Perry Township, Morrow County

How Perry Township, Morrow County began

Perry Township was organized in 1816 as part of Richland County, first under the name Leipsic (after the German city Leipzig) before being renamed to honor Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, hero of the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. It was split in 1825, when its western half became Congress Township, and split again in 1848 when Morrow County was formed: the western half joined Morrow County under the Perry name while the eastern half stayed in Richland County, so two separate Perry Townships now exist side by side. The Morrow County half has no incorporated village, only the unincorporated community of Shauck, and today it has a substantial Amish farming population.

Settled 1809 (John Frederick Herring, first actual settler), incorporated organized as a township in 1816-17 (county history places the organizational meeting in 1817), by John Frederick Herring.

Where the name comes from

First called Leipsic, after the German city Leipzig, the township was soon renamed to honor Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, who commanded the U.S. Navy squadron that defeated the British at the 1813 Battle of Lake Erie. The 1911 county history confirms the naming directly: Abraham Hetrick and Philip Stiltz, living in the township at the time of Perry's victory, resolved to perpetuate the event by giving his name to the neighborhood, a choice confirmed when the township organized.

Before the town

No Native American village, mound or trail specific to Perry Township was found, but the 1911 county history records that when Jehu Singrey settled on the site of Shauck's mill in the spring of 1816, an encampment of about one hundred and fifty Indians lived nearby and remained for about seven years. Before entering his land, Singrey met three Indians hunting with bows and arrows, shot a deer, and shared it with them; they came to hold him in high regard afterward and called him the 'White Chief,' one of their most honorable titles, and his wife often baked bread for them. The township was part of Richland County territory before 1848, in the same general corridor as the Owl Creek Trail used by Wyandot and Delaware (Lenape) travelers between Upper Sandusky and Mount Vernon.

Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Lenape (Delaware).

• Encampment near Shauck's mill (camp) — site of Shauck's mill, Perry Township, 1816 to about 1823 (archive.org)

Timeline

1. 1809 — John Frederick Herring becomes the first actual settler in Perry Township, building a mill at the crossing of the Lexington-Fredericktown and Bellville-Johnsville roads, later known as the Hannawalt mill.
2. 1811 — John Ogle, from Bedford County, Pennsylvania, is supposed to be the first white settler to erect a cabin within the Morrow County portion of Perry Township; Benjamin Hart settles shortly after.
3. 1814 — John Shauck, an early settler and War of 1812 soldier, enters his land in the township; the Shauck family and its mill later give their name to the unincorporated community of Shauck.
4. 1816 — The township organized under the name Leipsic, then part of Richland County; Jehu Singrey settles on the site of Shauck's mill the same spring.
5. 1817 — Eleven men meet at Philip Stiltz's house on section 16 and formally organize the township, electing Jehu Singrey as justice of the peace and treasurer among other officers; this is the occasion the 1911 county history credits with confirming the Perry name.
6. 1825 — The western half of the original township split off to become Congress Township.
7. 1825 — A post office named Shauck is established, with John Shauck as first postmaster.
8. 1830 — The village of North Woodbury is surveyed and laid out by Elisha Cornwall, David Tuthill and Charles Campbell.
9. 1834 — The village of Johnsville is laid out by John Ely and William H. Shauck, each on a quarter section of his own land.
10. 1848 — Morrow County was organized and the western half of Perry Township joined it, while the eastern half remained in Richland County; both halves kept the Perry name.

Stories

From a German city to a naval hero

Perry Township's name records a change of heart on the Ohio frontier. Organized in 1816-17 as Richland County territory, it was first called Leipsic after the German city, reflecting the origins of some of its earliest settlers. Within a few years, though, residents renamed it for Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, whose 1813 victory at the Battle of Lake Erie -- fought within many settlers' living memory -- had made him a national hero; the county history credits two residents by name, Abraham Hetrick and Philip Stiltz, who were living in the township at the time of the battle and resolved to perpetuate it. The township was later split twice, first losing its western half to Congress Township in 1825, then again in 1848 when the new Morrow County line ran straight through it, leaving a Perry Township on each side of the county boundary to this day.

The 'White Chief' of Shauck's mill

When Jehu Singrey came from Baltimore County, Maryland, in 1815 to look over the hundred and sixty acres he would enter at the site of Shauck's mill, he found an encampment of about one hundred and fifty Indians already settled nearby -- they would remain in the area for roughly seven more years. While scouting the land, Singrey met three Indian hunters armed with bows and arrows; he shot a deer and shared the meat with them. The gesture earned him lasting goodwill: the encampment took to calling him the 'White Chief,' among their most honorable titles, and Singrey's wife became known for baking bread for Indian visitors after the family settled in, moving into their cabin in the spring of 1816. Singrey went on to sell his first wheat crop in Zanesville for fifteen cents a bushel, paid in sugar, rice, salt and leather, and his son became a prominent physician on the same homestead.

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · hmdb.org · morrow.ohgenweb.org · archive.org

Mostly private wells The water here

• Bellville Village20% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Del-co Water Company, Inc.19% of residentsOlentangy River, O'Shaughnessy and Alum Creek reservoirs, plus Knox County wells
• Fredericktown Village17% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
• Mt Gilead Village15% of residentsGroundwater wells (5 wells)
• Lexington Village12% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
• Mansfield City8% of residentsClear Fork Reservoir (Clear Fork of the Mohican River), plus 9 city wells
• Candlewood Lake Association Inc4% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Clearfork MHP3% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Walnut Hills Water Association1% of residentsGroundwater wells (3 wells)
• Cedar Creek MHP0% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• Hanley Village Water Association0% of residentsGroundwater wells (2 wells)
• M & H MHP, Llc0% of residentsGroundwater wells (1 wells)

Fire and EMS stations (1)

Public libraries (1)

Facilities reporting toxic releases (1)

Spills reported since 2021 (3)

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