Jackson Township (part 5 of 19)

"Here lie the earthly remains of Emily Maria Mather, wife of William W. Mather, who died November 19, 1850, aged 40 years. A triumphant death in the firm unwavering faith and Christian hope of eternal life in heaven. She was a good wife, a kind neighfor, a tender mother and a faithful Christian."

Among the other graves is that of Jonathan Walden, who died January 13, 1857, aged 51 years, 1 month and 25 days; that of Mrs. Jane Mil liken, who died November 23, 1868, aged 80 yea,r8, 4 months and 20 days, and that of John Finn, who died October 13, 1864.

MT. ZION CEMETERY - This cemetery was deeded to the M. E. church by James R. Meacham in 1843. He was born in Montgomery county, Virginia, January 17, 1800, and came to this county in 1834. He was the son of Elijah Meacham, who was born and died in Virginia, dying at the age of 102 years, of heart disease, never having been ill an hour all his life.

The first person buried in this cemetery was Thomas Oliver, a revolutionary' soldier. He died February' 23, 1844, aged 80 years, 9 months and 13 days. Hiram Oliver, of the Ninety-first Ohio Volunteer Infantry, is his only surviving son. Following is a list of other veterans buried in it: James M, son of B. and C. Arthur, died April 21, 1891, aged 56 years and 13 days. James Walker, died September 1, 1881, aged 65 years, 9 months and 12 days; member of Company K, Fifty-sixth Ohio volunteer infantry.

The following are the inscriptions on the monuments of six pioneers buried here: ''Benjamin Branscomb, died January 7, 1862, aged 69 years and 26 days." "Mother Tabitha, wife of B. Branscomb, died December 10, 1891, aged 95 years." "Joseph Wilson, died May 26, 1871, aged 86 years, 1 month, 9 days." "Jane, wife of J. Wilson, died June 10, 1873, aged 82 years, 4 months and 16 days." "Mary Hunsinger, died December 12, 1863, aged 61 years." "Samuel Hunsinger, died January 12, 1869, aged 72 years, 2 months and 23 days."

It was perhaps as early as 1826 that old George Corn settled on the hill about a mile south of the place where Jefferson Furnace is now located. He came from Old Virginia, and he had been a soldier in the war of the Revolution. He had been married twice, and he had a large family. I have often heard him remark that he was the father of twenty children. He was a small man, but his sons were all remarkably stout, healthy men. William Corn, one of his sons, married Polly Massie, a daughter of Bobbin Massie, and Peter Corn married Rebecca, another daughter, while Big Jep, their brother, married Lucy Corn.

It had been known in the neighborhood for some time that Big Jep and Lucy were going to be married, and as our family and the Corns and Massies were on very friendly terms, we were all invited to the wedding. We went soon after breakfast, and found the women busily engaged in making arrangements for dinner.

It was about a mile from George Corn's residence to that of Robbin Massie, the path running along the top of a ridge the most of the way. About eleven o'clock we heard a shout a distance of half a mile down the ridge, and soon we heard the clatter of horses' feet, and here came two men, their horses at full speed. The men had red spotted cotton handkerchiefs bound around their heads, and thej were leaning forward, their faces nearly on the necks of the horses. As there was only a narrow path through the woods, the man who got before had much the advantage, as it was somewhat difficult lor one horse to pass the other; but about a hundred yards from the fence, the hindmost man struck through the woods, and his horse jumped over a large log, and he struck in ahead of the other, and secured the bottle in much triumph. The people at the house were all standing out waiting and watching. One of them held out the bottle to the successful horseman, who took it and both trotted their horses back until they met the wedding party, consisting of about forty persons, men and women, Big Jep and his " attendance " being in front. The bottle passed all the way back along the people, each taking a taste of the whisky it contained. The bottle was what is called a decanter, holding about a quart, and having flanges around the neck and mouth. It was dressed off with red, white and blue ribbon. The wedding party then rode up to the house. The fence was torn down, and they all rode around the house three times, when they alighted and went in. Big Jep shook hands with Lucy and took a seat by her side, and in a short time they were married. Big Jep was a fine looking man. lie must have been six feet, three or four inches high, straight and well made. He was a very quiet man, and an inoffensive, good citizen.

I will not describe the manner in which the parties were dressed, nor the dinner. The afternoon and night were enjoyed by all. Everybody appeared to be in a good humor. The old men sat out on logs near the house, and told stories about Indian wars, bear hunts, etc. The young folks as now, said and did many things that were not the most wise; but young folks will have their ways. I remember one performance which interested me, and the other little boys immensely. Pete Corn went through a performance which he called " Pattin' Juber." He slapped both hands on his thighs in rapid succession, patted his feet, whistled and groaned all at once, and in regular time, while a lot of young folks danced to this original music.

WELLSTON'S BEGINNING - The following graphic letter from the pen of Coates Kinney appeared in the Cincinnati Commercial, and is too good to be forgotten:

Wellston, Jackson Co., O., Dec. 20, 1873. Wellston is as yet a mere geographical expression. There is no town of that name. The place is at this writing only a town-site. But, in view of the prospective certainty that before the close of 1874 there will be at least three or four hundred houses here, I think I may be allowed the (geographical) expression to date a letter from it, giving your readers some facts about the region whose soil is to evolve this sudden town, with yet greater wonders of wealth, from its bosom.

The Portsmouth branch of the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad, which extends from Hamden, a little village in the edge of Vinton County, to Portsmouth on the Ohio River, passes through what appears to be one of the poorest, but is actually one of the richest districts of its extent in this country. The land is rough and uninviting, but beneath its surface there is incalculable treasure. Jackson county, hitherto figuring as one of the most miserable little tracts in the State turns out to be the princij)al storehouse of this treasure. Inexhaustible veins of iron underlie its surface in all directions - which alone is wealth - and the woods here have been almost all cut off for charcoal to render it into iron with. But one day it was discovered that below the seams of stone coal which the natives had long been digging from the hills for domestic use, and thus saving their wood for the charcoal pits, there lay another seam, so similar to charcoal in appearance and behavior in the fire, that it was at once tried in the furnaces. The result was, it made iron but a small ])er cent, inferior to that made with charcoal.

with a layer of the finest smelting coal some four feet thick, accessible in the valleys by shafts of from twenty-five to seventy-five feet deep; great veins of iron cropping out everywhere along the hills, and inexhaustible quantities of limestone on every hand. It was too immense a windfall for the wild little county to realize all of a sudden. The staid old inhabitants knew that the rugged surface of their land was worth a little something, even after all its timber had been done into charcoal; for it still pastured sheep and yielded them wagon-loads of ore that they could barter for groceries and dry goods at the furnace stores; but they were slow to comprehend that the mighty genii of God lay darkling under their sheep pastures. The few home iron men who were in the secret were not fanatical about proselyting outsiders, but went noiselessly to work handling the good thing among themselves. The little old paralyzed town of Jackson suddenly sprang up and spread out into busy population and business in a surprisingly brief space of time. Then some of the owners of the surface up the country began to see it. It leaked out a little, and prospectors from abroad came in and made them see it more. The price of land started upward, and gentle speculation set in.

That is the point reached at the present writing. Land has but just started into speculative figures, and shrewd calculators are beginning to take it in. Prominent among these calculators is the celebrated "Lightning-Calculator,'' Hon. Harvey Wells. Wells is Hon. because he is a member of the Constitutional Convention. He has also the distinction in that body of being the youngest member thereof, and of having been elected as a Kepublican to represent a Democratic constituency. Vinton county is Demcicratic by some four hundred majority; and yet, by about that majority, he carried it against the regular Democratic nominee. He did this by lightning calculation and extravagant energy, as well as by great personal popularity. With the same calculation and energy he has been gobbling coal and iron lands here. Such gobbling is technically termed optioning, so called because, the land owner being tied up to a certain price for a certain period, *'the party of the second

Well, this Wellston is one of the results of Well's optioning. Hon. H. S. Buudy, member of Congress from this District, has a thousand acre farm that lies here like the hollow of your hand - scooping down close to the precious coal seam, and catching the ore veins and limestone ledges as they slope up to the horizon on all sides. The Portsmouth branch of the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad cuts it in two. A finer site for a town it is difficult to imagine. With a mere bagatelle of capital, but with a good deal of home credit for a " visionary " young -man, AVells put the Bundy farm in a parenthesis at |105 an acre. By the co-operation of Colonel S. N. Yeoman, of Fayette county, a keen and nervy anticipator of values, this farm, with the appurtenances of coal shaft and furnaces, has just been stocked at about a quarter of a million. The plat of Wellston occujues the most eligible portion of the farm, on both sides of the railroad, its main street running parallel with the track, and its Broadway crossing it and terminating both ways on the hilltops. Two largest sized furnaces will oe put in process of building immediately, and simultaneously a hundred and fifty dw^elling houses.

This movement will be the fii'st fair opening of the region, and will be the beginning of enthusiasm. There must be a rush of speculators here; for "where the carcass is, there will the eagles be gathered together." There can be no doubt about the presence of the carcass in this case. The wonder is that the eagles have not found it before. AVhere good and abundant iron ore, and the best of c6al for smelting it, and the limestone for fluxing it all lie together in the same ground, and that ground only a hundred and thii'ly miles from a great city by raili'oad, the conjunction of advantages is so rare that it can be calculated upon to attract capital and labor largely, because it can be depended upon for large returns to the same. This is not an experiment any longer. * *

Hughes, in Madison township, some two miles from Centreville, in January, 1875. He was fox hunting, when the fox ran under the rocks, and he going in after it, saw something which he took to be a gourd. Picking it up he found it to be a human skull. He then found in a depression in the rocks the entire skeleton. It was lying face downwards, and the bones w^ere cramped as if the body had been doubled and crowded into the depression in the rocks.

