Some Ghost Towns on the West End

SOME GHOST TOWNS OF THE WEST END

The AC&Y provided services to many small villages in HancockCounty,

many of which have been lost to the hands of time.

by John Wheeler

Above: While under the control of the LE&W / Northern Ohio, this combination freight house and depot served well into the AC&Y era. Recycled from narrow gauge equipment, these structures were similar to several others on the railroad including at least two other West End stations. Note the Cowdry revolving disc train order signal. Bob Lucas Collection.

he organizers of the Cleveland, Delphos, and, St. Louis (C.D.&St.L.) originally planned for their narrow gauge pike to extend eastward from Delphos to Cleveland by way of Findlay and Medina.

When the three-foot gauge tracks reached Pendleton (now Pandora) on February 1, 1882, the developers found out that adequate financing and a right of way for an entrance into the city of Findlay could not be obtained. Findlay was in the midst of a natural gas boom and was eventually served by no less than five standard gauge railroads, and their own belt line railroad.

The “Narrow Gauge Fever” that was so prevalent in the United States during this period never caught on in Findlay. One of the popular sayings in Findlay during this period was “Women Split No Wood in Findlay!” which was in reference to the abundant supply of natural gas that was available for heat and light at that time.

With no entrance to Findlay available, the builders headed for Bluffton and thence across the southern part of HancockCounty. This explains the abrupt curve to the southeast at Pandora that can be noted on any map of the AC&Y.

The right of way entered HancockCounty on the east side of Bluffton at AU Tower, which was located at the crossing with the LE&W (Later NKP). It proceeded east across the southern tier of townships, including, from west to east, Orange, Van Buren, Madison, and Delaware. At Mt.Blanchard the right of way curved to the northeast passing through AmandaTownship before entering WyandotCounty and continuing to Carey where the narrow gauge track stopped.

In 1999, the Center for Ghost Town Research in Ohio published their Volume # 21, detailing the ghost towns in HancockCounty, several of which are located along the right of way of the West End. The book breaks down “ghost towns” into several classes. By reviewing these categories, one will realize why several places are included here that today are far from being Ghost towns. The ghost town classifications are as follows:

True Ghost Towns (GT): These are towns which once existed, but today have no human inhabitants and/or businesses.

Semi-Ghost Towns (SGT): These are towns that once existed but today have less than ten percent of their original number of inhabitants and/or businesses.

Paper (Ghost) Towns (PGT): These are towns that were plotted and often recorded, but never came into being.

Old Towns (OT): These are towns that have existed for at least a hundred years and have either been moved or have totally changed their character from what they were originally.

The attached copy of the Opening Excursion of the C. D. & St. L on September 21, 1883 lists many of the stops that we will make in the southern portion of HancockCounty.

Above: One of the timetables to have surfaced lists Seven Points, west of Carey.

As mentioned earlier, the right of way enters Hancock County from the west at County line Road near Bluffton, which is also the site of the LE&W (NKP) crossing at AU Tower. AU tower was the site of a rather serious accident involving PA&W and LE&W trains during the standard gauge days in 1892. The Bluffton Newsreported that the two trains met in a screeching collision at “AU” tower. A boiler exploded scalding one engineer to death.

Langon: Our first stop is Langon which is considered a True Ghost Town (GT). The location of Langon is the northwest one-quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 6 of Orange Township. The more common description of its location is the intersection of the right of way and Interstate 75. Langon is located at milepost 29. In 2007 the milepost still guards the right of way! Little information is known about Langon. It has not been noted in any AC&Y documents. There were no known businesses at Langon or sources of revenue for the railroad. The typical interstate highway sprawl has developed near Langon over the past several years at the interchange between I-75 and Ohio Route 103.

El Rose: Two railroad miles east of Langon was the settlement of El Rose. The official location of El Rose is northeast one quarter of the southeast one quarter of Section 4 of Orange Township. El Rose is located at the intersection of the right of way and Ohio Route 235. Sadly, little is known about El Rose. Today all that remains in the area are two modern homes.

