USA > Illinois > Christian County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Christian County, Volume II > Part 8
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The following men have served Christian County as surveyors : John E. Stockton, 1839 ; Allen B. Peabody, 1842; William A. Goodrich,
1843-47; M. P. Goodrich, 1849; Charles A. Man- ners, 1851-53 ; A. Simpson, 1855; Henry D. Hall, 1857-59; James A. Ryan, 1861; H. F. Davidson, 1863; A. McNeal, 1865; William T. Shaw, 1867 ; Richard M. Powel, 1869 to 1884 ; John Macguire, elected in 1884 and died in office; Jules Michels. appointed in 1886, elected in 1888, served until 1900; A. B. Alexander, 1900; James W. Dap- pert, 1904; Jules Michels, 1908-12 ; Boyd H. Dap- pert, 1916, the present incumbent.
COUNTY CORONERS.
The following men have served Christian County as coroners: Benjamin Williams, ap- pointed 1839; Jacob Lovely, 1840; Daniel Robb, 1842; Green B. Ketcham, 1844; J. Ketcham, 1846; Emanuel Leigh, 1847; J. M. D. Langley, 1848; James Ridgway, 1850; R. E. White, 1852; Jesse Murphy, 1854-56; Moses H. Brents, 1858; Josephi Fellers, 1860; D. C. Blount, 1862-64-66- 68; J. M. Lamb, 1870-72-74; G. W. Long, 1876-78 John Kittle, 1880; D. C. Blount, 1882-84-88 ; J. H. Durbin, 1892; Thomas L. Bradley, 1896-1900 ; H. L. Mull, died in office, 1904; M. L. Dorman, vice Mull, 1907; M. L. Dorman, elected 1908 ; S. J. Snyder, 1912; John W. Hill, 1916, the present incumbent.
The county superintendents of schools, county judges and prosecuting attorneys of Christian County since its organization to the present day are given elsewhere in this work.
COUNTY RECORDERS.
The following men have served as recorders of Christian County from its organization in 1839 until 1848, at which time the duties of recorder were assumed by the circuit clerk : H. M. Vandeveer, elected in 1839; Benjamin Yates, appointed in 1842; Thomas Dougherty, elected in 1843 and served until 1848.
MASTERS-IN-CHANCERY.
Those who have served Christian County as masters-in-chancery are as follows: H. M. Van- deveer and J. R. Garin, 1850; Ben Mason, 1853- 57; D. D. Shumway, appointed 1857 and served until his death, May 9, 1870. At the May term of court the business was given to special com- missioners who served until the November term. 1870: John B. Jones, 1870-79; John G. Drennan. 1879; J. C. McBride, 1880-81; James B. Ricks. 1882-83; James C. Creighton, 1884-85-86-87 ; F.
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P. Drennan, 1888; Alexander McCaskill, 1890 ; John E. Hogan, 1892-94; James L. Drennan, 1896-98-1900; George T. Wallace, 1902-04-06; James L. Drennan, 1908-1916, the present in- cumbent.
BOARD OF REVIEW.
The following men have served as members of the Christian County Board of Review since 1899: 1899, T. T. Berry, chairman ; 1900, C. A. Clark, secretary; Thomas Brents. 1901, H. H. Herdman, chairman; J. A. Merry, secretary ; William H. Kirkwood. 1902, R. Morrison, chair- man ; C. E. Abrams, secretary ; William H. Kirk- wood. 1903, R. Morrison, chairman; A. D. Webb, secretary; L. S. Gardner. 1907, W. L. Taylor, chairman; W. E. Peabody, secretary ; F. B. Hershey. 1905, William L. Cohenour, chairman ; J. A. Adams, secretary ; Laban Yoder. 1906, William L. Cohenour, chairman; W. W. Deming, secretary ; Carmi Beltz. 1907, J. R. Harrington, chairman; S. W. Culp, secretary ; G. W. Livergood; Norman Thaxton, clerk. 1908, J. D. Henderson, chairman ; W. L. Rasar, secre- tary; John Cheney, A. M. Bloxam, clerk. 1909, John Kennedy, chairman; Elisha Brown, secre- tary ; H. W. Ferguson, Luther C. Morgan, clerk. 1910, J. D. Henderson, chairman ; A. B. Corman, secretary ; A. M. Council, William R. Dex- heimer, clerk. 1911, W. N. Grimes, chairman ; John C. Stamm, secretary ; George H. Sherman, C. T. Hewitt, clerk. 1912, E. N. Barnes, chair- man ; S. N. Haverfield, Kelsey Sharp, secretary ; Ora Richardson, clerk. 1913. John Orr, chair- man; W. W. Deming. secretary ; E. A. Campbell, A. A. Hunker, clerk. 1914, Fred F. Weiser, chairman; W. E. Bulger, secretary ; George Rit- scher, Homer Fultz, clerk. 1915, S. C. Mull, chairman; F. A. Vigal, secretary; William Wade, Roscoe A. Prater, clerk. 1916, Jacob Bil- yeu, chairman ; John Gillespie, J. L. Patterson, secretary ; Daniel D. Downey, clerk.
