Stark County, Ohio - Chapter 4 (2 of 2 so headed), 1881

F.AKLV ('HUR( H HISTOKV - PIONEER MINISTERS - SCHOOLS - EARLV SrHOOLHOUSES - STATISTICS - RAILROADS AND CANALS - THEIR EARLY CONSTRUCTION - I'ERFECT RAILROAD SYSTEM OF THE COUNTY - I'RO.IECTED ROADS.

FOR the first ten or twenty years after settlements began in what is now Stark County, society was but little divided bj- sectional lines. In church, politics and social matters, i neighborhoods for miles about were closely ! allied by tiie necessities of the situation, and the people in the spirit of true democracy inquired only into the moral worth of the newcomer. The majority of the adults among the early settlers of the county had been members of some one of the Christian churches of their native States or countries, and at the first op- , portunitj' arrangements of more or less permanent character were made for Christian worship. Sectarian feelings, under the exigencies of the occasion, were lost sight of. or kept ' strictly in abeyance, and the different religious ! sects and denominations united to establish and i continue religious worship on the Sabbath, j Exercises were held in the cabins of the settlers, new and unoccupied buildings, barns, or I in any place suited to the convenience of the j time. Services commenced with the " singing \ of a hymn, in which all took part, and were ! able to keep time and sing in unison without | the aid of organ or musical instrument," as we were informed by an aged pioneer. After the singing, a prayer was offered, when a sermon would be rea(i by some one. and exhortations made, after which another hymn was sung, and the congregation dismissed. Sa\s our informant ; -' Many of those who witnessed these re- j ligious exercises in the then wilderness cannot 1 have forgotten the zeal, the good feeling, the I solemnity, that was apparent. (iod smiled graciously on the first settlers and conferred ' upon them many and rich blessings while employed in rearing homes in these wilds. .\.t the Sabbath prayer-meetings there was a marked reverence, anil not a few can date back to those times and places their first and lasting I religious impressions."

through great changes since the days of their early organization. Many have died out, some have, as an organization, changed their creed, and others have sprung up and supplanted the older established ones. Religion itself, we almost fear sometimes, is like everything else we have at the present day - slightly adulterated, and wholly unlike the old genuine article proclaimed in the sermon upon the Mount. It may be, however, that wc entertain some old fogj- ideas on the subject, now obsolete, and not in keeping with the age in which we live. We will, therefore, leave criticism to those who are more dissatisfied with church management than we are, and will devote our attention t > the organization of churches and church societies in this county.

The early settlers of the couutj- were morall}' inclined, and religious meetings were held almost as soon as actual settlements were made. Just when and upon what precise spot the first church society was organized, we are unable to say. In Plain Township we have an account of religious meetings by Rev. Mr. Stough as early as ISOIJ, and of the erection of a church there in 1800. A church was built in Jackson Township in 1814, bj- all religious denominations at that time represented in the township. It was of hewed logs and called " Zion's Church." The first preaching in Osnaburg Township, of which we have reliable information, was by Rev. William Mitchell, a Methodist circuit-rider. He was also the first preacher in Sugar Creek Township. Rev. Eldward Otis was one of the pioneer Baptist preachers of the county. The first church in Sandy Township was built by the Presbyterians and Lutherans, of which denominations Rev. Joshua Beer (Presbyterian) and Rev. !Mr. Wagenholtz (Lutheran) were the first pre'achers in this section. St. John s Catholic Church was organized in Canton in 1818, and the Presbj'terian Church in 1821. A Methodist Church was organized in Lexington Township in 1810, and a church built in 1827. Revs. Weir and Faust. Lutlieran and German Reformed ministers, were pioneers in Stark County, The Dunkards were tlic first relisiious sect in Nimishillen Township. 'I'lio (.^tuakens built the lirst eliurcli in Marlborough Towuwliip, and Rev. Kicliard S. Goe, a Swedenborgiaii. was tlie first preacher in Bethlehem.

Thus the different secticms of the county were lirouiihl under religious influence, by the organization of churches, and the erection of temples of worship, until at the present writing, there are in the county over 130 church buildings, costing from .'fl.SOO to $80,000 and upward each. This showing is pretty good evidence that the jjeople have not retrograded from their early religious training.

EdiicittiioKiJ. - Nothing is more characteristic of the settlement of Ohio than the prominence which educational efl'ort early attained in its social development. The settlements were sparse, and money or (jther means to secure teachers were obtained with great difficulty, liut parents and children alike seemed to ap predate the great advantage which knowledge bestowed, and made endless sacrifices to gain this coveted gift. In many cases in Stark County, schools were begun and carried on without much hope of reward, and ])rincipally as a lalior of love. Houses were liuilt for school purposes, before there were children enough in the ne'ighborhood to form a very full school.

These early schoolhouses were rude in construction, and partook much of the same gen-' eral plan, Logs were cut si.xteen, eighteen or twenty feet, according to the population of the district, and of these logs the walls were composed. When raised. " shakes "' or clapboards covered the building. A rude fire-place, clap board door, puncheon fioor, the cracks filled with chinks, and daubed over with mud, completed the primitive schoolhouse of the pioneer period. The window, if any, was made b}" cutting out a log the full length of the building, and over the opening in winter was placed a well greased paper, that served to keep out the storm and admit the light. Just under this window, two or three strong pins were driven into the log in a slanting direction, and on these pins, a long puncheon was fastened, thus forming the desk upon which the writing was done. For seats, they used benches made from small trees, cut in lengths of ten or twelve feet, split oi)en, and, in the round side, two large holes were bored at each end, which received the supporting legs, and house and furniture was complete. The books used by the pupils were as primitive as the liousc The most popular reader was the New Testament, when it could be obtained, though occasionally a copy of the old Kuglish Reader ' was found, and vcrv rarely, the ("olurabiau Orator " was in the family ; Pike's and Smiley 's Arithmetics ; Webster's Speller " was first used, and after awhile the " Elementary Speller " came in, (Jrammar was seldom taught : when it was. the te.'ct l)ooks were Murray s or Ivirkham's grammars. Tin; primitive schoolhouses were in keeping with the homes of tlu; pupils. They were warm, if nothing more, as it was only necessary to make a bee and re-mud the spaces between the logs each fall before cold weather came on. Chilctrcn who were barefooted till the school ttomnuMiced, and sometimes till the snows covered the hills and ice the streams, were not so sensitive to cold as pupils of these latter days, ' I have often, ' said an old gentleman to us, seen boys sliding down hill, and uijon the ice with l)are feet till mid-winter,"

