sam builds a town - the story of samuel heighway

8/10/2019 Sam Builds a Town - The Story of Samuel Heighway

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S UILDS TOWN

y D e n n i s E l t o n



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

CAME TO TH E F I E L D S AN D F O R E S T S B E S I D E TH E L I T T L E M I A M I R I V E R .

THERE WAS NO T V3N IN FACT, THERE I-^ASN T EVEN A STATE AT

THAT T IM E . JU S T A SPOT ON A GREAT B IG BUNCH O F LAND C AL LED T HE

NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ONLY BIRDS, BEARS, BUFFALO AND BUNNIES LIVED THERE.

TH E LAND WAS COVERED WITH TALL GRASS AND TALLER T R E E S .

TH E LEADER OF TH E PIONEERS WAS A B IG MAN NAMED SAM^- SAM WAS

FROM ENGLAND. HE AND THREE FRIENDS WANTED TO START A FARM. THEY

BOUGHT MANY ACRES BETWEEN TH E L I T T L E MIAMI AND B IG MIAMI RIVERS.

S AM S F RI EN DS WHO HELPED HI M WITH H IS FARM PLAN WERE A DOCTOR, APREACHER AND A SCIENTIST. THEY SHARED EQUALLY I N THE LAND AND IN A

D R E A M .

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

MARYLAND. THEY CARRIED I T AL L ON HORSEBACK TO PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

AT PHILADELPHIA, THE MEN LOADED THEIR POSSESSIONS ON TO A BIG WOODEN FLAT-

BOAT AND FLOATED DOWN TH E NEARBY RIVERS TO THE OHIO R I V E R .

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

L I T T L E TOWN NEAR CINCINNATI .

A P i o n e e r F l a t b o a t L i k e Sam and F r i e n d s



TEJEY LOADED T H E I R BELONGINGS ON TWO HORSE DRAWN XJVERED WAGONS

AN D DROVE O FF U P T HE R OA D T HE ROAD TE IAT WOULD TAKE THEM TO T H E I R NE W

HOME WAS BUILT OVER AN O LD A ME RI CA N INDIAN T R A I L

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 TH E WAGONS WERE UNLOADED AND EVERYONE HAD R ES TE D T HE

PIONEERS BEGAN TO BUILD HOUSES SAM AND FRIENDS BEGAN TO BUILD LOG

CABINS AND TO MAKE VETETABLE GARDENS THE LAND GAVE THEM AL L TH E

MATERIALS AND W IL D F OO DS THEY NEEDED SAM OPENED A STORE

THE PIONEERS HUNTED BEARS BUILT MORE LOG CABI NS AND STORES

AROUND THEIR HOMES AND STORES THEY MADE PARKS THERE WERE F I S H PONDS

AND PRETTY PLACES TO WALK. ALL THIS WAS DONE WITH SAM S HELP BEFORE

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

E N G L A N D

SAM AND H IS HELPERS MADE THEIR HOMES SO INVITING THAT OTHER

FAMILIES BEGAN TO MOVE I N WITH THEM. EACH FAMILY HAD BOYS AND G I R L S

NEXT TE E PIONEERS BUILT A SCHOOL AND A CHURCH, ALL OUT OF LOGS. SAM

OPENED A POST OFFICE IN H IS 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 HI S EELPEKS lEPT SENDING PIONEEEE TO TEE WIDE NORTEEWEST TERRITORY.

MANY OF TEEEM STOPPED OFF TO VISIT SAM. TEEY LUCE TEE PLACE AND DECIDED

TO STAY. BEFOIE LCNG, SAM S DIEAM OF MAKING A FAIM GREW INTO MAIGNG A

TOWN. AND THAT S tJUST WHAT HE AND HIS FRIENDS DID. SAM FELT THAT HIS

NEW TOWN WOULD BECOME TEE CAPITAL OF TEE TEIEITORY. 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 WA S IT WA S SAM S IDEA AN D EE HA D HELPED BUILD IT THEY WANTED

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



SAMi WA S SO PROUD OF H I S NE W TOWN. HE F E LT THAT I T SHOULD HAVE

THE N ME O F SOMEONE FAMOUS. HE H AD A LR EA DY N MED PARTS O F H I S TOWN

AFTER GEORGE WASHINGTON AN D BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND TH E L I T T L E MIAMI R I V E R .

T HE O TH ER PIONEERS HELPED H IM T H I N K . TH EN THEY D EC ID ED T O NAME

T H E I R TOWN A F T E R GENERAL ANTHONY W Y NE WHO HAD MADE PEACE WITH TH E

AMERICAN INDIANS IN TH E TERRITORY. T HE Y C AL LE D T H E I R NEW TOWN

WAYNESVILLE.

FE W YEARS PASSED ND VERY EXCITING THING HAPPENED. PRESIDENT

THOM S JEFFERSON N HIS HELPERS M E NEW STATE. IT W S C LLED OHIO

N MERIC N INDIAN WOR ME NING BEAUTIFUL RIVER . W Y NE SV IL LE W S ONE OF

TH E F I R S T TOWNS I N TH E NEW S TAT E .

WAY NE SV IL LE N EV ER G OT I T S COURT HOUSE. I T NEVER EC ME CAPITAL

O F THE T ERR ITO RY. BU T I T D ID ECOME N I C E TOWN THANKS TO SAr4.

T H E E ND

Bui ld ing a Log Cabin



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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



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G O R G W S H I N G TO N

sam builds a town - the story of samuel heighway

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