Gnadenhutten High School - Goal Yearbook (Gnadenhutten, OH)

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THE GUAL 15 The first tailor-shop was at the present site, of Joshua Gooding's residence on East Main street. The first tailor being a man by the name of Mohn. The tirst carding machine was built on the east end of Jacob Winsch's lot, now the site of B. Linard's residence on West Main street. The first ferry at Gnadenhutten across the Tuscarawas river was near the division line of Reuben Mohn's and Samuel Wal- ter's property on Cherry street. The ferry- lnan, a Mr. Ingham was drowned while per- forming his duty. The terry was then moved farther up the river opposite North Cherry street. The first weaving establishment was at the present site of Samuel Walters' resi- dence. Adam Dell was the weaver, he had five or six sons who also were employed in weaving. After the Dell's had left the prem- ises, Mr. Diver the iirst doctor at Gnaden- hutten occupied the building. Charles Peter was the first cabinet mak- er, having his shop in a building that was owned by Lawrence Huebner in after years, but which has recently been torn down. Lewis Peter was the first blacksmith. The Guadenhutten cemetery is classed as one of the two oldest Christian burying grounds of Ohio. Schoenbrun being the oth- er, but the latter has long since been ob- literated by the plow. The Missionary Society was granted 12,000 acres of land by Congress for the Mission Station, but after the massacre, it became a burden to the church. So they sug- gested to Congress to retrocede this land and thus relieve them of it, which request was granted. In 1824 by special act of Congress, the iirst village site was surveyed under the super- vision of James Patrick. The town lots brought the small price nt four or the dollars apiece. They surveyed the street running at right angles with the river, making it the unus- ual width of 99 feet on account of the build- ings on it. This street was named Main. All the other streets were made half the width of Main, with the exception of Wal- nut street, which was also made 99 ft. wide. In this survey there were also a number of reservations made, containing the follow- ing provisions: First, at the extreme south end of Cherry street a plot was set apart for a village and Morarian cemetery. Second, the square of lots referred to be- fore as the site of the first and second churches and parsonage were reserved for the Morarian denomination. Third, the block of lots comprising the present town hall square, at the intersec- tion of Main and Walnut streets were re- served for a market lot or public building for the village. Fourth, the two lots opposite the present Moravian church were reserved for a parochial school site for that denomination. Fifth, the lots situated on the east side of North Walnut street, at the intersection of Long Alley were reserved for public school grounds. Thtre were several other reservations to private citizens of this place. The first school house proved to be too small after some years. So a new two-story frame building was erected. In 1850 the third Moravian Church was built on South Walnut street, at the inter- section of Fetter's Lane, and adjoining the Town lot reserved for some public building. ln 1881 the second school house being too small the Board of Education, of this special district, added two more rooms to the build- ing. The increase in attendance was the direct result of the various improvements made in the course of study and grading of scholars by Supt. S. K. Mardis, who had been elected to that position two years be- fore. In 1895, the increase both in interest and attendance in the school, again compelled the Board of Education to erect a new com- modious, two-story brick building, contain- ing six rooms and costing over S13,000. lt was built at the farthest ends of South Wal- nut street. The fourth Moravian church was built in 1903, a brick edifice costing S13,500. A new brick parsonage on adjoining lot was completed in 1916, costing about S7,000. The first M. E. church was built in 1863, and was re-built and remodeled in 1915. Gnadhenhutten was incorporated as a hamlet in 1884, with a board of trustees as Lrontluued ou page Lu. Isl column.

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14 THE GUAL. THE HISTORY OF GNADENHUTTEN The Village of Gnadenhutten is situated on the east bank of the Tuscarawas river. lt was an Indian religious and industrial ccntcr, founded by Zeisberger and the Brown Brethren in 1772, and which was brought to such a cruel and untimely end by Wl1ll8lHS0ll'S expedition. On that memorable eighth day of March, 1782, the Christian Indians were by strategy captured and imprisoned in their mission houses, where they were confined and then led out singly and killed with a co0per's mallet. Only two youths escaped death. The village was destroyed by fire and nothing left but the ashes and charred bones of the ninety martyred Indians. This sad event is commemorated by a large monument made of Indiana limestone, 56 feet, 7 inches high, and costing S3,000, w'hich was erected on the site of the Mission Church, and is annually visited by many people from a distance. The site of the missions was on the east bank of the Tuscarawas river, on what might be called the third terrace above the river bottom. This location was character- istically chosen because of its security from hard storms, and high water, its prominence over-looking the low river bottoms on which the red men raised their crops of Indian corn. Quite naturally then, fifteen years later, when Heckewelder, William Edwards, and four Indian brethren returned to this section of the great western territory, from their temporary stopping place near Sandusky, Ohio, that they decided to locate the new settlement for white people as near to the former-.mission site as possible, where their brethren and kindred had so cruelly been put to death. No wonder that after so long and weari- soine a journey, Heckewelder wrote the fol- lowing, when they had set foot on these familiar grounds: It was a very pleasant thing and we held it to be a good omen, that so many birds in branches of the surrounding trees lifted up their voices and sang sweetly as if to express their gladness at our coming. On Sept. 29, 1798 Heckewelder moved into the first house situated on the present corner of VVest Main and Cherry streets, now the site of E. B. Campbell's residence. For five years this was also the meeting place for the community which soon became established here. This resulted in the or- ganization of a Moravian congregation on July 6th, 1800. New cabins were built, and in 1803, the first log church was erected on the south side of West Main street, between the houses of R. Everett and A. E. Milligan. It was dedicated July 10th and Rev. David Zeisberger, then stationed at Goshen, preached the dedication sermon. This building also served as a school house until 1843, when the first low, one-roomed, public school-house was built on the east side of North Walnut street, on the lots now occu- pied by the homes of G. J. Gray and his son Roger. On Aug. 13th, 1820, they started to build the second church, some feet east of the Hrst one, on the lot now occupied by L. Williams. The first parsonage was built on the cor- ner of West Main street and Cherry, the present site of D. Kennedy's residence. David Peter built a house on Cherry street where Reuben Mohn now lives, which served both as store and dwelling. Jacob Winsch built a house on the corner of West Main and Cherry streets, where O. Gray now lives. The first mill of Gnadenhutten was a lit- tle hand-mill set on a post in the middle of West Main street, in front of D. Kennedy's residence, on one side of the street, and 0. Gray's on the other. The residents used this mill to grind their corn to make corn cakes, and it is at present in the care of W. T. Van Vleck. Near by they sank a well, and later on sank another in the middle of East Main street, in front of S. Mil1iken's residence on one side of the street, and F. Meyer's, on the other. A Mr. Heidig was the first tin and copper- smith, having his shop at the present site of Mary Myer's property on East Main St. In L. S. Winsch's youth, some of the rem- nants of the first saw-mill were yet evident, protruding from the bank in the vicinity of the rear of Ed. Rank's property on North Cherry street. The second saw mill was built by Lewis Peter.

