Summit County, Ohio - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 18 of those read), 1881

Chapter with an unread heading (no. 18 of those read)

the township, but also to the county in which it was situate prior to the erection of Summit County. As the Portage Path has served so many uses as a boundary line, it will not be out of place to here briefly note them. In the first place, it constituted a portion of the ancient line of separation between the confederated Six Nations and the Western Indians. By the treaty of Fort McIntosh, near where is now Beaver, Penn., in 1785, the United States acquired from the Indians all the territory be yond the Ohio River and east of this line. When the great Northwest Territory. including this and more. was established in 1787. by ordinance of the Continental Congress. the Governor and three Judges thereof were appointed by Congress. These men entered upon their duties with headquarters at Campus Martius. now Marietta. Their first act was to create the county of Washington. July 27, 1788. named in honor of Gen. George Washington. Its western boundary was the Cuyahoga River, the old portage path. and the Tuscarawas River as far south as the southern line of the Western Reserve. This was practically the western border of the United States. and so remained until the year 1805. In 1796. August 15, the county of Wayne was set off. having for its eastern limit the same line. July 29, 1797, Jefferson County was erected out of Washington. its western line being so far coincident with that of Washington.

the General Government and the Connecticut Land Company, after much delay and reluctance on the part of the Indians, succeeded in negotiating a treaty with them, by which a final settlement of their unextinguished claim to all lands of the Reserve west of the Cuyahoga

' River, was accomplished ; all their right and title to the lands in question were thereby ceded to the United States. Thus we see that for a considerable time a portion of what is now the township of Portage was within the United States. while another portion was not. further unimportant territorial modifications. the counties of Cuyahoga and Portage were authorized the same day, by act of the Ohio that act. Now, for the first time. the « Portage Path" loses its distinctive service of importance as a dividing line. All the early conveyances of land in its vicinity make frequent | | reference to it as a well-known monument, and | all parcels abutting upon it were so described and hounded. And now, having at such length evolved it historically, let us inquire as to just what the path was. Years before the white man invaded this country. the Indians had been in the habit of traveling across between Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

ing. great bend, then transporting the boats and luggage by this. the shortest trail. a little more than eight miles in length. over to the headwaters. of the Tuscarawas, they could reach one of the links in this chain of communication and commercial highway. very earliest maps of this section known. is that of Evans'. published in Philadelphia in the year 1755. Upon it appears, with tolerable geographic accuracy, the "Cayahoga" River, the " Portage." and a stream evidently designed to represent the Tuscarawas.

In a publication by Capt. Thomas Hutchins, London, 1788, is a mention, among the * Carrying Places between the Ohio and Lake Erie," "From Muskingum to Cayahoga,

Between Lake Erie And The River Ohio. Through

Tue Legislature of the State of Ohio having, ut their last Session, granted a Lottery to raise the sum of Twelve Thousand Dollars, for ie stato tioned purpose and appointed the subscribers commissioners to carry the same into effect. They offer

In July, 1797, Moses Warren, one of the Con- ' necticut Land Company's surveyors, ran the path from the Cuyahoga southward. meeting ; Seth Pease, who, with his party, had been running the southern line of the Reserve. He made the length of the path 644.55 chains, or

First Class

$64.000 Prizes subject to a deduction of twelce and u half per cent. The drawing of the First Class will commence at Cleveland on the first Monday of January, 1808. or |

It was thought if $12,000 could by some means be raised, the channels of those streams could be cleared of logs and trees and the portage path made passable for loaded wagons. hus, goods might ascend the Cuyahoga in boats to the Ola Portage, be hauled seven miles to the Tuscarawas, near New Portage, and thence descend that stream in batteaux. This great object excited so much attention that the Legislature authorized a lottery to raise the money. A copy of the scheme and one of the tickets is here given:

Cuyahoga And Muskingum Navigation Lottery

Tuis ticket entitles the bearer to such Prize as shall be drawn against its number (if called for | within twelve months after the drawing is completed), subject to a deduction of 124 per cent.

ford, New York and Albany, to pay Prizes. Their names, together with a List of Prizes, will be published in some Newspaper printed in each of those places, and in three of the Newspapers printed in the State of Ohio. Persons will also be designated he subscribers have taken the Oath and given the Bonds required by Law, for the faithful discharge of their trust, and they flatter themselves that an object of such extensive importance will | not fail to attract the attention and patronage of | many. who are not allured by the advantageous prospects held out in the Scheme.

John Walworth, Esq., of Cleveland, is appointed Agent of the Commissioners, to sign the Tickets and transact the business of the Board in their recess.

Cramer, Printer Portage

the notes of Moses Warren, Jr., before referred to. ; The white man who first settled permanently within this township came from Groton, New London Co., Conn., Maj. Minor Spicer, in the summer of 1810. He purchased from the Connecticut Land Company, whose headquarters were at Hartford, Conn., and who originally bought the entire territory of the Western Reserve from the State of Connecticut (excepting . two tracts previously sold, together aggregating | something over a half million acres, or about | Maj. Spicer's | one-sixth part of the whole area). farm consisted of 260 acres of land, two-fifths of a square mile, and was situated about midway between what is now Akron's Sixth Ward and South Akron.

prior to her sale of the Reserve to the Land Company as mentioned above, by resolution fixed the selling price at three shillings (50 cents) per acre. With a spirit strongly charaction to a union of church and State), 500 acres struck by the terms of which 3,000,000 acres of the Reserve next west from the Pennsy|- vania line (which was afterward found to be a little in excess of the exact quantity of land then actually remaining within the limitations of the Reserve, after deducting the " Salt Spring Tract" of 24,000 acres already sold to Gen. Samuel H. Parsons. and located in Trumbull

From that time to this | there have always been members of the Spicer | family living upon the site of the original purchase, and "the Spicer settlement" is a well- ;

| teristic of the time and thought. she also pro- | vided that 500 acres of land in each township | should be reserved to the support of the Gospel | ministry (in those days there was no opposi- : to the maintenance of schools. and 240 acres | to the first minister who should locate within , As Connecticut did not succeed : in disposing of her land at the figure above ; the price at not less than one-third of a dollar | The ensuing suramer developed only | fruitless negotiations, but. finally, on the 2d of | September of the same year. a-bargain was |

To return from our digression: At the time , when Maj. Spicer prospected and located his | purchase, he was the only white person within | the township. About him stretched the un- | ' broken forest with no clearing nor path, save : that made by the hostile aborigine. Inasense , 'more literal and forcible than comes to most men, was it true that

With admirable judgment he made his selec- _tion. After some little labor and improvement, | | he returned in the fall of the year, to his home ' and family in the Kast. Leaving Groton again in June, of 1811, with the sturdy conveyance of an ox team and wagon, and this time accom- | panied by his family, his brother Amos and | Paul Williams, he once more reached the spot _ that was for more than twoscore years to be | , his home. Vigorous efforts soon erected a log house, the first in Portage Township, the site | of which was but a few rods from the comforta- | ble residence where still lives Avery Spicer, | ' son of Minor, in the dignity of a ripe old age | _ and the assurance of the esteem and respect of | an entire community, sprung up beneath his observation, and the recipient of many and substantial favors at his hands. Mrs. Avery . Spicer, a daughter of Joshua King, Esq., was born at Old Portage, and was the first white ~ child born in the township.

