Streetsboro City

Streetsboro Township

STREETSBORO, Towii 4, Range 9, was originally owned by Titus Street, of Connecticut, one of the members of the Connecticut Land Company, who held back his property for many years after most of the townships in Portage County had been settled up and organized, in order to get a higher price for his land; in fact, it was not surveyed, except as to boundaries, till 1822, in which year Ralph Cowles laid off into lots of 100 acres the 15,279 acres comprised in the township, and Lemuel Punderson was appointed agent for the sale of them; $6 per acre was the price fixed upon, but as it was considerably above the average price of wild land on the Reserve, very little was sold. Punderson died the following year, 1823, and shortly afterward Amzi Atwater, of Mantua, was appointed agent for Street, and the price lowered to from $2 to $5 an acre, in consequence of which many settlers came in from that time forward.

Early in the fall of 1822 Stephen Myers, Jr., came into the township and settled on the southwest corner of Lot 82, he having, in conjunction with George Walker, pm'chased sixty acres of that lot. He made a clearing, put out a small crop, and erected a cabin. The following summer he with his partner. Walker, erected a building for the purpose of distilling whisky, which business they conducted for about six years, when the still-house was converted into an ashery. In 1823 Samuel Walker, from Hudson, moved in and settled on a portion of Lot 82.

In 1824 and 1825 quite a number of persons came in, not only from Connecticut and Massachusetts, but several from other townships in the county. About the latter year, among those who are remembered by the oldest settlers were Solomon Carlton, Levi M. Cochran, Michael Stewart, Ephraim W^ood, Riley Miller and Daniel M. Johnson. Wood built a house on the southeast corner of the Center, Lot 56, which he sold to Chauncy Case several years afterward. Benjamin Doolittle, from Connecticut, came in the fall of 1825, made a clearing and built a log-cabin on Lot 50, where he lived for many years, a prominent citizen and a good and useful man. He was elected Justice of the Peace in 1827, at the organization.

The location of a turnpike from Cleveland to Wellsville being decided upon in this year, 1825, Street, who was a very enterprising, and when the occasion arose, a very liberal man, ofifered to donate land sufficient for the road if the managers would run said road through the township, which was agreed to, and he made the company a deed for 840 acres, which was an exceedingly wise business transaction, as this liberal policy soon brought his land into demand, for at the completion of the road settlers flocked in from all quarters to secure the tine farms offered at the low price asked. The road was completed in 1827, but before that time the township was rapidly settling up. In 1826, or thereabouts, came George Powers from Connecticut, who took up his quarters in a cabin erected by the workmen while building the road. It stood just a little west of the Center, and gave place many years ago to better improvements. About this time came Chauncy Case, Jr., Alvin Loomis, Alpheus Streator, Gideon H. Mills, Heman Thomas, Alonzo Root and others.

In 1826 Col. John C. Singletaiy built a log-house on Lot 45, the northwest corner of the Center, into which Riley Cochran moved, and the following summer he boarded the hands while they were constructing the frame building into which Col. Singletary moved the following spring of 1828. He opened there the lirst tavern in the township, and his was the first frame house at the Center, and in which he lived till his death in 1851. In the spring of 1827 Frederick Nighman bought a portion of Lot 80 and built a log-cabin upon it.

Streetsboro was the last township organized in the county, leaving Garrettsville out of the enumeration. It was, in 1800, made a portion of Hudson, now a township of Summit County, and so remained until 1806, when it became a portion of Aurora, under whose convoy it sailed till 1821, when Aurora cut loose from it, and Mantua took it under her wing and kept her safely there till 1827, when the township thought herself big enough to go alone, which she has done, and with credit to herself, too, standing for years No. 1 in the manufactiire of cheese, and high in other products.

April 2, 1827, an election was held for officers. Levi M. Cochran, Chauncy Case, Jr., and Alvin Loomis were Judges of Election, and Ephraim Wood, Jr., and George Powers, Clerks. The following were selected: Trustees, Benjamin Doolittle, Daniel H. Johnson, Ephraim Wood, Jr.; Clerk, Alpheus Streator; Treasurer, Chauncy Case, Jr.; Overseers of the Poor, Alvin Loomis, Levi M. Cochran; Fence Viewers, Riley Miller, Alonzo Root; Constables, Gideon H. Mills, Heman Thomas.