It was easier to build the houses and warm them, however, than to obtain money to pay teachers, small as the wages were - often but §1 a week for women, and .*2 or $3 for men. and board with the pupils. Books cost money, and money was a commodity that was scarce in the country, so the l)ooks were not easy to obtain. There was no changing of readers then e\'ery session, as some gassy representative of a publishing house got the -- weathergauge '' of a school board, and convinced them that the old readers in use were aireadj' obsolete, as at the present day. The instructors of those early times would make ;i poor show beside our present highly accomplished teachers, so far as knowledge of text l)ooks is con cerned. It is no slander to say that teachers who could not master S(|iuire-root. or who had not seen the inside of a grammar, were more numerous than those who dared to make pretensions to such i|ualificatious. There was first no public fund availal)le. and in a later period the fund for the ])ayment of teachers was quite small, and what was lacking was made up by assessment inin on those who attended tlie school ; hence the teacher was often compelled to wait for a part of the small sum promised him. till it could be collected. But let it not be supposed that there was no good work done in these schools. Tiie reading, the spelling, the writing and the ciphering, so for as the teacher could go, need not have been ashamed to stand beside that of these days of high culture and extended literary attainment. The seeils sown broadcast in the forests have germinated and grown during these many }-ears, and now wo behold the magnificent harvest.

Prominent among the teachers of an early da}' in the common schools - and they were very common schools in those days - may be mentioned the following persons, viz., William Lee, Andrew Murray, John Laughlin, Andrew Johnson, Alpheus Brown, Lewis Probst, a Mr. Stevens. James Grounds, Cyrus Spink, Thomas Carmichael, Dr. B. Michener, David Lawson and others, whose names are forgotten. The first schoolhouse in tiie count}' is supposed to have been built in Sand}' Township, about the year 1807. and the first built in Canton Township in the fall of 1808. Another schoolhouse known as the Cameron Schoolhouse" was built in Sandy Township in 1815. The first school taught in Nimishillen Township was taught in 1814. in a schoolhouse built upon the land of Ulrieh Spenley. Lexington Township had a school in 18:i0 ; Marlborough's first schoolhouse was built in 1825. A German school was taught in Canton in a log barn in 1800, and in Plain Townsliip, we are told that a Mr. Stevens taught a school in the fall of 1808. and al)out the same year Bethlehem Township had its first school. The first select school in Perry Township was taught by the late Gen. Cyrus Spink. .\ log schoolhouse was built in Jackson Township very early and was occupied by a school, taught by Thomas Carmichael. Dr. Michener was the next teacher in Jackson, and is still remembered on account of his love for pure English. The first school in Sugar Creek Township was taught on the McFerren farm, and the first in Tuscarawas was taught in the winter of 1 812-1 o, and was a night-school. Its first day school was taught some time later. These early schools were all subscription schools ;" that is, each family subscribed so many scholars, for which they paid so much per scholar for the session, as there were no public funds then. In contrast to that period, we give the following statistics from the last report of the State Commissioner of Public Schools :

In addition to the common and graded schools of the county, there is no lack of instruction of a higher order. Academies, seminaries and colleges within the county limits, afford to the student ample means of a complete, or even classical education. These institutions of learning will be fully written up in other chapters of this work. Mount Union College, the Charity .School of Massillon, Canton Academy, and the defunct Alliance College will receive appropriate mention in their respective chapters. It is our aim. in this chapter, to take but the merest glance at the church and educational history, but to notice brieflj' the organization of schools and churches, leaving their progress and advancement for other departments of this work. With these words of explanation, we will turn to another subject. 77(1 Pii^s. - There is no more important feature in the history of the county's social development, or one which more accuratelj^ measures it. than the newspaper. .\ public servant in the truest sense, it lives only l)y the voluntary support of the people, and as a matter of necessity, in the main, reflects the average sentiment, enterprise and moral development of the community in which it appears. The people who settled ."^tark County, though an intelligent people, were not so great readers or close students as their neighbors, the Yankees of tlie '- Reserve. " but they, at an early day. showed their appreciation of the local press in a substantial manner which led to the establishment of tlicCantdu Rijiiisitiinj in the early part of

1815. This was the first newspaper issued in the present boundary of Stark County Hitherto the people had been dependent for news on papers published elsewhere, but now. they had a paper of their own, which gave them quite a metropolitan air. and almost intoxicated them with their own importance. The tiles of the liepositorij have been bound and carefully preserved, aud from tiiem we may learn, not only much of the history of the county, but of the country at large. In the lirst volume one may read of Napoleon at Waterloo, and nearly sixty years later of the misfortune of another Napoleon at Sedan. It was established by John Saxton, and is still owned by the Saxtons, and is Kepublicau in its political vie>vs. The Sturk County Denwcnil was started in 188H by John Bernard. It is now owned by A. .McGregor & Son. and is the leading Democratic journal in this section of the State.

