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Sciotoville was named after the Little Scioto River, which flows into the Ohio River along its eastern border... The area now known as Sciotoville was the first area in Scioto County to have been settled... From that settlement, a great deal of firsts came from the Sciotoville area... The first marriages, first births, first July 4th Celebration, first field cleared for crops, the first water mill and first house built all yield from what would become Sciotoville...
The high and dry location of where Sciotoville would grow up started out as part of Porter Township in the newly formed Scioto County in 1803...Sciotoville was not the first town to be founded in Porter Township, but it did maintain the highest population outside of the City of Portsmouth in Wayne Township for many years…
Samuel Marshall and John Lindsay were the first to settle here…Marshall and Lindsey built small cabins near the mouth of the Little Scioto River in 1795... Isaac Bonser arrived in 1796 and established the first farm along what is now known as Bonser Run Stream north of Sciotoville… Evans “The History of Scioto County” notes Bonser was a great hunter, and had a trusty flint-lock rifle, with which he killed over 1,000 deer, besides many bears, buffaloes and turkeys… He claimed to have killed the first and the last buffalo in Scioto county…In 1798 Isaac built a grist mill on Bonser’s Run… In 1803 Scioto County was created from a portion of Adams County… Bonsers held the first public celebration of the Fourth of July in the State of Ohio in 1808… People came from Chillicothe, Maysville, Gallipolis, and other places, about 300 persons were present… Evans History said those attending were principally hunters... Robert Lucas, afterward State Senator and Governor, delivered an oration there… Fresh meat of all kinds, both wild and domestic, was in abundance, and was baked over a large pit full of hickory coals…A cannon was fired in honor of those who had served during the Revolutionary War…
The first tavern opened here in 1803 just below the mouth of the Little Scioto River… The first official school in Porter Township opened in 1816 near the river… Walter Beloat was it’s first teacher…The first church was erected in 1817, and was under the charge of the Rev. Rufus Cheney – Free-Will Baptist…
Settlers came by flat boat down the Ohio River into the new territory through the 1820’s and 1830’s…
Plots of land of what would become Sciotoville were sold along the river here by Colonel Edwards who received a Revolutionary War Government Grant of land…By 1820 there were roadways to Wheelersburg to the east and Harrisonville to the north…The Railroad north-south and east-west track lines were underway…
Frequent riverboats made landings here…The Woolfords Landing was a spot for commerce and transportation as growth of the riverfront location flourished… William Brown opened a store here in 1835 out of his house… Sciotoville was officially platted in 1841... The Post Office was established in 1944...By 1845 the town had grown to more than 800...Samuel Marshall’s sons Elias and Luther Marshal opened the first store after the official platting under the name of Marshall Brothers… Uriah Bonser started the first wagon shop; Wm. Courtney, the first blacksmith shop, and David F. Upp, the first shoe shop…. Dr. White came in the year 1846, and was the first resident physician… The first hotel was erected in 1843, with Madison Price landlord and proprietor… In the early part of the year 1847 Messers, Taylor, Decker & Co. put up and ran the first iron foundry, but had the misfortune to have it burned down the same year by act of an incendiary… The flouring mill and edge tool manufactory was run by Elias Marshall and erected in 1851...
