This account of the history of Uhrichsville is adapted and
condensed from an account written by Robert F. Michels for the
Sesquicentennial program book.
Michael Uhrich was the pioneer of Mill Township and founder of
what is now Uhrichsville. Born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania,
August 7, 1751 of German heritage, he married Catherine Borroway
in 1772.
The Uhrichs had eight children before her death in 1794. Uhrich
then married Susannah C. Rouse and in 1804 purchased 1,500 acres
from John Rathbone at $1.00 per acre. The same year he moved his
family from Pennsylvania, bringing his second wife and five other
children—Hanna, Catherine, John, Jacob, and Michael.
He built a two story log cabin, and in 1806, a grist and sawmill
along the banks of the Big Stillwater Creek. Four wheels were in
operation, one for wheat, two for corn and one for sawing lumber.
Uhrich also was one of the original Tuscarawas County
commissioners in 1808.
With the coming of the canal era, wheat buying and shipping was
the chief business of the village.Stillwater Creek could handle
flatboats, leading to the canal at Trenton (now Tuscarawas). The
town flourished as grain from a wide area was transported by wagon
to Uhrichsville.
The town was initially called Waterford because it was located
at the fording place of the Moravian Trail over the creek.
The town was laid out on the east side of the Big Stillwater in
1833 by Michael Uhrich Jr., son of the founder.
However, due to another Waterford (in Washington County), a
different name was needed because of potential confusion in the
mail system
Many referred to the community as Uhrich’s Mill; therefore, the
transition to Uhrichsville was made in 1839, when citizens
petitioned the state legislature.
On June 7, 1866, a petition signed by John Milone and 75 other
citizens was presented to county commissioners, seeking
incorporation of the village.
On August 13, the incorporation was granted. The first election
was held November 10, 1866, with Milone elected mayor. A total of
177 votes were cast.
Uhrich’s mill provided a nucleus for a flourishing trade that
extended more than 50 years. In 1842 there were six warehouses
used for grain storage along the Stillwater.
Early in the 1950’s, the Steubenville and Indiana Railroad
(later part of the Pennsylvania system) was completed. The
railroad system devastated the local grain business. Trains could
stop at every station, and it was no longer necessary for the
farmers to bring their grain to Uhrichsville.
A period of general depression continued between 1854 and
1865.The 1850 census indicated a population of 577 with only 69
added during the next decade.
In 1865, the railroad built its shops in Dennison and
Uhrichsville shared in the boom that followed. The population of
the Twin Cities doubled and small business began to thrive.
The clay industry, perhaps Uhrichsville’s greatest claim to
fame, emerged in 1883.Rich veins of clay and coal led to the
production of clay and brick products, resulting in the town being
deemed “The Clay Center of the World.”
James and Frank Mazurie founded the first clay plant of the
area, manufacturing six-inch drain tile.
Later, William G. Hartford and J.M. Cooper of Toronto, with the
aid of Thomas J. Evans, George Beck and Andrew Robinson,
established Diamond Fire and Clay Company, employing 150 men.
Two years after the founding of that firm, Evans and Beck
formed Uhrichsville Fire Clay Company. Evans later sold his
interest and started Evans Pipe Company in 1906.
Buckeye Fire Clay Company was organized in 1891 by W.K.
Eckfield, Oliver Knisely, E.R. Van Ostran and Joseph Loeb.
Other clay-producing companies in the area included Advance
Fire Clay, H.K. Porter, U.S. Concrete Pipe, Universal Sewer Pipe,
Larson Clay Pipe, Clay City Clay Pipe, Michigan Sewer Pipe,
American Vitrified Products, Wolf-Lanning, Superior Clay
Corporation, and the Belden Brick Company.
