Columbian High School - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Tiffin, OH)

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Iosiah Hedges Born in Vermont, Iosiah Hedges came as a young man to Ohio and then in 1820 to this section, where he purchased land oppos- ite the river from Oakley. For the town he intended to estab- lish, Mr. Hedges had a plat made. To this new town he gave the name of Tiffin, in honor of his friend Edward Tiffin, first gover- Josiah Hedges nor of Ohio. Founder of Tiffin Seneca County was formed in 1820, with land selling at 51.25 an acre. Only 25 votes were cast in the county in 1821. Mr. Hedges secured the selection of Tiffin as the county seat after buying out Mr. Spencer's land in Fort Ball. There were but six cabins in Tif- fing the greater number of settlers lived on the Fort Ball side. Edward Tiffin First Governor of Ohio I Early Courthouses First Courthouse Built in 1822 On the north side of Court Street, then called Virgin Alley, Mr. Hedges erected a frame building which served as courthouse, Masonic hall, offices, and stores. Later this building was removed to the foot of Iefferson Street, where it stood until the flood of 1913. The county's first real court- house was built in 1836 but was destroyed by fire in 1841. The walls were used in rebuilding. The poesent courthouse was built in 1884. It was in the second courthouse that Oliver Cowdery, pioneer Tiffin attorney and one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon, practiced law. His opposition to polygamy brought him into disfavor with other Mormon leaders. Tiffin Incorporated ' Until 1836 Tiffin had no government of its own but was governed by the of- ficials of Clinton Township, which had been organized in 1820 and named after Governor DeWitt Clinton of New York. Tiffin was in- corporated as a town in 1835. Dr. Henry Kuhn, a Whig, became the first mayor. First Brick Building, 1824 I In 1840 Tiffin had 728 inhabitants, five grocery and nine dry-goods stores, one foundry, two newspaper offices, and seven churches. The first newspaper was the Seneca Patriot, printed on a hand press. Fort Ball was incorporated in 1849, but a year later it united with Tiffin and became the second ward, Tiffin was incorporated as a city in 1850, with William Lang as first mayor. New Enterprises losiah Hedges did more than found our city. The first Washington Street bridge, meant for foot passengers, was built by him. It was shortly taken away by a flood. Then he constructed a better one and charged toll until a free bridge was built by subscription on Market Street. Washington Street, 1840. Courthouse on the left As early as 1822 Mr. Hedges erected a grlst mill where Bacon's Mill now stands. Across the river he constructed a saw mill, the same dam operating both mills. In 1862 he built the city mill, which stood at the northwest corner of Perry Street and Clinton Avenue. This mill was run night PAGE FIVE

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IISEND i A CIIENTVIUIRYY OIF IPIRCDOEIRIESS i IIQIUND r . QT-I 'qi' HISTORICAL SKETCH FOREWORD ln any sketch honoring the one-hundred years of service of the Tiffin Public Schools, it is fitting that we review also the beginnings of our city and pay tribute to the people who paved the way for later advancement. I Frontier Fort ' The statue of the Indian maiden on Frost Parkway is a reminder of the time when this land was the home of the Seneca and Wyandot tribes. Forty thousand acres, mostly within the present Seneca County, were known as the Seneca Reserva- tion. Statue of Indian Maiden Frost Parkway Fort Ball Built in l8l3 The first authenticated event in the history of Tiffin was the erection in l8l3 of a military stockade, Camp Ball, by United States' cavalry along the banks of the Sandusky River, about where the Soldiers' Monument now stands. The squadron was under Lieutenant Colonel Iames V. Ball and had been sent by General William Henry Harrison. The fort had three blockhouses, with room for 500 men. Years later from the ruins of this stockade grew a sycamore tree, which is still standing on Frost Park- way, marked with a bronze tablet as the site of Fort Ball. Before bridges were constructed, a ferry was the only way to get from Fort Ball to the opposite side of the river, the fare being two cents. Sycamore Tree on site of Old Fort Ball First White Settlers 1? 'Ying K Wag? gy Q Www aff fx if K N' W 2 t lkrbq li' fax 'Ml A' . ...Q .-..i3'3r: . . ' 4 -1r,.',' in ,-'-'X A T .. w Q ' L , re' ,iw . , v my , Q , H211 - - t J 1 f an ., -.f Aff. 5 '-41 '3f fs 4. A f. ,f'T,f4r,3mf Q in grfa.a,,!?- Lf--if Q:-11? 1:42 r lf 7'-' 7 1 . ' -'- I my ,rf M ,sh , , it rg ' at 7 f fwfr is is . 3 lr , gli 1. 'age-m - if-1 .:,iil'-is 12. 19 't-lv. -.g 'W' 3cWf?41f' t was - f 2- 5, -3 '-J :Ang -,wwf i 4 A ' I fu . K- .4 L9 . Pr sg.. ev. 44.5 4, Q 15 -f-..,..Q3Ag .5645 Bowe's Log-Cabin Hotel Erastus Bowe was the first permanent settler in this vicinity. ln l8l3 from Camp Ball he had seen what is now Tiffin. There was then no village nor hamlet in this county of Seneca except for the mili- tary stockade here and one at what is now Old Fort. The first building here was a log cabin erected by Mr. Bowe, serving as his home and as a hotel for travelers. lt was on the lot known as 24 North Washington Street. In l823, a Mr. Iesse Spencer laid out and platted the village of Oakley, including the Fort Ball stockade, Mr. Bowe's log-cabin hotel, and one or two other cabins. A postoffice station was established at Oakley in 1821. The postmaster had few patrons to serve, so when going on surveying or fishing trips, he sometimes carried the mail in his hat and delivered it as opportunity presented. In 1824 Oakley was again surveyed and the name changed to Fort Ball. PAGE FOUR

