Hopewell Township

Hopewell Township

THERE is much interesting and valuable history within the limits of this township. That the Mound Builders once occupied its territory, their still existing works afford ample proof. These works consist of mounds and other earthworks ; also of numerous wells, of various depths, ranging from two to twenty feet.

The Flint ridge, a region of much interest to the scientist and antiquarian, is mostly in this township. What follows in regard to this interesting region, is from the pen of Hon. Isaac Smucker:

" Flint ridge is situated on both sides of the line that divides Hopewell township, Muskingum county, from Hopewell township, Licking county, Ohio. It is an elevated locality of from eight to nine miles in length, from east to west, and has an average breadth from north to south of more than two miles, not ' including the many short spurs that branch out from it. The eastern termination of Flint ridge, which slopes off gradually, is several miles east of the west line of Hopewell township, Muskingum county, being about eight miles west of Zanesville, and extends westward eight miles or more, across Hopewell township. Licking county, and continues nearly a mile and a half into Franklin township, of the last named county, terminating at a point eight miles southeast of Newark, the countyseat of Licking county. All around the outer edges, or exterior boundaries of the Flint ndge are numerous short spurs diverging from it. These gradually sloping projections or juts of land, of short but unequal lengths, extend at irregular intervals or distances into the more level and less rugged surrounding country. Flint ridge is situated within the United States military lands, and in the southern tier of townships of said lands, which border on the Refugee tract, and is distant from the northern boundary line of said Refugee tract but little more than a mile. Hopewell township, Muskingum county, it may be observed, extends two miles and a half into the Refugee tract. To recapitulate, in a word, Flint ridge is, in round numbers, over eight miles long and more than two miles wide, several miles of its eastern portion being in Hopewell township, Muskingum county, five miles of it in Hopewell township, Licking county, and over a mile (its western part) in Franklin township, of the last named county.

"Flint ridge is an elevated locality of varyiflfe height and uneven surface. The maximum altitude of its summit is stated by Professor E. B. Andrews, in the "Preliminary Geological Survey of Ohio," issued in 1869, to be one hundred and seventy feet above the surrounding country ; two hundred and twenty feet above Newark ; three hundred and seventy-four feet above Zanesville ; four hundred and ninety feet above Marietta, and seven hundred and twenty-nine feet above Cincinnati. The general aspect of the scenery of Flint ridge, when first settled by white men, early in the present century, was of a decidedly wild, rugged character. Its steep hill sides, its high peaks, its deep, dark glens, its huge rocks, its craggy cliffs, its cavernous dells, its abrupt acclivities, its coverings of hornstone or crystal quartz, its drift boulders found even upon its summit, so suggestive of the glacier theory, or the great ice age, its abundant buhr-stone or calcareous-silicious rock, also called flint or chert, with which its surface was so abundantly supplied, while also its tall and heavy growth of chestnut and several varieties of oak and poplar, and some hickory', all over-run by the luxuriant grape-vine and other creepers, as well as its prolific and dense undergrowth, in great part of scrub-oak, stunted shrubs and creeping vines, all tended to present to the eye of the pioneer

"The rain that falls on the north half of Flint ridge finds its way to the Licking river by way of the Clay lick, Bear run and Brushy fork streams, and thence by way of the Licking river into the Muskingum, at Zanesville ; and that which falls on the south side of the ridge flows into the Muskingum river, by way of some rivulets and Jonathan's creek (in early times known as Moxahala), which empties into the Muskingum several miles below the mouth of the Licking river, whose mouth is opposite Zanesville, as already stated.

"The Mound Builders were once occupants of the flint ridge and erected works upon it, some of which still remain. And that the Indians, too, in pre-historic times, and later, also roamed over its rugged surface and occupied it after their vagrant, savage manner, there can be no doubt. They, probably, like their predecessors, also sought the flint for manufacture into knives and spear and arrow heads. This 1 will endeavor to make apparent when I come to present the archaeological aspects of the ridge.

