Madison County, Ohio - Chapter 20: Roads and Transportation, 1915

Chapter 20: Roads and Transportation

At the beginning of the nineteenth century, the topography of Madison county was unbroken by a single road, and for years after the organization of the county what were called roads were little better than wagon tracks through the forest and prairie, following the Indian trails. At a session of the associate judges of Franklin county, September 8, 1803, the following item was made a part of the record of that session: "On the prayer of a petition signed by a number of the citizens, house and freeholders of Franklin county, praying for the view of a road to lead from the public square in Franklinton to Springfield, Greene county, to be on the straightest and nearest direction toward Springfield as the nature of the ground will admit of a good road: Ordered, that Thomas Morehead, Alexander Blair and George Skidmore be appointed viewers of said road, who, or any two of them, shall view the same as far as the line between Franklin and Greene counties, and make report to our January term next." At the March term of 1804, these viewers reported to the court that they had marked out said road as far as Big Darby creek. The court received the report and ordered the supervisor "to open said road thirty-three feet wide, and make it passable for loaded wagons." At the same session it was "ordered that Lucas Sullivan be appointed surveyor, to attend the viewers of the road from Franklinton to Springfield, and to survey and return a plat thereof of that part which has not been viewed."

This road crossed Big Darby creek about one mile south of the present site of the Little Miami railroad bridge; thence west to the town of Hampton (now Jefferson) ; thence taking the same direction, passing through Lawrenceville and about a mile north of the site of Summerford, striking the line between Madison and Clark counties after passing what used to be known as "Baileys Woods." It was one of those primitive corduroy, mud roads, well remembered by settlers living in the early eighties It was a common occurrence, during the wet seasons, for the stages and wagons to break down or stick so fast in the mud that the passengers would be compelled to get out and walk. Fach man would procure a rail and carry it along to aid in prying the vehicle out of the deeper mudholes, thus assisting the jaded horses in their laborious work. In dry weather, these roads were very fine to travel on, being preferable, in fact, to the "pikes" of later day. On March 19, 1811, Michael Dickey was appointed road commissioner by the board of commissioners of Madison county, to expend one hundred and seventy-five dollars on the state road inside the limits of this county, the money having been appropriated two years previously, by the Ohio Legislature, toward the improvement of said road.

Upon the erection of Madison county, the inhabitants dwelling within its boundaries soon realized the necessity of public roads, and the first petition for a public road was made by the citizens of Union and Stokes township when they petitioned the commissioners, September 3, 1810, for a road to run from Miners Ford, on Deer creek, to the Greene county line. Jeremiah Miner, Andrew Cypherd and John Mozer were the viewers and Patrick McLene, surveyor. This road was surveyed and viewed in October,

1810, at the expense of Robert Hume, and is called Humes road on the records. In December, the commissioners ordered, this road to be opened fifty feet wide for a. public highway. .On September 38, 1810, the inhabitants of Union and Pleasant townships peti-. tioned for a road to begin on the Fayette county line, at the end of the road established by the 'commissioners of Ross county, ere the erection of Fayette and Madison, running thence in a northwesterly direction through Pleasant and Union townships, on the best route to Urbana, Champaign county... The viewers were Peter L. Helphenstine, Hugh Montgomery and William Lewis; Patrick McLene, surveyor. The.road was laid out in February,.1811, and in. March the commissioners ordered the same road to be opened as a public highway, its width not to exceed sixty-six feet. It ran some dis-- tance west of London, toa certain point on the line between Madison and Champaign. counties, and was known to the old settlers as "Langhams trace." :

In 'December, 1810, James Ewing petitioned for a road to run from the east line BP Madison county, starting about three miles south of the northeast corner of the same, and run westerly on the best. and most direct line to Urbana. James Ewing, William Chard and George D. Roberts: were appointed viewers and Joshua Ewing, surveyor. The: petition was granted and the road was ordered to be opened. At the same session, John Blair presented a petition for a road beginning on the east line of Madison county. to run on the nearest and best course to Blairsville. William Chard, John Blair and Abijah Cary were the viewers and Joshua Ewing, surveyor for the same, the width of the road 'not 'to: exceed ' sixty-six feet. Both of these roads were opened in the spring of 1811. -In 1812; 'a road "was opened from London to Dyer's mill, on Big Darby 'creek. It was 'viewed: by. John 'Murfin, 'Hugh 'Montgomery and Mos Wilson, and: Surveyed by Patrick' McLene.