One night just before retiring, he heard some one : call in front of his house, and went out and saw a large Indian with two rifles in his hand, and a deer quartered and hung across his horse. Spicer inquired what he wanted. The Indian replied in his own dialect. when the other told him he must speak English or he would unhorse him. He tinally gave , him to understand that he wished to stay over- ;

He drew up to the table and ate but a mouthful or | two. The family being ready to retire. he placed | his scalping knife and tomahawk in the corner with | his rifles, and stretched himself upon the hearth be- | fore the fire. When he supposed the family were asleep, he raised himself slowly from his reclining | position and sat upright upon the hearth. looking stealthily over his shoulder to see if all was still. He then got up on his feet and stepped lightly across the floor to his implements of death. At this juncture, the feelings of Spicer and his wife any one, then slowly drew from its scabbard the glittering scalping knife. At this moment. Spicer Was about putting his hand upon his rifle, which to wait further demonstration, which was an entirely different one from what he had anticipated. for the Indian cut a piece of his venison, weighing about two pounds, and laying it upon the live coals vntil it was warmed through, devoured it and went to sleep. Mrs. Spicer's cooking had not pleased him, being seasoned too high.

Onondaga George. evidently ill-natured and bent on trouble. suddenly appeared along the Cuyahoga River. A few days later. they as suddenly disappeared. Soon after their departure came tidings of the battle of Tippecanoe. It then became clear that these Indians were plotting to act their part in a great intended project to an accomplishment by the intelligence, brought them by their fleet runners three lays before it reached the settlers, of the disastrous issue of that battle. While they remained by Gen. Wadsworth in September. The post was regarded as of great importance throughout the war. In order to reach the immediate scene of action, Gen. Wadsworth's soldiers, not daring to follow the lake shore from Cleveland to Huron on account of the British, ascended the Cuyahoga as far as the Upper Headquarters. Thence they felled trees and cut a road northwesterly through the woods to Camp Avery on the Huron River, not far from where Milan now stands, a distance of sixty-five miles. This road was of great service to the American forces. It was afterward known as the "old Smith road,' and portions of it are to this day used for purposes of travel.

The next year. 1813, there were built at Old Portage and floated down to Lake Erie, two vessels, the Portage and the Porcupine, which took a conspicuous part in the ever memorable naval victory achieved by Commodore Perry, September 10.

For a time, Minor Spicer, Amos Spicer and Paul Williams, with their families, constituted the entire settled population of the township. Others, however. began to come in, among them being Charles W. Brown, in 1816, and Talmon Beardsley, Andrews May and Julius Sumner, in 1818.

In 1825, the town of Akron was laid out ; the same year work was here begun upon the Ohio Canal, and a great number of laborers were imported for its construction.

and a multiplicity of railroads with the full and rapid transportation they afford. cannot appreciate the importance to the early pioneers of this enterprise, which was regarded as a wonderful accommodation, inasmuch as by its means the few necessities unobtainable from their wilderness surroundings could be brought from the regions of civilization at the remarka-. ble speed of four miles an hour, and as often as once or twice a week. The Ohio Canal. originally denominated the « Lake Erie and Ohio Canal," was first formally suggested in a resolution brought before the lower body of the Assembly, January 7, 1819.

Erie Canal - and other notables, the first spadeful of earth was upturned upon the Portfirst required was the lowering of the surface of that lake five feet, which was done by means of a ditch cut to about where Lock No. 1 now stands.

It was worth noting, in passing, that the water of Summit Lake flows both north by way of the canal, Lakes Erie and Ontario, and the St. Lawrence River to the Atlantic Ocean, and south via canal, Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and Gulf of Mexico, ultimately reaching the same great depository. The work all along the line from Portage summit to Cleaveland (as it and energetically prosecuted. Precisely two ' years to a day from the practical inception of j the work, on the 4th of July, 1827. the first ; boat - the Allen Trimble - with Gov. Trimble, | the Canal Commissioners, and other prominent | persons on board, cleared from Akron, passed ' over the thirty-seven intervening miles of water, 'and reached Cleveland the same day. Here . Was an event of no slight moment to the people | of Akron and vicinity. It constituted an epoch | in the town'shistory. Henceforward there was . to be easy communication with the most considerable town west of Marietta, and Akron's

The total of the receipts for tolls and water rents at the Akron office for the year 1835 was $7,028.23. a very creditable showing for so early a day.

the Port. He appears to have been a man of versatile talents, or at any rate of varied occu- _ pations. Besides his Collectorship, he held the position of Postmaster. and was also attorney at law and a Justice of the Peace. Notwithstanding all these respective duties. a desk of two feet by one and one-half, sufficed to contain all his business papers. Doubtless every one, during the last year, has read or heard of the early experience, as - driver upon a canal, of the man who now fills _ the highest place within the gift of the American people. James A. Garfield once, when a young man. worked upon this same Ohio Canal, _ and, as in everything else to which he turned | his hand or attention, did his work well. As | he was passing down the Valley Railroad one | day last fall (1880), in company with President | Hayes and others, he pointed out many famil- | iar places along the line of the canal, and re- | galed his companions vith anecdotes and inci- | dents connected with his former acquaintance | with it under so diverse circumstances. | The Counterfeiting Plot - We have also to | record as matter of history, a thing which for | years rendered the northern portion of Portage | | probably never will be, effaced. We refer to the remarkable operations of the gang of counterfeiters, which, through a period of nearly or quite a score of years, made their headquarters and conducted their business at Old Portage and Yellow Creek. Without question, this was the most thorough, daring and successful scheme of the sort ever devised and carried out in this country or any other. The system had its ramifications throughout the whole United States and Canada; not a State or Territory but had its agents, and scarcely a county in any State without them. The head and front of this stupendous complication was one James Brown, a man of rare talent, of wonderful energies, and possessed of a degree of personal attraction and power few men have ever wielded. He was six feet and two inches in height, with a well-proportioned fine physique, of commanding presence, and keen, penetrating eyes, like an eagle's. Just how early he began the work is not known, but early in the thirties he was notorious as the " Prince of counterfeiters" in all the country round. Many marvelous stories are told of his achievements. One of the earliest of his exploits consisted in passing off upon a prominent New England bank a forged draft. Relays of fleetest harses had been previously provided at a series of stations known to him- | self, and in care of his agents. He departed instantly, rode day and night until he reached home at Yellow Creek. He was arrested, taken East, and, upon trial, established an alibi to the satisfaction of the Court, proving by numerous and trustworthy witnesses that he was seen here so soon after the occurrence at the bank that, as the Court held - "it was utterly impossible that he could have been there so shortly be- | fore.' In conversation, he seemed to delight | in letting fall remarks confirmatory of his gen- | eral reputation, yet never saying anything dis- | tinctly declaring its well-foundedness. A young | man, whose youth had been spent in Western New York, and who, like every one else, had heard many tales of the prowess of Jim Brown, became an assistant teller in a Cleveland bank. One day, a tall man of impressive appearance called at the bank, produced a large amount of money and an account book, stating that he wished to make a deposit. Upon the book the clerk noticed the name, James Brown. Half frightened and thrilled to the marrow at sup- | genius of the wonderful stories of his boyhood, he stepped to the cashier, and in an awed whisper inquired if this were the Jim Brown, and if so, whether he should receive the money. The cashier replied "certainly." The clerk stepped of everything of the kind. was indeed strange. About the year 1832. he was tried in the Medina Court of Common Pleas upon the usual charge of counterfeiting. The confinement of the jail was exceedingly irksome to one of his vigorous, energetic temperament. So great confidence had the Sheriff in Brown's veracity.

ing to go out, unattended. and spend the day as and where he chose. He never proved recreant to the trust, but retprned regularly and voluntarily each evening. He was convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary. The Sheriff started with him for Columbus, but was overtaken by the service of a writ of error at Mt. Vernon, and obliged to return. The judgment of the Court of Common Pleas was reversed. Brown gave bail for his appearance at the proper time, but before the trial came on. two or three essential witnesses had disappeared. and the indictment was nollied.

that it was impossible to secure his conviction by the ordinary methods of the lower courts. This was often attempted and as often failed. until it was generally recognized by every one else as well as himself and friends. Of this immunity he publicly boasted ; when at last, by the intervention of Federal processes, he was

* Well, boys, now the United States have taken hold of me, I may get floored, but I could have worried out a county." In 1846, William S. C. Otis was the Prosecuting Attorney: for Summit County. That year proof was obtained that Brown was at the time engaged in counterfeiting the circulating coin of the United States.