JACKSON'S REPRESEXTATIVEvS - The first period in the history of Jackson County's Representatives extended from 1803 to 1816. During this period nearly all the settled -territory of Jackson County was included within the limits of Ross, and its Representatives can thus be claimed b}- Jaclvson. The members from Ross in the First Ohio House were Michael Baldwin, Robert Culbertson, Thomas Worthington and William Patton. The latter was one of the two men that drafted the first bill to regulate the Scioto Salt Works. The members in the Second House were James Dunlap, John Evans and Elias Langham. The name of Duncan McArthur appears in 1804. David Shelby and Abraham J. Williams were new men in 1805. Nathaniel Massie was elected in 180B, and Thomas Wonthington and Jeremiah McLean in 1807. W^orthington was one of the men that made the first survey of Jackson County. Jessuj) X. Couch, Joseph Kerr and Samuel ]\Ionnett were new men in 1808, and Edward Tiffin, already mentioned, in 1809. Henry Brush, Abraham Claypool, James Manary and William Creighton, Jr.. were elected in 1810, William Sterrett and Thomas Renick in 1811, Samuel Swearingen in 1812, John Mc- Dougall, James Barnes and Isaac Dawson in 1813, and Thomas Scott in 1815. Thf' names are given in the order in which the men were elected. Many of them served several terms. Several of them were Governors of the State, and the list includes a number of Congressmen. Jackson's early settlers were well rei)resented before the organization of the county. That event (xcnrred in 1810, and the first election for representative was held in October of that year.

two new counties, Pike and Jackson were erected into a Legislative District until the census of 1820 was taken. At the first election there were only two candidates voted for in Jackson County, viz, Jared Strong and George L. Crookham. Strong carried the county by a vote of 171 to 89 for Crookham, and carried Pike County, also, and was elected. Crookham was the grandfather of the McKitterick brothers of Jackson and was a man of great ability. Strong's wider acquaintance secured him the election, however. He was re-elected in 1817 with hardly any opposition. In 1818, William Givens, of Jackson, was elected. Strong was not a candidate and his only opponent was William Collins who received a light vote. Judge Givens served only one year, and was succeeded by Strong, who was elected for the third term, and by an overwhelming vote.

The third period began in 1820, and extended to 1828. During this period the counties of Meigs, Gallia and Jackson formed one Legislative District and were entitled to two Representatives. There were six candidates at the election in 1820. Robert G. Hanna received almost the entire vote of his county and was elected. His associate was George House. House and David Boggs, of Gallia, were elected for the district in 1821, Jackson County was left out in the cold, but in 1822, evened up by electing two of its sons, Jared Strong and Joseph W. Ross. This occurred on account of the multiplicity of candidates in the other two counties. Strong was elected for the fifth time in 1823, his associate being Fuller Elliott. Jared Strong, the first Jackson County man elected to the Ohio House, had a service record which has never been broken, in number of terms or years. He was elected five times and served five years, the term being one year, under the old Constitution from 1803 to 1851. In 1824, Jackson secured the two Representatives a second time, electing J. W. Ross and David Mitchell. Ross was re-elected in 1825, and had Samuel Holcomb for his associate. In 182G, Daniel Hoffman, of Jackson, and Stephen Strong were elected. Some claim that this Strong was the son of Hon. Jared Strong, while others assert that he was a Meigs

In 1828, Jackson and Pike were put together again and given one Representative. Alexander Miller, of Jackson, was given the first term. John Barnes, of Pike, was elected in 1820 and 1830, Robert Lucas, of Pike, in 1831, Geoge Burris, of Jackson, in 1832, Barnes again in 1833, John Burnside, of Jackson, in 1834, and David Mitchell, of Jackson, in 1835.

A new district consisting of Ross, Pike and Jackson was formed in 1836, which was entitled to two members, and to one floater the first year. James Hughes, of Jackson, was elected as one of the members in 1836, 1837 and 1838, and Elihu Johnson, in 1839. Daniel Ott was Hughes' associate jn 1830 and 1837 and Abraham Hegler in 1838. Samuel Reed was the other member in 1839. The floater in 1836 was John I. Vanmeter, of Pike.

Hocking was added to the district in 1840, and the new district was given three members. Jackson had a Representative during the four years, viz, John Stinson in 1840, John James in 1841, Elihu Johnson in 1842, and Asa R. Cassidy in 1843. The other members were Joseph Kaylor and James T. Worthington in 1840, David Karshner and Le Grand Byington in 1841, William Nelson and Byington in 1842, and Kaylor end Wesley Claypool in 1843. Hon. Le Grand Byington moved to Iowa in later years, and was alive very recently. If he is still living, he is the oldest surviving Representative of this county. He stumped this county during his canvass, and he spoke once at old Oak Hill in front of the residence of James Reed, where Evan I Evans now resides.

During the next period of four years Jackson and Gallia were put together with one representative. Gallia was given Jose])h J. Combs in 1844, Jackson, Martin Owens in 1845, and Alexander Poor in 1846, and Gallia A. T. Holcomb in 1847. Owens was the father of ex-Marshal William Owens. Holcomb is dead, but a namesake and relative is now a leading Republican of Scioto County.

was given a tloater in addition lo Che regular member. Tlie member in 1848 was Hon. H. S. liundy and the floater A. T. Holcomb. Jose})h W. Koss was the member in 1841) and iloh-omb the floater. Penell Cherrington, of Gallia, was the member in 1850 and Bundy the floater.

During the decade following the census of 1850, Jackson and Vinton counties formed one Legislative District, which was represented by six dirterent men, viz, Daniel D. T. Hard elected in 1851, William J. Evans in 1853, Edward F. Bingham in 1855, Robert B. Stevenson in 1857, and Alexander Pierce in 1851). Stevenson resigned before the end of his term, and was succeeded by William L. Edminston. All of these except W. J. Evans were from Vinton County. Evans was elected as a AMiig. He is still living and resides near Oak Hill. He is the oldest surviving Legislator in the county. The two year term began with this period.

The county now forms a single Legislative District, and has enjoyed that privilege since 1801, a period of thirty-nine years. During that time the county has had fourteen Representatives, of whom eight are still living, viz, James Tripp, Bernard Kahn, Thomas J. Harrison, R. H. Jones, B. F. Kitchen, Samuel Llewellyn M. T. Vanpelt and Lot Da vies. Hon. Isaac Roberts, the first of the fourteen was the father of Mrs. H. C. Miller. He was elected in 18(>1 and served one term. His successor was Hon. James Tripp, elected in 18G.3, who served two terniy. In 1867, the Republican candidate was defeated by Hon. Levi Dungan, who served one term. Dr. William S. Williams, of Oak Hill, was nominated by the Republicans in 1809, and elected, but he died :March 0, 1871, while at Columbus. His remains were brought to Oak Hill for interment. The writer was at the funeral. The day was rainy and gloomy and the funeral was one of the largest in the history of that village. An election to choose a successor was held March 23, 1871. Hon T. L. Hughes was elected. In October, 1871, the Republican candidate was defeated by Hon. Beinard Kahn, who served one term. He is now living in Cincinnati. There was no contest in the Republican convention of 1873, and Hon. T. J. Harrison, of Jefferson township, was nominated by acclamation. This was the first ])olit- ical convention attended by the writer, and it left a most vivid impression. After Harrison was nominated, he was called before the convention and delivered a short address. He was elected, but served only one term. In later years, he moved to Missouri, where he now resides. In 1875, Dr. A. B. Monahan was elected, and he was re-elected in 1877, but died before the end of his term. Pie belonged to a family of legislators. His brother, Hon. I. T. Monahan, was Senator from this district during his first term. A brother and a doctor represented Vinton for two terms in recent years, and other brothers served in western Legislatures. Monahan was succeeded by Hon. James B. Paine, who was re-elected in 1879. Hon. R. H. Jones, then of Oak Hill, succeeded him. He served two terms, and as " Jones of Jackson " acquired a State reputation. Hon. B. F. Kitchen was elected in 1885 and served two terms. Hon. Samuel Llewellyn was elected in 1889 and served two terms, and Hon. M. T. Vanpelt was elected in 1893 and served two terms. He was succeeded by Hon. Lot Davis, who is now serving out his second term.

Jackson County has had fifty-nine Representatives since its organization. Of those who were its owm citizens H. S. Bundy became the most distinguished. Robert Lucas, of Pike, who represented it in 1831, became Governor of Ohio the next year, and was, re-elected in 1834. John I. Vanmeter, who represented it in 1836, was elected to the Twenty-eighth Congress. Byington was a candidate for Congress in Iowa in the early years of the war. Others liave held manypositions of honor and trust. JamesHughes, who served from 1836 to 1839, established the Jackson Standard. Martin Owens established the Jackson Union, but it did not survive long. John James was the grandfather of ex-Warden C. C. James. Personal popularity had much to do with the success of the men elected under the old Constitution. It was only after Jackson became a single district that political lines were tightly drawn. Roberts was elected in 1861 as a Republican, and that party has controlled the connty ever since, Levi Dungan and Bernard Kahn being the only Democrats to break the lines.

