July 4, 2008
On the public square in Millersburg stands a massive granite monument dedicated to the soldiers of Holmes County. On the top of the monument stands a soldier in uniform at “parade rest”, facing north and carved from Concord, New Hampshire granite. The monument’s base is of native brown stone, and the shaft is made of dark Quincy granite from Massachusetts.
On the four sides of the shaft in raised letters are the names of the leaders of the first four wars of the United States. On the north side is Washington’s name engraved with this inscription: “Six soldiers of the Revolutionary War were residents of Holmes County, Ohio”. On the east side is the name Jackson, hero of the War of 1812, bearing this inscription: “In memory of the soldiers of the war A.D. 1812, who became citizens of Holmes County”. The south side is adorned by the name Scott, commander of the U.S. forces in the war with Mexico. This inscription reads: “More than 200 men from Holmes County served in the war with Mexico. They were engaged in the battles of Cerro Gordo, Contrera, Cerubusco, Motino Del Ray, Chapultepec, and San Cosme”. On the last and west side is the name Grant, and this inscription speaks for itself of the loyalty of our county: “In response to the different calls of the government two thousand and fourteen men went from Holmes County during the War of the Rebellion. They were engaged in many battles, from Philippi to Appomattox”. Regarding the Civil War, Holmes County, in proportion to population, furnished more troops than any other county in the state of Ohio.
This monument was erected by voluntary contributions from the citizens of Holmes County. A committee headed by Dr. John G. Bigham took on the task of raising money to pay for the soldiers’ monument. Letters soliciting contributions for the monument were sent out. Millersburg businessmen donated liberally and different sections of the county also sent in donations. Among other events, in January 1886 a fair and festival was held which lasted for ten whole days.
| Finally on July 4, 1887, the beautiful monument was unveiled and dedicated. It was a gala day in Millersburg for everyone. People from all parts of the county came to honor and pay tribute to the brave men who served our country in defending the rights of liberty.
 Moving in the Base of the Monument |
The Monument |
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June 18, 2008
June 23 – Millersburg Glass Program/Tour of New Millersburg Glass Museum – Always a popular program and this year combined with the opening of the new Millersburg Glass Museum in downtown Millersburg. Program will be at the Presbyterian Church at 7:00pm followed by a tour of the new museum.
August 5 - Oak Hill Historic Cemetery Tour – Come join us for a fascinating “living history” program at Oak Hill Cemetery in Millersburg. Historic figures in Holmes Co. history will be brought to life as area actors present oral history of their past. Program starts at the mound in the cemetery. Actors at the graves of each historical figure will do a brief presentation. Donations accepted. Program begins at approx. 6:30pm.
August 23 – Artists, Authors and Musicians at the Victorian House – The Victorian House will be transformed into an artisans fair for the weekend where area artist, authors and musicians will exhibit their works. Artists will be on hand to personally sign their works. This is a first time event to support our area artisans. Time is Sat. 1:00 – 8:00pm. If you are an area artist and would like more information call the office at 330-674-0022
September 13 – A Day at “The Glens”/Troyers Hollow Area - Come and join us as we partner with the Holmes County Naturalist Program, OSU Extension Office to present the geologic and botanical history of the Troyers Hollow area. Bring your lunch, beverage will be provided at noon. Hike and program begins at 10:00am and 1:00pm at Troyers Hollow. Follow the signs off SR557 one mile north of Charm. The event is free to the public
October 15 – Downtown Millersburg Historic Building and Heritage Workshop – This will be the kick off for a program series focusing on the interpretation of our historic downtown area. Thru an “adopt a building” program the history of the downtown buildings will be presented and the idea of workshops for local business/building owners on how to create historical displays in their businesses. Location Faith Lutheran Church at 7:00pm.
Nov. 22 – Dec. 31 – Holiday’s at the Mansion - Victorian House Museum – 28 room mansion decorated by area businesses, and organizations opens for holiday tours.
May 18, 2008
Long ago soap making was a family necessity. The soap was called lye soap, and there were three ingredients that went into this soap making process. These were rendered animal fat (lard), lye, and lots of hard work. Early settlers usually made this soap in the fall of the year after butchering their pigs.
