POLAND TOWNSHIP
Pg. 212
Poland was one of the earliest settled portions of
Mahoning County and by 1810 had a considerable population, which
consisted largely of emigrants from Pennsylvania. The
township has an uneven surface, being deeply cut in the
northeastern portion by the Mahoning river and in the northwest
by Yellow creek, which flows through Poland Village. The
soil is deep and fertile and in most places well adapted to
farming. Considerable coal and iron ore have been found in
the township, and some small veins of coal are still worked,
though, owning to th4e exhaustion of the best mines, that
industry is not so flourishing as formerly. Others have
taken its place, however, as the busy, prosperous villages of
Lowellville and Struthers fully evidence. An account of
the early furnaces may be found in the chapter on the coal and
iron industries of the county. An account of some of the
most interesting events in the early history of Poland was
contained in a paper read by Mrs. Mary M. Maxwell at the
Columbus celebration, in Poland Oct. 21, 1892, from which we
here quote extensively:
"The first to lay out and take claims in this place was
Turhand Kirtland, afterwards known as Judge Kirtland,
a surveyor named Woolcott coming with him.
These men began work in 1798, remaining here during the warm
weather, and returning east in the winter, until 1803, when
Mr. Kirtland brought out his family and settled on the spot
where Isaac Walker now lives. This was done to the
great sorrow of his beautiful wife, who declared that if she had
to leave her eastern home, she would never return for even a
visit, a promise she faithfully kept.
"Mr. Kirtland and Mr. Woolcott had many
strange...........................................TO BE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 213
EARLY TAX RATE.
In 1803, Poland paid a
tax of $48.24, which was assessed upon the fifty-five property
holders of the township. Thurhand Kirtland also paid
$17.55, and Jared Kirtland, $5,08, leaving an average of
about forty-eight cents apiece for the rest of the inhabitants.
And this was a larger tax than was paid by any other township in
what is now Mahoning county.
MILITIA.
A militia company was
enrolled in 1802, with John Struthers as captain, and
Robert McCombs as first lieutenant. There were
eighty-seven names on the roll. In 1805 the eastern part
of the township formed one company and the western another.
The two companies met at the village for drill, and a shooting
contest was arranged between the two best marksmen of each
company, the competitors being Tom Clees of the
eastern company and one Garner of the western company. No
decision was rendered, as each marksman hit the exact center of
the target.
POLAND VILLAGE.
The village of Poland,
picturesquely situated on Yellow Creek, about the middle of the
west line of the township, was first known as "Fowler's" taking
its name from the tavern of Jonathan Fowler, built in
1804. The village was once a trading place of some
importance, being in this respect ahead of Youngstown, the
stages to Pittsburg, both from the north and west passing
through it. The building of the canal which passed two and
one-half miles from it caused it to suffer a loss of trade,
which was proportionately increased, later when it was similarly
isolated fro the railroad. It is, however, a quiet
pleasant village, free from the noise and dirt of the great
business centers, with a widely-famed educational institution,
and a fair proportion of stores, shops, and other industries.
POLAND UNION SEMINARY.
POLAND TOWNSHIP SCHOOLS.
LOWELLVILLE.
Lowellville is a
thriving village situated on both sides of the Mahoning river,
in Poland township, and with picturesque hills on either hand.
It has excellent transportation facilities, both steam and
electric, being on the lines of the Pennsylvania Railroad, the
Pittsburg & Lake Erie, the Baltimore & Ohio, and the Mahoning
Valley Electric Railway Co. Its growth began at about the
time of the completion of the Pennsylvania and Ohio canal, and
was much accelerated by the mining of coal, and by the erection
of the Lowellville furnace by Wilkinson, Wilkes &
Co. in 1846. The village had
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been laid out about ten years previously by Mr. Wick
and others. In 1840 the postoffice was established, with
S. H. McBride as the first postmaster.
John McGill built the first gristmill in
the place, and Robert McGill was proprietor of the
first sawmill. A larger gristmill was erected in 1838 by
William Watson and John S. Hunter, and was
operated by them until 1866, when is passed into other hands.
The Hope flourmill was established by James Brown
about 1857 and after his death came into possession of and was
conducted by his heirs. A tannery was started by Wilson
and Crawford about 1844, and was rebuilt two years later
by William Moore, who carried on the business
until 1874, after which it went out of operation.
The Mt. Nebo coal mine was opened about 1828 by
Elijah Stevenson, and subsequently passed through
various hands, at one time being extensively worked by the
Lowellville Furnace Company to obtain coal for use in their iron
works. It was finally abandoned because the water became
too deep for successful operations. Other mines have been
successfully worked at different times in the history of the
village.