CHIAPTER VII.
PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS.
FIRST JAIL-NEW JAIL-FIRST COURTHOUSE-SEC- OND COURTHOUSE-PRESENT COURTHOUSE-BUILD-
ING COMMITTEE-DEDICATION EXERCISES - DE- SCRIPTION OF COURTHOUSE-COUNTY FARM.
FIRST JAIL.
The first county building erected by Christian County was the old county jail, which was built in 1846. Prior to this time, from the organiza- tion of the county as a unit, in 1840, its prisoners had been confined in the jail at Springfield, this being confirmed by the old records, which show that bills were paid by the county commissioners of this county to Sangamon County for the food and care of prisoners. The rapid settlement of the community, however, and the influx of a certain lawless element, demanded a place of incarceration at Taylorville, and accordingly, April 4, 1846, the commissioner of Christian county directed that a contract be made on June 1 following, for the erection of a jail. The stipu- lations called for a structure 20 ft. long, 16 ft. wide, and two stories in height, with two rooms on the first floor and one on the second, the lower walls to be made of hewn timbers, 10 inches thick, and to be constructed by building two walls, S inches apart, the space between to be filled with timbers S inches thick, set on end. The structure was to be built of white oak or burr oak, with two doors to the lower story and one to the upper, and all to be placed upon a stone foundation. There was to be one win- dow in each room in the first floor, 12 x 18 inches, and two windows in the second story, 24 x 30 inches with iron grates, and the shutters were to be of the thickness of three one-inch planks, lined on the inside with sheet iron. James C. Morrison was awarded the contract for the building of this jail about June 2, 1846, for the performance of which he executed a bond. The records do not show the price which was paid for this, the first county building, but it is found that orders were drawn payable to Mr. Morrison upon the contract to the amount of $394.80. The jail was erected near the southeast corner of the square, and probably was located on the back of the lot now occupied by John Allman's meat shop at Taylorville. Probably this primitive structure would not be considered a very safe place for the keeping of criminals at this day, but at the time it was built the breakers of the law did not possess the ingenuity to perfect so many devices for escape; at any rate, the only prisoner who escaped from the jail, according to local history, was a negro slave who had run
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away from his master in the South. He had been captured and placed in this jail, but the day before the arrival of his master to take him back into bondage, he succeeded in breaking jail. Public sentiment in regard to slavery may have had something to do with the accomplishment of this feat, but this has not been established as a fact.
NEW JAIL.
For nearly a quarter of a century the old jail served the purposes of the community in a more or less adequate manner, but in 1870 Christian County became the owner of a new jail, which was erected at a cost of $5,360. It was more substantial and commodious, but after some years was found inadequate and a large addi- tion thereto was erected at considerable cost. From time to time additions and improvements have been made, and it is now a rather preten- tious structure, with modern sanitation, excel- lent ventilation and up-to-date appliances. It is now a safe and wholesome place for the incar- ceration of the unfortunates sentenced thereto, and since the erection of the latest additions the sheriff or keeper has occupied rooms under the same roof.
FIRST COURTIIOUSE.
The first terms of court in Christian County were held in a structure which did not belong to the county but to H. M. Vandeever, and in addition to serving as courtroom was also stage office and hotel. It was located at Taylorville, on the north side of the public square, and pos- sessed no jury room, so that the deliberations of the jury had to be carried on outside, under a black-jack tree. As small and inadequate as this structure was, it was made to serve the county for a number of years, being supplanted by the second building to be erected by Christian County.
SECOND COURTHOUSE.
As to the date at which the contract for this building was let, the records are not specific. The transaction is somewhat cloudy, owing to the fact that a contract was first made with the firm of Squire & Overholt for its erection, an agreement that was never carried to completion. Afterwards a contract was made with Dennis
& Ream, a Springfield concern, to complete the building of the courthouse at a cost of $13,526, and under this contract the structure was com- pleted in the year 1856.