"On the north of Flint ridge and along the Licking river, both above and below the Narrows, settlements by white men toere first made in the year 1798 - south of the ridge, at the Little Bowling Green, a settlement by white men was effected in 1802 - west of it, on a tributary of Hog run, the first white settlement was made in 1805, and about the same time the country east of the ridge was first occupied by white settlers. And it was only a year or two later when the flint ridge attracted settlers to it who were seeking homes. It was a locality which, in its natural state, was peculiarly favorable to the subsistence and increase of the wild animals and birds of prey usually found in our forests, in primitive times, such as panthers, wildcats, bears, catamounts, wolves and others more or less annoying and formidable as man's enemies, also hawks, owls, eagles, vultures and other birds characterized by marauding, thievish and destructive proclivities. The flint ridge was most admirably adapted to their growth, preservation and multiplication, affording them ample subsistence and comparatively secure coverts or hiding places. The conditions on the ridge being thus favorable to them, in fact, inviting their presence, they quite naturally became more #umerous, and were enabled, by their numbers, to be all the more annoying and destructive, while thus jointly with the pioneers, occupying that locality, and were also enabled to remain longer to indulge in their predatory habits, because of the favorable conditions that environed them.

"The buffalo and the elk were not occupants of the Flint ridge contemporaneously with the Anglo-Saxon. They probably disappeared simultaneously with the red men, or more likely before the latter finally retired before the advancing hosts of the white race. That they were formerly here in numerous herds does not admit of a doubt - in fact, it is of authentic historical record. The last time a herd of wild buffaloes appeared in the Muskingum valley, was in 1803. It consisted of only six or eight that had strayed away from their accustomed haunts west of the Scioto river, and were pursued by some hunters to the valley of Wills creek, east of the Muskingum river. The buffalo occupied these forests some years later than the elk, and the panther and catamount retired a few years after the buffalo.

"The Flint ridge is now apparently as densely populated as the neighboring country, probably not more than half of it remaining in forest; but it is not my purpose to speak of its agricultural products, except to say in general terms, that in kind and quality they are not unlike those of the adjacent land* produced, it may be, in somewhat^, diminished quantities per acre. Neither do I intend to present its recent history, Iks' even relate any of the weird legendary tales, or probablv fabclous stories, of however romantic interest they might be, with which the flint ridge has been connected, nor of the old-uiDe traditions w hich identified this locality with the early races, aor give currency, by recital with pen, to stories of wild adventures, by Indian, hunter, or pioneer, of which it was the scene.

"That the Mound Builders once occupied the Flint ridge admits of no doubt; their still existing works of which there art some eight or ten in number, albeit some of them have been ilmost obliterated by the plow, furnish ample proof. They are all composed of earth except one, which was constructed of flint stones; and they are all either sepulchral or signal mounds, varying in height from five feet to fifteen feet, and in diameter from ten feet to a hundred feet. Some of them have beer, opened and found to contain the usual deposits of ashes, charcoal, bones, skeletons, pottery (in fragments), and some mound builders' implements. In two of them were found shell bead>, stone axes, and arrow-heads. One of the signal mounds, or mounds of observation, says Mr. William Anderson, an intelligent and enthusiastic archaeologist, formerly a resident of the ridge, commands a view of another some five miles distant to the southwest, and he states that from said mound (which is also one of observation), he followed the line of signal mounds ij the Ohio river, at a point in Meigs county. The flint mound was, on exploration, ascertained to be of the sepulchral cLi^, two skeletons being found within it, together with some beafi> and mica in sheets, eight by ten inches in size. The beads were made of marine shells, such as are found in the Gulf of Mexico, with few of river mussel, pierced for the cord or string.

"Of lines of circumvallation, there are several circular enclosures, and one four-sided figure (parallelogram). Their wall* vary in height from two feet to five feet, and in diameter from thirty feet to one hundred feet. The banks of one of them was ascertained to be composed, in part, of stone. When openings occur in the enclosures, they are on the east side.

"It has been long known (says Colonel Charles Whittlesey, in Historical Tract. No. 5, page 36), that a flint bed existed eo Flint ridge, that had been extensively quarried in ancient times, the hundreds of old pits, some of them twenty feet deep, and covering more than a hundred acres, tear testimony to the extent of the labors of the Mound Builders here. There pits or "wells," as they are provincially called, are parti.il;v filled with water, and are surrounded by broken fragments of flint stones that had undoubtedly been rejected by those who attempted, but tailed to shape them into implements, for only clear and homogeneous pieces could be wrought into knives and arrow' or spear-points. 'With what tools and appliances the ancients wrought such extensive quarries, has not yet bees settled. This flint, continues Colonel Whittlesey, is of a grayish white color, with cavities of brilliant quartz crystals. It appears the stones were sorted and partially chipped into shape, on tbe ground, after which they were carried great distances over tbe country as an article of traffic. Many acres of ground are now covered with flint chips, the result of this trimming process. The business of manufacturing arrow-points, scrapers, knives, spears, axes, wedges and other implements, was doubtless a trade among the Mound Builders, as the making of some oi them, at least, is known to have been among the Indians. Indeed, that branch of manulactures* (the making of flint knives.