Clure, Esq., then a young lawyer of Cuyahoga | - Falls. was appointed a United States Commis- ° sioner for the State of Ohio (the State being , to represent a party litigant before Brown in his capacity as Justice of the Peace. Brown reserved his decision of the case for further consideration. In the meantime. he was placed under arrest and imprisoned. McClure, in behalf of his client in the case, called upon Brown in the jail, before the day assigned for the preliminary examination. Brown then announced his judgment as Justice in favor of MecClure's inf/sfavor. The preliminary examination came on for hearing; the United States was represented by Otis, and the defense by R. P. Spalding, afterward Judge Spalding of the Supreme Bench. The examination was held at the court house and continued several days. in Brown's being held to bail in the sum of

Court of the United States at Columbus at its next session. In default of bail. he was returned to jail; but afterward, upon application to a Federal Judge, the bond was reduced to $5,000. That amount was furnished, and Brown set at liberty. He appeared at Columbus for trial. The District Attorney was' sssisted by Mr. Otis. Pending the trial, affidavits were filed, satisfying the Judge that if at liberty when the verdict would be rendered, and that verdict should be guilty, it was the intention of Brown's friends - of whom Columbus was full - crime for over twenty years. During the short time of Gen. Zac Taylor's Presidency (March, 1849, to July, 1850), the Asiatic cholera broke out in the was himself an attendant in the prison hospital the State officers, so that President Taylor was induced to and did pardon him. He returned to his former place of residence in Northampton, and was believed to be as extensively engaged in the counterfeiting business as ever, though it was not known that he then dealt in spurious coin. Experience had taught him that it was and furnished bills to the United States Bank ; that through the agency of this pal, the genuine plates themselves were conveyed into Brown's hands, and immense quantities of the illegal issue (not exactly counterfeit, inasmuch as they were struck from the identical plates with the | true, and, therefore, also not discoverable , through any peculiarities of impression), par- | ticularly of 3100 bills, were accumulated. About | this time, James, and a brother Daniel, engaged , in the same enterprise, conceived a scheme of ' bold magnitude, and extremely flattering in / promise. This was no less than to procure a suitable ship. load her with this spurious scrip, and visit China and other oriental countries. : where United States Bank bills circulated at | par, purchasing a cargo of teas, coffees, silks, | etc., to be disposed of again in England and | upon the continent. They had associated with them in this device a man by the name of Taylor. They proceeded to New Orleans, obtained a vessel, filled it according to programme, and ' set sail for China. A discovery of their real ' character, however, was just then made, the | vessel overhauled before fairly out of the Mississippi, and the three rogues committed to the : "ealaboose." There they were detained some | time. Daniel became sick, and finally died, as | it was reported, but not generally believed, in ever, that he never appeared hereabouts thereafter, and so, possibly, the report may have been true. The wife of James, who, though believed to have had nothing to do with her husband's operations, remained faithful and devoted to him until some years beyond this period, traveled on horseback from Old Portage to New Orleans in order to be present at the trial, and use her influence in his behalf. Several other witnesses also went down from here to testify in his interest. Brown turned State's evidence, implicated Taylor, and himself escaped. This is one of the few really mean incidents related of him.

A few years later he was arrested in Michigan, convicted of the same crime, and sentenced to the Jackson Penitentiary. He there served a full term of three years, whence he returned to Northampton, but returned a broken-down man and aconfirmed drunkard. Not until now did his fond wife give him up. His habits of drink rapidly grew upon him ; his good traits began to deteriorate, and finally departed altogether ; his wife obtained a divorce, and Jim Brown, who, had his abilities been honorably

Officers of the Township. - The following is a list of the officers elected on the 2d day of | April, A. D. 1838, at a meeting held at the house |

1875, Henry Frederick. Abraham Sicheas Caldwell; 1876, Henry Frederick, A. L. Caldwell, Abraham Sichley ; 1877. Simon Perkins. Hiram Sherbondy, Abraham Sichley ; 1878, Stephen H. Pitkin. Avery Beardsley. John McCausland ; 1879, Stephen H. Pitkin. Albert H. Mallison, Ephraim Erdly. In July, Erdly died and Uriah Sherbondy was ap-

Assessors. - The first Assessor elected was Minor Spicer in 1841; 1842, Justus Gale; 1843, Justus Gale; 1844, Justus Gale. Gale declined to serve and John H. Crawford was appointed in his stead. 1845, Albert G. Mallison; 1846, Nahum Fay ; 1847, Joseph F. Gilbert; 1848, John Sherbondy; 1849, Alfred R.

CITY OF AKRON - LAYING OUT A TOWN - IMPROVEMENTS - THE CANALS - THE TOWN INCORPORATED - CITY OFFICERS - GROWTH OF AKRON - THE COUNTY SEAT QUESTION - INCIDENTS. ETC.. ETC.

& privative and ypdvus time, its significance upon this theory being of " the unending," literally, " without time." This highly poetic idea, pregnant with widest intimations of meaning, and so self-satisfying to the good citizen who entertains a generous pride in our county capital.

opment, brought to the crucial test of fact. must give way to the undoubted intent of those who chose and formally declare the name, Akron, from daApos summit, this being upon the very ridge-top of the water-shed between Lake Hrie on the one hand and the Ohio River on the other. Situated on an average 400 feet above the lake level, and 960 feet above the ocean, Akron is the summit city in point of elevation, the highest incorporated city in the State. More hills she covers than eternal Rome. and extravagant indeed is the man who would think to number or name them all. The surface conformation is rolling. The immediate neighborhood, particularly at the Old Forge, presents a ; problem of remarkable geologic interest, and one as yet unsolved. To the visitor approach- | ing from the north, east or south, by either of the three railroads here intersecting - the (Cuyahoga) Valley Railway, the Cleveland, Mount Vernon & Columbus, and the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio - the shifting scenes of the panoramic valley, along whose verge he enters, are strikingly beautiful. This valley, with a depth below the general surface of one to two hundred feet, constitutes the only considerable variation from what we have already designated the rolling contour of the vici) ze. It is asserted by careful and competent geologists (and the investigation bestowed upon the topic warrants the acceptance of the belief as more than speculative theorizing) that away back in the past, before that history other than that "in nature's. records writ" began, before mankind * By Charles W. Foote.

which it now almost doubles upon its course. in fact did continue southerly through the broad deep valley before mentioned, eventually losing itself in the synchronous parent of the present Ohio. The ancient channel has been traced from its point of deviation most of the way , across the State. Numerous borings along its - course have shown that it has been almost filled | with earth and soil, the detritus pushed in by the slow grinding glaciers and washed down by the storms of later time, and that, as was to have been expected, within its entire length there is no exposure of rock /n situ. Such was undoubtedly the origin of this lovely valley : upon the south and west of it the subjacent sandstone conglomerate crops out at frequent intervals, as in the cutting of the Cleveland. Mount Vernon & Columbus road for some distance north of Market street bridge, and along the bed of the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal. where it circles the crest of the hill near the fair grounds, while upon the north and east there is an extensive table-land of richest svil.

been local or lateral deposits. The Little Cuy- - ahoga now flows through the valley we have | thus minutely described, in a converse direction, | a tributary to the river proper. No wonder the Indians called the river "Cuyahoga ' - * the winding ;"' a glance at the map will demonstrate the eminent propriety of the name. Under our State Constitution of 1802. muor nicipal corporations were classified as cities, towns, villages and special road districts. Until the year 1825, Portage Township had been the only territorial distinction recognized. At that time, during the construction of what was then regarded as a great commercial highway - the Ohio Canal - Gen. Simon Perkins and Paul Williams platted and laid out a town which

_they denominated " Akron,' upon and surrounding the present intersection of Main and Exchange streets, in upper town. The only road in the new town was that one leading to Middlebury, about upon the line where Exchange street now lies. In the fall of that year, 1825, the laborers on the canal put up about a hundred cabins along the line of work and within the town. The canal, when completed, gave a wonderful impetus to businsss, and at the same time afforded its needed facilities of transportation. South Akron grew rapidly for a few years. In fact until 1832 there was nothing of any consequence outside of that section ot the town, but in the year just mentioned several buildings were erected at and near the intersection of Market and Howard streets, and gradually business was diverted to the newer locality.

