{89} CHAPTER XI

Remarkable bend in the river—Steubenville—Ornamented seats and farms—Charlestown—Bakewell’s, and other manufacturies—A versatile professional character—Buffalo creek.

At 6 o’clock on Monday, 20th July, we proceeded on our voyage, and three miles below Brown’s passed a point or rather a peninsula on the left, formed by a remarkable turn in the river, which takes a direction due east for two miles; its general course from Big Beaver to Baker’s island having been west, and from thence south. On the peninsula is a well cleared and beautifully situated farm, and there is a remarkable heap of loose rocks on the opposite shore, where a small creek falls into the Ohio, with a neat stone cottage at its mouth. At the end of the easterly reach is a good two story stone house of a Mr. Kelly, just under a hill on the Ohio side, with a fine bottom opposite.

At a little before eight o’clock we stopped at Steubenville, the capital of Jefferson county in Ohio, seven miles from Brown’s. This town has been settled about eight years, chiefly by emigrants from the state of Jersey. It contains one hundred and sixty houses, including a new gaol of hewn stone, a court-house of square logs (which it is said is to be soon replaced by a new one[66]of better materials), and a brick presbyterian church. There are four or five different sects of Christians in this town, but no established minister, except a Mr. Snodgrass to the presbyterians, and a Mr. Doddridge, who comes from {90} Charlestown in Virginia, every other Sunday, to officiate to the episcopalians in the court-house, which is occasionally used for the same purpose by the other sects.

There is a land-office here for the sale of the publick lands, from which large sums in Spanish dollars are sent annually to the treasury of the United States in Washington. Perhaps this is one cause of the town having increased so rapidly. Another may be its very handsome situation. The first street, which is parallel to the river, is on a narrow flat, sufficiently raised above the river floods; while the rest of the town is about twenty feet perpendicular above it, on an extensive plain, rising gradually with a gentle slope to the foot of the hills which surround it in a semicircle like an amphitheatre, about a mile distant. On one of those a Mr. Smith has a house and farm which seems to impend over the south end of the town, from an elevation of four hundred feet perpendicular from the bed of the river. Mr. Bazil. Wells, who is joint proprietor of the soil with Mr. James Ross of Pittsburgh, has a handsome house and finelyimproved garden and farm on the bank of the Ohio, a quarter of a mile below the town.[67]

We remained about an hour in Steubenville, (which is named in honour of the late major-general baron Steuben, the founder of the present American military tacticks): We then pursued our course down the river, passing at half a mile a point on the left, where is a tavern with a fine extensive bottom behind it; and four and a half miles further, we left Mingo bottom island (very small) on the left; half a mile below which on the right is Mr. Potter’s handsome square roofed house, and a quarter of a mile lower down is Mr. Pratt’s neat frame cottage, ornamented like Potter’s with weeping willows and Lombardy poplars. A mile and a quarter from hence we passed two small creeks called Cross creeks, one on {91} each hand, and a mile and a half below them, on turning a point on the left, we saw Charlestown, half a league before us, on the Virginia side, making a handsome appearance, with the white spire of the court house, and several good looking private houses, which are distinctly seen from the river, on account of the situation being on a lower bank than that of Steubenville.

At eleven we landed in Charlestown,[68]went to the inn where the mail stage between Pittsburgh and Wheeling stops, and ordered dinner, during the preparation of which, we amused ourselves with walking through the town. It was laid out about fourteen years ago, and now containsabout eighty houses of various materials—brick, stone and wood, principally in one street parallel to the Ohio. In the middle is a convenient little court-house of stone, with a small, light cupola spire. The gaol is behind it, and in front is the pillory,[69]on a plan differing from any I ever saw elsewhere: A large, round wooden cover, like an immense umbrella, serving as a shade for the criminal in the stocks, or for a platform for one in the pillory to stand on, or for a shelter from sun or rain to the inhabitants who meet on business in front of the court-house, the place generally used as a sort of exchange in the small towns in this country. A Col. Connel, who is a farmer, and clerk of the county courts of Brooke county, has a very large but unfinished house of hewn stone near the court-house. The academy is a good brick building on the ascent of the hill behind the town, and was a good school until broken up by some political division among the inhabitants, which induced Mr. Johnston, the last master, to remove to Beaver {92} in Pennsylvania, where he now keeps the county clerk’s office.[70]

Mr. Bakewell from England, who has been established here about two years, politely shewed us his manufactury of pottery and queensware. He told us that the business would answer very well, could workmen be got to be depended upon; but that those he has hitherto employed, have always quit his service before the term of the expiration of their contracts, notwithstanding any law to the contrary; andtwo of them have actually set up small manufacturies in Charlestown, one of queensware in opposition to him, and the other of tobacco pipes. Bakewell’s ware is very good, but not so fine, nor so well glazed as that manufactured in England, owing probably to the difference of materials, as the process is the same.

Mr. Doddridge who officiates alternately here and at Steubenville, to the episcopal congregations, first practised law, then physick, and now adds the trade of a tanner to the profession of divinity.[71]

The wells here are dug forty to fifty feet deep before water is come at, but that inconvenience might be easily remedied by conveying water to the town in pipes from the surrounding hills, which will doubtless be the case, should it ever become a manufacturing town; which a few more inhabitants of equal spirit and enterprize with Bakewell would soon effect.

