Groce Papers Describe ‘Circle’ before
Squaring
(Circleville Herald Sesquicentennial Edition, Tuesday,
October 18, 1960, pages 54 & 55)
(Historical
research for this story was obtained from the writings of John Groce, a
relative of Mrs. Clark Will and her son, Charles, 144 W. Mound St. Mr. Groce was born here on January 29,
1818. His entire life, with the
exception of nine years in Illinois, was spent in Circleville helping build
this community. He died December 15,
1896.)
It has
often been a matter of regret to the citizens of Circleville of the present day
that the original conformation of the town was ever changed.
The
unique feature of the town was its construction around formations built by the
Hopewell Indians, the first settlers of Pickaway who left their mark.
The men
responsible for squaring the Circle were Andrew Huston, Thomas Huston and Edson
B. Olds. It is interesting to note that
some native “Roundtowners,” years later, carried modern day grudges against
relatives of the Circleville Squaring Co. personalities, the firm engaged in
reshaping the community.
Many reasons were behind reshaping
the town. Important ones were that the Circle
was a piece of childish sentimentalism; shape of lots was inconvenient and
awkward; the circular space around the courthouse presented a poor appearance,
attracting farmers to gather at the courthouse hitching post and allowing their
livestock to run loose through the city.
Life in
the days of the Circle was indeed slow and “easy going,” just the opposite from
today’s “hustle and bustle.”
Some
people believe that the date of the squaring of the Circle should be observed
by an appropriate celebration. Others
believe the only fitting service for this catastrophe would be a “wake” for
Circleville’s greatest mistake.
In
1840, James Silk Buckingham, a famous English traveler, lecturer, and writer,
visited Circleville. He was curious, and
wanted to learn firsthand, just how our townsfolk were going about erasing the
unique circular plan of Roundtown.
He knew
that it was probably the only town in North America built in a radio-concentric
plan, and within earthworks constructed by a pre-historic Indian race, having
studied Caleb Atwater’s scientific description in the first volume of the
“American Antiquarian Society’s Transactions.”
It
stated, “There are two forts, one being an exact circle, the other an exact
square. The former is surrounded by two
walls, with a deep ditch between them.
The latter is encompassed by one wall, without any ditch.”
“The
former was 69 rods[1] in
diameter, measuring from outside to outside of the circular outer wall; the
latter is exactly 55 rods square measuring the same way. The walls of the circular fort were at least
20 feet in height, measuring from the bottom of the ditch.”
“What
surprised me, on measuring these forts, was the exact manner in which they had
laid down their circle and square; so that every effort, by the most careful
survey to detect some error in their measurement, we found that it was
impossible, and that the measurement was much more correct than it would have
been, in all probability, had the present inhabitants undertaken to construct
such a work.”
Besides
Sir James’ interest in the mound-builders’ works, he was aware that
Circleville’s move was classified as the very first example of urban
re-development in the United States.
But he
could not understand why anyone would want to destroy the pattern of the town,
the like of which was no other place to be found, nor could he find any good
excuse for doing it, despite the many flimsy arguments advanced, like – the
original design was a piece of childish sentimentalism, or the shape of lots
was inconvenient and awkward, or the open area about the courthouse was a
nuisance because the country people hitched and fed their horses there, thus
drawing all the hogs and cows from anywhere near – “making the Pickaway seat of
justice a rather poor gem in a worse setting.”
An avid
opponent of the squaring said, “He didn’t know, before visiting Circleville,
that the real purpose of putting this over on the people, was that a few of our
prominent citizens wanted to make an extra dollar, regardless of the
consequences.
“Maybe
this was another first for Circleville – nothing to be proud of, however – this
craze for land speculation. We can
imagine that the English writer, visiting Circleville 120 years ago[2],
knew what “dumbbells” some of our then so-called “leading citizens” were, when
he saw in progress the infamous obliteration of a nationally known
landmark. His own words so indicated.
“So
little veneration have the Americans for ancient remains, and so entirely
destitute do they appear to be, as a nation, of any antiquarian taste, that
this interesting spot of Circleville, is soon likely to lose all trace of its
original peculiarities.”
