USA > Iowa > Wapello County > History of Wapello County, Iowa, Volume I > Part 7
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However, Ottumwa really was growing. Seth Richards' store was still in the trade, under the management of Heman P. Graves, and here was kept
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the postoffice, over which Paul C. Jeffries presided. Thomas Devin engaged in business here during the year, placing the store in charge of his son, Thomas J. Devin. There was another store conducted by Tolman, Lyons and Albert Mudge. The firm name later became A. J. Davis & Company, and then A. Mudge & Company. These three general stores were patron- ized by the settlers, and, as money was scarce, a credit business was the rule.
A two-story frame courthouse was built in 1846 and a log jail, but no schoolhouse. When court was not in session the children were taught in the temple of justice. The mill, to which the Appanoose Rapids Company do- nated the site, was built by John Myers, David Armstrong and T. C. Coffin. The structure was begun in 1845, and stood on the margin of the river at the foot of Market Street. The men who took the initiative and were active in founding and building Ottumwa in the days of its infancy were: Rev. B. A. Spaulding. H. B. Hendershott, Paul C. Jeffries, H. P. Graves, S. W. Summers, Dr. C. C. Warden, Peter Barnett. Joseph Hayne, George May, John Lewis, N. C. Hill, Charles Overman, David Glass, David Hall, Uriah Biggs, Hugh George, William Dewey, Sewell Kenney, John Myers. J. Tolman, A. M. Lyons, Paris Caldwell, David Armstrong, William H. Gal- braith, Livy Buckhalter. John W. Ross, John Harkins, S. S. Norris. Thomas Sinnamon, William Snodgrass, David P. Smith, James McFarland, John Newman, Bela White, and Charles F. Harrow, most of whom had families.
Alvin C. Leighton, recently submitted to an interview and portrayed the first few years of Ottumwa's existence with remarkable exactness as to names, dates and places. He was the son of pioneers, who came to Wapello County when its doors were opened to settlement. After three years spent on a farm in Competine Township. the Leighton family removed to Ottumwa.
Mr. Leighton, an extended sketch of whom appears in the second volume of this history, has a lively recollection of the place as it appeared to him in 1846 and the subsequent years of its formative stage. He tells of the number of buildings here in 1846, where they stood and who were their occupants, and thus fills a gap in the history of the county remaining open all these years. Thus he has benefited the present generation, and preserved to future peoples of the community the names of many pioneers and the events in which they took a prominent part. With care and precision Mr. Leighton unfolded the scroll of his memory, from which was gathered the following data :
EIGHTEEN 110USES HERE
"My first home in Ottumwa was in one of eighteen houses, all that Ottumwa boasted of in October, 1846, and I don't recall that any more were built than those I have in mind and included in the eighteen mentioned. Ours was a log house, as was most of the others, whether residence or store,
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although there were some few frame houses, but not many." Thus Mr. Leighton replied when asked for his earliest recollections of Ottumwa.
THE BUSINESS HOUSES
He began with the business houses, for even with only eighteen houses in the village there were some stores. Enumerating these, he first alluded to the Seth Richards general store as having been located at about the west room of the S. C. Cullen & Company dry-goods house on East Main Street. John T. Baldwin, a relative of Judge Baldwin, of Council Bluffs, ran a general store opposite the Richards store, or at about the location of the east store room of W. J. Donelan's dry-goods house today. Following along the same street, Mr. Leighton next alluded to the old Ottumwa House, the hostelry for these parts at that time. This, he stated, was located about where the west part of the Anderson office building stands on Main Street. This was a log building, and did not boast of elevators, hot and cold water. bath, etc., as do hotels today. Farther west, on the south side of the street, west of Friedman's store of today, was another log building that housed the grocery business and "wet grocery" of Duane F. Gaylord, afterwards the first mayor of Ottumwa, about 1859. Mr. Gaylord lived on the river bank at the rear of his store, for the river at that time came close to Main Street in that part of town.
VILLAGE SMITHY
There were no other business houses on that side of Main Street between Court and Green streets, as recalled by Mr. Leighton. In the block between Market and Green streets there was a blacksmith shop about opposite the Globe Tea Company store, and Mr. Leighton stated that he thought that a man named Sharp had a place for the accommodation of travelers situated about where the Doty Clothing Company store now is. A small log house was also located on West Main Street a short distance from Court Street, perhaps where the Field jewelry store is now located. Another log house was standing on what is now Mr. Leighton's property, facing Second Street instead of Market Street, on which the Leighton properties face now, and have for several years past.
