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Pioneers of Marion County Washington Township Washington Township Histories - Page 325 Chapter XXX. Washington Township - Geography and Early History - Names of First Settlers - Hiram Moon - An Adventure in the Snow - Allen Pearson - Joseph Pershall - A Toilsome Milling Expedition - Land Excitement - First Church Organizations - First School - New Town, or Gosport - Columbia Washington is a southern township, and may be described as the south-east quarter of the south-west quarter of the county, and is technically known as town. 74, range 20. It is bounded on the north by Knoxville, on the east by Indiana, on the south by Lucas county, and on the west by Dallas township. About two-thirds of the township is prairie, though English creek that runs nearly through the center, from a little west of south to as much east of north, is widely margined by timber of a very good quality. English has numerous tributaries, and coal abounds along these streams in paying quantities, but the best veins yet worked are in section 34, owned by Clark & Williams, and average about three and a half feet in thickness. On the 6th of January, '47, it was ordered by the county commissioners that town. 74, range 20, and town. 74, range 21, be declared a township to be known as Washington township. This included the present townships of Washington and Dallas, and so remained till about October 3, '48, when Dallas and Franklin were defined as one township, and Washington as it now is. The earliest election of which there is any preserved record, was held on the 5th of April, '52, at which the following officers were chosen: Washington Township Histories - Page 326 Allen Pearson and Joseph Grove, justices; James Fletcher and Henry Dresser, constables; Hezekiah Willey, Andrew Reed and Joseph B. Snyder, trustees, and Allen Pearson clerk. Previous to this Joseph Pershall and James M. Brady were justices, Joseph Scott, John Riddle and Hezekiah Willey, trustees, and Allen Pearson clerk. The names of most of those who settled in the township at the earliest dates, are as follows: Josiah Willey, now living in Lucas county, in '46; John Asher, Wm. Clear and Wm. Hunt, in '47; the Moon family, Hyram Larkin, Geo. W., and Simon P., and Joseph Pershall in '48; Wm. Agan in '49; John Agan in '50; and John Stotz and Andrew Reed in '52. Of these, Hiram Moon, John Asher, and Wm. Clear are dead, and the remainder, except Joseph Willey, still live in the township. Washington Township Histories - Page 329 During the year 1853, the lands in this part of the county were taken up rapidly by speculators and settlers. Mr. Brumfield Long, who settled that year, on section 23, lodged as many as twenty land prospectors per night, and fed them on corn bread. The beautiful prairies here, no less than in other parts of the county, were justly attractive to land hunters. As has been stated Rev. Hyram Moon organized the first religious society of the Christian or Campbellite order, in 1849. Rev Johnson organized the first Methodist class, with a mem-ship of eight or nine persons, at Henry Molesworth's, a short distance east of where Columbia now is, in 1852. Mr. T. L. Strong, who lived a short distance within the limits of Lucas county, was appointed the first leader of this class. The first school was taught by Miss Mary Crowley, (now Mrs. Beabout, living near Gosport,) in 1853. The school house was a small cabin built by Mr. T. L. Strong, above mentioned, and stood upon the line between Marion and Lucas. It was a fair representative of most of the school-houses of that period, being small, with a puncheon floor, a clapboard roof and upper floor, and a wide fire-place. The school was mostly supported from this township; and it is a fact worthy of note that at least eight persons that attended that school, have since become teachers. On the 8th day of July, 1853, John Stipp and John Hessenflow, employed F. M. Frush, to survey and plat a town on land then owned by them, described as the south-west quarter of section 15, and the north-west quarter of section 22, and called it New Town. The first house in the new town was built by Daniel Sampson, who opened the first store in it, and also kept the first Washington Township Histories - Page 330 post-office the first year of the existence of the place. The mails were at first supplied by volunteer carriers, and the office maintained by volunteer contributions. In due time it was discovered that there was another post-office in the State, bearing the same name, and it was then changed to Gosport. Gosport is still a small village, but its location is a pretty one, being on an upland flat, within the limits of the timber that margins English creek, and contiguous to a fine farming country on the north, east and south. It contains one store, a large frame building originally erected and used as a hotel, but now unoccupied, and a number of small dwellings and shops. On the 23d day of March, 1857, being about three years and a little more than eight months, later than the time Gosport was surveyed, Hugh S. Smith, employed Wm. Kent to survey and plat a town on the south-west quarter of the south-west quarter of section 27, and on the north-west quarter of the north-west quarter of section 34, land then owned by Mr. Smith, he having purchased it of Benjamin Litton, and called it Columbia. James D. Steel built the first house, a round log dwelling, now not standing, John McEldoring sold the first goods, Andrew Reed kept the first post-office, and Clark and Williams kept the first hotel, and are still proprietors of the same building together with a large flouring mill. The name Columbia, was that of the post-office, which was previously kept by Brumfield Long, at his place, about two miles west of where the village was located.* Quite a strife arose
between the people of Gosport and Columbia, on the occasion of the location
of the latter. Believing that the building of another town so near their
own would Washington Township Histories - Page 331 be detrimental to its prospects, the people of Gosport resolved to nip the new aspirant in the bud. To this end they attended the sales of lots, intending to buy all they could of them, and let them lay vacant. But this trick was understood by the Columbians, and the lots were bid off at too high figures to warrant safe investments by the other party, and they abandoned the scheme. The town is located in the midst of a large prairie, and surrounded by a good farming district. It contains three stores, one hotel, a large flouring mill, one church building, and a proportionate number of shops and dwellings, some of the latter being very good. The church was erected at an early date, under the pastoral charge of Rev. P. H. Jacobs, Old School Presbyterian. The following was the population of Washington township, by the United States census of 1870: Native - 1,273 Index of names mentioned in the Washington Township Histories section Agan, John - Washington
Township page 326 Beabout, Mrs. -
Washington Township page 329 Clark - Washington
Township page 325, 330 Dresser, Henry - Washington Township page 326 Fletcher, James
- Washington Township page 326 Grove, Joseph - Washington Township page 326 Hessenflow, John
- Washington Township page 329 Jacobs, Rev. P.
H. - Washington Township page 331 Kent, Wm. - Washington Township page 330 Litton, Benjamin
- Washington Township page 330 McEldoring, John - Washington Township page 330 Molesworth, Henry
- Washington Township page 329 Pearson, Allen -
Washington Township page 326 Reed, Andrew - Washington Township page 326, 330 Riddle, John - Washington Township page 326 Sampson, Daniel
- Washington Township page 329 Willey, Hezekiah
- Washington Township page 326
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