The Olden Time

The manual labor sshoal was not a success. The reasona of its failure are not familiar to me. It was organized by the Presbyterian church and was under its control. I think it lived only two or three years. The oíd building remained as a land mark of the institutión until within a few years. The bell has done service in the old Presbyterian church (the first built), on the ground now occupied by the Presbyterian church; afterward in the OLD COUET HOUSE, and now calis the children together in the third ward school building. The school building of the manual labor school was situated on the south Ypsilanti road, just east of the elegant brick house now owned and occupied by S. G. Miller. THE TRUSTEES. Oliver Johnson was a resident of Monroe. Bev. John Beach was the pastor of the Presbyterian church in Ann Arbor. Mr. Beach was an excellent and a highly educated man. The old citizens cherish his memory. E. P. Hastings was a resident of Detroit, and a man of great influence in hia day in that city and throughout the territory. John Allen was a resident of Ann Arbar, and one of its founders. Rev. Charles G. Clark was the pastor of the Presbyterian church of Webster and one one of the most useful ministers in the Presbyterian church in the territory. He was the father of C. G. Clark, late postmaster in this city. Kev. Ira M. Wead was the pastor of the Presbyterian church in Ypsilanti, and did much toward moulding the christian character of that place. "He being dead yet speaketh." Charles Mosely resided in Ann Arbor. He was a man of influence in the church and conimunity. Stephen V. R. Irowbridge was a resident of Oakland county, and a man of great worth and inüuence. Amos Mead was a farmer of Oakland county, a very intelligent and useful citizen. He was the father of the late Mrs. Thomas M. Ladd, of this city. Mr. Mead died at the residence of Mrs. Ladd some years since at a very advanced age. Robert Purdy was a resident of Plymouth, Wayne county, and "was much esteemed in that community. A. B. Tiffany lived in Adrián, and was a man of great infiuence in Lenawee oounty. B. J. Lanerd resided in Detroit I can get no information relativo to A. 8. Wells or Levi Baxter, but am of the opinión that the latter was a resident of Tecumseh. I think none of the trustees are living. THE AOADEMY was located on the lot on which Mrs. Charles Behr now lives, corner of Fourth and William streets. The trustees, Gideon Wileoxon, John Allen, Henry Bumsey, David Page, Samuel Dentón, S. D. McDowell and James Kingsley, are all dead. They all lived in Ann Arbor exoept Mr. McDowell, who resided in Pittsfield, one mile south of the county house. The building was of wood and was moved on to the Kingsley property, later known as the Colclazer lot, on Detroit street, and is now used by A. R. Schmidt as a carriage repository. The first and only ,building that has stood on the corner where the NEW POST OFFICE is in progresa of erection, was built as early as 1826, by David and Jonathan T. Ely, twin brothers, from Philadelphia. They were brothers of the celebrated Eev. Dr. Ezra Styles Ely, of that city. The Ely's were highly educatecl. They had spent some years in France, and the old citizens remember that they spoke the French language rluently. They built one or more dwelling houses in Ypsilanti. Mark Norria rented one of them and occupied it in 1828. It stood on the corner opposite THE HEWITT BLOOK, on Congress street. I think it was burned reeen tly. The front room was used by Cook & Ballard as a dry goods store- a small affair, but fully adequate to the wants of the village. Mr. Levi Cook was from Detroit. He remained in Yp■lilanti but a short time and returned to Detroit where he died many years since, and honored and highly respected citizen. .Mr. Ballard was, I think, a native of Vermont, but of this I am not certain. He remained in Ypsilanti until his death which took place 20 or 25 years ago. He was married in September, 1828, to Miss Woodruff, the eldest daughter of B. J. Woodruff, the FIRST WHITE SETTLER of the county. Mr. Ballard was an enterprising business man. The Ely's left the territory in 1832 or 1833. Only a few of our citizens remember them. A GREAT DISOOVEBY. In 1829 Anthony Doolittle, of Ypsilanti, made an important discovery upon which he obtained letters patent. It consisted in the art of distilhng the meal of eorn, by which a quantity of beautiful oil was procured, the whisky being greatly increased in quantiy and ïmproved in quality. Township and county rights were sold. The discovery was made in a distillery at Ypsilanti, owned by Elias Norton. It was said that from 14 to 16 quarts of GOOD PBOOF WHISKY could be made from one bushei of eorn. About three pints of oil could be taken from a tub of four bushels of eorn, and the whisky greatly improved thereby. Drs. Hays, Dentón, and Packard gave the new discovery their approval, and stated that in their opinión it would supercede all other oils used in the Materia Medica taken as a cathartic or in the preparation of ointments, liniments, etc. It was also highly praised as A LAMP OIL. I well remember the wonderful exeitement that the new discovery aroused in this county, but it was soon found that whisky drinkers preferred to take the oil with their whisky rather than in the shape of cathartics. So the discovery went down, and has never been heard of since.