The borough of Ashtabula was incorporated into a village on February 28, 1831, with R.W. Griswold elected as mayor. Twenty years of pioneering had passed in the township and the growth of the area was increasing at a constant, if not rapid pace. The age of log houses, forest covered lands and paths through the wilderness was ebbing.
The first settlements on the east side and at the Harbor were now eyeing with interest a townsite taking shape on the west side of the creek. The village at this time consisted of Main, Prospect, Lake and Division (West 44th) Streets with various roads leading in and out of town.
In the beginning that deep crevice known as the gulf had hampered growth on the west side of its bluff and only a small portion of settlers had chosen to build here. Among those that did were Hall Smith, Amos Fisk, Matthew Hubbard and the Strong family.
In 1809 Hall Smith, moved to Ashtabula from Austinburg and purchased land for a farm which took both sides of what is now Lake Street and extended to Division Street. He built his house on the bluff above the gulf and a store across the way becoming one story structure was known as the Central News Room for many years.
To the west of Mr. Fisk was the property of Mr. Hubbard which extended tip Bunker Hill Road and down into the gulf area where he and Manoa Hubbard built a large grist mill in 1809. This is still known as Hubbard's Run. Matthew Hubbard who had first settled in the Harbor in 1804 built the first frame house in the area before 1812 in the vicinity of Bunker Hill Road.
About 1816 Hall Smith donated the land for the north square and the first public meeting place was built. For many years this frame building on the commons served us a church, meeting hall and school. In 1832 the structure became the home of the Ashtabula Academy and housed the first school of higher education for the village.
During these early years the main concern of the settlers was in clearing the land to sustain a living. Therefore, the grist and sawmills became necessary first industries. The earliest known mill to have been built in the village was one owned and operated by Henry Gillman in 1806. It was crudely constructed and its location near the bottom of the Spring Street banks made it impossible for a team and wagon to reach. The settlers bringing their grain to mill had to slide their bags down the bank and when the grist was ground pull it back up manually.
