Defiance In 1862 By Rev. B.V. Slagle Defiance Express 30 Oct. 1902

    About the middle of August 1862 Rev. Slagle visited Defiance by invitation and preached for the first time, in the Presbyterian Church. It was the time when the country was blazing with excitement, on account of the war of the rebellion. Some great and bloody battles had been fought and the government was calling for troops. Enlistment were being made everywhere. Defiance county had sent companies into the 14th, 21st, 38th 48th and 68th regiments and a company was being formed for the 100th regiment, that was then in camp in Toledo. In this company the two sons of Dr. Isaac Thacker who house the Rev. B.W. Slagle stay at when he visited Defiance.

    Defiance was then a village of about 1,200 people and its beautiful location between the two rivers struck Rev. Slagle most favorable. It sit for the most part between the Maumee and the Augliaze Rivers. A rather dilapidated wooden bridge connected with the the north side, where some of the warehouses stood and a lively business was done in the shipment of grain, lumber and other products of the country. Although the Wabash railroad had been completed, in 1855 it had not greatly interfered with the business of the canal. The Wabash end of the canal had streams of boats still carried corn, oats and wheat to Toledo. The ship timber men were in their glory, and great rafts of lumber were floated down the canal to be shipped to Montreal and Quebec. Adam Wilhelm on the upper lock and Barney Goreman on the lower, did as much business probably as any retail grocery does now in Defiance.
    Clinton Street was then, as it is now the main business street, but it was not lined with imposing brick blocks. The Russel house and the brick store opposite the courthouse, were the only three story building. The rest were frame of one and two stories. The village did not extend much beyond Fifth street. Latty grove and Boughton's wheat field occupied that part of the first ward, where the two Lutheran churches and schoolhouse stands.
    The east side was a farm owned by William Lewis and East Hopkins Street was built on one side only in the direction of Trampe's brick yard. Two flowing mills supplied the country with flour and bread stuff. One on the corner of  Fourth and Perry streets, owned and ran by William A Brown and one at the upper locks by Edwin Phelps the latter the old Palamo.
    The Jr. High School building was not an imposing structure like is now. It stood on Wayne street, and was a two story building with the stairway running to the second story on the outside. There were only two rooms in the building, but these two together with a frame building on the north side and another near the Catholic church were sufficient to accommodate the the children of  Defiance.
    The streets were not paved and the sidewalks were mostly of wood, nor were they lighted by night. Every pedestrian carried his own lantern. Defiance mud was extremely tenacious. Some of the older inhabitants tell of having seen teams stalled on Clinton Street in front of the courthouse and Rev. Slagle knew of one occasion when it was necessary to attach four horses to a hearse to enable the  funeral procession to reach the grave yard.
    The churches were comfortable but not imposing structures. The Catholic church was the only brick church in Defiance. The Lutheran stood on the bank of the Augaize River, which was a frame building.

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Navigating The Maumee History of Defiance County 1883 Page 110-111

    When the new settlers on the Maumee raised a surplus of grain it was sometime shipped down the Maumee River in pirogues. Dr. John Evans, who was engaged in trade at Defiance at that time, had taken in quite an amount of corn, which he concluded to ship, and hired Thomas Warren, Isaac Perkins and James Shirley to ship it to market. It was loaded into a pirogue and started down the river, arriving at the head of the rapids (Providence) where they landed for a rest. Eighteen miles of rapids, currents and intricate channels were before them. None of them knew the channels and rocks; neither of them had ever passed over the rapids, and in prospect was not a pleasant ride; after a short rest they moved on and into the whirling rapids through which they passed in safety, and in due time arrived at Maumee City, where they sold their corn for 50 cents per bushel to Col. John E. Hunt. The measure upon unloading overrun twelve bushels, caused by the splashing of the water in the rapids, which swelled the corn. This the boatmen claimed, giving them $2.00 each, which they proposed to expend on there journey home in high living. Being now ready to return, Mr. Thomas Garrett,a blacksmith, was on his way to Defiance to locate, and proposed to take passage with them. He treated the boys and thanked them for being his relieved from the journey on foot. They now had to run the river against the current, and they made but six miles the first day, with the aid of  Mr. Garrett (their passenger), who towed manfully on the cordelle. Next morning, Mr. Garrett again treated the boys, thanked them for their kindness, but proposed to continue his journey on foot.

