Seager Tavern, Woodville Township, Sandusky County, Ohio

 The existence of the Seager Tavern is well documented as one of the 30 taverns built along the 31 miles of the Maumee and Western Reserve Pike (now State Rte. 20) between Fremont (then known as Lower Sandusky) and Perrysburg, Ohio, known by pioneers as part of the Black Swamp.

Daniel Seager, born 1777 in Simsbury, Connecticut, had married Catherine Lounsbury in Duchess County, New York.  After living many years near Pompey, New York and a brief time in Geauga County, Ohio, they came with five of their six adult children to settle in Woodville Twp., Sandusky County, Ohio in 1833.   

It was a time of "westward" expansion.  Improved lands in the east were often priced beyond the reach of young families. Northwest Ohio provided one of the last places in the state of Ohio where virgin land could still be purchased from the federal government. Many times, sons and daughters brought their elderly parents with them.

On April 3, 1833, shortly after his arrival, Daniel purchased tract #101, bordering on the south side of the pike in section 35 of Woodville Twp. It contained 118 acres.  Daniel contracted to pay the federally regulated price of $1.25 per acre in four annual payments.  It was here that Daniel and his family built their tavern.  Like most of the other taverns along the pike, it no doubt served the family as their home as well.  A short time later, he purchased another parcel consisting of 85 acres. This lay just south of the tavern property.

Accommodations at most of the taverns along the pike were primitive at best.  Every pioneer family faced the awesome task of clearing land for crops.  But those who settled in the midst of the Black Swamp had the additional burden of draining their fields. Only a few acres could be transformed into productivity each year. More than 1/3 of those who settled left within a year. But the hardy souls of the Black Swamp, such as the Seager family, were determined to take advantage of the income from the unbroken stream of "movers" slowly slogging their way westward through the pike's mudholes.

If enough shot and powder were available, families could provide meals of racoon, opossum, turkey, and deer - all plentiful in the swamp. Small grain crops produced feed for the oxen and horses. Warm fires and the ever-present whiskey jug made the mud, cold, and backbreaking misery nearly bearable.  At dusk, the taverns filled up quickly. Every available inch of space would be filled with exhausted families wrapped in mud-caked, damp blankets.  Many were forced to sleep in their wagons or beside campfires.

Daniel was nearing 60 years of age on his arrival. Most of the labor was necessarily done by his children - Charles, Thomas, Elizabeth, Mary, and Catherine. Charles, was born in Pompey, New York in 1811 and educated at its academy.  A widower, he brought his young daughter, Martha Jane, to the swamp with him.

During this time the population of Woodville Twp. continued to grow as a few optimistic pioneers decided to try their luck in the swamp.  When Woodville built its first schoolhouse in 1836, the township trustees hired Catherine Seager to be its first teacher. This position often went to young men, but Catherine, still single at the age of twenty-three, had been educated in the east and was well qualified for the position.  By 1842, when Daniel died at the age of 65,  all of his children except Catherine had married. It's probable the tavern continued in operation a few more years. Improvement had been made on the pike in 1840, decreasing the tavern business immensely.

 Some miles west of the Seager tavern was that owned by Thomas and Harriet (Cochran) Miller who had married in 1826. The tavern was located where the Portage River crossed the pike (now Woodville,  Ohio). The couple has lost two babies.  A plot of land had been set aside by C. B. Collins as a burial ground.  Thomas and Harriet buried their babies there and when Thomas passed away in 1828, he too, was interred in the same cemetery. 

In 1835, Charles Seager married Thomas' strong-willed widow. They had one child, Charles L., born in 1837. The couple ran her tavern as well as assisting the Seager family with their lands and tavern. In 1837, Charles and Harriet sold the Miller tavern. Two years later, Charles bought from the heirs of Henry Weaver the tavern known as the "Sugar Creek House. " The tract,  which was bisected by Sugar Creek, lay on the north side of the pike and contained nearly 143 acres. The couple also bought land and settled on a farm in Ballville Twp., Sandusky County. 

In the Lower Sandusky Whig in 1839 Charles advertised "for rent Sugar Creek House 13 miles west of Lower Sandusky.  Attached to this tavern stand is a farm containing nearly 150 acres, 50 tillable, very productive. Terms: rent payable quarterly in advance."

In  addition, Charles  and Harriet began buying up the interests in Daniel's estate.  These plans were cut short when Charles died in 1844.  Harriet buried him in the cemetery near her first husband. 

  

Harriet Seager

Sandusky County History, 1882

 

As Daniel's estate hung in limbo, no doubt Thomas Seager managed the Seager tavern and property. But with Thomas' death four years later, and the waning traffic along the pike the tavern business most certainly came to an end. 

Daniel's widow, Catherine, and his unmarried daughter remained on the land. John McBride,  relative of neighboring tavern owner Michael McBride, lived with them and farmed the property. This provided an income until the settlement of Daniel and Charles' estates.  Barthol Hurrelbrink had purchased part of the Seager estate, but within a matter of months Michael McBride had gained title to the entire property.  Catherine, almost 70 years of age, with her dower interest in Daniel's estate, returned to New York to an easier less primitive way of life.

