USA > Iowa > Lucas County > History of Lucas County, Iowa containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, etc > Part 64
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There are two postoffices, one at Lagrange, with Mr. Collins as post- master; the other is Ola, now located in section 10, with Miss Hattie Hall as postmistress. The larger part of the citizens receive their mail at Russell and Chariton, where they have to go on business.
If Cedar township is specially noted for anything, it is for her big republican majority, and contested road cases before the county board of supervisors; and also for being the pioneer township of the county in point of settlement.
LAGRANGE.
Mr. Samuel Prather, of Cedar township, owned the south-east quarter of the south-east quarter of section twenty-five, adjoining the county line of Monroe. Foreseeing that the county would be populated, and that towns must exist, he concluded to lay out a town. . He employed Nelson Wescott, on the 17th and 18th of October, 1852, who surveyed and platted his forty acres into twelve blocks, containing eighty-eight lots, and an additional large lot containg over three acres. This lot he called on the plat, "lone tree lot," because of a large oak tree, which for many years stood on it, and was the only tree of any size in the neigh- borhood. The blocks were designated by the letters of the alphabet. The town was christened Lagrange.
On the first day of October, 1856, James Robinson and Noble Olm- stead employed W. K. Larimer, then deputy county surveyor, to survey and plat a part of the south-west quarter of the south-east quarter of section twenty-five, and part of the north-west quarter of the north-east quarter of section thirty-six, into twenty-one town-lots, which they called Robinson & Olmstead's addition to Lagrange.
The town of Lagrange, an outgrowth of Cedar township, was on one of the main thoroughfares running east and west through the state, and on the line of the Western Stage Company, who had a station at that point; and held for many years the position of the second town in the county. In addition to having the station of the stage company, there were the postoffice, two hotels, four dry goods stores, one drug store,
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two blacksmith shops, one wagon and repair shop, one chair shop, a cab- inet maker and furniture shop, a shoe shop, and three doctors. A large amount of business was transacted. But in 1866, the railroad, which makes and unmakes towns, came along, and left the town a couple of miles in the country. Since then the town has gradually been on the decline, while her rivals, Russell and Melrose, being on the railroad, have waxed strong. Some years ago a large part of the town plat of Lagrange was vacated, and changed back into farming land; and some of the present owners are talking of vacating part of the balance; and unless the Wabash, or some other railroad happens along that way, it will eventually follow Ragtown to the shades of oblivion.
CHARITON TOWNSHIP.
Population in 1880, 2,648. Congressional township seventy-two, north of range twenty-one west, was originally all Chariton township; and within it was situated the town of Chariton. In the year 1876, the citizens residing outside of the town presented a petition to the board of supervisors of the county, asking that all of Chariton township outside of the corporate limits of the town be organized into a new and separate township, which being in accordance with law, the board complied with the petition, and set off the new township, giving it the name of Lincoln, as noted in the chapter on township organizations. Afterward the limits of the town of Chariton were extended, so that it now includes more territory in Lin- coln township. As a result, a large number of the citizens of the town of Chariton are compelled to go out in the country to vote at general elections, because they reside in Lincoln township. This will probably be remedied ere long by extending the limits of Chariton township and mak- ing it co-extensive with the town.
There is nothing further to say under this head. All that was compre- hended in Chariton township prior to the change above noted, will now fall under the head of Lincoln township, and the town of Chariton.
CHARITON.
Population in 1880, 2,977. The town of Chariton, as has heretofore been stated, was surveyed and platted by Nelson Wescott, then county surveyor, on the 3d day of May, 1850. The original town thus laid out contained one hundred and sixty acres, being the southeast forty of section nineteen, the southwest forty of section twenty, the northwest forty of section twenty-nine, and the northeast forty of section thirty, all in town- ship seventy-two, of range twenty-one. Each forty acre tract thus laid out contained nine blocks, making thirty-six blocks in all; but sixteen of these blocks, being those on the border of the east, south, and west sides, were called outlots, and numbered from one to sixteen. Of the remain- ing twenty blocks, one was called on the plat the public square. The
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other nineteen blocks were numbered successively from one up to nine- teen, and were divided into eight lots each.