Benjamin Doolittle was elected Justice of the Peace, and the first suit before him was George Powers vs. Alvin Loomis. Loomis hired Powers to do a piece of work on the turnpike, but Powers not finishing it in a manner satisfactory to Loomis, the latter refused to pay for it, when he was sued for the amount. The Justice found for the defendant and Powers appealing to the Court of Common Pleas was beaten there also. The expenses of the township in those early times did not exceed $20 annually.

The Overseers of the Poor, who more properly should have been termed the Rooters-out of the Poor, were very efficient officers, and were determined that Streetsboro should have no poor to oversee; so, accordingly, three days after the election of those officials, they issued an order to Constable Thomas to notify James Walker and family to leave the township, to which they paid no attention, but a second order being served some time afterward on Walker, accompanied by the information that if he did not wish himself and family to be put up for sale to the highest bidder, they quickly took themselves off. In 1829 Erastus Smith and family, and in 1830 Atlander Eddy and family, were ordered to vacate the sacred soil of Streetsboro. One old woman, Sally Fleming, would not leave, so they put her up on the block and sold her for $12 for two months. This was March 1, 1831. In 1832, January 11, Justus VVelen, was ordered to leaVe; on the 12th, Micah Richardson and family, and on the 17th Julius Granger and his daughter Almira were notified. About the same time Mrs. Catharine Dexter and family, and William Beeman, received their walking papers. Where the poor people came from, and what their condition was, doth not now appear, but no drones were wanted in the Streetsboro hive.

It has already been stated that through the wise foresight and liberality of Titns Street, the road from Cleveland to Wellsville was constructed through Streetsboro, he contributing largely in land for that purpose. The road was the first extensive thoroughfare through this section, and was the route over which the famous old mail carrier and contractor, Jabez Gilbert, of Palmyra, familiarly known as "Moses Jabe," and "Old Mose," passed over, an account of whom and his exploits may be found in the chapter on Palmyra. Street gave an acre of ground at each corner of the Center, exclusive of the roads for a public square, and a stone was placed in the center thereof, to designate the exact center of the township. He also donated two aci'es a short distance south of the Center for a burial ground, and gave $60 to have it and the public square cleared off.

The first frame house in the township was built by David Johnson, at Johnson's Corners, in the spring of 1827. Street had offered to give $50 to the person who would put up the first frame house, and Johnson won the prize. The first house erected at the Center was by Levi M. Cochran, in the summer of 1825. It was a log-house, and stood on the southeast center lot. The first saw-mill was erected at Johnson's Corners, in the northwest corner of the township, by David Johnson. The first stage coach over the State road passed through in 1829, Jabez Gilbert driving.

In the fall of 1823 a child was born to Samuel Walker, which lived only a few hours, that being the first birth and first death in the township. The first death of an adult was the wife of Solomon Carlton, shortly after the burial ground was laid off, and she was the first interred there.

The first school was opened in June, ]826, by Clarinda Case, in the northwest corner of the township. She also cooked for her father and other men employed on the road. This schoolhouse was erected by David Johnson, the owner of a saw-mill at Johnson's Corners, and attending it were five of his children, and three of Case's children. Three and one-half years later a district school was opened inSingletary's original log-house, by Almira Taylor. The growth of educational interests since that time is shown by the following statistics: Revenue in 1884, $5,657; expenditures, $3,642; 9 schoolhouses valued at $3,800; pay of teachers, $34 and $31; enrollment, 103 boys, and 88 girls.

There is at the Center a Presbyterian Chui'ch with a good membership and a prosperous Sabbath-school. Rev. A. C. Barrows is pastor and Newton Sperry Superintendent of the Sunday school.

The Methodist Episcopal Society have a neat building and a fair membership, with a good Sunday-school. Rev. Mr. Jacobs is pastor and E. E. Olin Superintendent of the school.

A Baptist Church having a good membership and a thriving Sunday-school is also at the Center. Rev. A. M. Eley is pastor and J. T. Judd Superintendent of the school.

