Goshen High School - Yearbook (Damascus, OH)

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V iw W V F O S H o it I it it H-A-------H f past stood on the location of Stanlcy's store. A doctor had his office in that house. A number of the people of Damascus were employed in the Quaker Manufacturing Company, manufacturers Ji woolen cloth. The factory building stood on the northwest corner of what is now McCann's orchard. This building was destroyed by fire in 1888. The town also had a sawmill, a blacksmith shop, and some carriage shops. In early years the Friends conducted a school which stood on the site of the Pennington or Walter Ellyson home. In 1857 Jacob and Israel Hole established and for three years conducted a private school. The Friends then bought established the Damascus Academy. the township board of education, school. This was later moved to building has been converted into We might go on indefinitely the school and its building and In l9Ol the school was sold to which established a public high our present location, The academy a dwelling house. and review other interesting facts regarding the history of Damascus. For instance, the Yearly Meeting House was built in 1866. However, we must end our tour of the past and think of the present and the future. At least we should feel a greater interest in our community and should almost sense a challenge to defend some of the principles Note: The writer wishes to of our forefathers. - Rendel L. Cosand express his appreciation to those who contributed information for this article. lThese people are: Mrs. Hannah Lloyd, O. V. Delzell, Mrs. Sarah Maris, and Mrs. Leslie Atkinson. 5 -- 5 --

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named the town Damascus. The sneer -1 Y .. G O b :I O History of Damascus, Ohio is a quaint old we will through the years have fond N 11 A N .--------- Damascus. town. To some of us it is home: memories of our life here. In- terest in our village implies a desire for knowledge of its settle- ment and history. Because there was a church here before any town existed, let us first think of the founding of that church. In the early years of our country the consciences of the Society of Friends were awakened to the wickedness of Many of these Friends living in the Territory. where slavery did not exist. A group of these members of slavery . South migrated to the Northwest people in the fear of God founded Upper Springfield Honthly Meeting of Friends They first met for worship in a little log cabin. This cabin was soon replaced by a brick church, built on the site of the present Damascus Friends Church. The locust grove just west of the church was used as a burial ground. In the beginning of the eighteenth century the land in this vi- cinity was a vast wilderness of forests, inhabited by Indians. The French and the English came to this section, and each group raised its flag not far from the present site of the Bethel Reformed Church Years passed, and finally in l?w5 Ohio was admitted as a state into the United States. A few years large tract of land, which inciwded with his wife from North Gasolina and later a man named Howard Horton came bought from the government a the site of Damascus. The land was surveyed, and a town was laid cut. In 1808 Mr. Horton officially running along the south side of the village he named Pharpar, and the creek running past the present site of the Damascus Lumber Company he named Abana, after the rivers of the Oriental Damascus mentioned in the Bible CII Kings 12:51. The exact location of the first house in Damascus is not known. The next two are the present Marianna Pim and Leslie Atkinson houses respectively. The former is just west of Ferguson's filling station and the latter two houses west of the present telephone exchange. In 1819 a young man named James Bluff came to this town from the East. He later operated the town's first store and post office in the Spencer house. He would ride to Philadelphia on horseback to order his goods and have them brought here on a wagon. Every Thurs- day morning he would close his store and go to Nfifth day morning meetingn at the Friends Church. The name of the post office was Damascaville. Years ago a large house stood on the location of Gil's Garage. In this house a young couple operated a very elaborate store The building, with its contents, was later destroyed by fire of in- cendiary origin. A group of families of the community organized a Wesleyan Methodist Church and built a church building. This building now houses Gil's Garage. The house which Hhoomyu calls home in times -- 5 --

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To Grace Richards, who has been 3 source of inspiration throughout the years to the freshmen class as well as to the other students and alumni, who has had more to do with the building up of the local high School than any other individual, and in remembrance of the interest she took in us during our freshmen year, we, the Senior Class of 1935 of Goshen High School, affectionately dedicate this first issue of the HGOSHONIANH. .4.. 7 ..-