On Wednesday morning the 12th August, I proceeded through a wilderness of fine land well adapted for cultivation, and finely timbered to Bainbridge, a hamlet of eight cabins, a large stone house building, a blacksmith shop, a post-office, and a store kept by William Daly for Humphrey Fullerton of Chilicothe. Daly told me that he had a good deal of business for the five months he had been here, there being a populous and well cultivated country in the neighbourhood on Buckskin and Paint creeks, at the falls of the latter of which, about a mile to the northward of Bainbridge are some of the best mills in the state, owned by Gen. Massey, who is also proprietor of Bainbridge, which he laid out for a town about a year ago, selling the lots at about thirty dollars each.
{191} The reason assigned for the lands being generally so badly settled along the roads, is, that they belong to wealthy proprietors, who either hold them at a very high price, or will not divide them into convenient sized farms.
From Bainbridge to Reeves’s on the bank of Paint creek, is through a fine well wooded level, with hills in sight from every opening in the woods, about a mile distant. I passed a finger post on the left, a mile from Bainbridge, pointing to the westward and directing to Cincinnatti seventy-three miles, and immediately after I left Platter’s tavern and well cultivated farm on the right, a little beyond which is a school-house, where I observed the schoolmaster, an Irish looking old man, with silver grey locks and barefooted, his whole appearance, and that of the cabin which was the school, indicating but little encouragement for the disseminating of instruction.
A mile from Platter’s I stopped at Reeves’s, where I had been informed I could be well accommodated, although it was not a tavern, and I proved my information to be correct, as I immediately got the breakfast I asked for, excellent bread, and rich milk, neatly served, in a large handsome and clean room, for which it was with difficulty I could prevail on Mrs. Reeves to accept any recompence.
This house is charmingly situated near the bank of Paint creek, and was the best I had seen since I entered the state of Ohio, it being spacious, of two lofty stories, and well built with very handsome stone. It is surrounded on all sides by a noble and well improved farm, which nine years ago, when Reeves came here from Washington in Pennsylvania, was a wilderness. He built his handsome house about five years ago, and at some distance on the bank of the creek, he has a large tanyard and leather shop, from whence one of his men, ferried me across the creek in a canoe.
{192} Paint creek is a beautiful little river about forty yards wide, running easterly to join the Scioto near Chilicothe.
My walk from hence to the north fork of Paint creek, was a most fatiguing one, being thirteen miles, mostly along a very rich bottom, with the creek on the right, and steep hills on the left, over spurs of which the road sometimes leads, which was always a relief to me, after wading for miles through the mud below. This tract is tolerably well settled, the soil being esteemed as rich as any in the state. At eleven miles from Reeves’s, is a hamlet of six or seven cabins called Cat-tail swamp, and two miles further I came to Rogers’s on the bank of the north fork of Paint.
Reeves’s appears to be the best land and the best improved farm on this side the Ohio, but Rogers’s, nearly as good a soil, is I think superiour in beauty of situation. The house which is a story and a half high is of square logs, and commodious enough for a farm house. It is on a moderately high bank, from whence they descend to the river by a flight of wooden steps, at the foot of which is a most beautiful spring which flows into a cask sunk on purpose, and from thence is conveyed by a small spout into the river, whose bank is guarded by a natural wall of soft slate, which I think could be easily wrought into good covering for houses. Nature has formed natural stairs of the slate, by which one may descend to any depth into the river for bathing, washing linen, or for any purpose which may be necessary, in proportion as the river rises or falls. A swimmer may also enjoy that invigorating exercise charmingly, as though the river is only about thirty yards wide, it is at this place sufficiently deep, and the current is moderate. Rogers has been here about nine years from Virginia, and was one of the first settlers in this part of the country.
{193} I supped and slept here, and next morning, Thursday the 13th August, after refreshing by swimming in the river, I pursued my way to Chilicothe four miles, the first mile and half of which was over a chain of moderately high and not very steep hills of a tolerably good soil, to colonel M’Arthur’s elegant stone house and noble farm.[139] The other two miles and a half was through a level plain, passing a neat house and handsome improvement of Mr. Henry Massey’s, just before entering Chilicothe, which I did at eight o’clock, stopping at Muker’s tavern, as the breakfast bell rang, which summoned seventeen or eighteen boarders and travellers to an excellent breakfast with good attendance, to which I did ample justice, after my bath and walk.