OVID VILLAGE
Ovid's Origins, Just How Many Ovid's Were There, Anyways?
I have always been curious about things that happened in the past. As a kid while riding my bike up town I had wondered who had planted the old maple trees on Warren Road? At home while helping my dad plant the crops (in the field on the southeast corner of McBride and Warren roads) I had wondered how did all of the rusty nails and bits of ceramic and glass get there? After a bit of research, I now have a pretty good idea.
Ovid Started Where?
Most of us know that our town was named after Ovid, New York, by the original settlers, but did you know our town almost got its start at a different spot? Following is an account originally published in 1880 in "History of Shiawassee and Clinton Counties, Michigan". It appears that some land speculators had different ideas as to where the depot and the town should have been located.
Railways
The village of Ovid, a station on the Detroit, Grand Haven and Milwaukee Railway, ten miles eastward from St. Johns, the county-seat, is a bright and enterprising town of about fifteen hundred inhabitants, and a point of considerable manufacturing importance. There are several fine brick business blocks in the central portion of the place, and for many miles about this is the centre of a rural trade of profitable proportions. The village streets are handsomely shaded, and are, moreover, additionally beautified with many attractive-looking homes, which are in some cases costly and elegant. The inhabitants are abreast of the times, and engage with much enterprising spirit in the business of promoting the interests of the village and expanding its value as a trading and manufacturing town.
While the Detroit and Milwaukee Railway was in course of construction J. C. E. Gumaer, of New York, and a land-owner in Michigan, sought to have a railway-station fixed upon the line in the township of Ovid, upon land which he owned on section 11, and delegated W. H. Faxon, of Duplain township, to consult the railway directors in the premises. Mr. Faxon accordingly visited H. P. Baldwin, a leading member of the board of directors in 1856, and offered to donate to the company two thousand dollars and five acres of land upon section 11, contingent upon the selection of that site for a station. Mr. Baldwin appeared to regard the proposition with favor, and promised to consider it. Meanwhile B.O. Williams had put up a saw-mill in Middlebury, on the railway line, one mile and a quarter East of where Ovid station now is, and confidently expecting to have a railway depot assigned to that place he platted a town there and began to sell village lots. H. G. Higham, chief engineer of the road, and Amos Gould appeared anxious to join Williams in the enterprise, but for some reason negotiations were not satisfactory, and, to compromise existing differences, Williams, Gould, and Higham agreed to purchase land now occupied by the village of Ovid, and there, through Higham's efforts Ovid Station was located. Baldwin had evidently forgotten his promise to Faxon to "consider" the latter's proposition, for he declined to make any sign, and the first intimation to Faxon that the company had taken action as to Ovid was the announced success of the Williams, Gould, and Higham scheme.
B. O. Williams' plat of the village of Ovid was received for record May 27, 1858, and embraced the southeast quarter and east half of the east half of the southwest quarter of section 12. Additions were made by E. N. Fitch, April 15, 1867; by J. Q. A. Patterson and P. C. Bassett, July 3, 1867; by Hamilton Stone, Dec. 7, 1867; and by W. H. Faxon, May 30, 1872, the latter addition embracing thirty acres in the south end of the west half of the northeast quarter of section 12.
B. O. Williams' plat of the village of Ovid was received for record May 27, 1858, and embraced the southeast quarter and east half of the east half of the southwest quarter of section 12. Additions were made by E. N. Fitch, April 15, 1867; by J. Q. A. Patterson and P. C. Bassett, July 3, 1867; by Hamilton Stone, Dec. 7, 1867; and by W. H. Faxon, May 30, 1872, the latter addition embracing thirty acres in the south end of the west half of the northeast quarter of section 12.
Early Stores
With the prospect of a village at that point, came, of course, an opening for a trader, and the first to embrace the opportunity happened to be B. L Udell, who in the winter of 1856, opened a small store, with "a handful of goods," upon the lot now occupied by the Retan House. As the field widened a wider enterprise than Udell's establishment was called for, and so, in May, 1857, W. C. Bennett came along, built a commodious frame store, stocked it liberally, and added, moreover, to his business of storekeeping that of buying staves, wood, etc., for shipment East, and in a little time pushed- his operations to important proportions. Previous to Bennett's coming Richard Baylis had put up a saw-mill, and contributed in no small degree to the general prosperous progress.
