EARLY HISTORY of the MAHONING VALLEY
In 1662
King Charles II, granted a charter to the colony of
Connecticut, and defined the limits of the colony to be
Massachusetts on the north, Long Island Sound on the
south, the Narragansett river on the east, and the
Pacific Ocean on the west, excepting certain portions
granted previously. By virtue of this charter,
subsequent to the Revolution, Connecticut claimed the
land west of Pennsylvania. The controversy in
relation to this claim was at length settled by the
cession, by Connecticut, to the United States, of all
land west of the State of Pennsylvania, reserving a
tract one hundred and twenty miles in length, and
between Lake Erie and the 41st parallel of north
latitude. This cession was accepted, and
considered an acknowledgment that the claim of
Connecticut was well founded. This tract received
the name of the Connecticut Western Reserve.
Excepting the "Fire Lands," containing half a million
of acres on the western end of the Reserve, so called
from being given by the State of Connecticut to certain
suffers by fire and the destruction of their property in
the State during the Revolutionary war, and the Salt
Spring tract lying in the townships of Austintown,
Jackson, Weathersfield, and Lordstown, and a few other
parcels previously sold or negotiated, this tract was
sold by the State in 1795 to the Connecticut Land
Company.
In 1796 the survey of the Reserve into townships five
miles square was commenced, and in January, 1798, the
survey being then completed, the land was partitioned
among the stockhold
Pg. 4 -
ders of the
company by draft, when the partition was completed, the
stockholders of the company received from the trustees
deeds of the land they had drawn. Many of the
grantees removed soon thereafter to their land, and made
it their future borne. Others sent out agents.
Purchasers of the grantees removed to the new country,
clearings were made in the forest, log houses were
erected, crops put in the ground, and thus in the spring
of 1798 was commenced the regular settlement the
Reserve.
When Trumbull County was organized it contained within
its limits the whole of the Connecticut Western Reserve.
In the year 1846, by an act of legislature, fifteen of
the southern townships of this county was taken, and
five from the county of Columbiana, and a new county was
erected which was named Mahoning, from the Mahoning
river a stream which has its bead waters in the counties
of Portage and Columbiana in Ohio, and with the Shenango
in Lawarnce Lawrence County near New
Castle Pennsylvania. The soil is fertile and well
adopted to agricultural purposes and grazing.
From the report of the Secretary of State for 1873, the
following interesting farming statistics are compiled:
Wheat, No. of
acres, |
939, |
No. of
bushels, |
128,708 |
Rye, "
" |
400, |
"
" " |
4,735 |
Buckwheat,
" |
162, |
"
" " |
1,620 |
Oats, "
" |
12,163, |
"
" " |
360,309 |
Corn, "
" |
11,932, |
"
" " |
590,741 |
Meadow, "
" |
30,347, |
" tons of
hay, |
31,851 |
Clover,
" " |
3,300, |
" tons, |
6,348 |
|
|
" bushel of
seed, |
3,019 |
Flax,
" " |
2,057, |
"
" " |
3,019 |
|
|
" pounds of
fiber, |
346,334 |
Potatoes,
" " |
1,064, |
" of bushels, |
109,146 |
Butter, |
|
" of pounds
made, |
691,444 |
Cheese, |
|
" of pounds
made, |
127,600 |
Pounds of
Maple sugar |
|
|
70,225 |
Gallons of
Syrup, |
|
|
1,956 |
ORCILARS.
No. of acres, |
6,897 |
|
|
" bushels of
Apples, |
605,442 |
|
|
"
" of Peaches |
8,200 |
|
|
"
" of Pears |
6,400 |
|
|
LIVE STOCK
No.. of
Horses in the County, |
8,254 |
|
|
"
of Cattle, |
20,073 |
|
|
"
of Mules, |
222 |
|
|
Pg. 5 -
"
of Hogs, |
87,290 |
|
|
"
of Sheep, |
70,499 |
|
|
"
of pounds of Wool shorn, |
33,455 |
|
|
The following
table shows the increase of the valuation of property
foom from 1850 to 1873:
1850
Valuation |
$5,842,882 |
|
|
1860
" |
9,448,053 |
|
|
1870
" |
12,860,317 |
|
|
1872
" |
18,624,594 |
|
|
1873
" |
19,468,629 |
|
|
RATES OF TAXATION
FOR 1873.
