USA > Iowa > Buchanan County > History of Buchanan County, Iowa, with illustrations and biographical sketches > Part 69
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140
236
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
Committee on printing .- George C. Jordan, D. P. Daniels, Cornelius Hedges, W. C. Morris.
Committee on side tables .- Mrs. C. Eckles, Mrs. Van Duzer, Mrs. B. D. Reed, Miss G. Loomis, Miss L. Bry- ant, Miss E. A. Barnhart, Miss Net. Cowley, Miss A. Kinsley, Miss Freeman, Miss Olive Gaylord, Miss Ho- mans, Miss N. Bogart, Miss E. Morse, Miss Sue Whait, Miss D. Clark.
Committee on toasts .- S. J. W. Tabor, D. S. Lee, Charles E. Lathrop, James Jamison, Rev. John Fulton, Rev. Mr. Lamont, Lorenzo Moore. Toast master, J. B. Thomas.
Committee on dancing hall, and evening entertain- ment .- J. C. Joens, S. S. Clark, Z. Stout, O. H. P. Ros- zell, Allen Few, J. S. Woodward, Thomas Sherwood, Richard Campbell, Joseph Sullivan, H. A. Norton, M. Tims, Thomas Scarcliff, Charles Putney, Charles Taylor, John H. Campbell, C. R. Wallace, W. B. Rose, John Carlton, Mr. Northrup, T. Blonden, Thomas Curtis.
Committee to procure orator and reader, marshals, etc. -Carl M. White, J. Rich, J. C. Loomis.
The report was adopted, and on motion it was voted that the proceedings of the meeting be published in all the county papers, and that an invitation be extended to every man, woman, and child in the county to participate in the celebration. It was then moved and carried that the chairmen of the several committees be a committee of arrangements, to take the general direction of the cel- ebration, and that the said committee report the plan of the celebration through the papers as soon as convenient.
The following outline of the celebration appeared in the same issue of the Guardian, June 13, 1860:
The committee of arrangements chosen by the citizens of Indepen- dence to take measures for celebrating the Fourth of July in a becom- ing manner, and make it subservient to the object of purchasing a bel] for our town, invite the citizens of both town and county to unite in the proposed celebration; and we offer the following general programme: That measures be taken by the committee duly chosen, to obtain a cannon and music; that the day be duly ushered in by a salute at sun- rise of one gun for each State; that at half past ten o'clock a proces- sion be formed, under the direction of the marshal, and, preceded by the band, march through the principal streets of the town to the grove selected for the reading and speaking; that a reader and speaker be obtained, to read the Declaration of Independence, and to deliver an oration; that the citizens of the town and county be invited to furnish eatables for a public dinner, and also to furnish side tables; that the price of tickets to the table be twenty-five cents each; that a ball be given in the evening, the avails of this entertainment, and of the tables, to be appropriated to the aforesaid object; that toasts be prepared to be read at the table and responded to by distinguished guests from abroad and by citizens of the place; that every suitable measure be taken by the several committees to secure such an observance of our National independence as shall give interest to the occasion and secure the object aimed at, viz: a bell for our town. A full and complete pro- gramme of the celebration will be made out and published previous to the day.
The next issue of the city papers contained the an- nouncement that the committee intrusted with the duty of providing a speaker for the occasion had been so for- tunate as to secure the services of the Rev. C. Billings Smith, of Dubuque, as orator of the day. The week following, the promised programme appeared. The "old time" Fourth of July celebrations have of late years been so far modified by new times and new methods,
both in thinking and doing, that it is not improbable that the grandchildren, or, at farthest, the great-grandchildren of those who took part in the celebration of the Nation's birthday at the county seat of Buchanan county in the year preceding the breaking out of the great rebellion, may read with a curious interest the details of a public observance of this day, such as the "fathers of the Re- public" delighted in, but of which little may be left them as a matter of personal observation or experience. The introduction of the programme in full, redolent of the enthusiasm of a by-gone era, though now it may seem of little historic value, is justified, if we admit that our next centennial, at the present rate of decadence in the ob- servance of our National fete day, may necessitate the rummaging of dusty and worm eaten tomes of county histories and other matter published early in the second century of American independence, in order to repro- duce those ceremonies which give expression to that glowing type of patriotism expressed by the founders of the Republic, and recommended to the generations in perpetuity, to whom their priceless legacy was to de- scend.
