Mount Gilead High School - Mizpah Yearbook (Mount Gilead, OH)

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55 1f, .1 Y Q .ff 'X f' 1 c 0n gffw nQ3?Y?i22 Seniors awk KS 1.1

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N ' Zpfilfio History of Mt. Gilead A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. ' As one approaches Mt. Gilead from any one of the four points of the compass, the truth of this statement is quite evident. Marion County was organized in 1824 and the county seat was established at Marion. That same year a village, on the present site of Mt. Gilead, was laid out under the name of Whetstone, which was changed to Mt. Gilead in 1833 by an Act of the legisla- ture and was incorporated in 1839. Previously, a small settlement had grown up near a mill owned by Mr. Young. This mill was situated near the present location of the Ice Plant, along the creek and the settlement was called Youngstown, after the owner of the mill. Consequently some of the oldest houses in town are located on South Rich and South Cherry streets. The oldest house in the town is a log cabin weatherboarded. It is situated on South Rich Street and is now owned and occupied by Griffith Granger. The village was located on the Indian trail from the south- central part of the state to Sandusky. The Indians used to camp east of town and had a burying ground on the hills along the south- east side of the creek opposite the older part of Rivercliif Cem- etery. However, by the time the town was laid out, the Indians had mostly disappeared. Although there were never any settle- ments in Morrow County, it proved a rich hunting ground for them. The majority of the early settlers were from Pennsylvania and the Middle Atlantic States, and later from Virginia. To this latter fact the town owes its name, since it was named for a village in Loudon County, Virginia. Because of the dissatisfaction of the county seat at Marion, the people of this vicinity agitated the for- mation of a new county, which should be made from the outlying corners of the four counties, Knox, Richland, Marion and Dela- ware. This agitation led to a petition to the legislature, which resulted in the formation of the new county in 1848 under the name of Morrow in honor of the Governor at that time. The population, due to the location on rough territory, grew very slowly. But after the formation of the county and the loca- tion of the county seat, the population increased. The people be- gan to beautify their town with buildings and laying out of streets and the north and south squares. The population in 1850 was 646, in 1860 it was 7893 ten years later it was 1,087, and in 1880 it was 1,262. By the 1920 census the population was shown to be 1,867. Among the early buildings, the Town Hall, a small frame affair, was situated where the Court House now stands. In 1850-52 the new Court House was built. It was later remodeled and en- larged. The first tavern was built by John Merrill. Its location fl , X X, f , . iq eg, WB- , ,4-

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