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l ti THE GOA L. CLASS PROPHECY One evening, after my lessons were pre- pared for the next day, I was sitting in the swing thinking deeply on a subject which filled my mind. It was our future. Sud- denly, I seemed to have the power to fore- tell the future of my classmates: so if you will kindly step into the future with me, I will tell you what I see ten years hence. First, let us enter a motion Picture Thea- tre. The title of the first play is The Queen of Society. At first we are not much interested but suddenly we sit up and rub our eyes. The heroine is a tall beau- tiful blond, very well known to us, as Eunice Huston. She was now a movie star, and was earning twenty-live thousand dollars a month, as we hear a, man who sits behind us, inform his companion. But our surprise was not to end here. The next reel is entitled The Red Cross Nurse and is said to be taken from real life. The scene opens in a hospital in France. The wounded soldiers are looking very woe-begone until a pleasant looking nurse enters the ward, when every soldier smiles his brightest smile. As she comes down the aisle, stopping at each cot to cheer or to make some one more comfortable, we recognize Florence Johnson, one of the leading nurses of the whole world. Upon leaving the theatre whom do we meet but another of our classmates. At first sight we do not recognize the fashion- ably dressed young lady coming toward us, but her face looks familiar. At the same time Lulu sees us, for it is Lulu Rupert. We are very glad to see Lulu again and ask her to tell us what she had been doing since we parted after our graduation. She replies that she is the Rhetoric teacher in Ohio State, and enjoys her work very much. We wish to know what has become of some of the other girls, so she tells us of Zola Saunders. After completing her college course, Zola, with two very dear friends, had gone to China as a missionary. She was carrying out great reforms there. Her photograph is in many prominent newspapers and the whole country is filled with admiration for the brave girl who is doing so much for the Chinese. We do not hear from any more of our classmates until the Spring vacation when we visit in Gnadenhutten. While walking up Walnut street one afternoon, we noticed a sign which reads, Miss McConnell, de- signer of Latest Spring Fashions, on the door of what was once the old post office building. We wanted to see Lucy again so we opened the door and entered a very business-like oflice. Altho very busy design- ing the Spring Styles for Gnadenhutten so- ciety, Lucy kindly visits with us a few min- utes. After each had learned the history of the others of the few years since we had about Grace Wheland. told us.that Ike had mere man. She was parted, we inquired Sorrowfully, Lucy left her just for a then living a happy married life in Chicago and was highly esteemed by all who knew her. We wanted to know whom Grace had married but her old chum could only say, Well, well, I didn't think it of Ike. Then, we see ourselves strolling down the railroad track toward Lock Seventeen the following day, when we meet Esther Petry. She .tells us that she is a member of con- gressg one of the six congress women of the United States. Of course we knew there was a lady by the name of Petry in the assembly, but never thought of it being our old school mate. Ester looks well and seems very important over her position in congress. Several months later, while walking down Broadway, New Yoi'k, we hear a newsboy calling, Buy a paper, read about Mr. Peter, inventor of the new submarine. l-lurriedly, we purchase a paper, and, glancing over the glaring headline, we iind that it is Raymond F. Peter, a former Gnad- ennutten young man and a graduate of the class of seventeen. He was then in the eni- ploy of the Government and doing a great ueal toward making our country successful in the war with Germany. when reading our paper, we feel that some one else is also reading it over our shoulder. Upon turning around we notice that it is an old lady. Turning to her com- panion this lady remarks, I wonder if this Raymond Peter is acquainted with the Miss Peter, who graduated in the Gnadenhutten Class of Seventeen. I hear that she is- But just then, she and her companion are lost in the crowd. Dale Peter