State and
Sinking Fund, |
8 mills |
|
General
revenue, |
6 mills |
|
Assylum
Asylum, |
1.10 mills |
|
State Common
School, |
1.00 mills |
|
County, |
1.20 mills |
|
Poor, |
6.00 mills |
|
Bridge, |
1.70 mills |
|
Building, |
1.00 mills |
|
Road, |
.50 mills |
|
Township and
Sub-district School and School house, |
7.00 mills |
|
City, Town
and Borough, |
11,80 mills |
|
Total, State, |
3.50 mills |
|
"
Local, |
23,80 mills |
|
"
For all purposes, |
27,30 mills |
|
Youngstown being the largest City in the county, and in
the Mahoning Valley, has become the centre of the vast
coal and iron interest of this region, the development
of which has added largely to the value of the real
estate in that part of the county, which is rich in the
deposits of mineral coal, and iron ore. Of these
articles there was mined in the county, in 1870,
2,720,750 bushels of coal, and in 1872, 1,894,000
bushels. The decrease in production was the result
of a long "strike" among the miners.
YOUNGSTOWN PAST
The plat of
ground in Youngstown township, in which the city is
located, does not appear to have been included in the
draft made for the Connecticut Land Company, and the
name of John Young, does not appear among the
stockholders of the company, it is altogether probable
that Mr. Young purchased the topnship
township from the Company, and prior to the making of
the draft. The records, however, do show that on
Apr. 9th, 1800, the trustees of the company conveyed to
John Young township No. 2, in the 2nd range
called Youngstown, containing 15,560
Pg. 6 -
acres of land for the consideration of $16,082.16.
On the same day Mr. Young executed to the
trustees a mortgage of the township to secure the
payment of the purchase money.
Mr. Young, according to tradition, visited the
township about 1797 with Alfred Wolcott, a
surveyor, for the purpose of surveying it into lots and
commencing a settlement. The late Col. James
Hillman, who then resided in Pittsburgh, and had
been for a number of years engaged in trading with the
Indians on the Reserve, making his voyages up the
Mahoning in a canoe, in returning from one of his
expeditions saw a smoke on the bank near Spring Common.
On landing he found Mr. Young and Mr. Wolcott.
He stayed with them a few days, when they went with him
to Beaver on the Ohio river, to celebrate the Fourth of
July. Col. Hillman, at the instance of
Mr. Young, returned with him to Youngstown, and they
commenced the settlement of the town by the erection of
a log house. This house stood on the east bank of
the Mahoning river, near Spring Common, on Front street,
on the site of the house occupied until recently by
Wm. S. Crawford. This was probably the first
log house erected on the Reserve, and the first regular
settlement on the Reserve was probably commenced in this
township.
Mr. Young laid out a town plat, which is
now embraced within and is only a small part of the
present city, and divided it into building lots.
Adjoining the town plat he laid out lots of a few acres
each, which he named out-lots, and the rest of the
township he surveyed into larger tracts suitable for
farms. The town plat was not recorded until Aug.
19th, 1802. On June 1st of that year, Mr.
Young executed an instrument commencing "Know ye
that I, John Young, of Youngstown, in the
county of Trumbull, for the consideration of the
prospect of advancing my property, have laid out and
established in the township of Youngstown aforesaid, on
the north side of the Mahoning river, a town plat of the
following description, viz.: Federal street is a hundred
feet in width and 1,752 feet in length, beginning at a
corner post standing in front of Esquire Caleb
Baldwin's house, a little west of his well, running
south 62° 30' east through the middle of the plat and
public square." The well here spoken of still exists,
and is in daily use in the yard in front of the
residence of Dr. Timothy Woodbridge. The
post, a little west of the well, has disappeared, but
its precise
Pg. 7 -
Pg. 8 -
Pg. 9 -
Pg. 10 -
Pg. 11 -
Pg. 12 -
to solemnize marriages. Hence it is inferred that
the first marriage in Youngstown was that of Stephen
Baldwin and Rebecca Hush, and this was probably the
first maariage marriage
solemnized on the Reserve.
