The town of Defiance was laid out by Benjamin Leavell and Horatio G. Philips, in November 1822, just about one month before my father, Joshua Hilton, moved with his family to a tract of land he had purchased the spring previous and on which now stands the large Schlosser Carriage Works
My father came here from near Troy, Ohio. In moving our effects we used two wagons, one drawn by two yoke of oxen and the other by a yoke of oxen and a span of horses. When we came here the roads were not quite as well defined as now and there was no bridges over any of the streams. Several times we were compelled to cut out the road sufficiently wide to permit our wagons to pass along and in numerous instances, trees had fallen across it and there being but very little travel over it with wagons we found it in bad shape.
My father's log cabin was the second house built between Defiance and Fort Wayne. I remained at home with my father for six years and assisted in clearing the place, which was all woods, and then being 20 years old I began to look out for myself.
The only frame house in Defiance in December, 1822, was the Post Office, situated on the N.W. corner of Lot No. 1, in the original plat of the town. It was built by the postmaster, a man by the name of Smith, who lived on the north side of the river and for a short time after his appointment he kept the office on that side, but proprietor of the town soon gave him to understand that the Post Office was Defiance, and he must keep it in Defiance or he would be removed and he built the little building which was not over 10 by 12 feet, as I said, and it was the first frame building ever built in the town. I remember of the nine families living in and about Defiance at that time, I came here and they were Benjamin Leavell, Timothy S. Smith, the postmaster, a man by the name of Buttler, old Judge Shirley, who had the largest family, a blacksmith by the name of Borrows, Peter Blair who lived on what were afterwards known as the Bouton bottoms, and two men by the names of Thatcher and Driver, and William Preston, who afterwards was the first Sheriff of Williams county.
There were a few Canadian French families living near, but I do not recall their names. In December 1822 there were no goods sold on the south side of the river, but on the north side, on top of the hill, about where now is Christ Diehl's residence, a man by the name of John Hollister, sold goods in a double log cabin which fronted on the road now called High Street. His trade was not very extensive of course, for there were but few families here, but he did quite a little business with the Indians and the Canadians.
The first time I ever came into the town I saw Benjamin Leavell framing the timbers for a dwelling house, a frame house, which he erected on the lot which now is the south-east corner of Front and Jefferson street. He moved his family into this house and I believe remained there as long as he lived in the town. The next spring he built a two-story frame, sort of store and a warehouse building, which extended from Front street over the river bank; this building was situated on the corner of Front and Jefferson, where now is the J.J. Myers property, and he kept store, selling goods as long as he remained among us. In the upper story of this building the first court ever held in Williams county was organized in April, 1824, with old Pierce Evans and Perkins, and I think Robert Shirley as associate judges.
In the winter of 21 and 22, John Perkins built a dam across the Tiffin river, at where now is the village of Brunersburg, which dam still remains with very many of the original timbers placed there by him, and erected a saw mill on the east side of the river, which furnished all the sawed lumber for the early frame structures in Defiance and for miles around. This mill, I think I can safely say was the first, and for many years the only mill ever built in the Maumee valley.
In 28 and 29 Perkins built a large grist mill at the west end of the dam and for years managed both the mills and I want to tell you they each did a flourishing business. Prior to the time Perkins built his grist mill there was no mill for grinding nearer Defiance than Waterville Ohio.
When I came here Fort Winchester was in a good state of preservation. Its block-houses, bastions and stockade were standing and in good state of preservation. The fort of those days were unlike in very many particulars, the forts of today; then they were not only a place of defense, but the residence of the settlers living in the neighborhood, who in case of an uprising of the Indians, could move into the fort and remain there until the trouble subsided. Fort Winchester stood about where is now the widow Switzer's property on Washington street, extending north to within eight or ten rods of the present south line of the grounds of Fort Defiance. This fort had four block-houses connected by a continuous fence or wall of pickets about 12 or 13 feet high, composed of logs hew so as to stand closely together. These block-houses were considerably higher than the stockade or fence, the upper story extending out over the lower about three feet. Port holes and loop holes were arranged at regular distances both in the block-houses and the stockade. The block-houses were roofed over with logs and covered with earth to prevent the bullets from passing through.
There was an under ground passage way extending from inside of the fort to the Auglaize river, built for the purpose of escape and obtaining water without being exposed to the shots of the Indians. The fort faced out towards the Auglaize river, and at the time I saw it, there was no fence or anything that indicated that there had been one on that side. But two of the block-houses when I first saw it, and they with two stone built on the inside of the fort, were fairly preserved and occupied by tenants.
Old Fort Defiance was about as it is now when I first saw it, only there was more ground on the river sides, and the trees are much larger. I don't believe those large locust trees standing in Ft Defiance were over 10 inches through when I came here. New settlers were coming in all the time and in the years 23, 24, 25 and 26 quite a few families had settled among us and in the mediate country.
