Washington County

Liberty township was established March 5, 1832, by the following act of the County Commissioners.

Resolved, That the tract of country contained in range number seven, in town number four, in the county of Washington be, and the same is hereby established into an incorporated town, 10 be called and designated Liberty; and the inhabitants residing within said surveyed township are declared to be entitled to all the privileges and immunities of incorporated towns within this State; and said inhabitants will meet at the house of Matthew Gray, in said township, on the first day of April next, at 10 o'clock, A.M., to elect township officers agreeably to law:

It will thus be seen that, at first, the surveyed township and the established township were identical, and thus, accordingly, Liberty began life with her full 36 square miles of territory. No records of township elections appear until 1838, although the book which contains this record was in the possesion of the township for four years previous.

The memories of the oldest residents of the township, however, retain the facts that Matthew Gray was in all probability the first justice of the peace, that at any rate, he was a "squire" in 1834. at which time William Gray was a constable. It is said that at one time there were not available men enough to fill the offices, and that Salem township was asked in a neighborly way to lend them a man for constable, but who was the man, thus obligingly furnished, tradition has provokingly forgotten. It appears also that these early elections were held in a log school house about where Germantown now stands.

The first township officers now on record in the township were chosen April 2, 1838, at an election held at the residence of Joseph Barnhart, William Koon, Matthew Gray and Gideon Keeder presided over the election, and James Schofield and Richard Albery were clerks. The election resulted in the choice of Newman Meridith, Marcellus Marsh, and Richard Albery, for trustees; David Hendershot, clerk: Elijah Gray, constable; Isaac Cline and John Miller, overseers of the poor; Eben Spear, Amlin True, and William Walters, fence viewers; James Martin, Daniel Michael and William Harsha, road supervisors.

The omission to elect a treasurer was corrected by the appointment in May, 1838, of Matthew Gray to fill that office. This appointment was made by the trustees of the township.

Liberty was slightly diminished in extent in 1851 when two sections were given to Monroe Count v and four to Noblc.

The earliest settlers in Liberty township were the Palmers, Campbells, Alberys, Grays, Woods. Koons and Bernharts. The first water mill was erected about 1844 by John Miller on Saltpetre Creek. The first log school house was built a quarter of a mile north of Germantown about 1838. The Methodists were the first religious body to enter the township, building a log-hewn church about 1840. In 1848 Abraham Alban gave the ground for a new church which was built. In 1855 a church was erected in the southern part of the township. The Scott Ridge Church was built in 1873. A German Church on Fifteen Mile Creek was built about 1860 but was destroyed by fire. The Pleasant Ridge Christian Church of Dalzell was erected in1880, the society being formed in 1867. The Liberty Baptist Church at the forks of Fifteen Mile Creek was built in 1874. A Free Methodist society purchased a school house in 1880 and dedicated it for their services.

The oldest village. Germantown, was laid out in 1852 by David Hendershot. Charles Coleman being appointed first postmaster in l873.

In its vicinitv a valuable oil field has been developing within the last two years and the production is still increasing rapidly. Dalzell named in honor of "Private Dalzell" was laid out in 1871, S. D. Spear becoming first postmaster in the year following.

Source: History of Marietta and Washington County, by Martin R. Andrews, MA, 1902, Transcribed by C. Anthony