The first male child born in the township was Isaac
Swager, son of John Swager. The first
female child was a daughter of Robert and Hannah
Stevens. They were born prior to 1800.
John Young Shehi, son of Daniel and Jane Shehi,
was one of the earliest children born here, and
tradition says that John Young deeded him a town
lot for his name. In corroboration of this is
found on record a deed from John Young to
John Y. Shehi, dated March 24th, 1807, of town
lots 83 and 84, which are located on the east side of
north Market street, and south of the graveyard lot.
The consideration expressed is $100, received of
Daniel Shehi. Tradition also says that Mr.
Young gave lots to the two other children, but the
deeds are not on record.
The first funeral was the burial of Samuel McFarland
in the northwest corner of the west lot of the old
graveyard. All the population including Mr.
Young, was at the funeral. The following is
the inscription on the grave stone: At the top the
figures "1811," probably the date of its erection.
Then "In memory of Samuel McFarland, teacher of
vocal music, late from Worcester, Massachusetts, who
departed this life Sept. 20th, 1799, aged 28 years."
The stone is now removed to the west part of the
Mahoning Cemetery.
The following statement of the number and situation of
the houses in Youngstown in 1823, was prepared by
John H. Squire, and is said to be correct:
COMMENCING ON THE
NORTH SIDE OF FEDERAL STREET AND GOING WEST.
1 - John Loughridge, log
house
2 - Widow Murdock, log house
3 - James Hillman, frame; late H. Manning
4 - Samuel Bryson, log; now J. R. Squire
5 - Corner Diamond, log, owned by Samuel
Bryson; now Mrs. Bissell
6 - Presbyterian Church on the hill
7 - William Wick; now King's feed
store
8 - Henry Wick, frame; now Harber's
shop
9 - Henry Wick, log; now Wick's
bank
10 - Henry Manning, log; now Woodbridge
11 - C. B. Wick, frame; now J. F.
Hollingsworth
12 - Philip Kimmel, frame; now Smith
& Medbury
13 - Robert Pollock, frame; now
J. F. Hollingsworth |
Pg. 14 -
1 - John Loughridge, log
house
2 - Widow Murdock, log house
3 - James Hillman, frame; late H. Manning
4 - Samuel Bryson, log; now J. R. Squire
5 - Corner Diamond, log, owned by Samuel
Bryson; now Mrs. Bissell
6 - Presbyterian Church on the hill
7 - William Wick; now King's feed
store
8 - Henry Wick, frame; now Harber's
shop
9 - Henry Wick, log; now Wick's
bank
10 - Henry Manning, log; now Woodbridge
11 - C. B. Wick, frame; now J. F.
Hollingsworth
12 - Philip Kimmel, frame; now Smith
& Medbury
13 - Robert Pollock, frame; now J. F.
HollingsworthPg. 13
-
14 - Daniel Morris,
log; town hall of part of it
15 - George Hardman, part frame; now
L. Wick
16 - William Rayen, shingled house,
sides and all; now Calvin Shook
17 - William Rayen, log; Decker &
Miller occupying
18 - William Rayen, brock; now Parmelee
19 - Jeremiah Tibbitt, log; now A. J.
Pollock
20 - widow Dabney, log; now Westlake
SOUTH SIDE
21 - John E. Woodbridge,
frame; now Smith
22 - Mr. Hollingsworth, log; now Smith
23 - Mansion House lot, log house, wned by
Judge Tod; now Anderson
FRONT STREET
24 - Jonathan Smith, log;
now E. G. Hollingsworth
25 - Moses Crawford, log; now S. J. Atkins
26 - John Day, frame; now Thomas Davis
BACK TO FEDERAL STREET
27 - Charles Dutton,
frame; now Bissell
28 - Methodist Church, F. Barclay's heirs
29 - William Thorn, log house on the
Diamond; now the Tod House
30 - Henry Wick, brick; now M. T.
Jewell
31 - Log school house on the Diamond where
the soldiers' monument stands, where
the late Hon. Gov. Tod got his education in
boyhood days.
32 - Josiah Polly, frame; now the heirs of
the late Edward Moore
33 - Henry Wick, frame; now Parish &
Nash
34 - James McCartney, log; now heirs of J.