In addition to the burial-ground donated by Mr. Street, there is a very beautiful spot devoted to the dead - Evergreen Cemetery - which also is township property. Evergreen Cemetery Association, of Streetsboro, was organized May 10, 1864. W. S. Hill was Chairman, and Albert Doolittle, Clerk; Enos Payne, John Thompson, Elin Olin, Osmund Thomas, Lewis Green and Albert Doolittle, Ti'ustees.

At the Center there is a general store, by N. D. Peck, and a grocery by C. W. Stewart N. D. Peck is Postmaster. The Central Telephone Company have atoll-station here. A tine brass band furnishes excellent music occasionally. There are five cheese factories in operation in the township, and cheese making is the principal industry, averaging over 600,000 pounds of cheese annually. There is a singular industry carried on about one mile southwest of the Center, there being very few factories of the kind anywhere: Charles E. Peck is engaged in the manufacture of glass cutters' tools. N. S. Olin & Son conduct a large stock farm two miles southeast of the Center, known as the Cuyahoga Stock Farm, and have a fine herd of short-horn cattle. The township furnished eighty-one soldiers for the defense of the Union, and eleven were either killed or died in the service, and eight disabled.

Source changes here: from 1922 Portage County High School Yearbook, by Portage County High School, published 1922; 115 words in this source stream.

Streetsboro Township

Among the entertainments of the evening was a Latin Word Race, Latin Conundrums, a play "A Roman Birthday," given by the Virgil girls in Latin, "The War with Ariovistus" was dramatized by the Caesar class in elaborate costume, Kiddie cars were plentiful as horses, and bamboo canes answered the purpose of swords,

Under the direction of Miss Wilson, the Boys' Glee Club gave a four act comedy, "The Case Against Casey." The program was not only successful from a dramatic, but also from a financial standpoint as $20 was cleared from the proceeds of the sale of tickets. An interesting phase of the play was that each class was represented in the cast of characters,

Source changes here: from 1927 Portage County High School Yearbook, by Portage County High School, published 1927; 1,963 words in this source stream.

Streetsboro Township

A new project taken up by the school this year was the organization of an orchestra, with Professor Weston of Akron as leader. He meets with tho members every Monday morning, the first meeting being January third. At present there are twenty-five members attending the meetings, Through united efforts on the part of the scholars the school has been able to pu bass horn,

Lecture Course

"The Lecture Course this year proved a great suecoss. This year one more number was added. Before there has been three numbers and High School play. Our total expenses were $222.60. Amount cleared $49.50. Each time the performance was before a well filled house. The numbers presented were, "Griswold Duo, heodore Knox Co." "Ithacan Quartette," and "Mr, Morris, the Electrical Wizar

No. 2, List of Faculty in Photo ist row (left to right - Mrs. Gladys Eldridge, 3rd and 4th); Mr. E. A. Paisley, Supt.; Mrs. Bernice Paisley, Principal. 2nd row (left to richt) Miss Lois Dennis, Latin; Mra, Helen King, (5th and 6th); Miss Corinne Waite, (1st and 2nd); Miss Ruth Cowgill, Math. No. 4, List of Class of 1028 lst row (left to right) - Robert Smith, Naomi Oesch, Florence Turk, Aileen Keller, Louise Kingsley, Edward Bríttan. 2nd row (left to right) - Carl Pfenniger, Clare Wilcox, John Smith, Donald Fross, Forest Yoder. No, 5, List of Class of 1929 in Photo ist row (left to right) - Alice Veon, Margaret Palmer, Mary Rautenberg, Ruth Myers, Germaine Hohman, Aleath Corbett. 2nd row (left to right - Glenn Cowan, Anna Tannert, Bernice Dingledine, Genevieve Kimes, Laura Ferguson, Ben Bacchulus, ard row (left to right) - Harold Rogers, Burroughs, Otto Tannert, Bruce Burke, Orchestra. Photo ist row (left to right) - Verda Scheffel, Mamie

Ist row (left to right) - Rhoda Goff, grade 6; Lorene Christner, grado 5; Mary Miller, grade 4; Margaret Oberholtzer, grade 3; Lavergne Lynn, grade 2; Lyman Sperry, grade 1,

2nd row (left to right) - Paul Wise, grade 7; Amanda Oesch, grade $; Helen Wise, grade 9; Ruth Myers, grade 10; Naomi Oesch, grade 11; Marlon Gayton, grade 12.

