Silverheels Riffle - Recently Updated Pageshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/pageSearch/updatedRecently Updated Pages on http://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.comen-usinfo@wetpaint.comMon, 26 May 2008 13:46:15 CDTMon, 26 May 2008 13:46:15 CDTwetpaint.com60Silverheels Rifflehttp://image.wetpaint.com/image/1/ktGkbMYJQ7X07U_m6dm-HQ54878http://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.comStories and history of Southeastern OhioGame of Marbleshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Game+of+MarblesLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Game+of+MarblesMon, 26 May 2008 13:46:15 CDT Marble Time
By Eva B. Dunsmoor

Marble time, has jes’begun.
Gee! I’m glad, ‘taint almost done,
Ain’t no time like Spring and Fall,
When you hear the fellar’s call.

Hi! there, Bob, come out an’play,
Don’t I hike out? I should say
Chase aroun’ upstairs and down,
Huntin’ up my commie’s brown.

Fifty marbles, all bran’new,
Won’t I show ‘em what I’ll do?
Most the fellers in the town,
Plays upon my marble ground.

‘Bet the neighbors wish there’s snow,
Or somethin’ else to make us go,
When we’er hollerin’ on the spot,
E-v-e-r-s, Hey there! Watch the pot!

Strange, how marbles slip away,
Lost ‘em every one, today.
Dad says, “busted, lost them all?”
Makes a feller feel so small.

But I go to bed at night,
Dreamin’ how I’ll make it right,
Marble time has jes’ begun.
Gee! I’m glad, t’aint almost done.


The writer, Eva Belle Wheeler, graduated from Malta High School in 1889 and four years later married the son of the proprietor of the A. M. Dunsmoor Furniture Factory there. She had a lifelong love of literature and published many poems and short stories in local newsletters. Unfortunately she died young (age 48), but her five children held dear the memory of her reading to them.

Does anyone else remember this game? I attended Wilson Elementary School in Zanesville from 1939 to 1945. There were many marble games taking place during recess and lunch in good weather. You could play for “funsies” (score points) or “keepsies” (keep the marbles shot out of the ring). I remember one day taking my marbles to school in a small cloth drawstring bag. A really old classmate (he must have been 11 or 12 at least!) challenged me to a game of keepsies. When I hesitated, he offered to play in a tiny circle (he pointed to the shadow of a basketball hoop in the sand) and to let me shoot first. But I declined. After all, I didn’t want to risk being like the boy in the poem and losing all my marbles!

]]>Muskingum River Historyhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Muskingum+River+HistoryLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Muskingum+River+HistoryMon, 19 May 2008 13:55:59 CDTPlease check out the links under this heading for pages featuring a variety of stories.

The 1913 Flood on the Lower Muskingum

Steamboating on the Muskingum


I recently found a copy of The Ohio Valley Flood of March-April, 1913 (printed in 1913) and compiled by A.H. Horton and H.J. Jackson for the Dept. of the Interior, USGS. It is largely statistical with many tables and photos and does focus mainly on the Ohio River.

However, it does note that: "The effect of the northern tributaries in Ohio on the stages of the main stream is most marked from Marietta to Maysville and throughout this portion of the Ohio, new high-water records were established. The Muskingum River was more instrumental than any other single tributary in causing the record-breaking stages on the Ohio, as shown by the fact that previously recorded maxima were surpassed at Marietta and Parkersburg by 5 to 5.5 feet..." LN













]]>The 1913 Flood on the Lower Muskingum Riverhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/The+1913+Flood+on+the+Lower+Muskingum+RiverLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/The+1913+Flood+on+the+Lower+Muskingum+RiverMoved from: Muskingum River HistoryMon, 19 May 2008 13:28:51 CDT An Eyewitness Account
My grandfather, Lawrence Budd, born in 1887, was 26 at the time of the 1913 flood. Married to Myrtle Snow Budd, they had two daughters, Madge 3, and Mildred, 1. They lived five miles northwest of Waterford on the original Jared Budd Farm, which was a little over one mile from the small stop of Beckett on the B & O Railroad line between Waterford and Malta along the Muskingum River.

Lawrence and Myrtle’s farm, near the Maple Grove Church and School, was on Coryhill Road, whi ch runs north off of Milner Road and continues down to Sparling Road along the Muskingum River from Waterford past Relief, the location of the former Ohio Power generating plant. Sparling Road becomes Swift Road between Beckett and Swift where it finally is named Luke Chute Road, ending at the locks by that same name. In those early years the road used to continue on up a very steep hill on its way into Morgan County. However, that section of the road was closed after the automobile replaced the horse and buggy in the early twentieth century as the grade was too steep for cars of that era. Google Earth Image of Beckett & the Budd farm location

My grandfather told of this catastrophic flood, which began one day in late March, 1913. Granddad said he had made a trip to the store at Beckett, located just across the railroad tracks from the river road near the intersection of Coryhill Road and Sparling Road. It was a rainy day and there was concern about the possibility of another spring flood, which in those days seemed to be almost a yearly occurrence, especially when heavy rains accompanied the spring thaw.


