Stryker Heritage Council Learns Of Springfield Township’s Early Days

By: Amy Wendt
THE VILLAGE REPORTER
amy@thevillagereporter.com

Gathering for its 19th Annual General Membership Meeting on November 9 at Stryker United Methodist Church, members of the Stryker Area Heritage Council (SAHC) had the opportunity to enjoy a delicious meal, take care of organizational business, and hear about the interesting roots of Springfield Township.

Following the meal prepared by Nick Jones, SAHC President Terry Weiland welcomed all in attendance and called the business meeting to order.

Offering a moment for council members to review the financials, SAHC Treasurer Susan Buehrer took a moment to point out items of interest from the report.

It was noted by Buehrer that a $10,000 grant from the Robert and Betty Willis Trust through the Bryan Area Foundation was awarded to the SAHC. Betty (Juillard) was formerly from the Springfield Township area.

The funds from the grant will be used for painting the exterior of the Stryker Depot as well as the purchase of cemetery markers for two military veterans from the Stryker area.

It is anticipated that the grave markers will be installed and dedicated during the summer of 2024.  Buehrer also highlighted the expenses contained within her report that corresponded with those projects.

Discussion among the members began and one SAHC member in attendance asked if there are regularly scheduled hours that the Depot is open to the public.

Buehrer noted that no such hours are in place due to the lack of foot traffic; however, anyone who wishes to visit the Depot may contact herself or Wieland to make arrangements to check out the exhibits.  She also noted that the group is exploring the possibility of partnering with Sauder Village to create opportunities to align some of their events.

Following another member’s inquiry about the possibility of further expansion plans to the Depot building, Wieland noted that the property is owned by the Village of Stryker, and due to its designation as a historical building, expansion plans to the Depot are not being considered.

However, the SAHC is exploring options to obtain offsite storage for larger historical items currently being held by a volunteer.

Wieland then took an opportunity to share highlights of SAHC’s community involvement during 2023 specifically noting that the 4th Grade History class from Stryker visited the Depot for a special presentation which was well received by the students.

As a result of the successful presentation, teachers from other grades at Stryker Local have reached out to the SAHC about the possibility of historical presentations for their own classes in the future.

In 2023 a small group of Stryker Senior Center members also visited the Depot. They enjoyed reminiscing about the exhibits, and according to Wieland, even helped the council decipher a few historical bits of information.

In years past, the SAHC has been involved with the Stryker Homecoming Parade, and this year they took on a more active role in organizing the event.

He extended the invitation to members who would like to be involved with the 2024 Homecoming to attend upcoming planning meetings as more participation is certainly welcome.

It was shared that despite some setbacks, the SAHC will continue to publish the Been Creek Chronicle. The council’s publication is a newsletter containing stories of days gone by from the area and keeps readers informed of the latest SAHC happenings.

Wieland noted that SAHC has purchased two Yellowstone Trail signs to be erected along State Highway 2. The Yellowstone Trail, designed for automobiles, began in 1912, heading west and reaching the coast by 1915.

Progressing east through Ohio in 1916, it extended to the east coast by 1919, spanning from Plymouth Rock to Puget Sound.

Randy Bible, who was scheduled to share with the group a presentation about Stryker railroad history was unfortunately unable to attend. In his absence, Sue Buehrer shared an interesting presentation about the history of Williams County and specifically, Springfield Township.

Each audience member received a map of Springfield Township which marked the locations of the early Post Offices, schools, cemeteries, first settlements, and former roadways within the boundaries of the Township.

Buehrer began by sharing that in 1820, Ohio saw the formation of 14 new counties, among them Williams County (which included land that is present-day Defiance County). Bordered to the west by Indiana and the north by Michigan, Williams County became a distinct entity when Williams and Defiance Counties were divided in 1835.

Springfield Township emerged within Williams County during this division. In 1836, the present-day boundaries of Springfield Township were established with the formation of Brady Township.

There is some debate about who should receive the title of “the first settler” in Williams County.  Around 1827 James Guthrie settled in the Bean Creek area of Springfield Township however did not establish permanent citizenship.