First of all the pig fat was rendered into lard and saved either for soap making or for cooking purposes. The lye ingredient was obtained from ashes collected from wood stoves or burning piles. When it came to making the soap, pioneers poured water through the ashes to leach out the lye. This was usually done in a large container (hollow log or wooden barrel) mounted over a grooved lye stone which siphoned off the liquid lye into a clay vessel at the lip of the groove. The third ingredient for the lye soap procedure was supplied by a pair of hard-working hands.
There was truly an art to making this soap. First the lard and lye were mixed together in a large kettle outside over an open fire and stirred for hours and hours with a long-handled paddle. The hardest part was determining if the lye was of the correct strength. Since lye is an extremely caustic substance, the soap maker had to be careful to have just the right concoction of lard and lye. Too much lye would cause the soap to burn the skin; and too little lye would keep the soap solution from hardening.
There were several old methods for determining the proper strength of lye in the recipe. One method was to float an egg or potato into the mixture until only its tip was showing. Another held that if a chicken feather dissolved in the mix, the batch was fit. If the lye portion appeared to be too weak, they’d boil it down; if it was too strong, water was added to the mixture. When the stirring paddle was able to stick straight up in the soap mix, it was said to be done. The lye soap was then poured into metal pans and allowed to dry and harden. The hardening would take from two weeks to one month. After the lye soap hardened, it was cut into smaller bars for everyday use.
Since this whole soap-making process took such a very long time, the lye soap was carefully stored away until the next soap-making time. This was usually a whole year distant. Pioneers used their lye soap for all types of family cleanliness; everything from cleaning their faces to doing the laundry.
April 4, 2008
Glenmont is a peaceful community surrounded by seven hills. Over the years these hills have been very important for Glenmont’s economic growth in that some of the hill slopes and ridge tops were covered with large blocks of sandstone that did not require much stripping. Sandstone of all sizes, therefore, could quite easily be quarried out. Thus began the quarrying operations in the town of Glenmont.
The first stone quarry of Glenmont was owned and operated by the Purdy Brothers. This original quarry was located on top of a hill on the south side of S.R. 520 a short distance east of the Glenmont community. A two-track slanted trolley was built as a bridge across the road with a steam engine cable system to lower large stone slabs to the south side of S.R. 520 where they were cut and hewn into finished products. The first items produced by the Purdy Brothers were grind stones and large mill stones. After a time sandstone blocks used for buildings and bridge culverts were quarried. As early as 1857, stone taken from the Purdy Brothers Stone Quarry was used to construct Glenmont’s St. Peter and Paul’s Catholic Church.
In 1917 Robert Blum, a stone cutter from Amherst, came into the area searching for a particular stone for residence construction. He found what he wanted in the quarry at Glenmont and went back to Amherst and made arrangements to buy the quarry from the Purdy Brothers. Blum named his new company The Briar Hill Stone Company; a name suggested by a sales agent after tramping through the briars on a hill nearby the quarry. Robert Blum’s son, Harold, came to manage the business in 1920; Harold’s brothers Elmer and Chester joined him in 1923. Since stone cutting was a highly skilled work and no local people were prepared to do this, stonecutters from Amherst were brought into Glenmont for this job. These workers hand finished and dressed the sandstone with a hammer-like tool. Business was flourishing for Briar Hill during the 1920s and 30s, which helped the area get through our country’s Great Depression. After a while when the stone work business got slow, Briar Hill also made metal furnaces for Bryant Heater of Cleveland and then got a contract from the government to make military tank parts. By the 1950s Briar Hill was working quarries not only in Holmes County, but also in Coshocton and Knox counties. The various quarries now provided decorative sandstone in a dozen or so different colors as well as the sturdy, gray construction sandstone.
Eventually the stone quarries were sold again. In 1986 the Briar Hill Stone Company was purchased by another company that nearly bankrupted the whole quarrying operation. Currently the Scioto Stone Company owns this stone firm in Glenmont and the quarrying activity is back in business again. It is of considerable historical significance, however, that the Glenmont stone quarries have been in continuous operation, under various owners, since the mid 1800s.