A very great rivalry had for some time existed between the two villages of North and South Akron. A committee of one, Erastus Torrey, was authorized by a number of the south end people to wait upon Mr. Hall and tender him the use of a large brick block in far from an equality, and considerable bitterness of feeling was aroused by their jealous rivalry. Upon the northwest corner of Market and Howard streets stood the " Pavilion," a hotel, and a large wooden building, kept by Charles B. Cobbs, Esq. Two or three years later, Mr. Cobbs became proprietor of the '" Ohio Exchange," a noted landmark upon the site at present occupied by the Paige Brothers' hardware store. Upon the northeast corner of Market and Howard, and from there up to the trench of the Water Power Company, stood a row of low, wooden buildings. The same was the case also upon the south side of Market street, except upon the corner, where was being erected a fine three-story stone block, and in which were afterward located the county offices, court room and jail, put up and owned by Hiram Payne. Thence southwardly, upon both sides of Howard street, as far as to where Cherry street now enters, were one-story and a story-and-a-half wooden buildings closely contiguous. Then came a gap and a deep gully ; and finally, upon the corner of Mill and Howard streets, where the post office now stands, was a two-story wooden building belonging to Lewis P. Buckley. In addition to these was the house of Gen. Bierce, in process of construction, and that of Dr. Bartges, upon opposite corners of Market and High streets, the house which is now the third south from the corner on the east side of High, and one on the corner of Main street and Mill; and with these we have enumerated all of North Akron's buildings. At that time, Leicester King and Gen. Simon Perkins owned pretty much all the land in this part of town. They together had a map published, which represents Akron as it then was, and which is elsewhere referred to quite at length. The house issuing this map was Messrs. Robinson & Co., of Reading, Vt. They had a branch office in Akron under the charge of Mr. Na-

Early in 1837, the Map Publishing Company removed to a building of their own on North High street, upon the lot where James B. Storer now resides, and had a shop in the rear. north and east of them, there was only dense woods. When the old stone church (now occupied by the Baptist society, but built and first |

Akron had remained a * town" by courtesy and geueral consent, from its platting, in 1825 until 1836. March 12, of that year, there passed the General Assembly, at Columbus, an " Act to incorporate the town of Akron, in the county of Portage." By this act it was provided :

That so much of the townships of Portage and Chventry, inthe county of Portage. as is comprised within the following limits, to wit: Beginning on the south line of tract No. 8, in said township of

Coventry, and at a point in said line which is threefourths of a mile east of the southeast corner of the south town plat of Akron, as surveyed by John Henshaw; thence north to a line running due east and west, drawn ten rods north of Lock 16, of the Ohio Canal; thence west along such east and west line, one and a half miles; thence south to the south line of Tract No. 8, aforesaid; thence east, alon

Translating this into a form which shall convey a meaning to other people beside surveyors, and indicating the same points and lines by landmarks recognizable to-day, we should Beginning that is, upon South street. at a point a little east of its junction with Spicer street ; thence north in a straight line intersecting Spicer street, through the First Ward in acontinuation of the same right line, until the present northern boundary of the city is reached, a little beyond the Little Cuyahoga River; thence due west along the northern boundary to the present northwest corner of the corporation ; thence south along the present west line of the city to the south line of Tract No. 8 - that is, the southwest corner of the corporation ; and thence east along said tract line (with which the south side of South street coincides,so far as it extends) to the place of beginning. Thus we see porated as a town, was a rectangular plat of one mile and a half breadth, east and west, and about two and a quarter miles length, north and south, therefore containing almost three and one-half square miles of area. We note, also, that the western boundary was identical of both the northern and southern lines. At this date, there were open to use, or platted, the following streets, bearing in a general easterly and \.csterly direction: Furnace, Tallmadge, Market, Mill, Ash, Quarry, Water (now a portion of Bowery), State, Middlebury, a part

®tna, Locust, Bowery, Water, Canal, Howard, Main, High, Broadway, Summit, and, in the socalled " Eastern Addition." First, Second and Third streets. '

About this time, Middlebury and Cuyahoga Falls partook also of the general business activity, and for some years bade fair to push Akron vigorously in a contest as to which should prove the coming metropolis. When, however, the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal at a blow which substantially put her out of the race. From that time destiny seemed to thrust her down to a subordinate rank, and that fate was philosophically accepted. Cuyahoga Falls,

Falls could offer. They pointed to their practically illimitable water-power. and dilated upon the superior healthfulness of their town, yet, nevertheless, Akron unreasonably insisted up-

' on keeping just a little ahead in point of numbers. So matters went until the new county of | Summit was carved out of the adjacent ones of |

| ond Tuesday of the next ensuing June, by ~ the that the original survey of Akron, when incorwhite male inhabitants, who have resided within of six months next preceding, etc., etc.," of one Mayor, one Recorder and five Trustees, together constituting a Town Council. In pursuance of this provision, the first election of town officers was held at the house of Asa Larned, June 14, 1836, with the following result : Total number of votes cast, 166. of which for Mayor, Seth Iredell received 91, and Eliakim Crosby, 75 ; for Recorder, Constant Bryan received 87 votes, Charles W. Howard 75, and H. Johnson +; Erastus Torrey, Jedediah D. Commins, William B. Mitchell, William E. Wright and Noah M. Green were chosen Trustees. meeting of the "Town Council of the town of Akron" convened on Saturday, the 18th of June. After some preliminary business. the first ordinance was passed, entitled, " An Ordi- nance regulating Exhibitions and Public Shows in the town of Akron." As William B. Mitchell declined the honor of a Trusteeship, at an adjourned meeting held Monday, the 20th of June, Justus Gale was appointed a Trustee in his stead. Samuel A. Wheeler was also appointed Treasurer. At the next Council meeting, Ithiel Mills was elected Marshal. From that time until Akron advanced in grade, bevoming a village at the adoption of the State's | new constitution in 1852, by virtue of the general act, the officers were as follows: Mayors - 1836, Seth Iredell ; 1837, John C. Singletary, Jr.; 1838, John C. Singletary, Jr. ; 1839, Lucius V. Bierce; 1840, Arad Kent; 1841, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1842, Harvey H. Johnson ; 1843, Harvey H. Johnson; 1844, Lucius V. Bierce; 1845, Philo Chamberlin; 1846, Philo Chamberlin ; 1847, Levi Rawson; 1848, Israel EK. Carter ; 1849, Lucius V. Bierce ; 1850, George Bliss. signed the position, but no new Mayor was elected until the next regular election in June. 1851, Charles G. Ladd ; 1852, Frederick Wadsupon the first Monday of June of each year. Recorders - 1836, Constant Bryan ;

City Of Akron

William Patterson was elected b Trustees to succeed him. 1838, Jesse Allen, Ebenezer Martin, Justus Gale, James W. Phillips, Ansel Miller. 1839, Samuel Manning, Seth Iredell, James W. Phillips, Lewis P. Buckley, Ebenezer Martin; Martin declining. Ansel Miller was appointed instead ; in July, Phillips. resigned, and Ithiel Mills succeeded him. .1840, Seth Iredell, Samuel Manning, Ithiel Mills, Samuel A. Wheeler, William E. Wright ; Wheeler resigned in July, and Ansel Miller became his successor. 1841, Seth Iredell, Webster B. Storer, Jacob Allen, Ansel Miller, Leverett J. Ives. 1842, Ansel Miller, Seth Iredell, David Allen, George F. Ray. Horace May; in January, 1843, Allen died, and | James Mathews filled the vacancy. 1843, | Seth Iredell, James Mathews, George F. Ray, Horace May, Ansel Miller.

