SAM BUILDS A TOWN

By Dennis E. Dalton

SAM BUILDS A TOWN

By
Dennis E. Dalton

TEACHERS: PLEASE NOTE

this is the story of
SAMUEL HEIOIWAY mO
founded waynesville
MARCH 8, 1797.

THIS STORY OF THE PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF WAYNESVILLE, OHIO WAS WRITTEN ESPECIALLY
FOR THE FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD GRADES OF WAYNE LOCAL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL.

I HOPE YOU WILL HAVE AS MUCH FUN READING IT AS IT DID WRITING IT.

IT HOPE

IT WILL GET.YOU INTERESTED IN OHIO HISTORY THROUGH YOUR HOMETOWN STORY AND MAKE
YOU WANT TO READ MORE BOOKS OF ALL KINDS.

Dennis E.

Dalton

Mary L. Cook Public Library

Waynesville, Ohio
1989

ALMOST TWO HUNDRED YEARS AGO, A SMALL FAMILY OF PIONEER FRIENDS

CAME TO THE FIELDS AND FORESTS BESIDE THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER.

THERE WAS NO T0V3N.

THAT TIME.

IN FACT, THERE I-^ASN'T EVEN A STATE AT

JUST A SPOT ON A GREAT BIG BUNCH OF LAND CALLED THE

NORTHWEST TERRITORY.

ONLY BIRDS, BEARS, BUFFALO AND BUNNIES LIVED THERE.

THE LAND WAS COVERED WITH TALL GRASS AND TALLER TREES.

THE LEADER OF THE PIONEERS WAS A BIG MAN NAMED SAM^-

FROM ENGLAND.

HE AND

THREE FRIENDS WANTED TO START A FARM.

SAM WAS

THEY

BOUGHT MANY ACRES BETWEEN THE LITTLE MIAMI AND BIG MIAMI RIVERS.

SAM'S FRIENDS WHO HELPED HIM WITH HIS FARM PLAN WERE A DOCTOR, A
PREACHER AND A SCIENTIST.

THEY SHARED EQUALLY IN THE LAND AND IN A

DREAM.

SAM AND FRIENDS HAD BOUGHT TONS OF TOOLS AND FOOD IN BALTIMORE,
MARYLAND.

THEY CARRIED IT ALL ON HORSEBACK TO PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AT PHILADELPHIA, THE MEN LOADED THEIR POSSESSIONS ON TO A BIG WOODEN "FLATBOAT" AND FLOATED DOWN THE NEARBY RIVERS TO THE OHIO RIVER.

THEY WERE ON THE TRIP FOR NEARLY SEVEN r^XDNTHS (DO YOU KNOW HOW
MANY DAYS THAT TOTALS?)

FINALLY

EARLY IN MARCH THEY LANDED AT A

LITTLE TOWN NEAR CINCINNATI.

A Pioneer Flatboat Like Sam and Friends'

1.

TEJEY LOADED THEIR BELONGINGS ON TWO HORSE DRAWN (XJVERED WAGONS

AND DROVE OFF UP THE ROAD.

THE ROAD TEIAT WOULD TAKE THEM TO THEIR NEW

HOME WAS BUILT OVER AN OLD AMERICAN INDIAN TRAIL.

AFTER A FEW DAYS OF TRAVEL NORTH, SAM AND FRIENDS CAME TO THE
SPOT NEAR THE T.TTTT.E MIAMI WHERE THEY WOULD MAKE THEIR FARM.
ONCE THE WAGONS WERE UNLOADED AND EVERYONE HAD RESTED THE

PIONEERS BEGAN TO BUILD HOUSES.

SAM AND FRIENDS BEGAN TO BUILD LOG

CABINS AND TO MAKE VETETABLE GARDENS.

THE LAND GAVE THEM ALL THE

MATERIALS AND WILD FOODS THEY NEEDED.

SAM OPENED A STORE.

THE PIONEERS HUNTED BEARS, BUILT MORE LOG CABINS AND STORES.
AROUND THEIR HOMES AND STORES THEY MADE PARKS.