From that - 'time 'on throughout the early years, roads were opened in every 'part of 'the -county,- and running in every direction. The records of the county commissioners: are filled with petitions of the citizens of Madison county praying for certain roads to be opened for: travel. These petitions were as a rule always granted. 'The roads 'were' laid out wide 'enough, but, as a rule, were execrable in wet weather, the uridrained condition of the land ' partly explaining this cause. At certain times, 'when the ground was frozen and worn : "smooth, 'or at -other times 'when the ground was dry and solid, no roads' could be better. The proceeds acquired from the road laws were, for many years, in money or labor, totally inadequate to keep the roads even in passable condition at) the' time most' desired. 'Up to the middle period of the last century in every section of the county, "corduroy" was found on every road, which was the name given to 'the' roads made of -rails or poles placed crosswise through the soft and miry places. This closed the period of early roads and leads up to a new era in road, pullaing: the "pikes" or mmacadamized roads.

ae eee THE NATIONAL ROAD. _The history of the national road, which was 'one of: the most important public works _ of the' early times, begins with the admission of Ohio into the Union. Congress enacted: "that one- -twentieth part of the net proceeds ot the lands lying within the said state, sold by Congress from and after the 30th day of. June next, after deducting all expenses' incident. to the same, shall 'be applied to the laying-out and making public roads, leading 'from the navigable waters emptying into the Atlantic, to the Ohio, to the said state, and through 'the same, . Such roads to be Jaid out under the authority of Congress, with the 'consent. of the states through which the road shall pass: Provided, that the said state shall provide by an ordinance, irrevocable with the consent of the United' States,' that each and every tract of land sold by Congress, after the 30th day of June next, shall. be and. remain free from any tax laid by said state for the term of five years from

In 1806, Congress passed a law entitled "An act to regulate the laying-out and making a road from Cumberland, in the state of Maryland, to the state of Ohio." President Jefferson appointed Thomas Moore and Eli Williams, of Maryland, and Joseph Kerr, of Ohio, as commissioners to lay out said road, and to perform the other duties assigned to them by the act. The building of this great highway went slowly forward for many years, but at times the labor ceased on it altogether for want of funds, different presidents vetoing bills appropriating money toward its construction. In 1831, a bill was passed and approved, appropriating money for the extension of the Cumberland road through Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. In 1836-37,, this great road was completed through Madison county. It crosses Big Darby creek near the northeast corner of survey No. 2677; thence takes a southwest direction, passing through Jefferson, Deer Creek and Somerford townships, and leaves the county at the southwest corner of survey No. 4200, on the Clark county line. Along its course three thriving villages sprang up, Jefferson, LaFayette and Summerford, the two first mentioned supporting three taverns each, and the latter two, all of which did a thriving business. Between Jefferson and LaFayette, on the glade, there was a tavern called the "Golden Lamb," and it, too, had its share of the prosperity which the extensive traffic on this great thoroughfare inaugurated.

A Word From The Past

A very good description of this great thoroughfare is taken from an article written by one who had traveled over it during its palmiest days; "The national turnpike that led over the Alleghanies from the east to the west is a glory departed and the traffic that once belonged to it now courses through other channels; but it is simply because it is the past that the few old men living who have reminiscences of it glow with excitement and exalt it in recalling them. Aroused out of the dreamy silence of their ebbing days by a suggestion of it, the octogenarians who participated in the traffic will tell an inquirer that never before were such landlords, such taverns, such dinners, such whiskey, such bustle or such endless cavaleades of coaches and wagons as could be seen or had jin palmy days of the old national pike, and it is certain that when the coaching days were palmy, no other post road in the country did the same business as this fine old highway, which opened the West and Southwest to the Hast. The wagons- were so numerous that the leaders of one team had their noses in the trough at the end of the next wagon ahead; and the coaches, drawn by four or six horses, dashed along at a speed which in that day compared favorably with the speed of the cars of today.

