ice «*6''^-«-'*>''S.''^'^^^ m." <:< <: ■ ^ 4cf ^TT. 9 and down under the trees before his door, reciting Latin and Greek, to the astonishment of the passers by, who regarded him with awe. By reason of his sacerdotal office, the Reverend Stubbs was sent for, far and wide, to marry the early inhabitants : he also knew the mystic virtue of the hazel-bough as described by Virgil, could discover hidden springs, and was often employed to tell where wells should be dug. Mr. Stubbs calculated the first almanac ever made west of the Allegheny mountains. IN" 1800. Early in the new century many settlers came to our County, William Caldwell, Col. David Perry, Peter Mc Arthur, Hezekiah Hayman, John Murman and others. Their descendants are now among the leading citizens of Newport and the County. NEWPORT BARRACKS. In 1803, General James Taylor, as agent for his father and other owners, sold to the government the ground upon which the barracks are situated. General Charles Scott, of Kentucky, pay- ing the purcliase money, and receiving the deed for the govern- ment. General Taylor accepted the agency to erect the buildings. He says: " The masonry of stone and brick was let out by contract to the lowest bidders, and taken by John Metcalf and Daniel Mayo. John Metcalf was uncle to Governor Thomas Metcalf, who it is said worked on the buildings as a stone mason, the carpenter work was take by Stephen Lyon, and the joiner work by Amos B. Watson, a very ingenious cabinetmaker from New York. General Scott was required to come down from Frankfort to in- spect the barracks, and report to the War Department ; his report was in high terms of the execution of the trust The work was completed in 1804. MAJOR MARTIN. Major Thomas Martin, a distinguished revolutionary officer, was the first commandant of Newport barracks ; he was also the military store keeper. Major Martin possessed extraordinary physical prowess and infinite humor ; he was exceedingly popular in dispensing his hospitality and good cheer to the officers ; and it is related " that their parting- toast over the flowing bowl was: 10 HISTOEY OF CAMPBELL COUN'TT. '•Miijor Martin, may the war last as long as he lives, and the troops lay at the mouth of the Licking." In 1811 and '12, Newport barracks was the chief depot for military stores. From here were sent supplies of ammunition, arms and provisions, to General Harrison at Vincennes. Here in 1811 General Boyd caipe with the gallant Fourth Infantry ; for six months their tents ranged from the mouth of Licking to Taylor's Creek, and from here they marched to the bloody battle of Tip- pecanoe. Some of the most distinguished officers of our army have been stationed at this post, Zachary Taylor when Captain, General Posey, GeneralJessup and Colonel Whistler. From New- port barracks many a brave soldier has gone forth to meet death for his country. The people of Campbell, inheriting from their pioneer ancestors a love . of military glory, have ever been quick to respond to the call " to arms." During the late war with Great Britain in 1812, many of our citizens enlisted, and one of the most gallant actions of the war was performed by Major James T. Ewbank of this place. General Harrison (afterwards President), wrote thus : " At Fort Meigs, during the seige of that important Fortress, Major Ewbank rendered the most important services, not only in his particular department, but by volunteering his services for the performance of other duties. One instance of which deserves to be particularly mentioned. On the eventful 5th of May, the squadron of dragoons commanded by Major Ball, had been detached to cover the landing of a part of the Kentucky militia, from boats descending the Maumee river. From the discovery of a meditated attack upon the rear by the enemy, it became neces- sary to recall the dragoons. But the conveyance of the order for the purpose was a service of extreme danger, as the person who should bear it would necessarily be exposed to the fire of a party of Indians who occupied a wood within point blank shot of the route which he would be obliged to pass. This circumstance was mentioned to the officers who were convened near, and a volunteer asked for, to convey the order ; Major Ewbank immediately offered his services, and performed the duty at the utmost hazard, hav- ing been fired on by the Indians from their covered positions for a considerable part of the distance. For his other services, and particularly for the important one rendered on this occasion^ ni STORY OF CAMPBELL COUNTY. 11 he obtained my entire confidence and approbation, and I think they gave him claims upon his country. W. H. Harrison." MILITIA MUSTERS. In early days, the musters of the militia were the great events. In 1804, Brigadier-General James Taylor commanded the Twenty- Second Brigade of the Kentucky Militia; Thomas Sanford was Colonel of the Forty-Eighth Regiment ; Christopher SteAvart, Cap- tain ; and Edmund Taylor, Lieutenant, of a company belonging to Campbell. The late Captain Samuel Perry, who was a soldier at the siege of Fort Meigs, was a noted trainer of the militia men, in which he took great pride. In 1812, General James Taylor, who had been acting as Quar- termaster and Paymaster of all the disbursements in and about the Newport garrison, was appointed Quartermaster-General and Pay- master-General for the army of the Northwest, and marched with General Hull to Detroit, where that officer ingloriously