[141] These were the Scioto Gazette and The Supporter, the latter a Federalist paper in existence from 1807 to 1821.—Ed.
[142] Colonel Thomas Worthington was a Virginian who had emigrated to Ohio in 1798. He liberated over forty slaves on coming to the Northwest Territory, and was a pronounced upholder of free labor. His services for his adopted state were considerable. The year after his first arrival he was sent to the territorial legislature; in the State Constitutional Convention (1802) it was Colonel Worthington who proposed the northward extension of the boundary. Turning to national affairs, he represented Ohio in the United States Senate for two terms (1803-07; 1810-14), and returned to serve as governor of his adopted state for four years (1815-19). His remaining years were given to service in the State legislature, developing the common-school system, championing sound finance and internal improvements. He died in New York City in 1827. The home of which Cuming here speaks was known as “Adena,” and is still standing.—Ed.
CHAPTER XXXII
Congo—Crouse’s mill—Pickaway plains—Beautiful prairies—Tarleton and Lybrant’s excellent inn—Vestiges of a great fire—River Hockhocking—New Lancaster—Babb’s—Jonathan’s creek—Springfield—River Muskingum and falls—Zanesville.
We crossed the Scioto at a ferry from the town, the stage and four horses being all carried over in the boat.
The first two miles were over a rich bottom, subject to inundation from the river floods in the winter. We had then three miles of a hilly country to Congo, a fine settlement in and round a beautiful prairie, a mile long to Crouse’s mill. This Crouse is a wealthy man, having a good house and offices, a farm of two sections, containing thirteen hundred acres, and an excellent mill-house and mill wrought by a creek which crosses the road and falls into the Scioto half a mile on the left. Another mile brought us to Rickey’s tavern, from whence a road leads to the left to Pickaway Plains, which is a noble and rich prairie, on the west side of the Scioto, fourteen miles long, formerly a principal settlement of the Indians,[143] and {198} now well inhabited by their white successors, who have a town called Levingston on the Prairie.
From Rickey’s to M’Cutchin’s tavern is four miles, across a beautiful savanna, variegated with clumps of trees, and fine groves, with farms at every half mile. We here stopped for a few minutes to water the horses, and I exchanged my seat in the stage, with a Mr. Willis of Chilicothe,[144] who had accompanied us on horseback, on his way to the federal city, Washington, to make some arrangements respecting the mails. The exchange suited us both, as on horseback I had a better view of the country, and his health being delicate, he preferred the stage.
The next six miles were through a thinly wooded but rich plain, with a farm every mile, and a tavern every three miles. The road was so far level but very miry, then another mile and a half over some hilly and broken land brought us to Lybrant’s tavern.
Had I not been informed, I should not have known that I was now in the town of Tarleton, as there was but one other house besides the tavern; three or four more were however just going to be built, and our landlord had no doubt of its soon becoming a smart town. The lots were sold at from sixteen to twenty-five dollars each.
Lybrant’s is one of the best and most reasonable inns I had met with in my tour. At one o’clock we set down to a most excellent breakfast of good coffee, roast fowls, chicken pie, potatoes, bread and butter, and cucumbers both sliced and pickled, all not only good, but delicate and fine even to the pastry, which is very uncommon in this country, and our charge was only a quarter of a dollar.