Floods were nothing new for the residents of the area, especially the store owners, whose businesses were located along the banks of the Muskingum. There had been several floods in the early years of the new century and the 1910 flood had set a new record. Granddad had tied his horse and buggy in front of the Beckett Store and was waiting to purchase a few items to take home that afternoon when the phone rang. The storekeeper spoke with someone on the line for a few minutes and then hung up, alarmed by what he had been told.

He related to Lawrence and several others who were there that the call had come from a U. S. government official who tried to keep track of severe weather conditions and any potential danger. The official had said people should prepare for a flood which would be 8 feet higher than the highest level ever reached.

The storekeeper then went to a mark on the wall which was the highest level recorded at that location and said that if this report was true, the water would extend onto the second floor of the building, well above the 10 foot ceiling of the first floor. He then said that since he had always moved his merchandise onto the second floor during flooding, he would have to move it all to another location well out of the expected flood area. My grandfather purchased the items he needed and said that if the flood seemed to be rising faster than expected, the store owner should give him a call and he would come back with his wagon and help with the removal of the store's contents.

As Granddad arrived home, my Grandmother met him, saying she had just received a call that the water was rising very fast and that Lawrence should return to the Beckett Store with the wagon as soon as possible to help move the merchandise to high ground. So Granddad hitched his horse to the farm wagon and went back to help with the move. He had parked the wagon above the railroad tracks and by the time they removed the last items, they were wading in water up to their knees and the river was lapping just a few inches from the tracks.

He said that it was a good thing those who were projecting the extent of the flooding had called with this alert since by the next morning the store, which had been at that location for many years and weathered several previous floods, had been washed down the river. That same fate was shared by many other structures along the mighty Muskingum.

Not only was the store at Beckett lost to the flood but so were several homes in Beverly and Waterford, some five miles down river. In addition, half of the wooden covered bridge connecting Beverly and Waterford was washed away. In Marietta, the river rose to nearly 60 feet – more than 25 feet above flood stage - and in Beverly, the water was lapping at the base of the bank building on the corner of 5th and Ferry Streets - just one-half block from my boyhood home.

My grandfather’s sister, Sadie Budd, who for many years had been the telephone switchboard operator for the communities, often remarked that she hoped those who were farming the area of Beverly between 4th Street and the river would be careful with their horses and tractors since many homes that had "dug" cisterns were swept away in the flood, leaving these hazards behind.

Throughout my childhood and teen years there were many floods along the Muskingum River. I remember being about 4 years old and riding my tricycle into the 1939 flood waters across the street from the Presbyterian Church at the corner of 4th and Ferry Streets in Beverly. Then in the 1940's, when I was about 9 or 10 years old, I helped our pastor move out of his home on Ferry Street between 3rd & 4th Street, across from the old Beverly Hotel. (My grandfather, C.L. (Roy) Sprague built the first modern supermarket in this location in the early '50s and runoff from winter snows and spring rains occasionally threatened his business as well - but the series of fourteen flood control dams, built in the 1930s on the tributaries of the Muskingum, have kept floods from reaching such high levels.)

However, these less damaging floods which seemed to come on a regular basis during my childhood could not begin to compare with the 1913 flood - which still holds the record for high water as well as lives and property lost throughout the state of Ohio.

Budd L. Sprague

View More Photos in the 1913 Flood Album


]]>Steamboating on the Muskingumhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Steamboating+on+the+MuskingumLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Steamboating+on+the+MuskingumSun, 18 May 2008 09:35:53 CDT
On March 9, 1836, residents along the river from Dresden to Marietta shot their muzzle-loaders into the air and set bonfires in farmyards and on street corners to celebrate the passage of an act by the Ohio Legislature which provided for the improvement of the Muskingum River. It authorized the construction of locks and dams so that steamboats could run up the river as far as Dresden. This Muskingum Improvement was a branch of the vast Ohio Canal system which was under construction from 1825 to 1847. Prior to this time, the shallowness of the Muskingum made steam boating unsafe except at high water.

The state spent $1,627,018 over the next five years for the construction of locks and dams at ten sites between Zanesville and Marietta. In addition, the state built a dam and lock in the Muskingum between Copeland Island and the mouth of Symmes Creek in 1838. When this dam later collapsed, it was replaced two miles downstream by the Ellis Dam in 1910.

These improvements are now among the oldest on American rivers. Huge sandstone blocks from eighteen to twenty-four inches thick form the lock walls. Lock width varies from thirty-three to thirty-five feet, and the length from 157 to 160 feet. After completion of the Muskingum Improvement in October 1841, the river was navigable as far north as Dresden except when ice closed it. Although pilots of small steamboats ventured as far north as Coshocton, there was no regular traffic above Dresden because the water above the dams still was too shallow for steamboats.


