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Source:
History of Belpre, Washington Co., Ohio
By C. E. Dickinson, D. D.
Formerly Pastor of Congregational Church
Author of the History of First Congregational Church
Marietta, Ohio
Published for the Author by
Globe Printing & Binding Company
Parkersburg, West Virginia
1920
INTRODUCTION
* * *
WE wish we might give
us an introduction to the history of Belpre the story of
an important and interesting race of men who occupied this
region at an unknown period in the past, but left no record of
themselves except the mounds of earth which they erected.
Marietta was an important center of these monuments where the
pioneers found the elevated squares, the great mound, and the
Covert Way. The latter was destroyed many years ago, the
others are still visible. There were several small mounds
in Belpre at the time of the settlement. Many of these
have been leveled through cultivation of the soil, a few are
still visible. The one which is most complete is situated
on the ridge in the east part of Rockland on land now owned by
Jesse Pride, Esq.
This Mound was evidently conical though now only a few
feet high. This is surrounded by a depression or ditch now
easily distinguishable and was doubtless several feet in depth.
This is encircled by a parapet with a diameter of about one
hundred feet. Like the much larger mound at Marietta, it
is laid out with mathematical precision. This is the only
one in Belpre with the ditch and parapet. Another mound
much larger than this stood in the middle settlement and partly
in the street. In 1874 the owner of the farm at that time,
Mr. Joseph Farson, determined to examine and remove this
mound which was then fourteen feet high and about one hundred
feet in circumference at the base.
In Williams History of Washington County, we have a
description of the contents of this mound as follows.
“After digging down a short distance the first skeleton
was discovered. It was in a fair state of preservation, in
fact so sound that doubts at once arose as to its antiquity.
A closer examination of the skull indicated that it was that of
an Indian and a bullet hole in the forehead just above the eye
at once suggested the probability that the death and burial took
place less than a century ago, although there is no history or
even a tradition concerning
[Pg. 2]
such death and burial.†
Toward the center of the mound a skeleton was found which upon
being exposed to the air, at once proved its great age by
crumbling to dust. As the work progressed there were found
at different depths, eight more skeletons, irregularly arranged.
Exposed to the air these bones were soon reduced to their
original elements. With each skeleton was found a stone
pipe, beads, buttons, and balls of mussel shells, and an
occasional collection of arrow heads. A remarkable harpoon
with a bone bearded point, was among the relics found.
With one skeleton was a pair of horns. This suggested that
the builder of the mound believed in a post mortem combat with
an evil one, and the weapons were selected with reference to the
homeopathic principle ‘Similm Similibus curantur.’
One of the horns is artificial and was carved from a bone of
some animal the outside only being finished. With this
hastily made counterfeit was a real horn over six inches in
length. In the center and a little below the base of the mound
were found remains of a skeleton mingled with burned charcoal
and calcinized bones. It was evident that the body had
been cremated, the lower extremities evidently had not been
subjected to the intensity of the flame and there is evidence
that the body, prior to cremation had been placed in a sitting
posture so that the head and trunk were speedily consumed,
leaving the rest of the body unburned. In various parts of
the mound twenty-two arrow heads were found from three to five
inches in length, numerous stone axes, pipes and harpoons; nine
hollow cylindrical tubes eight of which were found together away
from the skeletons; the ninth with the remains of the burned
skeleton, and very much smaller than the others. These
tubes were made of soapstone and the first mentioned were about
one foot in length. The maker of these tubes was
thoroughly acquainted with the art of glazing as their polished
surfaces attest. The entire mound when taken away
furnished two thousand cubic yards of earth.” From this
description it is evident that at least this particular mound
was a burial place and the same was probably true of others.
The large mounds to honor powerful chiefs. In this respect
these pyramids of earth are analagous to the granite pyramids of
Egypt. On this ac-
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† May it not be possible
that this was the skeleton of either Captain Zebulon,
King or Benoni Hulburt who were early killed
by bullets and the localities of their burial are unknown.