FOURTH OF JULY CELEBRATION, 1860.
President of the day L. W. Hart, esq.
Vice-presidents. Albert Clarke, Dr. T. C. Bartle.
Reader. W. G. Donnan.
Orator. C. Billings Smith.
Chief Marshal . General G. Dickinson.
Assistants. .. . B. C. Ilale, Edward H. Gaylord, Charles P. Kinsley.
Chief of Police. Deputy Sheriff B. D. Read.
Assistants .A. Ingalls, J. M. Westfall.
Gunner. . Samuel Sherwood.
The committee offer to the citizens of the town and county the fol- lowing programme:
I. A National salute of thirty-three guns, one for each State, at sun- rise, under the direction of Samuel Sherwood, esq.
2. A town salute of twelve guns, one for each year of the corporate age of the town, al 10 o'clock A. M.
3. At the firing of the town salute a procession will be formed near the court house, composed of the citizens of the town and county, and under the direction of the marshals, in the following order:
I. Martial music.
2. Independence brass band.
3. A bevy of young girls, one for each State, dressed in white, with appropriate badges, in a carriage drawn by four horses, and under the direction of Dr. George Warne, Charles W. Taylor, and A. B. Lewis.
4. The orator and reader, attended by the president of the day.
5. The vice-presidents.
6. The clergy.
7. Invited guests.
8. Organized charitable societies.
9. Gentlemen accompanied by ladies.
Io. Citizens.
The procession will move through the principal streets of the town to the place prepared for the reading of the Declaration of Independence and oration, where seats will be prepared for the occasion.
4. Music by the band.
5. Prayer by the Rev. J. M. Boggs.
6. Music by the Independence Glee club.
7. Reading the Declaration of Independence by W. G. Donnan.
8. Music by the Glee club.
9. Oration by C. Billings Smith, D. D.
Io. Music by the band.
II. After the oration and music a procession will be formed under the direction of the marshal, consisting of the invited guests and those having tickets for the table, and all who wish to dine, which, headed by the band, will proceed to the bower where tables will be prepared for four hundred. After the cloth is removed toasts will be read, appro- priate to the occasion, which will be responded to by distinguished in- dividuals at home and from abroad, interspersed with music and songs.
237
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
12. After dinner there will be another town salute of eighteen guns, one for each hundred of our inhabitants.
13. In the evening there will be a dance at Morse's hall, under the direction of Messrs. Lee, White, Jones, and Kinsley, the avails of which will be appropriated to the fund for the purchase of a belt.
The committee would say to the citizens of the county, " Come one, come all," and let patriotism, mingled with rational pleasure, bc the order of the day and the evening.
By order of the committee, G. DICKINSON, Chairman.
The last number of the Guardian, prior to the event- ful day, contained a most encouraging report of the pro- gress of the preparations. A pole had been raised on the west side of the river, where most of the exercises were to take place, over one hundred and seventy feet in height, and from its top a large and splendid flag was floating to the breeze. A cannon weighing over four hundred pounds had been procured from the foundry of the Messrs. Rogers at Quasqueton, and stood ready to send forth a volume of sound which, it was thought, might almost reach and reverberate among its native groves. Several balloons had been prepared by Messrs. Littlejohn and Hardenbrook, and everything seemed auspicious for a day of rare enjoyment-"just such a time as John Adams recommends for the day ; rockets and racket, cannon and crackers, squibs oratorical and squibs pyrotechnical, bonfires and bon mots, flags and flambeaux, dinner and drumming, music and merriment, graciousness and glorification."
This attempt to photograph the very palpable shadows cast by "coming events," which is after all but a faint impression of the vivid pictures found in editorials and communications in the town press, contemporaneous with the events depicted, would be manifestly and inex- cusably incomplete without some record of "the day we celebrate," looking backward at it as it receded into the dim vista of the past.
