26                  HISTORY OF CLAY COUNTY

    Of the earliest industries were the tannery and the distillery. The
first tannery in the county was that established by Samuel Miles, at
Bowling Green, at which he engaged on his first coming to the county,
in 1832, and conducted continuously until 1855, when he transferred the
business to Jesse Miles, who operated it until about the year 1870, when
he sold to John Geckeler. This was not only the first, but the last plant
of its kind operated in the county. Mr. Geckeler did not finally abandon
the industry until the latter part of the eighties, something more than
a half century from the time of its founding.
    There were two tanneries at Williamstown, the first one established
in 1838, on the south side of the place, by James Townsend, who sold
it a few years later to Joseph Cook, who operated it for many years; the
other on the west side of the town, by Abram Melvin, who engaged in the
business about the year 1850.
    Samuel Stigler, grandfather of ex-Auditor Samuel Stigler, operated
both a tannery and a distillery on Tilghman creek, near the west border
of Cass township, from an early date in the history of the county up to
and including the time of the Civil war. During the years of the exis-
tence and operation of these industries, “Uncle Sammy Stigler’s” was a
point as popularly known as any in the county.
    The first and only tannery in the south end of the county was that
of John J. Schauwecker, on the old Bowling Green-Middlebury road, be-
tween the John L. Moyer and the John N. Freed places, two miles north-
east of Clay City. This industry was established in 1854 and contin-
uously operated by the founder until the year 1870.
    At some time within the period of the Civil war, a tannery was
located at Brazil, by a man named Reed, which was conducted but a few
years, then abandoned. The site of this industry was on the north side
of the National road, near what is now Kruzan street, east of Walnut, at
the point where now stands the residence of Mrs. Lewis 0. Shultz.
    The infant stills of the county were more numerous than the vats.
Arnold Cabbage, who, in pioneer times, was one of the best-known
farmer residents of the northwest part of the county, conducted this in-
dustry on his farm, in Dick Johnson township, for a period of years—
from some time in the ‘40s up to the time of the Civil war. Thomas
Smith, who then lived in the north part of Dick Johnson township, manu-
factured apple brandy of a superior quality, as said by those who con-
sumed his product. The sequel would tend to show clearly that there was
something about Smith’s plant or its output conducive to vigor and
longevity, as he is yet living, at the age of ninety-eight, down in the state
of Tennessee, able to walk a league of miles without fatigue. In 1840,
and for some years before and afterward, Walker Lankford operated, at
least at times, an infant distilling industry on his place, two miles west of
Middlehury, on ground now owned and occupied by William Harbaugh.
    John Emerick operated a still-house on the old Tapy place, adjoining
the Dalgarn farm, on the Bowling Green-Poland road, for several years
in the fifties. Philip Rader had a distillery on the old Casper Rader place,
just west of Carpenter’s mill, built in 1858, which was destroyed by fire
on the first day of January, 1861. For the brief period of one or two
years, “Cy” Hynote manufactured the product of the still on the Elias
Syester place, just at the time of the opening of the Civil war. Another
primitive plant was located and operated on the Horace Crafton place,
by Milan Zenor, for the period of ten years, from about 1845 up to 1855,