More information that I thought some of you might enjoy HISTORY OF PORTERSVILLE PREFACE Many of the records included in this History of Portersville have been taken from Colborns History of Perry County and a few are taken from Martzoff's History of Perry County. Much credit is due Harriet Butt for many of the items included in the history. Others who have made major contributions are S.H. Pettet, D. W. Trussell, N.C. Stone- burner and Leroy Hearing. A few others helped out in a minor way. However, the major portion of the credit is due the late B. H. Pettit who did the research and compiled the original copy of which this is a revision with some addition. O. E. Hearing January 22, 1966 The village of Portersville is located in Section 24 of Bearfield Township, Perry County, Ohio on State Route 37, about half way between New Lexington and McConnelsville. State Route 555 also passes through the village. Before this country was settled by the white men the Monongehala Indian trail followed State Route 37 through the village of Porters- ville. No doubt many an Indian war party passed through the present site of this village in journeying from the Shawnee and Wyandotte Indian villages at the present sites of Lancaster and Chillicothe to the French Fort DuQuesne near Pittsburgh. It is probably safe to assume that many white captives taken in Indian raids in western Pennsylvania and Virginia have followed this trail through Porters- ville. We have not been able to learn of any Indian Village on or near the present site of our village, but the great number of flint arrow heads picked up by the boys of seventy-five or more years ago when the fields were plowed is ample evidence that this locality must have been a favorite hunting ground for the native Red Man. Portersville was platted on land owned by John Porter, who lived in the area just below the Perry County line on the left hand side of what is now Route 37. It was named Portersville in honor of its founder. In 1842 fifteen lots facing Main Street, which extends east and west, were surveyed. In 1852 lots 16 and 17 laying east of lot No. 1 were added to the plat. The Rusk heirs also platted fifteen lots on their land laying north of the Porter farm. These lots face what is known as Mechanic Street, which extends north and south and crosses Main Street forming the Public Square. This was done in 1851. The old Public Well, which is still in use, is located near the south-east corner of this square. The first known settler on lands which were later included in the village was Levi Little. The exact location of his residence is not known. He owned a grist mill which was turned by hand. One day's grinding was two bushels of corn, three or four bushels of buckwheat, or one and one-half bushels of wheat. This mill was later turned into a horse power mill. . Soon after Portersville was platted John Adams erected the building which is still standing on the north-west corner of Public Square. To the older residents this was known as the Reese property. He opened a general store in the large front room of the building. A post-office was also established in this building and mail was received from McConnelsville. Later, mail was received from Halls Valley. When the Toledo and Ohio Central Railroad was built south from New Lexington, and the town of Rendville was founded, mail was received from this new location. A Mr. George Maris was one of the early carriers on this route. When the C.S. and H. Railroad was constructed extending from Shawnee to the Muskingum River, the mail was carried by train to the Portersville Station and then delivered to the Portersville post-office by a carrier, he usually traveled on foot. After the railroad from Sayre to the Muskingum river was discontinued, our mail was carried by train to Sayre and then delivered to the Portersville Postoffice by a carrier. The carrier usually came by horse back but some of the later ones used a one horse wagon. When passenger service on this line, which was known as the Zanesville and Western, was discontinued the mail was carried by a bus which made regular runs daily between New Lexington and McConnelsville. However, the wheels of progress were turning and the march of time could not be turned back. The post-office was finally closed on March 31, 1941. Since that time the mail has been delivered by rural delivery. Two routes run through the village. They are Corning, Route 2 and Malta, Route 1. Many of the older residents regretted the closing of the post-office. One resident was so disturbed that he wrote a Post Card to himself and mailed it on the last day the office was open. It read as follows: Dear Mr : This is to inform you that today is the last for your Post Office. After more than four score years the freedom for which our forefathers fought has been denied you. Democracy is a failure and the Dictator must rule. No more will the jolly gang settle world questions around the stove. Portersville is just a wide place in the road. William Anderson succeeded John Adams in the store business, and following him was Philip Appleman. In 1855 Louis Schneider purchased the property