During the romantic period of steamboating on the Muskingum, boats lowered their gangplanks at any clearing. Their whistles brought people running to landings. Farmers along the river
welcomed a mode of travel that avoided the muddy roads. Roustabouts loaded their corn, wheat, hay, cattle, pigs, and chickens for shipment to distant markets.

Steamboats carried all the passengers along the river from 1841 to 1888. In 1842, the first full year of traffic after the locks were completed, 7,000 passengers walked down the gangplanks. Sixteen years later, the steamboats carried 17,586 passengers. In 1846 a company of Muskingum County volunteers left on the May Queen for the Mexican War and in "Forty Nine" many men along the river started by boat for the California goldfields. Steamboats carried passengers to family reunions, picnics, circuses, excursions, and concerts.



Floating patent medicine store at McConnelsville landing, circa 1905

Muskingum steamboat traffic had its share of collisions and wrecks. Several boats struck snags and sank. The most tragic accident occurred at the Beverly Lock where, late on the afternoon of November 12, 1852, the boiler of the Buckeye Belle exploded. Twenty-four persons were killed. Fragments of flesh and splinters of wood were scattered for half a mile. A bronze plaque in Beverly Cemetery marks the grave of the unidentified dead.

Steamboat transportation stimulated industry in the Muskingum Valley. For the first time factories in river cities could send their products to distant markets by fast and reasonably priced freight. Coshocton sent axles and springs, Zanesville shipped portable sawmills to the West and from Marietta, stoves, leather, and chairs were exported. From 1822 to 1900 Marietta was once again a ship building town; 163 steamboats were built in that period.

Steamers had a monopoly on freight traffic in the valley before railroads were built. Rival boats competed to reach the wharves first – and the freight was worth fighting for. The collector at the port of Zanesville reported shipments in 1848 of:
1,923,254 pounds of stoneware
398,472 pounds of bacon and pork
309,948 pounds of pig iron
105,800 barrels of flour
22,258 of salt
25,383 bushels of wheat and lesser amounts of other grains
substantial amounts of tobacco, glass, lard and butter

In 1886, Italian work crews laid rail down the west side of the river from Zanesville to Malta and two years later the line was extended to Marietta. The first train on June 30, 1888, was greeted by welcome signs, speeches, whistles, and cannon salutes. The railroad was soon well patronized because it was faster than steamboats and could operate all year around. By the turn of the century, there was standing room only in the passenger cars.

The continuous decline in steamboat traffic over a period of thirty years meant that revenue from tolls at the locks and dams fell similarly. As a result of the decrease in revenue, the state neglected repair of the locks and dams. In 1886, the Ohio Legislature ceded the Muskingum Improvement (Dresden to Marietta) to the U.S. government which, by 1900, developed the Muskingum between Zanesville and Marietta into one of the best canalized rivers in the country by 1900.

Steamboats continued to keep regular schedules until the 1920's. More than 300 boats operated on the Muskingum over an 85-year period. Older people still remember nostalgically the Zanetta, the Sonoma, the Lorena, and the Valley Gem. It is believed that the Richland was the last steamboat to travel upriver. It docked at Zanesville on September 12, 1934. The musical steam whistles of the stern wheelers became only a memory.

Source - compiled from: The Muskingum River: A History and Guide by Norris F. Schneider, published by The Ohio Historical Society, 1968.

]]>HISTORICAL SOCIETIES OF SOUTHEASTERN OHIOhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/HISTORICAL+SOCIETIES+OF+SOUTHEASTERN+OHIOanwaghttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/HISTORICAL+SOCIETIES+OF+SOUTHEASTERN+OHIOTue, 06 May 2008 17:48:13 CDTSince this is a wetpaint site anyone that is a member can add, change, or delete something that might not be correct.

Athens County Historical Society and Museum
65 North Court Street
Athens, Ohio 45701
Contact;:Director Kelee Riesbeck at
director@athenshistory.org
Visit Athens County Historical Society
740-592-2280

Belpre Historical Society & Farmers Castle Museum
509 Ridge Street P O box 731
Belpre,Ohio 45714
Contact: Nancy Sands
Belpre History
740-423-7588

Little Cities of Black Diamonds Council
PO Box 128
Shawnee,Ohio 43782
Little Cities of Black Diamonds
Webmaster Scharell Blosser at lcbd@ohiohills.com
740-394-3011 or 866-394-3011

Morgan County Ohio Historical Society
168 East Main Street PO Box 524
Mcconnelsville, Ohio 43756
President: Claire Farnsworth 740-962-6467
Morgan County Museum
Contact: Betty White 740-962-4785

Nobel County Historical Society
Baker Family Museum
805 Cumberland Street
Caldwell , Ohio 43724
Contact; Ms. Nelda Baker 740-732-6410
Contact David Cater 740-732-5275
Noble County

