The Scioto--Chilicothe--Indian monument--Fine prospect--Colonel
M’Arthur’s--Colonel Worthington’s.
Chilicothe, which signifies town in most of the Indian dialects, is
most beautifully situated on the right bank of the Scioto, about
forty-five miles by land, and nearly seventy following its meanders
from the confluence of that river with the Ohio, between Portsmouth and
Alexandria. In all that distance the river has a gentle current, and
unimpeded navigation for large keels, and other craft for four feet
draught of water. It continues navigable for smaller boats and batteaux
upwards of one hundred miles above Chilicothe, towards its source to
the northward, from whence it glides gently through a naturally rich,
level, and rapidly improving country.
{194} The situation of the town, which is the capital of the
state,[140] is on an elevated and extensive plain of nearly ten
thousand acres of as fine a soil as any in America, partly in
cultivation and partly covered with its native forests.
This plain is nearly surrounded by the Scioto, which turning suddenly
to the N. E. from its general southerly course, leaves the town to
the southward of it, and then forms a great bend to the eastward and
southward.
Water street which runs about E. by N. parallel to the Scioto, is
half a mile long, and contains ninety houses. It is eighty-four feet
wide, and would be a fine street, had not the river floods caved in
the bank in one place near the middle, almost into the centre of it.
There is now a lottery on foot, to raise money for securing the bank
against any further encroachments of the river. Main street, parallel
to Water street, is one hundred feet wide, as is Market street which
crosses both at right angles, and in which is the market-house, a neat
brick building eighty feet long. The court-house in the same street is
neatly built of freestone, on an area of forty-five by forty-two feet,
with a semicircular projection in the rear, in which is the bench for
the judges. It has an octangular belfry rising from the roof, painted
white with green lattices, which is an ornament to the town, as is
the small plain belfry of the Presbyterian meeting-house, a handsome
brick building in Main street; in which street also is a small brick
Methodist meeting-house. These are the only places of publick worship
in the town, if I except the court-house, which is used occasionally by
the Episcopalians and other sects.
{195} The whole number of dwelling houses in Chilicothe, as I counted
them, is two hundred and two, besides four brick and a few framed
ones now building. I reckoned only six taverns with signs, which
small proportion of houses of that description, speaks volumes in
favour of the place. There are fourteen stores, a post-office, and two
printing-offices, which each issues a gazette weekly.[141]
The scite of the town being on a gravelly soil, the streets are
generally clean. The houses are of freestone, brick, or timber
clapboarded, the first of which is got in the neighbourhood, is of a
whitish brown colour, and excellent for building. They are mostly very
good and are well painted.
On the whole I think Chilicothe is not exceeded in beauty of plan,
situation, or appearance, by any town I have seen in the western part
of the United States.
There is a remarkable Indian monument in Mr. Watchup’s garden in the
very heart of the town.--Like that at Grave creek, it is circular at
the base, about seventy or eighty feet diameter, but differs from that,
by being round, instead of flat on the top, which has an elevation of
about thirty feet perpendicular from the level of the plain. It is
formed of clay, and though it has been perforated by the proprietor,
nothing has been found to justify the common opinion of these mounts
having been barrows or cemeteries. They talk of having it levelled,
as it projects a little into Market street, but I think it a pity to
destroy any of the very few vestiges of aboriginal population, which
this country presents to the curious and inquisitive traveller.
From a steep hill, about three hundred feet perpendicular height, just
outside the western extremity of the town, is a most charming view of
the streets immediately below, under the eye like a plan on paper: Then
the Scioto, from one hundred to one hundred {196} and fifty yards wide,
winding on the left, and some low hills about two miles beyond it
terminating the view, to the N. E. while to the eastward and westward,
as far as the eye can reach both ways, is spread a country, partly
flat, and partly rising in gentle swells, which if cultivation proceeds
in equal proportion, to what it has done since Chilicothe was first
laid out about ten years ago, must, in a very short time present one of
the finest landscapes imaginable.
Colonel M’Arthur coming to town was polite enough to invite me to
take a bed at his house, which I had passed about two miles back in
the morning. I found the situation surpassed what I had thought of it
then, when I only saw it from the road, it commanding a beautiful and
extensive prospect including the town of Chilicothe, which, however is
now seen rather indistinctly on account of the foliage of some trees on
the brow of a small projecting hill, which will probably soon be cut
down.
Next morning, Friday, 14th August, I walked before breakfast half a
mile through the woods to the northward, to an elegant seat belonging
to Col. Worthington.[142] It will be finished in a few weeks and will
be one of the best and most tasty houses not only of this state, but to
the westward of the Allegheny mountains. It is about sixty feet square,
with a square roof, and two large receding wings. It has two lofty
stories, with six rooms on each floor, and cellars and vaults beneath.
The wings contain kitchen, scullery, apartments for servants, &c.
Like colonel M’Arthur’s it is built with freestone, but the stone of
the front is all hewn and squared, like the generality of the houses in
the new part of Glasgow in Scotland, the stone being very similar both
in colour and quality. The situation is like Col. M’Arthur’s, being
on the brow of the same ridge of hills, and affording nearly the same
prospects. Both houses were built by two young Virginians of the {197}
name of Morris, who are almost self taught masons and architects, and
whose work and style does them much credit.
I returned to town on Friday after breakfast, and dined, supped and
slept at Muker’s, which is a very good and well frequented inn, and
at five o’clock on Saturday the 15th August, I left Chilicothe in the
stage with a Mr. M’Cammon of Charleston and two other passengers.
FOOTNOTES:
[140] By a law of the last session of the legislature, the seat of
the state government was removed to Zanesville, on the Muskingum
river.--CRAMER.
[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.