spears and arrow-points), is now flourishing among the Digger Indians of Calitomia, who in their mental and moral development fairly represent the diluvial cave-dwellers. There is a strong probability that all the pointed and sharp-edged articles made of flint were, after being wrought into their general form, brought to completion and given their sharp point or edge, by violent pressure, that is, by the use of the thumb stones. Col. Whittlesey, than whom tfiere is no higher authority on this point, thinks that flint knives, spears, and arrow-points were made and used more extensively by the Red men than by the Mound Builders, for the reason that the latter, being agriculturists and probably a pastoral people, had less frequent occasion to use them than the former, who were more given to the chase and to war. Both, however, undoubtedly used them more or less as hunters and in their amusements.

The late Colonel J. W. Foster, an eminent scientist, and distinguished as the learned author of " Pre-Historic Races of the United States," says that the deposit on the Flint ridge is in the form of a chert, often approaching to chalcedony and jasper in external characters, and that it afforded an admirable material for arrow heads. From the abundance of flint chippings he thought this locality was evidently^much resorted to and its deposits extensively wrought into various implements, and largely utilized by both the Mound Builders and Indians. These were his conclusions after tolerably thorough explorations of the ridge more than forty years ago, while a member of the first geological corps of Ohio.

'Dr. Hildreth, in his report submitted to the legislature of Ohio, in 1838, says, ' that from a remote period the Glint ridge, which he had just had under examination, had furnished a valuable material to the aboriginal inhabitants for the manufacture of knives, spears and arrow-heads. How extensively it had been worked for these purposes may be imagined from the almost countless numbers of excavations and pits yet remaining from whence they dug the quartz ; experience having taught them that the rock recently dug from the earth could be split with much greater facility than that which had been exposed to the weather.*

-- The American Antiquarian society of Worcester, Massachusetts. in 1818, accepted for publication, an elaborate paper from Caleb Atwater, esq., of Ohio, descriptive of western antiquities, in which a page was devoted to the Flint ridge. He made mention of its hundreds of pits, or 'wells,* some of which being then (sixty-two years ago), more than twenty feet deep, giving the opinion that they were manifestly not dug, whether by the Mound Builders or Indians, or both, to procure water, rither fresh or salt, nor in pursuit of the precious metals, but to secure a softer and more workable quartz, or flint, than was f>rcsent on the surface, for manufacture into spear-heads, drives, and arrow-points. And on that point there is now but ittle difference of opinion. It may be observed that the excavations above mentioned date back to a period anterior to the ime of the first settlement of the country by the white race.

"Professor Read, on page 354, of the third volume of the Geology of Ohio,* observes that 'any one traversing the Tint ridge for the first time, would be surprised to find such a deposit on such a geological horizon. It simulates very accurately the broken-up debris of a vertical dike, the fragments often covered with perfect crystals of quartz, the rock itself being highly crystalline and often translucent. It is something of a puzzle, ' he continues, ' to understand how such a deposit is found in a series of undisturbed and unmodified sedimentary rocks. The adjacent surfaces of two blocks of the chert are often found covered with quartz crystals of considerable size, as thoroughly interlocking with each other as if one were the cast and the other the mould.' The learned professor seems to be at a loss to imagine conditions which would spread such a deposit over the floor of a sea or any other body of water, but inclines to the opinion that a substitution of silicious matter deposited from solution, in the place of a soluble limestone previously deposited, is the most plausible vi^v of the case.

"Heaps or piles of flint chippings, composed of unworkable or broken pieces, and of imperfect, half-finished and spoiled ' implements, found in various localities remote from Flint ridge, and not in the vicinity of any known deposit of that material, but exactly corresponding in quality with that on the ridge, raises the presumption that considerable of the flint quarried there was carried away and manufactured elsewhere. Much of it, however, as the quantity of chips around the quarries indicate, was doubtless put into' shape there.

"Mr. Anderson, of whom 1 have already made mention, several years ago, explored and further excavated quite a number of the pits or "wells" on the ridge, and reported finding some stone axes, flint c)isks, and some balls, apparently wellworn, made of greenstone. More careful, thorough and extensive exploration of the pits or "wells" of the Fiint ridge would undoubtedly result in giving us much more information than we now possess, as to the character of implements used, and the modes of mining practiced there, by the earlier races, whoever they were, and whenever they made these* excavations on the ridge.

