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     THE LACKEY TAVERN - In this connection, the following petition of James Lackey, asking the Commissioners for license to keep a tavern, may prove of some interest:

                                                                                 September, 4th, 1818.
To the Honorable Judges of the Court of Common Pleas of Jackson County:

     The petition of the undersigned freeholders of Bloomfield township represent to your honors that we conceive a house of entertainment in Bloomfield township would be to the public's convenience.  We therefore recommend James Lackey, one of our citizens, to be a suitable person to accommodate the public.  We therefore pray your honor would grant him license for that purpose.

     Hugh Poor, Andrew Boggs, John Stephenson, Joel Long, Robert Ervin, George Campbell, Samuel McClure, Alexander Poor, George Corn, Moses Hale, Elisha Long, Stephen Martin, Robert G. Hanna, Martin Poor, William Scurlock, Stephen Martin, George W. Hale, Christopher Long, Peter Williams, Wm. Ware, John McNutt, John Dickerson, Joshua Perry, William J. Stephenson, James Ward, Benjamin Long.

     JAMESTOWN CEMETERY - This cemetery derives its name from Major John James, on whose land it was laid out.  He lies buried in it, his grave being on the Indian mound in the cemetery.  There were three of these mounds originally, the three marking the angles of a triangle.  The one in the cemetery is but little changed.  The other, standing near William Warnecke's barn, is about the same size.  The third stood in Joseph Watson's lot, and was removed by him about twenty years ago.  He found it in a number of darts and arrow heads, some bones, ashes, and a piece of charred wood.  It is very appropriate that the remains of Major James, who was a famous Indian scout, should have been interred in an Indian mound.  The inscriptions on his monument is as follows:

     John James departed this life May 31, 1854, aged 81 years,

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11 months, 17 days.  The deceased was born in Connecticut June 14, 1772, came to Point Harmar, Ohio, 1788, and to this county in 1807;  was a member of the Methodist church 40 years, and died the Christian's death."

     He was the grandfather of Warden James, and a number of other prominent citizens of the county.
     The first person buried in this cemetery was Elizabeth C. Darling, a daughter of Timothy Darling and his wife.  The latter was Elizabeth Cook, and was a sister of Nancy Cook, the wife of Major John James.

     THE MARTIN MOUND - This mound was perhaps the most peculiar in the county in one respect.  After Jefferson Furnace was built, some parties dug into it and discovered that it had been built of blocks of ore and covered with earth.  The ore was taken out and hauled to the Furnace.  There were some 15 tons of it.  It is much to be regretted, that no effort was made to open the mound scientifically.  Valuable remains or relics might have been found in it, but I have failed to learn that any were found.  The presence of the blocks of iron ore and flint in the mound would indicate that the structure belonged to the house mound class.  It is probable that others of the kind exist in the township, and when they are discovered, the owner should have them opened according to the plan laid down by archaeologists.

     BURNING OF THE COURT HOUSE - The first court house burned down Sept. 20, 1860, and the following account of the fire appeared in The Standard:
     On last Friday, at 1 o'clock, a fire broke out in that part of the Franklin House, occupied as a residence by John Rapp.  It is supposed that the fire caught from the stove flue.  The Franklin house was in a sheet of flame in a few minutes.  Great exertions were made to save the next building, the residence of Abraham French, but all in vain.  The fire swept on, taking in its course the store room and residence of B. F. Thompson, the grocery store of

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Henry Barlow, the saddler shop of D. W. Winfough, the residence of John Stephenson, the grocery store of Meacham & Gibson, the residence of E. D. Meacham, and the book store of R. Harding. The goods and furniture were mostly removed and saved, although some were taken into the street and took fire from the flying cinders, and were consumed.  The flames were arrested at Broadway stree, by pulling down the corner building, occupied by Meacham & Gibson.
     About the time that the flames reached the corner, it was discovered that the cupola of the court house was on fire.  The roof of the building soon caught, and all the wood work was consumed.  The books and papers were removed from the public offices, and the roof of the clerk's office was at one time in flames.  This building was at this time abandoned; but the heated and wearied men again rallied, and by the most daring efforts, the building was saved.
     It has been thought by some, that the court house might have been saved; but it must be recollected that the fire caught in a place that could not be reached with the means at hand, and that every one, men and women, had fought the flames until exhausted.  If we had been in possession of a short ladder, and the means of securing the foot of it on the slanting roof, we might have reached the fire; but we were destitute of these; and in the excitement the loss of a very few minutes was fatal to the old court house.
     The whole of that part of Main street from Portsmouth to Broadway, is swept clean.  The buildings were old frames, and not worth much.  The entire loss will probably not exceed $10,000.  There was no insurance except on Mr. Winfough's saddler shop, which was insured in the Aetna, for $400.  Those who owned the buildings destroyed, were John Burnsides, A. French, John L. Long, D. W. Winfough, John Stephenson and

     MACKLEY'S RECOLLECTIONS - The following extracts from Davis Mackley's "Random Notes" deserve a place here.
     I found the first records of the county commissioners in two

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old books, one indexed, and the other not.  They are almost identical, and contain a plain and simple history of the transactions as they occurred, without any reference to the forms of bookkeeping.  These records commence in the spring of 1816, and the commissioners had frequent meetings.  Nathaniel W. Andrews was their clerk.
     The amount of taxes collected in Jackson county yearly, for a number of years, was less than $1,000.  The principal items of expense consisted of jury and election expenses, and the cost of laying out and establishing roads.  During the first year the commissioners passed an order paying one dollar for each wolf scalp, where the wolf was under six months old, and two dollars where the wolf was over that age. This was subsequently raised to $1.50 and $3.00.  The records show considerable sums paid out for wolf scalps during the ten or twelve years subsequent to the year 1816.  This may sound strangely to the people of this day; but I can remember of hearing wolves howl at night, in Jefferson township, as late as the year 1834.  They destroyed large numbers of sleep and young cattle, and it became a public benefit to destroy them; hence the premium paid by the public for their destruction.
     The affairs of the county in the early days were conducted upon very economical principles, but honesty among the public officers was remarkable.  True, there was but little to steal, and of course the temptation was small.  Few officers were then elected by the people.  The theory of the early officers of this county appeared to be, that when an officer was found capable and faithful, he was kept in office.  Hence such men as Daniel Hoffman, Alexander Miller, Joseph Armstrong, Samuel Carrick, and a few others, have their names upon the records as public officers during a long space of time, and their accounts always appear correct.  I wish I could say as much for some of the officers whose names appear at a later period.  But let that pass. * * *
     A family named Darling came from the state of New York, Cattaraugus county, about this time, and settled in the vicinity of Oak Hill.  They were Baptists.  Isaac Darling brought the