Rock Creek School

This road began at the mouth of Ashtabula creek and extended in a soutliwestwardly direction over the ridge until it reached the north line of Austinburg, at the centre of this line, thence passing through the township southwardly. It deviated to the east so as to pass one mile to the east of the centre of Morgan, and passed out of Morgan at its southeast corner. The Torringford land company employed Mr. T. R. Hawley in 1801 to open that portion of this road that passes through this township, and on in a southeasterly direction to Gustavus, in Trumbull county. This road became a thoroughfare of immigration, and often was in such a condition that four or five barrels of salt was a full load for a team of four sturdy oxen ; and nine or ten miles were a good day's journey. Previous to the year 1808, when a grist-mill was erected by Ambrose Humphrey, the people of Morgan were compelled to go to Austinburg for their grist, and before they raised enough potatoes, wheat, etc., to answer for their subsistence, they had to transport these articles a distance of forty or fifty miles, and thus were compelled not only to pay an exorbitant price for these necessary articles of food, but, owing to the condition of the roads, obtained them at the expense of great personal hardship. Roads were subsequently laid out in the township as follows : December, 1814, from Morgan to Lenox, on petition of Jas. Walling and others. June, 1816, from the dwelling-house of Clement Tuttle, lot No. 6, through the centre of said township. June, 1817, from the centre road eastwardly to the centre road in Lenox. December, 1817, from A. Fenton's to Foot's mill; same date, from north side of Rock Creek to New Lyme road. March, 1818, from lot No. 8 to road leading from New Lyme to Rome. March, 1825, Morgan and Trumbull road, beginning near the house of Roger Foot in Morgan, thence wcstwardly to the State road leading from Harpersfield to Windsor. June, 1825, Chardon and Jefferson road from Grand river to the turnpike. December, 1828, from near Jesse D. Hawley's to intersect the Trumbull road near M. Beach's laud.

Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.

Probably no one branch of business has contributed so much towards making Rock Creek the thrifty and enterprising village it is as have her tanneries. The first tannery was erected as early as 1821, by Joseph Ferry, on the present site of Mr. Wilcox's tannery, in the west part of the corporation. This Mr. Ferry was proprietor of for about twelve years, when he sold to Mr. A. B. Sperry. Mr. Sperry conducted the business at this stand some fourteen or fifteen years, when he transferred the property to a Mr. Bidwell Strickland, who was proprietor for about five years, and sold to Robert Harper. Mr. Harper, after continuing as proprietor a few years, sold to the present owner, Mr. A. C. Wilcox. Mr. Wilcox, since becoming proprietor, has repaired and added to the original buildings and has successfully conducted a large business. The front part of the present buildings is the same as first erected in 1821.

Passage source: History of Ashtabula County, Ohio, published 1878.

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 Morgan Township - 7,551 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.