The press of the coiinty can only receive a general mention in the present chapter, as it is full}' written up elsewhere in Ihis work. As one of the chief matters of interest and importance in each city and town, the press will be noticed with due attention in the historj' of those places. For general reference, however, we give the following list of the papers published in the count}' at the present time ; Canton : Canton Rrpositon/ : Storl,- {'minty Democmt : Canton Reptihliaiii : Ohio Volks Xrltiiug : Canton Courier. Massillon : American : Indipendent. Alliance ; Riviiir : StnnJiird. Canal Fulton: Fulton Slgiml. Minerva: Moiiifm: There have been a number of papers established in the county, which tloiirislied for a brief season - swept over the scene " like untamed meteors, flashed, darted and ti/.zled." and then went out. Their obituaries will appear in the historj- of the towns where they lived and died.

Roads (Hid Hujliirai/x. - .\mong the great forces that develop the moral growth of a community are the thoroughfares that connect it with the outside world. They are the arteries which carry the elements of the growth and vigor from the centers of church and school influence, and of commercial activity, to remoter points ; and the great hindrance to the rapid gro\yth. both moral and material, in frontier communities in that early day. was this lack of easy communication with the rest of the world. Information of all sorts was meager and generally inaccurate, and a place ten miles awaj- was less known to tlie pioneers for the first fifteen or twenty j'ears than Europe is to us to-day. The papers were ahnost universal!}- taken up too much with State and national affairs to mention local matters, and there was nothing to incite the communitj' to a generous rivalry, or to awaken an enterprising enthusiasm.

( )ne of the first roads in Stark County was known as the - Wooster Road," and passed through the county east and west. It was on this road that Buckwheat Bridge" was built, one of tiie first, if not the first bridge in the county. The I'oad passed through a large swamp near Canton, and into this swamp large quantities of buckwheat straw were thrown, and covered with sand and gravel, from which fact it received the name of Buckwheat Bridge. This was the commencement of public roads, and other important highways followed in rapid succession. For several years after settlements were made, the establishment of roads was unsettled. Kach settler undertook to make a road to suit his own convenience. This, together with the une\en and hilly nature of the ground, has been the means of roads running in almost any direction, except to the cardinal points of the compass. It is proverbial that the roads of Stark County are about as zigzag as the\- very well can be made, unless there were more hills to go around. Notwithstanding their crookedness, however, the}' are about as good as are to be found in any community where there are no pikes. Bridges span the streams, and the steepest of the hills are graded down, thus making the roads as nearly level as circumstances will allow.

The next public thoroughfares to the wagonroads were the canals. These artificial water highways antedate the Christian era, and were employed as a means of irrigation and communication by the Assyrians, Egyptians and Hindoos, and also by the Chinese, whose works of this kind are unri\aled in extent. These canals, however, were uniformlj' level, and it was not until the fifteenth century that locks were invented, showing thus how canals might be advantageously used for inland navigation. It was not until little more than half a century ago. that canals received much attention in the United States. The Ohio Canal was finished from Cleveland to Akron in 1 827, and through to Portsmouth, on the Ohio River, in 1830.

The project, with estimates of its cost, was brought to the notice of the Legislature in 1824, and commissioners appointed. An act was passed in 1825, for interior impi'ovement by a system of canals. The Ohio Canal was chartered, and work begun on it lietween Akron, in Summit County, and Cleveland. In Decern ber, 182.'i, the line was located between Akron and Massillon, and the contract for its con struction let in January, 182G. So rapidly was the work pushed forward that the canal was completed, and, as we have said, opened through to Portsmouth in 1830. This highway of communication was the inauguration of a new era. It revived all branches of business, and, for the first time since the settlement of the county, merchants paid cash for wheat. Indeed its effects were felt throughout the entire country. The old Sandy & Beaver Canal, which touches tlie southeast corner of the count}', was built many }^ears ago, and was intended as a kind of feeder, both in water supply and commerce, to the Ohio Canal. It extended from (ilasgow, on the Ohio River, to Bolivar in Tuscarawas County, on the Ohio Canal. From some cause, it was abandoned more than thirty years ago. It still remains, as a means of irrigation and drainage to the district through which it passes. Its history, however, has little to do with the history of Stark County, touching, as it does, a very small corner of the county. But a measure, growing out of its construction, interested and excited the people of the city of Canton, and of the county, considerably at one time, viz.. the " Nimishillen & Sandy Slackwater Navigation Company." " What's in a name ? " said Shakespeare, and really there seemed in this case to be very little in this tremendous name, for the enterprise finally failed. It was the design of this company to build a canal by way of the Nimishillen and Sandy Creeks to the Sandy & Beaver Canal, some miles north of its junction with the Ohio Canal. It was to pass through Canton, thus giving it water communication with the world, and hence all of her business men of that day took an active interest in the pi-oject. (Iround was broken on Walnut street with the most imposing ceremonies, A plow, drawn by ten yoke of oxen, and large enough almost to make a canal at one fuirow, was used to make the commencement on this new internal improvement. The Sand}' & Beaver Canal, in tlie meantime, drat^ged slowly along, and this ontorprise was contingent, in some measure, upon tiie completion of that ; funds, too, became scarce, and railroads were beginning to attract notice throughout the country, all of which, taken together, finally caused the abandonment of the Nimishillen & Sandy Slackwater Navigation project. Hut the railroad has destroyed to a great extent tlie value of . canals, as a means of travel and transportation, except so far as carrying heavy frieghts, which are in no hurry to reach their destination.

