Early Mercer County History

Early Mercer County History. . Named for General Hugh Mercer, a distinguished officer of the Revolution, Mercer County was established in 1820 by a legislative act creating counties from the land within Ohio ceded by the Indians. The configuration of the County then included the western part of Auglaize. The County was administered by Darke County until 1824, after which the seat of justice was established in St. Marys. The county seat was moved to Celina in 1839. The east portion of the County was used to form part of Auglaize County when it was founded in 1848. , The military march of Gen. St. Clair, whose army was routed at Ft. Recovery in 1792, and the resulting excursion of Gen. Mad Anthony Wayne signify the transition of the area from Indian lands to American frontier lands. With the building of forts throughout the Indiana and Ohio territories, came surveyors who studied and evaluated the country side. , The land hereabouts was described in a letter by Capt. James Riley, surveyor, to B. Sanford, Esq. in 1810. He states "Along the banks of all the streams and rivers, the land is good and dry, every one quarter section may afford a good farm. All the country is well timbered with oak, hickory, sugar maple, white oak, blue ash, beech, elm, poplar, and black walnut. The underbrush is paw paw, hazel, spice-wood, and swamp oak. On receding from the banks of the streams and rivers some wet land is met with such as swamps and wet prairies." He goes on to report "In traveling inch by inch this interesting section of Ohio, the mind is almost bewildered by the contemplation of its importance. Its climate, soil, and local situation, arts and sciences, and commerce will flourish in a few years." It is apparent in Capt. Riley's letters that his priority was set in determining possible routes for canals to connect the Lake Erie river streams to those of the Ohio/Mississippi river systems, and on the effect these would have on the development of this territory. His predictions proved right in that, with the development of the Miami and Erie Canal system, this area has grown into the most productive agricultural region of the State.