A SMALL COURTHOUSE
The courthouse was one of the eighteen houses and was a modest affair. It was said to be a two-story building, not more than twenty feet high and about 20 by 36 feet in size. It contained the offices of the treasurer, clerk, recorder and sheriff, and stood where the Edgerly wholesale drug house is located on Third Street, opposite the city hall. Next he came to his own
...
OLD HOME OF THE JOHN MYERS AND THOMAS COFFIN FAMILIES Built in 1-46
FIRST DOUBLE LOG CABIN IN OTTUMWA Built by David Armstrong and John Myers in 1×44
FIRST SAWMILL IN WAPELLO COUNTY Built by David Armstrong and Joel B. Myers in 1944
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residence in that neighborhood, for it was where the First Methodist Epis- copal Church stands at Fourth and Market streets.
ON FOURTH STREET
Across the street, where the Christian Science Church now stands, there was another log house like the Leighton home. Farther east, on Fourth Street, at the southwest corner of Green and Fourth Streets, was the home of Mrs. David Armstrong, a sister of Josiah H. Myers. This was a frame house, of which there were but few then in Ottumwa. There was nothing else on Fourth Street except on the site of the present public library, at which place a man named Lewis built a log house. He was a brother of Alvin Lewis and resided there for a time.
FIFTH STREET
Coming from Fourth to Fifth Street, the next house recalled was the old Jeffries-Hendershott home, in which Judge Hendershott and his father-in- law, Paul C. Jeffries, resided, and which was later to give way to the resi- dence of T. D. Foster, at the corner of Fifth and Market streets. On the same street, but on the opposite side, about where the present residence of H. I .. Waterman now stands, there was also a log house, but the owner's name could not be recalled by Mr. Leighton.
ADDS TWO MORE
Dropping back to Second street as one of the forgotten houses came to mind, the wonderful memory of Mr. Leighton recalled the home of Joseph Hayne, a frame structure at the corner of Second and Green streets. The seventeenth house was that of John D. Baldwin, which was situated on the site of the present Main Street Methodist Episcopal Church, but built rather to the rear of the lot and on the hill alongside of College Street. This house was in what was then the real east end, for Union street, one block east, was the limit of the town at that time.
OLD HOME RECENTLY RAZED
Another building that Mr. Leighton for a time was hard pressed to locate was the home of Dr. C. C. Warden, at the northeast corner of Jefferson and Main streets, opposite the Daum property, on which it has been proposed to erect a new hotel. These conclude the locations of the eighteen houses that stood in Ottumwa when Alvin C. Leighton came here to live in October, 1846. The following year witnessed the beginning of a building era, and Mr. Leighton estimated that 100 houses, mostly frame, were constructed that Tal. 1-5
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year. All of these were of a modest character, and a few of them were brick. The latter type was constructed by the elder Mr. Leighton for his family and the house stood until very recent times, when it was torn down to make way for the proposed hotel, as it occupied a portion of the site. Another old brick house was that alongside the Ottumwa Telephone Com- pany's plant, a part of which still stands.
OUTSIDE OF TOWN
Mr. Leighton's recollections of the early day homes were not confined to the city alone, for he recalled the home of the Blakes in what is now Blake's edition, where the father of the late Charles F. Blake settled with some of the other pioneers in February, 1845. The Joseph Hayne farm, that took in much of what is now the packing-house and lower east-end district, was another of the old farms, and still farther east was the A. D. Whipple farm-the girlhood home of Mrs. W. E. Jones; it was near the present Franklin Park. Still another was the Roemer farm, near the mineral springs.
In the west end was Charles F. Harrow, grandfather of A. G. Harrow, who had settled west of town, as that locality was in those days. Paris Caldwell was another living in the west end, as was also John Stout and Sylvester Warner. The latter operated a blacksmith shop near the old fair- ground.
Going back to the east end again, Mr. Leighton recalled the farm of the Wood family-William, J. S., Quincy and Hampton Wood-who came from Indiana and settled east of Ottumwa, near Sugar Creek. The Daniel Traul family and another family whose name could not be remembered, but who operated a maple sugar "camp," were others recalled.
In the north of the city was Gabriel Williams' farm, that took in a great deal of the land in the vicinity of the golf grounds of the Country Club. Clark Williams and Henry Williams were said by Leighton to have been raised on this farm, which has since been largely split up.
