Delaware County, Ohio - Chapter 9 (2 of 2 so headed), 1880 (part 3 of 3)

A generally accepted tradition is authority for the statement that the first settlement made and the first cabin reared on the site of the city of Delaware, was by Joseph Barber, in the fall of 1807. His cabin was a pole-log house, fifteen feet square, situated j ust southeast of the sulphur spring on the university grounds, and fronted on the trail which led up from Worthington along the river. He was, evidently, a squatter in very poor circumstances, and, on August 20, 1808, for the' nominal consideration of f 1, was given a deed of the lot which took in his premises. At the same time he bought Lot No. 4, situated on the corner of North and Franklin streets, for $15.36, payable in annual installments of $3.84, the first to be paid on the 15th of the following March. He left the town and went to .Berkshire in a few months, selling his property to Dr. Noah Spaulding. As soon as the county seat was fixed at Delaware, Col. Byxbe made preparations to take up his residence there. He sold his house and farm in Berkshire to David and Joseph Prince, and put up a frame building on Lot No. 70, on the north side of William street, between Henry and Union streets. Henry street was not then opened across Williams, and he reserved the whole square on which his house stood, extending from Union street to the river, for his own used. In later years, an orchard occupied the space east of his house, while back and west of it his cows found a scanty subsistence. Early in May of 1808, his household goods having beeu brought over to Delaware by Joseph Prince, Mr. Byxbe came with his family and became a citizen of the county seat. At the same time came Solomon Smith, Azariah Root, Nathan Messenger, Reuben Lamb, and Jacob Drake, who had come the year previous from Pennsylvania. These families all came from Berkshire, and were closely attached to the Byxbe interests. The providing of homes for their families engrossed the attention of the male portion of the settlement ; while the women were engaged in ' the scarcely less arduous cares which fell to the helpmeet. Mechanics were few, and facilities for building meager, and the houses of Col. Byxbe and Joseph Barber for weeks afforded the only home for the little community. It was not long, however, before the hewed-log house of Azariah Root was erected on the corner of Abraham and Henry streets, and joined in the general hospitality. Then came in rapid succession a frame house on the southeast corner of Sandusky and Williams streets, built by Col. Byxbe for his son-in-law, Nathan Messenger ; the log house of Reuben Lamb on the northeast corner of Williams and Union streets, on Col. Byxbe's square ; and the foundation of the brick house of Jacob Drake on the southwest corner of Franklin and Williams streets. This house was finished in the fall, and is especially interesting from the fact that, owing to the scarcity of masons, Mrs. Drake laid all the inner wall herself. The house of Dr. Lamb was a temporary one, and was replaced the following year by a brick, situated on the southwest corner of Union aod Williams streets. During the summer and fall of this year a number of others, attracted from the different settlements about, came and built their homes in various parts of the villas;e. Among these were : Silas Dunham, from the Dunham settlement in Berlin ; Noah Spaulding, from Berkshire ; Joab Norton, from Orange ; Aaron Welch and Ira Carpenter, from Liberty. From Worthington came Nathaniel and William Little, Paul D. Butler and his brother Thomas. Another arrival was that of Jacob Kensell, but where he came from is not known. He was a shoemaker and soon had a place for evening loafers and for mending shoes in Barber's old tavern.

The little village was a scene of bustling activity. The whole dbmestic and social machinery of the community was to be fashioned and put in motion, and there was plenty of work for every hand to do. Col. Byxbe was everywhere the animating spirit, and his restless activity found ample scope for its exercise. In the newly formed court he sat as Associate Judge ; he ruled the Board of Township Trustees ; he originated and viewed the new roads which united the town with the older settlements ; he was his own sole agent in the disposal of the vast tracts of land he held, and every movement for the prosperity of the town obeyed his guiding hand. Others were less active only as they were less able, or occupied positions less commanding. Solomon Smith, whom later years knew only to honof, came fresh from his duties as teacher in Chillicothe. Elected as Sheriff of the new county, whose business assumed no great proportions, he found ample service for his abilities, as an aid to Col. Byxbe. Azariah Root was chosen County Surveyor, and the demand for avenues of communication with the outside world kept him busy with chain and field note. Jacob Drake, the first County Treasurer, added to that the double calling of Baptist minister and Surveyor, while Dr. Lamb added to a professional practice which compelled him to ride over two counties, the duties of County Recorder. In spite of all the earnest reality of that time, there is a gleam of humor in the picture, as we think of those spectacled men of years, carrying the treasury about in their breeches pocket, or taking the county books of record to their homes, and by the " broad hearthstone " making entries pregnant with the fate of men and moneys, as the careful housewife counts up her sales of butter and eggs. In the mean time, amidst all these engrossing cares, the cornplanting had not been forgotten, and, on one of the bottoms which had been used by the Indians, a large field had been devoted to

With the fall came the first harvest home in the new settlement, and the occasion was celebrated by a grand husking bee. The corn piled in a long row was divided into equal portions and a prize of whisky offered. It is said Jacob Kensell won the prize. On the 11th of October, the first State election in which Delaware took part, was held, and thirty-two votes polled. Azariah Root was elected Justice of the Peace. The Judges of election were Jacob Drake, Azariah Root and Noah Sturdevant, with Jeremiah Osborh and Salmon Agard as Clerks.