The day broke, cool, cloudless and beautiful, and con- tinued so from the booming of the national salute at sunrise until the last rays of the setting sun shone with softened splendor through the shining foliage of the mighty oaks, which then, as now, were the pride of the homes they sheltered in their majestic beauty. Shortly after 8 o'clock the people began to pour in from the country, every avenue to the village being lined with wagons, and all available spaces among the wheeled ve- hicles being occupied by horsemen. In the language of a Guardian reporter, who was there to see, "Spring Creek sent a procession of seventeen well-filled wagons, Fairbank sent a delegation headed by a marine band and carrying a flag, a four-horse team ornamented with Lin- coln and Hamlin flags brought Bray's band and escorted a goodly representation from Pine Creek; horse-teams, ox-teams, mule-teams, carriages and carts, buggies and buckboards, road-wagons and rockaways-all came filled with old men and old women, youths and misses, boys and girls, small babies and large babies, dressed in holiday garb and overflowing with the spirit of the day. The boys naturally gravitated towards firecrackers and fun, the girls indulging in cakes and candies, youths and misses in gingerbread and gossip; the young men and women took to cream and courting, lemonade and love; the old
ladies to purchases, and the old gentlemen to politics." At 10 o'clock A. M., after the town salute of twelve guns, the procession was formed in good order, and moving through the principal streets entered the grounds on the west side of the river, which had been prepared for the exercises of the day. The procession was one to fill the heart of a patriot with enthusiasm and national pride. Its most poetic feature, however, in strong contrast to the stalwart sun-bronzed "bone and sinew " of the nation, was the group of thirty-three little girls in a wagon drawn by four horses, the wee fairies dressed in white with blue caps and sashes, and each holding a tasteful flag on which was inscribed the name of the State she had been sent from the court of Queen Mab to represent. The idea of substituting these little maidens for girls of larger growth, a practice which had obtained in still earlier times, was due to Mrs. Dr. Warne, and was realized in this lovely group, with the assistance of a few ladies and of the gentlemen appointed to direct this feature of the parade.
The stand was occupied by the president of the day, the orator and reader, the clergy, invited guests, the glee club, the brass and marine bands, and last, and in this case least (in size), the graces, eleven times multiplied, represented the States, then numbering thirty-three.
The music, both vocal and instrumental, the reading and the oration, elicited the most enthusiastic applause. It was the intention of the papers of the county to pub- lish the eloquent address of the Rev. Mr. Smith, whose subject was "The Mission of America." The treatment of such a theme at that time, revealing, as it must, the state of the popular mind when though few were the seers that then would have predicted it, the country was about to be plunged into a terrible struggle for its very existence, would possess great interest and value, doubt- less, to us of the present day, and it is a matter of sincere regret that the address cannot make a part of the pres- ent history. This much ought, however, be preserved as a warning to future writers who would not object to pass into history : The manuscript placed in the hands of the city editors, who ought to be equal to anything short of the Babylonian inscriptions, proved to be like the chir- ography of Rufus Choate, a series of scratches and wriggles, which, while they established indisputably the claim of the production to the glowing encomiums of the critics (for what great man ever wrote legibly), have de- prived us of the present day of the pleasure and profit which might have been derived from the published ad- dress.
The table for four hundred, which had been considered ample for all who would desire seats, was found insuffi- cient for the crowds which moved into the grounds sur- rounding the arbor. Led by inspiring strains of martial music, all seemed eager for the attack. All that was possible was done to secure positions of honor for those not brought to the front, and the commander in chief, aided by his adjutants, was soon able to report "vigor- ous skirmishing. along the entire line." The physical man ministered to, the mental aliment was supplied by the reading and responses to the following toasts. E. G.
238
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
Lathrop, esq., acted as toast master, and the bands played enlivening and patriotic airs after the responses.
REGULAR TOASTS.
I. The Day we C'elebrate.
Mr. Lee was expected to reply to this toast, but was not present.
2. "Our Country-
Our glory and our pride,
Land of our hopes-land where our fathers died.
When in the right, we'll keep its honor bright, When in the wrong, we'll die to sel it right."
Response by Rev. John Fulton.
3. The Union-Consecraled by the wisdom of our forefathers; ac- cursed be he who would destroy it.
Responded to by C. Hedges, esq.
4. The Memory of Washington.
[Mr. Jamison, who was to respond was absent. ]
5. The Patriots of '76.
W. S. Marshall, esq., responded in a very eloquent and appropriate speech.
6. The President of the United States.
T. Finnigan, esq., responded in a very happy manner.
7. The Governor of lowa.
Response by W. G. Donnan, esq.
8. The Army and Navy.
[Mr. Ercanbarack, who was to respond, was absent.]