surren- dered. The Fourth of July, in former times, was usually celebrated with the enthusiasm of early patriotism ; barbecues, processions, the reading of the Declaration, an oration, and military reviews, were the order of the day. An old paper of 1817 shows that the forty- first birthday of Independence was honored in Newport by a grand military parade and drill of the Volunteer Rifles. General James Taylor was President of the day. J. T. McKenney, Captain, Sam'l Winston, Lieutenant. Sam'l M. Cliff"ord, Ensign. Elijah Pierce, Samuel Carter, Reese Gaddis and Col. James Taylor, are the only surviving members of that military company. In 1824, Captain John Cleves Symraes, a citizen of Newport, who had several years previous advanced his theory of "Concen- tric Spheres," delivered lectures to prove that land and a mild ■climate could be found at the North Pole. CITY OF NEWPORT. Newport was created a city in 1830, by the election of six trus- tees, and the late Major Francis T. Helm, Mayor. The first Railroad meeting was held at the Newport Exchange, 12 HISTORY OF CAMPBELL COUNTY. Ma}' 28, 1836. Col. John W. Tibbatts was appointed President, John N. Taliaferro, Vice-President, and W. A. Pendleton, Secre- tary. The object was to consider the practicability of building a railroad from Newport to Lexington, to form a part of the Charles- ton and Cincinnati Railroad, which it was hoped would ter- minate at Cincinnati. It was then almost the same project as the one which is now being carried on, called "The Southern Railroad." Our County, at the period when it received the name of Camp- bell, in 1794, embraced a very large territory. Two years after, in 1796, it furnished a portion on the southeast to form Bracken ; two years after, in 1798, parts were taken off on the south and west to erect Pendleton and Boone; and in 1840 the western half of Campbell became Kenton, the Licking the dividing line. In this year, the seat of justice was moved to Alexandria, and thereby the facilities for developing the County were increased. About this time the County began to receive large accessions of immi- grants from Europe, chiefly from Germany. These foreigners brought with them habits of industry, thrift and endurance. The Germans with their gold and silver bought much of the land, and in a few years the vine-clad hills of the Ohio and the Licking made for them another Rhine-land. In the towns and villagesj the many signs with Teutonic names prove the firm hold they have gained in every department of life, and demonstrate the necessity for the study of the German language. The Irish, of whom there had always, since the first settlement, been some representatives in the County, began to seek homes among us. They have made their mark and identified themselves with our people. St. Patrick's day is now celebrated in Newport with the same music and processions as in "The Emerald Isle." When in 1845 the Mexican War aroused the patriotism of the land, a company of voulunteers was raised in Newport, and the command given to Captain Lytleton Bennett. An address was made to the Company by Col. James Taylor, and a flag presented by. Miss Jordena Harris (the late Mrs. Foote). •: In 1847, Col. John W. Tibbatts, of the 16th Regiment of Infantry, Regulars, went to Mexico, taking with him many of the young men of Newport and vicinity. In 1848 and '9, the increased population of Campbell County ex- HISTORY OF CAMPBELL COUNTY. 13 tended itself along the river : and from Major James Berry's large plantation, and other adjoining farms, sprang the two villages, Jamestown and Brooklyn. In October, 1849, a convention was held at Frankfort, to frame the present constitution of the State. Ira Root had the honor of representing the County of Campbell in that distinguished assem- blage. Mr. Root was a friend to education, and an ardent supporter of the public school system. In the late civil war the Union senti- ment prevailed throughout the County. PEOGRESS. Within the past thirty years, the -causes of religion and educa- tion have been progressive. There are now, in Newport, two Methodist, two Presbyterian, one Baptist, one Episcopal, two Ger- man Protestant, and three Roman Catholic churches, besides one Baptist church for the colored population, one congregation of the Christian Church, and several religious Catholic houses. In the other towns, and in the County, all these denominations have churches and meeting houses. St, Joseph's Catholic Orphan Asy- lum 'for boys, and the Sisters of the Good Shepherd's Angel Guardian for destitute girls, are flourishing charitable institutions. EDUCATION. The public schools have advanced in both County and city to a degree of which we may well be proud ; not only are the rudiments taught, but th3 principles of the sciences, the polite arts, and two languages, French and German, have been added to the course of study. The young men and women of Newport may now take their diplomas and qualify as teachers. At the last exhibition of the graduating class in May of this centennial year, there were twelve young ladies and one young gentleman. They all spoke their essays, which were highly creditable. -v For many years an effort has been made to sustain a newspaper in Newport. The Weekly Leader, neutral in politics and religion, has been ably edited for five years by Messrs. J. B. and A. L. Quimby. In 1866, the villages of Jamestown and Brooklyn were united under the name of