The Civil War saw a slow down to development briefly as sons and fathers were part of the effort to end slavery…The underground railroad was prominent in these parts at that time... The Ohio River near here played a role in the North- South crisis… Gunboats from the North namely, Moose, (flag-boat,) Reindeer, Springfield, Naumkeag, and Victory, in command of Lieutenant Commander Le Roy Fitch patrolled the river from below Ripley to Portsmouth, but as soon as it was definitely ascertained that Morgan was pushing eastward, the Moose, towed by the Imperial, started up-stream, followed at proper distances by the other boats… The uniform peace which sat brooding with dove-like wings over the State of the "Beautiful River" was broken for the first time during the threatened invasion under Bragg as fate reserved for a rebel of far less military importance saw the remarkable event of bringing about and causing the first battle of the war in Ohio, and the first in her history as a State...The sensation of the State of Ohio’s involvement up close was over with the great end to Morgan's Raid and the halting of troops up river from crossing into Ohio…
There were several additions to the village in 1868 with three additions added to the original plat laid out at right angles with the streets running north and south, and east and west... Sciotoville Business Interests by 1883 included Oregon Eakins, dealer in dry-goods, groceries and notions; Walter Beloat, dealer in dry-goods, groceries and notions; Dr. Halderman & Co., dealers in drugs and medicines; Sciotoville Saw Mille and Lumber Co; G. W. Salladay, dealer in groceries, etc; L. Marshall, proprietor of Marshall House; L. Marshall, drugs and medicines; J. D. Mathiott, proprietor of Mathiott House; A. Brase, tin, stoves, hardware and house furnishing goods; Alfred Yost, cigar manufactory and dealer in tobaccos; August Cook, wine and beer saloon; Adam Ault, blacksmith, wagon-maker and wheelbarrow manufacturer; George Batterson, harness-maker; Wm. Nickels, blacksmith and horseshoer; William Duveneck, wagon manufacturer; Gus. Zuicker, blacksmith and horseshoer; Geo. M. Marshall, physician and surgeon; S. S. Halderman, physician and surgeon; Marten Taylor, physician and surgeon; Mrs. D. Westwood, milliner and dressmaker; Henry Meeks, brick-layer; Richard Goodrich & Son, plasterers and cistern builders; L. Marshall, Justice of the Peace and Mayor of Sciotoville; Mrs. Alma Hitchcock, milliner and dressmaker; John Taylor, barber; Sciotoville Saw-mill and Lumber Co.'s store; Henry C. Sheward, shingle manufacturer; and the "Scioto Lumber Company” established by M. J. & J. W. White.
"Fire-brick Manufactory" enterprise was started in 1861 by Reese Thoms… In 1865 Messrs. Watkins, Porter & Co. started another yard... The demand for brick being very great, Farney, Murray & Co. opened the third yard, and named it the Salamander… These yards continued until 1870, enlarging the area of their trade, and building up each a splendid business… In 1870 the three firms consolidated under the firm name of the Scioto Fire-Brick Company, which remained in operation well into the mid 1900’s… From the small beginning of Mr. Thoms had arisen one of the largest establishments of the kind in the State… The output was 32,000 brick daily, and the brick yard gave employment to several hundred men and teams. It was an incorporated company with a capital of $100,000 which was unbelievable for the late 1800’s…
As the turn of the century came around, Sciotoville was a booming place… In 1917, the largest truss railroad bridge in the world was constructed across the Ohio River which was named an engineering feat for it’s time… The structure still stands today as an engineering marvel…
In the 1920’s East High School was built and became the focal point for the community…
In the 1930’s Millhuffs Department Store would see daily stops by residents for clothing and grocery needs…
In the 1940's just before the emergence of Rock and Roll, the movie theatres were thriving in downtown Sciotoville as date night included dinner at the grille and the latest big screen release...
In the 1950’s Reeses Hamburger Shop would became the place for lunch for several decades… It was the high school hang out after ballgames and the juke box played rock and roll...
In the 1960's , the US Highway expansion saw riverfront streets and business and residential development purchased and torn down for the main north south corridor of US 52...Sciotoville officially became part of the City of Portsmouth…Kind of an ‘East Portsmouth’ …
Sciotoville was a boom town for more than a century…But the industry and hotels and taverns and theatres are now gone… So are many of the businesses like Reeses and Millhuffs and the Root Beer Stand… The boom and bustle of what once was a thriving Sciotoville has changed to a more slowed pace and into mainly a residential area…
The more things change however, the more they stay the same… You can still get your gas pumped for you at Jenkins Service Station on the main drag where the old Sohio Station stood… Today church and school still play the most important role in the community… There are churches from each denomination still thriving with their church bells still ringing out loud and clear on Sunday mornings and at the noon hour daily… Students still attend East High School and play ball at Allard Field… Football Friday nights are still huge in Sciotoville… It’s still Tartans Turf here…And many of the same families whose ancestors started it all way back when still live here and call Sciotoville “home”.
You will find this hide where Tartan Pride is big and wide… Bring a pen and your love of community pride…
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
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