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Meridian Monuments
Persons visiting the New Lexington Fair have no doubt
noticed the two granite monuments situated about the middle
of the grounds. Some have the idea that they mark the
geographical center of the county. This is not the
case. The westward one was planted by Philander
Binckley about thirty years ago, to correspond to the
true meridian. On account of the variation of the
magnetic pole, it was found necessary in 1898 to again
locate it. The County Commissioners contracted with
John Avery to place the new monument.
He planted it at the south end of the line bearing
north 30 degrees, west, 627.8 feet distant from the
southeast corner of the southwest quarter of Section No. 5,
Tp. No. 15, Range No. 15.
The geographical latitude is 39 degrees, 44 minutes
north. The geographical longitude is 5 degrees and 11
minutes west from Washington. The variation of the
Magnetic Meridian from the True Meridian is 28 minutes to
the north.
Drainage
Buckeye Lake and three rivers receive the waters of
Perry county. These rivers are the Scioto, the
Muskingum and the Hocking. Walnut Creek, a tributary
of the Scioto has one of its sources in the western part of
Thorn township. The Big Swamp originally discharged
its waters into the Licking river, and is therefore a part
of the Muskingum basin. The principal stream emptying
into Buckeye Lake is Honey Creek. All four of the
drainage systems, as far as Perry county is concerned, have
their sources in Thorn township. Walnut Creek flows
toward the west. Honey Creek to the north.
Jonathan or the Moxahala to the east and Rushcreek to the
south. Hopewell township is drained by Jonathan
and Rushcreek. Madison is drained by Jonathan.
The principal tributaries of north Jonathan Creek are Turkey
Run and Buckeye Creek in Clayton. The remainder of
that township furnishes the sources of small streams that
flow into the east branch of Rushcreek or the south fork of
Jonathan. The northeastern part of Reading is drained
by Hood's Run into the Moxahala. The western part is
traversed by tributaries of Rushcreek, while the east branch
of Rushcreek gets the southern part. Harrison township
is mostly in the basin of the south fork of the Jonathan, as
is Bearfield with the exception of the south side where
Sundaycreek has its origin. A branch of Wolfe Creek,
in Morgan county also rises in the southeast of Bearfield.
The east branch of Rushcreek and the south fork of the
Moxahala get the waters of Pike. Jackson has many
feeders for east Rushcreek. Little Mondaycreek has its
beginning in this township at the Gordon Cross Roads, where
the Lexington and Logan road crosses the old Monongahela
Indian trail. Mondaycreek is aptly named. Both
streams of that name receive her entire drainage. Big
Mondaycreek and the west branch of Sundaycreek get
Saltlick's rainfall. Big Mondaycreek has also a
tributary in Coal. Indian Creek rises in the eastern
part of that township and flows into Sundaycreek over in
Athens county. Pleasant throws her waters into the
south fork of the Moxahala and to Sunday creek. Monroe
is entirely drained by the last named stream.
Water Shed.
The Perry County Divide extends in an irregular line
from the northwest to the southeast. It begins in
Thorn township separating the streams that flow into Buckeye
Lake and Jonathan's Creek from Rushcreek and Big Walnut.
Somerset is situated on it. Passing through Clayton
township it sweeps to the east toward McLuney. The C.
& M. V. Tunnel cuts it east of New Lexington. Then
turning toward the west again it completes a horse-shoe by
circling south of New Lexington. The T. & O. C.
Railroad tunnels it about a mile south of the county seat.
It continues westward as far as Bristol. This place
occupies the summit of a ridge from which five streams have
their sources. - Turkey Run of Rushcreek, South Fork of
Jonathan. Little Mondaycreek. Big Mondaycreek
and a branch of Sundaycreek. The water-shed south of
Bristol turns toward the northeast, forming the ridge
between the South Fork of Jonathan and Sundaycreek.
Passing south of Moxahala the T. & O. C. R. R. has made
through it the longest tunnel in Perry county. The
dividing ridge leaves the county at Porterville. It is
114 miles long and passes through nine townships: Thorn,
Hopewell, Reading, Clayton, Harrison, Pike, Saltlick.