The record accompanying the plat says that the public square is situ- ' ated in the extreme southwest corner of the northeast forty of said plat.
The court house yard, as now fenced, is about forty feet inside of the line of the square thus platted, and the corner of the four sections and center of the original town is about forty feet south, and forty feet west of the southwest corner of the court house yard.
The outlots were not originally divided into lots, but subsequent owners have divided them in different ways to suit the various fancies of each. The result was considerable irregularity, and at least one suit in law.
The first addition to the town thus laid out, was made on the 1st day of September, 1856, by Harvey E. Hills. The land platted was part of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section thirty, lying west of the south part of the original town. It was called Hill's addition, and consisted of four blocks, containing thirty lots; and also a small piece of ground large enough for two lots, which were not numbered, or in any way designated.
The plat of this addition seems to have been unsatisfactory in some way, for nearly a year afterward, August 27, 1857, the same land was laid out and platted, by E. T. Edgington, almost precisely as Hill had platted it; but, in this plat the small piece that had not been numbered in Hill's plat was divided into two lots and numbered, making thirty two lots in all. It was then called Edgington's addition, which name it still retains.
On the 20th day of May, 1857, W. F. Coolbaugh, A. W. Carpenter, T. W. Newman, James Vandeventer, and Jabez Vandeventer, being the owners of the west half of the northeast quarter, and the east half of the northwest quarter, of section twenty-nine, lying southeast and adjoining Chariton, surveyed and platted it into thirty-six blocks, containing twelve lots each, and called it Newman & Vandeventer's addition to Chariton.
When the original town was laid out, the streets were named, begin- ning on the south, which was called South street, and going north succes- sively, were Washington, Jefferson, Adams, Madison Monroe, and North streets, all of which run east and west. Then beginning on the east, were first; East, then Jackson, Van Buren, Harrison, Polk, Taylor, and West streets. South of the public square, is Adams streets, north of the square, is Madison street; east of it, Van Buren street, and west of it, is Harrison street.
When Newman & Vandeventer's addition was platted, the streets run- ning north and south were named, beginning with the first street east of East street; First, Second Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth streets, and the streets running east and west were not named at all. A map of the town of Chariton, made by John Holcroft, in 1875, gives the names of these
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streets as follows; respectively, Tyler, Filmore, Buchanan, Sherman, Greeley, and Irving, running north and south, and Boundary, Dayton, and Fremont, running east and west. Who made or authorized the change, is a matter of speculation.
On the 26th day of August, 1857, Joseph Braden platted part of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter, and part of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter, of section thirty, lying west of Edging- ton's addition, into nine blocks, containing twelve lots each, and called it Braden's addition.
On the 4th day of September, 1857, James Vandeventer platted part of the west half of the northeast quarter of section thirty, lying south of Edgington's addition, and southwest of the original town, into seven blocks, containing from two to ten lots each, and called it Vandeventer's addition.
The town, during this time, seemed to have a tendency to extend itself in a south and west direction, and for nearly nine years, no additions were made to it: but the advent of the railroad, in 1866, gave it a new impetus, and this time in a new direction.
On the 8th day of June, 1866, Robert Cole platted a part of the west half of the southeast quarter of section nineteen, lying south of the Osceola road, into eight blocks, four of which he designated as out lots, and all were subdivided into lots, making in all sixty-three, and called it Cole's addition.
On the 4th day of June, 1866, Stafford's addition was laid out by James G. Stafford. It contains eighteen lots, and joins the original town on the north side.
Coolbaugh and Brooks' addition was laid out by F. W. Brooks, on the 21st day of August, 1866. It included the north two-thirds of the north- west quarter of the southwest quarter of section twenty, all of the south half of the northeast quarter of section nineteen, and all of the north half of the southeast quarter of section nineteen, lying north of the Osceola road, except the depot grounds, and except the east half of block thirty-seven, which was added to the plat by James D. Wright, on the 26th day of March, 1867. This addition contained thirty-seven blocks. A large part of the blocks were divided into lots at the time, and others have been divided since they were sold, but a few remain undivided yet.
