The Newport Road

 The Marietta Daily Leader, September 14, 1904

Description of One of the Most Prosperous Communities in Ohio, With Reminiscences of What It Was in Early Days

Mr. A. A. Middleswart has prepared for the Leader the following paper on "The Newport Road," in which he embodies a description of present day conditions with those of upwards of a century ago.

In Early Days

The first wheeled vehicle that passed up the road was in 1809. The road was on the banks of the river. Now the number of teams coming to Marietta on the road will average one hundred and fifty teams a day from the first of May until the first of October, most of them loaded with beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, sweet corn, etc.

Garden Products

The land along the road is used mostly for gardening purposes. My recollection is, the first berries, tomatoes and green corn that was shipped from this county, I shipped in 1865 or 1866. They were shipped to Steubenville, Wheeling and Pittsburgh by river. Five hundred quarts of berries, one hundred dozen cucumbers and fifty dozen of corn is about all I could get for shipment a day. Now there is an average of about five car loads of garden stuff shipped from Marietta every day in the summer and fall, also a large amount from Newport, Belpre, Beverly, and points on the M. & C. railroad, which means a good deal of money, most of which is spent in Marietta.

Schools

The Marietta Township High School building was built in 1893. The school has the reputation of being a first-class school. The high school in the first special district at Newport Township is one of the best of its kind.

Churches

The Valley Baptist church is a neat building. There is preaching every Sunday, also preaching at Miller's school house, Barker's school house and Newell's Run. The Methodist church is a neat and tasty building at Sand Hill. The minister is Rev. Stuart. The Christian church at the same place is a quaint building The minister is Rev. Alford.

Business Houses

The stores along the road are owned by Mr. Reece, James Hyler, James Kester, William Eddy, Frank Leonard and Art Boswell. Charles Miller has a mill at Reno; he also makes berry baskets and boxes. There were oil refineries along the road, but they are dismantled.

The postmaster at Reno is James Kester; at Lower Newport, H. F. Middleswart; at Newell's Run, William Eddy.

The blacksmith at Reno is Peter Bender; at Bell's Run, M. Hauch.

Picturesque Point

One of the most picturesque points between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati is Mt. Dudley. As the road passes just at its foot, many stop here to make the ascent of the mountain and thus get the magnificent view of the country and river.

The People

The people along the road generally are industrious, saving, and honest and a credit to any community. Nearly every farm along the road is producing oil. The owners of the land are getting lots of money for their oil; they can dress in fine linen and velvet and fare sumptuously every day, especially in the summer when they have green beans, corn, tomatoes, melons, etc.

There is a telephone line along part of the road and free mail delivery every day. There is some talk of an electric road being built from Marietta to Newport.

First Settlers

Among the first settlers were the Greens, O'Neils, Browns, Rowlands, Thornileys, Bells, Barkers, Hills, Middleswarts, Millers, Harnesses, Wests, Smiths, Plumer, McCallisters and Cogswells.

Early Wells

The importance of good drinking water was recognized by the first settlers. A long line of wooden pipes was laid from a spring back of Joe Thorniley's barn to the different farms along the road. Another line was laid from the Alder's spring into Newport to supply the settlers with water. A good many wells were dug. The well my father dug was the first one walled up with cut stone on the road.

First Mill

The farmers did their milling at Marietta, Little Muskingum and Dana's mills. The latter mill was built in 1817; it was the first and I think the only over-shot mill built in Washington County. It has gone to wreck and ruin. Miss Cora Kraft has a picture of the mill as it formerly stood.

First School House

The first school house along the road was built about 1816. It was on my father's land and was used as a church occasionally During the sickly season of 1832-33 [1822-23?], it was used as a hospital. The next one was built back of where James West lived.

Settlers Remained

But little of the land has been sold to strangers in the last seventy-five years. Most of the land is owned by descendants of the first settlers. 

The first ministers that preached in the settlements were Jeremiah Dale, Allen Darrow, Harvey Dale and Pardon Cook.

Early Amusements

The amusements of the young people in early times consisted of spelling schools, taffy pullings, singing school and dancing. The fiddlers were a happy-go-lucy sort of chaps - the last of them died long ago.

Flatboat Days

Before the war nearly all the farmers along the road sent their produce of every kind south in flatboats. It was taken down in charge of someone, who brought back coffee, molasses, sugar, etc.

Early Industries

S. B. Smith was the first man to raise strawberries for shipment. William Thorniley, the tanner, the first man to raise sweet potatoes for shipment.

The shoemakers in early times were Thorniley, Cain, Richardson and Bosworth. They were not paid for their work in money, but by having rail split, wood chopped and grubbing done. The tanners were Thorniley and Lang.

Among the coopers were the Thornileys, Baldwins, Stewarts, Peggs and others. Quite a number of the descendants are living in Marietta, among whom is Miss Nina Pegg, the efficient stenographer and bookkeeper of Thorniley Bros. produce house.

Among the weavers were Mrs. Brown, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. O'Neil and Mrs. Dick. The latter wove linen cloth. The Misses Plumer have some linen which they wove about sixty years ago.

Stage Coaches

The lines of stage coaches were run to Marietta, Wheeling and Clarksburg by way of Newport. The mail was carried in them. When the stages were abandoned about 1850, the mail was carried in them, and then by steamboat.

Graveyards

The old graveyard at Lower Newport was established in 1812. The first person buried was James Reece. The Valley graveyard was established in 1862. The first person buried there was Maggie Carr.

Used Whisky Also

During the early times there was a great deal of sickness, and peach and apple brandy was used as medicine, consequently there was a still at Sand Hill and Newport to make it. These distilleries were dismantled seventy-five years ago. They also made whisky, which was used as a preventative against snake bites. A jug was generally kept in the kitchen and filled so as to be handy. The whisky was sampled every few days to see if it was keeping good.

Early Courtships

In the early times when the young man went to see his best girl, he was dressed up in claw-hammer coat with brass buttons, jeans breeches, cow hide home-made shoes, ground hog or coonskin cap and a deer skin shirt. His girl's dress was of linsey-woolsey, coarse shoes, home-made with a cotton handkerchief around her neck. They did their courting sitting in the kitchen on a bench or split bottom chairs.

Later Courtships

Now, when the young man goes to see his best girl, his coat is a Prince Albert, pants are the best of cassimere, patent leather shoes, derby hat and a gold watch and chain. His girl is dressed in silk and satin, their hair dressed in the usual pompadour fashion. They sit in the parlor with a Brussells carpet on the floor, chairs lined with velvet, lace curtains at the windows, and a piano, with modern music. Are people happier now than they were in the olden days? Who knows?