and merchandise. He continued in business until 1868, when he sold out to Walters and Reese. They continued the business for a number of years but finally decided to close shop. Several years later, a Mr. Law opened a clothing store in the same room but he was in business only a short time. This building which was probably the first erected on a village lot is now in poor repair and is unoccupied, It is distinguished by its red color. A brother of John Adams built a residence just across the street from the above mentioned building. It was located on the south-west corner of the square. This building was known as the Hazel Butt property. He kept a grocery store in one room of this building for a number of years. Later this building served as the home of M. C. Newlon and was occupied still later by Hazel Curry. It was torn down several years ago and a new building was erected on the same site by Dr. M. O. Smith. A man by the name of George Mitchell opened a general store on the property diagonally across the square from the Hazel Butt property. He was succeeded by a Mr. Cunningham. After a short time this store was closed. Later this building burned to the ground and a new structure was erected by Howard Finley. Several years later this property was purchased by David Crook. He erected a small building on the plot in which he operated a grocery and dry goods store. After his demise the store was operated by his widow for a few years. At the present time this building, which has been remodeled, is the residence of Ernest E. Hane, a retired blacksmith and farmer. The former store building serves as his garage. Shortly after the Civil War, John Newman opened a store in the basement of what is known as the William Butt property. The original building burned over fifty years ago and was replaced by Mr. Butt with a new one built on the same pattern as the old one. It is now owned and occupied by Mrs. Ina Potts and her family. Mr. Newman decided to enlarge his business and he and his brother-in-law, John Chandler, built a store building on the present site of old Porters- ville Store Company building. In a few years Henry Hearing purchased Chandler's interest in the store. Newman and Hearing continued in business for a short time when the partnership was dissolved, each taking his share of the merchandise. Mr. Newman then proceeded to build a new store building on a lot almost directly across the street. It was located about midway between the present site of the Mrs. Dora Miller residence and the old William Butt property. However, Mr. Newman died before the new building was ready for occupancy. Henry Hearing, who was getting ready to migrate to California, sold his store and merchandise to Philip Hammond and his son Granville. They did not continue in business long and sold out to P. W. Newlon. After a few years Mr. Newlon sold out to Charles Hearing, who conducted a general merchandise business for several years, when Newlon again bought an interest in the business and Newlon and Hearing was the firm name. Newlon later purchased Hearing's share in the business and continued to operate the store until 1900, when the Portersville Store Company was formed under the management of B. H. Pettit. In 1910 J. E. Miller and associates purchsed the business. It continued to operate under the firm name of Portersville Store Company until September 15, 1952 when the business was abandoned. It should be stated that the building in which the above store business was conducted is the one which Mr. Newman built but did not live to occupy. After his death the new store room was first occupied for business by Cyrus Thompson. After a short time Thompson sold the business to David Hill, who carried on business for a few years then sold out to William Free from New Lexington. A few years later P. W. Newlon, who had purchased the Hammond and Son business, purchased the new building from Mr. Free and moved it across the street to replace the building which he had purchased from the Hammonds. It is still located at the south-east corner of lot 14 in the Rusk addition. During the development of the mining town known as Santoy, Elmer Johnson opened a meat market and grocery store on the first floor of what was formerly a part of the Ezekiel Hearing cabinet shop. The room had once been used as a refinishing room for furniture and was the place where the inside trimming was put on the coffins. Johnson, who ran a meat truck to Santoy, later moved there, and Burrell K. Pettet continued in business for a short time at the former Johnson location. In 1925 C. W. Jadwin opened a confectionery and filling station in the former Elizabeth Weaver property which includes part of lots 13 and 14 in the Porter addition. After continuing in business for several years, he sold out to Ronald Kent, wno after a few years, first leased and later sold out the business to his brother-in-law, H. G. Appleman. Mr. Appleman operated the business until 1963 when he decided to retire and sold out his stock. He has been kind enough to keep the room open so that some of his friends would have a place to meet and discuss current world