The succeeding years were years of rapid growth and development. The success which had hitherto attended the efforts of Col. Byxbe, gave him a prestige that worked greatly to the advantage of the new town. It was felt that under the powerful patronage of such a man its future success was assured, and the town at once gained a flattering notoriety. So marked was this fact that Moses Wright, the founder of Columbus, recognizing it as a business reality, purchased in September of 1808, several village lots. He was destined afterward to have the shrewdness of his purchase confirmed at the expense of a close contest for the success of his own project. This vantage ground was appreciated by the people, and was maintained by a generous and far-sighted policy. Persons of talent and enterprise were sought for and cordially welcomed, and a community was built up that was the peer in character and intelligence of those of Chillicothe or Zanesville.

The year of 1812 brought a serious check to the rapid growth of Delaware. Hitherto the State capital had been, up to 1810, situated at Chillicothe, and from that time until 1812 at Zanesville ; and among other towns, Delaware aspired to become the site of its permanent location, with reasonable hopes of success. The competition was spirited, and the contest finally narrowed down to a struggle between Columbus and Delaware. It was contended by the citizens of the latter place that it was more centrally located, and that it had a vigorous existence, while its opponents offered only a spot covered with its native forest on the " high bank of the Scioto River, opposite Franklinton." There were four speculators interested in the location near Franklinton, and it would naturally be supposed that they could bring a greater weight of influence to bear upon the Legislature than could Mr. Byxbe alone. But this advantage was by no means so apparent. For some time the contest hung in even scales, and the members had all made a choice save Gen. Foes, of Worthington. On his vote the decision hung, and Delaware expected much of him, but his pecuniary interests were centered at Franklinton, and, on the 14th of February, the Legislature passed an act accepting the proposals of the Columbus parties. This result was- a severe blow to Delaware. Up to the point of the decision, the brilliant prospects of the town had attracted the attention of the ambitious and enterprising, and the village seemed to have seized that flood-tide of affairs which was leading on to fame and fortune. The immediate efiect of this turn in the tide was to stop immigration, and the consequent business activity, and Delaware was struck with a paralysis of its enterprise, from the effects of which it took two full decades to recover. The lands of the "new purchase," coming into market a few years after the war, diverted the flow of immigration which set in strongly from the East at that period, and, what was more fatal to the development of the town, held back by anticipation, and finally diverted into foreign channels, the investments of the larger portion of the town's capitalists. In laying out the town, the proprietors intended that Abraham street should be the main business thoroughfare, while Williams street should furnish sites for the residences of Delaware's aristocratic citizens. But the people did not seem to fall in with this plan, and showed a decided preference for the northern part of the town. George Storm coming as early as 1809, bought Outlot No. 45, and made it his place of residence. Business houses from the first took possession of Sandusky street, between Williams and North streets, while below the run, there were not even residences, save on Abraham street, where it crossed the university campus. The . taxes on the unprofitable lots south of the run became a heavy burden that added force to the popular choice, and, yielding to the decision thus expressed, all these lots (numbering above 92) were vacated, and the square originally set aside for church purposes was divided into eight lots, making just one hundred in the reconstructed town.

The declaration of war which followed in the wake of the act establishing the capital, with the business activity which it occasioned, did much to relieve Delaware's depression. The town was situated on the most practicable route between the State capital - then temporarily placed at Chillicothe - and the scene of military operations about Detroit-and Sandusky, and it became, during the war, a place of considerable military importance. The people of the village and township took a deep interest in the questions which brought on the war, and in the stern arbitrament of arms, to which they were referred for decision. Among the earliest troops to be called out was a company of light horse belonging to the State militia, on the muster-rolls of which were found the familiar names of Elias Murray as Captain, James W. Crawford as First Lieutenant, David Prince as Second Lieutenant, and Joseph Prince, Robert Jamison, Sylvester Root, Morris Cowgill, Alexander and William Smith, Ralph S. Longwell, John Slack, J. Barter, Forest Meeker, John Wilson, Thomas Dunham and James Carpenter, as privates. This company was employed as a raiding force, and was called out at different times for a period of service not exceeding at any time over forty days. Each man furnished his own horse and equipments, and over his shoulder was slung the inevitable canteen of whisky, A little incident occurred in camp before the company left town, which threatened to bring the war right to the doors of the community. Crawford, to play a practical joke on Jamison, drained the latter's canteen of whisky and filled it with something less desirable. This was touching Jamison in a tender spot, and he challenged the unknown perpetrator to a personal contest at arms, but , as no one reponded to such an invitation, th^ matter was allowed to drop. The company was ordered to Detroit, and made a raid into Canada. Tearing down some fine farm buildings west of the river, they made rafts of the lumber thus obtained, and crossed to the CanaaJa shore. There they destroyed property of all kinds, burning mills, hay and grain, and re-crossing without loss. Robert Jamison lost his horse by running him upon a snag, which entered the breast of the animal, rendering it necessary to shoot him. This loss occurred soon after re-crossing into Michigan, a misfortune which he was forced to bear out of his own resources. A company of infantry, raised by Capt. Foos in the northern part of the county, drew a number of men from Delaware Township and village, and, among others, Erastus Bowe, who settled in Brown in 1809. This company went to Fremont, then known as Lower Sandusky, and helped to build Fort Crogan, Mr. Bowe breaking the ground for that purpose. After Hull's surrender, this company returned to Delaware and was disbanded. This surrender, which brought so many evils to this county in its train, did not afiect Delaware so seriously as the more sparsely settled communities. A one-story brick store building stood on the northeast corner of Williams and Sandusky streets, and, about this, a high palisade of strong puncheons had been constructed for cases of emergency, but with hardly a thought that such a necessity was likely to arise. It was at this time that Drake took the field with his company, and became the innocent author of the disastrous stampede which long ago found a place in history. The first intimation of the wide-spread demoralization was brought to Delaware one morning about sunrise, as its citizens were preparing or eating breakfast. ^ The scene cannot be pictured in the vivid light in which it appears in the minds of those who remember it. The news had first reached the Radnor settlement, and from there a mob of frenzied fugitives had set forth, gaining in numbers as it came, and, without a note of warning, burst upon the half-aroused village with the sudden fury of a tornado. The sudden tumult of wagons and the clamor of the fleeing men, women and children, brought out the startled citizens with anxious inquiries, but the panic-stricken people had not a minute to lose. They could only cry out as they rushed along, " The Indians are upon us ! the Indians are upon us ! " and exhort their friends to join the flight.. The settlements in the north part of the township joined the rout, and it would not have been surprising if the whole village -population had gone also. But comparatively few of the villagers, however, joined the flight. There was a sudden rallying to the fortifications, and the men organized for the defense of the place. Scouts were sent out, who soon ascertained that the alarm was false, but not in time to save the people who had passed south through the village. Messengers were sent everywhere to explain the cause and stop the fleeing multitude. The stampede reached the Meeker settlement, where Stratford now is, as that family were at breakfast. Mr. Meeker had been out with the army from the commencement of hostilities, had reached the rank of Colonel, and had been placed in charge of the transportation of the Northwestern army, continuing in that position under Harrison. After Hull's surrender, he came home, sick with a malarial fever. He found his family alarmed at the prospect of an Indian invasion, but, from his knowledge of the country and the strength of the frontier military force, assured them that there was no such danger to be apprehended. He realized that, in the natural course of the fever, he would become delirious, and he warned the family that whatever the reports they should hear, they should on no account move him, as it would only result in his death. The panic found Col. Meeker in a partially deranged state of mind, still he knew enough about matters to realize the situation of affairs, and kept reiterating his former statements. Twfce was the confidence of the family in his judgment overruled by their fears, and twice did they carry him to the wagon prepared for flight, but as often returned him to his bed. Their mental torture can hardly be appreciated at this day. As they saw persons hurrying by whose judgment had hitherto commanded their respect, the impulse to join the stream of fugitives was almost irresistible, and was only checked by a thought of the inevitable result to the father and husband. A messenger was at last dispatched to Delaware, where the welcome news was received that there was no cause for alarm.

