Freeport, Oregon Post Office, Washington Twp from Beers History of Warren County, Ohio
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Freeport, Oregon Post Office

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Transcription contributed by Martie Callihan 2 May 2005

Sources:

The History of Warren County Ohio
Part IV Township Histories
Washington Township by Samuel Harris
(Chicago, IL: W. H. Beers Co, 1882; reprint, Mt. Vernon, IN: Windmill Publications, 1992)


Page
708

At what time this place took the name of Freeport is not known, but in 1802 or 1803, Nebo Gaunt settled there and built a mill, which passed to the ownership of Judge Ignatius Brown and David Brown, and was known as Gaunt's Mill and Brown's Mill till probably about 1820, when it assumed the name of Freeport. In connection with the mill, David Brown built a paint-mill for the manufacture of Spanish brown and its kindred shades, the material for which was procured from some point above the mill.

Daniel Kinsey built a carding-mill in 1816, and, about the same time, a cotton factory was built by a company, the latter being burned in 1818. How long the carding-mill was operated after the burning of the cotton-mill is not known. James Vanhorn had a blacksmith and auger factory, and Elijah, or Elisha Vance had a pottery about 1820. Mark Armitage, a farmer, had an auger factory near by. A large frame was erected, in 1844, for Charles Nixon for a paper-mill, by William H. Hamilton & Sons, but not being used for that purpose, the machinery, for a barrel factory, was put up and operated for some time. In 1845, a post office was established, and, an office of the same name being in the north of the State, the name of Oregon was substituted; the railroad company refused to change the name of their station, hence it is Oregon Post Office and Freeport Station.

The old mill was burned December 25, 1852, by careless use of firecrackers. The barrel factory was used by Daniel Terry as a grain warehouse for some time, and, in 1854, Stubbs & Sherwood put the works of the Whitehill mill in it, converting it into a flour-mill, which is at this time in operation, now being owned by Isaac Stubbs, Jr. The railroad, which was constructed in 1844, built a woodshed 195x40, which is now taken away. The bridge over the river was built in about 1856 by D. Bennett at the expense of the county, assisted by private subscriptions.

There are at present in the village one flouring-mill, one saw-mill, two general stores, two blacksmith shops, one wagon shop, express office and post office, United Brethren Church and public school, Thomas C. Kersey and George W. Henderson, physicians, and twenty families.

In connection with the village of Freeport, as it is near that station, and at the old settlement of Mather's mill, one and a half miles below, there was

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709
built, in 1881, by W. W. Ingraham, a steam saw-mill of large capacity for custom and general work. The railroad officials have built a side-track to it, and considerable quantities of sawed lumber are shipped from that point.

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This page created 2 May 2005 and last updated 28 October, 2005
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