Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/655

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��HISTORY OF RICHLAND COUNTY.

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��a half miles northwest of the present site of the town, on the Leesville road. This had been suflScient for educational purposes for man^^ years, and a school was taught there as late as 1850. In 1853, when Crestline began to grow, a two-story frame school building was erected in the east part of the town, and shortly after- ward, a similar one was erected in the west part. These two buildings served the purpose until 1868, when the present union-school building was erected. This building, which is an orna- ment and honor to the place, was designed by Mr. Thomas, and built by Miller, Smith & Frayer, contractors. The Board of Education, under whose supervision it was erected, were Jacob Stable, President ; D. W. Snyder, John Berry, S. P. Hesser, C. Miller and N. Jones. The cost of the building and furniture, together with the two lots upon which it stands, was $30,000. It is located on Columbus, between Union and Cross streets ; is of brick, three stories above basement ; sevent^'-two feet in length by sixty -five in greatest breadth ; con- tains eleven schoolrooms, besides six smaller rooms used for offices, library, etc., and will ac- commodate 500 pupils. Adjoining the lots on which the building stands, is the school park, which consists of six town lots, and is beauti- fully diversified b}' gravel walks, evergreens and shade trees. In the center is an elegant foun- tain, around the base of which are six hydrants for drinking purposes. The building and sur- roundings are, indeed, well calculated, with an efficient corps of teachers, to improve the men- tal faculties of its pupils in a superior manner. Not only has the intellectual training of the children been well provided for, but the spirit- ual needs of the older people have been well at- tended to, there being at this time seven churches in the town, occupied by as many dif- ferent denominations.

The Methodist Episcopal is the oldest of these, having been organized aboiit 18-14, in what was then called Minnerl3''s Schoolhouse

��(now McCulloch's), and, as will be seen, some years before Crestline had an existence. John Lovitt was a prime mover in this organization. The. church which is now standing on Thoman street was the first one erected by the society ; it was erected in 1854 through the influence and personal exertions of Mr. Minnerly, Da^dd Thrush, David KeiT, Francis Cornwell, Mr. Howland, Francis Peppard and David White, who, with their wives and portions of their families, were a few of the first members. L. A. Markham is the present minister, and the present membership is about two hundred and fifty. The Sunday school connected with this church is one of the largest and most active, with a membership of 230.

The Trinity German Lutheran located on Main street was organized about 1851, in the schoolhouse ; the members of the first organiza- tion being Michael Webber, Henr^' Lambert, George Hass, B. Faltz, John Keller and others. In 1861, the}' erected the present church edifice at a cost of $3,000. The first minister was the Rev. Meiser, who was followed by M. Hats- berger, H. Smith, Rev. Haley and Martin Berk- ley, the latter being present Pastor. The pres- ent membership is about seventy. An active Sunday school is connected with the church, conducted by the officers, with a membership of sixty. Its organization is coeval with that of the church.

In 1879, Peter Sleenbecker, George Shaffer, George Snyder, George Sleenbecker, Michael Reh, Charles Christman, C. Morkel and others, becoming dissatisfied regarding some matters of church government, withdrew from the above church, organized a second German Lutheran society, and erected a church on East Mansfield street, costing about $4,000. Their first meet- ings, before the erection of their church, were held in the old German Reformed Church, which kept its doors open for them. Rev. Shultz, of Gallon, was their first minister, and was followed by Rev. Voegele, their present Pastor. Their

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