Bowling Green Township

Bowling Green Township

BOWLING GREEN township was organized in 1808. It is eight miles long from east to west, and two and a half miles wide, lying wholly within the Refugee tract. Perry county is on the south, Muskingum on the east, Hopewell and Franklin townships on the north, and Licking on the west.

The Mound Builders left a few samples of their works within its limits; enough to indicate that it was once the home of the lost race. There is a stone mound two and a half miles southeast of Linnville, of medium size, and one earth mound near it, both being near the center of the township, east and west There is also a mound at Amsterdam of no very great dimensions; and an earth mound on the farm of John Hamilton, adjoining Brownsville on the northeast, of oblong form, eighty-five yards in circumference at its base and fifteen feet high.

The township has no authentic Indian history, but there is plenty of evidence that the Indians roamed freely over it in the pre-historic times, and probably had a more or less permanent occupancy of it Tradition and the general belief locate the red man on all sides of it, and without doubt it was used extensively as a hunting ground by the Delawares and other nations and tribes that once held undisputed possession here.

Agriculturally and topographically considered the township is rolling, or somewhat hilly, although it has some level or bottom lands, very fertile, particularly along the little streams which flow through it, southwardly, towards Jonathan's creek, or the Moxahala, as the Indians called it, whose tributaries they are. It was originally well timbered, the growth being principally oak, hickory and walnut. It is generally fertile, producing com and the cereals and grass bountifully. There is little, if any, land in the township that is not tillable. All the rain that fails upon its surface flows into the Muskingum river through the Moxahala.

The first settlement of Bowling Green township wTas made in 1802, at what is called "Little Bowling Green," about a mile south of Linnville, on a tributary of Jonathan's creek, by some frontiersmen from Western Virginia, whose names were Michael Thom, Frederick Myers, and Henry Neflf.

John Harris and Andrew Myers, also Virginians, settled here in 1 803, and William Harris, Moses Meeks, Adam and John Myers, and Charles Howard in 1804. The latter was a school-teacher by profession, and taught the first school in the towmship.

Mr. William Harris came to this township in / 1804, and, though he lived a while in Franklin township, probably resided more years in this township than any other person.

Mr. Solomon Myers was the son of Andrew Myers, one of the immigrants of 1803, and was brought to the "Little Bowling Green" from near Morgantown, Monongalia county, western Virginia, where he was born in 1788.

Settlers continued to flock into the township rapidly, locating themselves in different neighborhoods, so that when the county was organized in 1808, it was deemed advisable by the county commissioners to organize the people of these several settlements into a separate township.

It was the fourth township organized in order of time, and the second after the county was organized - Hanover, only, preceding it. Licking and Granville had been some time organized as townships in Fairfield county.

The little prairie a mile south of Linnville was called "Little Bowling Green," from its resemblance to the Bowling Green on the Licking, four miles below Newark. It gave name to the stream running through it, and thus, also, furnished a name, ultimately, for the township.

Samuel Parr, and many other settlers who came to this township before the year 1815, were from the State of Pennsylvania, mostly from Fayette county.

The National road runs through the township from east to west along the northern boundary. It was surveyed, located and constructed between the years 1825 to 1833. The towns of Brownsville and Linnville were laid out soon after the final location of the road; the former by Adam Brown, who named it after himself, and the latter by Samuel Parr, who named it after Adam Linn, who was then about to establish himself there as its first merchant. Biownsville grew rapidly at first, but has been about stationary in later years. It is a post town of about four hundred and fifty inhabitants. Linnville is a post town of about one hundred inhabitants.

Amsterdam, half of which is in Bowling Green township, was also brought into existence after the location and ^during the construction of the National road, Abraham Boring and George Barro being its proprietors.