The I'ailroads now claim our attention, and as pul)lic liiirhw.-i^s constitute perhaps the most inU'resting chapter in the history of our country. The origin, progress and perfection of the railroad system arc modern wonders that must ever command our earnest admiration. Wholly unknown to the commercial world three-fourths of a ccntuiy ago. the railway has become the greatest single factor in the development of the material and social progress of not onl} of the United States and other civilized nations of the earth, hut its inestimable blessings are being rapidh' extended into the hitherto semi-civilized and barbarous portions of the globe. Though .some rude tramways had previousl3' been used in the mining regions of England, the first attempt at railroad building in the United States was in 1807. Tt was but a few hundred yards in length, and was built for the transi)i)rting of gravel from the top of Beacon Hill down into Charles street, in the city of Boston, the rails being entirely of wood, and the propelling power, the momentum of the loaded cars, which, in descending, by means of a rope attachment, pulled the em|)ty cars np, a double track, of course, being necessary to the proper working of the road. As late as 1827, the then longest railroad in the United States was from the Mauch Chunk Coal Mines to the Ticliigh River, in Pennsylvania, a distance of nine miles. The loaded cars were run from the mines to the river by their own gravity, and, on being emptied, were drawn back to the mines by mules.

The American people, from this time forward, became deeply interested in railroad enterprises, and from 1827 to 18.30. several short lines, run by horse-iwwer. were constructed. The first locomotive propelled by steam, to tuin a wheel upon the .VmeriiaM coiitinent. b(Mng a clumsy, uneiiuth importation fnun England, called the

" Stourbridge Lion, landed in New York in 1820. So slow, however, was the develoijmcnt, that the railroad running from Charleston, S. ('., to Augusta, Ga., a distance of ISO miles, and then the longest railroad in the world, was, in 1S:5I{, operated by steam power for only the first 100 miles, the last thirty being by negropower. This was owing to a sharp incline that the modern engine-driver would laugh at, hut which it was then sui)posed only a stationary engine, with the proper hoisting apparatus, could overcome. But this was before such achievements in the railroad era as luidging the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers and the (a-ossing of the Rocky >Iountains with trains. The first locomotive ever built in .Vraerica, called the - Best Friend." was used upon this road during its construction. It was Ituilt at the " West Point Foundry Shops." in New York, and forwarded to Charleston by the ship Niagara, in October, 18;!0. The first trial trip was made on a small portion of the road out of Charleston. November 2. 18S0. running, according to the report of the excursion in the Charleston ('o»/)vV)-, as -- on the wings of the wind, at the rapid speed of fifteen to twenty miles an hour ; aimihilating time and space, and. like the renowned John Ciilpin. 'leaving all the W(^rld behind.' " The Best Friend " was daily in service, transporting workmen and materials used in the construction of the road, until the 17th day of .June, 18M1. when it became disabled by a singular accident, and the road was without a locomotive for several months. Of this disaster to the Be.st Friend." the Charleston f^ of June 18. 1831. gave the following account : The locomotive. Best Friend.' started yesterday morning to meet the lumber cars at the forks of the road, and while turning on the revolving i)latform, the steam was suffered to accumulate by the negligence of the fireman, a negro, who. pressing on the safety- \alve, prevented the surplus steam from escaping, by which means the boiler burst at the bottom, was forced inward, and injured Mr. Darrell. the engineer, and two negroes. The one had his thigh lirokeii. and the otlier received a severe cut in the face, and a slight one in the rteshy part of the lireast. Mr. Darrell was scalded from the shoulder-blade down his back. The boiler was thrown to the distance of twenty-five feet. * * * ' * The accident occurred in consequence of the negro lioldiuii

It will seem strange to the trained railroad <iperator of the present day that such an accident from such a cause could have been possible ; but it must be remembered that the engineer, himself almost wholly unskilled in locomotive driving, had to perform all the functions of conductor, brakeman, etc., in addition to his own proper duties, his only help being such as above indicated, common, unskilled laborers, unable to distinguish lietween the lever of a safety-valve and the crank of a grindstone. But without further tracing the growth of tlie railroad system of the United States, now forming a perfect net-work of iron and steel in every portion of the coiintr}', which daily and nightly and continuously run thousands of locomotives and tens of thousands of freight and passenger cars loaded with thousands of tons of the products of the country, with valuable merchandise from any and every part of the world, and with tens of thousands of precious human beings, dashing with lightning speed from cit}- to city, and from State to State, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and from the Lakes to the Gulf, we will, with a few statistics of some interest, turn our attention to the sketching of the difl'erent railroads in Stark County. In January. 1832, it was reported that there were nineteen railroads, either completed or in course of construction in the United States, and that their aggregate length was nearly 1,4(10 miles. Though Congress afforded no material aid in this new era of internal improvements, yet this sameyear it exempted from duty the iron imported for railways and inclined planes, and actually used for their construction. In 1840, it has been estimated that oui' yearly a\'erage of railroad construction was about 500 miles. In 1850, this average had increased to 1.500 miles. In I860, it was nearly 10,000 miles, and in 1871 it was stated that enterprises requiring an expenditure of S8<)(). (10(1, (100 and involving the construction of 20,00(1 miles of railroad were in actual process of accomplishment. In 1872, the aggregate capital of the railroads of the United States, which were estimated to embrace one-half the railroads of the world, was stated to amount to the enormous sum of $3,159,423,057, their gross revenue being $473,241,055. At the present time their estimated capital is over

The first railroad touching Stark County, and which was carried to a successful termination, was the present Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad. Prior to this, however, railroad enterprises had been strongly agitated in the county. In 1830-31, a road was chartered to run from Pittsburgh to some eligible point on the Ohio Canal. Another early survey was for a road on the present line of the Valley Railroad. The people of Stark County took considerable interest iu these projected roads, and for a time there seemed to be a strong probabilit}- of the county getting a railroad. But the time had not j-et come, and the projects were abandoned, on account, it is said, of the supposed impracticability of the routes. It was not until nearly twenty years later that a road was built from Pittsburgh through Stark Count}', upon a less advantageous route as to heav}' graiies. The Cleveland & I'ittsburgh Railroad which, as we have said, was the first road in the county, passing through a corner of Lexington Township and the town of Alliance, gives Stark but a few miles of track. A charter was granted for this road by the Legislature of Ohio on the 14th day of March, 183G. AA'ork upon the road not being commenced within the three years designated in the law, the charter became dormant, and remained so for six years, when, by an act passed March 11, 1845 - just nine years after the granting of the original charter - the project was revived and the charter amended. The promoters of the enterprise, though the times were hard and money scarce, prosecuted the work as rapidly as similar enterprises were then built, though very slowly in comparison witli more modern railroad operations, the road not being completed on the Cleveland end as far as Hudson, in Summit County, until the latter part of the winter of 1851-52. From the beginning the Cleveland & Pittsburgh has been under an able and efficient management, and has never experienced any of those reverses and drawbacks so common to railroad corporations in their earlier days, and so disastrous and unprofitable to the original stockholders and builders. So small a part, however, of this road is in this county, that an extended notice of it can be of no great interest to our readers. It was duly finished, and it gave to Stai-k County two staliL^

