|
CHAPTER XII.
WISHART'S TAVERN, AND THE NEW
POST MASTER - THE VILLAGE OF NEW AMSTERDAM -
JOB WRIGHT MAKES THE FIRST SETTLEMENT AT
GREENFIELD - THE HALCYON DAYS - PERMANENT
SETTLERS OF NEW MARKET IN 1800 - A TEA PARTY
- THE SEAT OF GOVERNMENT REMOVED TO
CHILLICOTHE.
Pg. 47
IN the spring of 1799
Henry Massie, deeming it important,
both for milling and other purposes, to have
a connection with the settlement at the
falls of Paint and Chillicothe, made a pack
horse trace from New Market to the
settlement at the falls, from which there
was already a trace down to Chillicothe.
During that summer
Gen. William
Lytle, who was born in Cumberland
county, Pennsylvania, and early emigrated to
Kentucky, and took an active part in many of
the desperate Indian fights on the border,
made a trace from the present town of
Williamsburg, then called Lytlestown, to New
Market. Lytlestown had been laid out
the fall before by Gen. Lytle
and a settlement commenced. A
pack-horse trace, having been made to
Cincinnati, communication was thus opened
through New Market to Chillicothe, and on to
Marietta, Zanesville and the old States
beyond the mountains.
During this summer improvements progressed slowly in
and around New Market. Wishart’s
hotel was occasionally honored by an
exploring guest or a surveying party, but no
additional houses wore erected, though many
of the trees were cut away and much of’ the
undergrowth taken out so that the lines of
the two principal cross streets were pretty
clearly defined to the eye.
A post office was established in the fall at New
Market, a weekly pack mail line between
Chillicothe and Cincinnati having been put
into operation, and the enterprising
landlord of the log cabin hotel appointed
postmaster. This formed a new and
important era in the annals of the place.
It at once ceased to
Page 48 -
Page 49 -
In the spring of
1706 John Kincade,
a revolutionary veteran, set out with his
family, from Augusta county, Virginia, for
the North-western Territory to locate his
hard-earned land warrant, and settle down on
the home thus provided for his old age.
He packed through, as was the general
custom, and crossing the Ohio river at Point
Pleasant, continued on to the west of the
Scioto river, knowing that in the military
district he alone could locate his warrant.
He finally came through the hills to a
remarkably large, beautiful and pure spring
of water, near the banks of Sunfish.
Here he resolved to halt, locate his land
around the spring and settle down.
This spring is about six miles east of the
village of Sinking Spring, in this county,
and is known as Kincade’s big spring
to this day. The settlement in the
course of a year became known, and in the
year 1798.
Charles
and James Hughey
purchased land of Joseph Karr,
in the vicinity. James settled
on his land the following March, and in
September Charles arrived with his
family on his, which increased the
settlement to thirteen persons. This
settlement was then frequently visited by
Indians, who still continued to chase the
deer on the Sunfish hills, and was then a
part of Ross county. Shortly after the
addition of Charles Hughey to the
settlement, it was again increased by the
arrival of two families from Pennsylvania,
and during the winter of 1799 Reuben
Bristol, from Kentucky, and
Abraham McCoy,
an Irishman, became permanent settlers.
By this time they had grown quite strong as
a community and all were freeholders.
The neighborhood now numbered thirty-three
persons, and might safely be pronounced a
happy community. The most complete and
unbroken harmony prevailed. All the
essentials of social life were present, and
none of the vices incident to society had
become
Page 50 -
Page 51 -
Page 52 -
<
CLICK HERE to RETURN to TABLE of CONTENTS
> |