9. The Star Spangled Banner.
Responded to by .A. B. Lewis, esq., who called upon the Dubuque glee club to sing the song, which was given in a manner both spirited and artistic.
IO. The Orator of the Day.
Mr. Smith responded in a most happy manner.
Il. The Press -- A mighty pen, which in writing men and great events immortal, renders itself so.
This was responded to by J. L. McCreary, of the Delhi Journal, in a speech felicitous in thought and expression.
12. Woman -- The light and glory of the world. Respected for her virtue and intelligence, adored for her beauty and grace, and beloved for amiability, she occupies the first place in the affections of the sterner sex.
[Judge Tabor, who was to respond, was unavoidably absent.]
13. Iowa-The State of Our Adoption-Though young, not the least among the stars of the Confederacy. Rich in her agricultural and mineral resources, in the development of her educational interests, and in the virtue, intelligence, and sobriety of the masses, we are justly proud of her exalted position.
-
Responded to in fitting terms by led Lake, esq.
14. The Town Bell-Its well remembered echoes awaken in our hearts the memory of pleasant associations in our far-off eastern homes We hail with delight the prospect of again hearing its joyful peals ringing oul over the prairie and woodland surrounding our beautiful village.
E. M. Van Duzer, esq., who was expected to respond, was not present :
VOLUNTEER TOASTS.
By Francis Pingee:
American Liberty and the American Union-One and inseperable- now and forever. May the hand be palsied that attempts to destroy the former or dissolve the latter.
By General Dickinson:
Our representatives of the States-Fit emblems-beautiful single, but perfected only in union.
By O. Sherwood;
Union of the States -- As each body of inanimate matter, however large or small, has a mutual attraction, one for the other, so may our vast republic be bound together by the tie of everlasting friendship and good will.
Party Spirit-May a spark from the fire of true patriotism descend upon the ponderous magazine of party, and blow it to the four winds of Heaven.
The American Eagle --- May he in his lofty flight through the political heavens, sweep with his broad pinions the crown from the head of every despot in the world.
By a Guest:
Independence Day-May it ever be the day for Independence. By W. G. Donnan:
The Pioneers of Iowa-The privations and hardships they have en- dured entitle them to the admiration and gratitude of all who have fol. lowed in their footsteps, and now enjoy the privileges and blessings which they have earned.
By General H. (. Bull:
The true Advent Doctrine-The Railroad Advent, bringing the eastern market to our farmers' doors, and to us all a Fourth of July Celebration having the ring of the true metal in it.
General Bull responded to a call in a short speech, in which he spoke of material interests-of railroads and manufactories. He expressed great faith in the future growth and importance of the town, and urged a wise attention to manufacturing interests.
By Jed Lake:
Uncle Sam-May he continue to grow until he takes his seat on the Isthmus of Panama, and, with his feet resting on Cape Horn, his hat hung upon the North Pole, his left hand laid upon the West Indies, and with his right thumb to his nose, he gyrates defiance to the combined powers of the old world.
By a Guest :
The Glorious Fourth-A day on which all parties, creeds and profes- sions may meet on common ground, and glorify the principle of uni- versal liberty. May the time be far distant when the people of this country shall cease to celebrate it.
After the conclusion of the exercises at the grove, citizens and guests sought each his choice among the means of entertainment offered. Some attended the concert of the Dubuque amateur minstrels, and many witnessed the balloon ascensions, four or five of which were sent up during the afternoon and evening. As soon as daylight had faded, Main street was blazing with rockets, bonfires and Roman candles, much to the enjoy- ment of juveniles of all ages. The day was unmarred by a single accident, and every one voted that, from morning's dawn to the "wee sma' hours" devoted to Terpsichore, the festivities had been a successful round of unbroken enjoyment.
The amount raised for the bell fund was about one hundred and sixty dollars. Some additions were made to the fund in receipts from entertainments held during the summer and autumn months of 1860. Early in Oc- tober the committee intrusted with the purchase of the bell announced that, after much correspondence with manufacturers, the long longed for bell had been ordered from the Iron Amalgam foundry, Cincinnati. If the committee were deceived by the testimony offered them into the belief that an iron bell could possess the re- quisite qualities of sonorousness and tenacity, it was no more than happened with scores of bell committees all over the country. The delusion had one paliation. It not so expensive an experiment in metallurgy and accoustics as might have been made. The bell, with hangings, weighed one thousand six hundred and fifty pounds, and cost one hundred and seventy-five, in Cincinnati. A strong tower twenty-six feet in height was erected on the south side of Main street, and in the early part of December the first bell in Independence had reached its destination and was swinging at the top of the tower. The first criticism after testing its quality,
239
HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY, IOWA.
was to the effect that while the tone was musical and could be distinctly heard several miles distant, it seemed to lack volume in the immediate vicinity.