Perry County Historical Society
105 South Columbus Street P O Box 746
Somerset, Ohio 43783-0746
Contact: Nancy Baughman or Francie Baughman
740-743-1913 or 740-743-2471
Perry County

Washington County Historical Society
PO Box 103
Marietta , Ohio 45750
Contact:
President, Kenneth Finkel
Webmaster, Emily White
740-373-1788
Washington County Historical Society

Zanesville Historical Society
The Pioneer & Historical Society of Muskingum County
The Stone Acadamy
115 Jefferson Street
Zanesville, Ohio 43701
Contact: 740-454-9500
Zanesville Historical Sites

Ohio's Hill Country Heritage Area
PO Box 328
Athens ,Ohio 48701
Tel 1-866-644-4557
Contact Tim Traxler

Chester Shade Days Historical Association
Chester ,Ohio Megs County
Tel 1-740-985-9822




















]]>Thank you, Mr. Newsom!http://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Thank+you%2C+Mr.+Newsom%21LeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Thank+you%2C+Mr.+Newsom%21Wed, 30 Apr 2008 22:31:41 CDTGrowing up in a rural area definitely had many advantages. We may not have been exposed to the more 'sophisticated' side of life but we were children, experiencing childhood to the max!

Morgan-Meigsville Elementary School was a 3-room school house located 5 miles south of McConnelsville, Ohio, and served the families of Meigsville Township - which is about 28 sq. mi. in area with a population at that time of about 500 people. My guess is there were probably less than 100 students enrolled in grades 1-8. But what a lucky group we were!

The grades were grouped in the three rooms: 1st and 2nd with Mrs. Devitt, 3rd and 4th taught by Mr. Evart Davis (who retired in 1955 and was replaced by Mrs. Lucy Leeper, and 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th with Mr. Stanley Newsom at the helm (also doing double duty as principal). We all carried our lunches and ate at our desks until 1956, when a two-story addition was built, offering an activities room upstairs and cafeteria beneath, complete with tables and benches. Those lunches were the best - prepared by local farm ladies who really knew how to cook!

Mr. Newsom was a strict taskmaster who had a fabulous sense of humor, showed great respect for the kids and never shamed anyone. He clearly loved teaching! I had the privilege of being in his classroom for four years, 5th through 8th grades, and throughout that time, I cannot recall any time when he showed anger, impatience or disrespect towards anyone. There were very few disciplinary problems, most likely discouraged since he had three different sized and textured paddles safely esconced in the bottom right-hand drawer of his desk! He would occasionally take one out of the drawer, carefully inspect it, flick a bit of dust, wipe it down with his handkerchief and return it to its place of safekeeping. We figured he wanted to make sure they were kept in fine working order!

How he prepared for four different grade levels, taught the required math, science, English, history, reading and even penmanship is a mystery to me! His classes were orderly, challenging and engaging, and learning from him was always fun. The school was visited by a bookmobile every couple of weeks and a selection of books would be left behind for us to check out - and that included Mr. Newsom choosing a book from which he read aloud to us every Friday. I still can 'hear' his voice and his unique way of pronouncing the letter 's' even today.

Recess was fabulous - particulary for the boys and tomboys! We had a swing set that, in memory, was the best ever in that it was equipped with several swings with very long chains, supporting sturdy, wide boards for the seat -- large enough that one could sit and another could stand astride. With two of us pumping, could we ever get those swings going straight out from the bar! One of the favorites was to swing as high as possible and then leap out, trying to not fall down when landing.

In addition, there was a trapeze high enough from the ground so even the tallest child was able to hang upside down by the ankles. At one end there was simply a horizontal bar from which we hung or twirled around like a gymnast. In fact, we used to have contests to see who could do the most twirls in succession with only one leg around the bar while the other provided momentum. (I think Linda George won with something like 24 spins!)

As if those antics weren't enough, a few brave souls would climb to the very top bar which suspended all of the above, and sit astride it, making our way from one end to the other while the swinging and trapeze-ing was going on below. (Would any of this be allowed today?! Of course not! Someone might get hurt. I haven't been able to find a swing with a solid seat in years -- and believe me, those rubbery things that wrap around your behind are NOT comfortable!)

It was an exciting day in 1956 when a wonderfully large merry-go-round was installed! It seemed as though it could hold the entire school and was the activity of choice for everyone for several weeks. We would bolt down our lunch and head for the newest toy so as to not miss a moment of twirling, spinning fun.

There were highly competitive games of dodge-ball (and yes! it hurt to get hit!), jump rope with single, double and even triple ropes and all the variations of that energetic sport! Each autumn and especially in the spring - we loved playing softball. Being in the country, the girls often wore blue jeans to school and we were picked right along with the guys when choosing sides for these competitions. We took our softball seriously and worked hard to perfect our skills. Towards the end of the school year each May, Mr. Newsom would arrange for us to have a picnic and softball game with kids from the school in adjacent Bristol township. We SO looked forward to that day, although I have no memory of who won or lost -- only that they were fabulous days.

