<strong>Elizabeth Township

Submitted by Sharon M. Kouns</strong>

Elizabeth Township - Elizabeth Township was named for Mrs. Elizabeth Hamilton. Organized June 4, 1817. By 1895, there were 14 schools in Elizabeth Township.

Ironton Register, March 3, 1892 - Elizabeth Township Divided. - The County Board of Election met and divided Elizabeth Township into two election precincts. The division is made by a north and south line, between sections 5 and 6, about a mile west of Lawrence furnace. The voting place of the west division will be at the Fox Hollow school house; and in the east division, near Etna furnace. The Board did right in dividing the township.

<strong>Early History:</strong>

The first settlement in this Township was made at Kelley’s Mill, and here also was the location of the first and only post office.

In 1837 the first saw mill was built on Pine Creek.

Sections 12, 14, 18, 19, 20 and 21 in range 19 are fractional. In Section 7, Range 19, the first school was taught.

The first election was held in Section 16, in 1821.

St. Mary’s Church in Pine Grove was organized in 1849, and the Presbyterian Church at the same place was organized in 1835.

The land throughout the Township is very hilly, covered with sand rock, iron ore, limestone, and coal. Pine Creek, emptying into the Ohio River, Little Pine Creek emptying into Big Pine, and Hales Creek are the principal streams.

In March 1803, Scioto and Gallia Counties were formed, and the eastern boundary of Adams County was taken as the dividing line between the two counties, hence the whole of Lawrence County was in Gallia County, except for a few small sections in the eastern part of Elizabeth Township, which belonged to Scioto County.

On December 20, 1816, Lawrence created a separate organization.

On April 12, 1817, James Webb was first Justice of the Peace. First marriage recorded was between James Ferguson and Elizabeth McCoy, April 11, 1817.

Furnaces in Elizabeth Township - Centre, Vesuvius, Old Union, Pine Grove, Empire, Lawrence, Etna.

Transportation included: turnpike, tramway, railroad, roads.

There were no churches and no cemeteries in Elizabeth Township at this time.

1863 - Lawrence County Militia
Elizabeth Township
1st District - George N. Gray, Captain
J. W. Halliday, 1st Lt.
Isaac Yates, 2nd Lt.
2nd District
Thomas Crantz, Captain
F. M. Harrison, 1st Lt.
Frederick Locy, 2nd Lt.

October 1885 - The Elizabeth Township Teachers Association was organized. Miss Hattie Vinton, of Pinegrove, is Secretary and J. W. Cox, Chairman.

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<strong>Barrel of Brandy Cause of Crooked Elizabeth Boundary Surveyors Apparently Couldn’t Make a Straight Line When Township Survey Made

Ironton Evening Tribune
September 4, 1938
By Mildred Winters</strong>

Most townships in Lawrence county have nice, conventional boundary lines. But Elizabeth township seems to have gone xway like a disobedient child. When you look at it on a county map , its western border line looks like someone had hacked it at right angles with a sharp hatchet.

The explanation goes that the land, now known as Elizabeth township, was not included in the Ohio company grant and therefore the federal government sent out its own surveying party. Supplies for the surveying party landed at Hanging Rock and amongst them was a barrel of brandy.

By the time the surveyor had quaffled liberally of the brandy he didn’t know whether he was going North or South - much less would he know if he were going in straight line.

And so lies the Elizabeth township west boundary line - a brandy soaked surveyor’s uncertain course.