USA > Illinois > Johnson County > A history of Johnson County, Illinois > Part 5
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
EARLY MAILS
The first post office established in the county was at Fort Massac, 1803. It was given as 870 miles from Wash- ington. Fort Massac has not belonged to this county since 1843, but no doubt, many who lived in our present limits have gone there to hear from their old Virginia, N. Carolina or Tennessee relatives and friends. Johnson Court House was the post office at Elvira established in 1817 with James Finny as postmaster. It was the first one established in our present boundaries and is given as 888 miles from Washington. There was a post office at Big Bay established
55
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
1815 and kept by James Whiteside which became a part of Pope County when it was organized. Bloomfield post office is given on the Postmaster General's report in 1819 with S. J. Chapman as Postmaster. There is a tradition that Samuel J. Chapman tried to make Bloomfield the county seat instead of Vienna when the county capitol was moved from Elvira. The fact that he was postmaster there at the above date would make the story very plausible. Cache Clap Post Office was kept by J. B. Murry, 1819 to 1821. The exact location is not known. Many people do not know what a country post office was like. The mail was carried on horse back from the river towns or landings across the country to the post office which was kept in a private house or a country store. The mail was delivered once a week, sometimes twice, and when the people wanted their mail they were obliged to go to the office for it. The old mail route leading from Vienna to Shawneetown passed through what is now New Burnside, Reynoldsburg and by William Mounce's and the Dr. LaRue farm. When the mail carrier arrived in hearing distance of the house where he was to have his noon meal he blew a horn so that dinner might be on the table and the horses fed and ready to travel in order that no time would be lost. This was the fast mail of that day and time.
"Stace McDonough had the contract for carrying the mail from St. Louis and Kaskaskia across country to Shaw- neetown, in 1812." (Reynolds)
The first mail route in Johnson County was from Kas- kaskia to Johnson Court House at Elvira in 1817. Levi Hughes carried the mail twice a month from Cape Girar- deau to Elvira later routes as advertised. "The mail from Vienna to Golconda via Wool, leaves Monday and Wednes- day, arrives Tuesdays and Thursdays. Vienna to Golconda via Rock, leaves Friday arrives Saturday." Another of the early routes was from Golconda to Vienna then on to Dongola. Samuel Copeland had the contract for this route in the 50's. Samuel Jackson, Sr., was one of the early mail riders, as they were called, and Fred Burnett was another. S. D. Poor rode the mail from Vienna to Caledonia for $6 a month. The man taking the contract usually employed boys to ride the mail. Milton Ladd is given as the post- master at Vienna in 1821, and S. J. Chapman in 1825. Rey-
56
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
noldsburg Post Office, Johnson County was established July 6, 1860. Wesley Reynolds was the first postmaster. Cedar Bluff was established April 25, 1856, David H. Mead was the first postmaster. Gray's Mill was established January 6, 1857, Nathan O. Gray was the postmaster. Cedar Bluff was a country post office near Goreville. Gray's Mill was situated between Cypress and Belknap.
When the population would justify the mail routes were shortened and the mail was delivered oftener. When the roads would permit the mail was carried by stage, which also carried passengers. This was a great conven- ience before the days of railroads. These routes have been shortened till they only include the county and lengthened till they reach every citizen's door. Rural delivery was established in this county in 1904 and every farmer of the county has his mail put in his special box once each day. We are not only able to have the morning paper delivered at our door but we may call up by telephone any one in the county any day and as many times a day as we like, if the line is not busy, and talk about the current events of the neighborhood and family affairs to the delight of all the other people on the toll line. A business man can sit in his office and transact business in Chicago, St. Louis or New York. It is a stride from the country post office to the daily mail, the telegraph, telephone and radio.