On the 7th day of May, 1869, Joseph Braden platted a piece of land lying west of out lots fourteen and fifteen, of the original town, making twenty-five lots, and this he called Braden's Tract. It is the same as an addition to Chariton.
On the 22d day of January, 1876, I. H. Waynick laid out and platted the south part of the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of section twenty, making six blocks, which he called outlots, and they have nearly
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all been sub-divided again into lots. Previous to this, however, the town had been incorporated, and all the additions named were included within the corporate limits of the town, except this one which was called Way- nick's addition. Up to April, 1876, Chariton township included the whole of congressional township seventy-two, range twenty-one. No other additions were made to the town until after the township was divided. This occurred at the April session of the board of supervisors of the county, when a petition was presented asking that all that part of Chariton township outside of the corporation of Chariton be stricken off, and made into a new township, which was done by the board, and called Lincoln township. The territory included within the corporate limits of the town of Chariton, continued to be Chariton township, and its boundaries were declared by the board of supervisors to be as they appear in "township organizations" on page 438.
This division of Chariton township put Waynick's addition into Lincoln township, where it still remains.
On the 25th day of September, 1878, Robert Coles added out-lots, five and six, to his addition. They contained seventeen lots, and were part of the east half of the southwest quarter of section nineteen. Several years previous to this, he platted or sub-divided nearly the whole of the south- west quarter of section nineteen, making about fifty lots, of various sizes, something over thirty of them being of the size of ordinary town lots; but it was not called an addition to Chariton. When he added these out- lots to his other addition to Chariton, he vacated the other small lots. Out-lots, five and six, being outside of the limits of the corporation at the time the township was divided, are in Lincoln township. Osage addition was laid out, by D. D. Waynick, on a piece of land of about five acres, purchased from Rev. W. C. Hollyday. The plat was made on the 21st day of August, 1880, and contains eighteen lots. Mr. Waynick sold his lots at once, and made a handsome profit in the operation, besides confer- ring a lasting benefit on the community by abolishing an overgrown osage hedge row, which gives the addition its name. Osage addition is in Lincoln township.
On the 13th day of August, 1877, the city council passed a resolution authorizing the submission of a proposition to extend the corporate limits ofthe town, to a vote of the people, in the manner provided by chapter forty-seven of the laws of the sixteenth general assembly.
A special election was held under proclamation of the mayor, on the 20th day of September, 1877, at which the question was submitted. All voters within the boundary of the proposed extension, were entitled to vote on the question. A very light vote was polled and the proposition was carried, there being ninety-six votes in favor of the extension, and fourteen votes against it.
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The town, as extended, is now in form, a rectangle, one and three- fourth miles in length, by one and a half miles in width. Measuring from the center of the original town at the southwest corner of the court house squre, it extends three-fourths of a mile south, three-fourths of a mile east, three-fourths of a mile north, and one mile west. The western boundary of the city is part of the east line of White Breast township.
This extension of the city limits did not, however, extend the limits of Chariton township, and all the territory outside of the old corporate limits remains in Lincoln township, and voters residing there are required, at general elections, to vote at the polls in Lincoln township. They are in all other respects entitled to the privileges of citizens of the town of Chariton, such as working the streets until fifty years of age, voting at city elections, paying tax on their dogs, building sidewalks, etc.
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The records of the incorporation of the town of Chariton have disap- peared. From the recollections of the old citizens, it is learned that the question of incorporation was agitated very early in its history, but it was not accomplished, until the year 1857.
About the first of January, 1857, a meeting was held in the school house, one block south of the square, now used by Professor J. W. Perry, as a broom factory, for the purpose of considering the matter. There were present Robert Coles, O. L. Palmer, N. B. Gardner, Warren S. Dungan, Daniel Iseminger, and others. The proposition was strongly advocated by W. S. Dungan, and a committee was appointed, constisting of N. B. Gardner and Robert Coles, to draw up a charter, which was done, and was submitted to a vote of the people, at an election held on the 26th day of February, 1857, and was by them thus adopted. Some question was afterward raised affecting the legality of the proceedings, and to cure any possible defects, an act was passed by the eighth general assembly, as chapter thirty-nine, to legalize the same, as follows:
An act to legalize the election of the president and the town council, and other officers of Chariton, Lucas county, and the official acts of the same.
SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That the election held on the 26th day of February, A. D. 1857, by the author. ity of the county judge of Lucas county, for the purpose of incorporating the town of Chariton, and all elections subsequently held under said act of incorpo- ration, and all official acts of the same, are hereby declared to be legalized.
SEC. 2. Said incorporation is herebyauthorized to amend its act of incorpo- ration so as to conform to the general act of incorporation, approved March 23, 1858.
SEC. 3. This act to take affect from and after its publication in the Iowa Patriot and Iowa State Register, free of expense to the state.
In 1862, the incorporation was changed under the general incorpora- tion act of the revision of 1860, by a vote of the people, and retained its
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organization as a town thereunder, until in 1874, a special census taken by the town marshal showed a population exceeding two thousand, when it was by the governor declared to be a city of the second class.
It is impossible to give, with certainty, names of the town officers pre- vious to the year 1867, on account of the absence of the records; and it is still more difficult to ascertain when they served.
The first mayor was Daniel Iseminger. The name of the office, how- ever, was president of the council, and the members thereof were called trustees. N. B. Gardner and Robert Coles were members of the first council, and at the election at which they and the president were chosen, L. M. Duckworth was elected town assessor.
Under the special charter of the town, the town tax was levied and col- lected entirely by the town officers, the county officers having nothing to do with it then, as they have now.
The next mayor, or rather president, was Robert Coles, and after him were Isaac Leffler, N. B. Gardner, Robert McCormick, E. Bradrick, J. G. Hatcher, and T. M. Stuart, though perhaps not in the order given.
S. H. Vansickle, Caleb Proctor and W. H. Simpson, were members of the council, and W. J. Hall, Wm. O. Parmenter and Gaylord Lyman, were at different times the marshals.
Who the other town officers were, the oldest inhabitant cannot remember with sufficient certainty to warrant its being placed on record. And some of the old citizens have doubts about a part of the list as given. But there can be no question about Mr. Parmenter being marshal for he remembers a certain ordinance to restrain swine from running at large, and of impounding about twenty of different sizes, ages and colors; and of the mayor ordering him to release a couple belonging to a friend of his, which the marshal refused to do, but on receiving a more peremptory order he released the whole, much to the disgust of the mayor, who threatened to arrest him but could'nt very consistently do so, and let it drop and so ended the enforcement of the repugnant ordinance for many years.
The records of the town, so far as they can be found, began with the year 1867. What became of the old records is a matter of speculation. Some think they were lost by accident, others that they were purposely destroyed about the time of a certain suit against the town, when it seemed advisable fer the defense to proceed on the assumption that the town had never been incorporated.
The town officers for 1867, were as follows: A. H. Stutsman, mayor; James McCormick, recorder; O. L. Palmer, John H. Bramhall, E. K. Gibbon, E. B. Woodward, and N. B. Gardner, aldermen; James B. Custer, treasurer; A. U. McCormick, marshal.
On the 26th day of August, 1867, Mayor Stutsman presented his resig-
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nation to the council. The following resolution, which was unanimously adopted, explains the reason for his resignation:
WHEREAS, His honer, A. H Stutsman, Mayor of the town of Chariton, is abought absenting himself from said town and from the State of Iowa, and Whereas, said change of Residence has caused his honor to tender his Resigna- tion of the office of Mayor of the Town of Chariton. Wherefore, be it Resolved by the common council of the Town of Chariton.
Ist. That we deeply regret the existence of causes Which make it nessery for his honer to siver his connection with this council.
2d. That the thanks of this Body be presented to his honer, Mayor Stutsman, for the intelligent morality and Irreproshable integrety which he has at all times and under all circumstances displayed in the discharge of the not unimportant duties of his office. That we recognize in him a devoted and faithful Presiding officer an impartial judge an intelligent and Gentlemanly Citizen. That we are Gratified with the assurance that the absence of his honor from our midst is only temporary and that he designs in the futher as in the immedth past to make Chariton his home. That our best wishes attend him, and we Earnestly hope that Success may crown all his plans & hope for the futher, that these Resolu- tions be spread upon the Record and a copy of the same be Published in the Chariton Patriot.
