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me nrsc settlement, said Mr, Uiark, was oil the west side of the stream-—the water therein being some three feet or more higher then than at the present tmie. There was no bridge then to reach the east side, and teams that, were bound for Sandusky and the east were compelled to ford the same. The water then as now, was clear and cold. A fallen tree across the stream below where the present bridge is located formed a food bridge for the individual passers. The settlement was rightly named and it is said by those famihir with the same that the temperature of the water varies but very little at any time during the entire year Mr. Clark, continuing, said that at that time the nearest grist mill was about 25 miles to the south and cast and near Monroeville. The Indians, members of the Seneca and Wyandot tribe, used stone mortars and wooden pestles for breaking their kernels of corn for household use, beforo the advent of the white man. At that time all the sugar was made from maple trees, which were m abundance and up to the time of the civil war there was but littlo West India sugar used or for sale at Cast alia. Maple sugar sold for 3 cents per pound, rice for 4 cents, and for coffee there was none, only the imitation kind, made from parched corn. The corn meal was made into johnny cake. In those days they had few spices or drugs of any kind, no baking powder and no «alev»-tus could be bought at the trading po-it store. The Indians and settlers, in lieu of the article, used to get together three or four bushels of corn cobs, find a large fiat stone, sweep it off and stacking the cobs on their longest ends, thus they would pile them up three or four tiers high, and set them on fixe and allow the whole mass to burn into ashes, iron grey in color. When the burning was completed and the mass had became cold, the settlers came with bags and dishes to get some of the same for cooking purposes, an^ original and absolutely pure BOtla ash.When I was quite a small lad—perhaps ten or twelve years old—we had a mast terrific northeast storm at Venice, The hamlet was swept away, scarcely a cabin being left standing when the fury of the storm abated. The houses on the bay shore were only a few feet above the ordinary level of the water in the bay and Lake Erie. In this storm the water swept almost everything from its place and the people had to seek shelter on the neighboring high lauds.As the water in the bay was shallow’, much deeper than now, the villagers built a long log dock for almost a half ahave it wove into cloth, would be made up iuto suits for the men and boys of the family for summer wear. I tell you when us young fellow's got on our new linen suits we used to lt;feel that we -were some pumpkins. They jvere our best clothes for Sunday. and for ’all festive occasions in the summer.“Alongin the early forties,'.Baddy Bruce, an old Englishman, usqfi to keep the tavern now known as the Seven Mile house. Bruce was pretty well-to-do. having a large farm, and lots of stock. Besides attending to his hotel duties, he used to purchase in Sandusky a wagon load of fish and drive to Bellevue to sell them. His only companion on these trips for pleasure and profit was a measly looking dog,“My father lived quite a number of years on his place southeast of this village, before there was any mill for grinding grain nearer -*than Monroeville. I was a young man although not of age, when a grist-mill was built here in Cas-talia. It was located just south of the railroad tracks about twenty rods eat of where the grist-mill now stands. It was then operated by water, that flowed from the spring near by, which afforded as it does today, an abundant supply of dear water. After the Hsiang club was formed they bought the land and stream below the spring, and soon after they bought the spring on condition that the mill should be removed Themill was soon removed, south and west to its present site, and is operated by steam.“As soon as tnis mill on the first site was in operation the Indians and settlers from every direction came flocking in with their wagons loaded with corn and wheat to have it ground and the village store did a rushing business.“For money we had a little silver. These were five franc pieces from Canada and silver quarter dollars and shilling pieces from Mexico. State banks issued bills which we used for business. One scarcely ever saw gold, except some who were fortunate enough to got a gold piece by chance, and which was kept as n keepsake. Mast of the money in this section was from two banks at Detroit until the Ohio State bank began in Sandusky. As change was scarce, merchants often had to issue tokens on paper and a few of copper. These tokens passed any where in this vicinity and were generally* receivable for anything except customs and taxes.“The shoemakers and blacksmiths were the busiest men in this part of the country, for each had all they possibly could do and were among the most thrifty
Newspaper Details
Sandusky Star
Sandusky, Ohio, US
Wed, Sep 21, 1898
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Kathleen W.
NA, 21 Oct 2023
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