The full extent of the disastrous stampede can never be known. A large part of the fugitives did not cease their flight until they reached Chillicothe, and many never returned to their farms. The disposition of Harrison's troops soon put to rest any apprehensions -of an Indian invasion, if any such were afterward entertained, and placed Delaware in an important relation to the new campaign then being inaugurated. The forces under Gen. Winchester and others were centered along the line of Urbana, St. Mary's and Fort Defiance, while the troops, artillery and supplies from Pennsylvania came by way of Canton, Wooster and Mansfield, to Fort Meigs, the place of rendezvous, while the Virginia and Kentucky re-enforcements came by way of Chillicothe, along the various roads leading through Delaware County. On the 19th of November, 1812, the headquarters were at Franklinton, but they were soon moved nearer the army in the field, and when the campaign, which had been carried on into the winter, ended, in February, 1813, we find Gen. Harrison at Fort Meigs. From that place, on the 11th of that month, he writes to inform the War Department of his disposition of the troops for winter quarters ; ' and in regard to the season he writes as follows : " The present is precisely the season, in common years, when the most intense frosts prevail in this " country, giving the most perfect security and facility in passing the lakes, rivers and swamps with which it abounds. For the last twelve or fifteen days, however, it has been so warm that the roads have become entirely broken up, and, for a considerable distance in our rear, absolutely impassable for wagons or sleds, and can with great difficulty be traversed with single horses." The greater part of his troops, save a few detachments for garrison duty, he concentrated at Fort Meigs, and retired with his headquarters to Delaware, where he occupied rooms in thehQuse of Col. Byxbe, then known as a hotel. Early in March, Gov, Isaac Shelby, of Kentucky, came in command of his State's contingent, and with his staff; one of which, an aide-de-camp, was John J. Crittenden, took up his quarters at Barber's old tavern. His troops were encamped on the west bank of the river, just south of the old cemetery, on ground which is now partly covered by the railroad. A little later, the Virginia troops arrived, and went into camp just north of the village. During the stay of the troops, the town was fiill of activity. The store and stills were well patronized, and settlers found a ready market for everything they had to sell. Col. Meeker kept his mills running night and day, grinding wheat for the army, while Erastus Bowe and Solomon Smith, acting for Col. Byxbe, scoured the country in quest of corn, hogs and cattle. Mr. Byxbe was a large contractor for the army, suppl3ring the troops in town all the beef they used, using the unoccupied part of the square on which his house-stood as a corral. The manner of buying hogs was unique. The principals in the transaction selected an average hog, which was killed, dressed and weighed, and the herd bought on that basis. Not only was the surplus stock absorbed by the army, but the surplus men also. A recruiting station was opened at Delaware, and many, through sentiments of patriotism, or moved by the glittering attraction of the enlistment money, joined the march to " glory or the grave." Several instances of immigrants enlisting on the first day of their arrival in the town occurred, while many were made drunk and entrapped after the old British custom, by the advance payment of a shilling. When the troops about Delaware moved north, there was a great dearth of transportation. Gen. Harrison had sold all of his teams and pack animals, to save wintering them, and there was great difficulty in supplying their place. Those of the settlers, therefore, who had teams, were " pressed into the service." It is related of Elam Vining, Sr., that, being thus impressed into the service of the Kentucky troops, he went with them one day's march. The next morning, he had driven but a short distance when his wheels ran off and his wagon began to fall to pieces. There was no apparent help for it, and the Kentuckians, cursing him for his lack of patriotism and his Yankee shrewdness, unloaded and left him. He was not long in finding the missing parts of his wagon -and making his way back to the town. But all were not so loath to follow the fortunes of Harrison's army in the final campaign, and many from Delaware, as officers or privates, went with it to Canada. Erastus Bowe, though not fully recovered from the effects of disease contracted early in the service, became connected with the Commissary Department, and continued' to the end of the war. Col. Meeker rejoined the army as soon as recovered from histfllness, and occupied an important position on Gen. Harrison's staff. He was in close attendance upon the General, occupying the adjoining markee, when Harrison was shot at in his tent by a would-be Indian assassin, and witnessed, with the rest of the army. Perry's battle off Put-in-Bay Island, boarding the victorious fleet with Harrison when the conflict was over. But the burden of the war was not borne alone by those who fought its battles. There was a part played in the cabin that was not less truly heroic. Up to this time the States had sent their raw products to England to be manufactured, and not even a candle-wick was made at home. The first result of the war was to cut off the supply of manufactured cottons, forcing the women to lesort to all sorts of makeshifts to supply their lack. The flax and wool of their own growing, in the defb hands of the women, supplied the family with clothing. Thread and candle-wicking were made from the same material, and many an incident is related of the misadventures occasioned by the faulty wicking.