events and affairs. The business was operated for a short time, before Mr. Appleman assumed charge, by the Lambert family by arrangement with Mr. Kent. Alex Tinker was the first saloon keeper in Portersville. He kept saloon in what was later known as the William Butt place. It was located in the basement. Mr. Tinker was succeeded by a man named Hitchcock and his successor was H. H. Roberts, better known as "Hank". All were in the same location. Local tradition has it that Jack Beaty, William Sapp and S. H. Pettet invaded Robert's place of business, imbibed all his stock of liquor and so disgusted "Hank" that he closed up his shop and quit business. As late as 1941, S. H. or "Nib" as he was more familiarly called, was still living at the age of eighty four. He stated that he was able to follow the trail home but Jack and Bill were down and out. Soon after Portersville was platted Samuel Morgan founded a wagon shop for making wagons in what is known as the "shop lot", a tract of one acre between the lots plotted by Porter and the Rusk addition. Some time before the Civil War he sold the lot to Ezekiel Hearing and erected a new shop near where State Route 555 leaves Route 37 east of the village. At this location he carried on an extensive business for several years, employing quite a few hands and apprentices. Ben Smith had a wagon shop on the tract of land owned for many years by Samuel Pettit and later by his son B. H. Pettit. It is currently owned and occupied by the George Kronenbitter's. In addition to building wagons Mr. Smith did considerable repair work. Mechach Butt, who had been associated with Morgan in the wagon business and later with Ben Smith, opened a wagon and blacksmith shop in a building that stood across the street from the former residence of William A. Hearing but is now owned and occupied by the Glen Taylor family. The original, boarded up and down, building was torn down by Hearing and a more nearly modern residence was erected on the same site. Mr. Butt worked in his shop for a few years and then moved to Shawnee in the year 1874. These wagon shops were very busy and prosperous until the factory wagons made their appearance, when they were forced to quit business. The first blacksmith we learned of was Charles McDerraott who worked in the shop directly across the street from the now Glen Taylor residence. After McDermott, Hamp Sisk operated a blacksmith shop at the same location. Later, as mentioned above Mechach Butt carried on the trade of wagon maker at this same location. Some years later a William Hearing, the son of Henry Hearing, blacksmithed at this same old stand. This William Hearing should not be confused with the one mentioned above, who was one of Ezekiel Hearing's seven sons. Ed Addison moved to Portersville and constructed a blacksmith shop on the location just across the street from the Ezekiel Hearing cabinet shop. Many years later Charley Moore operated a garage on this same site. A building called the "Covered Bridge" near this same location served as the home of many residents of the village down through the years. Ezekiel Hearing, George Pettet, Dr. M. O. Smith and Cliff Doty were a few of the people who once lived in this strangely constructed building. It should be stated that the old building, as well as the garage, have been torn down and replaced by a fairly modern residence. After operating for some time at the above location Mr. Addison moved his blacksmith shop in with Sam Morgan's wagon shop and carried on business in connection with Morgan, working several hands and apprentices. While Addison was working with Morgan Chris Hinger carried on the blacksmithing business in the shop which Addison had built. Hinger left the community and Addison moved his business back to his first location where he operated a thriving business until he sold out and moved to Muskingum County. Portersville was without a blacksmith for some years until William Butt who had been an apprentice under Addison and had been working at his trade in Shawnee moved to Portersville and built a shop on lot 6 in Rusk's addition. He did blacksmithing at this location for many years. In the latter part of his career, Bill as he was called, worked at his trade at Santoy for the Sunday Creek Coal Company. He was also employed as a blacksmith for the company which worked on the construction of the Wabash railroad which passed near Portersville but was never finished. While he was working at this latter position, your writer who was a young lad not yet in his teens, and who was water boy for the Scraper Gang spent considerable time in his shop. In 1908, Noah Cress,who had moved from West Virginia to Sayre and started a blacksmith shop, decided to move to Portersville. He worked for a time in a shop located in the rear of what was then the residence of D. W. Trussell, heretofore referred to as the old Reese property. Later Mr. Cress purchased the Walters property, being lots 4, 5and 6 in Portersville. He remodeled the building in the rear of lot 6 making it into a blacksmith shop where he carried on a good business for many years. In his last years he worked for a