Galion, Ohio

The Regular Associated Baptist Chiu-ch of Gallon, Ohio, was organized on the 14th day of January, 1859. There was no regular pastor for the church until the month of April, 1861. At this time. Rev. J. B. Sutton became the Pastor of the young church. Prior to this, and on the 29th day of December, 1859, the Regular Baptist Church of Galion met, and while so convened entered into the following agi-eements: "We, the undersigned, members of the Regular Baptist Church, in the Mohican Association, for our mutual good and the promotion of the cause of Christ, do covenant and agree with each other, in church capacity, and as a branch in Galion of the Bloomfield Church, in the Mohican Baptist Association, to maintain the apostolic order of the church in its primitive purity.

Passage source: History of Crawford County and Ohio : Containing a History of the State of Ohio, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time ... a History of Crawford County ... Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Some of the Early Settlers and Prominent Men, Etc, published 1881.

The first schoolhouse erected in Gallon was ' located in the near vicinity of C. Scrim's residence, on West Main street, in 1822. There I was no district formed. No pai-liamentarj' j point obstructed the progress. No red tape or circumlocution hampered the completion of | the work. This was a commimity of primitive ways and simple habits. There was a ' sudden awakening to the necessity of educa- i tion, and of having a schoolhouse, and an instinctive impression that it could be built and a school supported. Acting upon this spontaneous impulse, the citizens came together with their teams, axes, and all the tools and apparatus required. It was a round-log schoolhouse, with a clapboard roof. Poles were crossed on the ceiling and stuffed with moss; over this was plastered clay. Sections of logs were cut out for windows, of which 1 there were three. Frames were made for these windows by Mr. George Wood, who was a carpenter; and, that the force of this remark j may not be lost, we will merely state that the frames were an advance upon the ordinary foi-m of window, which was generally a hole in the cabin, with greased paper covering it in the winter. A large fire-place, opening into | a chimney of sticks and clay, occupied one end of the building. The seats were of split logs, or slabs with the flat side up, holes bored slanting near the ends, and long pegs di-iven in to form benches. The most difficult of all feats to perform was to keep all four legs on the floor at one time. A few boards were stv cured, which were attached to the walls around the building, to be utilized as wi-iting desks. The building, when finished, was rude and uncouth in appearance, somewhat dai-k in the interior, but warm ; but it was the beginning of school. The germ of education was planted in the midst of the settlement; how well it took root, and grew fi'om year to year; how it was carefully nurtured and cared for, and the grand result, the perfection of the school system, till now there seems little more to do - is evident to all. Mr. David Gill pos.sessed an education, and a knowledge of business forms, in advance of his associates in Gallon. It was conceded by all that he should first have the honor of teaching the youth of Galion. Accordingly, we find him duly installed, with full authority at once with the book and the birch. The pay for the teacher and support of the school did not come from assessments, biit by subscription. No regular set of books were studied. The Bible was frequently the reader, and Webster's old spellingbook was in requisition.

Passage source: History of Crawford County and Ohio : Containing a History of the State of Ohio, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time ... a History of Crawford County ... Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Some of the Early Settlers and Prominent Men, Etc, published 1881.

The settlement increased in population, new families arrived each year, and younger children became old enough to go to school. The child six years of age studied by the side of the boy sixteen years old. The necessities of education made a new demand upon the i)eople. Not only was a larger building needed, but pride stepped in and demanded that the new building should be bett(>r, neater and finer in every respect possible. The old gi'aveyard on West Main street was selected as the site of the new schoolhouse. Here a "sctitched" log schoolliouse was erected. The logs were lightly hewed on the outside after the building was erected. This schoolhouse was used for religious worship, and was the first public building used for that jsurpose. In the year 1834, this building bm-ned down. The next building erected for school purposes was a hewed-log building, on what is now Joel Riblet's property, on North Market street. The gable ends were sided up and painted red; the roof was of shaved oak shingles ; the walls were chinked with clay, mud, and stone. Here, in the third schoolhouse built in Galion, we find the slab seats are yet j)redominant. An improvement existed, however, by the innovation of desks. These were made something in the shape of a box, with poplar boards. A featui-e of this school was a piece of furniture called the dunce block. It was separated from the other seats, and generally placed in the aisle or near the teacher's desk. More than one father and mother of Galion can now bring to recollection the shame and confusion they experienced when occupying this lowly seat. But nothing could be added to the shame, when, occupying the dunce block, the " fool's cap " was placed on the head. These modes of punishment were in full vogue during the long time Mr. John Stauffer taught, and were generally not considered inappropriate. We doubt very much that a teacher would be sustained for a single day in such a course at this time. This old building outlived its usefulness as a hall of learning, and now does duty on the lot north as a wagon shop, owned by Jacob Henenom. Most of the middle-aged citizens of Galion, who obtained their rudimentary education here, have attended school in this building. It was in this building that the first Sabbath school was organized, by Sarah Ruhl and Mrs. Dr. Johnson. It was while this building was in use that the township had been divided into districts. The town of Galion was made a separate district or subdistrict, and was called No. 9. In 1845, the enumeration of school children for this district was 124.

Passage source: History of Crawford County and Ohio : Containing a History of the State of Ohio, from Its Earliest Settlement to the Present Time ... a History of Crawford County ... Biographical Sketches, Portraits of Some of the Early Settlers and Prominent Men, Etc, published 1881.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Galion City Township - it names this place 4 more 4 times.