_ Allen resigned, and Jacob Allen was appointed. - worth. Up to this time the Mayor, Recorder, | _ and Trustees had been elected by the people |

Lucius Y. Bierce. 1847, Allen Hibbard, Lucien Swift, Samuel A. Wheeler. Joseph A. Beebe, ' Ansel Miller. 1848, Ansel Miller, Nathaniel Finch, Benjamin McNaughton, John M. Cutler. George W. Bloom. 1849, Nathaniel Finch, Ansel Miller, Charles Webster. George W. Bloom, Milton N. Henry ; in October, Finch resigned, and the remaining Trustees elected John M. - Cutler.

| The total vote upon the occasion of the first town election, in 1836, was 166. At the last town election, in 1852, there were cast 278 votes. The year previous.. however, fifteen _years after the first vote above mentioned, there were 33+ ballots cast, just two more than double the first vote. From the time that Akron became a village until advanced to a city of the second class, in 1865, the following were officers of the corporation, and were elected by popular vote upon the first Monday of April of each year. The Mayor, Recorder, and the five Trustees together constituted the Village Council :

1855, Richard Howe, George Thomas. James B. Taplin, William T. Allen, David A. Scott ; in April, Taplin resigned, and R. S. Elkins succeeded him ; 1856, Henry Purdy, David A. Scott, Thomas H. Goodwin, Henry 8. Abbey, Joseph Milligan ; 1857, George Thomas, Henry Fisher, Jr., Henry S. Abbey, Henry Purdy, Charles Cranz ; 1858, Charles Cranz, R. B. Walker, John Cook, Joseph Milligan, Job Pierce : ' 1859, William L. Everett, Job "Pierce, R. B. Walker, Thomas H. Goodwin, Joseph Milligan ; 1860, Richard Howe, Ferdinand Schumacher, Robert. L. Moffatt, James Christy, William S. Painton ; 1861, Robert L. Moffatt, Ferdinand Schumacher, George Buel, John Douglass, Henry Fisher ; in October, Fisher resigned, and, in November, George W. McNeil was chosen by the Council to serve out the term ; 1862, Charles Webster,

Treasurers - 1853, Milton W. Henry ; at this time, the election of the Treasurer was transferred from the Council to the people; 1854, Milton W. Henry; 1855. Milton W. Henry : : 1856. Milton W. Henry ; ; 1857. Milton W. Henry ; 1858, John Good; 1859, John H. Chamberlin; 1860, John 'H. Chamberlin; 1861, Charles Cranz ; 1862, Charles Cranz : 1363, Charles Cranz; 1864. Charles Cranz.

In January. 1865. as is set forth more at length elsewhere. Akron became a city of the second class. From that time to the "present. her officers have been the following :

James M. Fraze; 1881, Samuel A. Lane. Clerks - Elected by the Council. term one year. The office is that of which the incumbent was formerly denominated Recorder ; 1865, Jerry A. Long; 1866, Jerry A. Long :

Members of City Council - Elected by the people. Term two years. After the first election, the six persons elected' drew lots as to which ones should serve the full term of two years, and which the half term, until the next election, resulting as follows :

First Ward - Two years, George W. Crouse ; one year, Charles W. Bonstedt. Second Ward - Two years, Henry W. Howe; one year, John E. Bell. Third Ward - Two years, Lewis Miller ; one year, J. Park Alexander. Each year thereafter there has been elected one from each

| Thomas H. Peckham. 1881 - TFirst Ward, Da- | vid L. King ; Second Ward, N. A. Carter ; Third Ward, J. Park Alexander ; Fourth Ward, Philip | Weber ; Fifth Ward, Edward A. Lawton ; Sixth | Ward, James Housel. Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal. - Judge Leicester King, of Warren, father of David L. King, | Esq., of this city, was the man to whom, more , than all others, Akron was indebted for her , second canal, an enterprise which very materially aided in developing the commercial ini terests of the growing village. By personal , effort and influence, Judge King conquered the many obstacles in the path, and carried to a successful completion, after many years of | tireless endeavor, the project to which he had | devoted his energies, and in whose eventual ac- : complishment he had the fullest confidence. | An old paper in the possession of Mr. George | McMillen, of Portage Township, indicates that ' the lobby system obtained in full vigor over fifty years ago, and is not, therefore, one of the | inventions of modern politics. We subjoin a copy of a portion of the paper, bearing date of | " Middlebury, December 12, 1826," and running as follows: "We, the subscribers, citizens of | the villages of Middlebury and Akron and their . vicinity, confident that inestimable advantages - would result to our villages and this section of ' the country generally, from a canal connecting , the Ohio Canal at the Portage Summit with the Pennsylvania Canal at Pittsburgh, and anxious that an act should pass the Legislature of Ohio at their present session, authorizing the construction of such canal, will pay the sums annexed to our respective names, to John Mc- | Millen, Jr., and Peter Bowen, for the purpose of defraying the expenses of delegates from the aforesaid villages to the Legislature, to assist ' in procuring the passage of such an act. Payment to be made at the time of subscribing." | To this are attached nineteen names. The | delegates and other supporters of the measure | proved speedily successful, for the Pennsyl- | vania & Ohio Canal was incorporated by act of | the General Assembly of the State of Ohio | January 10, 1827, which act authorized "the , construction of a canal to meet or intersect the | Pennsylvania, or Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, at ' or near the city of Pittsburgh, in the State of | Pennsylvania." The act was to take effect and to and confirming the provisions of said act of Ohio," etc. Pennsylvania's Legislature subsequently passed the act desired. Hindrances of one sort and another intervened, and, at times, it looked as though the canal would never be built. Finally, in 1836, the State of Ohio was induced to extend a helping hand, which she did by a pledge to take one dollar of stock for every two dollars of private subscription obtained. Mr. King then visited Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and other Eastern cities, and, by dint of earnest solicitation, secured a favorable attention from a number of capitalists, and returned, bringing with him across the mountains many thousands of dollars, in an ordinary hand satchel. Altogether, $840.000 was secured from private individuals, and the State, in pursuance of her promise, added $420,000 of stock.

