LEWISBURG — Tri-County North senior Jaelyn Hawkins was presented with a $1,000 scholarship from the Lewisburg Historical Society at the Tri-County North Senior Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday, May 19, for writing a winning essay about a historical person, place or event in the Tri-County North area.
Participating students composed essays of at least 500 words depicting a historical person, place or event in the Tri-County North area. This is the first year the Lewisburg Historical Society awarded this scholarship.
The Historical Society felt asking the students to write an essay for the scholarship would also benefit the community by capturing local history throughout the years. Officers judged the essays by scoring set criteria with the highest scoring essay selected as the winner. All submitted essays are at the Lewisburg Historical Society train depot for visitors to read.
We would like to thank all Tri-County North seniors who submitted essays. Jaelyn Hawkins essay, titled “The Legacy of the Singer Family,” can be read below.
“The Village of Lewisburg was founded in 1818 by Henry Horn, but it is likely that Horn was not the first settler in what is now known as Lewisburg. Joseph Singer, a man from Virginia, settled in Harrison Township. Joseph Singer settled around 1801 and left a lasting legacy on the Village of Lewisburg. From the first home built to the blacksmith shop, the Singer family partook in the creation of Lewisburg in many ways.
Joseph Singer is suspected to be the first settler in what is now known as Lewisburg, Ohio. Traveling on foot in 1802, Singer settled in Harrison Township and built a cabin on present day 522 South Commerce Street. Joseph Singer worked as a hunter upon his arrival to Lewisburg. Shortly after, Singer married and had three sons and a daughter. The home that Joseph Singer built for his family and himself has a lasting legacy on the village of Lewisburg. In the mid 1980’s The Singer home was moved from 522 South Commerce Street to 522 South Floyd Street. Shortly after Willie Hawkins bought the home for his wife and three sons. Preserving while living in the oldest home in Lewisburg was an important task. While restoring the home, many artifacts were found that tell the story of Joseph Singer and his family; although much is a mystery due to the lack of written history.
One of the most interesting pieces found is a Civil War tin found behind the fireplace. The gold-framed photo shows a man in uniform posing before a backdrop with the American flag and a cannon. It is unknown who the soldier in the photo actually is but it is a very important piece to the history of The Singer House as well as the Village of Lewisburg. The house is not the only important contribution that the Singer family gave to the village however.
The cause of Joseph Singer’s arrival resulted in great development of the new village. Joseph had three sons; Henry, Abraham, and Solomon. Soloman and his son, Charles, constructed the Singer Blacksmith Shop. Charles then passed the business on to his son, Harry. The blacksmith shop is still standing in Lewisburg today on present day Dayton Street. After close to two centuries later, the blacksmith shop is still part of Lewisburg history that will live on forever. The making of the blacksmith shop not only was a good source of income for the Singer family, but it also aided in the growth of the town. The preservation and legacy that the blacksmith shop has on Lewisburg history proves its importance.
Joseph Singer gave great contributions to the Village of Lewisburg before it was officially founded. Without knowing it, Joseph made contributions that have made lasting legacies on the village. If Joseph decided to settle anywhere else, Lewisburg would not be the historically beautiful village it is today. Joseph Singer and his descendants are very important to the Village of Lewisburg’s history. Without the Singer family Lewisburg may not have grown to the scale it is today.”