This building, when ready for occupancy, in- cluded an office for the circuit clerk and recorder and a county clerk's office. Later, vaults sup- posed to be fire-proof, were added to each of these offices. On the other side of the building, on the lower floor, were three rooms one for the county treasurer, one for the sheriff, one for the county judge and one for the county super- intendent of schools. Running north and south the entire length of the building, and separating the clerk's office from the other otlices, was a hallway about 10 ft. wide. In the upper story were to be found the circuit court room with a small room adjoining for the jury, this latter, however, being later converted into an office for the circuit judge. There was a grand jury room and this with the room of the circuit judge was used, when not otherwise occupied, by the petit juries in considering the cases submitted to them. This courthouse served the purposes of Christian County until the year 1901, when it was sold to L. D. Hewitt and removed.
The following remarks, written by Hon. J. C. McBride, were included in his address made at the time of the opening of the new courthouse, in 1902: "This was the courthouse in which much of the important litigation of the inhabi- tants of the county was conducted; it was the scene of many a forensic battle ; it was the room in which many of the present members of the bar made their maiden effort; many were the trials of criminal cases in which the public was intensely interested upon one side or the other, and often did litigants assemble in this room with a host of friends arrayed upon each side, a feeling of bitterness of sufficient intensity ex- isting to precipitate a battle between these friends had there not been some way of giving vent to the pent-up feelings of the contestants, but in the courtroom, before the court and jury, their rights and interests were submitted, passed upon and determined, and although in some cases justice may have miscarried, yet upon the whole, it can be well said that justice was rea- sonably well meted out, and, had it not been for the courtroom and cool headed advocates em- ployed upon each side to represent the interests of their respective clients, many of these con- tests would have resulted in bloodshed, and by this means the spilling of blood was averted
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and satisfaction given that was far above any that could have been realized by a hand to hand combat or settlement of the affray by battle.
"The liberties and rights of many a poor, down-trodden and oppressed man and woman have been here preserved to them; the court, jury and bar have here stood like an impene- trable wall, protecting many innocent victims from the ravages of an infuriated populace, from the conspiracies of the wicked, from the greed of the Shylock, from the unfortunate position brought about by accident or ignorance; and, while it is the pride of many that they have been able to spend a life without having been engaged in a lawsuit, and many dread a contest in court, yet it is equally true that the court- room is the asylum to which we all rush for safety in the hours of greatest peril, selecting the lawyer for our guide and the judge for our arbiter. . The old courthouse is gone, but to the bar many are the pleasant memories that cling around the scenes that transpired in that old courtroom, and, while it has given way to a better and more pretentious building and court- room, this will not, in all probability, be the scene of greater contests or produce brighter or more pleasant memories than the one that has passed away."
PRESENT COURTHOUSE.
For a number of years prior to 1900 there had been some agitation in regard to the building of a new courthouse. Right thinking people of Christian County were as one in agreeing that in order to accommodate the courts, preserve the records and files of the various offices, and meet the wants of the public a new, more commodi- ous and more modern structure should be erected. There was also the class who are generally be- hind the opposition to every movement making for progress and advancement, that class which did not believe that the courthouse should be built because the county would be burdened with an indebtedness which it would find hard to liq- uidate. Between the two classes the argument waged merrily. In the meantime the board of supervisors was possesed of no money with which to start the erection of such a structure, nor had they the power to levy a greater tax than was then in force, save authorized to do so by the vote of the people. It therefore be- came necessary to submit to the vote of the peo-
ple the proposition of authorizing such an appro- priation.
This movement was started by A. S. Martin, supervisor of the town of Taylorville, when he introduced before the board of supervisors a resolution authorizing the levy of a courthouse tax to the amount of $100,000, to be used in build- ing a new structure of this character. This resolution was duly adopted by a vote of thir- teen to five, but was, at the March meeting, 1900, reconsidered and rescinded by a vote of twelve to five. In the meeting of June of that year, a resolution was introduced to authorize the sub- mission to a vote the levying of a special tax of $75,000 for courthouse purposes. This was introduced by the committee on public buildings, and was adopted by the vote of the following- named supervisors: G. W. Adams, G. F. Barrett, T. T. Berry, J. E. Downs, O. B. Fraley, R. A. Gray, H. H. Herdman, A. S. Martin, H. O. Min- nis. J. H. Morgan, F. F. Weiser, W. O. Wilcox and Joseph Hale. Submitted to a vote of the people in the November election of 1900, it car- ried by a majority of 990 in a vote of 7,408, ten townships giving a majority for the proposition, and one having a tie vote. A majority of the votes in the county were in favor of the appro- priation, and the old courthouse was sold, im- mediate steps being taken for its removal.