THE SOUTH SIDE
On the south side of the river there were David Inskeep, father of Carey Inskeep and Mrs. W. B. Bonnifield, Sr., whose farm extended along the river, through what was known as Richmond, down to the present Ward Street. S. Turner, his son-in-law, also had a farm in that vicinity. John Overman was another early settler on the south side of the river and after- ward went to California and discovered a gold mine which later proved a rich find to those who secured it from Mr. Overman.
The Vesser farm and the S. R. Thompson farm, on Bear Creek, were also among the first, as was also the John Hite and D. H. Michael farms,
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which lay south of the Jefferson School. Mr. S. R. Cheadle, of Ottumwa, was born on one of these farms. The father of W. S. Crips owned the farm adjoining the Michael's farm and Mike Tullis had the farm next cast of Crips' place.
CLANS WOULD FIGHT
At this stage of his recollections, Mr. Leighton indulged in reminiscence of an carly day here when some of the rival clans would gather in Ottumwa on a market day and after an indulgence to some extent in the "wet" groceries, a fight would ensue that made the hair fly. "One of these clans was headed by Mike Tullis." said Mr. Leighton, "and another by the Vessers, who came from Bear Creek. When the two leaders and their gangs met there was sure to be some one laid out, for these two elements would not mix any more than oil with water. The changes of time, however, finally erased the old scores or imaginary grievances, and the frequent fights became less, until they eventually ceased. I recall a time, when as a lad engaged in learning the tinning trade at the old Washburn tin shop, that I saw a Dutchman, who worked for the Ottumwa House, throw an ax at Mike Tullis. It seems that Mike was teasing the Dutchman, as he was called, who was splitting wood at the time. Finally, losing his temper, the Dutchman flung the ax at Tullis, which, striking the side of the house, buried itself in the wood almost completely. The nimble Mike, however, was lithe enough to worm out of the way of the ax and simply remarked as I passed, 'He nearly hit me!' "
Continuing his recollections of south side farmers in the early days of the county, Mr. Leighton recalled Benjamin Young's farm, the Seamon place, the Seth Ogg farm, and the MeIntire farm, all on Village Creek.
GOING IT ALONE GROCERY
Reverting back to reminiscences of Ottumwa at an early day, Mr. Leighton recalled a well-known character referred to at times by W. II. Caldwell in his letters to the Courier of the early days. This personage was none other than Tay Sinnamon. He referred to the ready wit of Mir. Sinnamon, whom, he said, built and operated what is now the Ballingall, when it was first a three-story hotel building, and he added wings to it later. lle especially recalled a building erected by Mr. Sinnamon, at the southwest corner of Main and Market streets, for a time occupied by the builder as a grocery store. Mr. Sinnamon made it quite plain that he did not favor partnerships in business and to emphasize this had his business sign painted accordingly. This read: "T. Sinnamon-going it alone groceries." This building was afterward used as the postoffice and during a portion of the administration of President Pierce, Mr. Leighton worked
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in the postoffice for Postmaster Stephen Osburn, and under President Buchanan, for Postmaster T. J. Holmes.
HIGH WATER OF 1851
Referring to the period between 1843 and 1860, Mr. Leighton said: "Iowa winters from 1843 to 1860 were, I imagine, something like the winter of 1911-12, but I doubt if the thermometer was much under 20° below zero. Sledding was good nearly all of the winter, and most of the farmers used sleds made of oak, with hickory runners. The winter of 1850-51 was an exceptional one, the snow being four feet deep on the level, and we received the full benefit of the snow, for 1851 was the high water year, and all records were shattered for floods on the Des Moines here. It is now generally forgotten, but I remember it still. Overman's ferry crossed the river with people from the south side at old Richmond and came to the north bank at what is now Central addition; thence on through the timber road the ferry-boat was poled to Wapello and Main streets, and turning there it proceeded down to the Sinnamon, now the Ballingall Hotel.
TREES BORN OF FLOOD
"My father and the late Dr. C. C. Warden carried on a general store where the west part of the Scase store now stands. The water stood at the bottom of the doorsill and my father drove a nail in the building marking the highest point at which the water stood. Customers came in small boats, as the water stood two feet or more in Main Street from Wapello to Green streets. The ferry boat would drop the people off at the stores upon each side of the street before landing at Green Street, which was the end of the water deep enough for boating. A similar condition obtained on Second Street from Court to Green. It may be of interest to many who have noticed the immense cottonwood tree at the old John S. Wolf home, at the corner of Green and Second streets, which was then a part of the Devin property, to know that this tree sprung up immediately after the subsiding of the '51 flood. It still stands today, sixty-three years old, and vigorous looking as though made of iron. A similar instance is seen in the large cottonwood that stands close to the south approach of the Market Street bridge in South Ottumwa, which is possibly a trifle larger and more rotund than the Second Street tree. It came the same time and resulted from the flood carrying the seed, from which both mammoth trees sprung. Mr. Devin often referred to these trees when we talked of old days.
