Tiffin is situate on Sections 18, 19, 20, 29 and 30, Town 2 north, Range 15 east, Clinton township and Section 24, Hopewell Township, in latitude north 41 ', and longitude west from Washington 6  8'.  The Sandusky River flows through the city in general northeastern course, coursing almost due east from Washington Street bridge to the railroad bridges, and dividing the city at this point into the North and South sides.  Washington Street, running north and south, divides the city into the East and West sides.  Rock Creek flows northwest in a tortuous course through the northeastern parts of the city, and enters the river east of Washington Street bridge.  The white population in 1817 was 3; in 1822, 30; in 1830, 600; increased to 7,879 in 1880, and to about 10,000 in 1885.
     The distinctive features of the city are its magnificent location, looking over the Sandusky, its natural terraces, variety of landscape and wildwood drives, all retained, by some magic power, amid the ruin of old time forests, and change in everything.
     Here, at the beginning of the second decade of this century, the troops of 1812 encamped and revelled in the natural beauty of the place, and here a few years later the first white settler built his home and dedicated the locality to civilization for all time.  A few years more and the pioneer of progress came, crossed the river, and, adopting the name of the first governor of Ohio for a town, bestowed it upon a tract of wildwood where Tiffin now stands.  Another year, and there stood the twin settlements, lovely and romantic, quiet and unpretentious.  There the pioneer settlers or travelers passed their happy leisure hours, listening to the murmurs of the rippling waters of the creek, the roar of the rive, or watched the mist as it curtained the groves and cabins.  Ah!  then it claimed but plain imagination to picture the happiness of the warriors and beauties of the ancient tribes, when they looked upon their villages, and found plenty in the woods and in the rivers.  A little thought, too, encircled the place with a romance, all its own, when the white man brought forth in fancy what his predecessors had lost, and what he had won.  Then, for a time, admiration gave place to awe, and over the scene spread a gloom, born in conscience and natural superstition, which prompted the question:  Oh, God! how long shall we enjoy the home of the red men  In after years, amid the din and toil of progress, the thought was forgotten, and the mind once more returned to revel in the beauty and magnificence of the place, to enjoy what the Caucasian had built up on the ruin of the Indian.
     MORE TO COME upon request......