Buffalo creek falls into the Ohio at the south end of the town, after a course of forty or fifty miles through Washington county in Pennsylvania, and {93} the narrow tongue of Virginia in which Charlestown is situated. It had a wooden bridge about forty yards in length across the mouth of it, on the post road to Wheeling, which was carried away last spring by a flood.[72]

FOOTNOTES:[66]A handsome brick court-house has since been erected, and the inside work nearly completed. An original bank was established at Steubenville in 1809, by a law of the state, with a capital of 100,000 dollars, with power to increase it to 500,000 dollars. Bazaleel Wells president, W. R. Dickinson, cashier.—Cramer.[67]Steubenville was founded (1797) upon the site of Fort Steuben, one of the earliest blockhouses built in Ohio by the Federal government (1786-87).Bezaleel Wells was the son of Alexander Wells, a well-known West Virginia pioneer who founded the town of Wellsburg, dying there in 1813. The son was considered the best surveyor in the region, and laid out and speculated in town lots at Canton, Ohio, as well as at Steubenville.—Ed.[68]The present town of Wellsburg, West Virginia, was first laid out (1791) under the name of Charlestown, in honor of Charles Prather, its earliest proprietor. In 1816 its name was changed by action of the legislature.—Ed.[69]The pillory punishment, a few years ago, prevailed throughout several of the states, but has been wisely abolished by all but Virginia.—Cramer.[70]Mr. David Johnston was removed from his office in Beaver county after the election of Mr. Snyder as governor. Before he went to Charlestown he taught in the Canonsburgh college, and was elected in that county, Washington, to a seat in the Pennsylvania legislature. He now teaches a private school in Brownsville.—Cramer.[71]Cuming here refers to Rev. Dr. Joseph Doddridge, whoseNotes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania(Wellsburgh, 1824; second edition, Albany, 1876) is a mine of antiquarian lore. Doddridge, the son of a well-known pioneer, was born (1769) in Bedford County, Pennsylvania; but at an early age his father removed to Washington County and the family experienced backwoods life. Young Doddridge was first a Methodist itinerant, but later ordained in the Protestant Episcopal church. He also studied medicine under Dr. Rush in Philadelphia, and settled at Wellsburg, where he was a useful and influential citizen. His brother Philip was a well-known Virginia lawyer and statesman. SeeWest Virginia Historical Magazine, January, 1902, on the Doddridges.—Ed.[72]This bridge has since been rebuilt.—Cramer.

[66]A handsome brick court-house has since been erected, and the inside work nearly completed. An original bank was established at Steubenville in 1809, by a law of the state, with a capital of 100,000 dollars, with power to increase it to 500,000 dollars. Bazaleel Wells president, W. R. Dickinson, cashier.—Cramer.

[67]Steubenville was founded (1797) upon the site of Fort Steuben, one of the earliest blockhouses built in Ohio by the Federal government (1786-87).Bezaleel Wells was the son of Alexander Wells, a well-known West Virginia pioneer who founded the town of Wellsburg, dying there in 1813. The son was considered the best surveyor in the region, and laid out and speculated in town lots at Canton, Ohio, as well as at Steubenville.—Ed.

[67]Steubenville was founded (1797) upon the site of Fort Steuben, one of the earliest blockhouses built in Ohio by the Federal government (1786-87).

Bezaleel Wells was the son of Alexander Wells, a well-known West Virginia pioneer who founded the town of Wellsburg, dying there in 1813. The son was considered the best surveyor in the region, and laid out and speculated in town lots at Canton, Ohio, as well as at Steubenville.—Ed.

[68]The present town of Wellsburg, West Virginia, was first laid out (1791) under the name of Charlestown, in honor of Charles Prather, its earliest proprietor. In 1816 its name was changed by action of the legislature.—Ed.

[69]The pillory punishment, a few years ago, prevailed throughout several of the states, but has been wisely abolished by all but Virginia.—Cramer.

[70]Mr. David Johnston was removed from his office in Beaver county after the election of Mr. Snyder as governor. Before he went to Charlestown he taught in the Canonsburgh college, and was elected in that county, Washington, to a seat in the Pennsylvania legislature. He now teaches a private school in Brownsville.—Cramer.

[71]Cuming here refers to Rev. Dr. Joseph Doddridge, whoseNotes on the Settlement and Indian Wars of the Western Parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania(Wellsburgh, 1824; second edition, Albany, 1876) is a mine of antiquarian lore. Doddridge, the son of a well-known pioneer, was born (1769) in Bedford County, Pennsylvania; but at an early age his father removed to Washington County and the family experienced backwoods life. Young Doddridge was first a Methodist itinerant, but later ordained in the Protestant Episcopal church. He also studied medicine under Dr. Rush in Philadelphia, and settled at Wellsburg, where he was a useful and influential citizen. His brother Philip was a well-known Virginia lawyer and statesman. SeeWest Virginia Historical Magazine, January, 1902, on the Doddridges.—Ed.

[72]This bridge has since been rebuilt.—Cramer.

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