Melancthon

When James Beachell, a native of Yorkshire, England, first set foot in Melancthon the area was almost complete wilderness. There were no railways. The roads were crude and barely passable. Undaunted, Beachell, an engineer by profession, who had worked as a railway contractor in France, opened a tavern and hotel. In 1851, he added a post office and later built a sawmill in nearby Flesherton.