Since I saw you last, I have been looking up matters a little and I recall the fact that the river road was located in December, 1824, at the first session of the commissioner of Williams county. It was to cross the Maumee at Jefferson street and old Benny Leavell ran a ferry there for sometime. I like to talk over old times here, but don't you think we are stringing this out too long? I do. I think we had better wind this up for this time or else we shall have the people all tired out.
My father's log cabin was the second house built between Defiance and Fort Wayne. I remained at home with my father for six years and assisted in clearing the place, which was all woods, and then being 20 years old I began to look out for myself.
The only frame house in Defiance in December, 1822, was the Post Office, situated on the N.W. corner of Lot No. 1, in the original plat of the town. It was built by the postmaster, a man by the name of Smith, who lived on the north side of the river and for a short time after his appointment he kept the office on that side, but proprietor of the town soon gave him to understand that the Post Office was Defiance, and he must keep it in Defiance or he would be removed and he built the little building which was not over 10 by 12 feet, as I said, and it was the first frame building ever built in the town. I remember of the nine families living in and about Defiance at that time, I came here and they were Benjamin Leavell, Timothy S. Smith, the postmaster, a man by the name of Buttler, old Judge Shirley, who had the largest family, a blacksmith by the name of Borrows, Peter Blair who lived on what were afterwards known as the Bouton bottoms, and two men by the names of Thatcher and Driver, and William Preston, who afterwards was the first Sheriff of Williams county.
There were a few Canadian French families living near, but I do not recall their names. In December 1822 there were no goods sold on the south side of the river, but on the north side, on top of the hill, about where now is Christ Diehl's residence, a man by the name of John Hollister, sold goods in a double log cabin which fronted on the road now called High Street. His trade was not very extensive of course, for there were but few families here, but he did quite a little business with the Indians and the Canadians.
The first time I ever came into the town I saw Benjamin Leavell framing the timbers for a dwelling house, a frame house, which he erected on the lot which now is the south-east corner of Front and Jefferson street. He moved his family into this house and I believe remained there as long as he lived in the town. The next spring he built a two-story frame, sort of store and a warehouse building, which extended from Front street over the river bank; this building was situated on the corner of Front and Jefferson, where now is the J.J. Myers property, and he kept store, selling goods as long as he remained among us. In the upper story of this building the first court ever held in Williams county was organized in April, 1824, with old Pierce Evans and Perkins, and I think Robert Shirley as associate judges.
In the winter of 21 and 22, John Perkins built a dam across the Tiffin river, at where now is the village of Brunersburg, which dam still remains with very many of the original timbers placed there by him, and erected a saw mill on the east side of the river, which furnished all the sawed lumber for the early frame structures in Defiance and for miles around. This mill, I think I can safely say was the first, and for many years the only mill ever built in the Maumee valley.
In 28 and 29 Perkins built a large grist mill at the west end of the dam and for years managed both the mills and I want to tell you they each did a flourishing business. Prior to the time Perkins built his grist mill there was no mill for grinding nearer Defiance than Waterville Ohio.
When I came here Fort Winchester was in a good state of preservation. Its block-houses, bastions and stockade were standing and in good state of preservation. The fort of those days were unlike in very many particulars, the forts of today; then they were not only a place of defense, but the residence of the settlers living in the neighborhood, who in case of an uprising of the Indians, could move into the fort and remain there until the trouble subsided. Fort Winchester stood about where is now the widow Switzer's property on Washington street, extending north to within eight or ten rods of the present south line of the grounds of Fort Defiance. This fort had four block-houses connected by a continuous fence or wall of pickets about 12 or 13 feet high, composed of logs hew so as to stand closely together. These block-houses were considerably higher than the stockade or fence, the upper story extending out over the lower about three feet. Port holes and loop holes were arranged at regular distances both in the block-houses and the stockade. The block-houses were roofed over with logs and covered with earth to prevent the bullets from passing through.
There was an under ground passage way extending from inside of the fort to the Auglaize river, built for the purpose of escape and obtaining water without being exposed to the shots of the Indians. The fort faced out towards the Auglaize river, and at the time I saw it, there was no fence or anything that indicated that there had been one on that side. But two of the block-houses when I first saw it, and they with two stone built on the inside of the fort, were fairly preserved and occupied by tenants.
Old Fort Defiance was about as it is now when I first saw it, only there was more ground on the river sides, and the trees are much larger. I don't believe those large locust trees standing in Ft Defiance were over 10 inches through when I came here. New settlers were coming in all the time and in the years 23, 24, 25 and 26 quite a few families had settled among us and in the mediate country.
Since I saw you last, I have been looking up matters a little and I recall the fact that the river road was located in December, 1824, at the first session of the commissioner of Williams county. It was to cross the Maumee at Jefferson street and old Benny Leavell ran a ferry there for sometime. I like to talk over old times here, but don't you think we are stringing this out too long? I do. I think we had better wind this up for this time or else we shall have the people all tired out.
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