The first telephone in our county was a private one in- stalled by P. T. Chapman, in 1890. It extended from his office in the First National Bank to the Big Four Railroad station and later to the Blomfield stock farm. J. B. Kuy- kendall had the second line extending from his mill to his residence. In 1898 Robert Thacker, Charles Gray, Ed Boyt, D. W. Whittenberg and L. O. Whitnel as incorporators put in the county the Interior telephone system. It was patron- ized liberally and was a most decided convenience. Private phones were installed for the small sum of $1.00 per month. This system was extended into several adjoining counties. After the death of Mr. Thacker the stock changed hands at different times and the system was finally sold in 1915 to the Murphysboro Telephone System for $50,000.00 which exemplifies its necessity. A Mutual Telephone System was established in the county in 1909, A. J. Kuykendall and William George being the promoters. This system was also
57
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
sold to the Murphysboro Corporation in 1920 and they now control all the lines in the county except the Terry lines of Goreville Township which are owned and operated by W. A. Terry and the Simpson System which is owned by J. W. Reynolds.
RAILROADS
The Cairo and Viencennes Railroad Company, whose president was General Burnside of Civil War fame, began the plans to construct a road through our county in 1867. The county realizing the great need of this facility was ready to assist in getting this enterprise started as hereto- fore we had no means of transportation other than coach, wagon, or horseback. The people readily agreed to take $100,000.00 worth of stock in this company to help finance the construction and equip the road. The company sold this stock to the county for $95,000.00 in bonds. The bonds were issued in 1872 and were due in 1892, drawing 8 per cent interest. For some reason the county undertook to fight the payment of these bonds and failed to pay the interest on them for several years. By 1885, $40,000 inter- est had accured and the county was threatened with a suit for this amount. The county commissioners employed Judge Duff, of Carbondale, Ill., to look into the case and paid him $1,000.00 for his opinion, which was that the bonds were legal. In order to be more certain the county then employed Judge Duff, A. G. Damron, and P. T. Chapman to bring a test case, which they did for a fee of $500.00. The court also decided the bonds were legal and that the county would have to pay them, with the accrued interest. After being sued for the interest and incurring the above extra expense, the commissioners finally levied a tax to meet the interest and a part of the bonds each year. P. T. Chapman was made financial agent and bought up the bonds as fast as the money accrued. The last of these bonds was paid about 1906.
This railroad enters the county in the northeast corner and runs almost diagonally across the county to the south- west. The construction was begun in 1871 and finished in 1872. The following is a part of a letter published in the Vienna Artery, August 2, 1871. "Harrisburg, Illinois, July 31, 1871. Mr. N. Pearce, Vienna, Ill., Dear Sir: While I was in New York on Thursday last, Gen. Burnside
58
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
directed Dodge, Lord & Co., to commerce work on the Cario and Vincennes Railroad, in the counties of White and Saline, which they did last week. It is the expectation to commence work in the other counties without unnecessary delay." The remainder of the letter is in regard to procuring the right of way by gift, if possible, and signed by Green B. Raum.
Green R. Casey says the first railroad iron that was laid in the county was hauled to Tunnel Hill in a wagon, twelve in number, February 14, 1872, and late in the fall of this same year the first freight was hauled into the county over the Big Four, consisting of bailed hay. It was unloaded one mile north of Tunnel Hill and hauled on wagons to that place to feed the teams of William Douglas, a railroad con- tractor.
While this road has given us poor shipping facilities and the shabbiest rolling stock possible, yet we were com- pelled to be loyal to it for it was all we had for several years. It was later merged into the Big Four system and is known by that name, which is a part of the New York Central lines.
The St. Louis, Alton and Terre Haute was chartered in 1887 and built through our county in 1888 and 1889. George W. Parker was president of the company. Its be- ginning is St. Louis and it runs across the eastern part of the county from north to south, bearing slightly to the east crossing the Big Four at Parker and running into Metro- polis, Massac County, and then on to Paduch. The nearest station on this road to Vienna is Grantsburg, about eight miles away. This road was later extended from Reeveville, this county to Golconda, Pope County. It was some years afterwards acquired by the Illinois Central System, and they extended the line into Hardin County as far as Rosa Clare.
This still left one section of the county without a rail- road till 1899, when the route of the Chicago and Eastern Illinois was surveyed on the western side running from north to south almost parallel with the western county line. Work on this division was begun in April 1900, and was pushed through to completion extending the road from Marion, Williamson County, to Thebes in Alexander Coun- ty, and giving the western portion of our county a direct
59
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
and quick service to Chicago. It passes Vienna about four miles to the west at West Vienna.