The Pittsburgli. Fort Wajne & Chicago Railwa3- was the next railroad built through the county. From the most reliable (acts to be obtained, the history of this road may be tlius brieJly given : In February. 184S, the Legislature of Ohio passed an act incorporating the - Ohio A; I'ennsylvauia Railroad (,'ompaiiy." On the 1 1th of April following, the Legislature of Pennsylvania passed a similar act, making the company a corporation of that State. The act of incorporation of the Oiiio Legislature gave the company power to construct a railroad from Mansfield, in Richland County, eastward by way of Wooster, Massillon and Canton, to some point on the east line of the State, within the county of Columbiana, and thence to the cit}' of Pittsburgh ; and from .Mansfiekl westwardly to the west line of the State. The work on this road was commenced in July. 184ii. and the entire track was laid and the road was opened for travel from I'ittsburgh to Crestline on the Ilth of April. 1853. The Board of Directois had determined, in L850, to make Crestline the terminus of the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad. This made further action necessary bj" the people west of this place, and the subject was warmly discussed for some time by the counties through which it must pass, west of Crestline - ettbrts that were cventualiv successful.

On the^Oth of March, 1851, the Ohio Legislature granted a cliarterto the -- Ohio & Indiana Railroad Company." for the purpose of building a road from some point on the Cle\eland & Columbus Railniad, through Bucyrus and Upper Sandusky to the west line of the State, and thence to Fort Wayne, in Indiana. The organization of the company was completed at Bucyrus on the 4th of July, and olPicers elected. On the 10th of the same month J. H. Straughn was elected Chief Engineer, and work at once commenced in making surveys for the road. In September following, the Directors ti.ved the eastern terminus of the road at Crestline, to connect with the Ohio & Pennsylvania Railroad. In January. 1.S52, the contract was let for the entire distance between Crestline and Fort VV'ayne. and prosecuted with so much vigor that on the 1st of November, 1854.it was ready for the passivge of trains. The jjeople in the counties between Fort Wayne and Chicairo. determined to make a strong ett'ort to build the last link in the chain between Philadelphia and Chicago. A convention was called at Warsaw, Ind., in September, 185:i, for devising ways and means for accomplishing the object. This meeting was largely attended, and the object in view was finally accomplished. In 1856, the work was so nearly' completed on this new line, that b}' using a portion of the Cincinnati. Pennsjlvania & Chicago Railroad, a continuous line was opened on the 10th of November, 1856, from Pittsburgh to Chicago. On the 1st of August. 1856. the three corporations - the Ohio & Pennsylvania." the -- Ohio &. Indiana, ' and the - Fort Wayne & Chicago '' - were consolidated under the name and title of the Pittsl>urgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago R<iilway," by which name it has ever since been known. Stark County took stock in the original Ohio & Pennsylvania road to the amount of §105,000. This was increased ui) to 1854, l>y the issue of stock dividends, to $127,0(10. When the consolidation of the three companies took place, the Ohio tt Pennsjivania stock was considered more valuable than that of the other companies, and in the new issue of stock certificates, the amount held by Stark County became, in roinid numbers. $172,000. which was subse- (juently sold by the commissioners to paj' oti' the bonds issued by the county for the payment of the original stock. Such is a synopsis of the facts pertaining to the building of this, one of the best railroads in the United Stales, and the first to lay its lines through the full length or width of Stark County.

The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne iV: Chicago Raiiw'ay belongs to the I'ennsylvania system, and is the direct source of its communication with the great West. Says a local writer, dilating upon the subject : '- Where was once an isolated wilderness is now a thriving garden, connected with all parts of the continent. Less than a generation ago, the necessary supplies of life could be secured only b^' tedious journeys through almost trackless forests ; now we take the cars and speed away to the best market in th(! workl in less time than the pioneers went forty miles to mill on horsel)ack, with a bushel of grain divided between the two ends of the sack."

as the " Massillon & Cleveland Railroad,' deserves some mention in this connection, as a part of the Stark County system. The Massillon & Cleveland Railroad (commonly called the Massillon Branch) was built by the Massillon & Cleveland Railroad Company, and runs from Clinton, in Summit County, to Massillon, in this county, a distance of some eight or ten miles, only. This road was leased to the Pittsburgh. Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway Company June 22, 1869 ; lease assigned by that company to the Pennsylvania Railroad Company July 1, 18(59 ; and by that company and the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway Company lease assigned to the Pittsburgh. Mount Vernon, Columbus & London Railway Company (now Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Delaware Railroad Company). November 4, 1 869. The road is owned by the Massillon & Cleveland Railroad Company-, and is now (1881) operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad Company operating the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railway.

