A SKETCH

OF THE

HISTORY OF ZANESVILLE.

     A LITTLE more than fifty years ago the site of the city of Zanesville was an unbroken wilderness, the prowling place of the panther and the wolf; and, instead of teeming as now with the busy sounds of trade and manufacture, the whoop of the Indian alone rose upon the air. Can it then but lie a source of pride and gratification to her citizens to look back and view the steady growth of Zanesville, during the last few years, from a small village to its present size; which, if not unexampled, has at least but few parallel instances of prosperity in the State. And this fact is rendered more interesting when it is considered that Ohio has attained the position of the third State in the Union, both as to population and wealth. Increasing gradually at first, from the very earliest establishment of a civilized dwelling within her limits, the building of a trading house by the English, on the Great Miami in 1749—to the settlement of Marietta in the year 1788— and then to her admission as a State of the Federal Union in 1802—her growth has been rapid, until there are now nearly two millions of people within her borders. Contemplating her past history in connection with her present position—her vast stores of mineral wealth—her commercial, manufacturing and agricultural importance—we can hardly conceive the extent of her future prosperity. Besides, occupying as she does, a central position, the State of Ohio must forever be the great highway of passage between the East and West. And this amount of trade and travel, when the immense region of country west of the Mississippi is filled with an industrious population, and when commercial emporiums, rivals to our eastern cities, have sprung up on the shores of the Pacific, in all probability will be such as the world has never seen, and of incalculable benefit to the State. It is evident that Muskingum county must always maintain a conspicuous station in the State. The third in population, her resources as an agricultural and manufacturing county are, perhaps, without a superior; while her comparatively untouched beds of coal and iron, render the presumption plausible that she is destined ere long, to attain a much higher position than she now occupies.

     As an appropriate accompaniment to the first Business Directory of the city of Zanesville, the following historical sketch will no doubt be interesting to many:

     Aware of the importance and necessity of affording protection to the western frontier, and being desirous of encouraging emigration to the valleys of the Muskingum and Scioto, Congress, in May, 1796, passed a law authorizing EBENEZER ZANE to open a road from Wheeling, Virginia, to Limestone, now Maysville, Kentucky. The next year, Mr. Zane, accompanied by his brother JONATHAN ZANE, and his son-in-law, JOHN McINTIRE, both experienced woodsmen, commenced their arduous task, and proceeded to mark out the new road, which was finally cut out by the two latter. The road, however, such was the haste with which it was executed, was nothing more than a mere path, and only passible for horsemen. Congress granted to Mr. Zane, as a compensation for performing this work, the privilege of locating military warrants upon three several sections of land, not to exceed one mile square each.  He first intended crossing the Muskingum river at Duncan’s Falls, but a second examination convinced him that the water power to be obtained at the falls at the point where Zanesville now stands; would be of great value, and he accordingly laid out the road so as to cross the river at this place. He thus became entitled, agreeable to the act of Congress, to a section of land embracing the falls, and part of which location forms the site of the city of Zanesville. The other sections were located, one where Lancaster now stands and the other opposite Chillicothe. The land east of the Muskingum being considered poor and unproductive, Mr. Zane gave the first section to his brother and John McIntire, for assisting him in opening the road; retaining what he thought the most valuable sections. A few years, however, have wrought a great change, and the section of land Mr. Zane gave to his brother and Mr. McIntire is now worth more than quadruple the others.

    One of the conditions annexed to the grant of Mr. Zane was that he should keep ferries across the river during the pleasure of Congress. Messrs. Zane and McIntire, in accordance with this provision, established a ferry across the Muskingum, and gave it to William M’Culloch and Henry Crooks. It was kept near where the upper bridge is situated. The ferry boat was composed of two canoes lashed together; and the first flat boat used for the ferry was one in which Mr. McIntire removed from Wheeling in 1799. The first mail ever carried in Ohio was brought from Marietta to M’Culloch’s cabin by DANIEL CONVERS, in 1798, where, by an arrangement of the postmaster general, it met a mail from Wheeling and one from Limestone. M’Culloch, who could barely read, was appointed postmaster, with a salary of $30 per annum; but the duty of assorting and mailing the packages generally fell upon Mr. Convers, as he was more expert. At this time the mails met weekly. Four years after, a number of families having settled here, a regular post office was opened, and Thomas Dowden appointed post master, who kept his office in a wooden building on Front street, near the river. In 1799, Messrs. Zane and McIntire laid out the town, which they call "Westbourn," a name which it continued to bear until a post office was established by the postmaster general, under the name of "Zanesville," and the village soon took the same name.