Dayton. In 1870, Belleview, just below Day- ton, on the Ohio, was incorporated as a town ; it is separated from U MISTOBY OF CAMPBELL COVNTY. Newport by Taylor's Creek. Alexandria, the county seat, is thirteen miles from Newport; Carthage and California are flour- ishing villages ; John's Hill, Cold Spring, Indian Spring, Gubser's Mill, Grant's Lick, and the Highlands, are voting precincts and settlements. Four fine turnpike roads lead from Newport. The street cars run from Newport through Covington, over to Cincinnati, and also from Newport to Dayton. Three splendid bridges span the rivers, nil within sight of each other. The wire suspension bridge, con- necting Covington and Newport, was built in 1854. Soon after icwas opened for travel, it fell, with two men on horseback, and nineteen head of cattle belonging to Mr. Joseph Morlidge. One horse and six of the beeves were killed. The cost to repair made the whole amount to about §101,000. The still finer struc- ture of the suspension bridge, from Covington to Cincinnati, was erected in 1869, at the cost of §1,700,000. In 1872, the iron railroad bridge was finished. It required four years to complete this stupendous bridge, and many laborers were killed by falling, while at work upon it. The first trains crossed April 1, 1872. The Louisville Short Line Railroad runs a few miles through the County, having its depot in Newport, and a. station near Three- Mile Creek, where a railroad bridge spans the Licking, and the train goes on to Louisville in about four hours. POLITICAL. Our County has been ably represented in the National and State Legislatures. Of the distinguished dead of Campbell, whose ser- vices in congress are remembered with pride, we may mention the names of Thomas Sanford, William Wright Southgate and John W, Tibbatts. Of the honored dead, who have represented Campbell in the State Legislature, we recall the names of Richard Southgate, Thomas Sanford, Leonard Stephens, Alexander P. and Alfred Sanford, William Wright Southgate, John W. Tibbatts, Horatio T. Harris, John N. Taliaferro, William and T. W. W. De Coursey, Ira Root and Charles J. Helm. This being the Centennial year, it is in order to present the names of the public men to whom the control of affairs is confided. Ill the United States Senate, we have the Hon : John W. Steven- son and the Hon, Thomas C. McCreery ; Member of Congress from II rS TOUT OF CAMPBELL COUNTY. 15 the Sixth District, Hon. Thomas L. Jones ; members of the past Legislature: Senate, General George B. Hodge; Representatives, Col. R. W. Nelson and Air. J. D. Otten ; Judges of the Chancery Court, Hon. J. W. Menzies ; of the Circuit Court, Judge Strother Boyd ; of the Criminial Court, Judge John Perkins ; and of the . County Court, Judge Washington J. Berry. • * r, County Officers. — Hon. W. J. Berry, County Judge; Edward ' ' , Air, County Clerk ; Jno. S. Ducker, County Attorney ; Thomas Jones, County Sheriff; 0. M. Winson, County Coroner ; B. A. Boyer, County Surveyor ; John Greenwood, County Jailor ; John Tocher, County Assessor; John C. Schroll, Circuit Clerk; Gustavus Artsman, Master Commissioner ; L. Tibbatts, School Commissioner. City Officers. — A. S. Berry, Mayor; Samuel Geisler, City Judge ; L. R. Hawthorn, City Clerk ; Eugene E. Bowers^ City Treasurer; George Hornung, Sup't Water Works; D. R. Lock, City Marshal; B.R.Morton, City Engineer; R. Barrett, Street Commissioner ; Jonathan Horsfall, City Jailor ; John Link, Capt. Fire Department; Clement Olhaber, President of School Board. The original proprietor of the town of Newport was never here, being an old man, and having filled a life of long public service under the king in the colony, and in the State Legislature of Virginia, he was unwilling to come to a new country. His descendants have always had an influence in the affairs of this county. Judge Washington J. Berry, and his honor Mayor Albert S. Berry, are both great grandsons of Col. James Taylor of Virginia. At the last census, Campbell ranked in point of population the third County in the State. Campbell County, and the City of New- port, are still improving, notwithstanding the general financial de- pression throughout the land. Our hearts were saddened during the winter, by a temporary abandonment of the military post, and the transfer of the troops to Columbus, Ohio, but the Secretary of War has restored a command to Newport barracks. A portion of the 16th Infantry has arriv- ed, the flag is again unfurled to the breeze, the drum beats, and' the bugle sounds, and with the sunrise and sunset gun a feeling of satisfaction has returned. ,^, 16 HISTORY OF CAMPBELL COUNTY. Such, as brief as possible, is a sketch of Campbell Countyfl ^ jf4r /^ *^ when Liberty Bell sings forth notes of joy for a century accom- plished, and a new cycle begun. Our County will not be unrepre- sented at the great Centennial ; she will be there in the speci- mens of minerals, metals, bones and fossils, which for centuries have been hidden in the bosom of her soil ; she will be there in the person of her distinguished son, the State Geologist, Mr. N. S. Shaler ; and she will be there represented by her many educated and refined citizens, who ingoing will attest what a hundred years may achieve in a land where freedom of conscience is the corner- stone of her political temple. — Ento perpetua. MARY K. JONES. NEWPORT, Ky., July 4, 1876. 9. I <^c ^CT' ^-'d Cc. 4EL 'C' l^-<£. c. <:: cci <^^Scti <:^^<^'^