9, on what is now the property of
Henry Snyder. On this farm there is an
excellent spring of cold water, and a delightful grove, and,
being convenient to the railroad, it is in the summer season
a favorite resort for picnics and Sunday-school excursions,
and as a pleasure resort is known as the “Cold Springs.”
The same year, James Woods, from Pennsylvania,
settled on the Joseph Layton tract already
described; also, in 1801, William Parmer, from
New York, settled on what is now the south paid of the
Henry Snyder home place, Section 26, Range 9,
near the Stilwell Springs. The same year, Christian
Miller came from Kentucky and settled on what is now
known as the J. H. Barringer land, Section 18, Range
8. Shrofe, from Kentucky, and Christian
Shrofe, his son, settled about the same time on the
Bunyan place, Section 22, Range 8; also Myers
and Spencer, sons-in-law of Shrofe.
Samuel Davis came from New Jersey in 1803, and
settled in the west part of the township. About .1805,
Moses Miller, from old Springfield,
Page
724 -
Hamilton County, settled on the land now belonging to the
heirs of Melyn Miller, Section 36, Range 8. A
part of the farm is still occupied by the widow of Melyn
Miller; also Uriah Blue, on the Hake, now the
L. J. M. Baker, farm, Section 28, Range 8.
About the same time and from same place came Reuben
Winget, and settled on what is now the Reuben
Shellabarger farm, Section 6, Range 8. The same
year, Melyn and Jonathan Baker came from Butler
County, the former entering Section 31, Range 9, and settled
on the north part of the section, on what is known as the
Daniel Baker tract. Mr. Baker came from New
Jersey to the present site of Cincinnati in 1790, and bought
200 acres of land on Walnut Hills. He afterward sold
out and removed to Butler County, and thence to Clark.
In those days, the log cabins of the older settlers were
thrown open to receive the families of those who came among
them to settle, for such time as was necessary, with the
assistance of the neighbors, to erect a similar structure
for themselves. Melyn Baker, on several
occasions, entertained new arrivals until they could erect
and occupy their own cabins. About the year 1807,
Richard Hudjul and family and Henson Reeder and
family were welcomed to the hospitalities of his primitive
abode during the time they were building their own equally
humble residences.
Reeder came from Hamilton County, and, after
trying several locations on this side of the river, be
removed to Bethel Township and settled on the John Crain
farm. About 1806, Dewitt settled near where
the Enon Station is now
In 1805, Jacob Reeder came from Hamilton County, and
settled on a tract of land adjoining what is still known as
the Elder Reeder farm. At the same time came
Stephen Reeder, father of Elder Geo. Reeder farm.
At the same time came Stephen Reeder, father Elder
Geo. Reeder, and settled on a tract of about 200 acres,
which included what is now known as the Elder Reeder
farm, Section 13, Range 9. At the same time came
Rule Petersen, from Hamilton County; also, John
Brocaw, from Hamilton County, and also settled on the
tract years ago known as the Reed farm, Section 14,
Range 9, now owned by Frederick Koblentz. In
1808, John Ambler came from New Jersey and settled on
the Partington place, Section 24, Range 9; he
afterward moved to Springfield and engaged in the sale of
the first goods that were sold in that little village.
At the same time, Thomas Collier, from Ireland,
settled on what is now known as the Preston Love farm,
Section 23, Range 8. About the same time, Benjamin
Symington, from Delaware, settled on what is now known
as the Cyrus Drake farm, Section 29, Range 8.
In 1809, Elias Vickers, a Christian minister, came to
the township. In the same year, John Tenney,
from England, settled on what is now the Coffield place,
on Muddy Run, Section 11, Range 8. John Rue, a
native of Maryland, came about 1812 his wife, Sarah,
was from Pennsylvania, and, previous to their coming to Mad
River, had lived in Greene County, Ohio.
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................................. MORE TO COME
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James Anderson
Green Tp.
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