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STEAMBOATS GAVE UP
"Steamboats during the flood of 1851 tied up to large cottonwood trees that stood in Main Street at about where the Haw & Simmons Company's wholesale hardware house now stands. A few years later the town built a decent wharf at the foot of Court Street, using broken stone in the construction, and the steamboats landed there until the last of the river traffic in 1858. Then the steamboats gave way to the Burlington & Missouri Railroad, which was already near Ottumwa, and teams hauled the freight from the end of the road to Ottumwa. The coming of the Burlington road to Ottumwa the following year, August 13, 1859, gave no place for the steamboats as freight haulers, for the road monopolized the business. At that period Ottumwa had become the best city in the state between Burling- ton and Council Bluffs."
WAPELLO CLUB; OLD HOUSE
Continuing in his reminiscence, Mr. Leighton stated that the present Wapello Club was one of the old buildings of Ottumwa, and perhaps its nicest house for many years. "I think," said he, "that it was erected in 1854. Thomas Devin, Sr., built the house, and it was the best residence in Ottumwa. Prior to 1856 the buildings were largely made of native lumber-white oak and walnut-which was sawed at the Myers & Coffin mill at the foot of Market Street, on the east side of that thoroughfare. Josiah Myers, now a resident of South Ottumwa, was a member of the firm of Myers & Coffin, and is the only living one of the firm that did so much to make Ottumwa the city that it now is. Mr. Myers is the best authority on Ottumwa from its infancy to the present time. I left Ottumwa for Bending, Kansas, in 1856, and all I may say of Ottumwa until the fall of 1858 is largely hearsay, but I believe it is nearly correct. From 1855 until 1865 there came to Ottumwa a number of new merchants, hut among the older I recall a few, and among them Dr. C. C. Warden, Albert Mudge, James Hawley, J. G. Meek, Joseph Loomis, W. C. and A. D. Moss, of which number J. G. Meek is still in business in Ottumwa, and A. D. Moss is living in Denver. All of the rest are gone."
Among the merchants of the old days Mr. Leighton referred to John Pumroy, who operated the county drug store. It seems there was a state pharmacy law that regulated the number of drug stores, or at least delegated certain powers to the druggist in each county, and Mr. Pumroy's store bore the title of "County Drug Store." An incident in connection with the County Drug Store had to do with the first time a prohibition law was made effective in Iowa. This was in 1854, and just how effective it was may be seen from the following story by Mr. Leighton relative to that period.
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"A. J. Davis," said he, "was the Montana millionaire whose fortune caused the famous legal fight, recalled as the Davis' will case, that ran in the press some years ago. Mr. Davis had for years operated a distillery at Iowa- ville, a small place near Eldon, and he made a large quantity of the liquor. much of which found its way to Ottumwa for John Pumroy. The County Drug Store of Mr. Pumroy bought all of its whiskey from the Davis distil- lery, and that was quite a quantity, for in the year following the passage of the prohibitory law of 1854 John Pumroy bought and had shipped by boat to Ottumwa no less than one hundred barrels of the Davis whisky. I know the number is correct, for I counted the barrels as they stood on the new stone wharf at the foot of Court Street.
"The effects of the new prohibitory measure were not what the framers of the law hoped for immediately after it became effective. I have seen many fellows who came to town and would hitch their teams on Market Street (for that was really the country man's market in town) who would go to Pumroy's drug store and swear to a lie for a bottle of whisky, which they would drink about the market, and then lay in drunken stupor beneath their wagons to sleep off the effects of their libations. You see, the whisky at that time cost Pumroy only 13 cents per gallon, for the war tax, which later went into effect, had not yet caused its rise in price. In that connection I am reminded of what I was once told to have been the cause of A. J. Davis leaving Iowa for Montana, where he later amassed a princely fortune that gave rise to the great fight over his wealth after his death.
