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Jackson County History
Scioto Township
Washington Township was formed from Jackson and Lick townships in September 1821. The original townships, as described in the petition, were bounded about as follows:
Beginning at the northeast corner of the Scioto Salt Reservation, running on the north line of the same to the southeast corner of section 7, Lick Township; thence northwest so as to include a coal bank in section 5, Lick Township; thence northwest so as to intersect with the old coal road at or near the top of a hill known by the name of Bunker's Hill, near the head of Mooney's Run, including all on said coal road; thence east to the range line between ranges 17 and 18 so as to include William Ray's place on section 7, Jackson Township; thence south with said range line to the place of beginning.
These boundaries made the township about twice as large as at present. The township was afterward reduced to less than congressional size. The top row of sections of township 8, range 18, of which Washington Township is composed, being across the line in Vinton County, and so remained until the fall of 1882, when eight sections were taken off from the southern part to help form the new township of Coal. This leaves Washington only twenty-two townships sections, the smallest but one in the county, or 14,080 acres of land.
This is one of the rough townships of the county, being greatly diversified by small streams, and many of the hills are too rough for cultivation. A branch of Salt Creek passes through the township from southeast to northwest, having its exit very near the northwest corner of the township. The stream is sometimes designated as Pigeon Fork.
Although coal abounds in these hills and beneath the surface, no mining is done except for local use, the leading occupation being farming and grazing. But even in this the township does not excel, as only a small proportion of the land lies well enough to be cultivated successfully.
The schools of this township are perhaps above the average in the county. There are eight schools and 480 pupils in the township. The average price paid to teachers is $40 a month. There is one graded school in the township at Ellsworth.
At the last Presidential election, 307 votes were polled in the township. The first colored vote was that of David James in 1874.
The minerals of this township consist of several veins of coal in the hills, ranging from twenty-seven to thirty-eight inches in thickness; iron ore, red and block, and a strata of sand rock, which furnishes excellent building material. A coal shaft is being sunk on the farm of J.G. Ray, already over 150 feet deep, in search of the four-foot vein, but at last reports it had not been reached. The iron ore has been more extensively worked, but yet to a small extent compared with other localities in the county. On the farm of W. R. Hamilton, where a splendid quality of block ore abounds, the mining has recently been quite extensive.
Ellsworth is a small village of about 175 inhabitants, located in the northwest corner of the township, at the crossing of the C.W. and B and T.C. and Saint Louis railroads. It was first laid out in 1869 by John Skully, and afterward added to by a plat made by Charles Rawlin. The village has two general stores, kept b C.H. McCormick and W.W. Kennedy (the latter of whom officiates as Postmaster and Railroad agent), a graded school and one church
The Schools were graded in 1880, and T. Ray secured as principal. a good school building was erected in 1880 at a cost of $1,000. There are about ninety pupils.
The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized in the spring of 1875 and the building put up the same year. The house cost about $800. The membership at the present time is about twenty-four; Pastor, Rev. Mr. Bell.
Finley Chapel, Methodist Episcopal, is situated on section 27. It was built in 1855, although the society had held meetings for some time in private houses and a schoolhouse. The building is peculiar for its shape, being hexagonal in form. Among the first members were the Forster families and the family of John Simmons. Membership about sixty; pastor, E.B. Finney.
Population in 1840 was 481; 1850, 756; 1860, 1,050; 1870, 1,122; 1880, 1,402. The valuation in 1882 was: Land, $165,371; personal property, $186,666; total, $352,037.
From History of Lower Scioto Valley, Ohio (1884)