[Pg. 3]
count some scholars have found evidence that the mound builders
came to this continent from Egypt. It is however not
altogether improbable that these mound builders may have had an
intuitive inspiration to honor their dead by a pyramid without
any suggestion from Egypt.
These silent monuments reveal very little to us beyond
the fact that this anti-historic race were neither man-like apes
nor ape-like men but human beings in some ways at least superior
to the Indians who immediately preceded the settlement by white
people. We will commence our narrative with the first
connection of this valley with Europeans. The French
commenced settlements in Canada in 1603 taking possession of the
country by the right of discovery. During the following
century and a half they traveled inland along the chain of great
lakes to the Mississippi valley, discovered the great river and
sailed down that river to the Gulf of Mexico. They laid
claim by this right of discovery to the whole valley, though
outside of Canada they established only a few posts for trading
with the natives. In 1749 they took formal possession of
the Ohio valley. This they did by erecting wooden crosses
and burying leaden plates at the mouths of the principal
tributaries. An expedition started from Lake Erie and
passed down the Allegheny and Ohio rivers under the leadership
of Captain Celeron. One of the plates buried
at the mouth of the Muskingum was found by a company of boys in
1798. These boys supposed the principal use for lead was
to make bullets and had used a part of the plate for that
purpose when they were discovered and the remainder of the plate
was preserved. A similar plate was found at the mouth of
the Kanawha in 1845. The following is a translation of the
inscription on this plate and is probably similar to that on all
the plates: “In the year 1749, in the reign of Louis XV,
of France, M. Celeron, commandant of a detachment sent by
the Marquis De La Galessoneire, Captain General of New
France, in order to re-establish tranquility among some villages
of savages in these parts, and buried this plate at the mouth of
the river Chi-no-da-e-the, (Kenawha) on the 18 August near the
Ohio, and of all lands of both sides to the source of such
rivers as have enjoyed, or ought to have enjoyed, the preceding
named King of France and they have maintained themselves by
force of arms and by [Pg. 4]
treaties especially by those of Resabach, Ulback and
Auxle-Chapelle.”
By the treaty of Paris in 1763 the title of all the
Mississippi Valley east of that river and so including all the
valley of the Ohio was transferred to Great Britain.
The people of Virginia soon became interested in the
fertile lands in this valley and the Ohio Land Company was
formed to survey and dispose of these lands. The
Revolutionary war interfered with the work of this company but
meanwhile George Washington made a trip down the
valley and became owner of some of the best land. Mrs.
Laura Curtis Preston, in her excellent
history of Newbury, describes this journey as follows:
“George Washington made a journey down
the Ohio river in 1770. The following is from his journal.
About six or seven miles below the mouth of Little Canawha, we
came to a small creek on the west side which the Indians called
the Little Hockhocking. * * * the lands below the Little Canawha
appear broken and indifferent but opposite to the Little
Hockhocking there is a bottom of exceeding good land. The
lower end of this bottom is opposite to a small island of which
I dare say little is to be seen when the river is high.
(The land referred to is now called Newbury Bar.) On his
return journey they camped opposite the Little Hockhocking which
may be distinguished by a large stone just at its mouth (Ohio
Arch and History Quarterly Oct. 1908.) That stone still
remains, just as it was when Washington saw it, firmly imbedded
in the banks of the stream. Washington was induced to
purchase this “bottom of good land” now called Washingtons
Bottom in West Virginia, and would have purchased the bottom
land opposite, of which he speaks in his journal, had this land
not been on the Indian side of the river.”
After the public lands, which were originally claimed
by the states, had been transfered to the General
Government, it was a policy of Congress to keep the lands vacant
until they had been surveyed and provisions made for their sale.
In 1785, two years before the Ohio Company purchased
this land, Gen. Richard Butler was sent down the Ohio
river for the purpose of warning any squatters he might find to
vacate their claims. He says in his journal. “Oct. [Pg.
