The land mass that became Ohio and Kentucky was once part of Colonial Virginia. Kentucky residents moving north could get on Zane’s Trace at Maysville and follow the Trace north to Chillicothe. Settlers from Virginia and points east followed a path cut in 1775 by Daniel Boone that became known as the Wilderness Road. After Ohio became a state in 1803, efforts were made to improve the various trails to accept wagon traffic. The trail led to Chillicothe and from there, settlers could follow the Scioto Trail north into Central Ohio. Settlers from northern states likely followed the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Zane’s Trace near present day Wheeling, West Virginia. Most passages were not more than narrow Native American trails settlers arrived by foot, mule or horseback and sometimes a cart pulled by oxen or simply by human hands. The earliest pioneers didn’t arrive by covered wagons. Others made the move to Ohio from Virginia and Kentucky. Many were of German descent who relocated from Pennsylvania. Neighboring Franklin County communities once referred to Jackson Township as the “backwoods township” because of the hardship settlers had to face. Malcom Borror with tractor at his Jackson Township home. Grapevines hung from many of the towering trees and there was a plentiful undergrowth of blueberry bushes, raspberry and blackberry vines that covered the landscape. There were numerous other smaller trees that included dogwood, wild plum, crab apple, redbud and pawpaw. ![]() Jackson Township had thick forests that included walnut, oak, sycamore, maple, beech, chestnut and tulip trees. As more people moved into the township, farmers drained acres of ground using clay tile diverting standing water into the natural runs that led to the Scioto River. The land was flat and fertile but it was also damp and not readily suitable for farming. The Shawnee also had settlements near the river stretching from Columbus to Chillicothe. Unable to identify the land purchased, Grant and family became squatters on the banks of the Scioto River. The first permanent white settler in the area now known as Jackson Township was Hugh Grant Sr., his wife, Catherine Barr, and three children. Roads were not much more than animal trails those who chose to live in the township area braved a wilderness that was wild and sparsely settled except for Native American settlements.įamilies lived in the area prior to 1815. The early years were difficult for those moving into Central Ohio. The grants were awarded Virginia’s Revolutionary War veterans as compensation for their military service. The land was also part of the Virginia Military Land Grant. It was originally part of the Northwest Territory. Jackson Township came into being in 1815 carved mostly from Franklin Township and a southwest portion of Pleasant Township. There are 37 other Jackson Townships in Ohio.Jackson Township Grove City, Urbancrest, Borror’s Corners, Cottage Mills, Ridpath Jackson Township is one of the twelve townships that make up Sandusky County. Jackson Township has no major navigable waterways, but the early railroads such as theįremont Indiana Railroad and later the Toledo, Tiffin and Eastern Railroad gave Jackson Township residents a source of transportation and a means for moving their goods during the 1850s and 1860s. It wasn't until the 1890s that oil and gas wells became part of the Jackson Township economy. ![]() However, stone quarries and sawmills were also in existence. As trees were cleared and ditches dug to drain the soil, agriculture became the primary source of income for early settlers. They found the township covered in a dense forest with fertile but wet soil. Early pioneers include the Campbell, Feasel, Gabel, Gain, Garn, Havens, Hoffman, Ickes, Klotz, Lease, Long, Ludwig, Miller, Mowry, Overmyer, Shale, Stultz, Tyndall, Voorhies, Wilhelm and Witmore families. Today the road is known as County Road 41 or the Greensburg Pike. Three other small towns - Winters Station, Havens Station, and Gabel's Corners - now exist in name only.Įarly pioneers, mainly Germans from Pennsylvania and southern and central Ohio, came into Jackson Township by way of Gabel's Corners, located on a newly constructed road. It is located in the southwest part of Sandusky County and contains the incorporated towns of Burgoon, Helena and Millersville. Jackson Township, Sandusky County, Ohio, was organized as a township by the Sandusky County Commissioners in December 1829.
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