Pritchard
35 - Robert Leslie, log; now John Manning. |
At an early day, mineral or stone coal was
discovered indifferent localities in the township
and vicinity. It was ascertained to be good
for blacksmith fuel, and was used to some extent by
smiths in this section of the country. It was
not to any extent for fuel for domestic purposes, as
wood was plenty and cheaper. The early
citizens little thought that this black stone which
would burn, cropping out here and there in the
ravines, was destined to become a source of great
wealth to their successors, and, while some of them
were still living, to develop this valley into one
of the most wealthy manufacturing regions of our
country.
After the opening of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal in
1840, David Tod, sent from his Brier
Hill mines a few boat loads of coal to Cleveland, as
an experiment. The coal was tested for
steamboat and other purposes, and approved.
Page 46 -
About 1846, it was ascertained that the Brier Hill, or
that variety of coal, could be used in its raw state, as
a fuel for the reduction of iron ore, and the first
blast furnace in Youngstown constructed for its use, was
erected in that year. This was the Eagle Furnace,
built by William Philpot, David
Morris, Jonathan Warner, Harvey
Sawyer, on land purchased of Dr. Henry
Manning, lying between the present city limits
and Brier Hill. The coal used was mined from land
contigious leased from Dr. Manning.
The terms of this lease as to price, were one cent per
bushel for the first 25,000 bushels, and one-half per
cent per bushel for all over 25,000 bushels dug in one
year, and to mine not less than 75,000 bushels per year,
or to pay for that quantity if not mined. The
money paid for coal not mined in any year to be applied
on the excess mined in any other year. The bushel
of coal to weigh 75 pounds. The lease to continue
in force for twenty years. This lease, was the
last coal lease made in this township.
We copy from Howe's Historical Collections of Ohio,
published in 1848, but who collected his materials in
1847, his statements of the condition of the coal and
iron interest, and of the township generally at that
time
"Youngstown is the largest and most flourishing town in
Mahoning county. It contains about 1200
inhabitants, has twelve mercantile stores, three
warehouses for receiveing receiving and
forwarding goods and produce on the canal. Four
churches one Presbyterian, one Episcopal Methodist, one
Protestant Methodist, and one Disciple. The
Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal passes through the village,
and the products of the surrounding country are sent
here for shipment. Few places in Ohio are more
beautifully situated: few have greater facilities for
manufactoring, or bid fairer to become a place of wealth
and importance. Bituminous coal and iron ore
abound in the immediate vicinity of the village, and
along the line of the canal, adequate, it is believed,
to the wants of a large manufacturing place.
Several of the coal banks are already opened and
successfully and profitably worked. The mines of
the Hon. David Tod furnish about one hundred tons
of coal per day, and those of Crawford, Camp & Co. about
sixty; all of which have hither to found a ready market
at Cleveland for steamboat fuel. It has recently
been ascertained that the coal in the valley of the
Mahoning is well adapted in its raw state to the
smelting of iron ore, and three furnaces similar to the
English and Scotch
Pg. 15 -
furnaces, each capable of producing from sixty to one
hundred tons of pig metal per week, have been erected in
the township and near the village. A large
rolling mill has been erected in the village, at which
is made the various sizes of bar, rod and hoop iron,
also sheet iron, nails and spikes. The "Youngstown
Iron Company" and the "Eagle Iron and Steel Company"
contemplate the erection of machinery for the purpose of
making T and H rail, and it is more than probable that
the various railroads now projected in Ohio and the
adjoining States will be supplied with rails from this
point. In addition to the above there are quite a
number of snail manufacturing establishment for making
tin ware, cloth, axes, wagons, &c. The amount of
capital invested in the manufacturing of iron is
probably $200,000."
The three furnaces, spoken of above, were the Eagle and
Brier Hill furnaces, since rebuilt and capacity greatly
enlarged, and the Mill Creek furnace, built in 1826 for
a charcoal furnace, but being in an unfavorable location
in regard to transportation facilities, and getting old
and dilapidated, it was taken down some years since.
The large rolling mill, chronicled by Mr. Howe,
was the old mill north of the canal, which was the
nucleus, and but a fraction of the present extensive
mills of Brown Bonnell & Co., which are
among the largest in the State.
|