Amity, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Amity is an unincorporated community
in north-eastern Canaan Township
, Madison County
, Ohio
, United States
. It is located at 40°4′7"N 83°15′5"W, at the intersection of Plain City-Georgesville Road and Amity Pike Road, between Plain City
and West Jefferson
.
was the only business in the area, but Uri Beach built a sawmill
along the Big Darby Creek
, and later added a carding machine
. Spinning
and weaving
were also done at the factory. This factory provided all of the lumber for northern Madison County's earliest frame buildings.
About 1826, Lorenzo opened a general store of his own, The West Canaan Post Office was established on January 16, 1829, and as of 1831, the community also contained a hotel and a blacksmith shop. A small community began to form around these businesses, so the Beach brothers purchased a tract of land, and laid out the community of West Canaan on January 3, 1833. In November 1834, there was additional land added to the town's corporation limits, and the town and post office names were changed to Amity. In 1834, Lorenzo opened a second store in another part of town, and as of 1835, the town contained two dry good stores, a woolen factory, a sawmill, a distillery, a comb factory, and a number of blacksmith and minor mechanical trades shops.
At this time, Amity was more of a trading point than Plain City, but a combination of the factory's dam being torn down due to being declared a nuisance and a trunk-line for the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
being laid through Plain City in 1851, caused most of the business to be transferred to the latter. By 1875, Amity had one dry goods store, one wagon and blacksmith
shop, one church, and one physician. There was a windmill
manufacturing company based in Amity during the 1880's and 1890's. The Amity Post Office was discontinued on July 31, 1901, and the mail service sent through the Plain City branch, and as of 1915, the village contained only one store, and one blacksmith.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
in north-eastern Canaan Township
Canaan Township, Madison County, Ohio
Canaan Township is one of the fourteen townships of Madison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,496 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
, Madison County
Madison County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,213 people, 13,672 households, and 10,035 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 14,399 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located at 40°4′7"N 83°15′5"W, at the intersection of Plain City-Georgesville Road and Amity Pike Road, between Plain City
Plain City, Ohio
Plain City is a village on the west banks of Big Darby Creek, in the northern part of Darby Township, Madison County and the southern part of Jerome Township, Union County in the U.S. state of Ohio...
and West Jefferson
West Jefferson, Ohio
West Jefferson is a village in Madison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,331 at the 2000 census. Located along U.S. Route 40, the village has a fairly close relationship with the surrounding township, which include various out-of-corporation-limit neighborhoods West Jefferson is a...
.
History
In 1817, Uri and Lorenzo Beach, two brothers, settled in the area. Previous to their arrival, agricultureAgriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
was the only business in the area, but Uri Beach built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
along the Big Darby Creek
Big Darby Creek
The Big Darby Creek is a river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important tributary to the Lower Scioto River. The river's major tributary is the Little Darby Creek....
, and later added a carding machine
Carding
Carding is a mechanical process that breaks up locks and unorganised clumps of fibre and then aligns the individual fibres so that they are more or less parallel with each other. The word is derived from the Latin carduus meaning teasel, as dried vegetable teasels were first used to comb the raw wool...
. Spinning
Spinning (textiles)
Spinning is a major industry. It is part of the textile manufacturing process where three types of fibre are converted into yarn, then fabric, then textiles. The textiles are then fabricated into clothes or other artifacts. There are three industrial processes available to spin yarn, and a...
and weaving
Weaving
Weaving is a method of fabric production in which two distinct sets of yarns or threads are interlaced at right angles to form a fabric or cloth. The other methods are knitting, lace making and felting. The longitudinal threads are called the warp and the lateral threads are the weft or filling...
were also done at the factory. This factory provided all of the lumber for northern Madison County's earliest frame buildings.
About 1826, Lorenzo opened a general store of his own, The West Canaan Post Office was established on January 16, 1829, and as of 1831, the community also contained a hotel and a blacksmith shop. A small community began to form around these businesses, so the Beach brothers purchased a tract of land, and laid out the community of West Canaan on January 3, 1833. In November 1834, there was additional land added to the town's corporation limits, and the town and post office names were changed to Amity. In 1834, Lorenzo opened a second store in another part of town, and as of 1835, the town contained two dry good stores, a woolen factory, a sawmill, a distillery, a comb factory, and a number of blacksmith and minor mechanical trades shops.
At this time, Amity was more of a trading point than Plain City, but a combination of the factory's dam being torn down due to being declared a nuisance and a trunk-line for the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad began as three separate railroads: the Erie and New York City Railroad based in Jamestown, New York; the Meadville Railroad based in Meadville, Pennsylvania ; and the Franklin and Warren Railroad based in Franklin Mills, Ohio...
being laid through Plain City in 1851, caused most of the business to be transferred to the latter. By 1875, Amity had one dry goods store, one wagon and blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
shop, one church, and one physician. There was a windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
manufacturing company based in Amity during the 1880's and 1890's. The Amity Post Office was discontinued on July 31, 1901, and the mail service sent through the Plain City branch, and as of 1915, the village contained only one store, and one blacksmith.