Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/654

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

��there in the mud a squatty, ugly-looking thing for years. In 1864, the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad erected the present fine brick edifice at ihe junction, which is used as a depot and hotel.

Jessie R. Strong erected the first building in Crestline. It is yet standing close to the junc- tion, on the north side of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad, is two and a half stories in height, and one hundred and twenty- five feet in length. When erected, it was con- sidered one of the finest hotels in the State ; was liohted with gas manufactured on the premises, and furnished with bath-rooms, hot and cold water, etc. It was called the Crest- line House. It has been in continual use as a hotel, and is now called the Gibson House. Its first proprietor was Jacob Brown.

Soon after the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad was completed to Crestline, the Bellefontaine road made its appearance. It was first built between Gralion, Ohio, and Union Cit}', Ind., and afterward extended to Indianapolis and to Crestline. It was opened for business in July, 1853. For some years, it used the track of the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati, between Gallon and Crestline, and then passed into the control of the latter road, which was thereupon changed to Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis, thus giv- ing the road direct connection with St. Louis and the West. Crestline became immediately an important railroad point and grew rapidly, notwithstanding the unfavorable location.

Mr. Hall, the contractor before mentioned, erected the second building, on the north side of the Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Rail- road, on Thomau street, and started a store, abandoning his business at the station and opening out a general stock at his new loca- tion. The first lots were sold at auction, and the first one sold was purchased by G. W. Em- erson, who afterward sold it to Mr. Babst, who erected upon it the Emerson House — the sec-

��ond hotel. Mr. Emerson kept this hotel manj^ years. In March, 1854, an addition was made called East Crestline, which is within the present limits of Richland County, the main part of the town being now in Crawford County, though when platted, Crawford had not been formed, and the territory was included within the limits of Richland — the line of Richland then being about four miles west of Crestline.

It will be seen that Crestline is emphatically a railroad town ; the crossing of two important trunk lines caused it to spring into existence, and the principal dependence of the place for its growth and prosperity was, and is to-day, upon these roads. There is an excellent farm- ing country around it, but. Gallon being only four miles away, Bucyrus and Shelby a short distance on either side of it, there was no occa- sion for its existence but the railroads ; take these away, and its farming community is not sufficiently strong, perhaps, to save it from a lingering death. But the same power that breathed into it the breath of life, yet sustains it. The Pittsburgh, Fort Wayne & Chicago Railroad shops are located here, and these, together with other shops and foundries that have sprung up in connection with the railways, employ several hundred hands continually, that must be fed, clothed and lodged. The town was incorporated March 3, 1858, David Ogden being elected first Mayor, and William Kinsley first Recorder. The first Trustees were William P. Kernahan, E. Warner, Robert Lee, M. C. Archer and William Boals. The following is a list of the Mayors, who served in the order in which their names appear : Silas Durand, Samuel Hoyt, Jacob Staley, Nathan Jones, Robert Lee, Jacob Staley, Dr. J. M. McKean, George W. Pierce, Nathan Jones, A. E. Jenner, Nathan Jones, Dr. Edwin Booth and Dan. Babst. the present (January, 1880) officer.

In educational matters, the town has not been neglected. Before the arrival of the railroads, a district loo; schoolhouse stood about one and

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