WITCHES - The south part of Jackson County, and the adjoining parts of Scioto and Lawrence, were settled early in the present century by the poorer classes of persons from Western Virginia. They possessed many good traits of character, and some which were not so good. From the amount of ceremony attending the marriages among them, as I have already described, one would suppose that the marriage relation among them would be highly esteemed; but such was not always the case. On one occasion a man conceived that he had been worsted in his marriage contract, and traded his wife to another man for a penknife, worth 50 cents. The purchaser took possession, and the parties lived together quite happily until they left the county, and for aught I know, they are living together yet.

Occasionally an old bachelor was found among these early settlers. There was Jesse Rees, the tailor, who made my first coat for me. He built a cabin away back across the Black Fork of Symmes' creek, miles from any other settler. It w^as at the foot of a steep hill, which is known to this day as "Rees' Ridge." This place is about a mile from Jefferson Furnace. There Rees lived all alone. He was an inoffensive man, but terribly addicted to drinking whisky. When partially intoxicated, he was in the habit of boasting of a large amount of property in which he had some interest at King's Salt Works, near Charleston, Virginia.

Witches were very troublesome in the days of the first settlements in this county. The cows would become bewitched, and kick over the milk pail. The butter would not come with any amount of churning. The only remedy was to cut a small piece from the end of the cow's tail, take that and a few drops of her blood, and a little of her milk, and cover them in the hottest part of the fire, and the witch would be rendered very uncomfortable, and would very likely relieve the cow. Hogs were often bewitched. A farmer told me once that he had lost many fine hogs at the hands of the witches. The hogs would commence running around, fall down in a kind of convulsive fit, and scon die. He and his brother were out one day burning brush, when a witch seized one of his hogs, and it fell near the burning brush heap. He told his brother to pick it up and throw it into the fire. It was apparently dying, but as his brother stooped to take hold of it, it jumped up as well as ever, and ran off. The witch having so narrow an escape, did not trouble his hogs any further.

congregation when these attacks were made. It was the subject of gossip for miles around. The aid of witch doctors was invoked. They made a profile of Mrs. , the witch, and shot it with a bullet made of silver. They resorted to other means, too mysterious to be made known, and finally Mrs. was rendered so uncomfortable that her husband was compelled to sell his little farm and leave the county. A most horrid case of witchcraft occurred in this county since my recollection. A young girl near the town of from the cupboard to the table, and back again, without any human agency. Nearly all the clothes about the house were cut to pieces by the witches. Persons went many miles to see these strange sights. The whole county was excited, and scarcely anything else was talked about for many months.

Witches often played strange pranks. They would often attack persons who happened to be caught out alone at nights, and throw a bridle over their heads, force the bit into their mouths, mount them and ride them over hill and hollow, through brush and briars, until the poor wretches were completely exhausted, and would return early in the morning looking more than half dead.

Witches would often appear of rainy nights, especially in low, swampy places, as "Jack with the lantern." The witch would commence as a torch light, and the traveler, too glad to have a light t» show him his way, would follow. The light would move, and commence dancing, and then the party was in for it, and was compelled to follow it whithersoever it went. It would lead him into the worst mud and mire, and then it would stop and laugh at his calamity, and mock when his fear came. I cannot give the sound of this laugh in print, but is was something like ''heuck. heuck, heuck." An old man from Old Virginia told me that he had often and often been thus led by witches. Once he became coinpletely exhausted and crei>t into a hollow log as far as he could get, but his hips and legs were exposed. The witches came and battered him over the hips until he was glad to get out of the log and pursue his way. His hips were bruised until they 'were black and b'ue for many days. The only way to get this witch spell broken, was to turn some portion of vour garments wrong side out, when the light would instantly disappear and you were free.

Witches would often kill sheep and cattle by shooting them with balls made of hair, very closely and mysteriously wound together. These balls never made any external opening in the skin, but were often cut out of the dead animals, in various parts of the body. - Standard.

SYJMMES CREEK - John Cleves Symmes was born on Long Island in 1742, removed to New Jersey, was colonel of militia in the Revolution, served in the Continental congress, and on the supreme bench of Xew Jersey, received a patent for a tract of more than three hundred thousand acres on the Miami, was married three times, and died at Cincinnati, in 1814. His memory has almost been forgotten but the tortuous creek which drains the upland flats of Jackson county, and flows south forever, fed by strong springs welling forth from lime and coal strata, will preserve his name.

Symmes creek is a i)ost glacial stream. It was formed by the pent up waters of a lost river whose mouth was choked by the glacier, seeking an outlet into the deeply eroded bed of the Ohio. The old valley of the lost river can be traced easily through this county from Beaver to Centreville. The closing of its mouth by the ice converted that part of it now included in this county into a long but narrow lake. The floods at the close of the glacial period caused this lake to overflow at three or more points. These overflows cut gorges which in course of time emi)tied the lake, and, that duty done, continued to be regular water courses. Erosion is still in progress, and their valleys are widening year by year. The Salt Creek gorge is nearest to Jackson. The South Fork of this creek occupies Ihe old river bed from Camba to a point about a mile below Jackson. It then flows through a narrow gorge of its own making, which is easily accessible to every Jackson boy or girl who caies to study it. The two forks which join to form Symmes creek down in Gallia county, flow through gorges of the same general character, but they are older, the work of erosion has continued longer, and the hills have been rounded out more, and the exposed strata covered. It should be noted, that while these gorges were emptying the glacial lake, many small streams were carrjang in sand and mud, and gradually filling the deeper parts of the lake bed. With the subsidence of the waters, the force of the current in each gorge was lessened, and there came a time when the cutting practically ceased. But the washing in of material continued unabated until all the low places were filled. The lake bottom then became a marsh, and such was the condition of the lowlands in this county, when the white man came. Drainage has converted those marshes into meadows, and the flats on the head waters of Symnn^s are now the best land in the county.

FRANKLIN VALLEY - The flat south of Camba goes by the name of Franklin Valley. It is irregular in shape but broadens toward the south and has an area of about one thousand acres. It is hemmed in by low crowned hills, but a low gap connects it with Salt Creek valley on the north, and two valleys drain its waters to the east and south. The first stream flows on by easy stages until it loses itself in Cackley swamp on the Grassy Fork of Symmes. It b(nirs no name. The second stream is the Black Fork of Symmes. Its bed drains the lowest lands of the flat. The waters of the glacial lake lingered longest at the jioint where it enters the gorge through the hills to the south. Nature was thwarted in her effort to drain this marsh, by the skilful engineering of the beaver. The valley of Black Fork was one of their favorite haunts, for its tor tuous course furnished so many suitable sites for dams. These dams held back the waters in ponds, the largest of which occupied the lowest level of Franklin valley, and bore the name of Beaver pond. This name given by the Indians, was retained by the whites and still designates the spot, although the water has been drained away. The presence of the beaver, and of the buffalo which were attracted by the sweet grasses of the marshes, made this a favorite hunting ground of the Indians. The buffalo lingered on the headwaters of Symmes until the beginning of this century. Two were killed on Grassy Fork in the neighborhood of Emory church in 1800, others of the herd were killed near Winchester in 1801, and the last survivor was shot by an old hunter named Keenes in the Franklin valley neighborhood in 1802. The beaver remained until their dams were broken down by the ruthless salt boilers. This let out the waters, and the clearing of the timber and the straighten ing of the creeks drained all the smaller ponds at an early day. Beaver pond held its own for half a century more, but the deepening of the Black Fork channel within the last seven years, has endued its history.

Source changes here: from Geology of Southern Ohio : Including Jackson and Lawrence Counties and Parts of Pike, Scioto, and Gallia, by Stout, Wilber, published 1916; 217,906 words in this source stream.

Jackson Township

This is a digital copy of a book that was preserved for generations on Hbrary shelves before it was carefully scanned by Google as part of a project

It has survived long enough for the copyright to expire and the book to enter the public domain. A public domain book is one that was never subject to copyright or whose legal copyright term has expired. Whether a book is in the public domain may vary country to country. Public domain books

Marks, notations and other maiginalia present in the original volume will appear in this file - a reminder of this book's long journey from the

Google is proud to partner with libraries to digitize public domain materials and make them widely accessible. Public domain books belong to the public and we are merely their custodians. Nevertheless, this work is expensive, so in order to keep providing this resource, we liave taken steps to prevent abuse by commercial parties, including placing technical restrictions on automated querying. We also ask that you:

+ Make non-commercial use of the files We designed Google Book Search for use by individuals, and we request that you use these files for personal, non-commercial purposes.

+ Refrain fivm automated querying Do not send automated queries of any sort to Google's system: If you are conducting research on machine translation, optical character recognition or other areas where access to a large amount of text is helpful, please contact us. We encourage the use of public domain materials for these purposes and may be able to help.

+ Maintain attributionTht GoogXt "watermark" you see on each file is essential for informing people about this project and helping them find additional materials through Google Book Search. Please do not remove it.

+ Keep it legal Whatever your use, remember that you are responsible for ensuring that what you are doing is legal. Do not assume that just because we believe a book is in the public domain for users in the United States, that the work is also in the public domain for users in other countries. Whether a book is still in copyright varies from country to country, and we can't offer guidance on whether any specific use of any specific book is allowed. Please do not assume that a book's appearance in Google Book Search means it can be used in any manner anywhere in the world. Copyright infringement liabili^ can be quite severe.

