Warren County
Local History by Dallas Bogan |
Contributor: |
Dallas Bogan on 29 September 2004 |
Source: |
The following is taken from Dallas Bogan's book, "The Pioneer Writings of Josiah Morrow." |
Return to Index to see a list of other articles by Dallas Bogan |
In his excellent history of Washington township published in the Warren County
History, 1882, Esquire Samuel Harris says of the place then
called Freeport:
"At what time this place took the name of Freeport is not known, but in
1802 or 1803, Nebo Gaunt settled there and built a mill which
passed to the ownership of Judge Ignatius Brown and David
Brown, and was known as Gaunt's Mill and Brown's Mill till probably
about 1820 when it assumed the name of Freeport. In connection with this mill
David Brown built a paint mill for the manufacture of Spanish
brown and its kindred shades, the materials for which were procured from some
point above the mill.
David Kinsey built a carding mill in 1816, and about the same
time a cotton factory was built by a company, the latter being burned in 1818.
How long the carding mill was operated after the burning of the cotton mill
is not known. James Van Horn had a blacksmith and auger factory
and Elijah or Elisha Vance had a pottery about 1820. Mark
Armitage, a farmer, had an auger factory near by. A large frame was
erected in 1844 for Charles Nixon to be used as a paper mill,
but not being used for that purpose, the machinery was operated for some time
for a barrel factory."
It will thus be seen that some important industries were established at this
place in the first half of the last century. According to Esquire Harris,
who is good authority, the mill of Nebo Gaunt was the first
one in Washington Township. Harris says of Gaunt: "He was an ingenious
man, and could work as millwright, carpenter, wagonmaker or black-smith with
facility. He afterward built a two-story frame house, and made nearly all the
nails used in its construction."
It is probable that the place was first called Freeport in 1816. The land records
of Warren county show that the town of Freeport was laid out by Ignatius
Brown and Nebo Gaunt and that its plat was recorded
November 30, 1816. The surveyor was Allen Wright and the plat
was acknowledged before Burwell Goode, J.P., with Hiram
Brown and Zimri Gaunt as witnesses.
The town was projected and named probably about the time of the organization
of the cotton mill company. The town plat contained 27 lots, each one-fourth
of an acre. There were three streets; one running north and south parallel with
the river and two short streets running east and west. Mention is made in the
description of the "Factory Lot adjoining the town" and it lay between
the Main street and the river.
It may seem strange that a cotton factory should be built on the Little Miami
at so great a distance from the cotton fields and so far from the navigable
Ohio river. As wool was grown in Warren county it might be surmised that the
mill referred to was a woolen and not a cotton mill, but there is conclusive
evidence that there was a cotton factory at Freeport.
In fact, a few years after the close of the war with England, a number of cotton
factories were established in Ohio. In Kilbourn's Ohio Gazeteer for 1819, I
find mentioned:
At Cincinnati, "One woolen and four cotton factories."
At Chillicothe, "four cotton spinning factories, one of which goes by water
and the remainder by horse power."
At Stuebenville, "one woolen and one cotton factory," both run by
steam power.
The Little Miami was the best mill stream in Ohio and after the close of the
war with England a company was organized to build at Freeport, a cotton factory.
The invention of the cotton gin in 1793 by Eli Whitney caused
one of the greatest industrial revolutions in all history. By its use one man
in one day was able to clean for market 1000 pounds of cotton instead of five
or six by hand. In 1791 the amount of cotton exported from the country was less
than 200,000 pounds, in 1803, owing to the use of the gin it rose to more than
forty-one million pounds. Our cotton fields supplied the spindles both of Old
and New England.
This cotton mill on the Little Miami was doubtless designed for the spinning
of the fiber. Up to the year 1813 the cotton mills were not for weaving but
for the production of yarn or twist which was sold to the weavers who made use
of hand looms to convert it into cloth. In 1813 there was erected at Waltham,
Mass., a factory furnished with both spinning and weaving, and it was probably
the first in the world which combined all the processes necessary for converting
raw cotton into finished cloth. The first cotton mill at Lowell was not erected
until 1822.
While cotton growing became much the most profit-able industry ever introduced
into the southern states and had trebled the value of the lands adapted to its
growth, the cotton factories in the northern states soon enabled them to derive
more benefit from the crop by increased wealth and population than did the states
in which it was grown.
There was recently found in the old Matthews residence on Main street in Lebanon,
parts of an old account book kept by the Miami Manufacturing Co. The oldest
entry in the part of the book found was made at Freeport in May, 1816. While
some leaves are missing, it seems probable that the company began the operation
of its mill at that date. Only two entries were made in May, and about twenty
in June, 1816, but in later months they became numerous. The accounts end abruptly
in September, 1819.
The charges against the patrons of the factory during the few years of its operation
are generally small sums, few of them amounting to as much as three dollars.
The largest item entered is $7.06 opposite the name of Simon Hagerman
in July, 1816.
While most of the accounts were paid in cash, many were paid in farm produce,
such as wheat, bacon, corn, pork, and butter. Wheat was much more frequently
given in settlement of accounts than any other kind of produce. Some accounts
were settled by "work" and one by "hauling cotton."
The old account book contains the names of about 400 patrons of the factory
who resided chiefly within a distance of ten miles around Freeport. Washington
township had not yet been organized and the factory was in Wayne. Most of the
patrons came from the two large townships of Wayne and Turtlecreek, not a few
residing at or near Lebanon.
Many of the names are of prominent pioneers who were the heads of well-to-do
families which were just beginning to substitute factory made articles and fabrics
for those of home manufacture. Among the pioneers flax and wool for clothing
were largely prepared and spun at home, cotton goods being scarce. Carding wool
by hand was common, and weaving, spinning, dyeing and tailoring for the family
were all carried in the same household. Cloth made of mixed linen and wool,
called linsey or linsey- woolsey was common for men's wear.
After the termination of the account with the patrons another account was commenced
which begins thus: "1820--Account Book kept by the Trustees of the Miami
Manufacturing Co."
First in the new account is a list of "Notes, receipts, etc., in Burwell
Goode's hands, one of the trustees."
These accounts were doubtless placed in Goode's hands in order that the business
of the company might be settled up after the destruction of the factory. The
name of Joseph Dunham appears as one of the trustees and of
Isaac John, as trustee and treasurer.
The last settlement of the trustees with the treasurer was on March 27, 1824.
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This page created 29 September 2004 and last updated
28 September, 2008
© 2004 Arne H Trelvik
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