Hancock County, Ohio - Chapter 13: Rail Roads, 1881

AT a special session held April 26th, 1839, the Coimty Commissioners " Ordered that we, the Commissioners, agree to subscribe one hundred shares, amounting to one hundred thousand dollars, to the capital stock of the Bellefontaine and Perrysburg Rail Road, and that in our incorporate capacity, we will place our signatures to the books of the company for that amount.

With all our wealth and population, at the present, no such liberal terms towards any rail road project would be entertained by our Commissioners.

At the same meeting, for it seems that the Commissioners meant business, it was ordered "That we appoint a special Commissioner to negotiate the loan on the credit of the county, in the City of New York, or elsewhere, at a rate of interest not to exceed six per cent, per annum," and it was " Ordered that Parlee Carlin be delegated our special agent, to negotiate the loan of one hundred thousand dollars which we have this day subscribed to the capital stock of the Bellefontaine and Perrysburg Rail Road Company."

Thus ends the history of this rail road, so far as this county is concerned. Like an innumerable number of such projects, it ended in talk, and futile resolutions and orders.

project a success. They were not wholly disappointed, for they set on foot a movement, which finally resulted in the building of the Findley Branch of the Mad River and Lake Erie Rail Road, as it was then called.

On the 4th day of March, 1845, George Shaw, Peter George and John Lafferty, Commissioners, issued a proclamation to the qualified voters of Hancock County to vote at the election on the first Monday of April, 1845, for or against a proposition to subscribe to the capital stock of the Mad River and Lake Erie Rail Road, and that the Auditor have said proclamation published in three newspapers published in Findley, until the April election. The returns of said election was made and counted and certified as follows :

On the 11th day of April, 1845, the Commissioners, in their corporate capacity, subscribed to the Capital stock of the Mad River and Lake Erie Rail Road Company, twelve hundred shares, of fifty dollars a share, making in all, the sum of sixty thousand dollars. Wilson Vance, William Taylor, John Patterson and William L. Henderson were appointed agents to meet with the Railroad Company, and they were authorized to employ a special messenger to go to Perrysburg to get the bonds printed in a neat manner, at as reasonable a compensation as they can agree upon.

On the 22d of April, 1815, the Commissioners, in special session, issued bonds for the sum of thirty thousand dollars, payable to the Mad River and Lake Erie Rail Road Company, as first payment of sixty thousand dollars subscribed- At the June session of the Commissioners, John Ewing and Jacob Barnd were added to the Rail Road Commissioners.

On the 11th day of September, 1815, the County Commissioners subscribed three hundred shares, amounting to fifteen thousand dollars, in addition to the sixty thousand dollars already subscribed. At the same time. Squire Carlin was appointed Rail Road Commissioner in place of Jacob Barnd, deceased.

On the 19th day of August, 1846, the Mad River and Lake Erie Rail Road Company accepted the subscription of seventy-five thousand dollars, and agreed to build the road. On the 22d day ot September, 1846, the Commissioners of the County appointed John Ewing, John Patterson and Hiram Smith Commissioners to manage the construction of the road.

The road, however, was not completed and put in operation, until the latter part of December, 1849. This road, commencing at Findley, takes a south-easterly course, through Findley, Marion and Amanda ToAvnships, to Carey, Wyandotte County. It crosses the Blanchard River in Marion Township. This road is about sixteen miles in length, and was originally constructed on a cheap plan. The iron rails were simply strap iron, or flat iron, as it was termed, laid on stringers, placed lengthwise on the road-bed. In this condition it remained for many years, always paying large dividends to the company, but furnishing very inferior accomdations to the county.

Finally, however, by an arrangement entered into, between the officers of the road and the County Commissioners, the company agreed to and did repair the road, lay the track with " T " rails, and build a passenger house at Findley. The road now is in first class condition, except the rolling stock, which, as a general thing, is such as is deemed unfit for use on the main line, and of course- is of a very unsatisfactory quality.

In 1853, at the time the Dayton and Michigan Rail Road project was under consideration, it was supposed, and perhaps promised, that Findley should be one of the points on the route, and our people became enthusiastic over the matter. In July, 1853, the Commissioners of the County subscribed one hundred thousand dollars to the capital stock of the company. A preliminary survey was made of the line^ and we felt reasonably sure of the road. In this we were disappointed. The management, for some reason, selected a route farther west, missing our county entirely, and thu& ended this rail road project, so far as Hancock County was concerned. The road was built on a line further west, and has proved a paying investment, a good business road, but no more so than it would have been, had the route through

About this time, and perhaps not until after it was definitely settled that we were not to have the Dayton and Michigan Road, a project to build a road from Fremont, in Sandusky County, to Union City, a town on the line of Ohio and Indiana, by way of Findley and Lima began to be agitated. Henry Brown, Esq., then Editor of the "Hancock Courier," of Findley, taking the lead in the matter, and setting forth in glowing terms the advantage to be derived from such a line of road. Finally the matter took form, and a Company was organized, and chartered under the name of the "Fremont and Indiana Rail Road Company," to construct a road from Fremont, Ohio, to Union City, on the Indiana line, by way of Findley and Lima. A survey of the route was made, which was decided to be practicable. Subscription books were opened, and stock readily subscribed. The principal stock-holders in Findley, were Judge Corey, S. and P. Carliu and Bass Rowson. Judge Corey and Squire Carlin were Directors. After much delay, caused by the difficulty in collecting subscriptions, and inability to procure iron, the road was not completed to Findley until 186L About this time, the company became embarrassed, and the road was sold. The purchasers organized a new company, under the name of the " Fremont, Lima & Union Rail Road Company," and this company, in 1865, consolidated with the Lake Erie & Pacific Rail Road Company, under the name of the Lake Erie & Louisville R. R. Company, but the road was not completed and operated to Lima until the winter of 1873, perhaps. From that time until 1878, the road was operated, most of the time, in the hands of a Receiver.

At this time, however, some shrewd eastern capitalists seeing the advantage of such a line, bought the road, and at once set themselves to work to develop its resources. They extended the line from Celina, in Mercer County, Ohio, to Muncie, Indiana, thus making good western connections? also connecting with Chicago. The name of the road was changed to that of Lake Erie &: Western, the better to express its intentions. Connections were sought and obtained w'ith St. Louis. The road was extended from Fremont to Sandusky City, on Lake Erie, and to-day this is regarded as a "Trunk Line," and its business has brought it well up to the front.

This road enters the county at Fostoria, in Section one, Washing-ton Township, thence runs a south-west direction, passing through the Townships of Washing-ton, Cass, Marion, Findley, Liberty, Eagle, Union and Orange, crossing into Allen County, at Bluffton. There is about twenty-five miles of the road in Hancock County, and its business at Findley and other points, amounts to many thousands of dollars.

The citizens of McComb and vicinity, having been several times disappointed in their expectations of the completion of the Continental Road, which had been graded through their town, conceived the idea of building a line of road to intersect the Dayton & Michigan at Deshler, about eight miles distant, went to work earnestly in the matter, and having made satisfactory arrangements wdth the Dayton & Michigan, organized a company to construct the McComb and Deshler Railroad. The work was pushed rapidly forward and the road completed in January, 1881. About four miles of this road is in Hancock County.

capitalists, and under the name of the New York, Chicogo & St. Louis Railway, is being pushed forward to completion. This line runs directly across the northern tier of towships, and when completed, will have about twenty-five miles of road within Hancock County.