“The
center of the town contained, as its first building, an octagonal edifice and
the streets beyond this were laid out in circular shape. But though the octagonal building still
remains, the circular streets are fast giving way, to make room for straight
ones.”
The
central edifice itself is already destined to be removed, to give place to
stores and dwellings, so that in half a century, or less, there will be no
vestige left of that peculiarity which gave the place its name, and which
constituted the most perfect and therefore the most interesting work in
antiquity of its class in the country.”
In
1849, in his “National Evils and Practical Remedies,” James Silk Buckingham
proposed the creation of model industrial towns in Britain. The book contains a plan and view of one of
these ideal cities called “Victoria.”
“The city was to be square, with eight main streets converging toward a central open space from the corners and mid-points of the outer boundaries of the city. It is possible that Circleville’s plan contributed to the details of this Utopian proposal,” the spokesman said.
At the time of the “squaring,” business was done on the “Circle.” Outside of the Circle was a circular alley, both within the circular fort. The square fort on the east of the circular fort, and attached, was principally farm land owned and farmed by Samuel Watt, who live where George H. Fickardt[3] now lives, which was then out in the country.
Commencing
on the Circle to describe the town: On
the northeast corner of E. Main St. and the Circle was the old Evans Tavern and
the Harsha Marble works. Next on the Circle
was the Chadwick barber shop, where a 6-1/4-cent shave could be had. There were no a 5-cent pieces then.
Next
was Matthew McCrea’s store and dwelling house; across the avenue was Thomas
Bell’s dwelling, store room and nail factory; next the dwelling and storm of
Frank Kinnear; across N. Main St. was Jacob H. Lutz’s store room, with shed
covered with shingles over the pavement, where men congregated on rainy days
and always had a fight or two.
Next
John A. Wolfley’s addler shop; then Gregg & Adams’ store room, a large
frame building occupied partly for a store and dwelling; across the avenue and
running northwest was Samuel Rogers’ store room and dwelling; next was Butler’s
store room; next, on the corner of W. Main St. and the Circle was Joseph
Johnson’s store room.
Across
W. Main St., Renick & Hurst’s store room; Peter Douglas’ storeroom; next,
Dr. Luckey’s office and dwelling; across the avenue running southwest was Dick
Jenkin’s saloon and gambling den.
John B.
Moore’s saloon was next; Henry Sage’s silversmith shop; Nelson Franklin’s store
and dwelling on the corner of the Circle and S. Main St.; across the street,
Samuel Deffenderfer’s store and dwelling.
Joseph
Laudis’ hat factory; George Weaver’s tailor shop, where he sat on the bench to
scare boys by making ugly mouths at them.
Andrew
Huston’s dwelling and J. & W. Finley’s store room; across the avenue
running southeast, Dr. Webb’s office and dwelling; E. B. Old’s drug store;
next, Charles Dresbach’s silversmith shop and, on the corner of the “Circle,”
Miss Polly Cross’ millinery store.
This
takes us around the Circle and it will be seen that all the business stores
were on the Circle and most all the business of the town done there. There were no shoe stores, hat stores, nor
clothing stores then in the town, but about everything wanted was manufactured
here.
E. Main
St., on the south side, next to Polly Cross, where the Star saloon stood, was
John Watt’s tin shop; Michael Pontious’ chair and paint shop and, across the
alley, a small brick dwelling house; next the large frame dwelling house
occupied by the families of Harry Martin and Mrs. Myra Ballard, and then by
John Ludwig who had the post office in the corner room.
John
Ely, the old clockmaker, was next; and last on the street, on the corner of
what was then a wagon road, but now Pickaway St., was Peter Apple’s dwelling. A little further east and outside the
corporation line was David Watt’s pottery, on the corner of his father’s farm.
On the
north side of E. Main St. was the tavern on the corner, next a dwelling and
shop of John Groce; a one-story frame on the site occupied by the Scovil
residence, the west room being occupied by William and Z. R. Martin, a former
mayor, as a shoe shop, and the east end by James Bell’s family, together with a
large log house in the rear.
Across
the circular fort was a large frame where now stands the Marfield residence[4],
then occupied by George Wolfley, father of the late William and George Wolfley;
across the road, now Pickaway St., the dwelling and shop of Mathias Robbins on
the present site of the Methodist Church, and just up to the corporation line.