As originally projected, the canal was to have passed through Middlebury, which at that time was about as large and as promising a place as Akron. However, since the connection with the Ohio Canal was to be made "on the Portage Summit," and some difficulty was experienced in accomplishing both these things,

State Canal Commissioners were empowered to determine anew the location of the connection. The Board of Canal Commissioners ordered Leander Ransom, Acting Commissioner, to investigate the matter and report. This he did, voluminously, January 29, 1837, fixing the junction "at the north end of the lower basin in South Akron. a few rods from the foot of Lock No. 1 of the Ohio Canal." The canal was at last completed from its eastern terminus at Beaver, Penn., to Akron, and opened throughout in 1841. Late in the fall, the first boat arrived from the East. A number of prominent citizens of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, New York and other Eastern cities, were on board. (Gov. Thomas Corwin, of Ohio, and Gov. David Porter, of Pennsylvania, were specially invited to attend the formal opening. Gov. Corwin was detained at home by sickness, but Gov. Porter was present. When the boat, decorated with flags and banners, and carrying a cannon and a brass band, reached Warren, it met a hearty reception at the hands of the enthusiastic citizens. There Judge King, who was President of the Canal Company, and his son David, then a lad of seventeen, and others interested, joined the party. At every town and village the peoo - r thoroughly as the speaker. At Ravenna, another accession was received, and at Franklin Mills (now Kent) and Cuyahoga Falls. Akron had been advised of their approach, and the entire populace went out to meet them, which they | did about noon, at the big bend at the Old ©

Forge. The escort accompanied the boat to town; the company disembarked at the western end of the long trench, in South Akron. , and repaired to a large upper room in May's . Block (where the Clarendon Hotel now is), | in anticipation of the event, and there was no Nota few were attacked with a dizziness not incident to sea-sickness. In the evening, another jolli- store now stands. Speeches were made and drinks taken; bands played, and toasts were offered and responded to; refreshment flowed One of the visitors - old Gen. S., of and moaning to a friend. Mrs. E., remarked that "he always cried when his father died." One of the Ravenna party, upon his return, was narrating the joyfulness of the occasion to a group of neighbors, when one of them referred to this death of a man who had taken so conspicuous a part, inquiring if that occurrence did not cast a shadow over the general hilarity, to which he responded: "It was dom'd fine! dom'd fine! That dying of S '3 was too bad, to be sure ; but the old fellow went out of the world with bis belly full of beefsteak and brandy !"

As is mentioned elsewhere, the canal company took possession of the ditch through which the water-power was conveyed to Akron, from Old Forge to Moody's shop on Main street, between Market and Mill, widening and deepening it, but reserving to the Middlebury Hydraulic Co. - the owners of the power - all their rights. For atime the canal flourished apace. A large amount of business was done and it became the thoroughfare of a considerable passenger traffic. Besides the merchandise brought here or shipped from here, everything from Pittsburgh or Warren destined for | Cleveland of course passed through Akron, and thence via the Ohio Canal.

The outlook promised well for the stock- ' holders ; in fact. several small dividends were . declared. The tolls collected at the port of | Akron during the year 1852, amounted to $6,966.61; in 1853, $8,110.54. The maximum was reached in 1856, in the sum of $8,786.78. Very unfortunately for the canal, in 1854 a: controlling interest passed into the hands of | men who were also financially interested in the new newly constructed Cleveland & Mahoning Railroad. This end was accomplished, first by obtaining stock of the canal company as subscriptions to the railroad company, and afterward by buying from the State her interest. These two, the railroad and canal, being parallel, were necessarily either coadjutors or active competitors. At first they promised to act together. and largely upon that consideration the same men secured the relation of Directors to each. That policy, however, was not long maintained ; tolls upon the canal were speedily put up to an exorbitant figure, while the railroad transported between the same | points for a much lower cost. The effect is clearly exhibited in the showing of the receipts of toll upon the canal at Akron for the next few years: 1857, 36,538.96; 1858, $5,400.96 ; 1859, $2,143.42 ; 1860, $853.27 ; 1861, 3772.88.

A joint resolution passed the Legislature April 12, 1858, authorizing the sale of the State's canal stock by the Commissioners of the Sinking Fund, to the highest and best pur- | chaser. Nothing was, however, effected under the order until some years later. Finally, in 1862, November 20, the stock, for which the State of Ohio had paid $420,000; was sold to Charles L. Rhodes, of Cleveland, for 335,000. He at once turned it over to the Cleveland & | Mahoning Railroad, of which he was Vice President and Superintendent, and the bondage | of the canal became complete. Just prior to | this sale, the General Assembly had been - as the purchasers might think proper." This was rejected in the Senate by a heavy adverse vote. After 1862, the business of the canal was very small and constantly decreasing. No money was expended on repairs; bridges and locks became dilapidated, and the people along its banks were clamorous for a removal of the

Portage County summit near Ravenna and the | western end, the junction with the Ohio Canal, | and including the Shalersville reservoirs, in- - as to the portion between Middlebury and | Akron its original purpose of a water-power. - Business had now substantially ceased; the © water in the channel beyond the Old Forge © was stagnant, and by its offensive odors and - malarial influences provoked its neighbors beyond the point of their endurance. One night in the spring of 1868, a party of men cut the banks at Cuyahoga Falls and at two other places east and west of that village. By morning only a reeking ditch remained. The State threatened to prosecute the actors, but never did so, and the breaks were never repaired.

Again, in the spring of 1874, the canal was cut one night in Akron by a party of disguised men, between Exchange street and Main. Those engaged in the affair were arrested and tried before a Justice of the Peace, but were never punished. Soon after this, the western part from Mill street to Exchange was permanently closed, and now steps are being

An enthusiastic set of men, chiefly from the East, built - on paper - a great city upon the top and side of North Hill, at a point between Cuyahoga Falls and Akron, which was in time to have absorbed both these lesser towns into its suburbs. The imaginary city ' was to be supplied with a limitless waterpower - the sine qua non of all manufacturing interests in those days - by means of a canal dug around the brow of the hill, and tapping the Cuyahoga River just below the village of | the Falls, and so great was the faith of the pro- | jectors of the idea, that they exemplified it in the good Scriptural way, by works. They . formed a joint-stock company with a nominal capital of 3500,000. Prominent among its members were E. C. Sackett, Dr. Eliakim Crosby, who had successfully originated and carried out the similar scheme above mentioned of bringing a water motive power from Middlebury, Col. James W. Phillips and Dr. E. W.

Crittenden. These four men contracted to build the canal or aqueduct for $118.000. Col. Phillips at once went East, where, in New York and Philadelphia, he interested a number of | capitalists in the project and recruited laborers and paid in land whenever possible; they owned the entire tract of "the chuckery." They had a map of their prospective city platted, published and circulated as an adver- | tisement. One of the heaviest proprietors (from Rochester. N. Y.) offered to stake every dollar | he owned in the world, that in less than ten years the best corner lots would be worth as | much in the market as those of Rochester. - They cut and quarried from the precipitous cliffs along the east side of the river an aque- | duct four miles in length, to the site of their | well-nigh Utopian scheme. A dam was constructed across the river by which to throw into the raceway so much water as should be needed. Work was begun in 1838 and pushed energetically that year and the next, so that by | the latter part of 1839, the water was turned | | in. With some changes and repairs at places along the route, the canal seemed to operate | nicely. But, unfortunately, right here the funds of the organization had been expended, | some of its instigators had lost confidence in its ultimate success, there had been no such influx of population as had been expected, and no capitalists came forward to utilize the power now that it was secured. Several serious breaks occurred in the sandy embankments, the water was shut off, and thenceforward matters remained in statu quo. Strong efforts were put the untoward circumstances. Now that the major part of the cost had been met, the labor practically completed, it indeed appeared as though just a /ittle more capital would restore

In 1843, the Universalist Church, which had . a strong society in Akron, held a mass conven- | tion in the old stone church (now the Baptist , Church), upon which delegates were in attend- » ance from all over the United States. them was Horace Greeley. The officers of the Canal Company showed the entire trench to Mr. Greeley, expatiated upon their intentions city that was sure to grow upon their plats and records. Evidently a great impression was made upon the editor's mind or the editor's heart. or both, for upon his return the New York 7r/bune contained a lengthy article wherin the whole scheme was enthusiastically set forth. and the prophecy volunteered that Summit City would become the ~ Lowell of the West." chequer of the company ; on the contrary, they became involved in litigation and debt, and so what was once one of the greatest business proj- itors and the younger generations. This young city, with little existence, except on paper, entered the lists as a competitor for the seat of | justice of the county, but was unsuccessful in its aspirations in that direction. All this, however, is fully given in the chapter devoted to the organization of Summit County, and will not be repeated here.

