Page 10 Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Antioch: Boasts World-Famed Name

to the town was made in April 1841 and the second addition was made by E.L. Lynch, John C. Morgan and J.R. Brown in February 1881.(1) In 1880 Antioch had three general stores, two blacksmith shops, two shoe shops, two hotels, two physicians, one wagonmaker, one steam grist and woolen mill, millinery shops and a reported population of 210. During the next 20 years Antioch saw tremendous growth.(1) F.M. Amos operated a tobacco store as early as 1879. He also owned and operated two tobacco tying houses. Other early owners of general stores were T.C. Penn; Cheny, Shotwell and Twinen; William Harvey; and Koontz.(1) The Monroe Bank established a branch in 1895 (1) Emma B. Smith, a lifetime resident of Antioch, described Antioch in the very early 1900s as having two churches, the Methodist Episcopal and the Christian Church; two hotels, the Brownfield House (hotel) and Thompsons Hotel; a carding mill and a flouring mill. There were five general stores: W.T. Koontz, Alex S. Brownfield, T. Buchanan, H.L. Amos and C.W. Stewart. A cooper shop was owned and operated by J.R. Elrod, a creamery operated by J.W. Lentz, a bakery, a meat market, a jewelry store and shoe shop combined, the Haudenschield Furniture Store that had a big ice cream social the night the store was dedicated, a tobacco tying house, two millinery shops - one owned by Cornelis Thompson, two blacksmith shops, a two-room school and a post office. Mrs. Smith recalled at one time the town had four doctors, Dr. Jim and Dr. Dillon and two who were brothers - she believed their last name was Oliver. A tannery was located about two miles from Antioch .. A newspaper, Christian Friend was published by R.H. Singer and H. Bunner.(1) Village of Antioch Has Interesting History As the years rolled around the little vill-

Antioch Boasts World-Famed Name Palestine, Jerico, Bethel, Jerusalem surround Antioch in much the same fashion as in New Testament times but this is not quite the accident it might seem. The section was settled by deeply religious men, under the leadership of the famed Johnson brothers, great Indian fighters.(3) These men stopped in the land office in Marietta, walked through the woods along the bank of the Ohio River, then headed westward. They hoped to found a community of religious, hard-working farmers and hunters. (3) The community of Dye, the first settlement in Perry Township, was settled by Daniel Dye Sr. and sons Daniel, Vincent, David, Reuben, Enoch and John R. This settlement was an area about one-and-onehalf miles southeast of Antioch. (1) Most of the settlers were Pennsylvania Dutch, Quakers and English from Virginia. The greatest majority had received their land as a reward for their service in the War of 1812 and that may account for the intense patriotism for which Antioch has been noted. Per capita, more men served in the Union Army during the Civil War from Antioch than from any other community in Ohio.(3) The rate of enlistment of Antioch men was so high in comparison with the rest of the state of Ohio that only three or four remained to be drafted. Many were heroic in the war, the veterans post was named after an Antioch hero, Lt. Boyd, who remained in the Union Army although his term of enlistment was up and was killed in one of the last battles of the Civil War, Piney Forks, a few days after he could have received his discharge.(3) Antioch was laid out in 1837 by Rev. William (Billy) Jarvis. It was first named Jarvistown in honor of the founder who was also the Christian Church minister. He later changed the name to Antioch in memory of the disciples Biblical history who were first called Christians. Antioch was incorporated on Nov. 7, 1895, with W.V.A. Polen as the first mayor. The first addition

Henry M. Hoff and his son Henrich W. Hoff are pictured. Henry M. Hoff bought the Antioch store in 1933 from Glenn Polen who had operated it for many years. It was a distribution point for the federal food for the poor during the depression years. In October 1936 Henrich and Luna Hoff bought the store and operated it until October 1968. In 1940 the post office was located in the store and remained there until 1968. Photos Courtesy of Stanley and Theresa Maienknecht, from their book Monroe County, Ohio: A History , pgs. 325 and 333.

