CIRCLEVILLE IN 1825.

     The following article, signed by "* *," appeared in the Circleville Daily Press, issue of October 16, 1885,  being entitled "Sixty Years Ago:"
     "Sixty years ago (1825) the east corporation line was alley between the dwellings of Mack Parrett and Henry Pfennig, then called a lane.  Then the quarter-mile race track was from this line east through the farm of Samuel Watt, the farm house being the house in which George H. Fickardt now lives, and the termination of the quarter mile track was opposite the McCrea property.  At the termination of every race the regular fist fights took place, as then about every other man wanted to be counted a bully.
     "There were at that time regular training days for the militia, which comprised all men between the ages of 18 and 45.  The training day for companies was the first Friday in September of each year and the general musters were on the MOnday following, when all the companies of the county came to town to muster, the arms being generally cornstalks.  It was a great time for us boys as there were plenty of fist fights, keeping the boys running from one side of the circle to the other to witness the fights.
     "In those days every family raised their own hogs for their meat, the hogs being slaughtered in their own yards, in winter, neighbors helping neighbors.  The hogs were cut and sausages made in the evening, and generally all cleaned up in one day.  Numbers of families also kept a flock of sheep running at large over the then open county.  The sheep were sheared in the spring, the wool washed, picked and carded by hand and spun on the big spinning wheel and woven into cloth on hand looms, for winter clothing for both men and women.  Wool picking was done by inviting the women to spend the evening, which took the place of the party of to-day.  Refreshments or a regular supper of flannel cakes, stewed chicken, store coffee, store tea, warm ginger-cakes were to be found in those times.  Flax was also raised by numbers of citizens of the town, who had their flax pullings.  When ripe, the flax hauled in and, when the husks were sufficiently rotted, broken on a regular flax brake.  It was then hackled on long iron prongs, set in a piece of wood, put up in bunches and spun on the small wheel, and afterwards woven into cloth, for summer wear for men and women.
     "There were at that time two spinning wheels in town, one owned by Isaac Warren and the other by Mathias Myers, grandfather of Allen O. Myers, the statesman.

[pg. 92]
     "for hats for men and boys, we depended on the hat manufacturers here in town.  We had fur hats for the men and wool hats for the boys.  The measure of the head was taken and we waited for the hat to be made.  For shoes (no boots in those times), the leather owned by the head of the family was taken to the shoe shop, where each member of the family, boys and girls alike, went to have their feet measured to have shoes made for the winter.  No shoes were worn by boys in summer, particularly; usually only the girls had shoes in summer.
     "Clothing, such as it was, was also made at home.  There were no clothing stores, no hat stores, no shoe stores, no stores to sell groceries exclusively, no queensware stores, no furniture stores, no stores for hardware exclusively.  The so-called stores then kept groceries, queensware and a general assortment of goods, with usually a bottle of whiskey on the counter for such customers that wished to help themselves.
     "There was more manufacturing in Circleville then, than now.  Shoes, hats, clothing and furniture were all manufactured here and we had a nail factory here then.
     "Wagons were sent to Zanesville for loads of salt, to be distributed through town and country.  All dry goods and articles brought from the East were hauled over the mountains in large wagons, drawn by six large horses, which were generally provided with bells.  There were no railroads anywhere in this country at that day.  No cooking stoves in those days.  In their place were the large fire-places in the kitchen with cranes for pots and the tin reflector to set before the fire to bake bread. 
     "Wood only was used for heating purposes and cooking, the fire being covered at night, to be rekindled in the morning, and if the fire went out, some one was sent to the neighbors for a coal.  Failing in this the steel and flint to strike a fire were resorted to.  We had no matches in those days.
     "The culinery department of a household was not then as now.  No fruit was put up in cans in their season, but fruits of all kinds were dried and preserved.  Tomatoes were not

[pg. 93]
 

CIRCLEVILLE IN 1837.

[BIRD'S EYE VIEW OF CIRCLEVILLE IN 1836, LOOKING SOUTH
(DRAWN BY G. F. WITTICH]
 

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RECOLLECTIONS OF EARLY CIRCLEVILLE

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R. D. Atwater & Company, Atwater, Groce & Helman, Fanus Crouse, N. W. Doddridge, Dresbach & Triplett, James McCoy, W. E. & J. Delaplane, George B. Dresbach, Einsel, Wagner & Company, Joel Franklin, Noah S. Gregg, S. Jacobson, McCrea & Machir, Edson B. Olds, Darius Pierce, Samuel Rogers and William Wolfly.
Hardware: Samuel Marfield.
Shoes:  Robert Bell,
Groceries: Samuel Diffenderfer, Duncan & Groce, T. G. Ehrnman, Michael Kellstadt, Ruggles & McQueen and Moses Kahn.
Grocery and Confectionery: F. F. & G. F. Wittich.
Drugs: Griswold & Ballard, Troup & Fickardt and Joseph H. Olds.
Hotels: Pickaway House, Carlisle and Boyd; National House, J. Troy; American Hotel, Philo W. Rodgers.
Publishers: Circleville Watchman, by O. E. Niles and Jason Case.
Doctors:  Wayne Griswold, H. Chenoweth, C. H. Hawkes, N. E. Jones, Chester Olds, William L. Peck, Kingsley Ray, H. Taylor, Samuel Turney, R. L. Van Harlingen and P. K. Hull.
Lawyers:  Alfred Williams, P. C. Smith, W. F. Hurst, John Cradlebaugh, Charles B. Crouse, Guy W. Doane, Henry N. Hedges, Sr., Joash Miller, J. L. Wyman, F. C. Doddridge, A. T. Walling, B. H. Bostwick, Chauncey N. Olds, Joseph Olds, George Doane, H. F. Page, Jonathan Renick, C. B. Mason and Jeremiah Hall."