In response to the advertisement of the board of supervisors for plans and specifications for a new county court building, many propositions were advanced, but after careful scrutiny the plans of J. W. Gaddis, an architect of Terre IIaute, Ind., were found the most acceptable and were duly adopted by the building committee in February, 1901. A contract for the building of the new structure was let upon the recom- mendation of the building committee by the board of supervisors to V. Jobst & Sons, well known building contractors of Peoria, Ill., June 3, 1901, for the amount of $80,000. However, it soon became evident to the members of the build- ing committee of the board of supervisors, that, owing to the large increase in the price of build- ing materials, the amount authorized to be levied would be far from sufficient to erect such a build- ing as was needed, and the supervisors, after a careful canvass among their constituents, deter- mined that the appropriation should be increased when desired. Accordingly plans were laid for the erection of a courthouse, which, with its fixtures and furniture, should cost approximately
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$100,000. Even this amount proved inadequate, for when the building, on which the work had been done as speedily as possible, was completed, September 29, 1902, and furnished as desired, the expenditures had totaled $100,535.80. In the meantime, while the building was being erected, a vote for a future appropriation was held and was duly adopted, and by the time the building was completed the taxes had been levied and collected. Thus, as a vindication of the plan used in the building of the structure, it will be stated that by the time the courthouse was dedi- cated it was entirely free from debt.
BUILDING COMMITTEE.
The building committee, under whose direct supervision the courthouse was built, was com- posed during the first year of the following named gentlemen : Robert A. Gray, chairman; J. H. Morgan, A. S. Martin, O. B. Fraley and P. M. Klinefelter. During the first year an elec- tion was held and some of these gentlemen failed of re-election, their places being taken by others. The new building committee was composed of A. S. Martin, chairman; G. W. Adams, John Kennedy, O. B. Fraley and C. D. Cutler.
DEDICATORY EXERCISES.
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Hon. J. C. McBride, who has been before qnoted, and who, it may be said in passing, made the last address in the old courthouse and first address in the new, wrote as follows concern- ing the work of the committees: "It can be said to the credit of both of the committees that they carefully watched over the work as it pro- gressed, investigating every detail. It may well be said that every dollar of the money appro- priated by the people for the building of this courthouse, actually went into its construction ; and, as a result, the money expended produced a building that is a credit to the county and has heen estimated by many people to have cost much more than it really did." As to the dedi- catory exercises he wrote as follows: "The cor- ner-stone of this building was laid with the usual formalities of the Masonic craft, Grand Master C. F. Hitchcock of the A. F. & A. M. of Illinois being present and participating in the exercises. The little box placed in the cor- ner-stone contained a short history of Christian County, prepared by the committee, together with copies of practically all of the papers pub-
lished in the county, and a history of many of the churches, secret orders, building associa- tions and many other enterprises in which the people were interested. This box was placed in the northeast corner and duly sealed by the Grand Master, who pronounced the work to be 'good work, true work and square work,' and thereupon addresses were made by Hon. James B. Ricks, justice of the Supreme Court; Hon. William T. Vandeever, and Hon. W. M. Provine, all residents of Taylorville. The occasion was a memorable one, and the addresses were excellent and well adapted to the occasion.
"After the courthouse had been completed it was duly and formally accepted by the board of supervisors, the Hon. R. W. Morrison presiding, and dedicated on the day of its acceptance. The dedicatory exercises consisted of the usual and necessary action of the board of supervisors, good music, and addresses made by the Hon. J. W. Kitchell of Pana and J. C. McBride of Taylorville, and closed with the address of R. W. Morrison, chairman of the board of supervisors."
DESCRIPTION OF COURTHOUSE.
Christian County's courthouse as it stands to- day is one of the beautiful and stately edifices of its kind in this part of Illinois, a pride to the county's citizenship and a credit to a pros- perous. enterprising and progressive commu- nity. It is 117 feet in length and 90 feet in width, with three stories. It includes offices for the sheriff, county superintendent of schools, county surveyor, superintendent of roads, coro- ner and a rest room for the ladies on the main floor : offices for the county judge, county clerk, board of supervisors, county treasurer and cir- cuit clerk, and a large room for the county court on the second floor. These rooms are all supplied with the best of modern steel furniture. On the third floor are the chambers of the cir- cuit court, the judge's room, a room for the attorneys, offices for the state's attorney, a com- modions library, a grand jury room, two . petit jury rooms, and two witness rooms. In every way it is most conveniently and appropriately arranged, and its ventilation, lighting and sani- tary conditions are of the best.