Google's mission is to organize the world's information and to make it universally accessible and useful. Google Book Search helps readers discover the world's books while helping authors and publishers reach new audiences. You can search through the full text of this book on the web

And Parts Of Pike, Scioto, And Gallia

My Dear Sir] - I transmit herewith the copy for Bulletin 20, entitled the Geology of Southern Ohio, by Mr. Wilber Stout. The area discussed includes Jackson and Lawrence counties and parts of Scioto, Jackson and Gallia. The territory has large and varied resources whose development will add much to the wealth of our State. Mr. Stout^s investigation has been unusually thorough and he has made the economic phase of the subject his principal theme. I believe that this Bulletin will be extensively consulted and that it will aid in the development of the area.

Chapter

The salt springs near Jackson were utilized for the production of salt by the aborigines long before the advent of the white man, as is shown by the remains scattered throughout the region. During the early history of the state this was one of the important localities for this article, which was carried by the early settlers on pack horses for long distances. Next, the region located in the rich Ferriferous ore belt became known for its charcoal furnaces. This was followed by the opening of the valuable Sharon and Quakertown coal deposits which increased the activity and wealth of the region. At present, the county is of interest chiefly for its coals, clays, and iron ores.

Jackson County is situated in the southern part of the state in the second tier of counties firom the Ohio River. It is bounded on the north by Vinton, on the east by Vinton and Gallia, on the south by Gallia, Lawrence, and Scioto, and on the west by Scioto, Pike, and Ross. Its area, according to the latest measurements and estimates of the Federal Government, is 410 square miles.

The entire county is decidedly hilly and rough excepting the valley floors of the old preglacial streams which traversed the region. It is a part of the Appalachian Plateau which has been highly dissected by both the old and present streams. The former streams had reached the advanced stage of comparatively broad valleys, with the. adjacent hills low and well rounded, when the deflection from glacier agencies modified and changed their courses thus producing the present streams, some of which have cut new, gorge-like valleys, adding considerably to the already broken character of the region. From Jackson northward the deep entrenched valley of Salt Creek with its bold escarpments, very picturesque indeed, is an example of the work of the present streams in modifying the topography. The rugged surface relief of the western part of Jackson County is due partially to the erosive action of the streams on the soft, massive, Sharon conglomerate, often more than 100 feet in thickness, which outcrops in this section. This region is marked by the steep slopes of the main ridges whose projecting spurs

On account of the character of the surface, and of the shale or sandstone soils, the county ranks low in agricultural products. It is better adapted to stock and fruit raising. The outcropping minerals are more easily obtainable in a hilly country, so that this has been an aid in the mining of the minerals. The main county roads and railroads by following the old water courses have low grades, but often

Jackson Coimty is drained by a number of small streams whose waters, flowing from various directions, finally reach the Ohio Riven Symmes Creek, flowing south to the Ohio, drains most of Madison and Jefferson and parts of Franklin and Bloomfield townships. Raccoon with its tributary, Little Raccoon, flowing southeastward to the Ohio, drains parts of Lick and Madison, most of Bloomfield, all of Alilton, and the eastern parts of Coal and Washington townships. Symmes and Raccoon thus drain the eastern part of the county. Hales Creek, a tributary of Pine Creek, flows southward, and drains a small territory in southern Jefferson Township. Little Scioto River, which flows south and empties into the Ohio near Sciotoville, drains Hamilton, most of Scioto, the western part of Jefferson, and the southern part of Liberty. This stream drains the southwestern part of the county. Braver Creek, flowing west to the Scioto River, just touches the western part of Scioto Township. Little Salt Creek, with Middle Fork, Salt Creek and its tributary Pigeon Creek, unite to form Salt Creek proper, which flows northwestward to the Scioto and drains a part of Scioto, most of Franklin, Lick, Liberty, Coal, and Washington, and all of Jackson townships. This stream drains the central and northwestern part of the county.

These streams are all small and during the summer the volume is insuflBcient for any large water supply. This handicaps the region for many manufacturing industries. Small springs, which furnish a sufficient supply for stock raising, are quite common, especially in the eastern part of the county in the limestone belt, and in the western part where the Sharon conglomerate is present. As a whole the county is not well watered.

A. - Jefferson Furnace, near Oak Hill, Jacksou County. The only active charcoal Turoace in Ohio in 191ti. It was built in 1854 and has been in nearly continuous operatioQ since that date.

- Topc^aphy along the outcrop of the Sharon conglomerate, Lil*rty Ton-naliip, Jackson County. Narrow valleys with many bold cUITb are found.

from the j)resent drainage system. Several quite large streams, the valley floors of which are now swampy, and contain only small sluggish streams, existed in the region, and are readily traced across the county. The broad California Valley, described in the report on Scioto County continues northward from Stockdale into Scioto Township, Jackson County, thence swings westward into Pike County near Beaver, and continues to the Scioto Valley near Waverly. Valleys of eastern tributaries to this main stream are found in the southwestern part of Jackson County. For a complete description of the drainage modifications in Jackson County the reader is referred to the work of Tight and also that of Leverett.^

In Jackson County the main stream traced and described by Tight is the Marietta River, which flowed westward from Centerville, Gallia County, and entered Jackson Coimty in Section 24, Madison Township. From here the stream continued west to Symmes Creek, thence northwest with this stream to Section 21, thence past McKittrick, Clay, Banner, and Camba to Keystone, where it was joined by the Albany River from the north. From Keystone the stream flowed northward to Jackson, thence west and southwest through the southeastern part of Liberty into Scioto Township where the valley joins that of the California near Howells Crossing. The Albany River, which entered Jackson County just north of Wellston, flowed south past Berlin, Fairview School, and Ridgeland to Rocky Hill, where it turned and flowed westward to the Marietta River at Keystone.

Cackley Swamps Valley.' - From Centerville the old valley continued northwestward up the valley of Grassy Fork to the open flat lands in the vicinity of the Cackley Swamps, south of Madison Furnace. The valley walls in this region are more completely graded than in the upper sections and at very much lower angles, and the hills immediately bordering the valley rise about 150 to 200 feet above its floor. The amount of silting in this region has been very great, and there are numerous minor modifications in the streams on both the Grassy Fork and some of its smaller tributaries, but these could be shown only on a very detailed map,

Camba, Keystone and Jackson Valleys." - From the region of the Cackley Swamps the old valley extends along the line of the Portsmouth division of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, past Camba Station, and on to the headwaters of the Salt Creek Valley at Keystone. The deposits in the valley at Camba are very deep, and it is back of these that the Cackley Swamps are found, which now are the headwaters of Grassy Fork of Symmes Creek. A well, sunk close to the railroad -n the cut, penetrated 95 feet of blue clays and sands, and struck rock at that depth.

^G. W. Tight, Drainage Modiflcations in Southeastern Ohio and Adjacent Parts 6i West Virginia and Kentucky, Professional Paper No. 13, U. S. Geol. Surv. Frank Leverett, Glacial Formations and Drainage Features of the Erie and Ohio Basins, Monograph V. 41, U. S. Geol. Surv.

'Drainage Modifications in Southeastern Ohio and Adjacent Parts of West Virginia and Kentucky. Professional Paper No. 13. United States Geological Survey, p. 66.

This would indicate the valley floor to be about 650 feet above tide. The surface of the deposits at Camba is about 125 feet above the present surface of the valley at Keystone, the railroad having a grade in this section of about 100 feet to the mile. The valley here is about three-quarters of a mile wide, and its floor is very flat all the way from Keystone to Jackson. Indeed, it is so flat that it was, in the early days, almost entirely swamp area, many thousands of acres in extent, but moist of the swamp has been reclaimed by cutting the timber and laying drain tiles. At Keystone are located the wells for the waterworks system for the city of Jackson. These wells penetrate from 12 to 20 feet of fine silts and then enter an extensive gravel stratum, which, as far as learned, was not entirely penetrated, so that the exact elevation of the rock floor was not determined. At this point also the old valley receives, on its eastern side, a large tributary of about its own size, entering from the direction of Rocky Hill. Beyond Keystone the valley is drained by the South Fork of Salt Creek, which enters it about two miles past Jackson. At this point the creek turns abruptly to the north and cuts through a very narrow valley extending across the high tableland bordering the old valley, while the old valley continues to the west along one of the smaller tributaries of Salt Creek reversed, and enters the California Valley in the vicinity of Glade. The features below Keystone, and also of the tributary which enters this old valley at Keystone, are shown on the map.

Wellston Valley.* - Prom Hamden the old valley passes around a high portion of the tableland which separates it from the present valley of the Little Raccoon; it then bends southward, and is occupied by the city of Wellston. The floor of the valley is here much cut up by the drainage lines tributary to the Little Raccoon, but it is evident that the sections ol these streams between the valley and the little Raccoon are all reversed at the present time. The headwaters of Middle Fork of Salt Creek have also eaten into the old divide, and caused the watershed to migrate towards the old valley to such an extent that the portion of the old divide is represented by a very narrow gorge, through which the drainage passes down Salt Creek.

Berlin Valley.* - From Wellston the valley runs almost due south to the vicinity of Berlin, where the floor of the valley is a water parting for another tributary of the Little Raccoon, Dickson Fork. At Berlin the valley is fully three-fourths of a mile wide, measured on the surface of the silt fillings, which are rather thick, although their exact depth was not determined. Much of tliis area is now represented by swamp lands which have been reclaimed by draining.