Pleasant and Bearfield. Its average elevation is about
450 feet above Lake Erie and about 1,000 feet above sea
level.
Elevations Above Sea Level.
| |
Feet |
| Corning, Depot |
722 |
| McLuney, Depot |
905 |
| Moxahala, Depot |
821 |
| New Lexington, Depot |
856 |
| New Lexington Court House |
946 |
| New Straitsville, Depot |
792 |
| Rendville, Depot |
742 |
| Summit LaRue's Gap, Shawnee |
909 |
| Somerset, Court House |
1,159 |
| Maxville, Limestone |
776 |
| Roseville, Depot |
783 |
| Gore (near county line) |
763 |
| Monday Creek Station (on county line) |
689 |
| Winona Furnace (on county line) |
743 |
| Great Coal Vein at New Straitsville |
870 |
Buckeye
Lake
Buckeye Lake, formerly known as Licking Reservoir, is
the only body of water of which our county can boast.
It now contains about thirty-six hundred acres. It is
partly natural and partly artificial. The natural part
consisted of three and four little lakes of pure clear
water, well stocked with fish. Situated as it is along
the line of the Terminal Moraine, there is no doubt that it
is the result of the great ice sheet that came down from
Canada long ago.
When Christopher Gist encamped upon its shores
in 1751, he named it Buffalo Lick, or the Great Swamp.
The first settlers, about the year 1800, found wild plumbs
and red thorn-berries growing about its shores in profusion.
The center of the original lake was quite deep with a
cranberry island floating upon its surface.
In the year 1825, when the Ohio Canal was dug, quite a
good deal of the surrounding land was flooded to enlarge the
lake that it might become a feeder to the canal. At
Millersport is what is known as the "deep cut." It is
about three miles long.
Buckeye Lake is one of the prettiest little sheets of
water in the State. Its banks are shaded with trees
that bend over it, and its placid surface, glinting in the
sunlight, is a pleasing contrast to the "rock ribbed" hills.
Here the Isaac Waltons and the Nimrods disport
themselves and the man can leave the harassments of business
and
hie himself to this little "Touch of Nature," and lull
himself into sweet forgetfulness.
Geological Divisions.
The great line extending throughout the State from
north to south and dividing the Carboniferous from the
Sub-carboniferous regions, passes in an irregular path
through a portion of our county. It strikes our county
near the Hopewell-thorn boundary and its course is
approximately south till it reaches the northwest corner of
Jackson. Here it sweeps north, east and then south.
Junction City is its eastern extremity. It then
continues in a southwesterly direction leaving the county at
the southwest corner of Section 18 in Jackson township.
East of this line are found the coal measures. None
are found west of it.
Our strata rise to the northwest at the rate of about
thirty feet to the mile. It follows then that rock
lying three hundred feet beneath the surface at a given
elevation in the southeast of the county, would appear on
the surface at the same elevation, ten miles northwest.
For example, McCuneville and Maxville have approximately the
same altitude. At McCuneville the Sub-carboniferous or
Maxville limestone, is one hundred and ten feet beneath the
creek bed. At Maxville the lime appears in the bed of
the creek.
The Sub-carboniferous lime as its name implies
underlies all our coal measures. When the Maxville
lime makes its appearance on the tops of the hills, it is
useless to look for coal there. So, the lime we have
described, theoretically marks the out-crop of the
Sub-carboniferous lime on the tops of our hills. (See Map)
Drift Region.
Our county may also be divided into two other
geological divisions, viz: the Glaciated or Drift
Region and the Non-glaciated. North of the Great Lakes
is the Laurentian Highland. This highland was once a
lofty range of mountains. It was then, with them, just
as it is with high mountains today. On their
snow-capped summits, ice was formed and it pitched in
frightful avalanches to the valleys below, carrying with it
masses of rock, from their deep scarred sides.
Glaciers, or river-like fields of ice were thus pushed out
further and further toward the southland, taking with them
the granite, which they ground and polished with their
tremendous weight. This vast river of ice passed, in
many places over the soft bed-rock and we can yet see the
grooves and scratches on its surface.