The National road for twenty years attracted much travel to it, both of emigrants and genrai travelers, which gave the villages located upon 2 an appearance of considerable life and thrift. Re: ular lines of daily four-horse stages were run ir those days, and sometimes they had an additkm opposition line, carrying on a very vigorous c rcv petition with the regular mail line, which addni greatly to the liveliness of the villages along tht road. A daily "Pony Express line," also passed over the National road during a portion of the years 1836 and 1837, which, for the time heir:, increased the excitement and the interest in the villages along the road, and tended to vary the monotony of village life. This pony express established by Hon. Amos Kendall, the energetic postmaster general, for the purpose of carrying valuable letters, drafts, small packages and impa tant newspaper slips. Its speed was more than ter miles per hour, being twice that of the mail stage, the schedule time from Zanesville to Columbia (fifty-four miles) being five hours, and the postage on matter carried by it was enormously high. Mr Smucker remembers receiving a newspaper slip, brought by it, containing President VanBuren s inaugural address, in March, 1837, on which the postage was seventy-five cents. Such a paper by regular mail would cost two cents. The expres> ponies were ridden by boys, and put through on a fast gallop, or "half-run," the relays being five miles apart. The small saddle-bags which tw tained the express matter were fastened to the sad* die, and, at the end of each run, the saddle and bags were almost instantly transferred from the exhausted, foaming pony, to a fresh one, the rider mounted upon him, and rode away at full speed with a delay of not more than a minute. The stations in Licking county were Brownsville, Linn vilie, Etniers, Luray, and Etna.

A former citizen of Newark, H. S. Manon, and 2 Mr. Jones, were pony express contractors from Zanesville to Columbus, and Mr. A. B. Dumm, ol Newark, then a lad living in Brownsville, rode from Zanesville to Etniers, near Jacksontown. He said that he once, in an emergency, rode from Zanesville to Columbus in three hours and forty-five minutes, the rider from Etniers to Columbus being sick. Once when behind time he rode from Etniers to Zanesville (twenty-six miles) in less than an hour and a half. There were five relays of horses on his route. The enterprise proving unprofitable, was abandoned in 1837. A short time before the Union and Central Pacific railroads were constructed, the pony express was used with success in carrying the mail from the States across the plains and over the mountains to California ; and even yet, where the railroad has not penetrated, these pony express lines are used with much benefit and profit, in the western territories and States.

Old settlers look back with a sigh of regret at those stage-coach days, which have passed away forever. When the railroads came into use emigrants, travelers and four-horse coaches, abandoned the pike, and the little towns along the road became dull and ceased to grow.

The first religious society organized in Bowling Green township was effected by the Methodists about sixty years ago, at the house of Samuel Parr. Revs. Jesse Stoneman and Levi Shinn preached occasionally, before the organization of this society, at the house of Mr. James Clarke, who lived in the southern part of the township, where, also, a class was formed at an early day. Revs. Asa Shinn, Robert Manley, Ralph Lotspeitch and James Quinn are believed to have preached at Mr. Clarke's in early times. In 1807 Rev. Jesse Stoneman preached a funeral discourse in Bowling Green - probably the first funeral sermon preached in the township.

In 1821 the society formed at the house of Mr Parr, made an effort to build a hewed log church, which, however, was never completed, and little, i at all, used as a church. About the year 1832 this society erected a small but neat frame church in Linnville, which, after a number of years, theyf sold to the Catholics. In the year 1839 they erected, on a lot adjoining Linnville, the frame structure they yet occupy. The membership is half a hundred or more, and a live Sabbath-school is connected with the church

The Methodist Episcopal church in Brownsville is one of the earlier societies. It was first organized in 1816 at the residence of Widow Dickinson, one and a half miles north of Brownsville, in Hopewell township, by Rev. James Quinn, where, in 1818, they built a hewed log church which they occupied until 1830, when the society was transferred to Brownsville, where they erected a small, brick church. This church was occupied until about thirty-five years ago, when the society erected a large, fine frame edifice, yet occupied. The membership numbers something less than one hundred; and the same may be s^id of the active and flourishing Sabbath -school.

The Protestant Methodist church, of Brownsville, was organized about 1830, and soon thereafter built a small frame church. In 1847 they erected a still larger church edifice, which is still occupied. It has very generally been a flourishing and influential church. A large and active Sunday-school is connected with it, and the membership of the church is something less than one hundred.