     Fort Ball or the Second Ward. -

     Original Survey of Tiffin, and Additions -

     Incidents of First Settlement. - The first tavern in the county was opened in 1817, by the first settler, Erastus Bowe, immediately below Fort Ball, at the north end of Washington Street bridge.  In 1819 his was the nearest house to the Welch Brothers' settlement at the Mohawk Village, in Eden, and to the white settlements at old Fort Seneca, made in the fall of that year;  if we except Spicer's cabin and other homes of the white captives, who, in the general history are classed with, and treated as Indians.  In 1818 the members of Erastus Bowe's family and Hannah Jackson arrived, also Paul D. Butler's family.  Almon Rollins, who was convicted of the robbery of Spicer, and served some years in the penitentiary, was an employe of Butler.  William Rollins came in 1818.  Abner Pike came in 1819.  Eli Downing also lived here, prior to his settlement near the Baker Mill; the constable Papineau, Henry Creesy, Levi Creesy, the blacksmith John Searles and family, and a few transients, on whom Butler conferred the name of "lazy duffers," resided within Fort Ball, even in 1820, and Josiah Hedges visited the post that year.  Then came David Risdon, the old surveyor, to Fort Ball; Simon B. Howard, from Delaware County; John Mimm, Armstrong Drennon, Charles Wetz or Wertz, from Richland County; Henry Welch, a brother of Hugh Welch, from Eden Township, Seneca County; James Spink, from Wooster; Gen. James Hedges, from Mansfield; Josiah Hedges, Charles Kelly, Henry Miller, David Fowler and others, a few of whom made only temporary settlements.  When the commissioners selected the "town in the bush" on the east side of the river, as the seat of justice; then were only six cabins, in one of which the whole Drennon family died, almost together.  The first tree was cut on the site of the town in March, 1821.  James Spink, of Wooster, opened a store at Tiffin in March, 1822, the same which was plundered the following winter.  Herford, Miner, and Spink located the seat of justice at Tiffin, Mar. 25, 1822, when there were only six cabins there.  Dr. Eli Dresbach and Dr. R. C. J. Carey who settled at Fort Ball in 1823, were among the first resident physicians of the county, but not the first who practiced here.  Rudolphus Dickenson, who located at Fort Ball in 1824, was the first attorney.  Abel Rawson came in February, 1826, although John J. Spink, of Wooster, Ohio, was here in 1821.  The first jail was completed Mar. 4, 1826.  In April , 1828, the United States land office of the Delaware District was located at Tiffin.  Jacob Plane was appointed first postmaster at Tiffin in the spring of 1829.  The first newspaper, the Seneca Patriot was issued from the press by E. & J. H. Brown, August 4, 1832.  The press used was brought to Pennsylvania in the last decade of the last century, and is said to have been the first west of the Alleghenies.
     Preparatory to leaving for the West, the Senecas assembled at Fort Ball in the summer of 1830, and camped there for twenty days while settling their chattels and debts.  The first brick yards were established in 1830-31.  St. Mary's brick church building was begun in 1831.  John Goodin's hotel, a brick house which stood on the site of the National Hall block, was begun late that fall, or early in the spring of 1832.  Dr. Kuhn's residence and Abel Rawson's diminutive law office were built.  There were in fact only three brick buildings completed in the city up to the close of 1833,and perhaps ten times that number of frame buildings, most of them very small, and a large number of log houses.
     The first bridge constructed in Seneca County was that over the Sandusky, at the foot of Washington Street, in 1833-34, built by Reuben Williams for Josiah Hedges.  In 1834 a second bridge was built lower down, and also one across Rock Creek, which were all carried away during the high water of that year.  The Hedges' toll bridge was erected in 1834.  The first railroad, the Mad River & Lake Erie, was surveyed in 1832 by Stansbury, Morris and Van Antwerp0; work begun Sept. 7, 1835, and finished as far as Republic, in 1839, and as far as Tiffin in 1841.  It was completed in 1847-48 (vide Chapter XI).
     The 4th of July was celebrated with eclat at Tiffin, with Henry C. Brish, marshal, in 1832.  The cholera made its first appearance in Seneca County August 19, 1834, when Mrs. John Hubble, of Monroe Street, died.  A son of Mrs. Dalrymple was the last to die from this visitation in 1834.  The disease attacked both native and foreign residents.  Fifteen years later, in 1849, this plague again visited the county; again in 1852, and afterward in 1854.  The first court house was completed in 1836; twelve years prior to this date court was held in the Hedge's building.
     The first bank in the county was on West Perry Street, where George Adams' house now is.  It was opened Nov. 13, 1847, with Benjamin Tomb, president, and R. G. Pennington, cashier.  William E. Chittenden  was elected cashier the same year, and in February, 1848, Abel Rawson was elected president.
     James W. Hill rented the Tiffin Bridge from Josiah Hedges Mar. 30, 1836.  The Tiffin Free Bridge was opened in Feb. 1837.  It cost $2,200.  When Van Nest's carriage factory was burned in 1854, this bridge was also destroyed by fire.  The cars of the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad crossed the new bridge to the grain warehouses of Reid, Greene & Co. and R. W. Shawhan, of Tiffin, and W. N. Montgomery, of Fort Ball, in October, 1841.  A military company, known as teh "Osceolas," was organized at Tiffin in 1844, with William Lang, captain.  This company had a neat green uniform.  It is said tha tohn Forman was afterward captain of this company.,
     A large meeting, held Feb.18, 1847, nominated Josiah Hedges, F. Singer, U. P. Coonrad, O. Cowdery, F. Bernard, F. W. Green, A. Rawson, Dr. H. Kuhn, R. W. Shawhan, R. G. Pennington, Henry Cronise, Eden Lease, J. G. Breslin, A. C. Baldwin and  Dr. McFarland, a committee to present a memorial to the county commissioners for the erection of a substantial bridge at the foot of Washington Street.
     June 18, 1847, a hurricane swept over Tiffin.  Commercial Row suffered much damage; Baldwin's Building had a chimney blown down and a portion of the roof crushed in.  The business men in the row were A. C. Baldwin & Pride, dry goods; Robert Crum's general store, and others.
     A fire at Tiffin in September, 1850, destroyed property valued at $2,600, including six horses.  Sands & Co. (circus men) lost horses and harness; C. Y. Pearson lost his stable; Josiah Hedges lost stable and small buildings and had his dwelling damaged, and Joshua Seney had his house damaged.  Sands & Co.'s circus men and the audience abandoned the performance to aid the firemen under Chief Engineer W. H. Gibson and R. R. Scott, secretary of Engine Company No. 1.  After the fire was put out, the performance continued on until Sunday morning.
     The fires of 1854 swept away Van Nest's carriage factory and the Market Street Bridge.
     The fire of April 13, 1872, was first discovered in Mrs. Abel Rawson's house on Miami Street and Milton McNeal's house on Sandusky Street; next, four barns north of Ogle's store; then Le Baron's stave factory, Singer's residence, Fishbaugh's pump factory, Sneath's warehouse, Kamp's planing-mill, Bartell's salon and Benner's house.  The total loss was estimated at $95,000.  The value and location of property destroyed is given in the following list:  McNeal's merchandise, $2,000; Mrs. Rawson's buildings, $3,500;  A. & F. Ogle's buildings, $9,000; T. Collin's merchandise, $1,900; D. C. Baughman's brick and frame buildings, $2,000; A Meehan's building, $2,000 - all on Sandusky Street.  A. & F. Ogle's $3,000; A. McNeal's $3,000, and Mrs. Glick 's buildings, $500 - all on Miami Street.  D. Arndt, $4,000; D. Bartell, $4,000; George Benner, $1,000; John Knott, $600; W. Shuan, $1,500, and P. Hartner, $200 - all on south side of Adams Street.  Jacob Kuhn, $1,000, B. Troxell, $1,800; railroad company's buidings and whisky, $2,500 - all on North Adams Street.  Mrs. Bresnin's house, $800; M. Kuhn, $2,500; B. Quinn, $6,000; LeBaron, $15,000; T. T. & E. Railroad Company's ties burned, $500 - all on Franklin Street.  E. Olmstead, $2,500; F. J. Wagner, $3,000; H. L. Kendall, $3,500;  A. Brandebury, $3,000; Samuel Shade, $1,000; Fred Singer, $3,200-all on Washington Street.  George Fishbaugh, $1,500; Paul Miller, $1,500, and L. Bang, $1,000 - on Minerva Street.
     To the fire department may be credited the escape of all this portion of the city from destruction.  The Sandusky Engine Company arrived on the scene, but after one-half hour's work, an accident to their engine rendered their work ineffective,.

     Postmasters -  MORE TO COME.....