While thus busied with the public questions of the hour, the little town did not forget the more domestic, but not less essential, duties of the farm and fireside. Among the first petitions presented to the newly formed Commissioners' Court, was one asking for the laying-out of a road along the west bank of the Olentangy, from the treaty line to the south line of the county. In the fall of the following year, a road was laid out from the west end of Williams street, through New Baltimore (Delhi), to the treaty line. Other roads were laid out on the east bank of the river, uniting with the road on the other side of the river at the various fords. The first road laid out has always been the main thoroughfare for through travel, though its exact location has been somewhat changed during later years. As first constructed, it followed the river as closely as the character of the soil and the angles of the river would permit. Passing through Delaware, it followed the course of Henry street, which was then the main thoroughfare and the site of the original trail. On this street, three or four rods southeast of the spring stood. Barber's cabin, and he doubtless found a warrant in his own indolent nature for turning inn-keeper, without much thought as to the local advantages for such an enterprise. Whether he hung out a sign or made it known by charging for his hospitalities, is not certain ; nor does it matter greatly. The people indorsed the enterprise and buoyed it on to such success thattit became autocrat, not only of the breakfast table, but of all social questions affecting the community. It was but natural that this should be the great news emporium of the town. Here the male gossips exchanged their wares and vied with each other in eliciting the first and fullest digest of news from the traveler guest of the house. About the door the young men "swapped horses," and many a neck-and-neck race down the " cherry-bottom road " resulted from a conceited banter and a wager of " the drinks " on the speed of some favorite animal. This brought trafiic to the bur of the house, and the host was generally found an interested witness of the race. This was the raffling ground of the community ; here the " crack shots " contested superiority in marksmanship, and an oak just south of the cabin stood for years the scarred monument of their skill. This old tavern performed its more dignified functions just as well. Here the announcements of husking and logging bees found their widest circulation, and when the public met to arrange a grand hunt or to deal out retribution to a violator of the unwritten law of the community, they deliberated here. It was in this cabin that the first court dispensed justice ; here the first county and town elections were held, and here in time of war floated the flag of the Kentucky troops. There was also what may be called its domestic side, when winter's long evenings brought out the latent charms of the broad fireplace, and

