HISTORY OF DELPHOS 1921

It was necessary to establish definite boundary when Marion became an organized township in December, 1833, and land was taken from Amanda and from Jennings Township, Putnam County. While it is irregular in outline, it has six square miles of land more than the township requirement—thirty-six sections. The community centers in Marion Township today are Delphos, Landeck and Scotts Crossing. Pioneers in Marion were: Coon, Cochran, Knoop, Moore, Miller, Mannion, Woollery, Washburn, Waggoner, and in the 40's when Delphos was placed on the map, Henry Moenig who was the first settler selected his cabin site where there was a large stump which he utilized as a table, building his cabin around it. Landeck and Scotts Crossing sprang up later.

Father John Otto Bredeick was the man with a vision who put Delphos on the map of the world. While yet a resident of the Kingdom of Bavaria, he had two emissaries watching developments in the western part of Allen County. His brother, Ferdinand Bredeick and Theodore Wrocklage, represented him in watching the developments along the proposed Erie Canal across Western Ohio, and in the museum of the Delphos public library is the purse in which he sent the money for the purchase of land as soon as the route of the canal was settled upon through the country. Three routes were being considered, and for a time the whole thing was an uncertainty. Before there was a Delphos, there was a Howard, section 10, and East and West Bredeick, the canal dividing them. There were differences to settle in the early history of the community.

There were speculators alert, and the master mind of that great Catholic leader, Father John Otto Bredeick, was in evidence when he suggested the name Delphos and thus united the four ambitious communities. While there is mention in history of the Ten Mile woods, section 10 was the number of the local section of the Erie Canal when sold out for construction. While the word bonus does not appear that early in the annals of the community, Father Bredeick encouraged settlers by offering low prices and long-time payments, and thus a thrifty class was attracted to the community. Few men are on record as community builders with a broader vision of the future than had this Bavarian priest concerned in the development of Delphos and the surrounding country. He had lived in a country served by the canal as a commercial waterway, and none had dreamed of a railroad at Delphos when this long-headed pioneer was shaping its future history. However, when Delphos was placed on the map of Ohio it was in Putnam County. Ottoville in that county also traces its development to the same master hand—Father John Otto Bredeick.

In the wake of Father Bredeick's efforts about Delphos came the following German and other population: Bredeick, Wrocklage, Esch, Loudeck, Hunt, Long, Wahuchoff, Lye, Geise, Schroeder, Poling, Woerrner, Shenk, Marshall, Hayes, Ditto, Ludwig, Wright, Galespie, Baxter, Wilte, Wellman, Lanse, Mesker, Luesmann, Kemker, Reinemeyer, Grothaus Karriman, Gengler, German, Scott, Wekger, King, Jettinghoff, Lindemann and Osenbach—all thrifty settlers who soon developed the community. Since 1848, Delphos has been in Allen County, offsetting the loss of Fort Amanda when Auglaize County was securing recognition from the Ohio Assembly. At Delphos the canal is now the boundary between Allen and Van Wert counties, the postoffice and legal portions of the Delphos city government being in Allen County. The 1920 census gives Marion Township and wards 1 and 2 in Delphos a population of 5,300, although the citizens of Delphos claims a population of 6,000, including the part across the canal in Van Wert County.

In 1846, when F. J. Lye and family arrived by wagon from Tiffin to take up their residence in Delphos, they "stuck in the mud" on the present site of Main Street, and they carried their earthly store from the wagon to the home of friends where they lived until they could construct their cabin. The visitor to Delphos today finds it difficult to reconcile such a story with the modern improvements—street, business and residence communities. The public library and high schools are in Van Wert; the postoffice is in Allen and while the community assets are in two counties, the average citizen thinks only of one Delphos, he is unconscious of the Erie Canal as a dividing line when crossing it. However, Delphos is a border city serving the citizens of three counties: Allen, Van Wert and Putnam, and in turn drawing its patronage from all of them.