The Cleveland. Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railway is the next road claiming our attention. It enters Stark County at the northwest corner, passes through Canal Fulton, Massillon. bearing southwest through Sugar Creek Township, and leaving the county near the southwest corner. It was originally chartered as the - Cleveland, Medina & Tuscarawas Railroad," and work begun on the northern end of it as early as 1852, and a considerable amount of grading done between Grafton and Seville. The main interest in this road centered in Medina County, which at that time was without railroad communication. Bonds were issued, stock subscribed, and great energy displaj'ed by the jjeople of that county. But the enterprise met with many reverses and misfortunes. The bonds which had been issued and placed in the hands of a broker in New York for negotiation, were squandered by him and ultimately lost to tlie company. This misadventure prostrated the whole enterprise, and work on the road stopped at once, leaving large liabilities to be borne by those who had taken an active part in the project. Though greatly disappointed, the people of the sections to be most benefited by it. were by no means discouraged or disi)irited by the unfortunate termination of their enterprise, and ways and means of reviving the Tuscarawas road were constantly discussed. Many pi-opositions were made, and routes suggested, when, on the Slst of March, 1871. the Lake Shore & Tuscarawas ^'^alley Railroad Company was organized. The company went to work, solicited subscriptions along the route. Massillon responding with $25,00(1 and Navarre $17,000. Under the new organization work was liegun on the southern end of the road at (jrafton on the iid of November, 1873, much of the old road-bed being used. The title was finally changed to the -' Bl3'ria & Black River Railroad Company," and under this organization completed. The subse(|uent history of this road has not been completely satisfactory, though quite in keeping with the general history of railroads. Becoming involved, a receiver was appointed in 1874, and on the 26th of January. 1875, it was sold, and the name and title again changed, this time to the Cleveland. Tuscarawas Valley & Wheeling Railway " (which title it still bears) and a new company formed to operate it. In 1879. the road was extended from Urichsville to Wheeling by the way of Flushing. It has twenty-three and eighty-seven hundredths miles of main track in Stark County, with sidings at Massillon and Canal Fulton, and is of considerable value to the county.

The Valley Railwa}'. extending from t'le\eland to Canton, is another railroad that is of material benefit to Stark Couniy, and at the same time, of the utmost advantage to Canton, as giving it more direct communication with Cleveland. As early as 18(19. a charter was obtained for the Akron lV; Canton Railway, which afterward developed into tlie larger and more important enterprise, the ^'alley Railway, dul^' incorporated on the 21st of .\ugust, IS"]. The authorized capital stock of the company was .$3,000,000, the road to run from Cleveland, in Cuyahoga County, via Akron, in Summit County. Canton, in Stark County, through Tus- (varawas and Carroll Counties to Bowerston. in Harrison County, on the Pan Handle Railroad. The first great inoxement for the promotion of the enter()rise was made at a meeting held at the Academy of Music, in Akron, on the 4th day of January, 1872. Bepresentatives from Cleveland. Canton. Wheeling and intermediate points on the contemplated route were in attendance. The meeting was presided over b}- James A. Saxton, Esq., of Canton, with Mr. H. Cochran, of Wheeling, as Secretary, and Hon. Ste- phen H. Pitkin, of Akron, as Assistant Secretary. Daviil L. King. Esq.. of Akron, briefly stated the ()l)jects of the meeting, saying that the proj ect of a roaii down the valley of the Cuyahoga, from Akron to Clevehuid. and south from Akron to Canton and Wheeling, was no new projeot. Sueh a road. Mr. King said, w(juld develop large ([uantities of coal an<l other minerals south :)f Akron, and a locomotive, after drawing an ordinary train to Akron, could by reason of continuous down grade, draw as manj' loaded cars from Akron, as the same locomotive could draw empty cars back. The importance and feasibilit}' of the road was conceded by all. the discussion being mainlv over the question of gauge, estimates being presented showing the comparative cost of both the standard, four feet eight and one-half inches, and the narrow, three feet tracks. At the conclusion of the discussion, the following resolution was unanimously adopted :

Reiiohed. Tlial it he tlic sense of this meeting that all our efforts lie devoted to raising stock for the ordinary four fool eight and one-half inch gauge.

Subscription books were opened at Cleveland, Akron, Canton, and intermediate points (m the loth day of January. 1872. and a vigorous campaign opened all along the line," for raising the necessary funds to build the road. Cleveland parties were pledged to raise $500,00(1. the quota assigned to Akron and Canton being $150,000 each, with such additional amounts as could be raised at intermediate points in the several counties interested. Meetings were held, speeches were made and subscriptions were obtained with commendable celerity. Canton was the first to announce that her full share was raised. Akron coming in so<jn afterward with a similar good report. Cleveland, however, was backward, trusting t<) the plan of raising the re(|uisite amount, under the Boessel law, by a tax upon the citj'. The pnjposition, however, was voted down, though the amount pledged was subsequentl}' raised by voluntary subscriptions to the capital stock of the company through the vigorous efforts of her soliciting committees. Other localities subscribed more or less liberally, so that the total amount sub.scribed in each of the three counties was as follows : Cuvahoga, $508,250 ; Summit, 1191,700; Stark. ?14!l,750. The first .stock- ' holder's meeting was held .\pril 24, 1872, at which .lames Farmer, Aml)rose B. Stone, and