"Once in a while, Henry Clay or General Jackson made an appearance, and answered with stately cordiality the familiar greetings of the other passersby. Homespun Davy Crockett sometimes stood in relief against the busy scene, and all the statesmen of the West and South - Harrison, Houston, Taylor, Polk and Allen, among others - came along the road to Washington. The traffic seemed like a frieze, with an endless procession of figures. There were sometimes sixteen gaily painted coaches each way a day; the cattle and sheep were never out of sight; the canvas-covered wagons were drawn by six or twelve horses, with bows or bells over their collars; the families of statesmen and merchants went by in private vehicles; and, while most of the travelers were unostentatious, a few had splendid equipages. Its projector and chief supporter was Henry Clay, whose services in behalf are commemorated by a monument near Wheeling. The coaches ceased running in 1853; the 'June Bug,' the 'Good Intent,' and the 'Landlords,' as the various lines were called, sold their stock, and a brilliant era of travel was ended."

The building of railroads, from that time until the present era began, deprived the road of its prestige; for many years Congress neglected to make appropriations for the necessary repairs, until finally it was transferred to the states through which it passed. The portion running through Ohio became a part of the public works of the state, but in 1876 the Legislature reduced it to the level of other pikes, since which time the county commissioners of each county through which the road passes have had charge of it, the same as all other roads. This road, through the improvements which are being made on it and the coming of the era of automobiles is gradually coming into its own again. Travel on it is increasing and where once the stage coaches lined the way is now being traversed by the faster-moving vehicles of today.

Corporation Pikes

Soon after the opening of the national pike, about the year 1888, the Jefferson, South Charleston & Xenia Turnpike Company was organized for the purpose of building a pike from Xenia, Greene county, to Jefferson, Madison county, Ohio.. In the course of time the road was completed and opened for traffic. It runs almost parallel with the Little Miami river and entering the county from Clark, a short distance north of where the railroad strikes the county line, it runs in a northeasterly direction, passing through London on its route to Jefferson, and there intersects the national road.

Another early turnpike was the one known as the Madison and Fayette turnpike, which was also built by a private corporation. It starts at London and runs in a southern direction through Newport and Midway to the Fayette county line.

The Urbana pike was the third and only other road in Madison county built by a private company. It begins at the national road, about a mile and a half west of Jefferson, and runs in a northwesterly course to Mechanicsburg, Champaign county, leaving Madison county near the northwest corner of Somerford township. These three pikes, with the national road, were the only ones in Madison county on which tolls were charged the traveling public. All other pikes were as free 'as they are today, and were built by the county, under an act of the General Assembly of Ohio, passed April 5, 1866. The first petition was presented to the commissioners of Madison county, June 5, 1866, by F. O. P. Graham et al., for the improvement of the London and Mt. Sterling road. The viewers appointed for this road were Benjamin Harrison, E. Bidwell and Robert Read. The road was granted on September 6, 1866, and the length, according to the survey, was seventeen miles.

Pennsylvania Railroad

The first railroad leading into or out of this county was first known as the Columbus & Xenia railroad. The company was chartered by a special. act of the Legislature, passed March 12, 1844, but the road was not constructed until 1848 and 1849, the first passenger train passing over it on February 20, 1850. Soon after this date, the members of the Legislature took an excursion over this road and the Little Miami road from Columbus to Cincinnati and return. The Little Miami Railroad Company obtained a charter March 11, 1836. The two companies, November 30, 1853, entered into a contract of union, or partnership, by which the roads of both were operated as one line. The two companies on January 1, 1865, leased the Dayton & Western road and purchased, the same year, the Dayton, Xenia & Belpre road from Xenia to Dayton. The partnership, or union, was dissolved on November 30, 1868, and a contract or lease entered into by which the Little Miami Company leased, for ninety-nine years, the Columbus & Xenia road, and the rights and interests of that company in the other roads, that had been leased or purchased by the two companies. The condition was the promise of the Little Miami Company to pay seven per cent. per annum on capital of one million seven 'hundred and eighty-six thousand two hundred dollars, and interest on the funded debt.