Other first settlers in the area included Peter Knipe, Rev. Thomas A. Prettyman, Daniel Colgan, Solomon Sprague, William Sprague, James Luther, Josiah B. Packard, John Hollinshead, John Stubbs, Joseph Stubbs, Harmon Doolittle, Jonathan B. Taylor, David Carpenter, John Lindenberger, Lewis Clark, Harvey Clark, and Chauncy Clark.

Springfield Township is also rich in French history as many French immigrants settled in this area. Some of the surnames of those settlers include Goll, Juillard, Peugeot, Grisier, Vernier, Chariot, Barber, Planson, Chappuis, Brut, Bodel, Luty, Renaud, and Louys.

The initial election for Springfield Township took place in 1835, with just 10 voters. By 1836, the number of voters had increased to 23. Various positions, including Clerk, Trustee, Overseer of the Poor, Fence Viewers, Constable, Supervisor, Treasurer, and Justice of the Peace, were among those elected during this period.

It is interesting to note that a former village in Springfield Township named Williamsport, consisting of 331 lots situated along State Highway 34 between County Roads 21-75 and 20 was platted around 1836, presumably in anticipation of a canal system expansion.

However, due to little interest in purchasing lots, the Village of Williamsport was officially vacated in 1839 just three years after it was platted.

In 1853, speculators on behalf of the Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway came to the area, and the Village of Stryker was officially platted along a proposed rail line.

The village attributes its namesake to Air Line Railroad official John Stryker from the State of New York.  Stryker is Springfield Township’s only village present-day.

Buehrer pointed out that because settlers began clearing the densely forested landscape to make way for farmland, early Springfield Township was the home to many sawmills.

The railroad played a crucial role in transporting lumber which was then sold to larger cities in need of wood for construction purposes.

As the land became more suitable for farming, gristmills began to appear allowing early farmers to convert their grain to flour and it too was transported to other areas via the new rail system.

One of the more notable early businesses within the township was the Stryker Boat Oar Company which fashioned wooden oars for customers all over the world.  The abundance of timber and Stryker’s proximity to the railroad attributed to the success of the business until it was destroyed by fire in 1926 and eventually reopened in the neighboring Village of Archbold.

Buehrer shared that in 1861 a company began drilling for oil in the area and the initiative was interrupted by the Civil War.

When the war was over, drilling was resumed by the Stryker Oil Well Company and after reaching a depth of 850 feet without finding a surplus of gas or oil, it was determined that the venture would not be profitable, and the well was abandoned.

In an interesting turn, dark water rich in minerals began to flow from the well that was abandoned by the oil company. It was claimed that the water could treat or even cure a variety of ailments and in 1883 a two-story bathhouse was built at the well site attracting people from all over.

Fire destroyed the bathhouse in 1900 and a new building was erected in its place. This new building would eventually be converted into a nursing home.

Over 50 years after Stryker was established as a stop along the railroad, another rail line came onto the scene. The Toledo & Indiana Interurban Line, an electric trolley-like system traversing from Bryan to Toledo, was in operation from 1905 to 1939.

The T & I brought with it the need to establish an electric power plant to operate the system. The plant, located in Stryker, was responsible for employing many of the village residents. At one time, many surrounding towns purchased electric service from Stryker’s T&l Power Plant.

Over the years Springfield Township served as home to many other small businesses including a cooper shop (tin), a cheese factory, a large dairy farm, several country stores, a tile factory, Strudel & Emenee, Sauder Designaire, Schulman’s plastic factory, the Fireside Inn truck-stop, Dairywood Drive-In, and the Summer House.

As the evening progressed and Buehrer continued the presentation, various members of the SAHC in attendance took moments to interject and share their own interesting historical memories creating an evening of shared learning for all.

Established in 2006, the Stryker Area Heritage Council was created to preserve the historical legacy of Stryker, Evansport, Lockport, and their neighboring regions.

The SAHC welcomes new members as well as donations of historical items to add to their collection on display at the Depot. For information about joining the SAHC, or to donate historical items of interest, reach out by email to info@strykerahc.org.