                                                  

Charles Seager Grave

 

                     

The great grandson of Charles Seager recalls the family history that when the Oakwood Cemetery was opened in Fremont, Ohio, Charles' widow Harriet Cochran Seager was determined to have her husband's body removed from the early Woodville Cemetery near Sugar  Creek. Her son refused to take part in this  expedition. Harriet then hitched her wagon and hired two men to help her remove Charles' body from the cemetery along the pike. He was then reinterred in the new Oakwood Cemetery in Fremont, Ohio.

McBride Tavern, Woodville Twp. Sandusky County, Ohio

McBride Tavern,  Woodville Twp., Sandusky County

Michael McBride, born October 13th 1806, near Sugar Creek, Armstrong County, Pennsylvania,  was the son John and Nancy McBride who had immigrated to America from Ireland.  As a young man,  he worked as a stonecutter at Buffalo, New York.  At the age of 21,  he came to Ohio and contracted to build several sections of the  Maumee and Western Reserve Pike (now U.S. State Route 20). It was at this time that Ohio at last appropriated funds to make permanent improvements to the pike.  Culverts, ditches, and macadamizing were intended to transform the endless miles of mud from Lower Sandusky (now Fremont, Ohio) to Perrysburg, Ohio.

In 1839 Michael married a young Irish girl named Joanna Kaley.  In the spring of 1841, Michael purchased tract #102 which lies today in section 35 of Woodville Twp. As with most of the tracts, they were first surveyed in long narrow parcels. This particular tract contained 96 acres and was originally purchased from the federal government by John Hollister.  

The innkeeping business along the pike had flourished for the previous ten years due to the wave of people headed "west." But it was the thirty miles of road which spanned the distance between Fremont (then called Lower Sandusky) to Perrysburg, Ohio that proved to be the real boon for those hardy Black Swamp pioneers.  Frequently travelers stayed in the same tavern three nights running.  Initially, many residents opened their homes to the "movers." Others converted their homes into taverns.  The McBrides were no exception.   They too, entered the tavern business,  but Michael built a building specifically for innkeeping rather than his  home.

The inn was an imposing structure situated on the south side of the pike just east of Sugar Creek which passed through the tract.  It measured approximately 40 feet by 28 feet with the first floor containing a sitting room, dining room, family parlor, and kitchen. On the second floor another huge sitting room extended the full length of the front of the inn.  To the rear of the second floor were the guest rooms.  Two large fireplaces one on either end of the inn provided heat for both the first and second floor.  A full cellar with hand cut limestone walls held wine racks.  A two-story addition,  measuring 30 feet by 27 feet, was built on the rear of the inn.  It is possible the McBrides lived in this section.  Eventually it was used for buggy storage.  Fruit and grain were stored on the second floor. 

Michael's thrifty, hard working ways made him well-liked and respected by his predominantly German neighbors. The hey-dey of the turnpike taverns had passed by 1850, but Michael listed innkeeping as his occupation on the census that year.  He valued his holdings at $5,000.  He accumulated more than 400  acres of farmland.  Though it was poor, rocky soil and drainage remained a problem, Michael was able to hire numerous neighborhood teens to work at the tavern and in his fields.

All four of Michael and Joanna's children: James, John, Michael, and Margaret were born at the inn.  They attended St. Mary's Church in Woodville. It is unknown when the inn was closed and used only as a home,  but Michael remained on the farm until his death in 1890.  He was buried in the Catholic Cemetery adjacent to Woodville's Golden Hill.  Michael,  himself, had laid out this cemetery in 1854. 

Michael, Jr. eventually became the owner of the inn and maintained possession until it was sold out of the family.  The building's appearance remained unchanged through the years.  But in 1969,  proposed widening of Rte. 20 placed it on the demolition list.  Although the Clark family made a valiant effort to preserve it because of its historic  value,  this rare symbol of the pike's past met the fate of progress.  

*Several McBride descendants have posted a sketch of the above photograph on facebook.  The original of the photograph was taken by the G. O. Clark family. An article about the tavern appeared in the Toledo Blade, February 9,  1969.

Michael McBride

Courtesy of Find a Grave 

Leezen Tavern, Lower Sandusky (Fremont) Ohio

 In 1818, Calvin* Leezen (born 1800) and his wife Clarinda (born 1796) left Genesee County, New York and set out for Lower Sandusky (now Fremont, Ohio.)  In 1819, the couple sold their remaining 150 acres in Allegany County, New York, deciding to settle permanently in Lower Sandusky and build a tavern.

Taverns often symbolized the village itself  and its stage of development.  They frequently were the "heartbeat" of the community,  sometimes functioning as the post office, schoolhouse, polling place, and militia headquarters.  