The Burlington, which uses the Chicago and Eastern Illinois lines, through the county to West Vienna and leaves them just below the station, crosses the county a short dis- tance in an easterly direction. It also crosses the Big Four railroad at Foreman and leaves the county just beyond this crossing. The Burlington was begun in 1907 and the first train was sent over it in 1910. This makes four railroads in the county.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS
The first court for Johnson County was held in the dwelling house of John Bradshaw at or near Elvira, it hav- ing been appointed by the Governor. The next knowledge of a court house is that James Finny is ordered to procure the following repairs to be made on the house now used as a court house. This order was made in September 1813. They evidently had used some other building than Brad- shaw's dwelling during the summer, but now that winter was coming on they must repair it as follows towit: "A floor laid in the same with puncheons, a chimney of wood, a common door of boards and the house to be chincked and daubed (puncheons were logs split and hewed off as smooth- ly as possible, a chimney of wood was built up something like a pen with small sticks and lined with clay, boards were riven from length of logs three and four feet long ; chincked and daubed meant that small sticks were placed in the cracks between the logs in the wall of the house and mud made from clay and water, was filled in over these sticks and when it dried it made a pretty solid wall) seats for the jurors, a small half cabin to be built adjoining the same to be chincked and daubed, with a partition of logs for the purpose of a jury room; provided the repair must not exceed $18.00." Januray 1814, the court proceeded to let the contract for the building of a court house to the lowest bidder. The sheriff reported that William Simpson was the lowest bidder and had bid it off at $260. To be paid in three installments. The first on the 15th day of Novem- ber, 1814 and yearly afterwards. "The court house is to be built agreeably to a plan now on exhibit and will be more fully set forth in the bond to be given." To complete this contract William Simpson gave a bond of $525.00 with
60
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
Daniel and Lewis Simpson as bondsmen. After the com- pletion of the Court House its acceptance was left to the following committe: Hezekiah West, Andrew Cochran and George Evans. William Simpson received only $175.75 for the building. It was a large hewed log house, thirty or forty feet long, with a fire place in each end. It stood one quarter of a mile from the present road, north of the home of Charles Robertson. The exact location is on a little rise and can be determined by the foundation of rocks of the chimneys which are now slightly covered as the field has been cultivated for years. The old road bed that ran by the court house can be plainly seen and the spring under the hill is still in use. One of these old stone chimneys is partially standing in another place on the farm where it later served another building. Daniel Chapman, Chapter D. A. R. has the plans complete to mark the site of our first court house. (1924)
The following is not a story of a building but of a pro- posed seat of justice which would have contained our sec- ond court house had it ever materialized. The territorial law called for the court house to be located in the center of the county. It is probable that Elvira was not the exact geographical center but the nearest settlement to the center when designated as the county seat, so that on January 14, 1814, Owen Evans, James A. Whiteside, and Jonas Hibbs were ordered to fix a seat of justice and this is their report, "We the undersigned appointed by the general assembly of
this territory for the purpose of fixing the seat of justice in the county of Johnson having met on Monday the 19th day of January, 1814, at the house of John Bradshaw, with- in the said county did then and there proceed to ascertain the center of said county agreeably to the several laws of the Territory, enacted by the General Assembly thereof for fixing the place of holding the court in the several counties and after mature deliberation have finally fixed and deter- mined on the following place as the most proper, conven- ient and desirable for the same towit: at on near a certain spring on Lick Creek about a mile above the wagon ford, on said creek, where the road leading to Furguson's ferry crosses the said creek and which said spring is within fifth section of township 12, range 2 east of the meridian line and in the southwest corner of said section." Given under our hand and seal this 21st day of January, 1814. John B.
61
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
Murry, Owen Evans, Jonah Hibbs (Seal). This was about where the farms of R. L. Robertson, George Mozley and Anniel T. Mozley corner.