The climate must have been somewhat cooler in that
time, than now, or the glacial sheet could not have come so
far south. But finally it reached a point where it
began to melt. As it receded toward the north, it left
scattered over the land, millions upon millions of tons of
granite boulders, many of immense size, pebbles and earth.
The pebbles and earth mixed with lime and other rock
gathered in its journey, constitutes the soil in the entire
"Drift Region." It is very fertile and is known as
"Till."
The line marking the southern extremity of the ice
region is known as the "Terminal Moraine." It extends
in a general easterly and westerly direction throughout the
United States. In Ohio its trend is northeast and
southwest. This "Terminal Miraine" passes through
Perry county. In Thorn township can be found evidence
of the ice. The boulders or "nigger heads" can be
found lying promiscuously about. The fertility of its
soil is dependent upon the "till," which is often found to
be 90 feet in thickness.
It is a coincidence that the "Terminal Moraine" in
Perry county is practically the same line that divides the
Carboniferous fro the Sub-carboniferous areas. (See Map)
There are some exceptions and these have been designated as
"drift loops." (See Map). These "loops" may have
been caused by subsequent erosion and drifting of streams.
There is no doubt but that our streams have not always had
the same course that they have now. The "Drift"
extended much farther in Perry county than most people
suppose. The finding of a granite boulder, weighing
almost a ton, in Section 16, Jackson township occasioned
some surprise. Such a rock could not have been carried
by water.
This Ice Sheet scraped out the Great Lakes, together
with the thousands of smaller ones in the northern part of
the United States. The natural part of Buckeye Lake is
a remnant of the weakened power of the glacier. What a
pity that the ice did not cover all of Perry county.
Its fertility throughout would then have been equal to Thorn
township.
Lake Ohio
Prof. G. Frederick Wright, Oberlin, O., who has obtained
a world-wide reputation, as authority on glacial phenomena,
says that at one time, when the ice began breaking, it
formed a dam to Cincinnati, to the height of about 550 feet.
This would cause the water to back up the trough of the Ohio
and its tributaries, to the height of the dam. It is
estimated that this dam covered an area of 20,000 square
miles. During the summer months the dam would break
and the floods would sweep down the valley with terrible
velocity. It is interesting to note that the northern
tributaries of the Ohio have their sources in the glaciated
region. This accounts for the presence of glacial
pebbles along many of our streams, beyond the ice covered
tract. There are evidences of streams that then
existed and poured a vast volume of water and deposited
"till" on their ancient shores. The channels of these
old streams are now known as "gaps." This Lake Ohio
extended into Perry county. Prof. Wright's map
marks Logan as the northern limit of the lake, on the
Hocking river. Judging from this level, the lake
reached to Maxville on Little Mondaycreek, to near Shawnee
and McCuneville on Big Mondaycreek, and to Corning on
Sundaycreek. It must have backed up a considerable
distance on Jonathan's Creek at least to the Perry county
line.
Pre-Glacial Drainage.
By George W. DeLong.
Scientists have found much evidence that the
pre-glacial drainage of a large portion of the state of Ohio
was very different from its present drainage. For our
present discussion we need to note only a few of these
changes. There seems to be very good reasons to
believe that the Muskingum river flowed from Dresden by way
of Hanover, Newark, the Licking Reservoir and Thurston, and
joined the Scioto north of Circleville.
The Hocking river flowed north from Rock-bridge,
Hocking county, and joined the Muskingum near Canal
Winchester. Northern Perry county was included in this
pre-glacial drainage area.
All the upper streams of the North Branch of the
Moxahala, including Turkey Run flowed to the northwest and
discharged their waters into the Muskingum at some point
near the present Licking Reservoir.
The South Branch of the Moxahala, which was joined by
Buckeye Creek at Darlington, flowed along the present line
of the C. & M. V. R. R., from that point to Zanesville and
having joined its waters, with that of the Licking river,
united with the Muskingum at some point north or west of
Zanesville. The different branches of Rushcreek flowed
approximately along their present courses and joined the
Hocking near Lancaster.
When the great ice-sheet came down from the north,
carrying with it a large amount of drift and till, the
streams described above were dammed up in their courses and
lakes formed at Zanesville, in Thorn and Hopewell townships
in Perry county, and at Lancaster.