Above: This circa 1910 image shows the Jenera depot in good times. On the depot’s platform, L.M. Heighway and Mr. Dilly await the westboundNorthern Ohio train. V.K. Neel Collection

Cordelia: Cordelia, at milepost 32.8, is described as being located in Sections 1 and 2 of UnionTownship. The town site is located at the intersection of County Road 12 and the right of way.

Cordelia was founded by William McKinley, William Marshall, John Crates, and John Juriat. The Post Office there was established on March 9, 1883.

Some sources state that Cordelia was named after “William’s daughter”. Since William McKinley was the first postmaster, one might assume that the village was named for Cordelia McKinley. The post office closed on October 31, 1895 and mail was sent to nearby Cannonsburg. The village was laid out with 33 lots at the time of the railroad construction. In 1924 there was still a team track at Cordelia and the Hancock Livestock Company built a stock pen. Both were removed in 1932.

Cordelia appears in the Local Passenger Tariff of One Way Fares for the AC&Y dated March 3, 1950, but does not appear in the Employee Timetables. In 2007 all that remains are two farmhouses and the abutments of the 27’ 10” deck plate girder bridge over Ottawa Creek. Milepost 33 still stands sentinel just east of Cordelia.

Ghost Towns (continued on page 14)

Ghost Towns (continued from page 5)

Above: This 1893 PA&W timetable lists the ghost towns of Wayton, El Rose, Cordelia, D&M crossing and AuglasieRiver.

Jenera: The Center for Ghost Town Research in Ohio classifies Jenera as a Semi Ghost Town (SGT). This is a classification that the author respectfully disagrees with. Jenera was established with 20 lots on April 3, 1883 and incorporated in 1893. It was named for Dr, A.B. Jenner, the first doctor to settle in the area. Prior to being named Jenera, the village was referred to at The German Settlement due to its large German population, which exists to this day. Several large Lutheran churches are prominent in the area. All of the pioneers were from the Hesse Darmstead area of Germany. The Post Office in Jenera was established on May 2, 1883. It became a rural branch of the Findlay Post Office in 1963. Businesses listed in 1886 included a dry goods store, drug store, general grocery store, steam gristmill, two saloons, a blacksmith, a doctor, and a warehouse near the railroad.

One of the recognizing factors of Jenera to all AC&Y fans was the boxcar depot. At times it has been suggested that this structure was a relic of the AC&Y’s slim gauge predecessor the Cleveland, Delphos, and St. Louis. Prior to the depots removal, the author was able to identify the remains of a New York Central herald under several layers of paint on the side of the depot away from the track. This would date the depot to the time of LE&W control, which in turn was controlled by the NYC. The railroad served a large elevator, a lumberyard, and a stock pen. During the 1950’s, scheduled meets were performed on the elevator track. In 1957, Train 97 staged a spectacular derailment caused by a broken wheel.

Visiting Jenera today is like taking a trip back to the post war 1940’s. There are still a few small businesses remaining, mostly antique shops.

Arlington: While Arlington is not classified as any type of ghost town, it is included here to show the interesting 1890’s photograph of the boxcar depot. (See photo on Page 3).

There was a connection here with the Toledo & Ohio Central (NYC). Passengers could connect here for trains to Toledo or Columbus. There was a small grain elevator located here. In 1942 a Poage water column was moved here from Bluffton.

Patterson (Spur): Patterson, sometimes referred to as Patterson Spur was located a milepost 42, two miles east of Arlington. It is located at the intersection of County Road 182 and the right of way. A spur was built here in 1923 to serve the quarry of the Bluffton-Lewisburg Stone Company. Company ballast was quarried here. Patterson disappeared from timetables by 1944, but still appears a Patterson Spur in the 1950 list of local passenger tariffs. Today, the National Lime and Stone Company maintain a very nice, well patronized, employee recreation area at the site of the quarry.