This report was not approved till December, 1816, the judges then agreed to meet in March, 1817, to lay off the town and the surveyor, John Hargrave was ordered to meet them at that time. At the October court, 1817, John Har- grave was allowed $79.25 for surveying and laying off the 50 acre donation for the use as a seat of justice to be known as Lanesville, there being 681 lots. At this same court there was an order as follows: "The court adjourn to meet at Lanesville, the seat of justice lately fixed upon for this county, that the clerk and sheriff do move their several offices to that place by then." This is the only record of Lanesville.
The commissioners met the fourth Monday in May, 1818, and one order of the court was to let the building of a court house at the new seat of justice (later known as Vienna) to the lowest bidder. "To be built of logs of good size to be hewn down outside and in, 24 feet in length and 18 inches in width, with two doors and three windows. The sheriff is further authorized to let the building of a log house 24 by 14 feet with a partition for the purpose of jury rooms both to be paid for by installments in whatever way may be agreed upon by the trustees for the sale of lots in said town. These buildings were to be paid for from this sale. At the July court, 1818, the sheriff reported that he had let the building of the court house and the one for the use of the jurors to the lowest bidder, George Brazel. The sale of lots was ordered advertised in the "Emigrant" which was published at Shawneetown. The sale to take place the third Monday in September, 1818. The sheriff was to offer for sale beginning with lot number 1 leaving out every other one except number 37, 38, 55 and 56.
The naming of the county seat is given under Vienna. At a special term of court, held August 15, 1818, with James Bain, Andrew Cochran, T. C. Patterson and John Copeland justices, the report was made that the court house and buildings for the use of the jurors were complete. They were received by the court, and the officers of the county were ordered to move their offices to the new buildings in the town of Vienna. From the best information that can
62
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
be obtained these buildings stood in the northwest corner of the court square. At a court held June 1819, a payment was ordered to be made to George Brazel for the building of the court house and jury rooms. Irvin Morris as sheriff was ordered "to have some fit person to lay a floor with plank to be nailed or pinned down." Randolph Casey was allowed $18.00 for flooring the court house, 1819. Caleb Irwin repaired the court house in 1821 at a cost to the county of $48.70. An order was issued by the court, July, 1823 forbidding anyone to occupy the court house or any of the jury rooms as a dwelling, from that time they were to be kept by the sheriff as the law directs. In 1827, Samuel Copeland as sheriff was ordered to let the building of a court house. Possibly the courts had out grown the build- ings since the circuit court had been ordered held in the house of Ivy Reynolds, formerly occupied by Joseph Mc- Corcle, September, 1827. This new court house might have been especially for the circuit court as Vienna was one of the three places for holding the district courts for this section of the state.
There are no other records regarding the building of a court house until 1839 when there was an order by the court similar to the one of 1827 but where, by whom or if built at all is not known. There was however a two story brick court house here in 1848, standing about where the present one stands. The offices were on the first floor with the court room above, just when it was built or its cost is not left on record. It was repaired in 1853 by Frank Hayward. Some of the bricks, after it was razed, were used in the con- struction of the Christian Church which stands on N. Sixth street in Vienna. The contract for building the present court house was let the 5th of August, 1868, between Joseph K. Frick, of Cairo, party of the first part, and Jason B. Smith, county judge of Johnson County with Mark White- aker associate justice, party of the second part. A. J. Henry of Vienna was superintendent of the work and the contract called for $38,000 to be paid for the building. The bonds drew 10 per cent interest. In September, 1869 Frick sold his contract to Charles J. Ham and Issac N. Pearce through A. J. Kuykendall, Frick's attorney. The contract was bought for one dollar paid to Frick, but the contract with the court remained the same. The final payments were made on this building in 1881, it costing, with interest over
63
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
$80,000.00. The officers of the county were assigned their respective offices in the building January 19, 1871. This is a brick building of a good style of architecture and por- portion, well built and in the original plan the court room was one of the most attractive ones in any of the neighbor- ing counties. It was well lighted and ventilated. A beauti- ful Walnut stairway that could not be replaced, at this time, except at an enormous cost led up to this room, a jury room was also on this second floor while the officers were all located on the first floor. In 1908 or about then the county commisioners rearranged the interior of the building built fire proof vaults a much needed improvement, put in a heating plant and added a local water supply system which improved the convenience of building, but destroyed the comfort and beauty of the court room.