coal company. In 1922 Harry Ketcham purchased the Joshua Smith property, which is currently owned and occupied by Joe Moore and wife, and opened up a blacksmith ship in the barn located on the property. He worked at this location until 1927 when he discontinued the blacksmith business and built a garage out at the edge of Highway 37 which passed in front of his residence. After a few years he gave up this business and sold the garage out to the Bearfield Local School District for a schoolbus garage. It is still used for that purpose. The first Doctor of whom we find any record was Dr. Hoover, who built and lived in the house later known as the William Butt property. Dr. Hoover was followed by Dr. Dean who lived in a house that stood between the present Grange Hall and the old Walters property. Then a Dr. Watkins came to town and took up his residence on the corner where E. E. Hane and wife now reside. Some years later a Dr. Cooper came on the scene and occupied the old King property, later occupied by Edgar Allen and his wife Grace. (This couple operated the switchboard for the Tridelphia Telephone Company at this location for many years.) Dr. Cooper had his office between his residence and the then general store building. The old King residence has now been torn down. Dr. Cooper was succeeded by Dr. Ferguson who occupied the same property. A few years later Dr. Masters came on the scene. He was a single man and boarded out but occupied the office which Drs. Ferguson and Cooper had used. (It would seem from this array of Doctors that this community must have served as a sort of proving ground for several young doctors.) For some years after Dr. Masters left Portersville was without a doctor. However in 1892 Dr. M. O. Smith moved here. In 1895 he moved to Shelby County but returned here in 1898 and practiced medicine here in this community until his death in 1950. It seems desirable to mention here that Dr. Smith was instrumental in improving the appearance of Portersville more than any other person. In addition to building three new homes he also remodeled one. A man by the name of McGill opened the first shoe shop in Portersville. These early shoe shops were not repair shops but shoes were made from the beginning. At first he had a shop across the road from the property now owned by the Nixon family. He later moved to Portersville but the exact location of his shop is not known. Thomas Pettit also had a shoe shop in Portersville. He was known as "Shoe Tom Pettit" and was no relation to the Thomas Pettet who later lived near Portersville for many years. Franklin Hane also had a shoe shop and lived in what was later known as the King home near the old store building. Later he sold out and moved to a farm on or near the Tridelphia road. However, he still continued in the cobbler business and erected his shop in the corner of the old shop lot next to the Methodist Church where he carried on business for many years, later moving his shop to his farm home. John Hane, his son, ran a shoe repair shop for several years. His shop was located just above the location of the old wagon shops on the north side of the lower end of Main Street. Shortly after 1850 Ezekiel Hearing, as previously stated, bought the property where Sam Morgan had his wagon shop and constructed a cabinet shop. After a few years he also entered the undertaking business, all the coffins were made by hand after the death of the individual and were constructed to fit the body. They were made mostly from walnut and wild cherry wood. "Zeke" as he was called continued this business until 1894 when he sold out to M. R. Hearing. By this time factory made coffins had come into use. M.R. or "Mack." continued the undertaking business until 1924 when he retired. Portersville since that date has had no undertaker. In 1923 Elmer Sidwell and son George built a garage at the former site of Addison's blacksmith shop. After a few years they sold out and Carpenter and Maiers carried on the business for a short time, being succeeded by George Kronenbitter and later by Clarence Jadwin. The property was vacant for some time but was finally purchased by Charles Moore who operated it for a few years as a garage and filling station. At an early date Charles Stoneburner built on what is known as the Rickey lot, and opened a cooper shop in a building on the south side of this lot. This location is just across the alley from the old store building. At about the same time Abe Sherrick operated a cooper shop for a short period in the basement of the William Butt residence. Deerfield Lodge No. 621 Knights of Pythias, which was instituted at Tridelphia was moved to Portersville in the summer of 1906 and was located on the second floor of the building owned by the Portersville Store Company. Champion Grange No. 738,which was located at Sayre, sold its hall in 1924 and together with Deerfield Lodge, Knights of Pythias built a new lodge building on lot number six near the public well. This building was used by both of these orders for many years. It was also used as a community center. However in 1942 the K. of P. Lodge and its sister organization the