CHAPTER X

SCOTT TOWNSHIP
p. 457

     It lies in the northern tier of townships bordering Highland County.  It was formed from the north part of Wayne township, Feb. 25, 1818.  Since then Manchester and a portion of Oliver Townships have been taken from its original territory.  It was named in honor of Edwin Scott, an old and respected citizen.

Surface and Soil.

     The western portion of the township is undulating and comprises some of the best farm lands within it.  Along West Fork are very fertile alluvial bottoms, and bordering this stream are moderately high hills and table lands of marked fertility of soil.  The northeaster portion is hilly and the soil for the most part is unproductive.

Streams.

     The principal stream is West Fork which flows across the southern part of the township from the northwest.  It is a beautiful stream and receives in the west, Buck Run which rises in Highland County, and in the southeast, George's Creek which rises in the east central portion of the township.  This tributary was named from a family by the name of George, members of which settled below the present site of Tranquility in early days.
     Flat Run, in the northeastern part of the township, flows east and is a tributary of East Fork of Ohio Brush Creek.

First Settlers.

     John McIntyre and William McIntyre who settled on the lands recently owned by Hon. J. T. Wilson at Tranquility; Robert Elliott who settled on the A. C. McCullough farm; John Hamilton who settled west of Tranquility; Reuben Smith, James Montgomery, George Secrist, and John Oliver on George's Creek were among the first settlers, who came about the year 1800.  Joseph Gaston, David McCreight, Mathew McCreight, James McCreight and their families came from the South Carolina to George's Creek in the year 1802.  The Williamsons, the Simmondses, the Martins, and the McCulloughs came a few years later to the same vicinity.

Mills.

     The first mill was built by Peter Simmonds on George's Creek.  Of the other early mills, were Smith's and McCormick's on West Fork, and Campbell's on Buck Run.

Villages.

     TRANQUILITY, a hamlet on George's Creek in the central portion of the township, was founded by Hon. John T. Wilson.  In 1832, Mr. Wilson opened a small store on George's Creek at the house of John Smiley about a half mile above the present village, where he sold dry goods, groceries and whiskey, as was the custom in those days.  Afterwards the store was conducted at his late residence.  In 1861, W. A. Blair built a store room on the present site of Blair's store where the Wilson and Blair business has been conducted ever since.  In the meantime a number of families built homes near Wilson & Blair's store and the place took the name, Tranquility, as suggested by Mr. Wilson to the postoffice department when the office was established there in 1848.  John McCreight was the first postmaster.

     MAY HILL - this is not a regularly laid out village, but like Tranquility grew up round a country store.  It is located in the northeastern portion of the townshp on the border of Bratton Township, on high rolling land, and is surrounded by a poor hilly country.  A postoffice was established there in 1850 with John A. Williamson as postmaster.

     SEAMAN - This village was laid out after the extension of the Cincinnati and Eastern, now called in Cincinnati, Portsmouth and Virginia Railroad, from Winchester to Portsmouth.  It is one of the new and thriving villages that have sprung up along the line of that railroad.  It was laid out on the lands of Mrs. Ann Mower in 1888.  A postoffice was established in 1880 with A. Day first postmaster.  The first store in the place was kept by J. Q. Roads.  It now contains two dry goods stores, one hardware and implement store, one millinery shop, two blacksmith shops, one saw-mill, two hotels, two livery stables, and has a population of 175 inhabitants.  It is one of the pretty, thriving villages of Adams County.

     BUCK RUN - This postoffice was formerly located at Campbell's Mills on Buck run, but in recent years has been kept at a private house.  It is in the western portion of the township.

Schools.

     Thge first schoolhouse was a round-log cabin erected in 1807 on the hill near the site of the U. P. Church at Tranquility.  Here the children of the McCreights, the Glasgows, the Milligans, the Elliotts, the McCulloughs, the Montgomerys, the Williamsons and the Beards were taught to read, write and cipher, by Samuel McCollister and James McGill.
     The township at present is divided into nine sub-districts with the following enumeration of school youth:
 

PORTRAITS OF JAMES N. HOOK, REV. W. T. QUARRY, REV. JOHN P. VAN DYKE, WILLIAM ELLISON

Churches.

     TRANQUILITY U. P. CHURCH - This is the oldest church organization in the township, and was formed in 1807, with John Milligan, John McCullough, James Montgomery, Alexander McCullough, Robert Elliott, James Wright, David McCreight, Sr., David McCreight, Jr., Robert Glasgow and Joseph Glasgow and their families as members.  The first church building, called "Hopewell Meeting House," was a log structure, erected about 1810, and was used for a church house for this congregation for forty years, when in 1853 it was supplanted by the present frame building.  The congregation is a very large and wealthy one, and was originally known as West Fork Association.  See history of U. P. Church under Wayne Township.

     MOUNT ZION M. E. CHURCH - The congregation was organized in 1866.  In 1868 a frame church building was erected on lands purchased from John Martin in the northeast corner of the township.  After the village of Seaman began to grow, the building was removed from its former site to that village where it now stands.

     MOUNT LEIGH PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH - This is one of the oldest congregations in the township.  The site of the church building, a commodious frame, is on the Buck Run Pike about one mile north of the village of Seaman.

     FLAT RUN M. E. CHURCH is situated in the northeastern portion of the township on Flat Run near the Highland County line.

REMINISCENCES.

A Pioneer Nurseryman.

An Object Lesson in Politics.

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