construction, and steady employment is given about seventy-five skilled hands. The products embrace the latest designs of tubular lanterns, tubular dash lanterns, brilliant lanterns, wire cushioned oil cans, flector side lamps, tin hand lamps, molasses jug tops, fruit jar caps and wires, jelly glass caps, salt, pepper and sugar shaker tops, screw tops and other specialties made from tin and wire.

The Webster Electric Company are manufacturers of magnetos for automobile, motor boat and stationary gas engines. T. K. Webster is president; T. K. Webster, Jr., vice president and general automobile and stationary manager; R. C. Brinkley, secretary; M. B. Hawxhurst, sales manager. Along this line, we mention the Webster Electric Company, which was established about one year ago. The business is practically in its infancy but is expanding rapidly. They now employ about seventy-five people.

The milling industry owned and operated by Henry B. Speck is run by water-power. This well known flour mill was established here about sixty-four years ago, as it was built in 1846, and has been conducted by the present proprietor, Henry B. Speck, for the past fifteen years. For over thirty years it has been owned by different members of the Speck family, and has always been a pride and boast of our citizens. The mill has a capacity for seventy-five barrels of flour every twenty-four hours. Most of the

wheat ground is grown in this vicinity, thus making a good market for the farmers round about.

The Loundenslager mill is located at the corner of Washington and Hudson streets.

The Beckley mill is one mile north of the city limits on the Sandusky river.

The Enterprise Manufacturing Company is located on East Market street. It is a stock company and they are manufacturers of sash, doors, blinds, etc.

The Ultramarine Manufacturing Company is well equipped for the manufacture of dry paint. The plant is located on North Washington street, in the large brick building which was formerly occupied as a woolen mill.

The Seneca Company, manufacturers of the famous Senecal stock powder, No. 1 to 5 North Washington street, has the following officers: J. W. Geiger, president; C. D. Spitler, secretary; E. C. Stacey, vice president and general manager; Otto L. Gillig, treasurer.

Tiffin Boiler Works are located at No. 274 Water street; John F. Canty, proprietor. He has been a resident of Tiffin for more than forty years, thirty years of which he has been engaged in the above business.

Hopple's Handle Factory turns out a high grade of handles,

all sorts of logging tools, cant hooks, pike poles, farming tool handles, rake, hoe, shovel, fork, pruning shears, and broom handles, down to the smallest tack hammers. At the present rate of cutting more than 2,000,000 feet of lumber will be made into handles this year. About seventy-five men are employed, many of whom are skilled laborers and expert workmen. The demand for handles is not only confined to the United States and Canada alone, but Mr. Hopple carries on an extensive export trade, with England, Germany, South America and other foreign countries.

Among the other industries are the potteries and glass works, the automobile supply manufacturing company, the boiler works, brick manufacturing, broom making, carriage, buggy and wagon manufactories, concrete block manufacturers, culvert pipe manufacturers, furniture, gloves and mittens, hoops, stock and poultry food, stoves and ranges, umbrellas, etc., are also manufactured in Tiffin. The straw board plant expects to soon resume operation.

CHAPTER XVII

TIFFIN'S EDUCATIONAL AGENCIES

PUBLIC SCHOOLS-FIRST SCHOOL BOARD AND TEACHERSSTATUS OF EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS-HEIDELBERG UNIVERSITYWILLIARD HALL FOUNDING OF HEIDELBERG," BY DR. J. B. RUST -THE COLUMBUS COLLEGE-TARLTON LOCATION BUT TEMPORARY -LOCATED PERMANENTLY AT TIFFIN-CAUSE OF THE REMOVAL— FIRST TEACHERS AT TIFFIN-ERECTION OF COLLEGE BUILDINGS-Old COLLEGE HILL-EARLY DEPARTMENT OF GERMAN-HISTORIC HOUSES -BECOMES A UNIVERSITY-CENTRAL THEOLOGICAL SEMINARYURSULINE COLLEGE THE PRESS-JOHN P. LOCKE-SENECA COUNTY'S GREAT EDITOR (W. W. ARMSTRONG)-SENECA COUNTY POETRY.

No two forces operate more constantly and forcibly in the educational advancement of a community than the school and the newspaper. That this is noticeably true of Tiffin need not be long dwelt upon for the information of those who have ever resided in the city; as it is a typically intelligent and enterprising Ohio municipality, which has always given generous support to both its public, private and parochial schools and its able press.

The first school house erected in Seneca county stood at the northwest corner of Market and Monroe streets, and was erected in 1832. It was a one-story brick building and stood close to the pavement, length-wise with the street, facing on Market street. It had capacity for about sixty scholars. The door was near the southeast corner. There was one window at the east end and back of the teacher's desk, and there were two windows in each of the other sides. Benjamin Crockett was the first teacher in this

building.

This school house continued to serve the purpose for which it was erected for twelve years, when in 1844 a more pretentious one was erected upon the same site, but further back from the pavement. This new building was of brick, two stories high, with four school rooms, for which four teachers were employed.

In this latter building the schools of Tiffin were conducted until organized under the union school system, when preparations were

381

made to build a new and larger school building on South Monroe street, which was later used as a high school building.

In 1850 the first school board was elected, when the schools were organized under a graded system. General William H. Gibson was clerk of the first board of education, and the minutes of the first session, dated November 1, 1850, are in his own hand writing.

The following were the teachers employed by the first school board, in 1850: Miss E. Augspurger-German school-she furnishing her own room, $20 per month; Mrs. Sarah Sands, also furnishing her own room, $20 per month; Miss Elizabeth Cronise and Miss C. Coffin, each $15 per month; William Fitzgeralds, $24 per month; Samuel Nolan, $22 per month; Miss Maria Andrew, $15 per month; Thomas J. Cronise, $24 per month.

The small amount of the school fund was equally divided among the three terms, and for want of sufficient means to pay the teachers, a tax of from one cent to one and one-half cents a day (according to class) was assessed on each scholar in attendance for that term. This mode of taxation lasted only one year and was dropped.

Rev. R. R. Bement was employed to superintend the schools during this winter only, for which the board paid him $12, on the 1st of May, 1851. On the same day the board offered S. S. Rickley, of Columbus, $400 salary as superintendent of the union schools, with the privilege of allowing him time also to teach a class in Heidelberg College. The offer was accepted, and Mr. Rickly was the first superintendent of the Tiffin union schools.

The city is now divided for school purposes into four districts, with four school buildings, one for each district, besides the high school building.

The Columbian high school building was erected in 1893, at a cost of $75,000. It contains thirteen rooms above the basement, besides the superintendent's office. Graduates from this high school are admitted to the Freshmen classes of the best colleges. This Columbian high school building is on the southeast corner of Jefferson and Market streets. C. A. Krout is the superintendent.

The other school buildings are known as the Monroe street, Miami street, Minerva street and College Hill buildings.

A late report of the school enumerater shows that the population of those between six and twenty years of age numbers 3,617. The latest available monthly report indicates the following actual attendance of teachers and pupils: Teachers, 41; pupils enrolled, 1,376, and average daily attendance, 1,286. Out of the total number of scholars, 154 study German. As an evidence of deep interest in their work and that they are under good control, the pupils of the following grades were not tardy for the month under considera