Father Bredeick opened the first store in Delphos in 1845, immediately after the canal was all assured thing in the community. He had obtained 600 acres of land, and others who made heavy land investments were: Benjamin F. Hollister, G. H. Bliss, Samuel H. Pettitt and E. Kimber. Samuel H. Farrar, an engineer employed in locating the canal, also invested in Delphos realty. The different land interests finally united in platting the town, and since it require a week for the settlers to make the return trip from Piqua with supplies, all were glad of the opportunity. There was a remarkable growth of the town from 1845, when they could only see out by looking straight up until 1854, when the settlers had measurably conquered the forest. The Erie Canal was the hope of Delphos, and the first canal boat to pass through the town was the William Marshall, owned and operated by Piqua capital. It was July 4,1845. and front that day on Delphos was in communication with the outside world. In 1846, Governor-Elect William Bebb was a passenger on the first packets the citizens meeting the packet at a lock a from town and supplying fresh horse to insure his "triumphant entrance" into Delphos. It was a gala day, and the population turned out enmasse to do honor to the governor of the commonwealth.

When the Erie Canal was opened across New York, the construction crew fired a gun every five miles so the people would know the progress, and there was almost as much demonstration in the vicinity of Delphos. There was a drydock established there in 1846, owned by Father Bredeick and operated by John Daub and B. Nate, and the one boat built there, the "M. King," proved too heavy for canal water and it was sent to Ohio River service. In 1849, there was an ashery established in Delphos, and every particle of wood ash produced by the settlers was soon converted into collateral. Pearl ash as sold in the crude state was used in the manufacture of baking soda. There was considerable revenue from it. While the community had its humble beginning, Delphos is now a commercial and manufacturing center, the Delphos Community Club always alert for anything that will advance the community interests.

"Delphos has always been one of the best little country towns in Ohio, both in the days of the canal and now that we have railroad advantages," said a local enthusiast; "the people find what they need in Delphos stores, and they are inclined to spend their money at home." The town established its supremacy in the days of the Erie Canal, when less fortunate towns "wagoned" their supplies from Delphos. The canal still affords water for industrial purposes, and the people are interested in the newspaper discussion of waterways, wondering what it may mean for them in future. There are doctors, lawyers and ministers—the people need not leave town for professional service nor business accommodations, and a population of more than 5,000 makes it a city of the first class with reference to United States mail service. Delphos is a railway center, and the Toledo, Delphos and Western (Clover Leaf) shops are among the best assets of the community.

There are 100 railway employees in Delphos besides the engineers and conductors who live in the town. The roundhouse and repair shops give employment at home, and Delphos is also a terminal point on the Northern Ohio Railway. It has interurban service between Lima and Fort Wayne. The American Road Machine Company; the Delphos Bending Company—buggy and auto bows; the Delphos Paper Mill; Ricker Brothers Furniture Factory—bank furniture and tables; the John C. Schaffer Handle Factory; Whirrett Brothers Stirrup factory; the D. Steinle Soft Drinks Company; the Mueller Implement and Auto Company with the largest implement warehouse in Northwestern Ohio, and a number of auto sales and repair shops—many men taken out of the production ranks to repair autos, and awhile the Northwestern Ohio fright Company maintains an office on the Allen county side in Delphos, its plant where the current is produced is in Van Wert County. It serves a chain of towns and lights farmhouses about the country.

MISFORTUNE OVERTAKES DELPHOS

In 1854, Delphos was visited by cholera and the town was almost depopulated—those who were not attacked by the disease being frightened out of the community. The ravages of "flu" were almost as serious two and three years ago. On May 3, 1872, the town was swept by a conflagration. Because of the havoc wrought it was always called "Black Friday." There were no firefighting preparations, and sixty-four buildings were consumed in the heart of the town. While there was plenty of water in the canal, it could not be utilized until apparatus arrived from surrounding towns, both Lima and Fort Wayne responding to the call of distress. The citizens of Delphos soon established a breadline and fed the firefighters who rescued them.

The J. W. Hunt drug store, in which J. H. Wahmhoff was once a clerk and is now the proprietor, was always the social center of Delphos and community questions were always threshed out there. It was a waiting station for everybody, and a center for courtship always. They tell the story there that Amelia Bredeick, who became the bride of G. F. Lang, treasured for years the bureau that was used as an altar in the first Catholic Church in Delphos. She was a niece to Father Bredeick. There has been a Delphos Historical Society, including both Allen and Van Wert County members, its object being to perpetuate the history of Delphos and vicinity There is a unique community hand book-written by J. H. Wahmhoff, a line reading: "It's our purpose to chronicle such facts and findings as are yet obtainable; we find that with the passing of time much of our historical data is no longer obtainable at first-hand," and what is true at Delphos is true in other communities.

Submitted by Ronald Kunz, rkunz@woh.rr.com (10-11-98)

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