It is probably impossible for us of the present day to at all adequately comprehend the wonderful hold which certain moral and theological questions obtained upon the minds | was in those days that every pulpit was a forum of polemic display and every discourse a labored argument. The same combative style characterized the newspapers, both secular and religious, and lusty blows were given and taken for opinion's sake. One of the strongest and strangest vagaries was that adopted and preached every where in season and out of season by the socalled Millerites. Here in Akron they had a considerable following as well as in neighboring towns. In an April number of the American Democrat, issued each week by Horace Canfield, appeared this notice :

The present week is a time of great interest to the believers in the personal reign of Christ. and in the Second Advent as now near. This week, we believe, will conclude the 2,300 years from the going forth of the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, at which time the word of God has been given that the sanctuary shall be cleansed, and there shall be un end of indignation. * * * The time of the feast of the passover was the first full moon after the vernal equinox. which will occur on Friday of the present week. We know not howto escape the fact that there the 2,300 years will terminate, and from that time we shall be in constant expectation of seeing the Lord. ;

-\kron has been inclined to agitate the matter of the allowance or prohibition of intoxicating drinks from an early date and at frequent intervals. Ata Council meeting May 15, 1841, Ansel Miller presented the following preamble and resolution, and the same were adopted :

WHEREAS. The licensing of groceries for the retailing of ardent spirits by the Town Council is an action on which much difference of opinion exists among the citizens of Akron, therefore, of No License. The Council accepted their verdict, and refuse" 'he petitions of all desiring licenses. A pressure was brought to bear upon the State legislators at the session of 1842-43, which effected the following bill in February :

Akron, in Summit County, shall have powers to pass such by-laws as may be necessary to prohibit within the corporate limits of said town the retailing. TOUBEE OF selling of ardent spirits or other intoxicating liquors by any person or persons other than licensed tavern- eepers or physicians in the course of medical prictice.

In pursuance of the power therein conferred, the Town Council convened in special session February 28, and appointed a committee of two - the Mayor, Harvey H. Johnson, and James Mathews - to draft an ordinance in accordance with its intent. The ordinance passed its third reading March 11, 1843, by a unanimous vote, and immediately took effect. This was about the time of the noted " Washingtonian Movement." The County Washingtonian Society called its annual meeting for the 22d of February. A stirring address was delivered by H. W. King, Esq., before a large gathering. The society reported over five thousand members in the county. Henry Rhodes was elected President, and L. V. Bierce, George Bliss and R. McMillen an Executive Committee. At the time of the vote upon the adoption or rejection of our new constitution, June 17, 1851, the question of license or no license as a system to be incorporated into the State's organic law was separately submitted to the decision of the electors of the State. The vote of Portage Township (including Akron) stood - F», license to sell intoxicating drinks, 275. Against license to sell intoxicat- In common with nearly all the cities and villages of Northern Ohio, Akron was strongly affected by the maelstrom of feeling in the temperance cause which swept over the country in 1874, commonly known as the "Crusade." The movement was countenanced and abetted by the best classes of society. A few were displeased with its methods, and held themselves aloof, but by far the larger part of the city's best people either acted a part or at least sympathized with the endeavors of the crusaders. An interesting episode of the campaign occurred upon the evening of Monday, April 6. It had been the day of the municipal elections. The great question at issue was that of temperance; all other matters were retired from prominence in comparison. A large and enthusiastic concourse, with a considerable proportion of ladies included, gathered at the Council rooms, as it was generally known that a proposed ordinance proe+ hibitory in character was that night to come up for its third and final reading. Every one wishing to first learn the result of the day's work at the polls, the early portion of the evening was devoted to short and stirring speeches by prominent citizens, music, etc. The returns coming in indicated a signal victory for the temperance interests. At 10 o'clock, President J. Park Alexander called the Council to order. The third reading of the ordinance before mentioned was made the special business of the session, and by a unanimous vote of the eight Councilmen present it became a law. Amid intense enthusiasm and outbursts of applause, Mr. Alexander appended his name as President of the Council, and the deed was accomplished. It was announced that a jollification meeting would take place the next evening at the Academy of Music, and that at that time the gold pen with which President Alexander's signature had been affixed would be sold at auction to the highest bidder, the proceeds to be devoted to some charitable object. The next night the Academy was packed; standing-room even could not be had, and many were obliged to turn away disappointed. John R. Buchtel was assigned the post of auctioneer, and the fun began. The first bid was 10 cents ; from that it jumped to $10. then rapidly mounted by tens and fives until finally it was struck off to Mr. Ferdinand Schumacher for $252.50. That is probably the most costly pen in the United States. Undoubtedly, some permanent good was accomplished by the Crusade, but a considerable portion of the effect proved but temporary, as, indeed, might be expected from the nature of the means employed - a species of coercion - and when the restraint was removed the evils of course returned. Still later have occurred the " Murphy Movement" and a number of lesser waves of temperance reform, While these several spasmodic efforts have been followed by many discouraging lapses and much that tended to dishearten the truly earnest and temperate lovers of temperance, yet we believe that, unconsciously to itself, perhaps, the public has thereby been educated to a higher grade of thought and feeling upon the subject. This we regard as practically the most valuable result of these periodic agitations.

one of the most beantiful and best kept cemeteries in the entire country. Centrally located, yet possessed of remarkable natural advantages, it is at once removed from al] indications of city surroundings, and pleasingly diversified in surface contour.

under the charge of an experienced and com- | petent manager, who devotes his whole time to | the task. There is a fine stone lodge at the » city gateway, and just inside a costly me- ' aided by outside subscriptons. in remembrance of the brave comrades from Akron and Portage Townships, who fell in the war of the rebellion. There are also fine greenhouses in coninection with the yard, and a well-arranged vault. This brief notice will not undertake to describe Glendale ; no attempt at description would convey to one unacquainted with the actual appearances an at al! adequate idea of its summer beauty, and to one knowing it the effort would doubtless seem to fall far short of reality.

In 1839, the Town Council passed an act to regulate the public burying-ground (which had already been located where it now is), providing for its thorough care under the supervision of a committee appointed directly by themselves. This management continued until 1850, at which time. in February. the corporation transferred all its right and title to the " Akron Rural Cemetery Association," an organization chartered for the purpose. and in whose hands it still remains, conditioning the transfer upon a perpetuation of the same methods of conduct.

ficient labors of the Ladies Cemetery Association, an adjunct of the Rural Cemetery Associa- | tion before mentioned, an organization broader | than any denomination or set, and whose mem- | bers represent them all. These ladies, both by direct exertion and by means of numberless fairs, bazars, musical and other entertainments. have raised considerable sums of money, ~"ich have been expended in improving and adorning this beautiful " God's Acre."

The inception of the town, in 1825, was far from promising. Its main features were alder swamps and barren sand hills. A more uninviting site could hardly be found in the neighborhood. The completion of the Ohio Canal to this point, however, in 1827, worked wonders. That year and those immediately subsequent greatly increased the population, so that by 1830, the census of Portage Township (including Akron, which constituted almost the whole of the enumeration), showed 475. By 1832, Akron was thought to contain about 600 inhabitants ; in 1836, when it became legally a ois 1,200; and in 1840, it had reached state of business, a characteristic which has been thoroughly maintained and to a remarkable degree ever since. The chapter upon our industries and manufactures will exhibit this general of a very steady uniform sort, not greatly fluctuating from time to time. It has also been of a desirable kind, healthy and constant. The great panic of 1837, to be sure, was disastrous, but the town soon rallied, and In

. flouring-mills, one woolen factory, three found- . ries, sixty stores, six hotels, one bank, three : printing offices and two telegraph offices.

The incorporators evidently had in mind the establishment of a university composed of several colleges. Why the project died we cannot learn.

