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"Looking at Carroll" by Jessie Gundy
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"Looking at Carroll" Part I / Page 1
_ Page 1
LOOKING AT CARROLL
Part I
The little village of Carroll, Ohio lies just off the new state highway leading from Columbus, the capital, to Lancaster, thirty miles south. Carroll is situated among the beautiful rolling hills of Fairfield County, of which Lancaster is the county seat, and is nine miles north of that latter town. The pleasant little stream which flows through the valley just south of Carroll was called the Hock-Hocking by the Indians and has given the name of the Hocking Valley to the region.
To the travelers hurrying by in a constant stream, the town is only a name on a signboard, for the route of the highway has been changed so that it to, now by-passes the town. To the curious few who may take the time to go half a mile out of the way, there may seem to be little of interest in the quiet little town. Occasionally some stranger may become lost trying to get out of town and may wonder why the few streets are laid out at such unusual angles. If he should stop to inquire directions from a native and should express interest in the peculiar plan of the village, he might learn some interesting bit of local history.
Looking at Carroll today, it is hard to understand why a town was ever laid out in this location. There is no major cross road, the railroad misses the town completely, and the few business houses cater only to the surrounding farm community. But our friendly native could tell the curious stranger, if he would pause long enough to listen, that Carroll was not always just a sleepy little village and that there was, indeed, a reason for its existence. That reason was that the junction of the Ohio and Hocking Canals came at this point, and since they came together at an angle the streets were laid out accordingly “on the bias”.
The story of the canal days is a colorful part of Ohio history. In the early part of the nineteenth century, the state of New York had built the Erie Canal, which proved to be a great success. The state of Ohio was the first one to follow suit. The Ohio legislature passed laws to insure a system of canals for the state, which should extend from Lake Erie on the north to the Ohio River on the south. The land required for the canals, about one million acres, was granted by Congress to Ohio to encourage this project.
The need for the canals was accute. Ohio’s rich farm lands were capable of producing abundant harvests, but the farmer’s problem was transporting the crops to market. Unless there was a natural waterway nearby, the only means of transportation was by heavy and cumberson trading wagons drawn by four or six horses. Roads were very poor, having been carved from the wilderness, and were so full of stumps that one of the early laws required each able-bodied man to work two days at clearing stumps from the road before he would be allowed to vote. Over-land transportation was so slow and unsertain that the price of wheat was from twenty-five to forty cents a bushel.
LOOKING AT CARROLL
Part I
The little village of Carroll, Ohio lies just off the new state highway leading from Columbus, the capital, to Lancaster, thirty miles south. Carroll is situated among the beautiful rolling hills of Fairfield County, of which Lancaster is the county seat, and is nine miles north of that latter town. The pleasant little stream which flows through the valley just south of Carroll was called the Hock-Hocking by the Indians and has given the name of the Hocking Valley to the region.
To the travelers hurrying by in a constant stream, the town is only a name on a signboard, for the route of the highway has been changed so that it to, now by-passes the town. To the curious few who may take the time to go half a mile out of the way, there may seem to be little of interest in the quiet little town. Occasionally some stranger may become lost trying to get out of town and may wonder why the few streets are laid out at such unusual angles. If he should stop to inquire directions from a native and should express interest in the peculiar plan of the village, he might learn some interesting bit of local history.
Looking at Carroll today, it is hard to understand why a town was ever laid out in this location. There is no major cross road, the railroad misses the town completely, and the few business houses cater only to the surrounding farm community. But our friendly native could tell the curious stranger, if he would pause long enough to listen, that Carroll was not always just a sleepy little village and that there was, indeed, a reason for its existence. That reason was that the junction of the Ohio and Hocking Canals came at this point, and since they came together at an angle the streets were laid out accordingly “on the bias”.
The story of the canal days is a colorful part of Ohio history. In the early part of the nineteenth century, the state of New York had built the Erie Canal, which proved to be a great success. The state of Ohio was the first one to follow suit. The Ohio legislature passed laws to insure a system of canals for the state, which should extend from Lake Erie on the north to the Ohio River on the south. The land required for the canals, about one million acres, was granted by Congress to Ohio to encourage this project.
The need for the canals was accute. Ohio’s rich farm lands were capable of producing abundant harvests, but the farmer’s problem was transporting the crops to market. Unless there was a natural waterway nearby, the only means of transportation was by heavy and cumberson trading wagons drawn by four or six horses. Roads were very poor, having been carved from the wilderness, and were so full of stumps that one of the early laws required each able-bodied man to work two days at clearing stumps from the road before he would be allowed to vote. Over-land transportation was so slow and unsertain that the price of wheat was from twenty-five to forty cents a bushel.