Leezen purchased a quarter acre lot for $50 from Cyrus Hulburd, one of the original proprietors of the Two-Mile Square Reserve. The tavern he built lay on Front Street between Garrison and Croghan. Pioneers described "it as a low half story frame building which stood back from the street with a yard in front." The Leezen tavern featured a barn, stable, outbuildings, kitchen, common room, and bedrooms.  Generally these early taverns served as the family home as well. The Leezen children included: Martin**, Susan, Clarissa, and Elizabeth.   

The raw frontier brought a variety of patrons: land speculators, trappers, surveyors, lawyers, and pioneer families, known as "movers," who hoped to acquire the last of Ohio's cheap government land.  

In these early years, local historian Lucy Keeler wrote that 30 log cabins and ten or twelve brick or frame structures were scattered amid the dense forest. Tavern owners were often as rough and wild as the wilderness they inhabited. Gambling, card playing, heavy drinking, cock fights, and brawling were common.

Some tavern owners were particular about their boarders. Frequently they refused "movers," believing they were generally thieves.  Not so with the Leezens. Court records show that Calvin was indicted at the spring term of court for selling whiskey to the Indians.   Almeron Sands was charged with assault and battery on Calvin.. 

Judge Justice recalled several mysterious deaths that occurred at the tavern. A land speculator had come "west" with a large amount of money.  He became  sick while staying with the Leezens and  suddenly died. His money was distributed among  several of the townspeople.  A short time later his wife came searching for him.  She too put up at the Leezen tavern where she took sick and died. She was buried beside her husband in the lot where St. Ann's Catholic Church was later built. Both were  reinterred at the Whittlesey Cemetery. Not long after a stranger named Howard died while playing cards at the tavern. 

All was not well between Clarinda and Calvin. A notice published  by Calvin in the "Sandusky Clarion" on July 31st 1827 that his wife had left him. Without her help, it appears Calvin decided to rent out his tavern to David Day.  On August 22, 1827 the two had a contract drawn up in which Day would run the tavern, but would keep Calvin in "victuals" and board him for $1.00 per week.  On the first of November 1828, Day would pay Calvin $140. 

Unfortunately Calvin Leezen died on June 22, 1828, long before the contract ended.  It appears that Clarinda returned to the tavern as she was indicted by a grand jury for poisoning Calvin.  Prosecutor Rudolphus Dickinson  charged her with murder, claiming she had put white arsenic in his "water gruel" and "chicken soup" on the 10th and 12th of June. Calvin lingered til the 22nd of June when he died.  He was buried in the Whittlesey Cemetery.  

Judge Justice claimed there was a "strong desire" to convict Clarinda, but in her defense she stated she had only treated  Calvin's ulcerated leg with the arsenic. The jury failed to find her guilty.

Clarinda moved to Bradner where she lived with daughter Eliza who had married Samuel Biggerstaff shortly before her father's death. Clarinda died there in 1852.  She is buried in the Chestnut Ridge Cemetery.  In the estate settlement, the tavern was sold to the well respected Loveland family who many early settlers remember with fondness.

*Calvin was sometimes referred to John Calvin

**Martin was sometimes referred as Martin Luther 

Join us for History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert now in its Fifth Season!

Mike Gilbert 

The ever-popular History Roundtable with Mike Gilbert returns for its fifth year this fall with another fascinating series. From taverns and mile markers on Route 20 to Civil War medicine and ghost stories, master storyteller Mike Gilbert will speak Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. in the Hayes auditorium. The cost is $5 for each session. We are grateful to Mary Wonderly, M.D. for sponsoring History Roundtable once again this year. Preregister with Nan Card 419-332-2081, x239, or ncard@rbhayes.org

The schedule is as follows:

Sept. 15 – Taverns, Route 20, Mile Markers   - Travel the same path as our pioneer leaders as we explore the taverns and mile markers along Route 20.  During the early 1800s these taverns served as resting places for the trip through the Black Swamp. Learn the history and stories hidden behind their doors.

Sept. 22 – Tales of Fort Stephenson - Experience the noise and smoke of battle. You may feel you’ve heard it before, however, this presentation promises to deliver interesting and lesser known stories about those who participated. Unless you’ve studied the battle in detail you are certain to learn something new.

Sept. 29 - Did You Know ?  Bring your knowledge of Sandusky County for this topic. Find out and share the amazing connections that make our county one of the most historically rich areas in Ohio!

Oct. 13 - Trolley Tours of Oakwood Cemetery, sponsored by George Schrader, attorney at law -

This session, which covers the stories of the men and women who are buried at Oakwood Cemetery, is sold out. 

Oct. 20 - Civil War Medicine - The medical field has made tremendous advancements since the Civil War.  Listen to a discussion of medical practices certain to make you squirm in your seat.  Thankfully participants will not have to undergo treatment, just listen to stories concerning early medical procedures.

Oct. 27 - Ghost Stories -  Gilbert brings back one of his most popular Roundtable presentations and just in time for Halloween! Gilbert takes us around the world as we investigate international hauntings.