The waters of the Lake at Lancaster found an outlet
over the low ridge at Rock-bridge and joined the southern
half of the Hocking.
The lake at Zanesville found an outlet in the low ridge
near the Muskingum and Morgan county lines and thus turned
this stream to the south.
The lake in northern Perry county found an outlet in
the low ridge east of Mt. Perry and having united with
Buckeye Creek at Fultonham joined the south branch at
Darlington and this formed the present Moxahala River which
drains so large a portion of Perry county.
The Moxahala turned to the east at Darlington and after
cutting its way through the hills, joined the Muskingum some
miles below Zanesville. In time the outlets of these
lakes cut canons in the ridges over which they flowed and
thus the lakes were drained.
Terraces.
We quote from
Prof. G. Frederick Wright, Oberlin. "Almost
without exception, the streams flowing southward from the
glaciated area show marks of former floods from fifty to a
hundred feet higher than any which now occur. Gravel
deposits form fifty to a hundred feet higher than the
present flood plain, line the valley of everyone of these
streams not only where they lie in the glaciated region, but
through much of their course after they have emerged from
the glaciated into the unglaciated region." This can
be noticed in Thorn township, along the valley of Jonathan
Creek. Has anybody in Thorn township ever noticed it?
It is in these terraces that the so called palaeolithic
implements have been found, which show that man lived here
before the ice came. Gold is often found in these
terraces. It is called "Drift Gold." Some of it
was discovered along the Licking river several years ago.
Rocks
of Perry County as to Structure.
1. Massive Rock. As Granite
2. Crystalline Rock. As Flint
3. Stratified Rock. As Sandstone or Shale.
4. Fossiliferous Rock. As Limestone
5. Sedimentary Rock. As Sandstone
6. Conglomerate Rock. Pebbles cemented together.
7. Decomposed Rock. Crumbled.
8. Concretionary Rock. As kidney iron ore.
Massive rocks are such as have been produced from within the
crust of the earth in a molten condition. Most of them
consist of two or more minerals. Their chemical
constituents are silica, magnesia, lime, potash, soda,
magnetic iron and phospate of lime. Igneous or
Eruptive, is another name for massive rocks.
The granite found in the drift region, is a
representative of the massive rock in Perry county.
Crystalline rocks are those that are formed mainly by
chemical deposits. They are frequently found
interstratified with other kinds. They are being
formed constantly by mineral springs, or in the bottom of
inland seas and lakes. The most common Crystalline
rock in Perry county is Flint or Chert.
Stratified Rocks are such as lie in layers one over the
other. Perry county rocks are all classed among the
stratified except those brought in by the ice sheet.
The strata of the county lie in much the same way as they
did when they were deposited on the old sea floor or the bed
of the inland sea. They have not been disturbed by
orogenic agencies and the faults that may be found by
borings can be accounted for, in other ways.
Fossiliferous Rocks contain fossils. The word
"fossil" etymologically means "dug up." For many years
it included any mineral substance, but its meaning is now
restricted to include the remains of plants and animals
preserved in rocks. Our Fossiliferous Rocks are shales
and limestones.
Fossils are formed by the decay of animal cells, and
the mineral constituent taking the place of the organic
matter. Our limestones are particularly fertile in
fossils. They consist of shells of various forms of
submarine life. Our shales have also an abundance of
fossils. The imprint of leaves and stems of trees are
especially plentiful. Sometimes the track of a bird is
found. Even sandstone contains them in places.
They do not occur frequently, however, as there is not
sufficient plastic material in sandstone to hold the fossil
intact. The writer is the possessor of a beautiful
fossil in sandrock. It contains four fern leaves.
Even the midrib is plainly visible. The fossils found
in the coal measures of the country are best known.
Many beautiful specimens have been discovered.
Impressions of fern leaves, branches and trunks of trees,
are of frequent occurrence. They are mostly to be
found in the state over the deal. It the shales that
often accompany some of the lighter coal measures of the
county may be found excellent fossils of plant life.