    A few, families from Kanawha settled on the west side of the river, soon after M’Culloch arrived, and the settlement soon received numerous accessions. It contained at this time one store and no tavern. The latter inconvenience was remedied by Mr. McIntire, who, for public accommodation rather than private emolument, opened a house of entertainment.

    This hotel, the first in Zanesville, did not present a very imposing appearance, being nothing more than a large log cabin; yet, the traveler, who had once shared the hospitality of Mr. McIntire and lady, were ready to acknowledge that under that humble roof, they experienced such treatment, and shared such luxuries, or rather comforts, as the backwoods afforded, as would make it a welcome resting place should they again pass by its door. Lewis Cass, in his "Camp and Court of Louis Philippe," alludes to the circumstance of Louis Philippe stopping at this hotel when kept by Mr. McIntire, in these words:
"At Zanesville, the party found the comfortable cabin of Mr. McIntire, whose name has been preserved in the king’s memory, and whose house was a favorite place of rest and refreshment for all the travelers who, at this early period, were compelled to traverse that part of the country. And if these pages should chance to meet the eyes of any of those who, like the writer, have passed many a pleasant hour under the roof of this uneducated, but truly worthy and respectable man, he trusts they will unite in this tribute to his memory."

    This hotel stood on what is now the corner of Market and Second Streets, a short distance from the river. It was situated in an open maple grove, and commanded a full view of the falls. This continued to be the only public house of entertainment until 1802, when David Harvey opened a tavern on the corner of Third and Main Streets; and this was about the first shingled house in the town. Mr. McIntire’s tavern was now discontinued, as he had only kept it for the accommodation of the public, and did not desire to interfere with Harvey’s business.

    When the Legislature in 1804 passed an act creating the county of Muskingum, the commissioners appointed to select a site for the county seat reported in favor of Zanesville. It was not without some difficulty, however, that the friends of Zanesville succeeded in having their town chosen, as some wished the county seat to be at Coshocton, others preferred the district of country known as the Cass section, just above Dresden. Muskingum then comprised Coshocton besides itself, as well as a greater portion of what  now constitutes the counties of Holmes, Tuscarawas and Guernsey, and a part of Perry, Morgan, Monroe, and Carroll. The citizens of Zanesville, while the question was yet undecided, turned out, and cut down the trees and bushes in the principal streets, so as to make their town appear to the best advantage, it then containing but few buildings, and the site of the town being covered with trees and bushes. The county seat having been established here, the town improved more rapidly; many land warrants were taken up through the county, and a land office was established here in 1803. The first court in Zanesville was held in Harvey’s tavern. Shortly after, however, wooden buildings were erected, which were used for the several purposes of court house, jail, and Sheriff's residence. These buildings stood directly behind the present court house, and were burnt down some time afterwards, having been set on fire by a negro confined in the jail on a charge of larceny. Previous to the erection of these buildings, great difficulty was frequently experienced in the retention of prisoners, and on one occasion, Mr. McIntire and some others watched day and night over two men, who had been charged with counterfeiting, until the sitting of court.

    Chillicothe had been the seat of government for a short period; but, as the location was not a desirable one, many members of the Legislature expressed a wish to have it removed to some other point. Acting upon this hint, the friends of Zanesville set to work, and in 1808 the Muskingum delegation received assurances from their friends in the Legislature, that if the county with its own funds would. erect suitable buildings, a law would no doubt be passed making Zanesville the capital of the State. The county commissioners accordingly determined to erect a brick building in front of the old court house, which would answer for a state house. should the Legislature remove here, and if not it would make an excellent court house. The county was without funds, and the project might have failed, had not a few public spirited citizens loaned the requisite amount. The work now progressed rapidly; in 1809 the building was nearly completed, and in 1810 the desired law was passed, fixing the seat of government at Zanesville until otherwise provided. The buildings were now finished, and a smaller one erected for the offices of Secretary of State and State Treasurer; this building was used as a jail, after the destruction of the old one, until the erection of the brick jail in 1824, which has been superceded by the present handsome stone edifice. A heavy debt was incurred by these improvements, and the county bonds were for a long time under par, but they were eventually redeemed. The Legislature sat here, in the building now used as a court house, during the sessions of 1810-11 and 11-12; but, Columbus having been selected’ as the permanent seat of government, the Legislature removed to Chillicothe, until suitable buildings could be prepared at the capital.