Nathan B, Payne, of Cleveland : David L. King and John F. Sieberling, of Akron, and .James A, Saxton and (ieorge Cook, of ("anton, were elected Directors, At a subsecjuent meeting of the Directors the same day. James Farmer was elected President ; David L. King, Vice President, and Warwicli Price, Secretary and Treasurer, At a meeting of the Directors held May 10, 1872, Plymouth II, Dudley, of Akron, was appointed chief engineer for the road. The route was fiuall} agreed upon, and the contract for building the entire line from Cleveland to Bowerstoii was awarded to Nicholas E. A'ansickle and Arthur L. Conger, of Akron, on the 3d da}' of February, 1873, The work was commenced at once, and a report made to the Board of Directors on the 5th of August, 1873, stated that nearl}' two thirds of the distance from Cleveland to Canton were graded, and that with favorable weather the remainder could be completed and ready for track-laying by the 1st of October, These anticipations, however, were not realized, and a difference of opinion having arisen between the Directors and contractors, Messrs. Vansickle and Conger, the contract was canceled, and the work suspended on the 16th of May. 1874. Reuben Hitchcock was elected President of the company, .\pril 24. 1874. but on account of failing health, a few months later, was compelled to tender his resignation, and David L, King was elected in his place, on the 25th of September, with James Farmer as Vice President. The general stagnation of business, and especiall}' of all new railroad enti>rprises. following the failure of Jay Cooke & Co.. rendered the immediate resumption of work impossible. The Directors, as a condition precedent to Mr. King's acceptance of the i'residency. individuallj- assumed the entire liabilities of the companj', which, owing to inability to collect stock subscriptions, amounted to over S150,0()0 - a burden from which the Directors were not relieved until .\pril, 1870. But, by the selfsacrificing assumption of this res[X)nsibility, the life of the company was saved through the long period of financial distress the country was then experiencing, P'ailing, through the stringency of the times, to secure aid in this countrv to complete the road, at the earnest solicitation of the board, Mr, King sailed for England, on the Gth day of February, 1875, to present the advantages of the investment to the capitalists of London, .\fter weeks of pa- tient effort, struggle and disappointment, he finally succeeded in securing a proposition for the sale of the company's bonds on highly advantageous terms, and a time was fixed for the execution of the contract. On the morning of the day agreed upon for closing the matter up, the puljlication, in the London papers, of the report of a committee of the House of Commons, discrediting the value of American securities in general, and railroad securities in particular, together with a cable dispatch received from New York, published in the same papers, that the Toledo, Wabash & Western Railroad (a very large amount of the bonds of this road being held in London) had passed into the hands of a Receiver. By the advice of the parties with whom he had been in negotiation, Mr. King returned home without liaving accomplished the object of his mission, to '-await the logic of events. ' as it was considered damaging to future sales, on the return of prosperity at home, to urge the bonds of the company further upon the attention of English capitalists at that time. The nierits of the line were, from time to time, brought by President King before the capitalists of Cleveland and the East, and a succession of struggles to keep the enterprise alive were continued for three jears longer, happily resulting in placing the bonds on highly favorable terms at home with Cleveland and New York capitalists, the capital stock having in the meantime (April 13, 1876) been increa'sed from $3,000,000 to $6,500,000. On the 7th day of August. 1S78, the work on the line between Cleveland and Canton was resumed by the new contractors. ^lessrs. Walsh and Moynahan, the first rail upon the line being laid and the first spike driven by President King, at Akron, at a point near the Old Forge." at 12 o'clock M.. on the 26th day of October, 1878, track-laying being immediately proceeded with from this point both ways, and also commenced in Cleveland a few days thereafter. The oiierations of tiie new contractors not proving satisfactory to the company, the contract with them was annulled, on tlie 25th da}' of January, 1870, and the work again temporarily suspended. Subsequently, a new contract was made with Messrs. Strong and Gary, and work resumed on the 3d day of June, 1879. The road was finally completed through from Cleveland to Canton, in the winter of 1879-80. The first continuous train from

Cleveland to Canton, with the officers, Directors, and other friends and promoters of the road on board, started from Cleveland at 9:30 A. M.. Januar}' 28, 1880. Making short stops at the several stations on the route, tlie train arrived at Canton about 1 o'clock P. M. Starting from Canton on the return trip at 3 o'clock P. M., the run from Canton to Akron, twenty-two miles, was made in thirty-eight minutes, the entire trip from Canton to Cleveland, fifty-nine miles, being made in two hours - a remarkable run, considering the newness of the road, and evincing a very excellent degree of work in the laying of the track and the ballasting of the road-bed. The first regular trains commenced running February 2. 1880, and have continued uninterruptedly to the present time, with constantly increasing freight and passenger traffic, and though, by reason of the partial occupation of the ground by other similar enterprises and prospective connections, the extension of the road beyond Canton has been indefinitely postponed, tiie Valley Railway may well be considered a successful venture for its promoters, and a ver}' valuable actpusition to the travel and transportation facilities of the people all akmg the line.

The Tuscarawas Branch of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad touches a corner of two townships in Stark County, passing through Minerva, in Paris Township, and Waynesburg, in Sandy Township. It, however, has but a limited space in the railroad history of the county. It was built a good man}- years ago. and extends from Bayard to New Philadelphia. Its completion at a time when Stark had few railroads, gave it some importance, but at present, when her system is well nigh perfect, it is of no material benefit, except to the two towns through which it passes.

The latest accession to the railroad system of Stark County is the Connotton Valley Railway. It is a narrow-gauge road (three feet) and though intended more esj)eciallj- f<u- the transportation of coal, its complement of rolling-stock embraces an adequate supply of box freight cars, and elegantly finished and furnished passenger coaches. The southern terminus of the road is at Bowerston, on the Pan Handle road in Hariison County, and its northern terminus Fairport, on Lake Erie, with a branch to the city of Cleveland. The line passes through Carroll, Stark, Summit, Portage and Cuyahoga

Counties ; the capital stock is $3,000,000. tiie funds beinjj; furnished mainly by Boston capitalists, though a majoi-ity of the Directors are the proverbial Ohio men." The Connotton project grew out of the old Oiiio & Toledo road, runninii; from C'arrolton to Minerva. This road was bought in 1878 -70 by N. A. Smith, V. (i. Patterson and others, who extended it to Dell Roy. Some tinu' in 187!) Mr. Patterson conceived tin; idea and made it publie, of running the road from Oneida, the original northern terminus of the Ohio & Toledo road, to Canton. He succeeded in interesting other parties both at home and aliroad, resulting in the final organization of the Connotton Valley Railway Company-. No aid or donations or bonds were asked, only a free right of way. Work was begun and pushed forward so vigorously that the road was completed to Canton early in .May, 1880, and appropriately celebrated by an excursion of its friends from the southeast to Canton, where they were dined and wined to their hearts' content. Its completion to Osnaburg \'illage a short time previous, was duly celebrated in that suburban burg.