From the Berlin Flats the valley continues southward and is drained by Dickson Fork of the Little Raccoon. The old gradation plains along this section of the valley are well preser\'ed, and where Dickson Fork leaves the valley, they stand at an elevation of about 50 feet above the stream. There are also well marked remnants of the old gradation plain on Dickson Fork, and these rise rapidly passing down the creek, showing that the old drainage was exactly the reverse of the present. From this point the valley passes somewhat to the southwest, beginning a great curve which it makes to join the valley already described at Keystone. At Rocky Hill, which is the summit of tlie Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton Railway, the old valley floor now stands at an elevation of about 700 feet above tide.'^ mum interval of about 000 feet. They consist of thick beds of conglomerates, sandstones, and shales, with thin strata of limestones, iron ores, coals, and clays. The preglacial and recent stream deposits, confined to the valley floors, belong to the Quaternary system, while the great mass of rock belongs to the Carboniferous system which is here subdivided into the Cuyahoga, Logan, Maxville, Pottsville, Allegheny and Conemaugh formations. In Jackson County the general section of the Maxville, Pottsville, and Allegheny formations, as represented in Ohio, is quite complete, for good exposures of practically all the members are found. The region has long been known for the representative beds of Sharon and Quakertown coals. The rocks of the Quaternary System are first described > then those of the Carboriferous, beginning with the oldest. The following general section shows the relation of the beds.

The general dip of the rocks in the southern part of Jackson County, using the Ferriferous limestone as a basis, is 30 feet to the mile east and 33 feet southeast. In the central part of the county the dip is variable, but, measured by the Sharon coal for a distance of 10 miles, the fall to the east is 34 feet to the mile and southeast 48 feet.

In the northern part the dip to the east, measured by the Quakertown and Sharon coals, is respectively 27.2 and 27 feet to the mile, while the dip to the south, using the Lower Mercer limestone as the base, is 10 feet to the mile. The average dip for the strata is about 30 feet to the mile east, and 10 feet to the mile south. In many places the dip of the Sharon coal is abnormal for variations of from 15 to 20

Quaternary System

The deposits of the present streams consist of rubble, gravel, sand, and silt, the amount of each depending primarily on the degree of fall of the stream, on the slope of the adjacent walls, and on the character of the rock. In Jackson County, the streams are small, and, excepting those in the old preglacial valleys, have narrow flood plains with only thin deposits containing considerable coarse material. Ir the western part of the county where the Sharon conglomerate is the wall or bed rock of the streams, the deposits consist largely of quartz sand, and gravel, while in the eastern part, where shales and sandstones predominate, the deposits are made up of clays and sands with some broken stone. The sand and gravel deposits have a local value but the clay beds are too thin to be utilized. The amount of vegetable matter carried by the laterals to the flood plains of the main streams is quite large, so that the land is very good for agricultural purposes; in fact, it is the most productive in the county.

Pleistocene Deposits

These deposits are found in the valleys of the old preglacial streams and consist principally of clays and sands, with some gravel and coarser material, such as bowlders from unknown sources and chert from the Ferriferous limestone. In some localities these deposits are very thick, and as given by Tight,* the deposits in the valley at Camba are very deep. A well, simk close to the railroad in the cut,, penetrated 95 feet of blue clays and sands and struck the rock at that depth. Other well records in these valleys show the deposits to be from 30 to 50 feet in thickness. The interbedded gravels, sands, and silts, found in the lower part of the deposits, represent the materials laid down by the streams during their normal cycles previous to the advance of the glacier. On the water divides and upper terraces, where the deposits have been least disturbed, are found thick beds of very fine-grained clays with exceptionally thin stratification planes, which appear to have been deposited during glacial time when lake-like conditions prevailed in these old valleys. As these valleys are free from glacial drift sands and gravels, they were not the direct water-ways for the floods of the melting ice sheet, yet the damming of the lower courses of the system produced a reversal of the drainage, and also caused a flood period during which the waters

^Professional Paper No. 13, United States Geological Survey, Drainage Modifica» tions in Southeastern Ohio and Adjacent Parts of West Virginia and Kentucky, by W. G. Tight, page 66.

The clays in these old valleys are excellent material lor red brick and drain tile. The beds are generally quite thick and the clays easily mined, aa only a few inches of soil need be removed. The material requires no extensive grinding, but at most only crushing in rolls and thorough mixing with water in a pug mill to produce good working muds which flow through the dies, easily forming ware with but little defects. The ware dries readily and burns to a good red body at a low temperature. At present these deposits are not utilised in Jackson County.

Mississippian System

Rocks bflongipg to this system are found in the western part of the county. In the southwestern part the width of the belt is about 4 miles, and the maximum thickness of the exposed rocks seldom exceeds 100 feet; but in the northern part the width is about 11 miles, and the maximum thickness of the beds is close to 300 feet.

In the Dever Valley an isolated pocket of Maxville limestone goes under cover in Section 14, Hamilton Township, and in the valley to the north of this the sandstones are last seen in the northern part of Section 14. The Mississippian rocks disappear on Bucklick Creek in Section 16, on Sugarcamp Creek in Section 33, Scioto Township, and just west of Petersburg in the central part of this township.

In the old Marietta Valley west of Jackson, Mississippian rocks are found near where Little Salt Creek leaves this old waterway. From here north to Canters Caves, Little Salt Creek marks the most eastern exposures. On Pigeon Creek they go under cover near Glen Nell, Section 20, Washington Township, and along the main line of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad they disappear in Section 10.

Between the close of the Mississippian period and the time represented by the Pennsylvanian rocks present in this region is a time interval of considerable length, as denoted by the extensive disconformity between the series. This break at the close of the Mississippian represents a period when at least a part of the region was a land mass and when the work of surface erosion, stream dissection, and shore action was active. In some places the line of disconformity is marked by conglomerate or brecciated masses of stone, shale, and clay, several feet in thickness; but as a general thing this is absent and the Pennsyl- V0.nian rocks ©pst directly but not conformably on the Mississippian. The invading sea worked over or destroyed the primary soil. The stream dissection of this land is shown by the sudden drops in elevation that mark the original valleys which may have remained practically unchanged or which may have been considerably modified by the sea during later submergence, since part of this Mississippian floor was subjected to the action of the powerful currents that laid down the Sharon conglomerate.

Some parts of this land mass of Mississippian rocks remained above water long after the beginuing of the deposition of the Pennsylvanian strata. At the head of the Dever Valley an isolated mass of Majcville limestone stands out in Pennsylyanian deposits like an island in the sea. This remnant of Maxville limestone existed as a land mass until after the deposition of the Quakertown coal, or it was buried just before the Bear Run coal was laid down. It was land during the time required to deposit the thick Sharon conglomerate, and the mass of shales and sandstones with the intervening Sharon coal, Sciotoville clay, and Quakertown coal, or in all, strata representing a maximum thickness in Jackson County of over 200 feet. To this time interval must be added also that representing the erosion stage of the Mississippian prior to the deposition of the Sharon conglomerate. Other irregularities were also noticed but none as pronounced as that in the Dever Valley.

Of the Mississippian series only the Cuyahoga, Logan, and Maxville formations are found above drainage in Jackson Coupty. Drill records show the entire series to be about 500 feet in thickness.

Cuyahoga Formation Portsmouth Member

Rocks belonging to the Portsmouth member of the Cuyahoga formation are found only in the northwesteru part of Jackson County. The beds are exposed along the valleys of Middle Fork, Salt Creek, and Pigeott Creek. The interval is made up of siliceous shales and shaly sandstones. Some of the shale beds are fitted for the manufacture of clay products, but the sandstones have no value worthy or consideration.

Logan Formation

The upper division of the rocks in the Mississippian system is the Logan formation, which has been subdivided by Hyde into three members, Byer, Allensville, and Vinton.* These rocks extend well into Jackson County before they disappear from view. They are above drainage along the valleys of all the larger streams in Jackson Township, while in Washington Township they go below cover near Glen Nell Hollow on Pigeon Creek and east of Richland Furnace on its small tributary. Patches of Logan rocks are found below the massive Sharon conglomerate along the water courses in the northwestern part of Liberty Township, and they appear again in the southwestern part along the headwaters of the Little Scioto River. The f ormation*^ is above cover in most of the western half of^Scioto Township, while][^in Hamilton Township it disappears below drainage along the^waters of Holland Fork near the village of Mabee and in Section 26.*^ The full thickness of the Logan formation is exposed, however, only in Jackson Township.

Bteb Member

The Byer member of the Logan formation is well exposed near the village of Byer in Washington Township and along Pigeon Creek west of this in Jackson Township. The deposit is found also in the western parts of Jackson and Scioto townships. It is made up of shaly sandstones with layers of siliceous shales intervening. The Byer member has no special value in Jackson County.

Allensville Member

The Allensville member which extends across the western part of Jackson County appears in Washington, Jackson, Liberty, Scioto, and Hamilton toT\Tiships. It is composed of argillaceous sandstones, finegrained conglomerates, and siliceous shales. The Allensville and Vinton members are usually well developed in the northern parts of Washington and Jackson to^^nships. The following section obtained north of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad near Richland Furnace shows the general character of the member:

The following composite section which shows the relation of the Allensville strata to that of the Pottsville was taken on land of W. M. Muncy in Section 16, Washington Township:

The rocks of the AUensville member are important stratigraphically, for the conglomerate layers are quite distinct from the associated beds, and the sandstone layers contain marine fossils which aid materially in tracing the deposits of the Logan formation. The worth of the beds otherwise is small.