AND PRETTY PLACES TO WALK.

LONG

THERE WERE FISH PONDS

ALL THIS WAS DONE WITH SAM'S HELP,

BEFORE

THE CLUSTER OF BUILDINGS BEGAN TO LOOK LIKE SAM'S HOMETOWN IN

ENGLAND.

SAM AND HIS HELPERS MADE THEIR HOMES SO INVITING THAT OTHER

FAMILIES BEGAN TO MOVE IN WITH THEM.

EACH FAMILY HAD BOYS AND GIRLS.

NEXT TEE PIONEERS BUILT A SCHOOL AND A CHURCH, ALL OUT OF LOGS.

SAM

OPENED A POST OFFICE IN HIS STORE.

THE PLACE GREW AND GREW.

MORE STOIES OPENED.

TEIERE WAS A

ECVTMAKER, A MATT. MAKER, A BLACKSMITH, A CORN GRINDER (CALLED A MILLER

BECAUSE HE RAN TEE MILL WEEIE CORN WAS GROUND INTO MEAL) , FURNITURE

BUILDER, A POTTER AND A CANDLE MAKER.

GEORGE WASHINGTON WAS STILL PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.

HE

AND HIS EELPEKS lEPT SENDING PIONEEEE TO TEE WIDE NORTEEWEST TERRITORY.

MANY OF TEEEM STOPPED OFF TO VISIT SAM.

TO STAY.
TOWN.

TEEY LUCE TEE PLACE AND DECIDED

BEFOIE LCNG, SAM'S DIEAM OF MAKING A FAIM GREW INTO MAIGNG A

AND THAT'S tJUST WHAT HE AND HIS FRIENDS DID.

NEW TOWN WOULD BECOME TEE CAPITAL OF TEE TEIEITORY.

SAM FELT THAT HIS

SO EE PLANNED A

COURT HOUSE TO BE BUILT IN TEE CENTER OF TOWN.

TEE PIONEEIE THOUGEiT AND THOUGEET ABOUT A NAME FOR TEEIR NEW TOWN.

SINCE IT WAS

IT WAS SAM'S

IDEA AND EE HAD HELPED BUILD IT, THEY WANTED

TO NAME IT AFTER HIM. BUT SAM WAS BASEEUL AND EIUMBLE AND SAID NO.

2.

SAMi WAS SO PROUD OF HIS NEW TOWN.

THE NAME OF SOMEONE FAMOUS.

HE FELT THAT IT SHOULD HAVE

HE HAD ALREADY NAMED PARTS OF HIS TOWN

AFTER GEORGE WASHINGTON AND BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND THE LITTLE MIAMI RIVER.
THE OTHER PIONEERS HELPED HIM THINK.

THEN THEY DECIDED TO NAME

THEIR TOWN AFTER GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE WHO HAD MADE PEACE WITH THE

AMERICAN INDIANS IN THE TERRITORY.

THEY CALLED THEIR NEW TOWN

WAYNESVILLE.

A FEW YEARS PASSED AND A VERY EXCITING THING HAPPENED.

PRESIDENT

THOMAS JEFFERSON AND HIS HELPERS MADE A NEW STATE.

IT WAS CALLED "OHIO",

AN AMERICAN INDIAN WORD MEANING "BEAUTIFUL RIVER".

WAYNESVILLE WAS ONE OF

THE FIRST TOWNS IN THE NEW STATE.

WAYNESVILLE NEVER GOT ITS COURT HOUSE.

OF THE TERRITORY.

IT NEVER BECAME CAPITAL

BUT IT DID BECOME A NICE TOWN THANKS TO SAr4.

THE END

Building a Log Cabin

3.

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A WAYNESVILLE PIONEER LOG CABIN. ALL PIONEER BUILDINGS WERE

LIKE THIS ONE: HOMES, SCHOOL, CHURCH, STORES.

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GENERAL ANTHONY WAYNE

GEORGE WASHINGTON