Of course such an indorsement as the foregoing would raise a man just as high as he wanted to go.
In 1869, Mr. Stutsman was elected to represent this county in the gen- eral assembly. He afterward removed to Burlington, and practiced law there until his election as police judge of that city, and afterward district judge of the first district, which position he now holds.
A special election was ordered to be held September 7, 1867, to fill the vacancy caused by Mr. Stutsman's resignation, which resulted in the election of C. F. Temple, as his name appears in the record from that time forward. The town election in 1868, was held on March 2d, and resulted in the selection of T. M. Stuart, for mayor, and Robert Reed, W. K. Bell, Chester Baldwin, R. M. Moore and G. B. Routt, for aldermen; John Reed, for Marshal; H. D. Lewis, for recorder; Daniel Ikenberry, for treasurer, and A. P. Lathrop, for assessor.
The new council after its organization, selected Warren S. Dungan as town attorney, and fixed his compensation at one hundred dollars. The marshal elect, J. J. Reed, did not qualify ; the recorder, H. D. Lewis, re- ' moved from the town, and the council declared these offices vacant; and on the 8th day of December, the mayor, T. M. Stuart, presented his resig- nation for the reason that he had not time to attend to the duties of the office, which was accepted. The council therefore, ordered that a special election be held on the 19th day of December, 1868, to fill these vacancies, at which E. B. Woodward was elected mayor; D. T. Hender- son, recorder, and W. J. Hall, marshal.
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A somewhat unusual feature was presented at this election, which was, that the opposition votes were cast for colored men; Anderson Mason and Geo. Scott, being voted for for mayor; Rufus Allen, for recorder, and Geo. Todd, usually called "Ned, " for marshal. As this election occurred only eleven days after the taking effect of the amendment striking the word "white " from the constitution of Iowa, it is easily understood why the votes were so cast, it being the first election ever held in Iowa, or in the United States, at which a colored man could legally cast his vote. The next election was held on the first day of March, 1869. E. B. Woodward was re-elected mayor; G. B. Routt, Wm. Brown, J. B. Huntington,
Justinian Ray and C. Baldwin were elected trustees; C. F. Temple, for recorder; H. H. Day, for treasurer, W. L. Baker, for assessor, and W. J. Hall, for marshal. The council selected N. B. Branner as town attorney. On the 21st day of January, 1870, the council declared the office of assessor vacant, W. L. Baker, who had been felected, failing to qualify, and appointed M. B. Horn to the office.
No record is made of the town election held in 1870, but from the minutes of the council meetings it appears that E. B. Woodward was elected mayor; J. B. Smith, recorder; H. H. Day, treasurer; J. Ray, Jesse Lewis, C. W. Kittredge, Thomas McMasters and W. S. Campbell, trustees; and A. U. McCormick, marshal. The council employed Geo. F. Walker as town attorney.
On the 17th day of October, Mr. Smith resigned his office as city recorder, and October 31st, Mr. C. F. Temple was elected to fill the vacancy.
On the 2d day of January, 1871, the council appointed G. B. Routt, assessor, there having been none elected.
The officers elected on March 6, 1871, were as follows: Mayor, E. E. Edwards; aldermen, W. H. Gibbon, F. P. Copeland, D. M. Thompson, J. D. Lewis and Elijah Lewis; recorder, Smith Crabb; treasurer, N. B. Gardner; marshal, Harry Lewis; assessor, Jesse Lewis; street commis- sioner, Harry Lewis.
The council employed Messrs. Branner & Baker as attorneys for the city.
The record shows that at the meeting of the city council on the 10th ' day of July, the recorder was absent, and Alderman Copeland acted as recorder. The following is part of the proceedings, as there recorded:
By motion in order, Mr. Stackhouse is instructed to cut down every d-d burdock on the town plat, regardless of the tears or threats of the inhabitants.
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