CEDARVILLE HISTORY (CONT)

SCHOOLS.

   Do the citizens of this township deserve to be more highly lauded than for the rapid improvement and present efficiency of her public schools. The first school house in the township was built on Townsley's farm, in 1806, and James Townsley was the first teacher. It would be a difficult matter to conceive of a ruder edifice, or one more uncomfortable, than this old log house. One end of the building was devoted to a fire-place, which, piled high with blazing logs in winter, warmed the freezing toes and frosted nose of the youthful knowledge seeker, after a tramp of several miles through mud and snow. The floor of this house was the earth, and although it was an impossible thing to wear it out, it was not a very difficult matter to raise a dust. Light came in through a hole, made by taking out a section of log, and during the winter the aperture was pasted over with greased paper, which served the double purpose of transmitting the sunlight and keeping out a little of the cold. The benches were of split logs, with wooden pegs driven in through auger holes. Part of these slabs were placed with the round, and part with the split side up, so that when a pupil got tired sitting on a round log, he might vary the monotony by sitting on a flat surface. School was held in this house for several years, when the increasing population demanded another, which was built on Massie's Creek, about 1810, and was similar to the former, save that it had a wooden floor of split puncheons; which was quite an improvement over the dirt floor.

    A member of the McCoy family was the first teacher in this house. The first school house used by the citizens of Cedarville village, was a hewed log, owned by a widow lady, Mrs. Gamble, which she had built for that purpose, and in which she taught the first school, in 1823. The old stone house was then built, about a quarter of a mile from the Village, in 1828. The year preceding this, a log house had been built on the William Pollock farm, for school purposes. Among the early teachers, Orlanda Junkins, Harriet Hatch, Matthew Mitchell, and David Torrence, are remembered as having been good teachers for the day in which they lived. The pupil was considered a good scholar, and a ripe one, after he had mastered the rudiments of "readin", "writin", and "rithmetic." The manner of conducting schools has been entirely revolutionized since then. The union school house in the village of Cedarville was build in 1866, at a cost of $25,000. It contains seven well ventilated and comfortably seated rooms, with patent desks, and half a dozen efficient teachers are employed. Geometry, astronomy, and other of the more important sciences, receive considerable attention, and also six terms of Latin are taught in the latter part of the course.

    The report of the township clerk for the year ending August 31, 1879 showed a balance of $1,583.59 on hand. One school building was erected the past year at a cost of $1,350. There are ten school houses in the township, and the whole of such property is valued at $13,000. The different schools continue in session thirty-three weeks each year, and give employment during that time to ten competent teachers, of which the average wages of male teachers is $32, and female $27, per month. There were 257 pupils enrolled the past year, and of these 38 were between sixteen and twenty-one years of age. The average monthly enrollment was 181, and the average daily attendance 133, during the                                    

SECRET SOCIETIES.

Odd-fellows. - Cedarville Lodge, No. 630, was organized June 20, 1876, by W. C. Earl, special deputy from Grand Lodge at Cleveland. The charter members were as follows: N. B. Cleaver, J. W. McLane, A. C. Owens, T. C. Gibson, F. J. Huffman, E. W. Van Horn, William Shull, M. Rasor, S. L. Walker, M. Albitz, J. W. Walker, W. H. Walker, and Alexander Noble. First officers were, N. B. Cleaver, N. G.; W. H. Walker, V. G.; T. C. Gibson, recording secretary, J. W. Walker, permanent secretary, F. J. Huffman, treasurer. Present officers are: Dr. W. P. Madden, N. G.; E. W. VanHorn, V. G., J. W. McLane, treasurer, Byron Miller, recording secretary, Alexander Noble, corresponding secretary. The lodge at present contains a membership of twenty-six. E. W. Van Horn is the oldest member of the lodge, and Barton White the youngest. The society has no room of its own, but holds its deliberations in the hall built by Mr. Gowdy for this purpose, which he rents to the order for $72.00 per year. The G. U. 0. F. (colored) received its charter in January, 1879, The charter members were: Daniel Smith, Thomas Mitchell, William Fields, James K: Smith, Moses Moss, David Samuels, John Smith; Newton Gaines, James Gaines, Joseph Ross, William Galloway, Stephen Thomas, Vincent Smith, Wilson Smith, John R. Smith; Joseph Wright, Robert Pigg, James Robinson, David Stout, Harris Taylor; Milton Robinson, Amaziah Hamilton, Harrison Tilley, Graham Sellers, John Woodford, and Charles Smith. Present officers: John Silvey, N. G.; Stephen Thomas, y. G.; John Smith,. R. S.; John R. Smith, P. S.; Thomas Mitchell, T.; James Wright, P. N. G.; James K. Smith, N. F. The lodge numbers thirty-five members, and meets in the town hall, which they rent for that purpose. Order Of United America Mechanics.-Continental Council No. 27, of the State of Ohio, received its charter from the State Council, at Cleveland, August 9, 1873. The charter members were: E. W. Van Horn, W. H. Walker, J. W. Walker, Robinson Satterfield,- J. B. Beamer, S. L. Walker, Jos. Van Horn, J. F. Studivant, W. S. Walker, E. A. Thomison, A. B. Cline, D. H. McFarland, J. P. Satter- field, G. W. Randall, H. D. Gibney. W. H. Iliff; R. Fitz-gerald, G. W. Werntz, D. W. Walker, Jasper Ballard, J. W. Mc-Farland, J. A. Sites, H. Cross, W. Beamer, C. W. Mincer; T. P. Iliff, John Phillips, and A. C. Scanland. The present officers are: J. Van Horn, C.; T. V. Iliff; V. C.; D. H. McFarland, R. S.; John W. Booth, F. S.; S. L. Walker, T.; A. B. Cline I.; J. W. McFarland; Ex.; R. McFarland, I. P.; W. Beaver, O. P.; E. Van Horn, J. Ex. C.; W. H. Iliff S. Ex. C. The order at present consists of forty members at this place. They meet every Wednesday evening in the hall built by the town council, for which they have procured a lease for a term of five years. S. L. Walker is the oldest and Albert Barr the youngest member of his lodge.

BACK