5]
8. Found settlers on the head of the first island below
the Little Hbckhocking and also on the Ohio shore further down
the river.” “To the people on the island who seemed to be
very reasonable people and the women appeared clean and neatly
dressed, he sent some proclamations warning them off the island
but sterner measures were resorted to in the case of the
settlers below. (Craigs olden times 1847.) Gen.
Butler also refers to the large stone at the mouth of the Little
Hockhocking. The island mentioned was doubtless Mustapha.”
The army officers who settled in Marietta and Belpre
had very high esteem for the French, who had aided us in the
dark days of the Revolution both with money and men and without
this aid we might have failed to secure our independence.
This esteem is preserved in the names given to these places.
The principal city in the settlement was honored with the name
of the beautiful Queen Mane Antionette shortened to
Marietta, and the first out station was Belle prairie (beautiful
meadow) contracted to Belpre. BELPRE
this township was first
authorized by the following action of the Court of Quarter
Sessions in 1790. "Resolved that townships number one (1)
and two (2) in the tenth (10) range and number one (1) in the
ninth (9) range be and they are hereby incorporated and included
in one township by the name of Belpre." As thus
constituted this township, was bounded on the north by territory
in Warren, Barlow and Fairfield townships. On the east and
south by the Ohio river and on the west by what is now Athens
County, Decatur and a fraction of Fairfield townships.
Williams History of Washington County states that "in 1797 the
court of Quarter Sessions declared that all the territory in
Ohio Company's purchase south of the townships of Waterford and
Marietta and north of Gallipolis be known as Belpre township,
this embraced parts of the present counties of Athens, Vinton
and Ross, together with fractions of Hocking, Meigs, Jackson and
Pike.” This territory was divided and incorporated into
counties and townships from time to time until in 1855, it
included only the territory now embraced in Belpre and Dunham
townships. A territory somewhat irregular on account of
[Page 6]
its river boundary, but embracing only a little more land than a
regular congressional township of six miles square. During that
year petitions were presented to the County Commissioners from
citizens of Warren and Belpre for the erection of a new township
composed of territory embraced between the following boundaries,
viz: “commencing on the Ohio river three miles south of
the north line of township one (1) range nine (9) and running
west to the west line of range ten (10) and south of the north
line of township two (2) range ten (10) and township one (1)
range nine (9) except section thirty-six (36) of township two
(2) range nine (9). Parties were heard in favor and
against said township and on examination of the petitions, it
was found that a majority of householders residing within the
boundaries of said change were in favor of the same, and it was
resolved that the said territory as described above be
considered a new township. Ordered that the township now
formed be called Dunham.” By this action of the
commissioners the township was virtually bisected, leaving but
little more than half the territory of a township of six miles
square. The shape on the east and south conforms to the
direction of the river so that there are nearly fourteen miles
of river frontage. The lands embraced within the two river
terraces are among the most fertile and productive farming and
gardening lands in the Ohio valley while the hills in the
background are well adapted to pasturage and fruit raising.
The scenery in various parts of the town is somewhat monotonous
although there are several high points from which quite
extensive views of the surrounding country are obtained, and
there are several romantic ravines among the hills. One of
these a little back of the village, on Congress Creek, has been
known as “Low Gap.” This has been a favorite resort for
parties of young people and Mrs. Kate Browning
Foutz a daughter of Belpre has honored it by the
following poetic gem.
“Low Gap, the place where fays and fairies dwell,
Search far and wide, there is no sweeter dell.
There dawns come later and twilight early falls,
There silence reigns unbroken save the birds low calls.
The hum of insects or drone of bees,
The murmuring brook or rustling trees,
[Pg. 7]
And where the interlacing branches meet
Above some pool, pellucid, sweet,
The flashing minnows sport and turn
Beneath the mirrored greenness of the fern.”
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This brief description of Belpre, may help us to appreciate the
early history as given in detail by Dr. S. P. Hildreth.
The first eight chapters are a republication from
Dr. Hildreth's “Pioneer History” and “Lives of Pioneers.”†
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† Dr. Hildreth lived and practiced medicine several years in
Belpre.
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