During the long, cold, winter, many recesses were spent indoors, staying toasty by the huge, black, coal-burning pot-belly stove. Card games, such as Pinochle or Euchre were the norm, as were spirited games of jacks with all the varieties you can imagine. Of course 'hangman' and tic-tac-toe were favorites at the blackboard. And many a winter's recesses were spent in the activities room, square dancing or learning folk dances from around the world to music from a record player.

Learning was the primary focus and even the slowest learners were never shamed or made to feel uncomfortable while the brighter students were always kept busy with extra projects, if need be. These dedicated teachers somehow managed to tailor the material to appropriately challenge all students. We had a 16mm movie projector so every week or two we would watch an educational movie and have discussions afterward. School was FUN!

I certainly wish my grandchildren could attend a similar school where bullying was not allowed, no one was ever shamed, respect was paramount and everyone was part of a supportive community, excited by learning. A huge debt of gratitude goes out to all those dedicated teachers who set the stage for a life-long hunger for learning.

And a special "Thank you! Mr. Newsom. You were the best!"



Note: The photo shows a stoop leading to ... no door?! on the left. And the activity room/cafeteria must have been demolished at some point as it was nestled and attached behind the left side of the building. Of course, the swing set and merry-go-round are long gone.

]]>John Franklin Kinseyhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/John+Franklin+KinseyLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/John+Franklin+KinseyWed, 23 Apr 2008 20:03:37 CDTThe oldest of three children, I was born in McConnelsville. After we moved, we often visited grandparents who lived in Pennsville. I remember well the land and the houses and the barn where my grandfather and his father before him farmed with one horse and one plow.


As a child, I often walked the gravel road one mile into Pennsville on an errand to the General Store for a spool of thread or other item my grandmother needed. Inside the double doors was a wooden barrel, and on its top, was a checker board with neatly arranged red and black checkers. I remember most the huge candy case in this creaky-floored store. The case was glass on the top for peeking in to admire the many tempting varieties of sweets. I always asked for one red cinnamon ball which I paid for with the penny my grandmother gave me.


On the walk home, we passed Great-grandfather Williams' home, where each morning we carried the tin bucket to "tote" water for drinking from his well. After attaching the bucket to the hook at the end of the rope which wound around a large diameter wooden spool, we cautiously turned the handle to lower the bucket into the well until we heard the "plop." Retrieving the water-filled bucket, we paused for a drink of very refreshing water before taking it back to the kitchen in Grandfather's home. All during the day we each drank from the same long-handled blue-speckled tin cup which we dipped into the water in the bucket.

During these family visits to Pennsville, we always stopped to see my other grandparents and Great-grandfather Kinsey, who lived with them. I most remember Great-grandfather Kinsey's three piece suit which he wore to dinner and the huge moustache positioned just above the area where he should have had a mouth. As I child I never understood where he put the coffee when he tipped the mug under the moustache.

With this recollection I am hoping some reader has information about the Kinsey family in the area.

]]>Devil's Tea Table by S.Q. Lapius (James Ball Naylor)http://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Devil%27s+Tea+Table+by+S.Q.+Lapius+%28James+Ball+Naylor%29LeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Devil%27s+Tea+Table+by+S.Q.+Lapius+%28James+Ball+Naylor%29Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:08:06 CDT


O monster rock! Firm-poised it stands
Upon a base of crumbling shale.
'Twas shaped by Satan's cunning hands
In ages past- so runs the tale-
And served Hell's demons, great and small,
As table to their banquet ball.
Though countless years have rolled away
The Devil's table stands today
As firm as when, with hellish glee,
The black imps held their revelry.

It seems the feeble flut'ring breath
That issues from the lips of death-
The faint and fickle summer breeze
That stirs the blossoms on the trees
Could shake the great rock's slender base
And hurl it from its resting place.
And yet the strongest gales that sweep
Across the torrid Indian deep,
The Polar winds- the fierce cyclone-
Are all too weak, combined alone,
To cast the monarch from its throne.

Beyond the blue Muskingum's bed
It rears its gray and wrinkled head.
Though aged, still erect, sublime
It gazes on the march of time,
And towers above the verdant sod,
A monument to nature's God.
When years on years have hurried past
Until God's dial marks the last,
Oh! May the grim old rock still keep
Its vigil on the stony steep.