. MILLIONS FROM WHISKY
"As I recall the story told me many years ago, Davis had determined not to pay the new tax placed on whisky, as internal revenue in the early '60's was levied to help meet the expenses of the war. He concluded to leave this part of the country rather than pay it, and what he is said to have done was to quit the manufacture of liquor in Iowa. He then loaded all the whisky that he had in stock and this took many teams. When he had it all loaded upon wagons (I am not clear as to whether he used oxen to haul it or not) but at any rate he started his overland trip to the wilds of Montana. I have been told that the whisky he carted from Iowa was the basis of the immense fortune that he left for his heirs to fight over and the lawyers to gather in as fees."
CHAPTER VI
PIONEER LIFE
Most of the early settlers of Iowa came from older states, as Pennsyl- vania, New York and Ohio, where their prospects for even a competency were very poor. They found those states good-to emigrate from. Their entire stock of furniture, implements and family necessities was easily stored in one wagon, and sometimes a cart was their only vehicle.
THE LOG CABIN
After arriving and selecting a suitable location, the next thing to do was to build a log cabin, a description of which may be interesting to many of the younger readers, as these old-time structures are no more to be seen. Trees of uniform size were chosen and cut into logs of the desired length, generally 12 by 15 feet, and hauled to the spot selected for the future dwelling. On an appointed day the few neighbors who were available would assemble and have a "house-raising." Each end of every log was saddled and notched so that they would lie as close down as possible; the next day the proprietor would proceed to "chink" and "daub" the cabin, to keep out the rain, wind and cold. The house had to be redaubed every fall, as the rains of the intervening time would wash out the greater part of the mortar. The usual height of the house was seven or eight feet. The gables were formed by shortening the logs gradually at each end of the building near the top. The roof was made by laying very straight small logs or stout poles suitable distances apart, and on these were laid the clap- boards, somewhat like shingling, generally about two and a half feet to the weather. These clapboards were fastened to their place by "weight poles" corresponding in place with the joists just described, and these again were held in their place by "runs" or "knees," which were chunks of wood about 18 or 20 inches long fitted between them near the ends. Clapboards were made from the nicest oaks in the vicinity, by chopping or sawing them into 4-foot blocks and riving these with a frow, which was a simple blade fixed at right angles to its handles. This was driven into the blocks of wood by a mallet. As the frow was wrenched down through the wood the latter was turned alternately over from side to side, one end being held by a forked piece of timber.
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The chimney to the western pioneer's cabin was made by leaving in the original building a large open place in one wall, or by cutting one after the structure was up, and building on the outside from the ground up, a stone column, or column of sticks and mud, the sticks being laid up cobhouse fashion. The fireplace thus made was often large enough to receive firewood 6 to 8 feet long. Sometimes this wood, especially the "back-log," would be nearly as large as a saw log. The more rapidly the pioneer could burn up the wood in his vicinity the sooner he had his little farm cleared and ready for cultivation. For a window, a piece about two feet long was cut out of one of the wall logs, and the hole closed, sometimes by glass, but generally with greased paper. Even greased deer hide was sometimes used. A door- way was cut through one of the walls if a saw was to be had, otherwise the door would be left by shortened logs in the original building. The door was made by pinning clapboards to two or three wood bars and was hung upon wooden hinges. A wooden latch, with catch, then finished the door, the latch being raised by anyone on the outside by pulling a leather string. For security at night this latchstring was drawn in, but for friends and neigh- bors and even strangers, the "latchstring was always hanging out as a welcome." In the interior over the fireplace would be a shelf, called the "mantel," on which stood the candlestick or lamp, some cooking and table ware and possibly an old clock and other articles. In the fireplace would be the crane, sometimes of iron, sometimes of wood. On it the pots were hung for cooking. Over the door, in forked cleats, hung the ever-trustful rifle and powder-horn. In one corner stood the larger bed for the "old folks" and under it the trundle bed for the children. In another stood the old-fashioned spinning wheel, with a smaller one by its side; in another the heavy table, the only table, of course, there was in the house. In the remaining corner was a rude cupboard holding the tableware, which consisted of a few cups and saucers and blue-edged plates standing singly on their edges against the back, to make the display of table furniture more conspicuous, while around the room were scattered a few splint-bottomed or windsor chairs and two or three stools. These simple cabins were inhabited by a kind and true-hearted people. They were strangers to mock modesty and the traveler seeking lodging for the night, or desirous of spend- ing a few days in the community, if willing to accept the rude offering, was always welcome, although how they were disposed of at night the reader might not easily imagine, for, as described, a single room was made to answer for the kitchen, dining room, sitting room, bedroom and parlor, and many families consisted of six or eight members.
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