COUNTY FARM.
As early as 1870 Christian County realized the necessity of making some provision for the
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CHRISTIAN COUNTY COURT HOUSE, TAYLORVILLE
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care of its poor. In that year the county pur- chased a tract of 160 acres of land in the north- ern part of the town of Rosemond, paying there- for $6,400. A building was erected there at a cost of $3,534, but this was destroyed by fire in 1892 and a new building was constructed at a cost of $4,500. This is reserved for the occu- pancy of the poor and unfortunate, where they may spend their declining years in peace and comfort, well cared for and furnished with the things that make for happiness in life. A super- intendent, who has shown his qualifications for such a position, has charge of this poor farm, and manages the operation of its farming land. Grain and vegetables are raised for the sup- plying of the inmates with fresh products, cat- tle and poultry give them meat, butter, milk and eggs, and an annual appropriation is laid aside by the county for the upkeep of the institution in other ways. John M. Holderby, the present efficient superintendent of this farm, has held this position for years. His administration has met with the approval of the board of super- visors, and the people in general of the county.
CHAPTER VIII.
SCHOOLS AND EDUCATION.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EDUCATOR-FIRST SCHOOL- OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS -PIONEER TEACHERS - FIRST COUNTY SUPERINTENDENT-TOWNSHIP OR- GANIZATION FOR EDUCATION-FURTHER PROGRESS -ADDED STUDIES-EQUIPMENT STATISTICS FOR 1846-STATISTICS FOR 1916-SCHOOL COMMIS- SIONERS - SCHOOLS OF CHRISTIAN COUNTY - TEACHERS - SCHOOL DIRECTORS - SCHOOL IM- PROVEMENT-STANDARD SCHOOLS-HIGH SCHOOLS -ILLINOIS TEACHERS' READING CIRCLE-AROUS- ING THE CHILDREN'S INTEREST- SECRET OF SUC- CESS.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE EDUCATOR.
One of the most serious responsibilities which mankind is called upon to face and discharge is the education of the younger and growing gener- ation. This grave trust is one upon which the
welfare and prosperity of nations rest. The country whose laws include the enforcement of a strict and compulsory educational system has a decided advantage over those in which learn- ing plays only a secondary part. The training of the mind of youth is one of the fundamental principles of good government and good citizen- ship, and the preservation of the prestige of com- munity, state or country depends largely upon its institutions of learning, and their modernity and equipment.
Christian County at the present time pos- sesses a school system that in practically every respect is equal to that of any county in the state. Its development has been consistent and steady from the winter of 1826-27 when the first school was taught here, but it is only within recent years that it has reached a really high standard of excellence and efficiency that grants the people of this locality the privilege of giving their children the best education obtainable.
FIRST SCHOOL,
In the year mentioned above Elijah Hanon became the teacher of the first school in Chris- tion County of which there is any record. This was held in a rude log house which was located on the prairie two miles northeast of the site of the present town of Taylorville, a structure built along the lines of the cabins of the early settlers, its fireplace being located at one end, where it nearly filled the space, its light and ventilation being furnished by removing a log from one side of the building, and its furniture being composed of rough puncheon benches and a slat fastened to one wall for a writing desk. Probably the district boundary was somewhat vague, as two of Mr. Hanon's pupils, Daniel and Martin Miller, came from their home at Elgan's Mill, in South Fork Township, a distance of fourteen miles, walking to school on Monday mornings, boarding with a family near the school, and walking home again Friday eve- nings. Following Mr. Hanon as teacher at this primitive schoolhouse was Archibald McCol- lough, an excellent scholar, who taught in 1831- 32, he being in turn followed by a Mr. Cross- thwaite, who was a professional educator.
OTHER EARLY SCHOOLS.
Among the other early schools of Christian County was that at Campbell's Point, also a log
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structure, built on land owned by Joseph Mat- thews, which is said to have been the first house built in the county, or the first one built that was subsequently occupied for school purposes. The first teacher was Robert White, who taught in 1831-32. In the same year Michael Archie was the teacher of a class which met in a house on his brothers' farm near the Springfield and Decatur Road, in Mount Auburn Township. The first school in Mosquito Township was also lo- cated on that road, and was taught in 1834-35 by Hon. H. M. Vandeveer, who taught also in South Fork Township.
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