Early Purdy Brothers Stone Quarry
Purdy Brothers Stone Quarry
Briar Hill Quarried Stone |
Purdy Brothers Stone Quarry
Briar Hill Quarried Stone
Shipping Briar Hill Quarried Stone |
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March 4, 2008
An early business in Killbuck was the Duncan Mill. Originally the mill was built by Oliver Huston (Husted) along the Killbuck Creek in 1820. Knowing that the railroad had been extended to Millersburg in 1854 (but discontinued for lack of funds), John Duncan (father of J. C. and William Duncan) bought the mill in 1857. He believed that the railroad would eventually be continued southward to Killbuck once funds became available to provide good transportation for the mill.
During the Civil War, both J.C. Duncan and William Duncan had enlisted. At the end of the war the Duncan brothers returned to Killbuck and took charge of their father’s mill. They entered into a successful business partnership that lasted for several decades. There was one flour mill, called the Killbuck Mill, one saw mill, and one planeing mill; all belonging to J.C. and William Duncan. The railroad, of course, was a great advantage not only for Killbuck, but also for the Duncan Mills. The flour mill produced the famous brand “White Lily” flour. Local folks, with horse and wagon, would haul coal and produce to Killbuck and take back White Lily flour, sugar, and other items which came into Killbuck by train. Even a famous basketball team from the area once carried the White Lily name.
Eventually the mill went out of business and was abandoned. The frame structure, about 150 years old, was condemned by the state fire marshal, and the vacant four-story 40 by 50 foot mill was deliberately burned to the ground on Oct. 1, 1961 by firemen. An estimated 35 fire departments from central Ohio were represented at this spectacular practice session.
Duncan Mill Front View |
Duncan Mill Rear View |
Duncan Mill Dam & Water Wheel |
Practice Fire on Abandoned Mill 1961 |
Click here to see full-size photos
As a note of interest, the Holmes County Room of the Killbuck Valley Museum currently has on display photos and actual mill stones from the old Duncan Mill. The museum also has a miniature animated replica of the old mill that fascinates children and adults alike.
February 1, 2008
For many years Holmes County had a thriving ice-making industry in Lakeville on the West End of O’dell’s Lake. The lake provided deep, clear, and clean water; and the ice that formed during the winter could be cut and stored for use during the warm summer months. Since businesses such as meatpackers, restaurants, hotels, etc. had great need for this ice, a whole new business opportunity was at hand to preserve meat, dairy products, and other perishable food items.
There was a special art to cutting this ice. Straight lines were cut on the ice by a horse-pulled plow that had teeth like a skate. Each tooth dug in 1/4 inch. From year to year, the ice would vary in thickness depending on how cold the winter had been; so the plows came in several sizes, each designed for a particular thickness of ice, and each leaving four inches of ice uncut underneath for protection. The plow went both directions to cut the ice into squares or rectangles. The huge blocks of ice, usually four inches thick, 50 blocks in length, and weighing 200 pounds, were then floated to shore. On shore the blocks were split into two-inch thicknesses and loaded into an icehouse.
The icehouses were built at the water’s edge and elevators and conveyors carried the ice blocks inside. Icehouses were very specially built to preserve a great deal of ice throughout the year. At Lakeville the wooden icehouse was built in the 1870’s and operated by the John Rush family. The building was 100 by 225 feet and forty feet high, and the floor and side walls of the icehouse were insulated with ten inches of sawdust. In addition, three feet of rye grass or hay would be placed on top between the top row of ice and the ceiling. Every year 50,000 tons of ice were stored and shipped from Lakeville.
Block ice was shipped out of Lakeville by rail. Wagons would transfer ice from the icehouse to train cars as needed for transport around the region. Four railroad cars were loaded every day with ice. The train filled icehouses in Mansfield, Crestline, Wooster, Canton, Massillon, Alliance, etc. and even as far away as Pittsburgh. This was, indeed, a very prosperous industry in the 1870’s and early 1900’s.
Gradually technology doomed the ice-harvesting industry as electric refrigeration became available. In 1907 the Lakeville icehouse burned and the ice-harvesting business ceased operation,
