USA > Iowa > Polk County > The history of Polk County, Iowa : containing a history of the county, its cities, towns, &c., biographical sketches of its citizens, war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion, general and local statistics, portraits of early settlers and prominent men > Part 57
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
tice of man. The scales were held with an even hand. Fine points of law were doubtless often ignored, but those who presided knew every man in the county, and they dealt out substantial justice, and the broad principles of natural equity prevailed. Children came here to school, and sat at the feet of teachers who knew but little more than themselves; but, however humble the teacher's acquirements, he was hailed as a wise man and a ben- efactor, and his lessons were heeded with attention. The doors of the old court-house were always open, and there the weary traveler often found a resting place. There, too, the people of the settlement went to discuss their own affairs, and learn from visitors the news from the great world so far away to the eastward.
In addition to the orderly assemblies which formally assembled there, other meetings no less notable occurred. It was a sort of a forum whither all classes of people went for the purpose of loafing and gossiping and telling or hearing some new thing.
As a general thing the first court-house, after having served the purpose of its erection, and having served that purpose well, was torn down and conveyed to the rear of some remote lot and thereafter was made to serve the purpose of an obscure cow stable on some dark alley. There is little of the poetic and romantic in the make up of Western society, and the old court-house, after it was superseded by a more elaborate and showy struc- ture, ceased to be regarded withreverence and awe. It was then looked upon as only the aggregation of so many bass-wood logs or walnut weather- boarding and the practical eye of the modern citizen could see nothing in it but the aforesaid logs or boards, and in his estimate of its value nothing but calculation relative to the number of hogs, horses or cattle which these reconstructed logs or boards would accommodate were the only conditions bearing on those estimates.
In a new country where every energy of the people is necessarily em- ployed in the practical work of earning a living, and the always urgent and ever present question of bread and butter is up for solution people cannot be expected to devote much time to the poetic and ideal. It therefore fol- lowed that nothing was retained as a useless relic which could be turned to some useful account; but it is a shame that the people of modern times have such little reverence for the relics of former days. After these houses ceased to be available for business purposes, and their removal was deter- mined on, they should have been taken to some other part of the city and located upon some lot purchased by public subscription, where they might have remained, to have at least witnessed the semi-centennial of the coun- ty's history. It is sad that, in their haste to grow rich, so few have care even for the early work of their own hands. How many of the early set- tlers have preserved their first habitations? The sight of that humble cabin would be a source of much consolation in old age, as it reminded the owner of the trials and triumphs of other times, and its presence would go far toward reconciling the coming generation with their lot, when comparing its humble appearance with the modern residences; whose extensive apart- ments are beginning to be too unpretentious for the enterprising sport of the irrepressible "Young Americans."
The first court-house was completed in the summer of 1850 and we read that Granville Holland was allowed two hundred dollars for painting it.
The second court-house, the one now in use, was begun in 1857 and com- pleted in 1863. In saying that it was begun in 1857 we mean that the
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
beginning of preparations was in that year; the work did not actually begin till 1858. The erection of this building was quite an undertaking. At the time it was built it was the largest and most magnificent structure of the kind in the State. The project of investing so much money in one house seemed preposterous to many of the people of the county, and to place the disposition of fifty thousand dollars in the hands of one man was thought to be a dangerous precedent. After much talking the County Judge entered into a contract with Isaac Cooper for erecting the house. The following are the leading features of the contract: we give abstract from County Judge's record.
" Now comes Isaac Cooper and asks that the contract entered into between T. H. Napier, County Judge of Polk county, Iowa, and himself for the erection of a court house for said county be spread upon the records of the county which is ordered to be done, to-wit:
" Des Moines, Polk county, and State of Iowa, June 22, 1858.