About a mile east of Junction City the writer found the
Fossiliferous stem of a plant, fifteen feet in length and
was not able to get it all for the road workers had
destroyed some of it. The Junction City High School
pupils afterward found another one, a part of which they
placed in their cabinet of collections. Another Perry
county fossil is vet to be mentioned. But it is
northern part of the county, along the terraces of Jonathan
Creek are found numerous remains of coral formations.
Some of them are very beautiful, but they are mostly small
fragments.
Outside of the drift, the Perry county rocks are mostly
sedimentary. The limestones were formed by the
siftings of organic matter to the bottom of the ancient
ocean. The sandstones, likewise rose from the
sea, formed by the small particles of sand that settled from
above.
The Conglomerates consist of pebbles, cemented
together. By silicious matter mixing with them and by
pressure, they were crowded into a compact mass.
Conglomerates are found in abundance south of Glenford at
the Old Stone Fort.
The geologist Heilprin tells an interesting
story of how a friend of his, an old sea captain, had sent
him a bolt, that had no doubt come from a wrecked vessel.
The bolt having been buried in the sand, the rust from the
iron acted as a cement to the small pebbles about it.
A sheath of pebbles was thus formed and the bolt could be
slipped in and out of its pebbly sheath with ease.
This explains the process of making conglomerates, or
"pudding stone" as it is sometimes called.
Decomposed Rocks - All our rocks are to a greater or
less extent decomposed. The process of decomposition
is constantly going on. The mechanical action of
water, the alternate contraction and expansion of particles
of rock, and the work of the frost, are the silent laborers
in the disintegration of the rock masses. The presence
of iron in a great many of our native rocks is one of the
surest methods of decomposition. The oxidation of iron
in the sand rocks and shales of Perry county has done as
much in tearing down its hills after the water has exposed
their sides, as many other agency. Some of our rocks
were never solid; especially is this true of the shales.
They containing little or no sand, had not sufficient weight
in themselves to become compact. Containing very
little plastic material that could cement them, they are
very easily eroded. They are altogether of the nature
of decayed wood. In Pleasant, Bearfield and Monroe
townships, especially in the latter, we find quite a number
of hills that are capped with shale deposits.
Sometimes we find on ridges, the remnants of these old shale
beds standing out by themselves. All has been eroded
except a small part which may easily be mistaken for an
artificial earthwork.
Concretions are plentiful among the sedimentary rocks.
The Concretionary Rocks of Perry county are mostly of the
iron ore variety, although concretions of clay and limestone
may also be found. These formations were caused by the
collection of a mineral around a center. They assume
different shapes, usually spherical and Elliptical.
They are dispersed irregularly through other strata.
Ferruginous or iron nodules are frequently found in
clay. They form quite often about some organic body,
such as a fragment of plant, shell or bone. The
writer, accompanied by his pupils, on a Geological Field
Day, found an excellent specimen of iron nodule, about a
mile south of Junction City. In the bed of a stream
was found a stratum of pure clay or soapstone. The
appearance of a circular rock of a different color, upon he
surface of the white stone attracted instant matter to
remove it from the concretion, for such it proved to be.
Upon removal it was found to be some six inches long, about
two and one-half inches in diameter at one end, gradually
tapering toward the other. The center of it looked
like the heart of a tree. The conclusion was that when
the clay stone was softer, a branch of wood lodged in it.
AS the wood decayed, particles of iron, percolating through
the soap stone would take the place of the wood cells, until
finally the iron had completely substituted itself. It
was in reality an iron fossil. We were further
convinced of the truth of our conclusion by finding a
six-inch vein of the purest iron ore in the bank about three
feet above the clay stratum. These iron concretions
are sometimes known as "kidney ore" from their shape.
Upon breaking them open, a hollow center is found, usually
containing a little clay dust. In these cases the
center around which the concretions were made, has decayed,
and as they are formed by building layer upon layer from the
outside, the original becomes a cavity. The iron
nodule referred to above was not formed that way. It
built toward the center. The incasement of the wood by
the clay prevented the concentric layers from being laid
upon it from the outside. The bark of the wood would
decay first. Its cells would be filled by the iron.
The ferruginous material, always being present, would enter
the wood from above. The harder center decayed more
slowly and only the finer particles of iron could find
lodgment there and consequently the branch of the tree was
almost perfectly reproduced.
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