Scenes from around Piketon
updated 12 June 2011
Originally called Jefferson and the first
county seat of Pike County
January 4, 1815 the Ohio General Assembly
created Pike county from parts of Adams, Ross and Scioto counties and named after General
Zebulon Montgomery Pike who had recently been killed in the War of 1812.
The legislation took effect on February 1 and stipulated that on the first Monday
of March the initial election of county officers was to be held. Arthur
Chenoweth's home was designated as the court house until a permanent court could
be established. Commissioners appointed were Edward W. Tupper of Gallia County;
George W. Barrere and John Davidson, both from Highland County. Forty-three
acres on the east side of the Scioto River were set aside at twenty dollars an
acre to lay out Piketon. Eli Sargent was appointed the director to pay Elisha
Fitch for the land to lay off the town of Piketon. On June 1, 1815, the first sale of lots was
held. Four lots were reserved for public square and buildings.
Elisha Fitch
had acquired the land from George and Sarah Guthrey,
March 1815. Colonel John Gurthey came to the county in 1798 with a family
of 12 children and had purchased the land for a full mile down river and east
toward Beaver. John Nolan of Pennsylvania was the first settler to arrive on the
site of Piketon in 1796.
The prehistoric Indians had built an enclosure
at Piketon which contained a circle and a square, connected by 12 smaller
circles and crescents. On a hill east of Piketon was a circular excavation
30 feet in diameter at the top and enclosed by a low wall.
The first jail was a log structure built in 1816
and the first jail break came in 1819. The brick
courthouse was started in 1817 and was finished by 1819. The 1820 census showed
4,131 whites and 122 Negroes.
Everything went smoothly in the county till
1829 when the battle to move the county seat was started by James Emmitt.
He hoped to increase the value of his holdings. The war lasted till 1861,
when a referendum settled the issue. Emmitt had promised to build the Beaver
Pike to a point opposite Waverly. This set him back $15,00 for the road
and $20,000 for the bridge across the Scioto River.
On February 7, 1843 the boundaries of the
county was changed when six sections were taken from Jackson County to become
part of Beaver Township and nine section form Pike county was given to Jackson
County.
Traveling Main St. Piketon
Abt. 1915 Main Street Piketon, OH
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View of Piketon showing Opera House, Old Court House, Old Jail etc.
probably taken from the steeple of the Piketon Methodist Church
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Piketon Hotel |
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The Pike County Court House in Piketon until 1861 when the county seat
was moved to Waverly
First court house was a log structure where the park is now.
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Gas Station on Main Street in Piketon, OH
Armintrout's Garage and was also a Chevrolet
dealer.
In the later 70's and early 80's the building was used
as Pike County Tire
This building replaced the Hotel that sat at this site.
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Veterans Park the former site of the Piketon Opera House. Note
Court House behind the Park.
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New Opera House in Piketon 22 November 1909
The opera house first activity
held was a large dance to initiate the building. The building had a slant
floor to start with and was used for live operas and high school
commencement programs. A newspaper item on May 12, 1904 read "the
opera house was closed due to a lack of patronage."
During its early years the east side of the building
was used as village offices and the west side was used as township
offices.
In the 1950 Saturday nights
featured the Piketon Jamboree with live country music, primarily the
Bill Wiseman and Roy Ross bands.
In the early 1930's is was used as a motion
picture theatre and films were shown there until June 1, 1954 and in 5
October 1954 Waverly News it was announced that they were
removing all equipment and the theater would be close permanently.
In the 1950's the slant floor was
removed and the opera house was made into a youth center.
In the 1950 Saturday nights
featured the Piketon Jamboree with live country music, primarily the
Bill Wiseman and Roy Ross bands.
Sometime
later, square dances started in the building and a stage was rebuilt and
was used as a home for a Theatre group.
Piketon Opera House burned down
about 1985.
Information curtsey Jim Henry
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Howe-Wheeler-Boyer-Hornback Funeral Home
724 Main Street Piketon
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Picture of Piketon Stage Coach Inn from a painting by
Goodsell McCoy
Green Parrott Restaurant was located
in building at one time.
From information about the death of John Wesley Breitenbach on 15 Oct 1949,
The cause of death shows "fell from a stool in the Green
Parrott Restaurant in Piketon"
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Silver Dollar Bar, Main Street, Piketon as it looked in 1978
Stage Coach Inn--Silver Dollar Bar
The
building was set on fire and burned down during the early 1980s. Supposedly by a disgruntled
patron of the bar. It is now an empty lot on Market Street in Piketon near the
Piketon Motel on the same side of the street. .
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Piketon Fire Department Goes Green, no CO2 come off this pumper except
for the guys breathing hard working the pump.
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Piketon, OH Fire House & Jail
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Piketon old Chevrolet fire truck April 2010 during Dogwood Festival
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Piketon Fire Trucks parked out side during Dogwood festival April 2010
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