Udell, the pioneer store-keeper, took a hurried. and somewhat dramatic departure from the place in the fall of 1857, but the village kept on growing nevertheless, and early in 1858 received fresh impetus from the appearance of John Burkhart and Samuel Gilson among others, the former of whom began the manufacture of chairs and cabinet-ware, and the latter the business of cooperage. The outlook had grown at this juncture quite bright, and great things were fondly expected of the new town.
Udell, the pioneer store-keeper, took a hurried. and somewhat dramatic departure from the place in the fall of 1857, but the village kept on growing nevertheless, and early in 1858 received fresh impetus from the appearance of John Burkhart and Samuel Gilson among others, the former of whom began the manufacture of chairs and cabinet-ware, and the latter the business of cooperage. The outlook had grown at this juncture quite bright, and great things were fondly expected of the new town.
More Stores
After Udell's departure Bennett monopolized the store trade only a short time, for in the winter of 1857 A. B. Wood entered the field. In May, 1858, W. H. Faxon and O. M. Pearl, store-keepers at Duplain, rented Wood's store, formerly a dwelling-house standing upon ground now occupied by the Potter Block, stocked it with goods, and engaged John A. Potter, then from the East on a visit, to take charge of the business, Faxon and Pearl themselves remaining, in Ovid. In March, 1860, Mr. Faxon removed permanently to Ovid to take charge of his interests at that point, and directly after his coming built upon the site of the present Phoenix Block what was then considered the best store in Clinton County. Before that time the commercial interests of the village had been additionally furthered by the erection of a grist-mill by Park & Kellogg, the opening of a hardware store by E. D. Gregory, a drug-store by John Fitch (who soon sold out to Charles Farmer), and a clothing-store by F. L. T. Hasse. There was, besides, considerable business in the way of the manufacture of cooperage, and from that time forward the commercial progress of Ovid was rapid. Mr. Hasse, who commenced business in Ovid as a clothing merchant in August, 1859, has continued to follow the business in the village without interruption to the present time, and is the only one of the then merchants of Ovid now in trade.
A village tavern was built in 1857 by J. S. Bennett, and kept by him some time. It was called the Park House because it occupied land owned by Josiah B. Park, and continues to serve its original purpose to-day as the Clinton House.
The first brick store in Ovid was built by Anthony Swarthout in 1869, and ]eased to C. Beebe & Sons for a drug-store, and the second by Henry Montague. The Phoenix Block was built in 1873 by Charles Farmer, Anthony Swarthout, W. C. Bennett, and S. 0. King and later the Marvin, Potter, and De Camp Blocks were added to the town's architectural features.
Our town does not seem to be growing that fast as the population in 1880 was about 1500, compared to the census in 2000 which placed it at 1514.
Here is a plat map of the area where Williams had wanted the town. The buildings are shown as black squares.
A village tavern was built in 1857 by J. S. Bennett, and kept by him some time. It was called the Park House because it occupied land owned by Josiah B. Park, and continues to serve its original purpose to-day as the Clinton House.
The first brick store in Ovid was built by Anthony Swarthout in 1869, and ]eased to C. Beebe & Sons for a drug-store, and the second by Henry Montague. The Phoenix Block was built in 1873 by Charles Farmer, Anthony Swarthout, W. C. Bennett, and S. 0. King and later the Marvin, Potter, and De Camp Blocks were added to the town's architectural features.
Our town does not seem to be growing that fast as the population in 1880 was about 1500, compared to the census in 2000 which placed it at 1514.
Here is a plat map of the area where Williams had wanted the town. The buildings are shown as black squares.
I had wondered who had planted all of the maple trees on Warren road. I believe that they were intended to line the new main street for a new town. When I was a boy there were many more of these trees along this part of the road. I know of eight for sure that are now gone.
In 1998 we had the fierce wind storm that did much damage to the area (I'm sure most that were here then will remember that). A couple of these old maple trees were blown over. One tree was snapped at the base and it ended up in the middle of the road. My dad and I had cut the remaining part of the stump on the other one and I had counted the rings and they dated the tree to the 1850's or 1860's.
Today there is only a field on the east side of the road and a gravel pit on the west. I believe the last house was gone from this original settlement by 1900. (In later years a house was moved from Mason road to the north side of the tracks which remained until it burned down some 40-50 years ago.)
Today there is only a field on the east side of the road and a gravel pit on the west. I believe the last house was gone from this original settlement by 1900. (In later years a house was moved from Mason road to the north side of the tracks which remained until it burned down some 40-50 years ago.)
By Scott Bates