Vinton Member

The Logan age closed with the deposition of the Vinton- member. It is also made up of sandstones and shales which, owing to the presence of iron pigments, have a yellowish color. The member is above drainage in parts of Washington, Jackson, Liberty, Scioto, and Hamilton townships. In northern Washington and Jackson townships the deposit consists principally of fine-grained sandstones, but in its southern extension it becomes more shalv in character. The section of the rocks, made near Richland Furnace and given under the AUensville member, shows the character a)id thickness of the deposit in northern Jackson County. Owing to the extensive erosion at the close of the Mississippian time the deposit in many localities is wanting or very thin. In Scioto and Hamilton townships it is shaly and usually thin. The Vinton member in most of the area in Jackson County varies from 30 to 60 feet in thickness. These measurements are about the same as those found for the deposit in its extension across Scioto County to the Ohio River near Sciotoville. The deposit contains but little material of value in Jackson County."

Maxville Limestone

The Maxville limestone is correlated with the Chester group of the West and with the Greenbriar in the Appalachian region.* It is overlain by an ore bed which is very intimately associated with it, and which was called the Maxville ore by Orton. It is believed to be basal Pottsville and the name Harrison ore is here adopted for it. It is better shown in Scioto County and is described in that chapter. The Maxville limestone is found only in Section 24, Hamilton Township, and the lower part of a record, made on the lands of Amos Canter and Joseph Woods, is as follows : p^ j^

From the Canter quarry the deposit extends only a few hundred yards to the west, or down the valley, while to the east it soon passes imder cover. Thus the total area is unknown but apparently quite small. This limestone was used to a small extent by the old charcoal furnaces for flux stone, and at present is quarried for local use in road building. No chemical analyses are available, but from appearances it has about the same quality as that from the Harper shaft in Scioto County.

Pennsylvanian System

The Pennsylvanian system of Jackson County is divided into three formations, the Pottsville, Allegheny, and Conemaugh. Pennsylvanian rocks are found in every township, and, in fact, in every section of the townships in Jackson County. In this area the entire thickness of the Pottsville and Allegheny formations is exposed, while only the lower part of the Conemaugh division is represented. The thickness of the Pottsville rocks in Jackson County is approximately 356 feet, while that of the Allegheny rocks is about 183 feet. There is only about ^0 feet of the lower part of the Conemaugh formation present in this county.

Pottsville Formation

Much of the present wealth of Jackson County is due to the valuable Sharon and Quakertown coal deposits which occur in this formation^ and which have been mined for many years, but now are rapidly becoming^ exhausted. The Sharon coal is yet an important asset in the manufacture of iron in the district, and the reputation of the Quakertown coal is such that it commands the highest market prices. The Jackson Sand Block ore has also had an influence on the iron industry of the region. While of but little importance at present, the western part of the county is noted for the massive deposit of Sharon conglomerate,, often over 100 feet in thickness, in which the streams have cut many deep gorges with abrupt walls, with projecting cliffs, and with occa^onal caverns that give to the region a rugged beauty scarcely exceeded in the state.

Harbison Ore

The Harrison ore is found only in the southern part of Hamilton Township. The position of this ore is directly above the Maxville limestone when both are present, but the ore is found in a number of places where the limestone is absent. At some places this deposit is regular in structure and constant in thickness and composition, while at other places where it represents the line of disconformity between the Mississippian and Pennsylvanian series, it is very irregular in structure, and is composed of a mixture of ore, flint, sandstone, and clay.

In Section 27, on the property of D. E. Ruth, the ore was seen in the bed of the stream along the road that leads from the Dever Valley to Mabee. The section is as follows: «. .

The ore here is 85 feet below the Bear Run coal, while on the Canter property, where the ore is in its natural position above the limestone, it is only 21 feet below the same bed. The difiference in interval is 64 feet, which gives some idea of the disconformity or the extent of erosion that took place at the close of Mississippian time. Near the center of Section 14, close to the bridge that crosses the Little Scioto, on the land of Phillip Meldick, the strata exposed are as given below:

The quality of the Harrison ore is usuaUy poor as it is more or less siliceous or flinty. Small amounts were mined in a few localities for the charcoal furnaces during their period of activity, but at present the ore is of no importance.

Shabon Conglomerate

The basal member of the Pottsville formation, except the Harrison ore, is the Sharon conglomerate which rests unconformably on the Maxville or on the Logan when the former is wanting. This member is found in Hamilton, Scioto, Liberty, Lick, Coal, Jackson, and Washington townships. The deposit is very thick in parts of Liberty and Jackson townships, while it has good volume also in local areas in Hamilton, Scioto, and Lick townships. A general discussion of the Sharon conglomerate and its relation to other members is embodied in the next few pages.

are found, but north of this stream the bed is very thick. West of the home of Martin Comer, in Section 16, from 30 to 40 feet of Sharon conglomerate are exposed above the bed of Bucklick Creek, while east of his home the rocks are clays and shales of later age, hence the top of the deposit varies in elevation from 30 to 40 feet in less than 200 yards. On Little Bucklick Creek massive cliffs of Sharon are exposed. Scioto Township. - On Sugarcamp Creek the Sharon bed passes from view in Section 27, Scioto Township, while farther down stream the deposit often reaches a thickness of from 40 to 60 feet. Here the irregularity of both the upper and lower surfaces is found. In Section 9, on the lands of Fred Flaker and William B. Pratt, a section taken is as follows :

In the hill to the east of this over 40 feet of conglomerate are exposed. It is also quite thick in the vicinity of Cove School and goes under cover near the Jackson-Petersburg pike in Section 11. A few feet of conglomerate were seen in the creek bed at the cross-roads in the northeastern part of Section 3, but farther down stream the deposit is quite thick. In the northeastern part, of Scioto Township the Sharon is foimd in a continuous bed, but varies considerably in thickness. A section on the Robert Lamb property, in Section 6, is representative of the members, and is as follows:

North of Scioto Township the Sharon swings eastward, going below drainage near the town of Jackson, where this roll or drop of the upper surface is very pronounced.

Lick Township. - The sudden dip of the Sharon coal and conglomerate was observed at the foot of the shaft of the Jackson Iron & Steel Company, at the mine on the next hill north, and at the knob just north of Booth's mine. The dip in each of these runs from 15 to 25 feet.

- V«Dce Rock, a massive cMS of Sharon conglonierate ftbout 200 feet high. In Liberty and Washington townships. Jnckson County, the outcrop of this member is marked by many such exposures.

- Mine of the Jackson Sand Mining Company north of Coalton. The exposure is Sharon conglomerate, but here it assumes a sandstone phase and contains but few pebbles.

coal has been opened, and the massive sandstone, the equivalent of the conglomerate, is well exposed along the stream. A section here is as foll(fWs:

George Palmer reports the coal to dip east rapidly. The continuation of the roll from the Booth mine would throw the coal, which is found at this point, under Jackson, where the large deposit was worked for many years. No records are available showing the thickness of the Sharon conglomerate in the basin under Jackson.

Liberty Township. - The Sharon conglomerate is found in every section in Liberty Township, and in most of the area it is massively developed, often exceeding 100 feet in thickness. Iq the western part of the township it is usually a very pebbly conglomerate, but in the eastern part it is often a sandstone with only occasional pockets of pebbles. The conglomerate goes under cover in Section 35, Liberty Township, near the old Hammertown mine, which is east of the main hollow where the level of the Sharon coal is below drainage. Iq a branch hollow northwest of the mine the bony blossom of the Sharon coal with about 20 feet of conglomerate below was found. Tracing these around the hill to the southeast both beds were foimd to hold about the same level to the point just west of the mine. At this point the coal makes a sudden dip of over 21 feet, and then it thickens and changes in quality, 80 that it was formerly worked for railroad shipment. The dip in crossing the narrow hollow is over 21 feet. Whether the coal here rests directly on the conglomerate could not be determined as the mines have all fallen in. Along the stream north of this the massive conglomerate is well exposed.

In SectJDn 25, on the land of John Scurlock,the heavy dip of the Sharon ooal is also found and the conglomerate was seen in the hollow just a short distance below. On the property of Edward Smith, in Section 13, Liberty Township, a section near Salt Creek is as follows:

The Sharon conglomerate is wanting in some localities in Sections 30, 31 and 32, Liberty Township. In Section 29 the rocks exposed along the road north of the home of Lewis Albert were as foUo^ws:

Along the road west of the house of Martha Lake, in Section 23, the Sharon coal is wanting, and the coarse-grained sandstone above this horizon meets the underlying Sharon conglomerate. The section taken is as follows:

On the land of W. M. Overly, in the northeast corner of Section 22, the Sharon conglomerate is well developed, and its relation to the Sharon coal is shown in the following section:

In this locality the conglomerate is very thick, often exceeding that shown in the section above. In Section 13, in the western part of Liberty Township, on the land of Rush Hartley, the conglomerate is very thick, as shown by the following section:

The bare isolated hill in Section 12, known as Big Rock, is composed of Sharon conglomerate, whose exposure exceeds 100 feet. The massive thickness of the conglomerate, and the relation of the coal above are shown in the section given below, which was made on land of Walter Coy, in Section 17, Liberty Township.

