OHIO STATEWIDE FILES - Know your Ohio: Tidbits of Ohio -- Part 56 ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES(tm) NOTICE Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm All documents placed in the USGenWeb Archives remain the property of the contributors, who retain publication rights in accordance with US Copyright Laws and Regulations. In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, these documents may be used by anyone for their personal research. They may be used by non-commercial entities so long as all notices and submitter information is included. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit. Any other use, including copying files to other sites, requires permission from the contributors PRIOR to uploading to the other sites. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. http://www.usgenwebarchives.org ************************************************************************** File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Darlene E. Kelley http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00026.html#0006374 June 10, 2005 ************************************************************************** Historical Collections of Ohio. And Then They Went West Know Your Ohio Tid Bits - Part 56. Notes by S. Kelly ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits- Part 56 The Islands of Erie. The Islands of Erie arrayed in full dress, Enrobe the lake scene with strange loveliness. As gorgeously decked in bright verdure they lie. In the soft mellow haze of the still autumn sky. No more brilliant gems, though landed they be. Ever gleamed 'mid the groups of the old Grecian sea. They circle the storm-brewing gates of the west To soothe the "mad spirit" of Erie to rest. And lend their slight forms to the rage of the sea To shelter the storm-tossed in succoring lee; Or. like sentinels, seem to be pointing the way To the harboring arms of bold Islands' bay. When the winds breathless sleep in their carverns of peace. How sylph-like they sit on the lake's lucent face, Or mirrored in beauty on crimson dyed wave When the sun silent sinks in her gold-tinted grave. And the purple horizon depends as a shroud, Of a tapestried mantle, in folds of rich cloud, Then deep'ning so gently upon the pale glow. So sombre and sad, scarcely seeming to know When the last flitting ray of fading twilight Merges in darkness and death gloom of night. Oh! Islands of Erie, how many a scene Of shipwreck and battle around you have seen! How many a gallant youg hero went down When Perry and sailors won glorious renown! You stand as proud monuments over the dead, Who sleep at your feet in their coffinless bed. While the winds shriek or whisper a requiem sigh, And the waves join in murmuring a fond lullaby. And the mariner, glidding along at your side, Recounts all their deeds with emotions of pride. Oh! Islands of beauty, on Erie's broad breast That smile in the sunshine like havens of rest: Or when the storm-god in his wrath wildly raves, Like " sisters " of mercy hang over the waves. E'er bloom in your freshness as lovely as now. To enrapture the eye and make the heart glow. +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Berea, Ohio Berea is located 14 miles southwest of Cleveland's Square. It is the seat of Baldwin University and the German Wallace College. It is famous for its sandstone quarries' Berea got its name by a flip of a coin back in 1836. Reverand Henry O. Sheldon, a circuit rider and later Berea's first postmaster, chose the name over another biblical name of Tabor. The naming of Berea came from the necessity of choosing a name for a post office for Middleburg. For a while the township was known as Water Town. The name of Tabor, after the lonely Mount Tabor near Jerusalem, was another name considered as was Berea as it was mentioned in the 10th and 11th verses of the 17th chapter of Acts, and that name was favored by Reverand Sheldon and one of the communities first settler, John Baldwin. A meeting on September 27, 1836, a method to select the name was agreed upon. Tabor was written on one side of a half dollar and Berea on the other. John Baldwin called out " Heads " as the coin was tossed and the name of Berea came up, to be entered in the records of the United States Post Office. John Baldwin, Sr, arrived from Connecticut in 1828 and located in Middleburg Township, Cuyahoga County, where he purchased a large tract of land, and established his home. In 1842, near his home, he noticed a thin slab of stone, with a gritty nature, leading him to believe that it would be suitable for grindstones. he took it home and shaped it into a grindstone with an old ace and after using it, found it had excellant sharpening qualities, much better than any stone he had seen in Connecticut. He started turning grindstones out on a lathe, which he operated with waterpower. For the next decade, he turned out grindstones made of " Berea Grit." From 1850 to 1870, Berea sandstone came into use as a building material and was recognized as a standard among the building stones of the country. Berea Grit is sandstone which forms the middle layer of the Waverly group of geological rock formations in Ohio, outcropping in the northern part of the state. Berea Grit is sandwiched between two other layers of stone; below it lies red Bedford limestone, while immdiately above it is Berea Shale ad Cuyahoga Shale, each about 10 or 15 feet thick. Between the shale and the grit is a coat of