Moscow, Ohio

Wheat was grown with good success for many years, but after awhile failures became more frequent from rust and the wheat midge, and for the last twenty-five years the farmers have given their attention to the growth of live stock, principally sheep, rather than to the production of grain. While this township gives attention to the growth of all kinds of live stock common to this part of the country, it stands first in the

Passage source: History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, published 1881.

"The public improvements are the Ohio canal, tbe Cumberland road, and the Central Ohio railroad. The first was completed through this township and county in the summer of 1828, the second in 1834, and the third in 1853. These, each in their turn, gave a great impetus to local improvements. These all run entirely through the township, and the canal and National road cross nearly at right angles within its territory, and afford ample facilities for getting its products to market. Hebron, its principal town, and situated at the crossing of the canal and National road, was once a fine business point, and, in the days of its glory, the largest and best grain and pork market in the county, if not in the Licking valley. But since the men that made it such have passed away, and railroad facilities have attracted the commerce to other points, Hebron has lost its prestige as a commercial point, and, with it, much of its moral and religious enterprise. The towns of Moscow and Luray have nearly passed away. There is a small business done at Union station, oa the roilroad. These are the only villages in the township, from which it will be seen that Union is emphatically an agricultural township. Although its villages are on the decline, both as to their population and business, its agricultural interests are improving. The lands are generally owned and occupied by an enterprising class of farmers that are rapidly developing the resources of its rich soil.

Passage source: History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, published 1881.

4 4 llie first canal-boat built in the county, or that floated oc the waters of the Ohio canal within its borders, was built by a joint-stock company at Hebron, in 1827-8, and was called the "lacking Summit." It was built under the supervision of Joshua Smith, and made its first trip through the 4 4 Deep cut " 00 the Fourth of July, 1828, but it was built too large to pass the locks, and was so poorly constructed and drew so much water that a was not thought worth reconstructing, consequently, it never left the summit level. It was laid up in he basin at Hebroa, for a while used as a drinking saloon - then as a resort for the lewd, ora kind of house of ill-fame, until it was destroyed as a county at that time. Mr. Mantonya was a good workman, and the demand for his sickles was large, as the small grain in those days was all cut with the sickle. This manufactory was successfully carried on severhl years, until Mr. Mantonya left his shop to become a contractor in building the Ohio canal. It then remained comparatively idle until the spring of 1830, when it was repaired and again put into successful operation by Mr. Mantonya and Samuel Park. In a few years, perhaps in the year 1835, it was sold to Phinehas Ford and his son Benjamin, who converted it into a saw-mill. In the year 1831 John Park erected a saw-mill where Union Station now is, and in 1832 Samuel Vance erected another, a mile below; and in 1833 Messrs. S. H. Joseph and J. Downer erected another a half mile above, all on the same stream, making four saw-mills within a distance of one and a half miles. These were all kept up nearly twenty years, and some of them more. Almost ever)' rod of the channel of Auter creek, from its mouth to the Joseph & Downer mill above the fork, has at some time been occupied for mill purposes, and at the early settling-of the country it was a good mill stream; but since the country has been cleared up it does not afford water enough to be worth occupying for that

Passage source: History of Licking County, Ohio: Its Past and Present, 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 Union Township - it names this place 1 more 1 time.