Near this, the gorge-like valley known as White's Gulch is an example of stream erosion in the conglomerate. In Section 16, just north of the gulch, a section taken on land of Samuel White shows the thickness of the conglomerate. The record follows:

In Section 13, on land of Ix)uis Ray, the relation of the Quakertowii coal, Sciotoville clay, and Sharon coal to the Sharon conglomerate is sho^^Ti by the sectioa taken at that place which is as follows:

On land of Isaiah Burnett, in Section 11, the same general relation between the coals and the underljnng conglomerate is shown in the section given below:

Along Rock Run the Sharon conglomerate is very thick and this condition is sho\\ai by the following record taken on land of John Crossin in Section 10:

In the same section, south of the above locality, the conglomerate is much thicker. The measurement of the rocks exposed along the road near the home of J. M. Bower is given below:

The relation of the upper coals to the Sharon conglomerate is well shoA\ai in the following section, taken on land of D. D. Edwards, in Section 2:

A record made on land of James Wilson, Section 1, northeast, Liberty Township, shows the relation of the Quakertown and Sharon coals to the conglomerate below. The section follows:

Coal Tovmship. - The Sharon conglomerate}[is also prominent in some localities in the western part of Coal Township. In the northwest comer of Section 6, on land of C. M. Haslett, there is a roll in the conglomerate with a dip of 32 feet in a short distance. In the low part of this trough there are 2 feet, 6 inches of black shale representing the Sharon coal. Near the mouth of the hollow the conglomerate measured 70 feet in thickness. A composite section, taken from the point west of the Jacob Sells home, Section 32, to the bed of the stream west shows the relation of the conglomerate to the overlying coals aad Mercer limestone. The section taken is given below:

Jackson Township. - ^Th'e Sharon conglomerate is very thick in the southern part of Jackson Township, but thins northward, and in places is entirely waating. In Section 36 on land of William McKinnin a roll of 25 feet was noted in the massive conglomerate. Black shales on the horizon of the Sharon coal lie in the trough or low part of the conglomerate, while on the hill above the Quakertown coal is mined for local use. The section taken at this point follows:

At Canters Caves the maximum thickness of the Sharon conglomerate is about 200 feet, and it is generally pebbly and highly crossbedded. In Section 34, on land of Charles H. Cosby, the following section shows a decided thinning of the conglomerate:

The thickness of the conglomerate exposed along the road that leads from Little Salt Creek to the knob east in Section 21 is shown in the record below:

The conglomerate is much thicker west of the above, but no measurements were taken. The deposit is very thick in Section 24, but in Section 13, just north, it is thin or wanting. A section taken on land of Clinton Harper, given below, shows its absence:

The conglomerate is thin or wanting in sections 14, 15, and 16, but in Section 17 it becomes prominent again, as shown in the following section taken east of the Pleasant Valley School:

Washington Township - The Sharon conglomerate occurs in local areas in the western part of Washington Township. Where present it is usually very thick, apparently filling low depressions in the : Logan shales below. At the mine of the Jackson Sand Mining Company, the conglomerate equivalent, to be 50 feet in thickness. At the old Glen Nell mines the intervals from the Quakerto\\Ti and Sharon coals to the conglomerate below are shown in the following section: deposit of the conglomerate is again exposed, and measurement shows it to be 108 feet in thickness. The upper part is a coarse-grained sandstone, highly interbedded, viiih. fine-grained pebbly layers, while the lower part, although usually sandy, contains zones of both fine and coarse pebbles.

Liberty Township - On Pigeon Creek, south of Eastburn, the valleys are unusually gorge-like, and White's Gulch is probably the roughest and wildest spot in southern Ohio. The valley is narrow, with high massive walls and projecting cliffs of dull gray conglomerate. In sharp contrast to the somber hues of the rocks are the plants growing in the crevices and along the ledges, anywhere that a bit of soil is collected to give them root-hold. Even the sheer vertical cliffs, where they are shielded from the sun, are often green with mosses or liverworts. Many species of rock-loving plants are represented here, each seeming to find its own most favorable environment with regard to moisture, light exposure and other conditions. At the base of the cliff are huge masses of broken rock, among which are various species of hardy trees, growing tall and straight in their efforts to spread their leaves to the rays of the sun. Under the protection of their dense shade numerous delicate ferns and creepers grow in association with other plants that thrive best in deep shady valleys. The abrupt, massive cliffs, and the profusion of plant life along the valley, watered by the meandering stream, unite to form a scene of wild beautv such as is seldom found in Ohio. Along the course of Little Salt Creek the Sharon conglomerate also forms many long lines of rugged cliffs. The small gorge-like valley known as Canters Caves is a cool and attractive place for summer outings. The upper course of Rock Run is walled in with massive cliffs of conglomerate often over 100 feet in height.

A feature of importance also, especially for stock raising, is the large number of fine living springs that are found near the base of the conglomerate. The flow is strong, even in the dry seasons, and the water pure and cold.

In Jackson County the Sharon deposit, markedly cross-])ed(le(l, is very pe])bly, except in the region near Jackson and Coalton, wliere it is a coarse-grained sandstone with only occasional pebbles. The mass is loosely cemented, except the thin ferruginous layers along the bedding planes, which stand out prominently where the weathering of the surface has been severe. The main cementing materials are compounds of iron, but other factors are forms of lime and silica. The pebbles and sand grains, composed of crystalline quartz or quartzite, and thus of igneous origin, constitute the great mass of the deposit. Feldspars, magnetite, bfisic silicates, and other granitic minerals are also present, but only in small amounts. Practically the deposit is made up of various sized particles of quartz or quartzite with a small amount of iron compounds for the bonding material. In general the pebbles have a milky color, numerous cracks, and a high poHsh. They are well rounded and the usual shape is that of a prolate spheroid. The size of tht< pebbles varies from that of a hen's egg dowTi, but the usual range is from that of wheat grains to that of acorns. The proportion of sand to pebbles also varies greatly. In places the deposit, as a whole, exceeds 70 per cent pebbles, counting as pebbles that material above a 20 mesh size, while elsewhere it is a sandstone with a few scattered pel)bles.

The material is of foreign origin, derived probably from the great igneous masses to the north and brought do^v^l b}- strong oceanic currc^nts during the transgression of the sea at the beginning of Pennsylvanian time. I. C. White, Ashbumpr and others, have shown that this con-

There are a number of interesting features in regard to the Sharon conglomerate. In Scioto, Pike, and Jackson counties, in the area in which this member is above drainage, the conglomerate seems to have been deposited in a valley-like depression in the Mississippian strata, the direction of the main axis of which is nearly north and south. In this field the southern terminus exposed is in the northeastern part of Porter Township, Scioto County. From surface exposures and well records the width in Bloom and Harrison townships appears to be from 1 to 4 miles. No thick deposit at least was noted in Harrison Township west of the o'd California Valley, and in Bloom Township it is wanting * near the head of Bear Run where the horizon goes under cover, and was not found in the shaft and drill tests put down on the Harper farm south of Bloom Furnace. In the southern part of Madison Township, Scioto County, and Hamilton Township, Jackson County, the main deposit is 5 or 6 miles in width. In Madison Township only a few thin sandy deposits were found west of the California Valley, while in Hamilton Township it is wanting in the eastern part of the Dever Valley. In the northern parts of these townships the width is somewhat greater. The eastern edge of the deposit is not known, as the conglomerate continues under cover, but the rate of thinning indicates that it does not extend far eastward. The sheet expands to 12 miles or more in Union and Marion townships, Pike Coimty, and Scioto Township, Jackson County. The deposits in western Union Township, although in places reaching 50 to 60 feet in thickness, appear to be somewhat local in character, for the conglomerate is poorly represented south of Owl Creek or north of the Beaver Valley in Western Beaver Township. In Scioto Township the stratum is generally thin where it goes under cover on the headwaters of Sugarcamp Creek, near Petersburg, and near Cove School on Buckeye Creek. In Beaver and southern Jackson townships, Pike County, and in Liberty, Lick, and southern Coal townships, Jackson County, the conglomerate is massively developed and the width of the main sheet exposed is approximately 10 miles. In Beaver Township the conglomerate is found principally in the eastern tier of sections, although there is a small isolated area near Rock Springs School in the western part, which also extends into Seal Township. In southern Jackson Township, Pike County, the thick deposits are confined to the main ridge with its eastern spurs that separate the headwaters of Cars Run from those of Pigeon Creek. In Liberty , Township the stratum, usually very thick and pebbly, extends across the were not laid down in the direct line of the main currents. No drill records were obtained showing how far the stratum extends under cover, but, from the nature of the deposits seen along Pigeon Creek north of Coalton, it extends apparently no great distance. The width of the sheet exposed in northern Jackson Township, Pike County, southern Jefferson Township, Ross County, and in Jackson, Coal, and Washington townships, Jackson Coimty, is also about 12 miles. In northern Jackson and southern Jefferson townships the stratum, usually massive and containing thick layers of very coarse pebbles near the bottom, continues westward with few wants to the Scioto Valley. In Jackson Township, Jackson Coimty, the conglomerate is generally very thick along Pigeon and Little Salt creeks, but it is either wanting or thin and generally sandy in the northeastern part south and east of Ray. In Washington Township in the vicinity of Byer the conglomerate is generally wanting, but south of this along Pigeon Creek in sections 17 and 18 it is present in thick local deposits which are very sandy. Apparently these deposits are close to the eastern edge of the field.