' 1 Some modern excavations have been made on Flint ridge, by individuals and associations, to find out what the ancient diggers were after, and some of them also prospected for lead, silver and gold, but without valuable results.

" It is the province of ethnology to tell us about the races of mankind that have occupied the Flint ridge, particularly of the pre-historic race orraces. In pre-historic times the Mound Builders, perhaps for many ages, occupied the ridge, but they have left us no history. Their works are their history. They probably had no written language, or at least no language brought to such a state of perfection as to have been employed in writing their history. They were probably Mongolians and reached the American continent by crossing Behring's Straits, or by way of the Aleutian Islands, on our northwest coast; or they may have reached our continent by way of the Atlantic ocean as the Northmen did at the close of the tenth century; or as Madoc, the Welsh navigator did, in 1170, A. D. ; and as Columbus did in 1492, A. D. ; or as some later navigators did. And there is another theory, and it is not an unreasonable one, that is, that the Mound Builders were an indigenous race, or were descended from the Toltecs of Mexico, and therefore a continuation of one, and hence, in either case, were 'natives and to the manor bom.

"But there were no insurmountable difficulties in reaching this continent from any of the other quarters of the globe. Our northwest coast can now be reached in summer, in small sailing vessels, and in winter on the ice, the distance across being only thirty-six miles. Moreover there is reason to think

- "We know' that the Mound Builders once held Flint ridge, and we know of no earlier occupants there. - They there built mounds and enclosures for varions purposes heretofore designated. They probably cultivated the soil; were more agriculturists than hunters or warriors; perchance had flocks and herds; made flint arrow-points and spear-heads on the ridge, as well as other implements, also ornaments, and probably pottery, too. All that we know of them is gathered from their works which still remain. They once occupied the ridge, built some works there, and have disappeared. We do not know, with certainty, where they came from (if they were not natives), when and how they came, when and how they happened to drop out of sight, whether by war, pestilence or famine, or by a gradual, slow, southwestern emigration movement, ultimately reaching Mexico and suffering absorption there by an existing and dominant race; or meeting with the possible destiny of ultimately coming within the domain of history as Toltecs or Aztecs, or some other ancient people, once of pre-historic times in Mexico or Central America; or whether they degenerated into barbarians, and had for their successors and lineal descendants the North American Indians that have roamed m savagery over our woods and prairies during the last three centuries, and perhaps much longer.

"Considered physically, intellectually and morally, the Mound Builders probably held an intermediate position between the Caucasians and the most civilized portion of Mongolians above them, and the uncivilized inhabitants of the interior of the Malay peninsula below them.

"The Mound Builders were undoubtedly a numerous people and if numerous of necessity an agricultural people; a people of some mechanical skill, a people who had probably estab. lished a strong government by which they were readily held in subjection; a people of some mathematical and engineering knowledge, a superstitious people given to sun worship, and to the offering of animal and sometimes of human sacrifices* Reasons can be given for each of the above expressed opin' ions, but I will not occupy space for that purpose; moreover, those reasons will naturally suggest themselves to every one who has carefully examined the subject. For a more elaborate presentation of matters pertaining to this ancient race, see 'Ohio Statistics for 1877,' pages 15-27.

"The Indians were doubtless later occupants of the Hint ridge than the Mound Builders. They strolled in idleness and worthlessness, perchance sometimes stealthily, and again in fierce savagery over the ridge, probably for centuries, engaged alternately in war, hunting, and in making flint spears and ar. row-heads, and finally gave up the contest for supremacy in the interest of barbarism, and sullenly, reluctantly yielded to the irresistible influences and onward march of the civilization of the nineteenth century, conscious that they could maintain the contest no longer."

The chestnut and other growths peculiar to mountain regions abound on Flint ridge, and the oak, in different varieties, prevails in other portions of Hopewell. The land is of the class regarded as hilly, but it is for the most part prod:; tive.

It was first settled about 1805 or 1806. IVL liam Hull, Isaac Farmer, Samuel Pollock, Edwai Hersey, John Bartholomew, Jacob Hummel Thomas Hummed, Timothy Gard, James GIi' gow, Isaac Davis, John, Charles, George and uel B. Hull, Thomas Demoss, George KrcgcT Daniel Bowman, Abraham Bennett, Samuel Fxr mer, William Willis, Andrew Livingston, Bkfr Wright, Alexander, Charles, and Zachariah Shi*, Archibald Kelso, and the Gibbons, were early s*s lers.

