Noadiah Hubbard

In 1797 General Henry Champion of Connecticut purchased "Howard", Town #4 of the Macomb Purchase. Noadiah Hubbard, his land agent, and a surveyor, Joel Mix, rafted together down the Black River and staked out their lands in the spring of that year. Noadiah Hubbard Jr. had come from Connecticut, also.

Hubbard is considered to be the first permanent resident of Champion and in 1798 built a "Bachelor's Hall", which he kept going for two years. He was "chief cook" at his "hall", which consisted of a crude, three-sided structure of logs and bark. He was also credited with having the only clock in Black River Country. In 1799, Mrs. Hubbard joined her husband, walking the last four miles from Long Falls (Carthage) through the forest. At this period in the history of Jefferson County horses were a rarity and oxen were used for transport and work, though long trips were usually done on foot.

Around 1800 the first town meeting in the county was held in Champion in the home of the Justice of the Peace, Joel Mix. Noadiah Hubbard was elected first supervisor. Sometime around 1801 Noadiah Hubbard put up a log schoolhouse at the town's expense in Champion and in the same year also built one of the first churches in Champion.

Sometime in 1810 or so Captain Noadiah Hubbard and Captain John McNitt formed two militia units and started training recruits.

Hubbard later served in the War of 1812 as a captain. In 1817 the Jefferson County Fair was organized, the longest continuous running fair in the U.S. and second county fair in the state. There were many distinguished visitors to the fair, including Roswell Woodruff and Judge Noadiah Hubbard exhibited oxen and wagons.

The Hubbard couple built a large attractive house in 1831, which was later used as a stopping-off point for runaway slaves en route to Canada. The house remained in the family until Parnell F. Hubbard sold it on March 7, 1860. (The last known owners were Mr. and Mrs. Charles A. McCuin.)

Sometime in 1849 it was decided that an eleven mile long plank road would be built from Great Bend to Copenhagen. Noadiah Hubbard, then eighty-four years old, was picked to supervise it, against the protests of his family.



{from Marc's History of Jefferson County}