Here quietly dropped in the older members of the, community, and, basking in the genial glow of the fire with a glass of toddy and a well-filled pipe in either hand, the merry song or thrilling frontier tale went round. Another charm about the pioneer tavern, which acted powerfully upon old and youngalike, was the cook. She was known, as " Capt. Sallie," and many a housewife was treated to a lecture on the art of cooking, with Sallie for a text. She was chambermaid as well, and on occasion attended the liar or assisted the weary traveler to dismount, bringing in his saddlebags, and frequently when " Bill," the stable hand, was off spending his time with idle fellows, "toted" the horse to the barn. Such qualifications would naturally raise their possessor high in the estimation of the community, but she added to these a gift before which all the others paled into insignificance in the admiration of her friends. She was a master shot with the rifle, and it was this gift that secured to her the title of " Captain." The spring had been famous as a deer lick, and, notwithstanding the nearness of the settlers, these creatures occasionally ventured in at nightfall to steal a draught of the invigorating waters. Pt was on such an occasion that Capt. Sallie left the tavern in search of the cows. With her ear intent on the bell which they wore, she slowly picked her way along toward the west, when, looking back over the hill whende she had come, she discovered a doe with her fawn drinking at the spring. The cows were forgotten on the instant, and, with the instinct of a huntress, she made her way rapidly and silently to the cabin. Taking down the rifle, she gained a favorable position, and, first shooting the fawn, she secured them both. The shots brought out the people of the tavern, and the trophies were carried in. " This successful shooting within the limits of the new town," says an old chronicler in speaking of this incident, " was a great event, and honors fell thick and fast on the shoulders of Sallie. She was dubbed Capt. Sallie at once. She was, of course, greeted by everybody, and the feat soon made her famous." Not long after this, Sallie and Billy, who, it was generally understood, were soon to be " hitched," were out on a nutting expedition. They had not cleared the ground now included in the university campus, when, as Billy was making his way into a thicket, an animal from a low-branching oak sprang upon him, and, fastening its teeth and claws into his flesh, bore him to the ground. As may be imagined, Sallie was not slow in coming to the rescue, grasping the rifle which stood against a tree as she ran. But though an adept in the use of a gun, and repeatedly told by Billy to shoot, she still hesitated, paralyzed by the fear of injuring her friend. Finally, Billy got the savage brute in a favorable position, and a sure shot from Sallie's rifle stretched the animal dead on the ground. A glance revealed the fact that the attack had been made by a huge wild cat, that had probably been treed by the dog, and was startled into the attack by the sudden appearance of Billy. In the mean time, the revulsion of feeling was too much for Sallie's nerves, and she lay upon the ground white and faint as any other woman. The story of this adventure gained for Capt. Sallie increased renown, while the scene of action was dubbed " Wildcat Hollow," a name it bore for many years. But the pioneer tavern, with its homely cheer and mild wassail, its culinary triumphs and tender romance, has long since passed away, and the sward, radiant with the beauty of nature unadorned, dimples in the sunshine as innocent of the tragedy of human life enacted above it as though it had never borne up the busy haunts of men. This tavern changedhands frequently at first, from Barber to Spaulding, and then to Robinson-, under whose administration it passed its palmiest days. For several years it stood without a competitor, but the growing importance of the town began to demand something more pretentious, or, as has been suggested, the people who lived principally north of the run, " became tired of walking the log that bridged the stream, especially on their return, when they often had to straddle it, or wade the run holding on to the log," and demanded better facilities. Be it as it may, the new brick house which Col. Byxbe put up just east of his first dwelling was known for a time as a hotel, and a small brick structure built near it was the post oflGice. Here the traveler guest was received with such blandishments as few could use to greater advantage than Mr. Byxbe. It became of great advantage to the resident proprietor to meet and impress every available new-comer with a hopeful view of Delaware's fiiture. In modern phrase this would be called judicious advertising, and it was probably with this object in view, rather than moved by any pecuniary motive, that he opened his house for the entertainment of the public.

The tavern business early assumed a position of considerable importance. It was a profitable busiat that time, and one in which the most distinguished citizens did not hesitate to engage. The frontier position of the place, and the peculiar constitution of the court, combined to bring a good many persons into town for temporary purposes. The consequence of this fact was a number of public houses, which would now be considered out of all proportion. A long wooden building was built at an early date, where the Bank of Deposit now stands, where Solomon Smith first entertained the public, but Mrs. Byxbe, desirous of entertaining those who came to attend court, persuaded Col. Byxbe to buy him out, and for some time, continued the business. He was succeeded in the same business, after an interval of some months, by Ezra Griswold, in 1821. In the meanwhile, Aaron Welch built a tavern opposite the Episcopal church, on Winter street, where he entertained the public several years, and, in 1816, built a large brick structure on Sandusky street. Mr. Welch died before it was completed, but it served its purpose for years, and, shorn of part of its dimensions, it is now owned ^nd occupied by Mrs. Kilbourn. Cotemporary with the later years of Mr. Welch, as tavern-keeper, was ElemVining, Sr., who occupied for several years the Messenger House, on the southeast corner of Williams and Sandusky streets. Another hotel stood on the northeast corner of Winter and Sandusky streets. An early proprietor was Maj. Strong, i and another was a Mr. Hinton - a distant relative of Otho Hinton, of later fame - who was succeeded by a Mr. Dunbar. It was during the time of the latter gentleman, in 1817, that President Monroe, making a trip through the West, came with a large suite on horseback from Sandusky. The President stopped with Dunbar over Sunday, and went to the old court house to hear Rev. Joseph Hughs preach. Mr. Hughs was greatly embarrassed by his distinguished auditors, and found, as he afterward declared, great difficulty in openiog the services. He lost his embarrassment, however, in preaching, and the Prfsident, learning of his feeling, sent a very complimentary message to him in regard to his discourse. The visit of a President was quite as important an event then as now, and the hotel was crowded with sight-seers. One, an old German, had but a very imperfect idea of what a President was. He had seen auimal shows at the taverns, and, thinking it was something of that sort, asked Mr. Dunbar to show him the President. Willing to humor the old man, he was introduced, but, when he got out, he took Dunbar aside and asked if that was all the folks were making such a fuss about. On being answered in the affirmative, he expressed his disgust and dissatisfaction, and left town instanter. The rest of the town were evidently of another mind, and, desirous of showing their hospitality, made up a purse and paid the expenses of the President and his suite while in the town. The death of Mr. Dilnbar's wife soon after forced him to retire from the business, and, in 1818, Gen. Sidney Moore and Pardon Sprague bought him out. Mr. Moore was married on Sunday, February 1, 1818, and the following day, the new couple took possession of their new business.