"It is this day agreed between Hon. T. H. Napier, County Judge of Polk county and State of Iowa, and Isaac Cooper of said county and State that the said Cooper is to furnish materials and build a court-house in Des Moines on a square or common described in specifications and in conformity to plans made by D. H. Young, for the sum of sixty-four thousand three hundred dollars; also the use of the old court-house for shops, storage, etc. And the said house shall be completed within three years if the money can be provided for the same from time to time from the proceeds of swamp lands with such assistance as the County Judge can furnish without oppres- sive taxation. The specifications hereunto annexed are a part and force of this contract. T. H. NAPIER, County Judge. " Witness: D. H. YOUNG. ISAAC COOPER.
" SPECIFICATIONS.
"The building will be erected on the center of the public square in the original town of Fort Des Moines, now city of Des Moines, the east side fronting the head of Court Avenue. The ground will be raised no more nor less than three feet above the natural surface around the building and graded so as to give a slope of two feet vertical to thirty-four feet hori- zontal measurement. A gravel walk not less than ten feet wide will be made around the entire building. Also other walks of various widths to approach the same as shown on the plans. There are to be eight cisterns constructed of brick and located as shown on the plans.
"The east and west fronts will be finished in the same style with porti- coes with Doric columns. The north and south fronts will be finished in a style to correspond with each other. At each front there will be flights of stone steps leading to the principal story of the building, also two flights to each front leading to the basement. Areas will be excavated in front of all the doors and windows of the basement story and properly paved, lined and curbed.
The main body of the building will be of brick, sixty-six feet wide by one hundred and two feet long. The four central entries of the building at each end will project three feet beyond the main body of the same. The porticoes on the side will form a projection of twelve feet each. The height of the basement story will be eleven feet six inches in the clear. The principal wall will be built of stone and brick, the floor of brick. The
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
height of the principal story will be twelve feet six inches in the clear with floor joists 22x12 inches. The height of the second or upper story will be twenty-two feet in the clear with floor joists 22x14 inches. The height of the building from the surface of the ground, when graded, to the top of the crown moulding of the cornice is to be fifty feet. Height from the crown moulding to the apex of the roof is to be nine and a half feet; from the apex of the roof to the top of the dome is to be twenty-seven and a half feet. The tower is to have an octagonal base of twenty-six feet in diameter. Above the base, the tower will be circular in form with eight Ionic columns, the whole to be surmounted with a dome. The roof and the dome are to be well and properly tinned and painted."
The specifications then proceed to detail minutely the character of the grading, mason's and stone cutter's work; quality and material of the walls, carpenter's work, etc.
The contract also provided that every part of the building must be exe- cuted under the supervision of the superintendent, and subject to his ap- proval, and in case any additions, omissions or alterations of the plans may be required during the progress of the work the same shall be accepted to by the contractors and carried into effect, and all such omissions, additions or alterations shall be estimated for and the value thereof decided upon by the superintendent, in accordance with the contract prices of the building, subject to the approval of the County Judge, and be added to, or deducted from, the contract by indorsement upon its back, as the case may be, before going into execution, or no allowance will be made for them by either party to the contract.
If a history should be written of the building of the various court-houses of the State, we should have a narrative replete with disappointment, de- lays, injunctions, voting, contesting of elections and all kinds of bickerings; we should have furnished numerous repetitions of the example given in the Bible, of the man who entered upon the building of a house without first counting the cost. In such a narrative the Polk county court-house should figure among the first and most important. The contract, as before given, was entered into between the County Judge and Isaac Cooper in June, 1858. It soon became manifest that the building could not be completed without issuing bonds, and a special election was called for May 27, 1859, in which the proposition to issue bonds to the sum of thirty thousand dollars was carried by a vote of one thousand and seventeen in favor, to seven hundred and ninety against. The bonds were accordingly issued and sold, so that the county realized the sum twenty-three thousand, seven hundred and sixty- eight dollars and sixty-three cents.