Whether this defeet was owing to the location or con- struction does not appear to have been fully settled. The total cost of the bell and tower was about two hun- dred and fifty dollars.
We trust that none of our readers will think that we have given more time and space than it deserves to this episode in the history of Independence. Other bells of greater cost and better quality have been purchased since; and other celebrations of the Fourth; perhaps equaling in enthusiasm the one herein described, have been held in later years. But first events in the settle- ment of a new country, naturally figure most largely in its history. Hence the first bell in the county, and the novel method resorted to for its purchase, have a historie importance which no subsequent facts or events of a similar character can ever possess. "Old fashioned celebrations"- that is, modern cele- brations in imitation of those which gave natural ex- pression to the spirit of early times, must, like all other imitations, be wanting in the genuine spirit of the origi- nal. A life-like picture, therefore, taken at the time and on the spot, such as the foregoing description really is- for we have done little more than to give it a new frame -will be more welcome to coming generations than any attempt at reproduction. So we do not feel called upon to apologize for the length or minuteness of our deserip- tion.
It remains for us briefly to record the untimely fate of the bell whose advent created so profound a sensation, and to mention with equal brevity the arrival of its sue- cessor. It would be very poor irony to call bell-metal cast iron, or vice versa. The last named metal, admira- ble as it is when applied to proper uses, has two very bad habits which should forever prevent its being mould- ed into bells. The one is the habit of making a very disagreeable sound, and the other, that of cracking under the hammer in very cold weather. The latter, however, may be regarded by some as a very good habit, since it has accomplished the very good result of bringing cast iron bells, at least of the larger sort, into disuse.
Our historic bell had been in position but a few weeks when it was cracked and rendered worthless. Fortu- nately, thought the purchasers, it is "warranted for a year," and we shall get our money back ; so it was duly returned to Cincinnati. But when it "got there, the cupboard was bare"-that is to say, the company that sold the bell had "dissolved," and there was nobody to refund the money. But, like Franklin with his whistle, our citizens learned a good lesson from their bell. Put into the form of a laconic apothegm, that lesson reads as follows: Buy only the best, from only the best. This lesson they proceeded, with an admirable courage, to put into immediate practice.
Some of the Independence ladies, under the leader- ship of Mrs. Richard Campbell and Mrs. Bowley, had raised a hundred dollars or so, for the repair of the old burying-ground. About this time, it was decided to
abandon that ground and establish a new cemetery. The money raised by the ladies, therefore, was not need- ed for its original object; so it was made a nucleus for a new bell fund. Additions were made to this by sub- scriptions, and by various entertainments given for the purpose, till the sum had reached four hundred and fifty dollars. With this amount a bell of excellent tone and temper was purchased of the celebrated bell-found- er, Meneely, of Troy, New York. Its weight is one thousand and fifty pounds. It occupies the summit of the old tower, which has been moved to the south side of North street. It endures our winters, and no musi- cal ear wishes it to crack. Since the purchase of the two existing church bells, it is rung only on secular oc- casions.
THE GREAT SNOW STORM OF 1861.
The fall of 1860 was marked by an unusually low temperature. Snow fell at various times during Novem- ber, and early in December there was good sleighing. The mercury, during this period, had more than once been as low as fifteen degrees below zero. But even in this forbiding aspect of affairs, it was soon apparent that it is "an ill wind that blows nobody any good." The "northwesters" that played such mad pranks with the falling snow, before the farmers were quite ready to hive up for the winter, blew in an early pork harvest, and this thronged the streets of the county seat, for weeks, with teams from every point of the compass, loaded with the clean looking animals, for onee, and at last, through- ly "washed from their wallowing in the mire." As fifty cents had been for sometime the price offered for wheat, very little was brought to market; and, but for the early pork season, business would have continued dull. But if the business season in some branches, had an early and prosperous opening, it was destined to a sudden and effectual closing.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.