Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/611

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��HISTORY or RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��quiet retreat. Man}- white marble slabs and monuments now dot it over, ever reminding the survivors that " man born of woman is of few days." The cemetery is bounded on two sides by a swamp, on the third by the river, but on the south is approached by a gently sloping ridge from the town. The surrounding countr}- is undulating, and affords a beautiful scene as viewed from this " city of the dead."

Steam Corners is a small village, situated in the southwestern part of Troy Township, and consists of sixteen dwellings, besides a saw-mill, store, schoolhouse and several shops. It has never been incorporated, but is merely a four corners — the crossing of two section lines. It occupies the adjacent corners of Sections 17, 18, 19 and 20, which are owned respective!}- by Mrs. Bender, Frederick Stall, Lewis Miller and David Stull. The most prominent feature of the Corners is the steam saw-mill, located a few rods south of the cross-roads. It was erected about 1849, by Hall, Allen & Devise, who ran a sash saw for a number of years, but the mill is now supplied with a modern circular saw. There is connected with it a planing-mill on a small scale. This mill is the chief enterprise in the community, and is now owned by Fred- erick Stull. The town has derived its name from it.

A dr^'-goods store was estaljlished at the Corners in 1864, by William Baughman, who operated it about a year. From 1866 to 1874, the store was owned by C. W. Rowalt, who carried on an extensive trade. It sulisequently passed into various hands. The firm of Staater & Halderman carried on the business for a term of four years. Slianck & Ma-^cwell are the present owners and are doing a good business.

The post office is an important element of the Corners. It was established about fifteen years ago, and, until 1878^ the post "oute was from

��Gallon to the Corners, but since has been extended to Fredericktown. The}' have a tri- weekly mail from Gallon to Fredericktown and vice versa. Two blacksmith-shops are located here, the one owned by Jack Corwin, the other b}' William Treisch.

The village also affords a shoe-shop and several wood or carpenter shops.

The schoolhouse is a neat, substantial brick edifice on the west side of the town. There is l)ut one room, hence but one department, although there are some sixty-five or seventy' pupils in attendance.

• Most of the early settlers, who cleared up the land and rescued it from the Avilderness, are gone to their long rest. Among the survivors is William Moore, living about a mile south of the Corners. He is about seventy-five 3'ears old, and, perhaps, the oldest surviving pioneer of that vicinity. He is a natiA'e of Ireland, emigrated in his youth, and, after sojourning a time in Pennsylvania, he removed to Ohio, and located at Steam Corners previous to 1830. His family consisted of five sons and two daughters.

George Norwood, an early pioneer, aged eight}^, lives near by. His family consisted of three sons and three daughters. He was a native of German^', whence he removed in early life;

David Thompson who has been dead some six years, was a prominent man of those early times. He was a native American, and reared a family of eight children, four sons and four daughters.

The country about the Corners is less hilly than other portions of the township, yet it is gent!}' undulating. The soil is rich and pro- ductive, and the farm liuildings generall}- indi- cate a goodl}' degree of prosperity.

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