A former Dickerville School building purchased by Joseph N. Sanborn about 1870 and moved to this spot for a dwelling. It was moved on pole skids from about sixty-five rods north of Dickerville corner to about fifty rods east. Since it was built of native oak it was very heavy and required eight teams of horses to move it. The building was 18 x 24 or larger. In those days they were concerned that the native trees were being used up too rapidly so the lumber measured 1½ inches thick rather than the standard 2 inches. The house was not boxed but had lath and plaster. The weather boarding was sawed thin like the white pine siding on the older houses of today and was oak. Men in the picture (taken about 1910) are: Bert Sanborn, Reece Davis and Lester Colver. The house was torn down about 1934. Joseph Sanborn died in 1919 and this was his home at that time. The trees surrounding the home are maple and weeping mulberry.
THE DICKERVILLE STORY
Very few people outside of the County Superintendent of Schools office knew where Cedar Grove No. 5 was but nearly everyone could direct you to Dickerville.
In the time era of the Civil War there was an early settler (farmer, blacksmith) whose shop doors opened upon the edge of the road. He would rather trade in the local commodities of that time than work at his custom blacksmithing. Anyone who stopped in his shop or perhaps was only passing by, would be stopped by the settler who would proceed to barter with him for anything. His expression was “try to get a dicker out of them.”
In the time era of the Civil War there was an early settler (farmer, blacksmith) whose shop doors opened upon the edge of the road. He would rather trade in the local commodities of that time than work at his custom blacksmithing. Anyone who stopped in his shop or perhaps was only passing by, would be stopped by the settler who would proceed to barter with him for anything. His expression was “try to get a dicker out of them.”
His shop and possibly his dwelling was approximately thirty rods east of the Cedar Grove No. 5 school corner and must have been sort of a central gathering place for the neighborhood. It is understandable how from his eccentricity that Cedar Grove No. 5 was always known as Dickerville School. Like many schools, the nickname was known and the official name appeared only on teacher contracts, tax levies, pupil certificate awards, etc.
It is quite likely that this farm, (blacksmith’s) name was John Maydole and the blacksmith shop apparently disappeared about that time. Mr. Maydole could well have been the first settler on that tract. We wonder about the name, Dickerville, how much longer will it survive since there are no more visible signs of a building or of Cedar Grove No. 5 on that corner.
NOTE: the above is from the Lucas County History Book of 1978.
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