    Though the hopes of the citizens of Zanesville were darkened by the removal of the Legislature, its short sessions at this place had given an impetus to the prosperity of the county, which it did not altogether lose when the cause was withdrawn. Much land was entered, and many settlements made in the county; the town improved, and property enhanced rapidly in value. The fears of those citizens who imagined the prosperity of the town would be blighted by the abandonment of Zanesville as the capital, were not realized; and it appeared that her recuperative powers grew the stronger, when she found. that one effort had been unsuccessful, and acted as if her own resources were amply sufficient to bear her onward without any extraneous aid.

    The situation of Zanesville would lead the discerning observer to suppose that no place could be better adapted for manufacturing purposes. The best of coal abounds in the adjacent hills,~ affording a cheap fuel for the feeding of mills and factories; while the water power formed by the dam and canal is sufficient to turn thousands of spindles, and hundreds of mill stones; and which is probably the cheapest motive power in the whole country. The facilities for shipping merchandize to all parts of the country are every day becoming more numerous. At present, ‘there is a considerable trade carried on by way of the Muskingum river to the Ohio, and thence to Pittsburgh and Cincinnati; and to Cleveland via Dresden; and when the several projected lines of rail-road are completed, Zanesville will be in direct communication with the principal cities of the United States, as well as having an opportunity of commanding a large share of the trade of the surrounding counties. With the Cincinnati and Wilmington railroad on the south, the Cleveland and Zanesville line on the north, the Central Ohio road leading from Wheeling to Columbus, besides numerous plank roads which are being constructed in our vicinity to intersect the railway lines, we know of no city that will have more abundant means of extending its trade than Zanesville; and capitalists, we feel assured, cannot in the United States find a better location for a profitable investment in manufactories than Zanesville. And this is becoming more evident every day, from the fact that land in and adjoining the city has become doubled in value within the last two years.

    For the information of those living at a distance we insert the following:  Zanesville is situated on the east bank of the Muskingum in a bend of the river, about 80 miles from its mouth. The river seems once to have run nearly in a straight line at the foot of the hills on the east side of the town, from which, however, it has gradually diverged to the westward, ‘forming a horse-shoe curve, and depositing through successive centuries, an alluvian of gravel, sand, &c., of great depth, on which Zanesville now stands. West Zanesville lies on the west bank of the Muskingum, at the junction of the Licking with the  former. South Zanesville is situated nearly opposite, on the south side of the Licking; both places being accessible to Zanesville by means of a tripartite bridge, the main branch of which enters the foot of Main Street. A short distance from the curve in the river, but opposite the lower end of Zanesville, and connected with it by a fine bridge, and separated from South Zanesville by a high bluff, is located the beautiful town of Putnam, containing some 1600 inhabitants, three churches, a public academy, arid several stores, and whose Female Seminary has gained a wide spread reputation; and which for excellence of arrangement and facilities for instruction is not surpassed by any similar institution in the country.

    Zanesville now possesses all the conveniences of a metropolis, being lighted with gas and supplied with an abundance of fresh water. The water works are as good as any in the State, and were at first thought to be amply sufficient to supply the town; but lately it has been found necessary to increase their size, and a new and more Capacious reservoir is being constructed immediately in the rear of the old one. The market house is a large one, and is open twice a week, when the choicest productions of the farm and the best meats may be had at reasonable rates. Before many years, however, it will no doubt be found necessary to build a new market house in the Fourth Ward for the accommodation of the already numerous mid rapidly increasing population of that part of the city.

