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History of Orange County
Town of Walkill
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Bullhack.—This is a region of country just South of Circleville, and was named from the families of Bulls who lived there, and to express the hard and unyielding character of the land. The region for miles around is high, stony and hard to subdue, with values equally rough and forbidding; and there are no means "any way you can fix it” for even an industrious man to live without starving, and get a family through the year, except by digging and hacking. An indolent fellow might as well “give it up,” as to locate there.
GEORGE F. REEVE, of this town, has the honor of inventing the Dog machine, somewhere between 1820 and 1824. Though this is a small affair, yet it is a happy application of mechanical power to relieve household labor in the manufacture of butter. We are surprised that the housewives of the county have not, by some public act spontaneous and universal, expressed their gratitude to this gentleman for his invention. Had he lived in ancient times he would have been decreed a public benefactor, or the nation would have erected a monument to his memory. Services not half so valuable have deified an individual, and sent him down to our time as an immortal being. The invention has certainly taken one half of female labor from the dairy, and rendered the manufacture of milk into butter an amusement rather than servile labor. We commend all inventions which contribute in any useful degree to relieve our wives and daughters from the hard and most laborious portions of housekeeping in the city or country.
ANDREW MCCORD.—This gentleman was a plain, unostentatious farmer, who, by a long course of honest industry, and intelligent discharge of private and public duties, endeared himself to all his fellow citizens with whom he became acquainted. He was mild, pleasant and even tempered; polite and gentlemanly. As the legitimate consequence of a virtuous private and public life, offices of honor and high trust were conferred upon him, which he discharged with fidelity and to the satisfaction of his constituents. Mr. McCord belonged to the Republican party in politics; and was elected to Congress in 1803. After his term was out, his political friends were so well pleased with his conduct, that they elected him in 1800 to the State Legislature, and continued him In 1806 and 1807. The last year he served in that office. He was elected Speaker of the house—no await compliment to his general character at that early day.— Nominations and elections to office were more pure and free-willed formerly than at present. The beaten path to public favor was then guarded by the broad expression of the popular will, and if a candidate could not command it, his chance of election was small indeed, for the mere force of party could not elect him as now. The opposite course has been, and still is, in the full tide of experiment, and whether it will finally succeed and permanently prevail we can only judge in part. We think we see the end from the beginning, and that the people with awful retribution will reverse the present order of things in many particulars.