The township was organized in 1814. Isj Farmer and Samuel Pollock were the first justice of the peace, and were elected early in 1815. T former soon resigned, and Edward Hersey 5*: ceeded him, and served until 1830, when he rt signed. The latter served until 1818, when h. was succeeded by William Hull, who served ahe twenty years. He was, meanwhile, in 1827, elecx: to the legislature, in which body he served 0* year.

Gratiot is situated on the National pike, immediately on the county line between Muskingu* and Licking. It was laid out by Adam Smith about fifty years ago, very 'soon after the permaneff location of the National road, and named in homr of General Gratiot, then in active service in the rejular army. It came to be a post town of about three | hundred inhabitants. It contains two churches - Episcopal Methodists and Protestant Methodists - each having a good building, and enjoying a go*l degree of prosperity. The former is much the older, having been organized in 1830, soon artel the town was laid out. The latter has a goal church edifice, a large society, and Sabbath-schoou but the building is in Muskingum county.

There is, in the immediate vicinity of Gratiot. ' Baptist church which can properly be classed the pioneer churches of Licking county, it havil been in existence since 1821 - a period of hi nine years.

The first Methodist society in Hopewell township, as well as the first of any denomination, was organized at the residence of widow Dickinson, one mile, or more, north of Brownsville, in 1816, by that veteran preacher of the wilderness, Rev. James Quinn. The society erected a log church in 1818; and as both stoves and money to pay for them were scarce in those days, on the Fiint ridge, they warmed up in winter by burning charcoal in a square wooden box, lined with stone and mortar, placed in the church. Revs. J. McMahon, Martin Fate, Michael Ellis, Joseph Carper, Abner Goff, James Quinn, and others, were the pioneer preachers of this society. Mr. Landon Warfield was the class-leader. TJie society was transfered to Brownsville in 1829, where they erected a brick church, of which mention is made in the history of Bowling Green township.

The second society organized in this township was the above mentioned Baptist church in 1821, located half a mile northwest of Gratiot. Rev. Thomas Snelson and Rev. Mr. Caves were among its earliest ministers; and William Baker, Jesse Stith, John Parker and Daniel Schofield succeeded them.

Among its first members were Adam Smith, Daniel Drumm, Samuel Winegarner, James Redman, Thomas White, Isaac Smith, Margaret Winegarner and Henry Claybaugh. The society erected a church in 1823, which was superseded by the neat, substantial building now occupied.

In 1830, Rev. Robert McCracken, and others, organized an Episcopal Methodist church in Gratiot, which held its meetings in a school-house until 1836, when they erected a good church edifice.

Lewis I jams and William Tucker were mainly influential in the first establishment of this society. Rev. Joseph Carper and Rev. Abner Goff were pioneer preachers in this church. The first Sabbathschool in this township was organized in this church in 1830, Mr. Lewis Ijams being superintendent. It is yet a large and active school.

In 1832, Rev. Joseph Carper and Rev. Jacob Young organized a Methodist Episcopal society in the western portion of the township, with Mr. Samuel B. Hull as class-leader. The society erected a church some time after, and now worships in what is known as Spencer chapel. A flourishing Sabbath-school is connected with the church.

Revs. Samuel Hamilton, Robert McCracken, Martin Fate, Leroy Swormsted, James B. Finley, C. Springer and others were among the pioneer preachers of this township.

Hopewell is divided into school districts as other townships, and provided with good schoolhouses. The pioneer teachers were Charles Howard, Joseph Evans and George Hursey. '

The only post office is at Gratiot. The first postmaster was Moses Meek. He was succeeded by Samuel Winegarner, Nathan Henslee, William Sims, S. R. Tucker, F. F. Dutton, L. A. Stevens, William Redman and Stephen R. Tucker.

Two agricultural societies have been organized in Hopewell, both holding some of their meetings | in Gratiot. The "Gratiot Farmer's club" was or- ! ganized in 1865. Its meetings were generally ! held at the residences of the members.

William Hull and Samuel Winegarner can be ranked among the most successful politicians of 1 the township, the former being elected a member of the lower branch of the legislature in 1827, and the latter to the State senate in 1845. They wrere early settlers and men of influence.