OHIO STATEWIDE FILES OH-FOOTSTEPS Mailing List *********************************************************************** USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. *********************************************************************** OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest Volume 99 : Issue 237 Today's Topics: #1 PIKE COUNTY - PART 1 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] #2 PIKE COUNTY - PART 2 [AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M RE] ------------------------------ X-Message: #1 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 09:51:45, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: PIKE COUNTY - PART 1 HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS OF OHIO, By Henry Howe, LL.D. 1898 PIKE Pike County was formed in 1815 from Ross, Highland, Adams, Scioto and Jackson counties. Excepting the rich bottom lands of the Scioto and it tributaries, its surface is generally hilly. The hills abound with the noted Waverly sandstone. Area, about 470 square miles. In 1887 the acres cultivated were 59,554; in pasture, 50,068; woodland, 61,078; lying waste, 6,492; produced in wheat, 135,490 bushels; rye, 324; buckwheat, 30; oats, 84,125; barley, 490; corn, 500,281; meadow hay, 6,608 tons; clover hay, 1,063; potatoes, 21,327bushels; tobacco, 1,345 lbs; butter, 168,541; sorghum, 4,808 gallons; maple syrup 1,719; eggs, 201,612 dozen; grapes, 11,400; peaches, 4,545; pears, 271; wool, 21,314 lbs; milch cows owned, 2,621. School census, 1888, 6,191; teachers, 149. Miles of railroad track, 44. TOWNSHIPS AND CENSUS 1840 1880 Beaver 1,075 750 Benton 1,474 Camp Creek 299 947 Jackson 1,096 2,067 Marion 908 Mifflin 645 1,230 Newton 337 1,369 Pebble 504 1,594 Pee Pee 813 2,725 Perry 565 879 Scioto 921 Seal 1,875 1,411 Sunfish 325 976 Union 676 Population of Pike county in 1820 was 4,253; 1830, 6,024; 1840, 7,536; 1860, 13,643; 1880, 17,937; of whom 15,620 were born in Ohio; 661 Virginia; 359 Pennsylvania; 144, Kentucky; 67 New York; 48, Indiana; 606, German Empire; 44, Ireland; 24, England and Wales; 5, Scotland; 4, France, and 3, British America. Census, 1890, 17,482. THE ORIGIN OF NAMES is always a matter of interest. It is a tradition that an Irishman whose initials were P.P., cut them in the bark of a beech, on the banks of a creek. This gave its name to the creek -Pee Pee, and James Emmitt, the founder, had called the place Uniontown until 1830, when the Ohio canal was in progress at that point. An attempt was then made to establish a post-office, when it was discovered there was already an Uniontown in Northern Ohio. In this quandary Capt. Francis Cleveland, later an uncle of Grover Cleveland (for Grover was then unborn), an engineer on the canal who had been deeply engrossed in reading Scott's novels, suggested the name Waverly, and it was adopted. The uncle died at Portsmouth in 1882. BIOGRAPHY ZEBULON MONTGOMERY PIKE, from whom Pike county was named, was born in Lamberton, N.J., January 5, 1779, and died in York (now Toronto), Canada, April 27, 1813. His father was a captain in the Revolutionary army; was in St. Clair's defeat in 1791, and was brevetted a lieutenant-colonel in the regular army. His son was an ensign in the regiment, and while serving as such was an earnest student of Latin, French and mathematics. After the Louisiana purchase had been made from the French, Pike, who had been promoted to the grade of lieutenant, was given command of an expedition to trace the Mississippi to its source. Leaving St. Louis in August, 1805, he returned after nine months of hardship, and exposure, having satisfactorily accomplished the service. In 1806-7, while engaged in geographical explorations he discovered Pike's Peak in the Rocky mountains, and reached the Rio Grande river. He and his party were arrested on Spanish territory and taken to Santa Fe, but were subsequently released. He arrived at Natchitoches in July, 1807, received the thanks of the government and three years later published an account of his explorations. In 1813 he was placed in command of an expedition against York (now Toronto), Canada. His troops had taken one of the redoubts, which had been constructed by the enemy for defence, and arrangements were being carried forward for an attack upon another redoubt, when the magazine of the fort exploded, and Gen. Pike was fatally wounded, surviving but a few hours. ROBERT LUCAS was born in Shepherdstown, Va., April 1, 1781. His father was a captain in the Revolutionary army and a descendant of William Penn. The son removed to Ohio in 1802 and settled near the mouth of the Scioto, where Portsmouth now stands. He raised a battalion of volunteers for the war of 1812; served as a brigadier-general, and saw considerable