This article is a journey in time through the early years of Lewisville, Ohio leading up to about 1930. The origin of the article is unknown. One speculation is that it may have been a product of a student research paper. This speculation is based on the different writing styles that it includes and the observation that parts of the article incorporate material from other articles and authors. There are sufficient clues to conclude that it was probably written and assembled about 1930. The history of the article not withstanding, it contains considerable information about the people in the village of Lewisville, Ohio around 1930 and earlier. We are indebted to Lena Kahrig Pettit and Wilda Bartenschlag for sharing similar but different versions of this article for inclusion here.

A Story of Lewisville, Ohio.

The first settlement in Summit Township was near Lewisville in 1814. It was called Mollies Garden located on the farm was owned by Mrs. Etta Devoe, north of Lewisville on Route 145. The first settlers were from Pennsylvania and Virginia. Their main industry was tobacco. The chief diet of the early settlers consisted mainly of pork, hominy, johnny cake¹, wild game, mush and milk. Clothes were made at home for both men and women. Flax and tow² were spun to make the yarn that was woven into a cloth. The resulting cloth was very uncomfortable.

The first packing house was where George Hoff lived. It was owned by John Butt. The second was the one which stands in Lewisville across from Elmer Egger s hardware store owned by John Christman of Calais, Ohio. The timber to build it was hauled by oxen out of the woods belonging to Margaret Weber. This packing house is still used for packing tobacco and wood.

Another business place was where Mr. Johnston and Mr. Billman now live. It was at one time joined together and was a hotel. It also contained a saloon, barber shop, and Central office all combined. There was also another hotel where Mr. John Lumbatis now lives.

The first hardware merchandise was sold by Mr. Rackenburg, also selling dry goods and groceries. Then owned by Charley Oblinger and then Frank Billman who now owns it.

The first main hardware was owned by Lewis Stegner which was in the building where Bill Pabst lives.

The second hardware was built by John Egger. It is now owned by Elmer Egger, the only hardware left in Lewisville.

About 1830 Francis Allen built the first grist mill about one and a half miles north of Lewisville on a piece of land now owned by Dave Weber. It was a horse-powered mill draft.

There was once a bank where the post office now is. The first bank was B. F. Butt property, where our high school teacher, Miss Parks, is now living.

The first undertaker was Frank Ulrich. He sold his last hearse to Mr. B. O. Weber. He sold the running gears to Mr. Curtis at Stafford to carry mail from Lewisville to Stafford. The second undertaker was William Rice and third was Earnest Daugherty and Fred Billman.

Henry Bender was first man to make cabinets and furniture and then after Frank Ulrich left undertaking, he started making furniture.

The first blacksmith shop was where Mrs. Dr. Weber now has her garden. The second was Mr. Marion Thornberry. The third was built by Mr. Runhardt Rice. The fourth was built by Mr. Brubach. Mr. Rice discontinued his work and sold to William Feiock and then Mr. Feiock sold to Mr. B. O. Weber who now owns it.

Mr. Fisher had his business making wheels. He had his shop where Clelland Polen now has his garage.

The first doctor being Dr. Armstrong. The second, Dr. Weber and Dr. Diehl. Dr. Weber and Dr. Diehl studied under Dr. Armstrong. Fourth was Dr. Smyth and fifth Dr. Norris who left this summer. Now we do not have any doctor in town.

The creamery is where Mr. Draper now has his home. The old building which is standing near his home, beside the pond, was once used as a storage house for ice. Whenever the pond would freeze over, they would cut the ice out by hand and pack the ice in sawdust to store it all through the summer.

The farthest back remembered regarding the post office is when it was in the little building in the back yard of the Evangelical parsonage once known as the Dr. Armstrong drug store. The first postmaster was John Gramlick; second was W. O. H. Butt; third was John C. Distler; fourth was Ottis Rice having the post office where Charlie Devoe now lives; fifth was George Thornberry; sixth was Charley Feiock in half of the store where Pete Zwick now has his store; seventh was George Scott; eighth was Walter Devoe; ninth was William Lafferre, in 1924; tenth was Franklin Neuhart and eleventh was Clelland Polen, our present postmaster. The first money order was issued by William Distler.

The first school building in Summit Township was like all others, built in a wilderness. The building was usually built of round logs. The floor was made of logs smoothed on one side. The walls were chunked and doubled between the logs. A fireplace occupied the entire end of the building. For lights, an unchunked and undoubled space was left between the logs on three sides. These open spaces were covered with greased paper, glass was a luxury that could not be afforded. The seats were made of split logs with legs in the under side. The writing desks were made by boring holes in the logs. Long pins were inserted in these holes. Flat boards of the desired length were fastened to these pins. This made a flat surface for a desk.

Phillip Cline taught the first school in Summit township in the year of 1826. The school was located about one and a half miles northwest of Lewisville. Thirty pupils were enrolled in the school. Three months teaching cost $1.50. The pay was usually in corn at eighteen cents per bushel.

In 1924, The Junior Order of American Mechanics³ was organized. It is one of America s most patriotic secret organizations, and no doubt will grow in membership in Lewisville. The charter members are as follows: W. H. Pickens, P. C. Willison, A. J. Scott, H. H. Wilhelm, George Longfellow, George Hoff, W. E. Denbow, R. C. Metz, Charles W. Neibch, Floyd Baker, F. C. Billman, Homer Hines, W. A. Rice, H. E. Rice, E. S. Lumbatis, Walter Seebach, F. C. Frank, Vernon McVey, W. E. Denbow, Leroy English, Robert Scott, Bearl Winland, Harold Bach, LaVerne L. Pollock, George Young, Elmer Stimpert, Harry Devoe and Virgil Devoe. On October 4, 1924, this organization gave an oyster supper at the town hall with the Lewisville Concert Band furnishing the music.

The Ohio River and Western Railroad was completed into Woodsfield in 1874. It was the countries second railroad and went into operation between Woodsfield and Bellaire on Thanksgiving Day 1879, and between Caldwell and Zanesville in November 1883. The road between Bellaire and Zanesville later went under the control of the Pennsylvania Railroad System.

The directors of the road hoped someday to make the railroad into a broad gauge, but it remained a narrow gauge as long as it was in operation. But the time came early in 1928 when the competition of buses, cars, and other vehicles proved too much for the Railroad System and on May 1 of that year it was abandoned between Zanesville and Woodsfield.  It was the last of Ohio s narrow gauge and it made its final trip between Zanesville through Caldwell to Woodsfield on May 1, 1928, after serving Monroe and neighboring counties for over thirty-five years.

1 Johnnycake is a kind of cake or bread made from corn, water or milk.

2 Tow is a fiber of flax, hemp, or jute prepared for spinning. The texture is rough, like hemp rope and scratches the skin, particularly when new.

3 http://www.bessel.org/jouam.htm

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