In 1822, Mr. Griswold moved from the building he first occupied as a hotel and printing office, into a brick building erected by Jacob Drake, on the southwest corner of North and Sandusky streets, where he continued the double business for many years. But the business of tavern-keeping, though taking on a vigorous? growth very early, did,t not absorb all the business energy of the community. Taverns were the natural outgrowth of the stimulated immigration, and were more prominently apparent, but other enterprises early took root and achieved a healthy growth, if less rapid. Col. Byxbe was alive to the necessities of the place, and early set about erecting a sawmill and .a grist-mill within the precincts of the town. A wooden dam was placed across the river, where the present one is, and a race constructed from that point followed the river to North street, where it rejoined the stream. The latter was the work of Erastus Bowe, and remains a creditable monument to his faithful workmanship. The saw-mill was placed at the dam, and was one of those pioneer affairs that did the work assigned them with some neatness and less dispatch. The" grist-mill was situated on the race just south of the present grist-mill, near North street. In the cellar of this building was a still where customers regaled themselves with sun fry strong potations while waiting to be served by the other department of the establishment. Another still, which figures largely in the annals of the early times, was built some years later by Dr. Lamb, just south of his house on the run. Rutherford Hayes was a partner with Dr. Lamb for some years, but he was noted for his temperate use of the whisky he made. Across the run from this distillery was a brick building built into the side of the hill, on which the University now stands. This building was two stories high, only one of which showed above the hill on the southern face. This Joab Norton bought or built in the fall of 1808, or in the following spring, and was the first tannery in the town of Delaware. The lower story of the house was used for the works, the vats occupying the ground just north of the building; a free-flowing spring a little east of the building and well up on the hillside, furnished water to the household and to the tannery. The ague prevented Norton's staying longer than a year here, and he sold to Koester. He was a carpenter, but bought the tannery as a speculation. In 1813, Norton came and worked for Koester in the tannery, for a few months, when he died. The old building soon fell into disuse, and for years stood in a rickety, tumble-down condition, with its leaky roof of loose, warped-up shingles, its windows stuffed with old hats and rags, the doors, with broken hinges' and latches, slamming with every gust of wind, and bearing all the other marks of an abandoned, tottering old tenement. This old building stood for thirty or forty years unused, and needed but little more than these signs of decay to get it a reputation for being haunted. A story is told to the effect that in the winter of 1812-13 two soldiers got into a drunken quarrel at Lamb's distillery, but afterward, in their cups, clasped hands over the chasm in their friendship. On their return home to camp, however, they fell out again and came to blows, and one, falling against a honey locust standing in the vicinity of the tannery, after a few convulsions, died. His now thoroughly sobered companion found that in his fall a long sharp spine had passed into his ear, piercing the brain. He found himself in an akrming position, and, seizing the body of his late companion, he deposited it in one of the unused vats, covering it vrell with the lime he found at hand. On his return to camp the compaiiion knew nothing of the other, thought he had left him at the distillery, was himself too drunk to know much about it, but remembered that in his drink the other had hinted at desertion. The soldier was never found, and it was only in after years that his spirit returned to give color to the statement of the timid, that the old building was haunted. George Storm, who came in 1809, worked in the old Norton tannery for a while, but soon after started up works of his own, on the flat just northeast of his house. Here he continued in the trade for years, supplying the country for miles around with the products of his business.

Up to 1812, general trade had assumed no importance, and there had been but one store, which did but little business. This wjks located on the northeast corner of Williams and Sandusky streets, and had been established by Col. Byxbe for his son Moses. His son proved a great failure as a business man, an evil that was partly remedied by the accession of Elias Murray as partner. He remained as partner but a short time, and, after the war, Moses Byxbe, Jr., went into some speculation which bankrupted him. He bought pork, made sausages and shipped it East, but it all spoiled before it got to Sandusky, and was pitched into the lake. A few such speculations brought him into the clutches of his creditors, who took the privilege of the law, and boarded him at the county jail, until, tired of such attentions, he took the benfit of the limit act, confining himself to the limits of the town. One of the earliest and most successful merchants of that time was William Little. He came originally to Worthington from Connecticut with the Scioto colony. In 1808, the founding of Delaware attracted his attention, and he was early on the ground. He was a saddler by trade, and may have done something at his trade here, but Thomas Butler, an early resident of Delaware, was a strong competitor in the same HneJ and it is likely that the mercantile profession held out better opportunities for business. He soon went into the trade, buying out a small stock of goods which had been sent up from Worthington as a branch business. He afterward moved his goods into a small brick store on the southwest corner of Winter an& Sandusky streets, where the building, enlarged and improved, still stands.

In 1819, Joseph L. Webb came to Delaware. Col. Byxbe, in one of his trips to the Bast, by a hap of travel found himself the guest of Mr. Webb's father in the city of New York. Mr. Webb was a wealthy gentleman, with every comfort surrounding his family, but the Colonel knew no criterion save success, and he left such impressions of the West that the son became infatuated with the idea of coming to Delaware. He came by way of Sandusky, and Col. Byxbe sent his carriage to meet him, charging, it is said, the round price of $70 for the accommodation. The year after his arrival, he set up business in the building formerly Occupied by Byxbe & Murray, and continued in trade for several years. He was too easy with his collections to succeed, and closed up his business finally with a loss of 610,000. He returned to the East thoroughly cured of his infatuation. About this time, Horton Howard, a Quaker gentleman, opened a store in a yellow wooden building, standing on the east side of Sandusky street, where Loofbourrow's crockery store now stands. Howard afterward left town and started a newspaper, which he conducted for some years with considerable success. In 1823, Hezekiah Kilbourn opened a store on the northwest corner of Sandusky and Winter streets, but sold out in the following year to Caleb Howard and Antjiony Walker, who went into business in his building. They sooni dissolved partnership, however, Hosea Williams setting up in business and Walker going over to him. The Kilbourn building being again left vacant. Dr. Lamb became possessed with the general mania for business, and. started up an establishment in which the principal attraction was a display of drugs. In 1831, Alexander Kilbourn built a building on the site of the Wolfley Block, and put in a stock of general goods, afterward adding hardware. The building is still in use, having found a resting-place on Sandusky street, near Mrs. Sw^etser's-. property, and is now occupied as a shoe-shop.