glacial drift a few inchs thick containing ancient fossils, shells, and bones. The rock formation of which the Berea quarries are a part, extends from Central Ohio, east to Pennsylvania and West Virginia and south into Kentucky. Berea Grit is of Mississipian Age origin ( it has been 300 million years since the beginning of this age). This sandstone in Ohio is found east of a line drawn from Erie County in the north to Adams County in the south. Significantly, some of the best sandstone in the United States lies beneath Cuyahoga and Lorain counties. The sandstone John Baldwin and his neighbors found in the 1830's was very near the surface in Berea, although as the stone formation moves south, it dips at a rate of twenty feet a mile. ( In fact, the first sandstone here was seen by man because over the years, water from Rocky River had removed the covering layers and had exposed the valuable stone at the surface.) Because of its large sand grains, geologists believe that Berea Grit probably was deposited near the shore of an ancient lake. The sandstone found in Berea -- the largest sandstone quarries in the world -- is unique in that the grain runs the long way of the blocks, making it easier to quarry and more durable in its uses. Berea Grit also is famous for its eveness in texture and color. It is free from impurities that would lessen its value in the commercial market. Analysis of Berea Sandstone show that it is composed of at least 93 percent silica, four percent alumina, plus other trace elements, and weighs 140 pounds per cubic foot. Once sandstone is removed from the ground and " cured " ( that is, its water or " sap " is dried out ) it becomes impervious to water, salt, or chemicals, making it superior to other types of building stone or man-made substances. The unique quality of sandstone as a grinding stone is that as the outer surface grows dull with use, the worn particles break off, constantly exposing a fresh and sharp surface for sharpeing tools. Much work had to be done before the desired stone was reached. I the quarries Baldwin founded in the south of Berea, for example, the valuable sandstone was covered by four feet of earth, a foot of useless " black rock." and 21 feet of shale. The " Berea Ten Foot Sheet " ( or Layer ), by far the most valuable of all the area's building stone, was the third layer down the southern quarries. This grayish-white sandstone was free from pebbles and was found in sheets varying in thickness from six inches to ten feet. These layers usually had a good bed-seam, meaning they could be quarried separately and with regard to their intended use. The best layers of Berea Grit were saved for making world famous grindstones which required a smooth and even texture, neither too soft nor too hard. These layers also had to be completely free from cracks, flaws, foreign objects, or hard spots. Futhermore, stone to be shaped into grindstones or whetstones had to be easily split into desired sizes. Other less suitable grades of sandstone, if removed in large slabs, were sawed into paving blocks and flagging for sidewaks and drveways. Before the invention of the "Baldwin Blower," workers died after what was called " grindstone consumption." their lungs being found after death to be filled with a fine, flour like dust with which the air was impreginated. Now the disease is unknown. The demand soon became so urgent that John Baldwin, foreseeing its value as article of commercial industry, devting his energies to its development. Mr. Baldwin possessed a keen sagacity, downright honesty, strict economy coupled with a generosity that at times was almost a fault, imdomitable perseverance that knew no defeat, and a Christianity whose mantle was charity. When Baldwin first gave his attention to Berea stone grindstones were cut by hand, but he conceived the idea of turning them. Having no shaft or mandle suitable for such work, he made a model of basswood, and one moonlight night placed it on his shoulder and walked to Cleveland to have it made, and with but slight improvement this model is still in use. In former times much of the rock was wasted in quarrying and cutting, but little sawing beening done. Now nearly all the cutting is by steam-power, and about twenty gangs of the most improved saws are kept at work in season nigt and day The quarries are below drainage and steam pumps are constantly at work pumping out water. Some idea of the properties of this indusry can be formed by the statement that of the 3,000 inhabitants of Berea, three fourths get their living directly or indirectly from the quarries, most of them are German, Irish, and Hungarian. John Baldwin and his good wife Mary, whose pioneering spirit, were dedicated to the teachings of the Bible, and fervor for education, created the vision for a community and for educational institution. John Baldwin founded Baldwin Institute, open to male and female, and to all races, creeds and nationalities. He personally worked to construct buildings to house classes, a chapel, and housing fr students His legacy is of enormous importance to the community as well as to the college as he developed the Berea sandstone quarries into the most important factor in the area and he gave generously of his time and his money for the betterment of the community. No charitable properties were disregarded for his friends, neighbors, workers, and students. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Tid Bits continued in Part 57.