]]>Stockport, OHhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Stockport%2C+OHLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Stockport%2C+OHTue, 22 Apr 2008 00:03:52 CDT






























]]>Deavertown: Stop on the Underground Railroadhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Deavertown%3A++Stop+on+the+Underground+RailroadLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Deavertown%3A++Stop+on+the+Underground+RailroadTue, 22 Apr 2008 00:01:53 CDTThe threats of local proslavery people did not frighten the Abolitionists. They not only held firmly to their opinions, but also helped escaping slaves to reach freedom in Canada. For this aid they were subject to a fine of $1,000 and imprisonment for six months under the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850. At least twenty-five Muskingum County families risked this punishment by operating stations on the Underground Railroad. This was a series of stations for transporting slaves secretly to Canada. Escaping slaves crossed the Ohio River near Parkersburg or Point Pleasant and were conducted through Deavertown to Zanesville and westward to New Concord on the way to Bloomfield and Coshocton.

Two northbound Underground Railroad lines through Rosseau and Pennsville came together at the home of Thomas L. Gray, a harness maker in Deavertown. One of Gray’s trusted assistants was Rial Cheadle, teacher, peddler, keelboatman, and maker of pewter buttons. On peddling trips to the South, Cheadle posed as a halfwit and entertained the slaves with eccentric songs. The plantation owners saw no connection between Cheadle’s visits and the departure of their slaves. But Cheadle always had several slaves with him when he knocked at the door of friends and hummed softly, “I’m on my way to Canada, where colored men are free.”

The first station one mile north of Deavertown was operated by Mrs. Affadilla Deaver. Two miles farther slaves were kept at the home of Henry Weller. Avoiding Roseville, the runaways found their next refuge at the home of Lydia Stokely. The store and tan yard of Andrew Dugan two and one-half miles above the Stokely farm gave the next haven. Two miles farther north the escaping slaves found safety at the grist mill of Josephus Powell. Stations between this mill and Putnam were kept at the Five Mile House, and the William Wiley, Cyrus Merriam, and Jenkins homes.

As these people concealed slaves during the day and smuggled them to other stations at night, they had many amusing and exciting adventures. Gray once started to Roseville with three slaves and realized that he was being watched. He had the three boys lie on the floor of the wagon and hold up their hands and feet. Then he threw a sheet over them. When some proslavery men asked him what he was hauling, Gray replied: “Oh, I’m just taking three pigs to market.” Affadilla Deaver started to Roseville one morning with several slaves concealed on the bottom of the wagon beneath straw and produce. At the bottom of Wigton’s hill the wagon stuck in the mud. Not daring to remove her load, she asked four proslavery farmers to assist her. Unknowingly they helped the slaves on their way to Canada.

Source: Schneider, Norris Franz (1898-1993). Y Bridge City: The Story of Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio. The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, 1950, pages 207-8.

Underground RR Map







]]>Deavertown, OHhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Deavertown%2C+OHLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Deavertown%2C+OHMon, 21 Apr 2008 23:56:11 CDT

















]]>Bernie Porter's Storieshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Bernie+Porter%27s+StoriesLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Bernie+Porter%27s+StoriesMon, 21 Apr 2008 23:50:03 CDT
















]]>Doll Househttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Doll+HouseLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Doll+HouseMon, 21 Apr 2008 23:47:05 CDT
Last year I agreed to build a doll house for the Morgan County Historical Society that would be a typical Victorian house. The house I used for a model is in my hometown of Laurens, SC, and is an 1890 Queen Anne Victorian landmark in the area.

The doll house is built to the 1 /12 scale, or 1" = 1' so it ended up being over 4-1/2' long x 3' wide and over 31/2' high and weighs about 60 lbs. It really was a labor of love but took nearly a year to complete. I worked approximately 1,500 hrs on it, 6 days a week - sometimes 8 to 10 hrs a day.

I gave up most of my outside work, even my garden. My wife Myra was very supportive of the project because she always knew where to find me. I started out with no patterns, just the measurements I took from the real house, and made cardboard patterns as I went along. Some items such as roofing, siding, windows and doors were purchased, but each porch post, each railing spindle and the spires were all hand-turned on a lathe.

It is now on display at the Historical Society Museum in McConnelsville, in the building where the dolls are displayed. Strangely enough, it is called "The Doll House." It is furnished in period furniture. Go check it out.

Bernie Porter



















]]>Railroad Jackhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Railroad+JackLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Railroad+JackMoved from: Remembering people from the pastMon, 21 Apr 2008 23:46:30 CDT

A True Story


It was dusk and the evening shadows were casting their eerie calm over the buildings and landscape as I found myself as a lad of about 16 in the old warehouse district of lower West Main in Zanesville, just across the tracks.

Starting to make my way back to my car which was about a block away, there was suddenly the wailing whistle and rush of exhausted steam escaping from a locomotive! Looking in both directions there was no engine in sight, but as I glanced around in the shadows, standing by one of the old buildings was a figure which I knew in a moment was one of Zanesville's colorful characters, Homer Craig, better known by the people of the area as Railroad Jack.

The man had lived in the area for as long as anyone could remember and by all accounts,having been injured as a child, he had spent all of his life around the steam engines and railroad cars simply enjoying the sights, sounds, smells and excitement of the monsters coming and going, in and out of the rail yards.
He had learned as a youth to imitate the sounds of the steam engine to the extent that it would startle even the most avid railroader.