On December 1, 1869, the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company leased of the Little Miami Railroad Company its railroad and its right to the Columbus & Xenia and other roads. At the time this railroad was built, the citizens of Madison county voted twenty thousand dollars towards its construction. When this latter railroad company came into possession of the stocks of the Little Miami Railroad Company it subsequently proposed to take from the county fourteen thousand dollars of said stock, leaving the county with but six thousand dollars of the agreed stock. The road passes through Madison county from Columbus, in a southwest direction, and runs through Jefferson, Deer Creek, Union and the northwest corner of Paint township. The stations of London and Jefferson are the only stops which this line makes in Madison county. This road is now operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company and is locally known as the Pennsylvania road. This road has been very successful in its operations and ranks as one of the leading roads in the state, both as to equipment and service. _

_ The Pennsylvania system also operates another road which runs through the northeast corner of the county, This was originally known as the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana railroad and was the third railroad built through Madison county. The company constructing it chartered on February 23, 1849, and the first train passed over the road from Columbus to Urbana July 4, 1853. In a few months the road was completed to Piqua. The Columbus, Piqua & Indiana Railroad Company becoming embarrassed, it was reorganized under the name of the Columbus & Indianapolis Railroad Company. The road was sold on August 6, 1865, under an order of the court, and subsequently was transferred by deed to the reorganized company. This was one of the several roads which, consolidated, made the line generally known as the Columbus, Chicago & Indiana Central railroad. In 1869, the road was leased to the Pittsburg, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad Company, under whose management it was operated until it became a part of the Pennsylvania system. The only station of this road in Madison county is that at Plain City and it affords a good shipping point for that portion of the county. When this road. was proposed the six thousand dollars in stock which the county had in the Springfield & London Railroad was transferred to the Columbus, Piqua & Indiana, where it still remains. This was all the assistance that Madison county ever gave to the construction of railroads through her territory. .

Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railroad

The Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis railroad passes through the center of the county from east to west. It runs through Fairfield and Union townships, with stations at London and Lilly Chapel. The Columbus and Springfield Railroad Company, which built this line, was chartered on February 16, 1840, but for some years nothing was done towards building the road. In June, 1851, a company was organized under this charter, at Springfield, and the road was completed, from Springfield to London, September 18, 1853. The road was known as the Springfield & London railroad, and its length of track was nineteen miles. This was the second road organized to pass through this county and the six thousand dollars which Madison county had invested in the Columbus & Xenia road was transferred to the Springfield & London, with the object of assisting the latter. In 1854, the road was leased to the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad Company. since called the Cincinnati, Cleveland & Lake Erie Railroad Company. . The road was sold on May 8, 1868, under a decree of the United States district court, and was bought by Jacob W. Pierce, of Boston, for one hundred thousand collars. The Columbus, Springfield & Cincinnati 'Railroad was incorporated on May 1, 1869, with a capital stock of one million five hundred thousand dollars and Mr. Pierce transferred his purchase soon after to the new company. By an arrangement with the purchaser, the road was continued under the management of the Cincinnati, Sandusky & Cleveland Railroad Company, to which it was permanently leased on July 1, 1870. It was subsequently completed to Columbus, and many citizens of Madison county subscribed certain amounts, to be paid on condition that the road would be finished by September 1, 1871; but it was not finished until December 19, 1871, and the money was never paid. On March 8, 1881, the road was leased, for ninety-nine years, to the Indiana, Bloomington & Western Ohio Division Railway, the lease to begin May 1, 1881. It is at present under the management of the New York Central Lines. The Toledo & Ohio Central railroad passes through the extreme northeast corner of the county and has one station, Kile, within the limits of Madison county. This road is also operated by the New York Central Lines. This line extends from Columbus northwest through Union county and as far north as Toledo. To obtain this road there was much labor and excitement, and years passed before it was finally accomplished. This affords a direct outlet through Columbus and also connects the northeastern part of the county with the commerce of Great Lakes. It was completed through to Columbus in January, 1894, having reached as far as Marysville, in Union county, in 1893.

