Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/607

 HISTORY OF RICHLAN^D COUNTY.

��595

��southward. Their chief articles of commerce were venison, cranberries and wooden wares. They were finally removed from here aljout 1826. The early political history of Troy is derived from its public documents, several of which are preserved. The first meeting of the citizens of Troy Township, after its organization, took place on the 4th daj- of October, 1814, when the following oflflcers were elected : Amariah Watson, Clerk ; C. Culver, Constable ; John Young, Jacob Mitchell and Solomon Culver, Township Trustees. The second election was held April 3, 1815, when the following officers were elected : Daniel Mitchell, Clerk ; Solomon Culver, John Young and Jacob Mitchell, Trustees ; John Yandorn, Constable ; Ichabod Clark and Andrew Perkins, Fence Viewers ; Samuel Watson, Appraiser ; Jacob Cook, Lister ; Amariah Watson and Samuel IMcCluer, Overseers of the Poor ; Aaron Young, William Gass, Alexander Mann and xlmariah Watson; Supervisors. The following bond, on account of its brevity, is worthy of notice :

We, or eitliei' of us. do hold ourselves bound, in the sum of S400, for the good and faithful performance of the office of Township Trustees of Troy. Given under our hand at New Lexington, this third day of April, 1815.

Wesley Spuatt, Treasurer.

Amarivh Watson, Security.

Attest, Daniel McINIiohaei,.

From this humble beginning, Troy has se- cured a very respectable place in the body politic. Her citizens numbered in 1820 a mere handful, but a tide of emigration soon set in from the older communities, and in 1850, the popula- tion of Troy was 1,543. Of this number, 777 were males, and 766 were females. Then en- sued a period of comparative rest, for, at the next census in 1860, the population was 1,547 persons. From that period to the present, there has been considerable decrease, amounting to several hundred. A marked feature of the pop- ulation was, that only two colored persons and

��but forty foreign born were enrolled in the the township.

Lexington is beautifully situated upon the northern slope of a gentle hill. The Clear Fork flows along its eastern border. It is a neat and ordinary Aillage of some five or six hundred souls. The town site is located on the north- west quarter of Section 24, owned originally by Amariah Watson. The town was laid out in 1812, and named in honor of the Revolutionary Lexington of Massachusetts. Mr. Watson l)uilt the first house, a log caliin, a few rods a])Ove the site of the mill on the creek bank, in the spring of 1812, He soon vacated this humble dwelling for a more commodious frame house, which he built in the immediate vicinity of the Inglehart propert}', near the railroad. This house was provided with port-holes for defense in case of Indian invasion. The second house was a frame tavern, built by Mr. Jacob Cook, and is still standing and occupied as a hotel. A tannery was soon after erected by Mr. Cole- man, near the spot now occupied by the depot. A shoe store was kept in connection with the tanner}", where boots and shoes were made to order and exchanged for hides. The building has long since been demolished ; but the vats may still be seen. About this time, a very impor- tant event took place ; the log schoolhouse was built. It was built of unhewed logs, and cov- ered with boards or shakes ; the seats were of the ancient make — a slab with pegs for legs con- stituted the seats — counters ranged along the walls were the desks whereon to write and cipher. In those da^'S, the schoolmaster was king ; when his ire was stirred, he grasped his ten-foot rod and planting himself in the arena, swayed his trust}' weapon with such skill that the boys began to climb — science hill.

The gi'ist and saw mills were erected in 1812, and contril)uted largeh' to the prosperity of the new settlement. The grist-mill run one buhr for wheat, and one for corn, and began running to its full capacity in 1814. A dry-goods store

�� �