The following bonds were issued for procuring funds to prosecute the work of erecting the court-house:
3 bonds of $1,000 each, sold to Isaac Cooper at 90 per cent .... $2,700.00
8 bonds of $1,000 each to Clark, Dodge & Co. of New York, at
76 6-11 per cent. 5,368.63
1 bond to P. Harris at 90 per cent. 900.00
11 bonds to Isaac Cooper at 80 per cent 8,800.00
8 bonds to Clark, Dodge & Co. at 75 per cent 6000.00
Total, 30 bonds of $1,000 each, making $30,000 sold for .... $23,768.61
There was considerable trouble about these bonds when it became neces- sary to pay the interest and part of the principal, and Judge Napier, who
4
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
in the meantime had lost his position, probably more on account of the court-house question than any other issue, was frequently called upon to make statements and give explanations bearing upon that part of his official record relating to the court-house construction and the issuing of bonds There never was any ground for supposing that Judge Napier acted in any but an honorable and straightforward way with reference to the matter, but, nevertheless, his record was closely scrutinized, and although he made a correct showing he had to give way to a successor during the following fall. Judge Napier's successor went on with the building but was unable to com- plete it from the proceeds of the bonds which had been named. Fault was also found with his management, and the people in favor of the measure, . were at loss to know what to do. To ask for another issue of bonds would not do; so at length it was suggested that the proceeds from the sale of swamp lands be used for that purpose. The suggestion met with general favor, but before that fund could be used it would be necessary to have some special legislation authorizing such use of the fund. During the winter of 1859 and '60 the Legislature " was seen" and the following act passed:
"AN ACT authorizing the County Judge of Polk county to appropriate a certain portion of the proceeds of the swamp lands for the completion
. of the court-house of said county.
" SECTION 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Iowa, That the County Judge of Polk county is hereby authorized to ap- propriate, for the purpose of completing the court-house of said county, such of the proceeds of the sales of the swamp lands of said county as may be necessary for such completion. Provided, that nothing in this act shall be so construed as to authorize said County Judge to sell or otherwise dispose of or encumber any of said swamp lands belonging to said county without first submitting the question to the electors of said county and it shall have received the approval of a majority of the electors at a special or general election held for that purpose.
" SEC. 2. All acts or parts of acts conflicting with this act are hereby repealed.
"SEC. 3. This act shall take effect from and after its publication in the Iowa State Journal and Iowa State Register, without expense to the State.
" JOHN EDWARDS, " Speaker of the House of Representatives. " NICHOLAS RUSCH, " President of the Senate.
" Approved April 2, 1860.
" SAMUEL J. KIRKWOOD,
" Governor.
" I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true copy of the original roll on file in my office.
" ELIJAH SELLS, " Secretary of State.
An election was held in order to decide whether the county should avail itself of the provision of the act. The question was decided in the affirmative and by using the proceeds of the swamp land fund, the building was com-
*
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
pleted and ready for use early in the year 1863. The court-house, however, was not completed until after there was a change both in the county man- agement and in the contractor. The old County Judge system was super- ceeded by the Township Supervisor system, which went into effect on the first Monday of January, 1861. One of the first acts of the Board of Super- visors was to secure control of the work on the new court-house. Consid- erable difficulty was experienced by the Board to accomplish these ends, as Cooper had a good contract and was disposed to hold on to it. After re- peated efforts to compromise the matter, Mr. Cooper resigned his contract and the Supervisors finished the work. During the time that the court- house was being erected the county offices were located partly in Sherman's Block and partly in Exchange Block.
Notwithstanding the long time consumed, the expense, about $75,000, a very large sum in those days, and the disputings and difficulties attending the work, the county is to be congratulated upon the result, as the building still stands in a good state of repair, and, while not particularly an orna- ment to the public square, is, nevertheless, of sufficient size and well enough arranged to meet all the demands which are likely to arise for many years to come; whereas, had the county erected a cheap building it would soon have become unsuitable and another court-house would have become nec- essary long since.
COUNTY JAIL.
In February, 1849, the County Commissioners entered into a contract with George Shell and James Guerrant, to build a jail. The structure was to be 24x15 feet, double walls of hewn timber, with a space between the walls of six inches, which was to be filled with stone. The building was to be two stories high, and the upper story to be fitted up for a jailor's resi- dence. It was located on lot 7, of block 15, was to cost $750, and be done by December 1st, 1849. In November, 1849, one of the contractors hav- ing in the mean time died, R. W. Sypher was awarded the contract of fin- ishing the building.