Pythian Sisters voted to move their membership to the Crooksville Lodge. At this writing (1966) the Champion Grange still meets in this building. Before Portersville was settled and for a short time thereafter children from this area attended school at a building located between the late J. W. Dodson's farm and the former home of Charles Holcomb. Of course neither of these homes were there at this time and are mentioned only to give the general location of the school which was on the old Chapel Hill road and about three miles out of Portersville. Many of these primitive school houses were built in the woods and were crude affairs. They were all built on the same general plan. A pen was built of unhewed logs; the spaces between the logs were filled with "chinks" and mud; one end of the building was occupied by a huge fireplace, in front of which half the pupil's, alternately roasted and froze, that particular half of each pupil being dependent on whether he sat with his face or his back to the fire. In this huge fireplace, the "dinners" would often be placed to keep them from freezing. The benches had no backs. There were low ones for the little fellows and high ones for the big boys. These benches were split from trees. The upper side of each was "smoothed" with an axe and splinters were often numerous. The writing desks were along the walls of the building. A log had been left out above this place and when the opening was covered with greased paper an elegant window was the result. Wooden pegs were driven into the logs upon which the pupils' hats were hung. The teacher sat on a high chair, before a high desk, opposite the fireplace. Behind him within easy reach was an abundance of rods. If there was not a sufficient supply to successfully impress the recalcitrant pupil with the glories and benefits of an education, there was no dearth of duplicates in the woods. In these early days some pupils walked as far as five miles through an unbroken forest in order to attend school. Spelling bees were a popular form of entertainment. There were no graduation exercises. The pupils just "quituated" and usually got married. It should be understood that pupils sometimes attended these schools until they were eighteen years old or older. Soon after the new village was founded, a school district was formed and a schoolhouse was built on the former site of the last Portersville school. The last building was constructed by Ezekiel Hearing. The stone work by John Hearing. Mr. P. W. Newlon was the clerk of the district at that time and prepared the plans for the building. James Justus was the first teacher in the original Portersville school. He lived in Portersville on the northeast corner of the public square. The first school was opened approximately 106 years ago. When the first draft of this history was written by B. H. Pettit seventy-two years after the school was opened some of the scholars who attended this first school were still living. Four of them were living not many miles from Portersville. They were S. H. "Nib" Pettet, Harriet Butt, Ann Morrison and Anna Newlon. The first three named were members of the same family. Others who attended the first school had moved away but we doubt if any of them were still living at that time. In 1844 Daniel Rusk donated land for a cemetery and church at the forks of the Chapel Hill and New Lexington roads. In around the year 1847 there was organized a Disciple, or New Light Church, which continued for a few years when it was changed and became a Christian Denomination. The Disciple and the other Christian people built a log house for general church purposes which stood in the southwest of what is now the old cemetery lot. How long either the Disciples or Christians kept up their organizations is not known, but together they held meetings until the time of the Civil War, at which time the Christian Union Church was organized to take the place of the others. In 1869 they supplanted the log church with a neat frame building, where they still hold services. It was changed to the Christian Union denomination when Rev. Ammon Biddison was the pastor. In the early 1900's the church was remodeled under the leadership of the Rev. M. A. Lamp. In 1920 the church Trustees deeded to the Township Trustees the cemetery at what is now known as the Zion Christian Church. Since that time the cemetery has been under the control of the Bearfield Township Trustees. The Portersville M.E. Church, now known as the Methodist Church, was organized in the old log church which was located where the Zion Church now stands, under the pastorate of Rev. Benjamin Ellis in the year 1855. In 1856 they built a frame church in Portersville under the direction of Rev. Sheets and Rev. John Greeg. The first organization consisted of about thiry members, among whom were John Ball, who was the first class leader, and his wife; Marshall Bullock and his wife; Jacob Brock and his wife; Mrs. Abi Butt; Miss Mary Skinner and Adam Dennis and his wife. At this time the Bether charge, located a mile or two west of Portersville, was disbanded and most of that membership moved here. The first church