The mercantile business in the early day was a matter of no slight undertaking. Philadelphia was the nearest point where the Western merchant could buy his goods from original sources, and from there they had to be shipped in huge wagons over a tedious and uncertain journey. Mr. Little was in the habit of' going to Philadelphia once a year, spending some six weeks or two months on the trip, and wagoning his goods home, frequently at a cost of $18.75 per hundred. These invoices included, at a later day, a full line of dry goods, embracing velvets, satins, silks, cassimeres and the commoner goods. Then there were hats, shoes, crockery, hardware, medicines and groceries. For years after the war, money was very scarce, and all business became a system of barter, and goods were exchanged almost exclusively for produce. The trade with Indians was very large, the native? coming in for fifty miles around, sometimes fifty at a time. They brought cranberries, maple sugar and syrup, pelts and furs, and bought only the finest goods. The women would take only the finest broadcloths for blankets and petticoats, while the men chose the brightest prints for shirts. The ordinary prints which now sell for 8 cents per yard, sold then for $1, while the higher priced sold for 81.50 per yard. Every store had upon its counter a flask of whisky with a glass,' and it was expected that every person who came into the store would avail himself or herself of the hospitality thus set forth. Sugar made by the Indians or settlers found its way in large quantities to the stores, where it was traded ofi^ to the Kentuckians, who came with large wagon loads of tobacco every spring to exchange commodities. This article was in large demand 'among the Indians, who made a mixture of tobacco and sumac leaves, calling it " kinnikinick." The saddler's was an attractive place for the Indians, where they would stand for hours eyeing the bright trinkets when they could not buy them. But they usually made 'provision for a visit to the shop before they left camp, and seldom returned without their saddles and ponies brightened up by some new bit of saddle finery. In 1818, a new enterprise was started by E. Barrett & Co. This was a woolen-mill built on the mill-race just north of where the old grist-mill stood. It was geswally understood that the " Co." was the real mover in the enterprise, and that it was L. H. Cowles, the son-in-law of Col. Byxbe, and a prominent lawyer in Delaware. A large, two-storied brick building was erected in the close vicinity of the mill to board the hands, and now stands in its original shape and in fair order. Cowles afterward retired, and the firm changed to Barrett & King, Titus King becoming a partner. In 1827 they sold out to Benjamin P. Allen, who, two years later, .introduced a carpet loom. He wove one piece of carpet that attracted considerable attention, but failed for some cause or other, and he sold, in the latter part of 1829, to John Moses and Seth H. Allen. These parties tried the business that had proved a failure to every one else with indifierent success. ' It finally fell into disuse,

The scarcity of money immediately after the war was severely felt by the new town, and various expedients were undertaken to relieve the stringency. The city issued several thousand dollars worth of scrip in 1815-17, with good results to the local trade. A bank of issue was formed soon after this, with Moses Byxbe as President, and Leonard H. Cowles as Cashier. Stock was taken by William Little, William Sweetser and others, and several thousands of dollars issued. But,' owing to the instability of the banks and the fraudulent concerns that had been practicing upon the people under the respectability of a charter, the Legislature became cautious, and refused to charter the Delaware Bank, and its circulation had, therefore, to be redeemed and destroyed. Just before this unsuccessful attempt to establish a bank, the Scioto Importing Company had been formed and established in Welch's hotel - Mrs. Kilbourn's residence now - proposing to do a banking business. It was known to be a fraudulent concern, and existed but a few months, when one 'day, in the absence of the proprietors, the press and furniture of their room was brought into the street and burned. Their bills were poorly engraved by a well-known outlawed counterfeiter in Canada, whose ignorance or carelessness had betrayed him into spelling Scioto without the " c."

The early society of Delaware was largely the product of Col. Byxbe's molding hand. With a business sagacity that overlooked no particular which was likely to contribute to the success of his schemes, he sought in the members of his community such kindred spirits as would contribute to the growth of the town, and, in the end, to his own personal interest.. His alliances were based upon the one consideration of gain, and the settlers, keenly alive to this feature of the bargain, were possessed more with the project of accumulating wealth than with laying the foundations of society in the schoolhouse and church. It is, therefore, not surprising to find Delaware in possession of neither of these adjuncts of civilization until after the surrounding settlements had long enjoyed such privileges. There was, indeed, a strong religious sentiment prevailing in the community, and Col. Byxbe led in this as in other patters ; but the impression left upon the mind of one who hears all the reminiscences of that day, is not that of respect for the deep piety of their lives. Much may be said in extenuation of their personal character.