    The facilities afforded for education in the city are of the best character. The public schools are conducted on an excellent plan. A fine brick edifice, on a hill near the city, being occupied by the male department, and a fine frame structure by the females; both under the superintendance of an efficient corps of talented teachers. Besides these, John McIntire left in trust nearly all his immense estate, worth probably between $200,000 and $300,000, for the education of the poor of Zanesville forever. A suitable building has been erected, in compliance with the injunctions of the will, and a school is held, which is attended by a large number of boys and girls. The poor have thus an excellent opportunity, thanks to the munificence of Mr. McIntire, of educating their children "without money and without price."

    There are in the city thirteen churches, viz: 1 Episcopal, 1 Presby4erian, 2 Episcopal Methodist, 2 Baptist, 1 Protestant Methodist, 2 Catholic, 2 Lutheran, 1 Universalist, and 1 African. Besides these there is a True Wesleyan congregation. The Wesleyans have it in prospect to build a church, the ensuing summer, in the Fourth Ward. The Presbyterian, Episcopal, Catholic, Seventh Street Methodist, and Market Street Baptist churches, are all tine edifices. The Catholic Cathedral is now being finished in the best style of Gothic architecture, and when completed will present an imposing appearance, and be without doubt, one of the finest structures in the United States. The Episcopal Church, also, when finished, will be a handsome building.

    The advantages Zanesville possesses as a manufacturing point have of late attracted the attention of capitalists, and some few establishments have been commenced, which are evidently but the prelude to other and more extensive ones. There are now in successful operation, 5 flouring mills, 2 oil mills, 3 saw mills, 1 cotton factory, 1 rolling mill and nail factory, 3 marble factories, 2 white lead works, 1 paper mill, S iron foundries, 2 machine shops, 2 manufactories of yellow ware, 1 bellows factory, 2 glass works, 2 woolen manufactories, 2 breweries, and 1 last factory.         

    There are in the city 4 newspaper offices, and I in Putnam, viz: The Courier, printed daily, tri-weekly and weekly; the Aurora, weekly; the Gazette, weekly; the Christian Register, semi-monthly; and the Western Recorder, (Putnam) weekly. Zanesville contains, including the small villages adjoining the city, a population of more than ten thousand, an increase of some four thousand since the census of 1840, and the probability is that he- a fore five years the present population will be doubled.

    In 1835 Zanesville contained nearly 4,000 inhabitants; including the adjacent villages about 5,000. In 1840 the population of Zanesville together with Putnam, West and South Zanesville, was a little over 6,000. In 1850, as we have seen, the whole population was over 10,000. The population of Muskingum county in 1820 was 17,824; in 1835, 30,000; in 1840, 38,749; and in 1850, 45,053. These figures, it is true, do not show a remarkable increase of population for the length of time; but it must be conceded that the ratio of increase in both county and city evinces a steadiness of growth and certainty of future prosperity.

    Zanesville at one time bid fair to become the second town in the State; but the removal of the seat of government gave to Columbus a degree of importance which it could not otherwise have obtained; and the terminus of the Ohio Canal at the Lake of course raised up a commercial town, which will probably always serve as a northern emporium for the trade of the State. Notwithstanding the apparent superiority of her rivals, Zanesville possesses resources which are capable, if properly wielded, of placing her at least upon an equality with them, if not making her vastly their superior. That which has done so much towards developing the resources of various parts of the country, the railway, is already beginning to have an influence upon the prospects of Zanesville. Business is increasing. Many new structures are either in projection or under contract; among which we may mention the City Hotel, whose company obtained a charter at the last session of the Legislature; besides several manufacturing establishments, which will no doubt be in operation during the next two or three years.— Land speculation is rife; and some large sales have been effected at double the price that was asked two years ago. Companies are being formed for the purpose of coal mining when the several railways leading to the city shall have afforded a ready and cheap means of access to a boundless market in every direction. Farmers, seeing the great advantages that will result from their being placed in connection with the railway lines, enter hartily into plank road projects, and charters for no less than five different ones in this county, were granted by the Legislature. In a word, the signs of prosperity in both city and county, were never brighter, and are too palpable not to be noticed by the most careless observer; and we cannot think that this is but an ephemeral excitement, for every thing leads us to believe the seeds of future greatness are sown in good soil, and that the warmest hopes of our most sanguine citizens will eventually be ore than realized.