About 1840 the Roman Catholics organized a church in Linnville, and bought the small edifice recently vacated by the Methodist society, who had just completed their new church west of and adjoining the town. This Catholic society, after some years, was dissolved, and the church diverted from sacred to secular uses.

The Presbyterian church in Brownsville was organized by Rev. W. M. Robinson, in 1845, with eleven members. The present church edifice, a good brick building, was erected in 1846. Robert Hamilton and William Black were first elders.

- Mr. Robinson continued preaching several years in this church. At first there were but three or four Presbyterian families, and he received, at this place, less than fifty dollars a year support, yet it soon became more encouraging, and before he resigned the charge in 1855, received three hundred dollars per annum from this congregation which had increased to eighty-four members. Mr. Robinson was succeeded by Revs. W. B. Tidball, H. R. Peairs,. Alexander R. Hamilton, L. B. W. Shryock, M. M. Travis, Mr. White, and others. A Sabbath-school has been connected with the church since its organization.

There is a Baptist church about half a mile east of Linnville, erected in 1848, which is part of, or an appendage to the Friendship, or Old School Baptist church at Hog run, in Licking

The United Brethren have a small church in Amsterdam, which stands on the line between Franklin and this township. The society is small, many of the members having united with the society at Jackfcont )wn.

The Christian Union denomination organized a society in 1865, holding its meeting in a schoolhouse in Linnville. The ministers have been Revs. A. S. Biddison, William Henslee, Benjamin Green and Mr. Underwood. They sustain a Sabbath school and pulpit ministrations, with a good degree of regularity. Isaac Orr, James Brown, James Lamp, John P. Switzer, George Clark and John Dusthimer, were among the original members of this church.

The early-time justices of the peace in this township, were Moses Meeks, Adam Winegardner, John Bartholomew, Alexander Morrison, William Taylor, Charles Bradford, Joseph McMullen, William Armstrong, Samuel Parr and Baltus Emory, who served about in the order named.

The township is divided into six school districts, each having a good school building. It is also united with Franklin township in a fractional district.

There are but two post offices in the township - Brownsville and Linnville. The office in each place was established about fifty-years ago, and the postmasters were as follows, about in the order named: Brownsville - Moses Brotherlin, John F.

Bane, George H. Hood, John Oldham, John F. Bane, Alexander Flowers, O. M. Hamilton, John Oldham, George L. Buckingham, O. M. Hamilton, C. A Roberts, C. F. Prior and John H. Bell, the present incumbent Linnville - Adam Linn, William Tracy, William Orr, David Gilland, Thomas Lonon, David Harris, Summerfield Tippett, D. C. Harris and W. C. Orr. The number

The large population in 1830 was owing to the fact that many families, who were then engaged in the construction of the National road, had but a temporary residence, and were gone when the cen sus of 1840 was taken; however it will be seen there has been a gradual falling off in population at every census, in which fact lies food for thought

John Yontz and Dr. Walter B. Morris, were among the most conspicuous and influential politicians in the township, and both attained to the distinction of representatives in the State legislature - the former in 1835-36-37 ; and the latter in 1839-40-41. They were not early settlers and did not remain in the county many years. The former was identified with the oppositon stage interest, which kept up such a lively competition with the regular Neil and Moore Ohio mail sta^c company, for quite a length of time on the National road. His gentlemanly bearing, fine address, remarkable sauvity of manners, affabk deportment, and attractive presence, made him exceedingly popular, and gave him great power over his fellows. He died two years ago in California. Dr. Morris ' moved to Missouri. Bowling Green has, also, furnished a representative in the legislature in the person of William Parr, a native of the township.

A good degree of thrift and prosperity, the re suit of industry and frugality, have marked the history of the people of Bowling Green township Their schools and churches, as will be seen, are numerous and well sustained, and the people could not well fail to reach the average standard, in the practice of the higher virtues and Christian graces.