More Antioch on Page 11

This photo is Antiochs main street looking north as it was before 1923. This is now State Route 800.

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Thursday, February 16, 2012

Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio Page 11

Antioch

from page 10
W.B. Lynch, William Mason, Elmer Ehman and Charlie Brown.(2) Not long after the drilling for oil declined, around 1910, Antioch began to dwindle in population and business.(1) Another important and interesting feature in the history of this hamlet was the advocation and building of the high school, which was organized in 1915 with J.W. Lentz as Clerk of Board of Education the booster. The building was completed and occupied in 1917 and in 1918 the first class, consisting of four members, graduated.(2) Over the years there have been many fires in which homes burned to the ground. A fire in 1898 burned the drug store. One of the largest fires in the towns history occurred in January 1902. The fire started in the store of C.W. Stewart. Before it could be extinguished the bank building and Stewarts home were burned to the ground. The residences of W.T. Koontz and L. Dornbush were also damaged. Another large fire occurred when the Christian Church burned.(1)
(1) From Monroe County, Ohio: A History by Stanley and Theresa Maienknecht (2) From newspaper article, Village of Antioch Has Interesting History, printed May 16, 1928, written by Ruth Lentz. (3) Times Leader article written by Mary Belle Bogan, date unknown

age began to progress. There was at one time a large steam mill at the foot of the Steam Mill Hill, receiving its name from the mill being operated by steam. The building was comprised of four stories and the products turned out from this mill were of finest material. The first floor was the flouring and saw mill. The second floor was taken up with the looms, making flannels. The fourth floor was the making of woolen blankets. (2) Another interesting manufacturer was Mr. Frank Brown ... He had quite a crude workshop, making coffins or later called caskets from walnut wood. (2) The oldest house in town at that time, occupied by Mr. and Mrs. I.M. Straight in 1928, was owned by Owen Penn and the shop where Mr. Harry Harmon kept his car was used as a shop for making wagons. (2) Another interesting feature concerning the old brick house was the bricks in it were about 85 years old; the bricks being made by Thom. Penn in the vicinity.(2) In the year 1887 a Musical Band was organized with William Billy Crumm as leader. This organization proved to be quite a success and its members consisted of the following: J.W. Crum, Albert Crum, J.W. Lentz, Al Truex, C.J. Lentz, W.V.A. Polen, Charlie Hubbard, Dave Davidson,

Bonam Brothers Band, 1913. The brothers were (not necessarily in order) Frank, Lewis, Albert, Henry and Edgar (Ed). Antioch had a musical band as early as 1887 organized by William Crum. Members of that band were J.W. Crum, Albert Crum, J.W. Lentz, Al Truex, G.J. Lentz, W. V. A. Polen, Charlie Hubbard, Dave Davidson, W.B. Lynch, William Mason, Elmer Ehman and Charlie Brown. Photos Courtesy of Stanley and Theresa Maienknecht, from their book Monroe County, Ohio: A History, pgs. 328, 330, 331

Ben Mayfields Blacksmith shop, ne of two blacksmith shops in Antioch during the early 1880s until the 1920s. It was located adjacent to the Christian Church on lot 21. The other blacksmith shop, Doughertys, was located on lots 25 and 26. Bertha Huffman at the switchboard. The post office and telephone central were located in the Huffman home. Antiochs first phone service was operated by Washington and Monroe County Telephone Service. The Methodist Church, circa 1909. The church became the United Methodist Church in the 1960s.

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Alex and Christena Brownfield moved to Antioch in July 1885 from West Virginia. They bought this building from Tom Twinen. From there they operated a store, a hotel The Brownfield House - and a barber shop. Supplies for the store came by boat on the Ohio River to Lodi Landing, north of Fly. Brownfield would travel by horse and wagon over Dogskin Road, an all day trip, to pick up supplies. The store was sold in 1909.

Page 12 Monroe County: Stepping Back in Time, Monroe County Beacon, Woodsfield, Ohio

Thursday, February 16, 2012