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and day to provide flour for the community and was oper- ated until the l87U's, then converted into a cider press, and later torn down. The first railroad reached Tiffin in l84l-the Mad River arid Lake Erie Railroad, now known as the Big Four. The first bank was formed in l847, located where the City Nat- ional Bank now stands. When the Methodist Epis- copal Church was built on - , at W g Market Street in l83l, it fl, ,I Q5 t was the largest building in Y f ' town, and the supreme and Q, 3 . I L . l ' x circuit courts were held ., -1 W . 1 V :Hug-Q.. there for five yeqrsy gifs ' ' ,silk-.1. . .5 -- -. 3 QA. s . .5 Q Ll, --Q ,jf-rugs. .. '. f '2fs--1: . ' .-.E . ' f' First Protestant Church Built in l83l Times of Disaster The first fire company was organized in l845, with an engine house built on the courthouse square. William H. Gibson was the leader, and S. B. Sneath his assistant. The old fire engine which is at the Seneca County Museum was purchased in 1866. It played an important part in the fire of 1872, when 72 buildings were destroyed from San- dusky and Miami Streets to the river,-loss, SlUU,OO0. 1 Perry Street Bridge before l9l3 An earlier disaster was the cholera epidemic of l837, which claimed 63 lives. Many of these victims were buried in the cemetery which later became Hedges Park, How- ever, that was not the first cemetery. There was an Indian burial ground on Franklin Street, where some white people also were buried. A third catastrophe was the flood of l9l3. Nineteen persons perished. Property loss totalled Sl,UOU,O00, includ- ing 46 houses, two factories, and six Sandusky River bridges. William H. Gibson One of Tiffin's citizens who ac- quired farne outside the local community was William H. Gib- son, who held several state of- fices. During the Civil War he became brigadier-general. He was much sought as a public speaker, being known as the sil- ver-tongued orator. His statue stands on the courthouse lawn. William H. Gibson l TIFFIN PUBLIC SCHOOLS-A CENTURY OF PROGRESS The Little Red Schoolhouse Tiffin's first schoolhouse was a one-room structure erected in the l820's at what is now 20 East Market Street. It was commonly called the town hall since it was also used for many types of public gatherings. The population of the village on both sides of the river was about 300, with few children of school age, but the need of a permanent school building was recognized. A brick school house was erected in l832 on land donated by losiah Hedges, on the northwest corner of Market and Monroe Streets. Benjamin Crockett was the first teacher. Courthouse Built in l884 Finally the room became too small for the increasing number of pupils, and an additional room was rented in the frame part of the jail building. ln 1844 a two-story build- ing with four rooms replaced the orfe-room schoolhouse. Mrs. William H. Gibson, who had formerly taught in the jail- building school, became teacher in the east room upstairs, receiving S14 a month salary. PAGE SIX