When the first settlers arrived here back in the early 1800s, they found a large number of Wyandot Indians living about a mile north of what would later become the town square. Their village was called Raccoon Town which was located on Raccoon Creek. One of the families arriving here from Virginia, actually purchased the land and all of their belongings. After this most of the Wyandots left the area, but a few remained for a number of years.
The land was deeded to a Kentucky Revolutionary War veteran named John Brown. Whether or not this was the origin of the name is not clear as John Brown never visited the land and sold it to a New Yorker named Dr. Oliver Bigelow who actually laid out the land and formed the square. Since it was Dr. Bigelow that laid out the town, it is most likely that he named it. His father was named John as was his brother. The first male child born to a family in the village was also named John. Dr. Bigelow also may have had a connection to Johnstown, New York. So it is not clear exactly where the name originated.
Part of the original designations as laid out by Dr. Bigelow was that there be a central town square. For many years town square was just a green space with a lot of trees. A portion of the green was later named in honor of the doctor as Bigelow Park. Today Town Square is home to Township Hall and where multiple events are held throughout the year include the Farmers Market each Saturday beginning in late June until mid September.
The JOHNSTOWN MASTODON
According to those that understand prehistoric bones, the skeletal remains of twenty year old mastodon that now remains in the Kirtland Hall of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, these particular bones are one of the best mastodon's specimens ever found.
It was in August 1926
when James Bailey, a tenant farmer working the Butt farm discovered his prized pig had died unexpectedly. Jim wanted to do the right thing and bury the sow. There was one spot in the back corner of the farm that was mostly swampy during the spring and could never be planted properly, but now in the dog days of August, it was dry enough to dig a hole to bury the pig. The digging was smelly but the blackened soil came out fairly easy until he dug down about 2 feet. Bailey thought it must have been a rock and so he dug around it to try and dislodge the stone. The more he worked, the more he realized what he had found was a large piece of ivory. Leaving the dead pig by the hole, Bailey drove into town to get someone else to take a look.
At the time a Harvard Professor of Physiography was visiting his parents in nearby Granville. While
the locals watched in amazement, there were many speculations as to what it was. The most common explanation was the tusk must have belonged to a traveling circus some time back that buried their elephant here.
Before the professor could arrive and identify the old bones, the farm's owner Friend Butte had laid claim to the discovery, had set up a fence around the swamp and was charging 25 cents a head to visitors just to see the tusks.
When the professor arrived he identified the find as that of an adult male mastodon that probably got stuck in the bog and died on the spot. He estimated the bones to be anywhere from 5,000 to 30,000 years old.
Landowner Friend Butte, sold the bones to Max Hirschberg of Newark for $3,000 and
Hirschberg immediately took possession of the site, erected a tent, brought in some electric lights, setup a ticket booth and a refreshment stand. Although Hirschberg knew the animal was a mastodon, over the coming weeks and months he deliberately misled visitors and the media as to what the bones were, even suggesting that they may have been a giant lizard that stood 18 feet in height. With winter approaching the crowds began to dwindle. Hirschberg seeing the spectacle he had orchestrated had run its course and offered the specimen to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History for $5,300. The museum however, was broke and could not afford the offer. At that point a Cleveland businessman, M.F. Bramley, offered a $10,000 donation to the museum to purchase the bones, pack them up and reassemble them at Luna Park, a Cleveland amusement park for two summers after which time they could be put on display at the museum. The attraction failed to draw the anticipated crowds and the mastodon was returned to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History in 1928 where it remains today.
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