Page:History of Richland County, Ohio.djvu/666

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��HISTOKY OF RICHLAND COUNTY

��CHAPTER LXVIIL

GREEN TOWNSHIP.*

Survey — Thk A'^illage of Greentown — Organization — The Man Green^Andrew Craig — Henry McCart's Family — Rev. John Heckewelder — Early Settlers — War of 1812 and Block Houses — Indian Trails — Scenery — Water Courses — Site of the Old Indian Village — Distilleries — Mills — Churches — Perrysville — Education.

��THIS township, though now belonging to Ashland County, occupies a conspicuous and important position in the history of " Old Richland," on account of the famous Indian encampment, known as Creentown, established on Black Fork within its limits.

Cen. James Hedges surveyed this town- ship in 1807. No white man's cabin was then standing on its soil, unless it may be some stra}' French trader or renegade American had built a hut among the Indians at Green- town. Mr. Hedges ran his lines through the dense forest, marking out the little squares that spoke of the coming of the superior race.

In running the south and east boundary, he seems to have been much embarrassed over the variations of the compass. He re-surveyed, but could not determine the cause of the varia- tion. He stumbled upon the Indian village in the forest, upon the wild and pretty Black Fork, and stuck a corner-post in one of their cornfields, while the red men looked on and wondered, but did not disturb the inti'uders who were thus audaciously measuring off their land. This was an old village ; there were old men and women here, but of another race ; a race doomed to follow the deer and buffalo into exile and oblivion. The number of Indian families residing in the village is not given, but must have been fifty or sixty. The village was situated on a rolling slope of land extend- ing down to the Black Fork, and the grave- yard and village together must have occupied


 * Now in Ashland County, formerly in Bichland.

��four or five acres. Indian trails, much used, were found along the streams, tending north- west. The land was heavily timbered with hard wood, and is to-day good farming land.

The first organization of this township oc- curred August 7, 1812, it being then attached te Knox County. Madison Township then in- cluded all the territory afterward embraced in Richland County, and out of this G-reeu was created, being first about thirty miles long from north to south, and a little less than twelve miles wide. In this condition it remained two years ; meanwhile, Richland County was formed, which included Green and Madison Townships, and new boundaries were immedi- ately established. Green was cut down Au- gust 9, 1814, to a territory twelve miles square, in the southeast corner of the county. The following 3^ear (1815), it was cut in two by a line running north and south through its cen- ter, the east half retaining the name of Green, being then six by twelve miles in extent. In this shape it remained until 1818, when it was divided by a line running east and west through' the center, and thus reduced to its present di- mensions — six miles square — Hanover being created from the southern half

The name — Greentown — originated from the fact of the settlement of a Tor^' — -Thomas Green — on the spot, where the Indians assisted in building the village. This man, if he may be considered a settler, was the first white set- tler in this part of the country. He came here about 1783. He had been engaged with the

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