The jail was completed soon after by Mr. Sypher, and was used for that purpose for many years. It finally becoming too small, unsafe and in other respects unsuitable for a county jail, it was determined to construct a prison in the basement of the court-house, which had in the mean time been com- pleted. The apartments in the basement of the court-house were accord- ingly fitted up for that purpose, and cells were put in whereby a very com- modious and reliable prison was procured. This jail has been constantly in use ever since and has furnished accommodations not only for the prison- ers of Polk county, but, at times, for those of many of the surrounding counties.
POOR-HOUSE AND FARM.
It has been heretofore mentioned that the first application for county aid in the support of paupers was made in 1847. In early days few persons were very rich, and it is likewise true that there were very few poor. The his- tory of Polk county in this respect does not differ from that of other coun- ties. As the country settled up, farms were improved, elegant farm houses erected, and the various natural resources of the country developed, the more industrious, economical and fortunate became richer, and those who had less enterprise, business sagacity, or were unfortunate grew poorer.
454
HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
Thus it was that after the year 1847, when the first aid was afforded, the number of paupers increased rapidly, and in a number of years from that time the number of paupers was so great and the expense of maintaining them so large, that the taxpayers began to clamor for some more economi- cal method of relieving the deserving poor. Not only had the number of paupers increased rapidly, but exorbitant prices were frequently demanded for maintaining such, and, when accommodations could not be procured elsewhere, the authorities were compelled to pay the prices demanded. It is said that as much as six dollars per week have been paid for the mainte- nance of a single pauper. Under these circumstances the people began to inquire after some plan whereby the poor could be more economically cared for. In 1865 there seemed to be a general feeling in favor of purchasing a farm and erecting buildings suitable for an infirmary. The Board of Super- visors had been, previous to that time, frequently petitioned by various in- dividuals, and the feasibility of the undertaking, doubtless, had frequently suggested itself to that honorable body.
At a session of the Board, early in 1865, the project of buying a farm and placing it in the care of an agent or steward was discussed, and, after view- ing the matter from every available standpoint, the two standpoints of pub- lic economy and the advantage and comfort of the needy, being thought to be the more important, it was at length determined to purchase a farm. The Board, however, were not hasty but proceeded in the most careful and cautious manner. It was then
Resolved, that Supervisors Brooks, Jordan, Hall and Marts be appointed a committee to make a contract for the purchase of a poor-farm for Polk county, subject to the approval of the Board. That the clerk of the Board of Supervisors be directed to give a proclama- tion at the next special election, the question whether this county will purchase a poor- farm for said county, and the appropriation of the sum of six thousand dollars therefor out of the swamp land fund.
Which resolution was adopted by the following vote, to wit : Yeas, Messrs Brooks, Mitchell, Fouts, Fleming, Gurnea, Grimstead, Hall, Oyler, Kenworthy, Marts, McClain, Thornton, Hargis, Doran, and Spofford; nays, none. So the resolution was adopted.
The election took place according to the tenor of the resolution, and re- sulted in a vote of 1,546 votes, of which 1,396 votes were in favor of the proposition and 148 votes against the proposition.
On the 16th day of May, 1856, the committee appointed to purchase poor farm reported that they had bought a farm about five miles north of Des Moines, containing one hundred and twenty acres for the sum of $4,- 000, subject to the approval of the Board. The matter was discussed at some length, when the report was adopted by the following vote: Yeas- Brooks, Fouts, Fleming, Gurnea, Oyler, Kenworthy, Hargis, Spofford and the Chairman. Nays-Grimstead, Hall, Marts, Thornton and Doran.
The contract made by the committee was thereupon declared to be ap- proved, and Messrs. J. C. Jordan and S. F. Spofford were appointed a com- mittee to buy stock and implements and employ a county agent; the sum of two thousand dollars was at the same time appropriated for said pur- pose.
