CHAPTER XXXIX.
pg. 368

PIKE TOWNSHIP

     PIKE township is situated in the northern part of Knox county and contains thirty-six square miles, a portion of which lies north of Greenfield treaty line, adjacent to Richland county.  It was established June 8, 1819, by act of the county commissioners and by them named in honor of General Pike.  The first election was held at the house of Michael Harter, June 26, 1819, for the election of township officers.  On March 9, 1829, the boundaries were changed and the records reads: "Pike township shall be composed of the eighth and ninth townships in the twelfth range, and the twentieth township in the seventeenth range."
     The surface in this portion of the county is somewhat rough, owing to the bluffs and valleys along and leading to Schenck’s creek, which courses through the township from north to south.  The soil is not the best in the county, by any means, but yields an annual harvest of much that is profitable to its owners.  In 1880 it was said that one quarter of the domain was still in heavy timber, chestnut, white oak and hickory predominating.

SETTLEMENT OF THE TOWNSHIP.

     Just who to ascribe the distinction of making the first settlement here cannot now be determined.  In 1816 an Irishman named Henry Lander was found living on the southwest quarter of section 13.  He was a giant in stature, standing full six feet and six inches high, weighed two hundred and fifty pounds and used to wager whisky for the crowd that seven men could not take his hat off.  He would then back up against a tree or wall and swing His long, strong arms as if in defiance to the crowd.
     John Arnold, from Maryland, came to this township in 1816, locating on the southwest quarter of section 8, where he reared his family and improved his land.
     Charles McBride came from the same state, locating on section 4, the date being also 1816.
     Charles McBride came from the same state, locating on section 4, the date being also 1816.
     Aaron Bixby came from Huron county, Ohio, in 1816, taking land on section 16.  He taught the first term of school in the first school house in Pike township.  It was a rude log house a half mile south of the present place known as North Liberty.  The date was 1823.
     Philip Armentrout located on the northwest quarter of section 8 and died there many years afterwards.
     Nicholas Headington came in from Baltimore county, Maryland, and settled in Pike township in 1822.  His son brought the first tobacco seed to Knox county and marketed the first crop of tobacco in the county.
     Aaron Wilson came in very early and removed from the township in 1837.  William Wright came to the place where Amity is located about 1819, when but a boy.
     The first brick building built in Pike township was by Francis Popham.
     the first grist mill was built by John Arnold in 1831, on Schenck's creek, on section 8.  The next was built by a Mr. Hillis on section 23 in 1834.
     The first saw mill in this township was built by an Englishman named Thomas Smith, in 1832, on section 18.  It was bought in 1836 by Silas Daniels.
     In 1849 an excellent saw mill was put in operation by John Walkey, near the center of section 23, on Schenck's creek.
     The first threshing machine and cook stove brought to Pike township was in 1834.
     John Arnold and Daniel Grubb at an early time operated a distillery in the township, but it is recorded in 1881 there was a population of one thousand three hundred and not a drinking saloon in the entire township.

VILLAGES OF AMITY AND NORTH LIBERTY.

     The village of Amity was located in the southeast corner of Pike township and in 1880 had a population of one hundred and fifty.  It was platted in 1832 by David Jackson, who owned the land on which it stands.  It was originally called Emmettsville, but in 1837 was changed to Amity.  This old village was on the stage road from Wooster to Columbus and at one time was a place of considerable business.  Lewis Strong was the first merchant there.  David Jackson kept a hotel there.  A postoffice was established soon after the platting of the village, but strangely, that was not named Amity, but Democracy, which existed till 1911.  William Gordon was first postmaster and was followed by Messrs. Henry Yarrick, James Gilchrist, D. P. Wright, Jerrod Parrish and C. C. Barber, among the earlier ones.  It is still a quiet hamlet within a fine farming community.
     North Liberty, in the northern part of the township, was laid out by Francis Blakely, William Johnson, Daniel Grubb, and J. Nelson Dean, in 1838.

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Grubb erected the first frame building.  In this the hotel was kept.  Mr. Grubb assisted by others, provided the "village well" where all might partake freely of the pure water from its old oaken bucket.
     A postoffice was first established at Jonathan Smith's in the southwest corner of the township, in 1848, with Smith as postmaster, but in 1850 it was removed to North Liberty, and Henry Taney appointed postmaster.  In 1880 this hamlet consisted of the postoffice, Albery Mishey being postmaster and conducted a grocery; J. K. P. Mishey ran a dry goods store; there were a few shops of small repair in the village and a Methodist and Lutheran church.
     At present there are a church and a few buildings in existence.
     Democracy postoffice was established many years ago, but has been discontinued since Jan. 1, 1911, and the patrons are served from Mt. Vernon by the rural route system.  The postmasters who served at the Democracy office were as follows:  Scott Gilchrist; Dr. Edwards, under President Buchanan; O. P. Wright, under President Lincoln; Smith Barber, under the same administration; C. C. Barber and J. A. Wright, under Presidents Grant and S. G. Dowds, under President Harrison; S. D. Parrish, under Cleveland; H. E. Fletcher, under Roosevelt; William M. Edgar, under Cleveland, also serving under Roosevelt: F. W. Loney, under William H. Taft’s administration.
     At first the mail was only weekly, then semi-weekly, thrice and finally daily.  On account of the rural route system the office was discontinued.  It was last kept in the general store of Loney & Hixon.
 

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