Upon the completion of the road to Canton, it was decided to extend it on north to Fairport, on Lake Erie, two miles north of Painesville. with a branch to Cleveland. An ettbrt was made to sell the Alliance & Lake Erie road to the company, but this offer was declined, the company preferring to build a new road, if a free right of way could be obtained, rather than undertake the organization of any more railroad wrecks, as the Ohio & Toledo had been rather expensive in this respect. Work was begun on the northern extension under the most favorable auspices, and at tlic pn^sent writing it is l)eing rapidly pushed forward. The entire length of the road is 118, sixty-two miles of which is now fMay. 1881) in running order, being completed as far north as Mogadore, in Summit County, and as far soutli as Dell Roy, in Carroll County, and it is expected that cars will be running over the entire line by July of the present year. This road passes through from sixteen to twenty miles of valuable coal fields, fine beds of iron ore, potters' clay, building-stone, etc., besides having on its line some of the most enterprising manufacturing cities and villages in Northern Ohio.

President; Samuel Allen, of Dell Roy, Carroll County, Vice President ; .\. B. Proval, of Canton, Stark County, Secretary- and Treasurer ; W. N. Moffat, formerly of the Pittsburgh. Kort \\ayne & Chicago Railroad, Superintendent, and Robert Leamouth, formerly of the Pan Handle road. Roadraasler. The machine and repair shops, and the general ortices of the company, are located at Canton. The Depot buildings are among the finest in the country, and an ornament to the city. The main building is 230 feet long and extends from Tuscarawas street to Fifth street, and is 40 feet wide, exclusive of porches which run along the entire building on each side. The structure is built of pressed brick, laid in black mortar, and with white sandstone trimmings, giving it a very handsome appearance. It has a tower on Tuscarawas street, 96 feet high, containing an elegant clock which tells off the passing moments by Columbus time. The first floor is devoted to waitingrooms, toilette rooms, ticket and telegi'apli offices, baggage room, etc. Upon the second floor, which is reached by both a front and l)aek stairwaj-, are eleven rooms, used as follows : General manager's office, general business office, Secretar}- and Treasurer's office : Auditor's office ; general freight office ; general ticket agent's office ; Conductor's room ; Superintcmdent's office ; train dispatcher's office ; roadmaster's room ; Chief Engineer's office, and Engineer Corps' room, all of which are finished off in the best style, and are well, and even elegantly, furnished.

In addition to the railroads of the county now in acti\e operation, or in (jrocess of actual construction, there are (juite a number, that as yet have only been constructed on paper. The Steubenville, Canton & Lake Eric is one of the latter kind. It is tlu; object of the comi)any advocating this line to run a road up Wills Creek, and taji th(! Island Creek road, a few miles from Steubenville. Thence to Salineville where it will tap the Cleveland ifc Pittsburgh, and also a new r<^ad coming down from New Lisbon. Thence it is to go to Minerva anil Canton, connecting at the latter place with the I'ittsburgh. Fort Wayne A: (,"hicago load. From Canton it will have direct communication with Cleveland. It is in the hands of practical and energetic men. and no doubt but it will sooner or later be built. It will be a valuable accession to the Stark County system when c<)m|)leted.

The Cleveland, Canton. Coshocton & Straitsville Railroad, is an enterprise that was organized some years ago, and at one time seemed likely to develop into a reality. A company was formed, a charter gj'anted for a standard gauge, to connect with the Valley Railway at Canton, con.sideralilcstock sulisoriln>d, and work actiiidly l)ci,niii mi tlir liiiv ol i-ikkI. and a good deal of grading was <l()nr. Hut from somecause it languished and work linally ceased. Recently (May, 1881) it was purchased by the Connotton Valley Railwaj', and will he finished immediately as a narrow-gauge road. It is to be extended 105 miles in a southwesterly direction from Canton, passing through Massillon, Coshocton, Straitsville and the Hocking Valley coal district, reaching man^- important towns, notably Zanesville and Cosiioeton, and terminating at a central point in the Hocking Valley coal-field. It will be a valuable feeder to the Connotton Valley system, and of the greatest advantage to Canton, in bringing immense quantities of coal and other freight to its doors for transfer and re-shipment.

The property acquired by the Connotton in this purchase, involves the right of wa3' through the central part of ()hio for 50 miles, and an amount of grading, upon which was expended S(Mne $400,000. Work was begun on this extension under the auspices of the new management, and it is believed tiiat much of it will be finished during the present summer.

is another paper railroad, at least so far. From the agitation of the project, however, it is altogether possible to build such a road, especially if it is sufficiently pushed forward in the present great railroad ijoom now passing over the entire country. The surveyors of this projected road have just survej'ed a route through Minerva, in this county, and down the Sandy \'alley, and of this route they speak in high favor.

The Canton & Canal Dover Railroad is another of the prospective roads of Stark County. It has been incorporated and a company formed with a capital of $750,000. It will be 23 miles in length and will connect the Valley Railway with the Pittsburgh roads, and will also form the connecting link between Marietta on the Ohio River and Cleveland. This road, thougii short, will be an important one to Canton and to the county at large.

How many more railroad irons Stark County has in the fire it is impossible to say, but doubtless there are a number of projected roads that have not yet come to the surface. We have noticed all the roads of the county that have been completed, as well as those contemplated, so far as we have been able to obtain fticts regarding them. If any have been omitted it is an oversight and occurred. through the multiplicity of roads to be looked after and written up. The railroads form an important part of county's history, but space allows but a brief sketch of them in a work of this character, and we leave the subject without further remark.