I have often wondered whatever became of that silent, lonely figure who I saw that night. As I recall, he had iron gray hair at the time. This must have been about the end an era for both steam and Jack himself.






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]]>Norris Schneider Publicationshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Norris+Schneider+PublicationsLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Norris+Schneider+PublicationsMon, 21 Apr 2008 23:23:19 CDT
Norris Franz Schneider is well-known for his many historical publications centered on Southeastern Ohio. We are pleased to have his son, Franz, as a contributor to the Silverheels Riffle, and enjoy his sharing his father's work.

You can read some of Norris Schneider's writings on the Silverheels web site:

"Steamboating on the MIssissippi," compiled from "The Muskingum River: A History and Guide" 1968

Deavertown: Stop on the Underground Railroad

The Forty-Niners


Mr. Schneider published more than 50 books and pamphlets and one of them is still on sale at the National Road - Zane Grey Museum: The National Road, Main Street of America (1975)

Following is a bibliography of his work:

Books and Pamphlets

By Norris F. Schneider (1898-1993)

Campus Martius State Memorial Museum, author, 1931, 1932; Ohio Historical Society, 1938
History of the Big Bottom Indian Massacre, 1935
Blennerhassett Island and the Burr Conspiracy, author, 1938; Ohio Archeological and Historical Society,
Columbus, Ohio, 1945, 1950, 1966
Zanesville Stories, 1939 Bibliography of Zanesville and Muskingum County, author, 1941
History of Lowell and Adams Township, author, Midwest Book Company, Lowell, Ohio,
1946 Muskingum County Men and Women in World War II, Zanesville Times Recorder, 1947
Zane’s Trace, with C. C. Stebbins, Chamber of Commerce, 1947; authors, 1973
History of Dresden, Ohio, 1948 My Home – Zanesville and Muskingum County: A Short History for Young People, Zanesville Board of Education, 1949, 1975, 1997 Nell Schrack, author, 1949
Y Bridge City, the Story of Zanesville and Muskingum County, Ohio, World Publishing Co., New York and Cleveland, 1950; Unigraphic, Inc., Evansville, Indiana, 1974
Ralph D. Mershon, 1952 Lodge of Amity, No. 5, F. and A. M., Zanesville, Ohio, 1805-1955, Lodge of Amity, 1955 Zanesville Glass, 1956
“Immortal” Free, Eccentric Philosopher, Familiar Figure on Local Scene in 1890’s, Folk Publications, 1958 The Famous Y Bridge at Zanesville, Ohio, author, 1958, 1973, 1985
Bent, Zigzag and Crooked, Ohio’s Last Narrow Gauge Railroad, author, 1960
The Story of Nelson T. Gant, Ohio Valley Folk Publications, 1960
Muskingum Valley Gunsmiths, Muskingum County Gun Collectors Association, 1961
Zanesville Art Pottery, author, 1963
First National Bank, 1863-1963, First National Bank, 1963
Bethesda – Your Hospital, Bethesda Hospital, 1965
Zanesville Stories, a Subject Index, author, 1965
History of the West Pike, 1966
Zane Grey: “The Man Whose Books Made the West Famous”, author, Zanesville, Ohio, 1967
The Muskingum River: A History and Guide, Ohio Historical Society, Columbus, Ohio, 1968
Zanesville Art Pottery in Color, with L. and E. Purviance, Wallace-Homestead, Des Moines, Iowa, 1968
Betty Zane, Heroine of Fort Henry, with G. M. Farley, The Zane Grey Collector, Williamsport, Maryland, 1969 Historic Homes of Zanesville, author, 1970
Rozane Ware Catalog, 1906, author, 1970
Roseville Art Pottery in Color, with L. and E. Purviance, Wallace-Homestead, 1970
Weller Art Pottery in Color, with L. and E. Purviance, Wallace-Homestead, 1971
Muskingum River Covered Bridges, Southern Ohio Covered Bridge Association, 1971 History of the Rolling Plains United Methodist Church, Muskingum County, Ohio, the Church, Zanesville, Ohio, 1971
The First Baptist Church of Zanesville, Ohio, 1821-1971, the Church, 1971
Zanesville Decorative Tiles, with E. Stanley Wires and Moses Mesre, authors, 1972
Zane’s Trace: The First Road in Ohio, with Clair C. Stebbins, Chamber of Commerce, Mathes Printing Company, Zanesville Ohio, 1973
Travelers on Zane’s Trace, Chamber of Commerce, 1974
Taverns on Zane’s Trace, Chamber of Commerce, 1975
The Dr. Increase Mathews House, The Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum County, 1975
The National Road, Main Street of America, The Ohio Historical Society, 1975
Howard Chandler Christy, author, 1975 Zanesville and Muskingum County Bicentennial Military Memorial History, Pioneer and Historical Society of Muskingum County, 1976
Muskingum County Courthouse, 1877-1977, Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association, 1977
Zanesville Stories, A Subject Index, Revised, author, Zanesville, Ohio,
1979 Lodge of Amity, No. 5, F. and A. M., Zanesville, Ohio, 1955-1980, Lodge of Amity, Zanesville, Ohio, 1980
The McIntire Estate, 1815-1980, 1981
Headley Inn, 1981
Fifth Y-Bridge, Zanesville, Ohio, Documents Pertaining to Planning and Construction, 1984
History of Zanesville High School, Creative Graphics, Zanesville, Ohio, 1988
Lorena and the Zanesville Sternwheeler, Creative Graphics, Zanesville, Ohio, 1990














