The Village of Adamsville commemorates life in this area as it was
during the early to mid-19th century. The original Adamsville settlement was located on the banks of Raccoon Creek. roughly one-half
mile east of this site. Adam Rickabaugh (1761-1836), a veteran of the
Revolutionary War from Virginia. brought his family to this valley
around 1804. His patent for land along the creek was signed by
President Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of State James Madison.
Soon after his arrival, Rickabaugh built a grist mill which became
a meeting place for the growing community. In 1805, Nehemiah Wood,
one of the earliest settlers in Gallia County, bought the mill from
Rickabaugh, later adding a sawmill and a fulling mill for cleaning and
thickening woolen cloth.
Although Adamsville was never incorporated, the little settlement
grew and prospered. The village was divided into plots by Rickabaugh's
sons, Adam and William, in 1837. A post office was established
in 1846. The Adamsville Hotel, located along present Farmview Road,
provided an important stagecoach stop between Gallipolis and
Chillicothe. After Rio Grande College was established in 1876, the
village's center was moved a few miles away to higher ground
around the
college and away from the creek's occasional flooding.
From 1971 to 1992, the village of Adamsville was recreated at the
location of the original settlement on the Bob Evans Farm along
Raccoon Creek. Because of continued flooding and the ravages of
time, the five log structures representing the village were dismantled
moved to their current location, and renovated during 2011-2012.
Comments 0 comments