Circleville 1836

 

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.)

Circleville’s greatest claim to classical history was its famed “Circle,” which partially was “squared” in 1838 and completely obliterated by 1856.

                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.

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[1] One rod equals 16.5 feet.

[2] Now 180 years ago.

[3] 361 E. Main St.

[4] Currently the US Bank at 166 E. Main St.

[5] The original house was demolished in 1904.

[6] 211 S. Scioto St.

[7] 115 E. Mound St.