Akron was, however, provided with a classical college, first opened to students in 1872, through the munificence of Hon. John R. Buchtel, seconded by the contributions of many

A number of severe fires in the early years of the town rendered the need of some organized protection imperative. In December of 1839, the Council, by ordinance, provided for the creation and maintenance of volunteer fire companies. Accordingly, a company under the name of the " North Akron Fire Company," was formed January 28, 1840, with twenty-six members. To these persons there was subsequently issued by the Town Recorder, upon the direction of the Council, certificates of membership dating back to the time of joining. February 10, 1846, eight more persons became members, and "No. 1" was added to the name. The application of " Niagara Fire Engine Company, No. 2," was accepted by the Council December 20, 1845, and thirty-seven men appointed members. Again in 1847, a hook and ladder company was, by the same authority made a fire company, and clothed

Still other companies were from time to time added, all volunteer organizations. In May, 1858, the Council first declared a compensation, further than the statutory privileges, to the members of these companies. This was the princely sum of $2 each per year, and that conditioned upon a strict compliance with the prescribed regulations.

Gradually, however, improved appliances and a paid service have been substituted for the former less capable but, hearty labor, and now Akron is abreast with the foremost cities in the efficiency of her protection against fire.

the privilege of constructing a line of telegraph through Akron. The petition was granted, and a resolution in pursuance adopted whereby "The Lake Erie Telegraph Company was authorized to run their line of communication through this town, provided they do not interfere with or obstruct any street or alley in said town, to the inconvenience of the citizens or public."

The railroads of Akron and the county at large are treated of in a distinct article by another writer. We will here merely advert to them, for a fuller and more interesting description, referring to that chapter. The "Akron Branch" of the Cleveland & Pittsburgh Railroad was projected early in 1851 ; the survey began April 15. In June of the same year, the people of Summit County by a majority vote of 827, instructed the County Commissioners to make a subscription of $100,000 to the proposed road in behalf of the county. The con- | tract for building from Hudson, its northern | terminus and point of junction with the main | line, to Akron, was let June 21. The work ,; was pushed with vigor. By the Ist of the suc- | ceeding January. the road was in use as far as | Cuyahoga Falls. By the next 1st of June it | connected at the Old Forge with a packet line of boats upon the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal. Early on the morning of Sunday. July 4, 1852. it was completed so as to allow the passage of | cars into Akron. <A mild form of jubilee had to be indulged in although it was Sunday, but | the great day of jollification occurred on Monday,the 5th. Of that we will give no narration, as we presume the article devoted specially to | this topic will contain it in full, only mentioning that at the great dinner at Cuyahoga Falls, in the afternoon, Col. Simon Perkins. President of of the company proposed a name for the new road. "Cleveland, Akron & Zanesville Railroad," which was then and there formally | adopted. Subsequently the name was still | further amplified in significance - the Cleve- | land, Zancsville & Cincinnati Railroad - no one | of which places, by the way, has it ever reached. It is now known as the Cleveland, Mt. Vernon & Columbus Railroad.

broad guage, tributary to the New York' & Erie. Of the tribulations of this unfortunate and ill-managed road, a vast chapter might be written. After many successive mutations, the road is at last under an entirely new and distinct organization and with a new name - the New York, Pennsylvania & Ohio - we hope, upon a better, sounder foundation, and in a fair way to serve its patrons respectably and repay its investors.

of February, 1830. Though having but just made a beginning, its management appears to have been judicious; it has certainly striven to accommodate the public, and has secured very many friends who warmly desire for it an unqualified success.

In 1860, a strong effort was made to secure the location of the new State Penitentiary at Akron. to Columbus to lobby for the measure. December, the Council empowered our Repre-

With reference to the advancement of Akrou from its grade of an incorporated village t: become a city of the second class. an enumerstion of the inhabitants was taken upon th«- 14th day of December. 1864. It was thulearned that the requisite 5.000 was exceede:!. and steps were at once instituted looking t« the desired action. Upon the 20th of December. by resolution of the Council reciting the

In September of 1865. there was annexed te the city the territory lving just east of the then eastern corporation line. and extending as far as Middlebury Township, /. °.. to wher: now Middlebury street intersects East Market.

The census of 1860 had shown a population that of 1870 showe:l 10.006. The city had almost trebled in the decade. though the county as a whole hal gained but 264 per cent; of the 7.275. the total county increase, 6.486 had occurred in Akron. This effect was in a measure to be sure due to the gain by annexation betore mentioned.

The next and last change in the corporation boundaries took place in 1872. August 24. 1871, the Council provided that at the regul:r spring election. to be held on the first Monday of April, 1872, the question "Shall the incorporated village of Middlebury be annexed to the city of Akron?" should be submitted to the electors of that village. By subsequent action it was also ordained that the same question, at the same time, and in the same manner should be declared upon by the voters of Akron. The result was as follows: Akron - For annexation, 1,042; against, 16. Middlebury - For, 140 ; against, 26. Upon this decisive vote, the Council appointed William T. Allen, George W. Crouse and David L. King Commissioners on the part of Akron to ar- Tange terms and conditions with the Commissioners appointed by Middlebury, namely, Mendall Jewett. Frank Adams and George F. Kent. Upon the 13th of April, the terms of annexation were agreed upon, and, upon the 24th, the report of the Commissioners was presented to the Council, by it adopted, and the former village of Middlebury formally added to the city and made to constitute its Sixth Ward. Final action, perfecting the work, was taken by the County Commissioners October 25, 18T2.

From a population of 10,006 in 1870, Akron grew to 16.462 in 1880. a gain of 644 per cent. Excluding the effect of the annexation of Middlebury, the increase would be 494 per cent. During the same period the increment of the county was 26 per cent, the same as for the decade preceding.

As a city, we are at the present in the midst of an era of active and great improvement. telephone system has been in operation less than two years, and the city is radiated in every direction by its wires. It has passed beyond the experimental stage, and from an interesting novelty has become almost a necessity. Akron was the first place in the State, excepting three or four of the largest cities. to possess the telephone. Under the charge of the private company which owns «nd controls this system, are lines now in successful operation from Akron to Tallmadge, a distance of four miles; Akron to Doylestown, fourteen miles ; Canton to Massillon, eight miles, and a line nearly constructed between Akron and Canton, twenty-two miles. When this is completed, Tallmadge, Akron, Canton, Massillon and Doylestown will, for the first time in history, be on speaking terms with one another. To this circuit will in time be added Cleveland

In the winter of 1879-80, Akron was accorded the privilege of a free postal delivery, and early in the succeeding spring the system was carried into execution, to the great satisfaction of every one.

Akron is a pioneer in the matter of utilizing electricity as a means of lighting streets, and is the first city of the world to adopt the method of high masts for that purpose. It is yet a success or otherwise, but certainly the beginning augurs well for the future. A new city hall is nearly ready for occupancy ; the needs which this will supply have been long and severely felt.

A system of water-works of the most improved type is well on toward completion. It is being put in by a private company, upon which falls the entire responsibility, expense and hazard. We are now promised the turning on of the water by the lst of June next, aud when it comes it will assuredly meet a hearty welcome from all our citizens. Besides this, a complete plan of sewage has been devised by our city Civil Engineer, and the necessary work is now heing done. A new paving with stone to replace the worn-out Nicholson has been ordered upon East Market and Mill streets, and before many months, in all probability, several other streets will be repaired in the same manner. With all these progressive

Two more improvements seem earnestly cemanded in the near future. One of these, at least. will doubtless soon follow. We mean the hiding from sight that long-time eyesore - the ditch where was once the Pennsylvania & Ohio Canal - alike obnoxious to the nostrils and deleterious to the health of our people. The initial steps toward so desirable a result