Dayton, Toledo & Ironton

This road runs from Sedalia, in Madison county, to Kingman, in Clinton county. An agitation for this line was first begun in December, 1875, in Clinton county. J. F. Ely, of Washington C. H., was the chief promotor of this line, which-was to run from Waynesville to Jeffersonville, and ultimately to Columbus. The incorporators, J. F. Ely, Ethan Allen, J. M. Hussey, James Ellis and Doctor Marshall, immediately procured a charter and the prospective road was incerporated as the Waynesville, Port William & Jeffersonville Railroad. After a sufficient amount of stock was raised, an organization was effected in March, 1876. Meetings were held along the proposed route and stock was raised to the amount of sixty-five thousand dollars. The success of: this road never reached great heights and part of the road that was laid west of Kingman, Ohio, was taken up and there is only the line from Sedalia to Kingman. This road is now under the charge of the Dayton, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company through a lease, but the traffic is very light and evidently the owners are awaiting the opportunity to make a junction with some other road. Or it has been predicted by others that this line would be taken over by an electric company.

In 1878, the Springfield Southern railroad was built through South Solon. This is the only town in Madison county which this line accommodates. The road was later leased by the Dayton, Toledo & Ironton Railroad Company and is at present a part of that system. This road accommodates the southern part of the county with east and west shipping. Springfield and the coal fields of the southeastern Ohio are opened up

Baltimore & Ohio Railroad

The Baltimore & Ohio railroad passes through the southeast corner of the county. There is only one station of this line in Madison county, that being at Mt. Sterling.

Ohio Electric Railroad

On March 8, 1901, the London city council granted permission to the Columbus, London & Springfield Railway Company, its successors and assigns, to nr as operate and maintain a line of street railway within said village and along the following route, to wit: Beginning on Lafayette street at the northeastern corporation line of said village; thence to the intersection of Maple street; thence south on io to First; thence on First to Main; thence on Main to the northwest corporation line; thence westerly to

It being expressly provided in. said ordinance that if the village at any time should order the improvement of said streets, or any of them, by laying gravel, stone or other material thereon, or pave the same, or change the grade of the same, the said railway company, its successors and assigns, shall, at its own expense, in like manner improve such portion of said street or streets as is occupied by its tracks and two feet outside of the outer rails thereof, and then use a rail to be approved by the council of said village.

On March 9, 1901, the Columbus, London & Springfield Company duly accepted the provisions of said ordinance; immediately thereafter entered upon the work of constructing the said railway, and continued to maintain and operate the same as an interurban and street railway until about January 1, 1905, when it became insolvent and was on February 28, 1906, sold to A. E. Locke, who on June 29, 1906, assigned and transferred the property to the Indiana, Columbus & Eastern Traction Company, which operated it until August 31, 1907, when it transferred, assigned and conveyed it by lease for nine hundred and ninety-nine years to the defendant, The Ohio Hlectric Railway Company, which still owns and operates it.

This is a branch line of the main road from Springfield to Columbus. It branches off from Summerford on the west, entering London from the northwest side of town, and returns to the main line at Lafayette. Only the local cars pass through London, the limited cars using the direct route from Columbus to Springfield and passing through Jefferson, Lafayette and Summerford in Madison county. The cars to Columbus leave London hourly, twenty minutes after the hour, the first car going out at 6:20 a. m., and the last one at 12:20 a.m. The cars to Springfield leave on the half hour, the first at 6:30 a. m., and the last at 12:40 a. m.