The
quarter mile race course started from that point and ended about opposite the
P. C. Smith residence.
W. Main
St., commencing at Johnson’s store, on the corner of the “Circle,” was one of
two small frame buildings used principally as saloons, and next Robert Hayes’
residence, a large two-story frame part of which was occupied as a repair shop
by A. Landenberger and George Wilburn’s chair and furniture shop.
On the
south side, commencing with Renick & Hurst’s store was a small brick shop;
across the circular alley, Thomas Hair’s dwelling; a one-story, rather long,
frame building, with end to the street, just where Parks Bros. grocery building
stood.
Next a
yellow frame house standing on the corner of the road, now Scioto St., and occupied
by Josinskey and, in the back yard, his castor oil press. This was the end of the street.
N. Main
St., west side, commencing with the Lutz store on the corner of the “Circle,”
was first a row of frame buildings, called the Tontine Building, used as a
residence and millinery shop; and one room a school room where Josiah Hulse
taught school.
Next a
two-story frame building occupied by a Mr. Jackson, and attached on the north
was his one-story blacksmith shop; a two-story frame occupied by George Crook,
a merchant and the Sunday School teacher, who was the first person buried in
the new cemetery on the creek. He died
young and was lamented by all.
Across
the circular fort was James McCrum’s dwelling and chair and paint shop; a
one-story building occupied by Z. R. Martin, on the site occupied by Thomas
Ucker as a store and grocery.
Across
N. High St., the Wilson dwelling, and next and last the brick house occupied by
Dr. M. Hammel.
On the
east side of N. Main, commencing at Frank Kinnear’s tin shop; Joseph Johnson’s
dwelling, and before starting his store used the front room as his shoe shop;
across the circular alley, was the tavern kept by Lindsey and others.
Henry
Foresman’s dwelling, and across the circular fort his blacksmith shop; next Thomas
Moore’s two-story dwelling house; next a dwelling house on the corner of N.
High St. and the last house on Main St. north.
S. Main
St., east side, commencing on the Deffenderfer corner of Circle was the old
tavern stand, where the Albaugh house stood.
It was kept by Michael Rowe and later by Capt. Hedges, father of the
late H. N. Hedges, Probate Judge.
Next
was Guy W. Doan’s residence on the side of the round fort; across the fort, was
the north end of the Pickaway House; next a frame shoe shop, with Jacob Burget
as proprietor, on the lot occupied by John Groce, across the road, now Mound
St., a small frame house occupied by William Moore, father of Col. S. A. Moore,
on the spot where Col. Moore’s fine residence stood.
South
was a large log building occupied by Caleb Atwater, author of the “History of
Ohio,” and on the site occupied by A. R. Bolin; a two-story frame building
occupied by A. R. Bolin; a two-story frame building occupied by Noble Doane,
the one-story brick front of the house occupied by S. C. Morrow; next, the Red
Lion tavern kept by the Try family and James Greeno at different times.
This
was the corporation line but further on south was the Tomlinson’s dwelling and
wagon factory which was the Everts school lot, and still farther the old frame
house still standing flush with the street, and last on the street.
On the
west side commencing with the Franklin store room, Franklin’s dwelling house;
the house occupied by Dr. A. W. Thompson, and then where Dr. E. B. Olds taught
school in the front room and later on the Carlisle family lived there; a frame
building, end to the street, the front room used as a school room, taught by
Dr. M. Brown; who occupied the back of the building with his family.
Next
Osenbaugh’s tailor shop; next a pottery; a log blacksmith shop run by Amos
Holenbach, standing on the site of the Josiah Renich house occupied by C. E.
Groce; the house in which the Bowers’ family now lives; next the A. Beach
residence and next where G. F. Wittich lived.
On the
lot occupied by Mrs. Dorothy Turner was a brick blacksmith shop, John Pontious
proprietor on the corner and dwelling back; Levi Pedrick’s house and shop; the
house in which William Vieth lived, and next a small log house occupied by
Andrew Greeno which stood about where Wayne Caldwell’s house stood, the end of
the street south.