One generation does not appreciate the greatnoss of a man of Its own generation, A great man is ahead of his timo. As a people of a nation propress they catch up with the thoughts of a former genius,

Born into an environment of ignorance, poverty, and lack of culture, his rapid advancement, his accomplishments, his greatness stands out ahead of all other American geniuses, but his goal gave him the Presidency. He caught at every straw of learning until he had a raft that bore him safely to shore when the great tide of the Civil War would have swamped a frailer craft.

When he was elected President of the United States great problems faced him, The great problem of slavery was before the people. Our Union had been split asunder,

There was disunion in Lincoln's Cabinet. Yet like a great surgeon he healed the wound until today hardly a scar is visible, What would have happened to our great Union had another held the reigns of power, Is not our nation held up as an example to others? Is not our nation a refuge for those who seek freedom, justice, and equality? Lincoln set tho great examp!e. Let us follow it.

Lincoln's part as a President was not one of pomp and of power. He was powerful, but his power, his strength, lay in his simplicity. Many a poor, wretched, human being he interviewed in the White House that another would not even see. He accepted the duties, the responsibilities of a President but considered himself not as a President but ns a fellow human being, People! Do we think as much of Lincoln as we should? If we do, let us not merely think, let us act! Let us promote what Lincoln started, Let us make United States even better than it is today.

The Streetsboro Parent-Teacher-Assoclation was organized the second semester of this year. After the Christmas vacation a committee of parents and teachers met for the purpose of discussing the organization of a P. T. A. They arranged to have Mrs, Carl Martin, the District Secretary for Northern Ohio, met with the parents and teachers of the school on Wednesday evening, February second, At this meeting Mrs. Martin spoke to the parents and teachers on the value of such an organization to the school and community, The parents present were unanimously in favor of forming a permanent organization in Streetsboro and at the meeting held February 16th. the following officers were elected: President, Mrs. O. R. Hannum; Vice-President, E. A. Paisley and Seeretary-

Treasurer, Mrs. L E. Chrispwell, At the March meeting the Association was entertained by the puplis of the school. There will be two more meetings of the Association this year.

No. 7, Building Statistics Date of erection, 1905. Date of additions, 1915, Number of grade rooms, 3. Number of high school rooms 4. Enrollment by grades; average percent of attendance:

There were six graduates in the Class of 1926, Five girls and one boy, Lucile Corbett js now in Oberlin Kindergarten College. Helen Curtis has finished a business course and is working, Margaret Smith is doing house work. Vera Hohman is taking Normal Training at Kent, Mildred Rogers is conducting a hot lunch room for the benefit of school children, And the lone boy of the class, Merle Wilcox is doing farm work,

In 1902 the first class graduated from Streatsboro High School Since this time one hundred nnd thirty have graduated. Of this number eight are deceased, thirty-eight have graduated from college, thirty-eight have gone one or more years to a higher school, thirty-eight are now doing housework - most of these are married - fifteen are on farms, twenty-seven are ín business, thirty-three are doing day labor and seventeen are teaching.

School opened as usual with half a day's school on Labor Day. Only three of the previous teachers were back again; Mr. Jenkins, principal; Miss Miller, high school; and Mrs, Cameron, fifth and sixth grades, The new teachers are: Mr. Martin, high school; Miss Helmling, soventh and eighth grados; Miss Loew, fourth grade; Miss Muster, third; Miss Corbett, second grade and Miss Ott, first grade. During Miss Helmling's illness, Mrs. Reudi substituted.

"The high school decided upon having self-government they elected the following pupils for representatlves in a Student Council: Fern Archart, Senlor; Elizabeth Stout, Junior; Fred Swartz, Sophomore; Carleton Wise, Freshman. "They accomplished several things among which is a way of keeping the classroms clean. They appinted two "housekeepers" for each week of school, The duty of these "housekeepers" is to keep the paper off the floors and desks, arrange the library, adjust the shades and in any way improve the appearance of the rooms. "This method works so well that Mr. Jenkins introduced it into the grades The janitor states that he has noticed quite a change since this plan has been adopted. For several years the school grounds have been kept clean of paper and other rubbish by the clean-up committee, Boys from the grades took turns in gathering the rubbish and placing it in boxes.

