Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/104

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��HISTORY OF OHIO.

��and resting on stout rails. Twenty feet in advance of these, was a row of very strong and large pick- ets, set upright in the earth. Gateways through these, admitted the inmates of the garrison. A few feet beyond the row of outer palisades was placed a row of abattis, made from the tops and branches of trees, sharpened and pointing outward, so that it would have been very difficult for an enemy to have penetrated within their outworks. The dwelling-houses occupied a space from fifteen to thirty feet each, and were sufficient for the ac- commodation of forty or fifty families, and did actually contain from two hundred to three hun- dred persons during the Indian war.

"Before the Indians commenced hostilities, the block-houses were occupied as follows : The south- west one, by the family of Grov. St. Clair; the northeast one as an office for the Directors of the Company. The area within the walls was one hundred and forty-four feet square, and afibrded a fine parade ground. In the center, was a well eighty feet in depth, for the supply of water to the inhabitants, in case of a siege. A large sun-dial stood for many years in the square, placed on a handsome post, and gave note of the march of time.

" After the war commenced, a regular military corps was organized, and a guard constantly kept night and day. The whole establishment formed a very strong work, and reflected great credit on the head that planned it. It was in a manner im- pregnable to the attacks of- Indians, and none but a regular army with cannon could have reduced it. The Indians possessed no such an armament.

" The garrison stood on the verge of that beauti- ful plain overlooking the Muskingum, on which are seated those celebrated remains of auti(piity, erected probably for a similar purpose — the defense of the inhabitants. The ground descends into shal- low ravines on the north and south sides ; on the west is an abrupt descent to the river bottoms or alluvium, and the east passed out to a level plain. On this, the ground was cleared of trees beyond the reach of rifle shots, so as to afford no shelter to a hirlden foe. P^xtensive fields of corn were grown in the midst of the standing girdled trees be- yond, in after years. The front wall of palisades was about One hundred and fifty yards from the Muskingum River. The appearance of the fort from without was imposing, at a little distance re- sembling the military castles of the feudal ages. Between the outer palisades and the river were laid out neat gardens for the use of Gov. St. Clair

��and his Secretary, with the officers of the Com- pany.

" Opposite the fort, on the shore of the river, was built a substantial timber wharf, at which was moored a fine cedar barge for twelve rowers, built by Capt. Jonathan Devol, for Gen. Putnam ; a number of pirogues, and the light canoes of the country ; and last, not least, the Mayflower, or ' Adventure Galley,' in which the first detach- ments of colonists were transported from the shores of the ' Yohiogany ' to the banks of the Muskingum. In these, especially the canoes, during the war, most of the communications were carried on between the settlements of the Company and the more re- mote towns above on the Ohio River. Traveling by land was very hazardous to any but the rangers or spies. There were no roads, nor bridges across the creeks, and, for many years after the war had ceased, the traveling was nearly all done by canoes on the river."

Thus the first settlement of Ohio provided for its safety and comfort, and provided also for that of emigrants who came to share the toils of the wilderness.

The next spring, the influx of emigration was so great that other settlements were determined, and hence arose the colonies of Belpre, Waterford and Duck Creek, where they began to clear land, sow and plant crops, and build houses and stockades. At Belpre (French for "beautiful meadow"), were built three stockades, the upper, lower and middle, the last of which was called " Farmers' Castle," and stood on the banks of the Ohio, nearly oppo- site an island, afterward fiimous in Western history as Blennerhasset's Island, the scene of Burr's con- spiracy. Among the persons settling at the upper stockade, were Capts. Dana and Stone, Col. Bent, Wilham Browning, Judge Foster, John Rowse, Israel Stone and a Mr. Keppel. At the Farmers' Castle, were Cols. Cushing and Fisher, Maj. Has- kell, Aaron Waldo Putnam, Mr. Sparhawk, and, it is believed, George and Israel Putnam, Jr. At the lower, were Maj. Goodale, Col. Rice, Esquire Pierce, Judge Israel Loring, Deacon Miles, Maj. Bradford and Mr. Goodenow. In the summer of 1789, Col. Ichabod Nye and some others, built a block-house at Newberry, below Belpre. Col. Nye sold his lot there to Aaron W. Clough, who, with Stephen Guthrie, Joseph Leavins, Joel Oakes, Eleazer Curtis, Mr. Denham J. Littleton and Mr. Brown, was located at that place.

"Every exertion possible," says Dr. Hildreth, who has preserved the above names and incidents,

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