General Railway Statistics

The following statistics are taken from the last report of the district assessor compiled in July, 1915: Pittsburg, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis - Cincinnati division - miles of main line, 19.05; second track, 19.05 miles; sidings, 8.17 miles. Value of all real estate, $7,850; value of right-of-way, $22,010; buildings, $16,860; second track, $200,030; sidings, $48,610; value of all other property, $1,345,820; total value, $1,641,180. Indianapolis division of the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis, 4:5 miles of main track; 4.5 miles of second track; .98 miles of siding; value of all real estate used in operation, $370; value of right-of-way, $6,640; value of buildings, $850; value of second track, $47,250; value of sidings, $5,530; value of all other property, $317,910; total value, $378,550. Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis railroad - Columbus, Springfield and Cincinnati division, 16.02 miles of main track in Madison county; 4.9 miles of sidings; value of real estate, $650; value of right-of-way, $14,620; value of buildings, $6,760; value of sidings, $20,830; value-of all other property, $656,520; total value, $699,380. Delaware branch of the same line, .29 miles of track in Madison county; right-of-way valued at $200; all other property, $11,880, making a grand total of $12,080. Baltimore & Ohio railroad - Columbus and Cincinnati Midland division, 3.6 miles of main line; 1.125 miles of siding; real estate valued at $250; right-of-way, $2,740; buildings, $1,170; sidings, $6,750; value of all other property, $109,530; total, $120,440. Figures for the Toledo & Ohio Central Railroad in this county show, main line .6 miles; yards, .17 miles; sidings, .16 miles; real estate, $150; right-of-way, $330; buildings, $300; yard tracks, $1,080; sidings, $940; all other property, $29,530; total, $32,330. The Dayton, Toledo & Ironton: Railroad has 3.85 miles of main line; 2:20 miles of branches; 1.25 miles of sidings; value of real estate, $70; value of right-of-way, $3,160; buildings, $800; sidings, $1,960; branch sidings, $140; value of all other property, $46,110; total, $52,240. This includes the Sedalia & Kingman branch, which alone is valued at $12,380.

Lhe main railroad depots in the county are valued as follows: Ohio Electric at London, valued at $3,000, a brick structure thirty years old; Summerford depot, frame, $500; Deer Creek township depot, frame, $500; West Jefferson depot, frame, $1,000; Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis depot at London, $6,760; Baltimore & Ohio depot at Mt. Sterling, $1,000; Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis depot at London, $4,000.

Telephone And Telegraph Companies

There are fourteen telephone and telegraph companies, with lines in Madison county. The Western Union Telegraph Company has 869.20 miles of wire, valued at $52,080; the Franklin County Telephone Company has 17.50 miles, $610; the Receivers Union Telephone Company, 956 miles, $57,020; the Ohio Postal Telegraph-Cable Company, 340.5 miles, $16,750; the Resaca Farmers Telephone Company, 210 miles, $5,680; the South Charleston Home Telephone Company, 14.5 miles, $4,730; the United States Telephone Company, 382 miles, $33,329; the Farmers (West Jefferson) Telephone Company, 136 miles, $5,456; the Washington Home Telephone Company, 212.2 miles, $5600; the Home Telephone Company (Plain City), 903.46 miles, $20,370; the London Home Telephone Company, 1,392.31 miles, $53,3 0; the Mechanicsburg Telephone Company, 38 miles, $2,420; the Ohio Telegraph and Telephone Company, 782.88 miles, $78,220; the Mt. Sterling Telephone Company, 503 miles, $25,530.

Gas Companies

Madison county has within its limits the following natural gas companies which operate in the county: The Logan Natural Gas and Fuel Company, which operates in Pleasant, Range and Stokes townships, has property valued at $296,080; Miami Valley Gas and Fuel 'Company, in Pleasant, Range and Stokes townships, property valued at $85,670; Midway Gas Company, Pleasant, Range and Stokes townships and Midway corporation, $93,500; Central Gas Company, of Mt. Sterling, $30,490; Ohio Fuel and Supply Company,: Deer Creek township, West Jefferson, Jefferson, Union and Paint townships and London corporation, $596,730.