Buttermilk Station Defiance Crescent News 2-15-1934 Seth Green

   

 
    The tale is told that when Paulding County, first circus appeared at Junction. The animals all crossed the high level bridge except the big elephant, who placed a forefoot on the high structure and backed away and refuse to budge. However when led down to the level of the canal, he plunge in and splashed his way across, to the terror and delight of the small children.

    A pioneer farmer who lived on the canal, south of the Schooley Locks (off of Hammersmith Road). Kept a good many cows and sold butter. He always had lots of buttermilk and canal crews delight in this treat. For many years this farm was known all along the canal as buttermilk station. 

He Got The Kid Defiance Evening News 7 Feb 1894

    For some time the motormen on the street trolley have been annoyed by young boys jumping on and off, the cars while they were in motion. This was a direct violation of the law and caused the trolley people no little alarm, as a serious accident might result, for which the street car men might be blamed.
    The motormen were ordered to prevent this practice if possible. Early one morning a motormen broke the ice, so to speak, and while his car was over in East Defiance a young lad jumped the trolley. Motorman stopped his trolley and went after the boy with blood in his eye. The boy took to his heels and had no doubt of his ability to keep out of harm. Motorman was formerly something of amateur sprinter himself and has a store box chuck full of medals at home, so he took an extra loop in his belt and  went after that kid in a manner that would cause a member of the Defiance hose company to turn green with envy.

    After a chase of a half mile he returned with a firm grip on the boy's collar. The youngster was sobbing bitterly and promised if he were released he would turn over a new leaf and never jump another trolley, until he got big enough to out run the conductor. Months of experience with trolley  jumping kids has caused, the conductor to contract a hardness of the heart and he was deaf to the boy's cry and gave him a free trolley ride to the Mayor's office. 

    The boy was turned over to the police officer, who afterward let him go on being convinced he was punished sufficiently.

Recollection Of Pioneer Life In The Maumee Valley By Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin Part 10

    In 1825, Brother Nathan moved his family to Fort Defiance.
    We were still without religious services, and a house of worship, and Brother Nathan applied to the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, and in 1827 Rev. Elias Partee was sent to Fort
Defiance Mission. Rev. Partee soon gathered the men together with their axes and teams, logs were cut, hewed and hauled to a lot presented by the proprietors of the town plat, and a church erected.
    It was a simple structure--walls, windows, roof and floor--but no chimney. In this we worshiped when the weather was warm; when cold we held our meeting in private houses. When the brick count house was built, our meeting were held there, our society having outgrown the small accommodation of its pioneer life.
    My father bought land on the opposite side of the Augaize River, one mile from Defiance, improved it and moved his family there. My brother Nathan settled five miles up the Auglaize; brother Elias, three; brother Robert on the same stream near where Charloe now stands, and brother James on the Maumee, ten miles above Fort Defiance.
    Brother Nathan sowed wheat largely, and when his grain was cut (they used sickles), he proposed to his harvesters to pay them an extra shilling a day instead of providing (as had been the custom) with whisky, as he was a man temperance principles. Of the twenty men, only one preferred the whisky, and he was dismissed.
    This was the first public movement towards temperance in our region.
    Of my father's family, but two remain--my brother Robert and myself. My sister Mary married Mr. Thomas Warren, of Defiance, and died in a little less than a year afterward. I married Rev. James B Austin, of the Ohio Conference of the Methodist Church; at the time of his death; in 1857, he was a member of the Cincinnati Conference. Brother John died while a young man and single.
                                                     Mrs. Ruth (Shirley) Austin   1883