USA > Illinois > McLean County > Normal > History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois > Part 19
USA > Illinois > McLean County > Bloomington > History of Bloomington and Normal, in McLean County, Illinois > Part 19
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Most of the Grove was purchased, in 1835, by Rev. W. T. Major, and it has since been called Major's Grove. Ilere hie built a residence, and at a later date, in 1855 and 1856, he erected the fine educational building, since called Major's College. Its cost was over $16,000, and its value, with the land, was $20,000. This was occupied as a young ladies' seminary for several years, though at first intended to be a female orphan school. At times, it was well filled with students from Bloomington and Central Illinois, having been occupied as late as 1867. Mr. Major was one of the leading members of the Christian denomination. He gave liberally to schools and colleges of that Church, and finally decided to present it this fine building. A full Board of Trustees was appointed, and an effort made to operate the College as a denominational institution, but it was not very successful, owing, mainly, to the fact that the Christian Church was interested in several other Western colleges. This magnificent gift from one of the noblest Christian gentlemen of the age, is almost without a parallel. The College building is still stand- ing, a monument to his memory.
It seems that there is nothing of very special public interest connected with the early settlement of Normal Township. Down to the adoption of township organization in 1858, the residents of the townships were attached to the precinct of Bloomington, and its carly history is almost inseparable from that of the latter town. The prairie- land was gradually purchased and occupied, until, by the year 1850, there were a good many farms under cultivation. There was, however, rather a rapid demand for the
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lands during the speculative era of 1836. In that year, John Woods and N. E. Hall entered the whole of Section 4; P. S. Loughborough entered Section 9; John Grigg, the whole of Section 15; James Allin purchased Section 17; and A. Gridley bought Section 20. The year previous, 1835, saw the entry of Section 21, by James Allin, and Section 27 by Dr. John F. Henry. This rapid entry, did not, however, indicate immediate settlement, as most of these tracts were purchased on "speculation," and were not improved for many years. Some of these tracts were afterward sold for taxes.
All that portion of Normal Township included within the limits of the city of Bloomington was settled and improved, of course, with the city, and its history is included in that of the city proper ; just outside of this territory we shall find its his- tory is also nearly identical. As we go further north, the land was early improved, the settlements extending northward quite gradually from the center to the northern edge, where in the northern half there was considerable Government land as late as in 1850, when the Illinois Central charter granted all such tracts to that corporation. Between 1850 and 1856, nearly all this northern portion was purchased by farmers, and improve- ments made thereon, though a few tracts were unbroken as late as 1862. Several thou- sand acres of Normal land were purchased at a very early day by Judge David Davis, and he still owns 2,000 acres in this township. Normal was quite well settled in 1858, nearly every section of land being under cultivation, unless we except the Judge Davis tract, near the center of the town, and few other portions which were used as a com- mon herding-ground. As late as 1857, the Bloomington city cows made daily journeys to the free pasturage offered by these open ranges. Normal farming land is all good, and nearly every acre of it is held at high prices.
One of the early settlers of Normal was Mr. Elihu Rogers, whose home was on North Main street, where his widow now resides. He was engaged in business many years in Bloomington, and was always liberal-hearted, a leader in all good enterprises. He was one of the principal organizers of the Second Presbyterian Church in Bloom- ington ; he contributed several thousand dollars toward the new church in 1856. Mrs. Rogers built the best business block in the village of Normal, in 1877.
Charles E. Fell's nursery was started quite early-some time before 1859. It is one of the best collections of small fruit in Central Illinois.
Cyrus R. Overman's nursery was noted all over the West, from 1857 to 1864. He was in company with Capt. W. H. Mann, and together they carried on a very large business northeast of the Normal University. Mr. Overman was well known as a writer on horticultural subjects, and was in every way worthy of the affection and esteem in which he was held by his friends all over the State. At his death a few years ago, the members of the State Horticultural Society erected a beautiful monu- ment to his memory in the Bloomington Cemetery.
