History
Early Development of Williamstown
But we must now notice briefly some of the material improvements of the county. In 1822 there were twenty-five acres of land condemned by Mr. Arnold for the town of Williamstown, which was surveyed and laid off in one fourth acre lots, and Wm. Arnold, William Littell, Wesley Williams, James Collins, Samuel Williams, Thomas Watson, and Absalom Skirvin were appointed the firs Trustees of the town.
Early Development of Crittenden and Dry Ridge
Crittenden had now attained sufficient proportions to be called a town. The first settler there was David Cooper, who lived there, near where the Sechrest Hotel now stands, at the time of the formation of the county.
Further Development of Williamstown
The growth of Williamstown contains no event of special interest until the year 1856. At that time there had been erected a row of wooden buildings on either side of Main street-scarcely a brick edifice to be seen in town.
A child of Mr. Samuel Marksbury was amusing himself in the basement story of his father's house, then standing where Mr. Lucas has his grocery, by burning some combustible material, when the building took fire.
Fire
In 1864 a second fire destroyed the wooden tavern building of James Collins, on the corner of Main and Cynthiana streets; also destroying many small tenements connected therewith. The old stable and a few stock pens and corn cribs connected with the building, and that were not burnt, were torn down, and upon the lots thus made vacant were erected by the present owners and occupants the 'Johnson House' and the residence of Dr. J. M. Wilson, the one a well-planned and commodious hotel, and the other a convenient and handsome mansion.
History of Williamstown
Grant County is the heart of Northern Kentucky. Williamstown is a city in Grant County, in the Cincinnati metro area. It is in the Bluegrass region.
Grant County Newspapers
The first newspaper printed in Grant county was the Williamstown News, published by E. S. Moore in the year 1872. After an existence of six months, for want of support and proper management, it was found necessary to suspend its publication, and the News ceased to exist.
Religious History of Grant County
In respect to the early religious and educational history of the county we have been able to gather only the following facts: For two or three years previous to the organization of the county, Elder Jerard Riley, of the Old Baptist Church, had been preaching to a congregation in a meeting-house which stood near the late location of the Free Will Baptist Church, one-fourth mile south of Dry Ridge.
The First Schools in Grant County
But two school-houses were in the county at this time. One of these was on Forklick Creek, near where Chas. W. Porter now lives. This house was built of small round logs, 14 x 16 feet, and covered by clapboards, which were retained in their position by heavy 'weight poles.' It had a rough puncheon floor, and was profusely ornamented with puncheon benches, supported by legs made of round saplings driven in auger holes bored in them.
School Districts Established
The first division of the county into school districts was made in April, 1822, by an order of the County Court. The land of the Militia Company of Capt. Wm. Harrison composed District No. 1; of Capt. Wm. Hogan, District No. 2; of Capt. W. P. Thomas, District No. 3; of Capt. Chas. Ruddell, District No. 4; of Capt. James Elliston, District No. 5; of Capt. Andrew Myers, District No. 6.
The Big Tree and the Poison Spring
Among the notable objects of Grant county was a large poplar tree, near Dry Ridge Baptist Church. It was nine feet in diameter, its magnificent trunk and branches towering far above the surrounding trees as the giant of the forest. Before it was cut down, in 1831, it was known by everybody as the 'big tree.'