Knights of Pythias Hall

McClure, who was both preacher and teacher, conscientious and philanthropic - a ' good man. John Forster, Isaac Mains and William Polly were all early preachers of the Christian denomination. The efforts of such families as the Tillsons, Har lands and Pollys and of Solomon Broderick, produced a wholesome moral and religious sentiment in the southern and western part of the township. At Fort Black, lived Ernestus Putnam, a strict Presbyterian, and there were John Rush, John Downing, Jiidson Jaqua, Hart, and others, who were men of good character and public spirited. Jacob Miller was of marked intelligence, but his moral influence was not of the best. The first house built for public worship was a log meeting-house, near where Friendship Church now stands. There are now eight churches in the township, viz.: one Presbyterian, one Methodist and one Universalist, at New Madison ; one Christian at Hollansburg. and one each of Christian, Presbyterian, New Light and United Brethren elsewhere in the township. It was also used as a schoolhouse, wherein John Purvianee taught the first school, supported by subscription. The first schoolhouse, intended as such, was built at Yankeetown, in 1819. and Moses Woods was the first teacher there. The second was built upon Section 16, and William Hill was the first to teach in it. The township now has six district schools, besides the school at Hollandsburg, which includes two districts, and the school at Madison, of which mention is later made. A brief sketch of New Madison will be read with interest in this connection. We have referred to the Christmas auction of lots and the few sales made. It seems that the attempted sale was made an occasion of a regular pioneer jollification, but its failure was disheartening to Smith, who, in 1819, sold his entire claim to Ernestus Putnam, who had entered the quarter-section just west of Smith. The purchaser bought up all lots sold, vacated the plat, and, in 1831, surveyed New Madison by laying off seventeen lots on each side of what is now Main street, beginning with the lot where the old tannery stands and running south on the east side of the street and back on the west side. Mr. Putnam kept the first store in the place, to which he transferred his stock from Fort Black. A Mr. Hyde was the first blacksmith. At the southeast corner of the new plat, a rectangularshaped piece of land remained, upon which Putnam placed a log house and donated both lot and house to the people for school purposes. This was the first schoolhouse within the limits of the present corporation. He and John Wade also gave a piece of ground for a cemetery, provided public ground for a militia parade, and, when a church was needed, he gave the ground, and he and others built the present brick church and gave it for the use of the public, with the restriction that it should be used by orthodox denominations only. Before the church was built, Mr. Putnam, who was the prime mover in the undertaking, made several propositions toward securing co-operation. Several gave sums ranging from $50 downward. The Foulkes and Hollingsheads gave t>50 ; Mrs. Wilson (now the only survivor) gave $50 ; Mrs. Carson, $50 ; Dr. Kilpatrick, $50, and the Lawrences, the Schribers, the Rittenours, etc., varying smaller amounts. The church was erected in 1847. Mr. Putnam superintended the work ; Jason Downing was one of the brickmasons ; William Biddle did a large part of the woodwork. It was not until several years after the church was built that funds were subscribed to purchase a bell, and the bell was not put up until after the German Reformed Church had possession of the building, which occurred in the latter part of 1857. After the church wras built, there was for some time no regular preaching by Presbyterian ministers, but frequent services by preachers of that and other ortho dox denominations. Rev. Benj. 0. Springer came here about two years after the church was built, and he was succeeded by Peter Crocker, who preached frequently, but did not occupy all the time, until 1855-5<>. In 1857, Rev. Voght, of the (4ernian Reformed Church, awakened a great interest here and organized a church, af. which time Mr. Putnam joined the new organization and the Presbyterian Church was turned over to its use. he himself appointing the following Trustees, viz., Elias Barter, Robert Snodgrass and Echard Worch. Mr. Snodgrass died, and

Passage source: The History of Darke County, Ohio, Containing a History of the County; Its Cities, Towns, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men;, published 1880.

New Madison has a fine town hall, a brick structure, built in 1878, 70x40 feet, three stories, including basement. The middle story is used as a public assembly, lecture, concert, etc., room, also for festivals and dances. The basement, on the latter occasions, serves as culinary department, and a part of it is in general use for storage, etc. The upper story is the Odd Fellows' Hall. George Bacon was Chairman of the Committee on Construction and contractor. The building cost about $7,000. The lot was bought of Mrs. Matthew McWhinney for $600, and then sold for the same price, enough ground being retained for the erection of the town hall.

Passage source: The History of Darke County, Ohio, Containing a History of the County; Its Cities, Towns, Etc.; General and Local Statistics; Portraits of Early Settlers and Prominent Men;, published 1880.

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 Harrison Township - 18,015 words on its settlement, mills, schools and churches.