On the 22d of May the committee reported that they had visited the poor farm recently purchased, and that they had found it a more desirable farm than they had at first supposed. They further reported that they had
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
taken with them a Mr. Chadwick and wife, who liked the place very well and with whom they had contracted. to take charge and superinted the farm, for the sum of seven hundred and fifty dollars per year.
The various physicians of the county were then publicly invited to sub- mit bids for medical attendance on the poor of the county and at the farm. The bids having been received and examined, the bid of Dr. Field having been considered the most reasonable, a contract was concluded with him.
During the month of September, 1865, the Board, through a committee, purchased an additional tract of land adjoining that already purchased and consisting of one hundred and sixty acres, thereby securing a farm of two hundred and eighty acres, conveniently and pleasantly located and in every way well adapted to the benevolent purpose for which it was purchased. Fences were repaired, wells digged and a frame house of two stories, walled cellar, and containing seven rooms, was erected. The old house, previously the residence of Mr. Yost, of whom the one hundred and twenty acre tract had been purchased, was immediately fitted up for the reception of inmates and by winter twenty persons were comfortably housed. Improvements have been going on from time to time to the present, and now Polk county has as comfortable and well arranged infirmary as any county in the State. At the close of the year 1867, when the farm had been in operation for a period of a little more than two years, there were reported for the current year fifty-three paupers cared for; the townships then were as fol- lows: From Des Moines, 30; Lee, 12; Madison, 3; Jefferson, 1; Dela- ware, 1; Four Mile, 1; born on the farm, 1. The sum of two hundred and thirty-two dollars and fifty-three cents was spent for clothing. The products of the farm for the year were: 369 bushels of wheat, 2,250 bush- els of corn, 640 bushels of oats, 500 bushels of potatoes, 150 bushels of turnips, 3 bushels of beans, 20 tons of hay, 30 hogs, averaging 200 pounds each, and 2 beeves of 600 pounds each. As to the stock and farming im- plements at that time, we quote from the report of the directors:
"There are at this time on the farm two horses, five cows, five yearlings, six calves and forty-six head of hogs; one combined mower and reaper, one two-horse wagon, one corn-planter, one horse-rake, one single and one double shovel-plow, one cultivator, two harrows, and a sufficient supply of small farming implements; also, about one year's supply of wood on hand.
" IMPROVEMENTS.
" As directed by your Board, we have had the siding removed from the new house, and a portion of the siding from the old house, and the houses substantially filled in with brick. We have also, in pursuance of your or- der, made a purchase of 160 acres of prairie land lying directly south of the original farm, at the price of $2,550.
" We have had this addition to the farm substantially fenced with first- class pine lumber and posts of suitable size and quality We have had 128 acres of this new addition broken, at a cost which will appear in our state- ment of accounts. We have also had 35 acres of the old farm plowed, ready for the spring crop. About 75 acres have been cultivated this year, but with the addition of 128 acres more for another year, it will create the necessity of purchasing two more good horses, harness and wagon, and probably some additional farming tools.
" In connection with the subject of improvements, we would recommend
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HISTORY OF POLK COUNTY.
some specific provision to be made as to quarters for that class of paupers afflicted with infectious diseases.
" The habits and character of such have been such as to create a feeling of degredation on the part of the larger class of paupers, by being brought in contact with them. We would, therefore, call your especial attention to devise some plan. to remedy this evil. To add infamy to pauperism is to embitter the cup of the unfortunate, and revolting to our sense of pro- priety in making provision for the poor."
There were expended during that year for various purposes, including improvements, the sum of $8,721.67.
According to the report of the Superintendent of the farm for the year 1879 it appears that there were in the infirmary at the beginning of the year 32 persons; during the year there were 52 received; 1 born; 4 died, and 38 discharged. It is also shown that the cost of insane patients and pau- pers at the farm for the past year was as follows:
General expenses of farm . $1,263.08
Labor, in house and on farm
579.35
Expenses of Insane Asylum
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