are hereby vested in the said Gregory and Havner, their heirs and assigns, so long as they shall have a legal right to the before mentioned lot."

Sec. 2, enacted that they should make "in the mill dam aforesaid a good and sufficient lock, or apron, constructed in such manner that the free navigation of the river shall not be obstructed."

Sec. 3, required them to pilot and assist all persons or craft passing up or down the stream over said lock or apron without fee or reward.

Sec. 4, required them to complete the dam within five years, and to keep the same in good repair; and Sec. 6, imposed a fine of five dollars for refusing to assist or pilot any person or craft passing up or down the stream over the dam, or for receiving any fee or reward therefor.

Under this act a dam was constructed and mill built in 1805 and 1806, the latter known as Gregory's mill, east of town where D. B. Stewart's mill now stands. In 1832, Messrs. J. B. and R. W. Miles built a large flouring mill at this site, which has been occupied by a mill continuously since 1806. From 1843 till 1853 this mill was in the hands of Mr. Andrew Kessinger, well remembered here as an upright man of business; he was the father of Mr. Joseph L. Kessinger now an active citizen of Athens. The Herrold mill as it is now called, was built by Capt. Silas Bingham in 1816. Previous to his death (which

occurred in 1840) Capt. Bingham rented the mill to his step-son, Joseph Herrold, who in 1844 became and still continues the owner of the property. Judge Pruden established his business of carding wool, clothdressing, etc., at this mill about 1826 and continued it for several years, when he removed to a new point about two miles below Athens on the river and built up the mills, salt works and other improvements now called Harmony, in Canaan township.

In early times, and for many years after the organization of the county, the passage of the river was made by ferry boats-little scows which were poled and rowed across. In 1800 there was a ferry kept by old Arthur Coates (called Coates's ferry) a few rods below where the south bridge now stands, and another one called Harper's ferry, kept by Wm. Harper, about 100 yards above where the Marietta and Cincinnati railroad crosses the Hockhocking, west of Athens-just where the road turns. Mr. Harper lived a short distance the other side of the river, and Isaac Barker, at that time, in a log house situated on this side and about where the road now turns southward. It was at that time expected that a town would grow up at this ferry, and it was named rather prematurely, Elizabethtown, after a woman who accompanied Mrs. Margaret Snowden to the settlement-her surname is forgotten.

The rates of ferriage for man and beast, loaded teams, etc., were fixed yearly by the county commis

sioners. There are now several excellent bridges in the township. The East bridge, as it is called, was built about 1834, by Joseph B. and R. W. Miles, and their associates. Isaac Jackson was the principal mechanic, assisted by Oliver Childs. This bridge was modeled after the bridges at Zanesville, Ohio, then recently built by the Buckinghams. The West bridge was built in 1836, and by the same mechanic, Isaac Jackson. The South bridge was built in 1839; Samuel Miller was the principal mechanic, assisted by Francis Beardsley. All three of these bridges were built under acts of incorporation, making them toll bridges, but have since been made free by voluntary contributions of the citizens, aided by appropriations of the county. There are two other good bridges in the township, across Margaret's creek, one at its mouth, near the Bingham mills, and the other about a mile above, at the old Goodrich saw mill. Both of these were mainly built by Joseph Herrold, on subscriptions of the neighboring citizens, and appropriations by the county.

The town of Athens had been "confirmed and established," by a legislative act of December 6, 1800; it was regularly incorporated by an act, passed January 28, 1811, entitled "an act to incorporate the town of Athens, and for other purposes." This act enacted that "so much of the township of Athens, county of Athens, as is contained in the plat of the town of

It

Athens, as recorded in the recorder's office in the county of Washington, be and the same is hereby erected into a town corporate, to be known and distinguished by the name of the town of Athens." provided for an annual election of a town council and other officers. It also authorized and directed "the trustees of the Ohio university to lease to the county commissioners, on a nominal a nominal rent, for ninety-nine years, renewable forever, in-lots Nos. 35 and 37, on which the court house and jail now stand, and also inlot No. 18, reserved for the purpose of building a school and meeting house;" also, to lease, on the same terms, the grounds reserved for a burying ground.

This act of incorporation was amended February 15, 1812, when the trustees of the Ohio university were authorized and directed to lease to the Methodist society in the town of Athens, on the foregoing terms, "a piece of the public commons which adjoins out-lot No. 61, beginning at the S. E. corner of said lot, thence E. four chains, thence N. eight chains, thence W. four chains, thence S. to the place of beginningfor the use of the said Methodist society, and to build a meeting house thereon for the purposes of worship."

During the next half century, the population of the town and township increased but slowly. The extreme inaccessibility of the town during a long period, from the absence of railroad or other good communications, prevented a large immigration, while the superior agri

cultural advantages of states lying further west, have drawn away, from time to time, numbers of the citizens. In 1820, the population of the township was 1,114; in 1830, it was 1,703; in 1840, it was 2,282; in 1850, it was 2,360; and in 1860, it was 2,852. The present population of the town of Athens is about two thousand. It is handsomely situated, and, for a town of its class, well built. With a healthful location, in the midst of a region abounding in natural beauties of an uncommonly attractive and picturesque order, and with a quiet and intelligent population, Athens may justly be regarded as a pleasant place of residence. There is good reason also to believe that the future growth of the town will exceed the past. It is now accessible by one railroad, and will soon be the terminus of another. We have, elsewhere in these pages, adverted to the great mineral wealth of the county, and it can not be doubted that these attractions will eventually draw a large and valuable immigration to this point.

A recent triumph of the liberality and active enterprise of the citizens of Athens merits a conspicuous mention-we refer to the securing of the new lunatic asylum. January 17, 1866, Dr. W. P. Johnson, representative from Athens county in the state legislature, caused a resolution to be offered, through Mr. Lockwood, of Licking county, instructing "the committee on benevolent institutions to inquire what