A bronze tablet was replaced in the corridor of the court house by the county board, J. C. Carter, John L. Thornton and H. O. Cavitt in 1919 at an expense of $700.00 in honor of the World War soldiers of this county, which contains the names of every man who served from this county.
The court house grounds have been a menace to the pub- lic eye since they were first laid off as the building of a stray pound of heavy oak timber was one of the first ornaments located in it. It was originally full of gullies and for years had no shade or grass. Charles Burnett, father of Fred, did the first filling in this yard using his own teams, M. T. VanCleve did quite a bit more when he built the Central Hotel on the south side of the square. In October, 1916, the Daniel Chapman Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution set a day for work on the court house yard. They had previously solicited teams and the help of men and school boys to whom they furnished dinner. Their re- quest was generously accedded to and quite a little more filling was done. Trees were set out a good many years ago, the first ones by John Harvick, a son of Mrs. James Harvick Slack, (better known as aunt Mary Slack) and a grandson of Jacob Harvick the pioneer. Bain & Jackson, Dr. G. W. Elkins, J. B. Kuykendall, Chapman & Wiley, C. B. Hester and others contributed to the setting out of more trees and the beautiful trees and pleasant shade that we now enjoy in our court square is the result of others' plant- ing." During the year 1916 the Daniel Chapman Chapter
64
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
D. A. R. of Vienna tried to interest the schols of the county in building a wall or coping around the court square; sev- eral schools responded and the name of the school together with the name of the teacher for that term can be found on the concrete wall. The prophecy has been made that if the history of these teachers was followed, they will be found among the progressive citizens of the community in which they live. B. F. McGee, a business man of New York City, who is a native of this county also contributed generously. With these amounts and the promise of the county board, which was composed at that time of J. C. Carter, John L. Thornton and H. O. Cavit that they would meet the remaining cost for a wall on the east half of the yard, the chapter made a contract and thought that the wall was to be built immediately but for some reason the contractor delayed from time to time until the World War came on; labor and material went skyward and the work was obliged to wait a season or two. Finally in 1918 this part of the wall was built and in 1920 the entire work of inclosing the court yard, was completed by the county com- missioners, to the satisfaction of every progressive and loyal citizen of Johnson County. The fall of 1921, William Nobles, N. J. Mozley, J. W. Rushing as commissioners had the cement walks laid in the yard. With a little planting the court square will be a very atractive spot. The posts and chain around the court square had been a veritable annoyance for many years. The hitching of horses around the square was unsanitary, creating dirt and flies; on a hot damp day the stench was almost unbearable, not to mention the health of the people that had to work near it every day. The excuse offered for not creating better conditions was always that the farmers had to have a hitching place which was most true and the business men of the town should have provided a suitable one long ago. The farmers did not want the people to put up with this condition all the time that they might have a hitching place a few hours at a time once or twice a week. Dave Whitnell as care taker of the court house and grounds did much toward making and keeping the court yard fit. Mr. Estes the pres- ent one is very efficient.
The cannon in the northwest corner of the court yard was one used during the Civil War and was secured from the government about 1906 by P. T. Chapman, during his
65
A HISTORY OF JOHNSON COUNTY
term of office as Congressman from this district. The boulder and tablet in the northeast corner was placed by the Daniel Chapman Chapter D. A. R. of Vienna as their con- tribution to the Centennial celebration of the admission of Illinois as a state into the Union. It should have beenl erected in 1918, but on account of unavoidable delay it was not unveiled till July 4, 1919. Those raising the flag at this exercise were children, most of the sixth generation, who decended from the Revolutionary soldiers buried in this county and in whose honor this tablet was erected. They were Harrison M. Harvick, Evelyn and Gladys Beggs, Lois and Beatrice Veach, Pauline Duncan and Frances Pickens.
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.