Suffield is very proud to announce the organization of a school band, conducted by Mr. Weston, who teaching orchestras in other schools of Portage County. There are about thirty-five members now. Although practice really began in January, we expect to have the band furnish the music for the commencement in April , Its first appearance was before the Farmer's Institute in February. At this time it was the usual practice hour, but nevortheless, they won much applause. Several places have been tried for practicing (anyone knows what an embryo band sounds and the most suitable place yet found has been the Domestic Sefence room, which is the farthest from any of the class rooms.

Berkley Jenkins

'The boys organized a Hi-Y Club this year. Several stunts which they presented at the town hall were highly enjoyed by all. The boys also acted us hosts to the Ravenna Hi-Y boys who furnished an entertainment here in January. The Father- Son Banquet was given under the auspices of the Hi-Y boys, Over seventy-five fathers and sons were present.

A curtain has been put up in the auditorium. Hitherto, there has been no curtain and most of the programs and Lecture courses have been given at the town hall. With this improvement the crowds can be better accommodated as there is more space in the auditorium than in the hall,

To sell Lecture Courre tickets this year the classes competed to see which class would win by selling the most tickets. The Sophomore Class won, One of this class, Lucille Ewell, sold as many tickets as the other classes combined. Prizes were given to the two pupils selling the most tickets.

In January a magician caused. much comment by taking rabbits, ribbons, candy, et cetera, from the pockets of one of the Freshmen boys, thus making this boy the "goat" of the dignified seniors, juniors and sophomores,

Mr. Jenkins discovered that none of the pupils in sociology and very few in the whole high &chool had ever seen a trial, So he, with the assistance of Miss Miller, Mr. Martin and several pupils presented a very interesting and amusing mock trial.

The P. T. A. was very much pleased with a debate presented to them by several high school boys. Suffield Township was divided into four sections that "Lutztown" took "Mishler," and "Five Corners" took "Swartz Corners," Five Corners and Mishler, the winners of these two groups, will debate against each other some Friday. The winner of this debate will present their arguments against the winners of the Suffield Center-St. Joseph debate.

Our celebrities for this year are: Dick Roudebush, all county guard in football, Fred Swartz, honorable mention in football, Mary Wise, soloist, our representative in the Literary-Musical contest, Mary Kathryn Bissler, forward and captain of the basketball team and Vesta Hoffman, winner of the medal in the loeal Lincoln Essay contest.

"There are six grade rooms. The first four grades each have a separate room but the four upper grades are combined with two grades in a room.

There are seven high school rooms besides the store-room which is to be used as a class room when it is required. The assembly room is made very home-like with its pictures. The sclence room is fairly well equipped with chemicals and apparatus to be used in experiments,

Our auditorium has had one addition, a curtain, Lecture courses and plays can now be held in the school house instead of in the town hall. The auditorium and gymnasium are one and the same. For athletic games the curtain is arranged so that it can be removed.

Last Year's Graduates There were nine graduates from Suffield High School in 1926, Three of these attend Akron Actual Business College; three are employed by the India Rubber Co.; one attends Asbury College in Kentucky; one is engaged in farm work and one attends the Goodyear School in Akron.

From 1916-1925, fourteen men and nineteen women graduated from Suffield High School. Of this number one is deceased. Twelve have had one or more years of higher education, Eleven of the nineteen women are married; five graduates are stenographers and bookkeepers; three are employed in the factory of the India Rubber Co.; two are teachers; two are employed by the Grocery Co.; one 15 an electrician; one is a nurse, one n mechanic, one an actress, one a painter, one a farmer, one a salesman, one a barber and one a sister.

Mr. Jenkins (in Economics, explaining four possible market conditions) - buyer and two sellers, two sellers and one buyer. Now, Saxe, explain just what I meant by that. (After a pause) I mean not c-e- T-8.