]]>Alan Wagoner's storieshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Alan+Wagoner%27s+storiesLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Alan+Wagoner%27s+storiesMon, 21 Apr 2008 22:49:26 CDT





]]>Personal Remembranceshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Personal+RemembrancesLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Personal+RemembrancesMon, 21 Apr 2008 22:45:40 CDT
These pages offer personal and family stories as well as a variety of memories for all to share.






]]>Fun Before Graduationhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Fun+Before+GraduationLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Fun+Before+GraduationMoved from: Welcome to the Silverheels Riffle!Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:42:05 CDTAbout a week before high school graduation at Windsor High School in Stockport, Ohio, in 1938, Bill Calendine, Bob Durben and other seniors were chipping at golf balls, just playing around on the playground outside the school building. Someone hit the ball into the nearby cemetery.

My father(Bill Calendine) hit the ball out of the cemetery so hard that it flew through a window in the study hall and rattled back and forth across the room (according to my father's brother, Ronald who was in the study hall). Stewart McFarland was the study hall teacher.

My father had to go to the study hall door, knock and ask for the ball to be given back to him. He was sure he would be in trouble, but Mr. McFarland gave him the ball and never said anything.

These seniors were out playing because they had good enough grades they didn't have to take exams and had some free time on their hands. The golf clubs belonged to Frank Davidson who lived across the street from the school.

Karen Wortman

]]>Karen Wortman Storieshttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Karen+Wortman+StoriesLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/Karen+Wortman+StoriesMon, 21 Apr 2008 22:41:47 CDT
]]>My Most Miserable Christmashttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/My+Most+Miserable+ChristmasLeilaNhttp://silverheelsriffle.wetpaint.com/page/My+Most+Miserable+ChristmasMoved from: Welcome to the Silverheels Riffle!Mon, 21 Apr 2008 22:40:03 CDTBy Bernie Porter

Way back in the '30s in Stockport, Christmas was a big deal, even though we usually only got one gift and some clothing (that we really needed). One year about a week before Christmas, my sister Marie and I decided to do a little "snooping. " We had seen Mom going into the back bedroom that wasn`t used with a big sack. She didn`t think we saw her but you know how kids are!

One day she went over to the neighbors' and we saw our chance. Behind the dresser, way back in the corner were two packages: one with Marie`s name and one with mine. We pulled them out and after shaking them a few times, we ripped the paper just enough that we could see what they were. I`m not sure what mine was, some board game I think, probably Chinese Checkers.

Boy were we happy, but it took a while to "soak in." All of a sudden it hit us! What were we going to do Chrismas morning, since we already knew what we were getting? We agreed that we would do our best to act surprised. I think we pulled it off ok and I don`t think Mom ever found out, at least I never told her.

But I learned a great lesson from that. There are a lot of things you are better off NOT to know in this world. That was over 65 years ago, but never again was I even a little tempted to try to find my Christmas gifts.They could have been on the table covered with a sheet and I wouldn`t have looked.

The real meaning of Christmas has been so completely covered up and forgotten that it has been many years since any gifts that the world has to offer is of any interest to me. We are much better off spending some quiet time remembering what Christmas really is! --a celebration of Christ`s birth and reflecting on the gift he gave to us. That will take away any chance of having a miserable Christmas!


-- Another Christmas I remember in Stockport was the time my Sunday School teacher at the United Methodist Church chose me to say a poem at the annual Christmas play.

I was a little skinny bashful kid and there was no way I was going to do it. After many threats and "you can do it`s" by her and my mother, I finally agreed - if Mom would sit in the front row with me.

When the big day came I was petrified! When my turn came I froze. Mom gave me a push and I ran up as fast as I could, said my poem and ran back even faster. Everyone was laughing but I got it done.

The funny thing is I still remember the poem.
Christmas comes but once a year
and I tell you it`s mighty handy.
Now that I`ve said my little piece,
give me a sack of candy.

If I just would have been able to remember my studies in school and other things that really mattered the way I`ve remembered that, I could have been a rocket scientist instead of a machinist. Oh well,I did work over 40 years before retiring!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

---Bernie Porter

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