MountBlanchard: Mt.Blanchard has not been classified as a ghost town. At milepost 45.1, the railroad facilities consisted of a depot, 56,000-gallon water tank, and the mill track, which was retired in 1932. The railroad served a lumber mill, a stock pen, and an elevator. The bridge over the BlanchardRiver remains in 2007.

Above: 1918 ICC Valuation Photo, V.K. Neel Collection, AC&YHS Archive

Five/Seven Points: This location, which is referred to as Seven Points on the 1883 announcement of the opening excursion, is currently referred to as Five Points on the Hancock County Engineer’s map.

Five Points is located in AmandaTownship at the intersection of State Route 103, County Road 160, and County Road 193. All that remains here in 2007 are one house and a cemetery. Hancock County Cemetery Inscriptions for AmandaTownship published in 1986 states that there are 13 graves in this cemetery. On July 19, 2002, the author was able to identify six graves along with steps and a walk. It is assumed that there was a church here at some point. The oldest grave noted was 1841. All identified graves preceded the railroad. Two interesting notations were Perry Pratt, October 1853 and William Eatherton, August 23, 1863. Eatherton was a member of Company D, 67th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry from October, 1861 until January, 1862 when he mustered out. Just East of Five Points is the remains of the bridge over Buck Run. Research will continue into the naming disparity of this location.

Pratts: Continuing about ½ mile further east, we arrive at the final stop on our tour of HancockCounty ghost towns, Pratts.

Pratts is officially described as being in the northeast one-quarter of the southwest one-quarter of Section 29 of Amanda Township. It can be found along County Road 160 southwest of Amanda Township Road 194. Pratts is of particular interest because it is the location of what is probably the last loosely railroad related building that dates to the narrow gauge days. While there apparently never was a depot there, it is speculated that passengers might have waited on the large front porch of the brick home in inclement weather. There was also a 26 car passing track there for the staging of stone cars for delivery to the quarries in Carey. There never was any source of revenue at Pratts. This area was, and is, the home to several families with the name of Pratt, hence the name of the settlement. The Hancock County Historical Atlas Reprint 1835-1919 shows the area platted as Pratts. The 1875 Atlas of Hancock County lists Lewis Pratt as owning 156 acres in this area. It lists him as a farmer and stock dealer, coming to HancockCounty in 1837. The 1863 Atlas list the brick structure as an inn on the road extending from MountBlanchard to Carey, a distance of approximately 10 miles. This is a structure that truly pre-dates the railroad! Other than the house, little is left at Pratts other than a grain bin. Being a favorite spot of the author, he makes an effort to visit Pratts several times a year. Each successive visit shows the old brick house succumbing further and further to the elements. Each successive winter takes its toll.

This completes our tour. About 2 ½ miles east of Pratts the right of way enters Wyandot County and continues to Carey which was the eastern most reach of the narrow gauge trackage. The last train passed this way on December 16, 1982 and the rails were pulled as far as Bluffton in 1984 bringing this story to a sad end, just slightly over 100 years after its beginning.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

AC&Y Documents:

Employee Timetable #21 12/18/38
Employee Timetable #23 06/11/44
Local Passenger Tariff of One-Way Fares 03/03/50

AC&YHS Documents:

Reprint of System Diagram
“A Superfluous Little Railroad”; John Wheeler; AC&YHS News, Summer 1998
“AC&Y’s Extraordinary West End”; Bob Lucas; AC&YHS News, Fall 1998

Other Publications:

Ohio Ghost Towns No. 21 HancockCounty
Hancock County Engineer’s Map
DeLorme Atlas and Gazetteer of Ohio
HancockCountyCemetery Inscriptions for AmandaTownship, 1986
1875 Atlas of HancockCounty
1863 Atlas of HancockCounty
Historical Atlas Reprint 1835-1919
U.S. Narrow Gauge Mail Routes & Postal Markings, James Felton

Above: The depot at Jenera, 1918 ICC Valuation Photo, V.K. Neel Collection, AC&YHS Archive.