Some idea of the main trend of the current action may be obtained from the general thickness and character of the stratum. If the stratum continues from Porter Township, Scioto County, the trend is eastward, for the conglomerate is not represented, at least in any considerable thickness, along the Ohio River from Portsmouth to near Hanging Rock where the Mississippian rocks go below drainage. From northeastern Porter Township, the general direction of the main axis of the deposits is north to the Scioto County line in Section 1, Madison Township. It tollows closely the general course of the Little Scioto River. From this point the deposits seem to divide, one extending westward through southern Marion and Union towaships. Pike Coimty, and the other through central Scioto Township, Jackson Coimty, into central Liberty Township. The lower part of the stratum in Marion and Union townships is generally very pebbly, indicating strong current action. West of this the horizon passes above the summits of the ridges. In central and western Liberty Township the conglomerate is very thick and pebbly, but in Lick Township it becomes sandy, especially in the vicinity of Jackson, while in Beaver Township, Pike County, it thins and is wanting.

From central Liberty Township the main bed swings northward through Jackson Township, then westward through northern Jackson Township, Pike County, and southern Jefferson Township, Ross County, to the Scioto Valley. On the main ridges from Richmondale south to Hog Hollow the conglomerate is very thick, and the lower part is made up of very coarse pebbles, some larger than a hen's egg. The size of the pebbles here would indicate that this was the main line of current action. Southern Harrison and Richland townships, Vinton County, were not thoroughly examined, but in the area covered the conglomerate

J 42 Geology Of Southern Ohio

The eflfects of the Sharon conglomerate on the topography of the region are also of interest. In the western part of the county, where the conglomerate is very thick, and especially where it is well above drainage, the ridges are unusually wide; the areas above the conglomerate are rather level, or only moderately rolling. Many good upland farms are located on these ridges.

In this region the valleys are usually narrow, and in many cases very gorge-like, conspicuously so along the headwaters of the small laterals. The high cliffs on the points of the hills along Pigeon Creek, north of Limerick, are attractive features of the topography. Along Poplar Run the weather resisting conglomerate forms long lines of projecting cliffs. Big Rock, an isolated point which is over 200 feet in height, and which is composed of Sharon conglomerate, is one of the special features of western Liberty Township.

packed, but it then forms a good road which lasts for several years, especially where the traffic is not heav3^ It is us(k1 only in the western part of the county where this material is at hand, and where tlie limestone is obtained only by transportation. The quartz pebbles, cleanly washed, finely crushed, and properly sized, will niak(^ excelh^nt abrasive material for sand blasts, and for other pui7)oses where sharp cutting edges are . desired. It is used in concrete work by simply crushing the soft conglomerate and then mixing with cement. The amount of coarse gravel in the deposit is small, so the usual method practiced is to use crushed limestone for the coarse material and then enougli sand and gravel with cement to fill the voids between the stone. For the best results the sand and gravel should be separated and tlien proportioned to the proper amounts, as one or the other is generally in excess. The use of the Sharon conglomerate for concrete is restricted to small pieces of local work, as the thick beds of clean loose grav(4 and sand along the Scioto River are available. An attempt was made to use the gravel for silica brick by crushing and bonding, but the results were not satisfactory, as the gravel is Hard and thus required considerable grinding to reduce it to the proper fineness. Further, it carries considerable iron as a surface coating.

Near Jackson, and along Pigeon Creek north of Coalton, the Sharon conglomerate is a sandstone with but few pebbles, and is worked for local use and shipment. On land of the Star Fiunace Company in Section 24, Liberty Township, sand is prepared for railroad shipment. The deposit worked at this place is about 45 feet in thickness. The sandstone is loosely cemented and contains only scattered quartz pebbles. The material is shot loose, crushed while fresh with sledges and shovels, and then screened. The sand is shipped over the Detroit, Toledo & Ironton Railway for foundry and other general purposes.

Another mine is operated by George Palmer on land of S. G. McKittrick, one mile north of Jackson. This deposit is 60 feet in thickness, very massive and contains practically no pebbles. The sandstone in the lower part of the deposit is quite pure. It is light colored, quite free from iron oxides, mica or argillaceous material, and was used at one time by the glass plant at Jackson. The upper part of the deposit is stained more or less with iron oxides, and near the upper surface contains some clay. The sandstone is quarried by blasting and then pulverized by hand. It is sold for general molding and foundry purposes, pig-bed sand, and for use in setting brick. Mr. Palmer states that he employs three men steadily. It is also worked in a small way just west of Jackson along the switch to the plant of the Jackson Iron & Steel Company. It has been worked at some time at other places in this region, but only in a small way.

The piost important mine of this type in the county at present is that of the Jackson Sand Mining Company in Section 20, Washington Township. The Sharon conglomerate here is also a sandstone with but few pebbles. Above this, and separated from it by a thin clay, which is close to the horizon of the Sciotoville clay member, is found another sandstone stratum. Both are worked. Mr. E. B. Mathews, president of the company, reports as follows:

The Jackson Sand Mining Company owns and operates sandstone quarries in Washington Township, Jackson County, Ohio. The part worked consists of two strata of sandstone. The lower stratum, measuring from the level of the valley, is 60 feet in thickness, while the upper one varies in thickness from 20 to 25 feet. There is a difference in the texture of the two, the lower one being coarser grained. The tw'o deposits are separated by a thin stratum of soft fire clay. In both, the rock is made up of quartz sand, \\ith only a small amount of cementing materials. The sandstone is drilled by compressed air drills and shot with powder, after which it is then selected, crushed, and sized, ready for the market. The power plant consists of one horizontal tubular boiler, one engine and one air compressor. The crushing plant consists of one crushing mill with hoisting drum, small steel cars, etc. The plant is located on the WeUston and IrOnton division of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Da3rton Railway. Two grades of sand are produced, distinguished by color as white and light yeUow. The products have a wide repHtation as molding sands for steel and iron castings and other foundry uses. This plant has been in continuous operation for twenty years.

' The next member above the conglomerate is the Sharon coal, which is the lowest workable bed found in the state, and which is well developed only in a limited area in Jackson County. The existence of the "Shaft coal" was first revealed by boring for brine at the time salt was made at Jackson.* Although discovered in 1863, and soon afterwards opened and mined, the deposit is not yet exhausted, but the best of the field is gone. See Map I.

The Sharon coal lies either directly on or only a few feet above the Sharon conglomerate when both are present. In many places the conglomerate is found with no coal above, while at other places the coal is present with no conglomerate below. Starting in the southern part of the county the stratum will be traced northward.

Haipilton Township. - In Hamilton Township only traces of the Sharon coal were seen. Its absence in the eastern half of the township along the Little Scioto River and Holland Creek is due evidently to the Mississippian strata remaining a land mass during the deposition of this coal. This point has been discussed und(T Mississii)pian series. In the western part of the township the Sharon conglomerate is found in massive beds, but no coal was seen above it. The strata here resting on the conglomerate are those higher in the scale than the Sharon coal. Whether this is due to a disconformity, or to a lack of deposition owing to unfavorable conditions, was not determined, but apparently this --* condition results from the former cause.

above the conglomerate at other places where the conditions were more favorable. In Section 28, near the road to Shinar School, and just south of Jacko Run, the dark shales, associated with the Sciotoville clay, and only about 10 feet above the conglomerate, are expos(»d iii the bed of a small stream. The flint clay, with the associatcul black shales on this horizon, was seen about three-fourths of a mile north on the land of Harvey Gahm. In Pigeonroost Hollow, Section 34, on the land of William Engle, clays and dark shales, similar to those seen at GfahamsviUe, except that no flint clay is present, were found lying directly on the Sharon conglomerate. Thus in this part of Scioto Township the Sharon coal is apparently absent, and the conglomerate lies close to the Sciotoville clay. In the western part of the township the Sharon coal is generally wanting, but in .a few localities it is represented by thin coal or carbonaceous shales.

South of Cove the Sharon coal is present. On the lands of Fred Flaker and William B. Pratt the Sciotoville flint clay has been worked. Below this bed the stain of the Sharon coal was found, which, across the hollow to the east, shows on the outcrop a thickness of 3 feet. A section here is as follows:

The strata are well exposed up the road from Buckeye Creek to the top of the ridge north in sections 11 and 2, but^no trace of the Sharon coal was seen. The rocks exposed Are as given below:

The conglomerate goes under cover near where the pike crosses Buckeye Creek. A thin black shale, which probably marks the horizon of the Sharon coal, was observed here just above the conglomerate. In the hills northwest of Cove the Sharon coal thickens and is quite persistent. In Section 6, on the property of J. C. Farrell, the bed has been opened and worked, but the coal was not seen when the place was visited. The thickness reported is 2 feet, 9 inches, but no section was

In the northwestern comer of Section 6, on the Robert Lamb property, the Sharon coal, the Sciotoville clay, part a true flint, and the Sharon conglomerate are all exposed. The following section was taken at this place-:

Near Mountain Ridge Cemetery in Section 6, on land of Joseph West, a heavy blossom of bony Sharon coal was seen ne*ar the level of the road, while on the hill above, the outcrop of the Sciotoville clay is exposed. The clay is part flint and part ^'piiik eye*' or ferruginous clay. The section measured follows:

Liberty Township. - The Sharon coal is very persistent in Liberty Towiiship as the bed is represented in nearly every section. Although it has been mined in a large way for railroad shipment along the preglacial valley west of Jackson, and in a small way for local needs in parts of the remaining territory, there are yet larger quantities of this fuel available for future use. In fact the best areas of Sharon coal in Jackson County now knowTi are in Liberty Township. The coal is generally of good quality, and at many places the deposit is of sufficient thickness for ease and economy in mining. This field will now be described in more detail.

Li Section 36, Liberty .Township, on the land of Charles Edward, the coal is being mined at preseat, and the section obtained is as follows: