Warner Durkee and A Loyal Dog
Stoic dog overlooks field
Warner Durkee, a noted hunter in the early days of Freedom Township, had what was called consumption of the lungs and would occasionally have a slight bleeding from his lungs. He decided one day to take his faithful dog and do some hunting in the woods. While out in the woods he began to violently bleed from his mouth and it weakened him so much that Warner had to lie down in the woods. He was too weak to cry out for help or walk out of the woods, and turning to his faithful dog by his side, he said. "Go home and tell them I'm bleeding to death!"
The faithful dog seemed to understand and ran home at top speed. He arrived home, barking the message to come and save his Master, lying in the woods, It being by now, late at night and all the folks in bed, the family got up to see what was wrong with the dog. The dog ran to Warner's son's bed and pulled on the bed clothes, barking. The family tried to hush the dog and send the dog away, but each time the dog would return, barking frantically! Then the dog caught hold of the son's pants lying on a chair and shook them in front of the family! As if to say, put these on and follow me.
The family was now alerted something was wrong and Warner's son put his pants on and followed his father's faithful dog into the woods. The dog lead them straight to their suffering father, lying cold and bleeding, on the ground.
Warner Durkee recovered and lived and he owed his life to a faithful, very intelligent Freedom Township canine.
The faithful dog seemed to understand and ran home at top speed. He arrived home, barking the message to come and save his Master, lying in the woods, It being by now, late at night and all the folks in bed, the family got up to see what was wrong with the dog. The dog ran to Warner's son's bed and pulled on the bed clothes, barking. The family tried to hush the dog and send the dog away, but each time the dog would return, barking frantically! Then the dog caught hold of the son's pants lying on a chair and shook them in front of the family! As if to say, put these on and follow me.
The family was now alerted something was wrong and Warner's son put his pants on and followed his father's faithful dog into the woods. The dog lead them straight to their suffering father, lying cold and bleeding, on the ground.
Warner Durkee recovered and lived and he owed his life to a faithful, very intelligent Freedom Township canine.
Tale of the Top Hat and the Cane
News clipping from Freedom
Lyman Bryant was the post master for Freedom for forty years. He was dedicated to his job and providing the best service he could for the residents of Freedom Township. At the end of every week he would take all the undelivered mail home with him. Then on Sunday he would put the mail in his top hat and go to church, where he would hand out the mail to those who had it coming to them. Nearly all the families of Freedom Township had someone represented at the Sunday morning Worship service and the residents looked forward to the mail call at church. He was known as the "post office in a hat" throughout the area. Mr. Bryant always came to church wearing his top hat and carrying his gold headed cane. His cane was his prized possession and he took his hat and cane everywhere with him.
Freedom Station
Freedom Station, years ago
Freedom Station once known as the Kent Depot, was a busy little place. It had a very nice, green and cream colored, painted train depot, that even featured a separate waiting room for ladies only. Which the New York, Pennsylvania and Ohio Railroad passed through. In later years, the rails were used by the Erie Lackawanna Railroad. Freedom Station was an excellent shipping point for our area for local goods and produce.
At onetime Freedom Station could boast of a few stores, a feed mill, a saw mill, a blacksmith’s shop, two cheese factories, an African American barber, a doctor, and a post office. In its hay-day, Freedom Station, Ohio, bustled with the activity, the sights, the sounds and the smells of trains coming and going. The excitement of passengers boarding and embarking from their journeys, with local, regional and international goods, produce, and livestock, always coming and going.
It was here that Bion Rathbun lived his twilight years, living next to the post office of Freedom Station. Barbara’s Great-Grandfather remained busy in his retirement, hanging the mail bag twice a day for the post office. Only passenger trains picked up and dropped off the mail. When the mail from Freedom Station was picked up by the train, a big iron rod snatched the mail bag, pulling it into the train. When the mail was dropped off the leather mail bag was just thrown from the train, which her Grandpa Rathbun picked up and carried inside the post office.
At onetime Freedom Station could boast of a few stores, a feed mill, a saw mill, a blacksmith’s shop, two cheese factories, an African American barber, a doctor, and a post office. In its hay-day, Freedom Station, Ohio, bustled with the activity, the sights, the sounds and the smells of trains coming and going. The excitement of passengers boarding and embarking from their journeys, with local, regional and international goods, produce, and livestock, always coming and going.
It was here that Bion Rathbun lived his twilight years, living next to the post office of Freedom Station. Barbara’s Great-Grandfather remained busy in his retirement, hanging the mail bag twice a day for the post office. Only passenger trains picked up and dropped off the mail. When the mail from Freedom Station was picked up by the train, a big iron rod snatched the mail bag, pulling it into the train. When the mail was dropped off the leather mail bag was just thrown from the train, which her Grandpa Rathbun picked up and carried inside the post office.
Abraham Lincoln
On April 15th, in 1865 our 16th President, Abraham Lincoln died. He was mortally wounded the day before by John Wilkes Booth at Ford Theater in Washington D.C. He then was carried across the street to the Petersen House, a boarding house, he died there at 7:22 in the morning. Through out the night his wife Mary Lincoln stayed by his side. Springtime had come to our nation's capital and the scent of lilacs filled the air. There were lilac bushes around the Petersen boarding house and the windows were open and the scent of lilacs filled the house. For the rest of her life Mary Lincoln could not stand the sight or scent of lilacs, for they always brought back to her memories of that horrid night. When the news of the assassination of President spread across America, bells begin tolling. The bell of the Freedom Congregational Church was tolled for two hours in Freedom Township. To me that says a lot about Freedom. It was a labor of love and respect for our President, and it had to be a team effort to ring a bell for two hours straight! I can see fathers and sons, grandfathers and grandsons, in the church that day waiting their turn to climb the steps to the belfry and toll the bell for Abraham Lincoln.