In the Circle
was the circular courthouse with brick pavement all around which afforded a
fine place for boys to roll hoops. The
market house was on the north side with wagon way between the two. A row of racks extended around the Circle to
accommodate the people for hitching their saddle horses. There were no buggies then.
Of the
avenues running from the Circle, on the one running northeast there were no
dwelling houses. The James Bell tan yard
was the only building except the stables on the avenue and it was at the end of
the avenue.
On the
avenue running northwest from the Circle on the south side from the Rogers’
store corner, was the office of the “Olive Branch” newspaper, later the “Union
Herald,” the first paper published here; next a two-story frame dwelling,
across the circular fort, the house occupied by the Leiby family and close to
that a little south was the Robert Hays tan yard with open ground all around it.
On the
north side of this avenue there were one or two houses only to the end of the
avenue, one I remembered occupied by George Wilmuth’s family, and across the
fort on an open piece of ground stood the first hay scales of the town, where
the wagon with the hay was lifted bodily by lever power to be weighed.
On the
avenue running southwest from the Circle on the south side were one or two
small houses, and the Lutheran Church a little later on. Across the circular fort and right on the
west bank was a house occupied by Amos Holenbach, and immediately west of that
was the old log jail, the first in the county.
On the
north side of this avenue from the corner of the Circle was first a small
dwelling house and across the circular alley George C. Gephart’s tailor shop
and next to this shop was his two-story brick dwelling house, owned by Mrs. A.
Hawkes and Mrs. Brown.
Next
was Dr. Gibson’s dwelling, and across the fort at the end of the avenue a man
whom everybody called “Old George Downs, the hatter,” and where people had their
wool hats made, the factory standing between the avenue and W. Main St. on open
ground.
On the
avenue running southeast from Huston’s house on the Circle, south side, nothing
but one stable; on the north side of the same avenue from the Webb corner on the
Circle was a row of one-story brick houses owned by the County and used as
offices for sheriff, clerk, auditor, treasurer and recorder.
There
was one house east of that on the bank of the round fort. Across the fort and facing the center of the
avenue stood the stone jail and, back of the jail a little south, the Chadwick
house of logs which was often used for Methodist prayer meetings when it was
the fashion to shout at which there were several female professionals.
At that
time there were no named streets but East, West, North, and South Main streets,
High street and the avenues named above.
On High
North street on the west end commencing at N. Main, south side, was first
Mathias Myers’ dwelling and spinning wheel, both large and small, factory;
next, the Wilkes brewery and the large frame house on the corner of the road,
now Scioto St., the Jacob Zieger house[5],
still standing and in which the first court was held in Circleville.
On the
east end from N. Main St., north side, was Isaac Warren’s dwelling and large
and small spinning wheel factory, the same house occupied by Mrs. Thomas
Williams, a daughter of Isaac Warren.
Next
was the brick house built and occupied by William McArthur and occupied by
Henry Heffner, and just east of that house the Fryatt family; then farm land
belonging to and farmed by Samuel Watt.
On the
south side of this street stood the house of John Irvin, the well digger, where
George McMullen’s house stood, and next the two-story frame still standing and
then occupied by the Westenhaver family.
On the
road running north and south, now Pickaway St., there was not more than five or
six houses from the creek to where John Pinnix lived and where a colored family
then lived by the name of Draper Brown, and then in front, west, east and south
a dense wood.
It must
be understood that east of this road, now Pickaway St., was farm land and wood
land. On the road now Scioto St., there
was perhaps four or five houses from north to south, and one of these was a
large distillery about where the Weldon house[6]
now stands.
On the
road running east from S. Main St., now Mound St., was first, starting on the
south side, from the Moore corner, a log house occupied by the colored family
of Jack Cardiff, on the site now occupied by Dr. A. P. Courtright[7];
next the grave yard and next farm land.
Immediately
back of the grave yard was a dense wood where boys gathered hickory and hazel
nuts and where all the shooting matches took place. They often, and in fact generally, ended in
fighting.
On the
west side of this street was what then was called Mt. Gilboa, and a most
beautiful spot it was in the summer, covered with green grass, and in the
winter with snow on the ground, a great place for the girls and boys to
coast. On the west side near the foot, a
colored family named Levin Smith then lived, and all south to the river was
woodland.
