The Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike (now Route 98), according to early local historians, began as a fraud perpetrated upon early Marion County settlers. The 1883 History of Marion County states that construction was underway by 1833 and, although it was designed to be a turnpike, it was, in reality, a mud pike. "In wet weather it seemed to be worse than untouched ground, and in dry weather it was not needed. Reason: The material of which it was made consisted of an impalpable powder, made into paste."
Captain George Beckley, who was 16 years old when he came to Marion County with his parents in 1821, recorded his memories of this infamous highway:
"The Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike was made by a company, and organized by a few speculators in and about Columbus who obtained a charter and a grant of every alternate section or tier of sections where it went through government lands . . . These alternate tiers through this county were usually several miles wide - wide enough to make up for losses where the government lands had to be bought. The whole distance from Columbus to Sandusky by this road was about one hundred and six miles. By the terms of this charter said road was to be made of 'good and substantial material,' well drained, and kept in good repair. But instead it was made of only such material as could be plowed and scraped in, composed of sods, muck, and clay. I do not remember of seeing even one wagon-load of stone or gravel that had been hauled on it from one end to the other; yet this company, after having received all those government lands, had the bold hardihood to put up toll-gates and collect the same rates of toll for traveling on their 'clay pike,' 'mud pike,' or whatever they might call it, as was charged on good ones. You may imagine what kind of a road it was in a wet season. We have often known teamsters to be compelled to call upon the neighbors to bring their teams and help them haul their wagons out of mud-holes near the toll-gates, where they were compelled to pay toll before they were allowed to go through."
The 1883 History of Marion Cou
nty continues the story:
"Many a joke has passed the rounds concerning the serio-comical experiences travelers who had to pay their 5 cents a mile on this route and then work their way along with a fence-rail in hand to pry the stage out of the mud every few rods.
"About 1843, the citizens petitioned the State Legislature to annul the charter of the company; and an investigation was made by that body, which disclosed the fact that the Columbus & Sandusky Turnpike Company had perpetrated a gigantic fraud all along the line. While the investigation was in progress, the indignant citizens demolished the toll-gates, and since that time the turnpike has been a free road."
As the road was being built, settlers purchased land along the route. In 1833, Marturen Latimbra, a Frenchman who had made his way to Marion County via Buenos Aires, purchased all of Section 15 of Scott Township and laid out a town there along the turnpike route. The village was named Letimberville. In 1878, it boasted these businesses: Enos Doughty, carpenter and contractor; Letimberville Hotel, owned by John Kirkpatrick, who also was a blacksmith; Thomas M. Robinson, carpenter and dealer in groceries and provisions; Charles A. Rowe, boot and shoe maker; and Thomas L. Roles, plasterer and contractor. A Methodist Episcopal church was built there in 1837; in 1840 a Christian church was organized. Today, Letimberville is known as Kirkpatrick.
The Marion County Historical Society is embarking on the final year of its Marion County Township Heritage Project. An exhibition focusing on Scott, Tully, and Claridon townships will open at Heritage Hall in July, 2003, as part of the Society's celebration of Ohio's Bicentennial. As always, we are seeking historical narratives, oral histories, photographs, and artifacts that relate to the history of these communities. If you or someone you know is willing to help, please contact the Society at 740-387-4255 or mchs@historymarion.org.