service at Fort Meigs and Lower Sandusky. He removed to Piketon, and there, in connection with his brother conducted a general store. He was several times elected to the Ohio Senate and House, serving as Speaker of the latter. In 1832 he presided over the Democratic National Convention that nominated Andrew Jackson for a second term. The same year he was elected Governor of Ohio, defeating his opponent, Gen. Duncan McArthur, by one vote. In 1834 he was re-elected Governor. While Governor the "Toledo war" occurred, and he successfully maintained the Ohio side of the controversy. In 1848 he was appointed by President Van Buren the first Territorial Governor of Iowa. He died in Iowa City, Iowa, February 7, 1853. JAMES EMMITT was born in Armstrong county, Pa., November 6, 1806. His career is a striking example of what may be accomplished by persistent energy, industry and frugality. He removed to Ohio when a boy and before he was 13 years of age was hired out to a farmer for the sum of $6 per month and board. He had the board, but the $6 were turned over to his father to aid him in his struggle to earn a home. Later he worked at blacksmithing at a country tavern; again at farm labor, and then as wood-chopper at $4 per month. From 1825 to 1828 he was a teamster between Portsmouth and Chillicothe. At 22 he engaged in a partnership with Mr. Henry Jefferds in a small grocery business in Waverly. In 1831 he was appointed postmaster. The next year he bought a mill, and for the next forty years he gradually accumulated property interests, until the taxes he paid were one-tenth of the total tax receipts of Pike county, and one-half the population of Waverly was employed in his various establishments, such as a bank, a store, a huge distillery, a furniture factory, a lumber yard and saw and grist-mills. He was the principal factor in the removal of the county-seat from Piketon to Waverly in 1861, and when this was accomplished he presented a fine court-house to the people. He served two years in the State Senate. His opportunities for an education were meagre, but his force of character, strong common sense and great energy made his success in life something almost phenomenal for a small place like Waverly. Mr. Emmitt is over six feet in height and almost gigantic in his proportions. For his recollections, he may be considered a walking history of Pike county, and from this source much herein is derived. ------------------------------ X-Message: #2 Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 16:42:08, -0500 From: AUPQ38A@prodigy.com (MRS GINA M REASONER) Subject: PIKE COUNTY - PART 2 HISTORICAL COLLECTION OF OHIO, By Henry Howe, LL.D., 1898 The first permanent settlers in the county were Pennsylvanians and Virginians. From about 1825 and later many Germans settled in the eastern part. The first settlement in the vicinity of Piketon was made on the Pee Pee prairie, by John Noland, from Pennsylvania; Abraham, Arthur and John Chenoweth, three brothers from Virginia, who settled there about the same time Chillicothe was laid out, in 1796. PIKETON IN 1846. -Piketon, the county-seat, was laid out about the year 1814. It is on the Scioto, on the Columbus and Portsmouth turnpike, sixty-four miles from the first, twenty-six from the last, and two east of the Ohio canal. Piketon contains 1 Presbyterian, 1 Methodist, and 1 German Lutheran church, an academy, a newspaper printing-office, 4 mercantile stores, and had, in 1840, 507 inhabitants. -Old Edition In 1861 the county-seat was removed to Waverly. In our old edition were given these historical items: Piketon was originally called Jefferson, and was laid off on what was called "Miller's Bank." The origin of this last name is thus given in the American Pioneer: "About the year 1795 two parties set off from Mason county, Ky., to locate land by making improvements, as it was believed the tract ceded to the United States, east of the Scioto, would be held by pre-emption. One of these parties was conducted by a Mr. Miller, and the other by a Mr. Kenton. In Kenton's company was a man by the name of Owens, between whom and Miller there arose a quarrel about the right of settling this beautiful spot. In the fray Owens shot Miller, whose bones may be found interred near the lower end of the high bank. His death and burial there gave name to the high bank, which was then in Washington county, the Scioto being then the line between Washington and Adams counties. Owens was taken to Marietta, where he was tried and acquitted." On Lewis Evans' map of the middle British Colonies, published in 1755, is laid down, on the right bank of the river, a short distance below the site of Piketon a place called "Hurricane Tom's;" it might have been the abode of an Indian chief or a French