but ttere was a lack in their public spiritual enterprise, that made the community satisfied with such accommodations as private houses, or, later, the court house afforded. Succeeding years brought an infusion of new and vigorous blood, and the pendulum of change has swayed toward the other limit. In matters of a social nature, the early community was characterized by that democratic freedom which prevails in frontier society everywhere. Invitations to -huskings, quiltings and parties, included the whole community, until it grew beyond the limits of a hospitality of even such generous proportions, and then verbal invitations were sent around. This usually consisted of the simple announcement of the time and place that the event was to take place, and included all of an available age. The introduction of the more formal written invitation at a later date was accepted by the mass of the community as an insult to their prerogatives, and resented in high dudgeon. This latter innovation, it is said, was introduced by Piatt Brush, who came in 1820, as the first Registrar of the Land Office in Delaware. He was a man of intensely aristocratic notions, and held himself aloof from the people as from -an infection. He refused to go to church, or allow his wife to do so, because, as he said, he did not like the odor of soft soap. A story is told, that one of the ladies of the city, desiring to make a party, sent him an invitation. Before accepting, he requested the names of all the other guests, and, finding them unexceptionable, he accepted. The next day, desiring to receive her friends of all classes, she sent out her invitations with a wider scope, but was mortified- to find them all rejected. Ladies of the aristocratic circle met sometimes in the afternoon, when the lady receiving would bring in a green Zanesville glass containing a little whisky, with a few lumps of maple sugar, and a pewter spoon. It was expected that each guest would take a sip of the beverage, and pass it to her companion, until it made the rounds of the circle. Whisky played an important part in all the forms of social life in the new community. In the parlor, on the counter of the store, on training day, at huskings and loggings, at the meetings of the lodges, everywhere the lurking evil was found. Drunkenness was common, and a jury of that time refused to call a man an habitual drunkard unless drunk more than one-half of his time. The Indians had a civilized taste for the beverage, and would resort to any device to secure what it was illegal to give or sell to them. A story is related in the " County Atlas " of an Indian coming late one evening with a keg to the house of Col. Byxbe, and demanding of his wife (the only occupant) to have it filled. " He laid down the elements of the license law by a promise not to drink on the premises, and promised never to tell where he obtained it. Mrs. Byxbe entered the room used as a bar. struck a light, and found herself surrounded by about twenty foresters. She led the way bravely into the cellar, followed by the whole band in silence. The party solemnly promised to leave when their object was gained ; the intrepid woman filled the keg, and they departed in quiet, holding their revel beyond the ear of the white man." It is related of another, that he came to a cabin in quest of whisky, but was refused and turned out. Enraged at the refusal, he caught his tomahawk and threw it with violence against the door. The settler, a vigorous man of prompt action, opened the door suddenly, and at the same time struck out with his fist, felling the lord of the forest. Taking his knife and hatchet, the white retired within his cabin, and the Indian, regaining his feet, betook himself to his companions not far off, and, giving a yell, they left the neighborhood. There was but little sleep in the cabin that night, as they expected the Indians would resent the treatment. They were happily surprised, and in the morning the Indian came back penitent, but erect and dignified, saying : " Me wrong last night; you good man; me too cockkoosy; want my knife and tomahawk." They were at once given him, and he left without uttering a word. The Indians early learned the value and convenience of a market, and, in all their dealings with the whites of Delaware, showed a friendly and tractable spirit. They brought cranberries, maple sugar (sometimes mixed with meal), and molasses in coon-skins, to sell to the whites.. It did not take them long to perceive that coon-skins were not the best things to make their molasses attractive. They learned to borrow a pail at the first house they met, reserving the coon-skin until they were out of sight. Cranberries were a great article of commerce with the Indians, and a drove of fifty ponies, laden with this fruit, hasjaeen seen to pass through Delaware at one time, going to Columbufe and other points south.

The town, even at this time, with all its growth and assumptions of city airs, was hardly yet out of the woods. Letters written by young Quitman, then a law student with Piatt Brush, but better known to fame as Gen. Quitman, of the Mexican war, to his brother in Philadelphia, give some lifelike pictures of the place at this time. He writes that " this village is on the very edge -of white population, in the district purchased from the Indians a few years since. It has now about fifty well-built houses. In the vicinity is a mineral spring (called a ' lick '), where not many years ago thousands of buffaloes resorted. The woods now abound with deer, wolves, and turkeys, the streams with geese and ducks. They think me a clever fellow and a good Republican, because I turn out to musters and wear a straw hat cocked up behind ! I write a little, too, for the Delaware G'l'zetfe."

And here at the end of this period of Delaware's history, let us take leave of the city's founder. It is a melancholy retrospect, for he who oncp sat commanding at the source of power, died guarded Hke a child. For twenty years Col. Byxbe was the central figure in the county, and that, too, without the aid of a respect begotti-n by mental or moral worth. He possessed immense wealth, measured by the standards of that time ; an executive ability that knew no equal among his fellows, and everything promised him an important part in the fortunes of the new State. But while his business saiiacity secured for him a certain admiration, and his power commanded de.sirable alliances, the people felt that in the fiber of his nature he was coarse, selfish, and grasping, and their silent distrust did more to undermine his power than their open assent to his genius could do to build it up. And thus, after living eighteen years in the community he founded, and for which he did much to be remembered, he occupies a grave in the old cemetery, almost forgotten. The family was unfortunate in many respects. The older son, Moses Byxbe, Jr., was a great spendthrift, and dissipated a large part of his father's fortune in reckless expenditure. He married Elizabeth Eggleston, a lady of fine address and attainments, of Lenox, Mass. ; went to Washington, D. C, on his wedding trip, and there bought a fine carriage, colored servants, and the appurtenances of a fine turn-out, spending a number of thousands of dollars. His business ventures were made with an equal recklessness as to the outcome, bankrupting himself, and making heavy drafts upon his father to extricate him. The younger son, Appleton, was an imbecile, though adjudged competent by the court, after his father's death, to transact his own business. The daughters married Hon. Elias Murray, Rev. Joseph Hughs, and Hon. L. H. Cowles, all prominent and cultivated men of their time. In the later years of his life, Col. Byxbe felt the town fast growing out of his grasp, his son's recklessness rapidly involving him in financial difficulties, and, crushed by disappointment, reason tottered from its throne. He was deranged for some two years, when one Friday morning he was discovered in the river repeating, "A wounded conscience who can bear?" From this exposure he contracted an illness which terminated in his death, September 5, 1826, in the seventieth year of his age, leaving a wife and four children to survive him.