building stood until 1881 when the present frame building was erected. The cost of the new building was $1975.00. Rev. G. P. Fry was pastor during this period. During the Civil War when John Morgan and his raiders made a raid through the North they did not pass directly through Portersville but coming on the Chapel Hill road they turned north at what is now the place where State Route 555 leaves Route 37 just outside the northern edge of the village and marched to the head waters of Island Run where they camped for the night. Being so near the line of march the residents of the village had a first class scare, but no one was molested. It is said that after Morgan's soldiers had passed, Louis Schneider, who lived on a farm at the lower end or southwestern edge of the village, started across his farm in a northeasternly direction to see if he could tell which way the raiders had gone. Most unexpectedly, Schneider met one of Morgan's soldiers, who had strayed from the command. Schneider was too close to run and too frightened to do so if a good opportunity had been available. The man asked Schneider if there were any Union soldiers in Portersville who were home on furlough. Schneider told him there was a John Ball, who was a Union soldier, happened to be home on a furlough. Handing his gun to Schneider he asked to be taken to Ball's home. He no doubt thought that one of the Union soldiers would treat him better than his home people under the circumstances. Schneider did as requested and Ball took him in and turned him over to the Union forces who were following Morgan. When Charles McDermott kept a blacksmith shop here a family by the name of Harvey lived in this area. Harvey and McDermott had a quarrel one day and were just about ready to come to blows when Harvey turned and hurried for home. Later some of the boys twitted Harvey about running away from McDermott and asked him why he did it. Harvey, a big raw boned Irishman said,"Boys I just drew back to strike McDermott when a blue streak about the size of a rye straw came down from heaven and a voice said "Harvey, Harvey, spoil not the face of a man whom God has created." Harvey said he obeyed the voice and hurried home. Mcgill, who had the shoe shop in Portersville, was a good rifle shot and never missed a chance to boast of his prowess. One day George Holcomb came into the shop and McGill pointing to a dead tree standing about three hundred yards away asked Holcomb if he could see it. Holcomb said he could and McGill then said "The other day a crow was sitting in the top of that tree and I picked up my rifle and concluded I would try a shot, never dreaming that I could hit it at that distance, but I up and fired anyway,"McGill went on with his work and said no more. Shortly Holcomb said, "Well did you hit it!" McGill replied, "Lord no, I never even scared it." The first glass lamps ever brought to Portersville for sale were a half dozen bought by Louis Schneider when he kept store. Harriet Butt, mentioned heretofore as one of the scholars in the new school, had one of these lamps. What happened to it at her death is not known. Probably the largest crowd ever assembled in this vicinity was at the Valandingham Political Meeting in 1863. It was held in a grove on the land in front of the old Brock residence just a short distance out of Portersville on the north side of State Route 37 toward McConnelsville. Speakers from Columbus and other cities were present. People came in wagons drawn by four, six and eight horse teams from a distance of twenty miles. Two bands were present to enliven the meeting. A giant V shaped table was built and girls,dressed in red,white and blue as waitresses, were located inside the V table. Refreshments, music and speeches made this a lively, gay and cheerful day for what was the greatest political meeting ever held in this community. The present population of the village is between sixty and seventy. It is on the down grade hill. The man who wrote the card about the wide place in the road may have been correct. It can be safely assumed that none of those living today in this community can remember the countless acres of primeval forest that once covered the hills around Portersville. The ox teams which once plodded through the mud roads have long since passed out of existence. A few of us can remember when it was a days journey to McConnelsville to the mill with a load of wheat or to the County Seat at New Lexington to pay the taxes. The trip to the mill had to be made before the roads got bad and winter set in. Enough flour was brought home to last all winter. A sufficient supply of coal to last through the winter was brought in by horse and wagon during the early fall months. Some of us can remember when it was rather difficult to get enough money ahead to purchase the coal and pay the taxes. Today with hard surfaced roads, fleets of auto and trucks passing through the village each day, airplanes zooming faster than the speed of sound overhead, it is difficult for us to realize that the span of three lives would reach back to the time when the war whoop of the savage was heard in Portersville.