trader's station. -Old Edition. A late writer states: Piketon was surveyed and platted by Peter Dunnon, a Virginian and a good surveyor -as surveyors went in those days. The courthouse was not built at Piketon until about 1817, and prior to its completion court was held in a stone building near Piketon, owned by John Chenoweth. The court-house built at Piketon, which is still standing, was of brick. Among the earliest settlers in and about Piketon, were Jonathan Clark, Charley Cissna, Major Daniels, Joseph J. Martin -who was for years Lord High Everything of Pike county -the Brambles, Moores, Browns, Sargents, Praters, Nolans, Guthries and Lucases. Most of these families first came into "the prairie" about 1797, but the Lucas brothers came later. Robert Lucas, one of these pioneers, afterward became Governor of Ohio. His brother founded the town of Lucasville. About 1820 Robert Lucas was conducting a general store at Piketon, which he afterward sold to Duke Swearingen. In 1829 Lucas was elected to the Legislature from Pike county, and thus began his political career. THE GRADED WAY AT PIKETON Among the many examples of ancient earthworks in Ohio occurs a most remarkable one about one mile below Piketon, described as follows in Squier & Davis's Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley; It consists of a graded ascent from the second to the third terrace, the level of which is here seventeen feet above that of the former. The way is 1,080 feet long, by 215 feet wide at one extremity, and 203 feet wide at the other, measured between the bases of the banks. The earth is thrown outward on either hand, forming embankments varying upon the outer sides from five to eleven feet in height; yet it appears that much more earth has been excavated than enters into these walls. At the lower extremity of the grade the walls upon the interior sides measure no less than twenty-two feet in perpendicular height. The easy ascent here afforded has been rendered available in the construction of the Chillicothe and Portsmouth turnpike, which passes through it. The walls are covered with trees and bushes, and resemble parallel nature hills, and probably would be regarded as much by the superficial observer. Indeed, hundreds pass along without suspecting that they are in the midst of one of the most interesting monuments which the country affords, and one which bears a marked resemblance to some of those works which are described to us in connection with the causeways and aqueducts of Mexico. A singular work of art occurs on the top of a high hill, standing in the rear of the town of Piketon, and overlooking it, which it may not be out of place to mention here. It consists of a perfectly circular excavation, thirty feet in diameter, and twelve feet deep, terminating in a point at the bottom. It contains water for the greater part of the year. A slight and regular wall is thrown up around its edge. A full and very distinct view of the graded way just described is commanded form this point. To the foregoing account of the "Graded Way" we append the conclusions of Mr. Gerard Fowke on this work. Mr. Fowke was for years connected with the Smithsonian Institution, and has done much to explode many absurd theories and notions on archaeology promulgated by authors ignorant of their subject and writing only to strike the popular mind and pocket. It may be well, to state that the celebrated "Grade Way" near Piketon, whose use has caused much speculation, is not a graded way at all in the sense usually employed. The point cannot be made clear without a diagram, but the depression is simply an old waterway, or thoroughfare of Beaver creek, through which, in former ages a portion of its waters were discharged, probably in times of flood. It is not just "1,080 feet in length," but reaches to the creek, nearly half a mile away. The artificial walls on either side are not "composed of earth excavated in forming the ascent," for the earth from the ravine or cut-off went down the Scioto before the lower terraces were formed, but are made of earth scraped up near by and piled along the edge of the ravine, just as any other earth walls are made. The walls are of different lengths, both less than 800 feet in length along the top; neither do they taper off to a point, the west wall in particular being considerably higher and wider at the southern extremity, looking, when viewed from the end, like an ordinary conical mound. The earth in the walls thus built up, if spread evenly over the hollow between them, would not fill it up more than two feet, and that for less than a third of its length. continued in part 3 -------------------------------- End of OH-FOOTSTEPS-D Digest V99 Issue #237 *******************************************