The Lowell Coal Mining Company, employing about
thirty-five men, are now engaged in the mining of block coal,
their output being about seventy tons per day. Jacob
Stambaugh is president and C. N. Clingen secretary
and treasurer.
The Meehan Boiler and Construction Company was
organized in 1897 by Robert Gray, Patrick, Paul,
and James Meehan, and John Meehan, a
nephew of the other three Meehans. The business,
which is incorporated with a capital stock of $50,000 was at
first a partnership, and was known as the Meehan Boiler
Co. The five partners purchased the present site of their
factory, upon which stood an old sawmill, which they also
purchased together with the creamery which stood on the adjacent
lot. They at first employed about 25 or 30 men, which
number has since been increased to 200. Their principal
output is the Meehan boiler, but in addition they do a
great deal of iron and steel construction work, including the
building of blast furnaces, the business amounting to about
$200,000 per year. The present officers of the company
are, Patrick Meehan, president; Robert Gray,
vice-president and general manager; James Meehan,
Jr., secretary and treasurer.
The Ohio Iron & Steel Company, of Lowellville was
established about 1842, by Wilkinson, Wilkes & Co., and was the
first furnace in the United States to smelt iron ore with raw
coal. In 1879 Henry Wickmade an examination of the
furnace plant located at Lowellville, then owned by William
McCreary the estates of Thomas Bell and J. S.
Dillworth, at which time an option was taken on the
property, and later the plant was purchased. The
organization was effected with directors and officers as
follows: Directors - Paul Wick, John C. Wick, Myron C.
Wick, Thomas H. Wells, Henry Wick and Robert Bentley.
Mar. 11, 1880, the following officers were elected:
Thomas H. Wells, president; Henry Wick,
vice-president; Robert Bentley, secretary and treasurer.
The executive committee was Thomas H. Wells, Henry Wick
and Myron C. Wick. The present officers are,
Robert Bentley president and general manager; David Davis,
secretary; Fred H. Wick, treasurer. The directors
are, Robert Bentley, Myron C. Wick, Samuel Mather, John C.
Wick, W. S. McCombs, David Davis, F. H. Wick, T. F. Woodman
and Richard Garlick. The company is extensively
engaged in the manufacture of Bessemer pig iron.
About 180 men being employed.
The Lowellville Savings and Banking Company was
incorporated Mar. 8, 1906, with a capital of $30,000, the
company taking over the business of the Lowellville Bank, which
had been founded in 1905 by a few New Castle (Pennsylvania)
capitalists.
The Bessemer Limestone Company, whose plant is situated
just outside the limits, are engaged in the quarrying of
limestone for furnace use and ballast, having a capacity of
5,000 tons per day. They employ about 500 men.
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SCHOOLS.
Lowellville is a
special school district, with two schools. W. C.
Dickson is the present clerk of the Board of Education.
The North Side school is the larger, having eight rooms.
The principal is D. W. Mumaw, with Auley McAuley
as assistant. There are besides four other teachers,
Misses Ibbie Dickson, Lizzie Houston, Maude
Lotz and Clara Elliott. The South Side School,
which has two rooms, is taught by Margaret McCabe and
Edith Ferguson.
CHURCHES.
STRUTHERS.
John Struthers,
from whom this village is named, arrived Oct. 19, 1799, from
Washington county, Pennsylvania, and bought land on which a
large part of the village of Struthers is now situated, which he
converted into a farm. He was accompanied by his family,
and in 1801 became the father of a son, Ebenezer, who was
the first white male child born in the township. Mr.
Struthers built a flouring mill on Yellow Creek, the first
in teh township, and one of the first on the Western Reserve.
He was also engaged with Mr. Montgomery in building and
operating a blast furnace on the same creek, a short distance
from its mouth, which was operated until the war of 1812.
His son, Lieutenant Alexander Struthers, died in Detroit,
in 1813, while in the service of his country. Two other
sons, John and Thomas, were long respected
residents of the community. An account of the early
furnace above mentioned may be found the chapter on the coal and
iron industries. In February, 1826, two daughters of
John Struthers, Drusilla and Emma, who were then
residing with their father in Coitsville, were drowned while
attempting to cross the Mahoning river, near the mouth of Yellow
Creek, in a skiff, being carried over the dam, owing, it was
thought, to a defective rowlock. The body of Emma,
the younger daughter, was not found for six weeks afterwards.
They were members of the United Presbyterian Church at Poland
Center, and their tragic death, naturally cast a gloom over the
community.
MANUFACTURES.
SCHOOLS.
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