The world-renowned nurseries of Mr. F. K. Phoenix were also in Normal Town- ship. These are described elsewhere in this work. At one time the different nursery- men in Normal Township cultivated over one thousand acres of land in trees and small fruit. Even now, notwithstanding the falling-off in the trade, there is probably no town in this State that has as much ground devoted to nurseries as has Normal. Several of these are devoted almost wholly to raspberries, blackberries and small fruits. Among ` those who are interested both in trees and fruit, in addition to the ones mentioned, aro H. K. Vickroy and others.
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TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION.
We have before mentioned that the township organization of Mclean County dates from the spring of 1858. Previous to that time, NNormal was a portion of the precinct of Bloomington, and voted with it on all State, national and county matters. The city of Bloomington, even then, extended into the township of Normal, and all the inhabitants of the city voted then, as now, at ward elections, and on municipi questions. Upon the final adoption of township organization, the six miles square north of Bloom- ington was named, very appropriately, Normal.
The first town-meeting was held April 6, 1858. William G. Thompson was elected Supervisor, and John JJ. North, Town Clerk ; O. M. Cohnan and W. F. Cooledge were chosen Justices of the Peace. The first Commissioners of Highways were John McLean, W. M. Hall and Robert Larrimore. William Hill was Assessor, and Peter Whitmer, Tax Collector. The lamented Cyrus R. Overman was Supervisor in 1859. Mr. O. M. Colman was Supervisor in 1866 and 1867.
In 1879, the Supervisor was R. B. Chaplin, with T. C. Funk as his Assist- ant. The Collector was Jerome Chipman, the Assessor, J. B. Sargent, and the Town Clerk, W. P. MeMurray. The town vote is about 1,000, when all brought out. The usual number of voters is from 700 to 900. The total population of the township, meaning thereby all who live in the six miles square. must be nearly 6,000. No township eensus has been taken since 1870. The number of voters is large enough to indicate that 6,000 is not far from what the census of 1880 will exhibit. That portion of the township lying in the corporation of Normal contains a population of 2,720, and that lying in Bloomington is always counted with Bloomington in such a manner that it can with difficulty be separated. The United States census, which follows the township lines and includes all the agricultural people living in neither of the two municipal corporations, as well as those in the latter, will not be published until after 1880.
The township of Normal, like nearly all our McLean County townships, moves ' along in a very quiet manner. It has incurred no debt; it meddles not with the schools, with the State institutions, nor with Normal village. Its citizens meet and transact what little business there is, keep their taxes down as low as possible, elect their officials, and then go home and wait till it is time to repeat the same operation. In 1860, the population of Normal Township was 660. In 1870. the population of the same territory was 4,372.
VILLAGE ORGANIZATION.
To provide for the proper government of the rapidly-growing village, the inhabit- ants voted September 30, 1865, under the general law to incorporate as a town. The Trustees elected were L. A. Hovey, Wesley Pearce, D. P. Fyffe, John A. Rockwood and S. J. Reeder.
October 2, the Trustees organized by choosing Wesley Pearce, President, and S. J. Reeder, Clerk.
The first election under the charter of 1867 was held March 18 of that year, resulting in the choice as Trustees of W. A. Pennell, L. A. Hovey, S. J. Reeder, William Wilde and James Loer.
On the 21st day of March the Trustees met, and they selected L. A. Hovey for President, and S. J. Reeder as Clerk. The territory included in the town corporation
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of Normal is two miles square, and the center is near the northwest corner of the Normal building. Normal "School District" comprises the same territory, and, in 1867, the members of its " Board of Education" were chosen by the Town Trustees. On the 21st day of March, 1867, the Trustecs elected the first Board of Education, consisting of W. B. Smith, O. M. Colman, T. S. Underhill and J. A. Sewall. Previous to this time, the children of the district had attended the Model School, which is attached to the Normal. All the property in Normal School District, except the University, or other property properly exempt, is taxable for school purposes ; while for corporation purposes, farming or horticultural lands, in ten-acre tracts or larger, are not taxed unless laid out in town lots, or used as residences.
The present Board of Town Trustees is: B. F. Carpenter, President; H. G. Fisher, H. K. Vickroy, R. B. Chaplin and J. Chipman. As before stated, this Board has no power to license the sale of intoxicating liquors, and as a result it has little need of police or police magistrates. There are now 2,720 people within the corporation by actual count ; and we question if there can be found in the State a village of equal size with so large a number of moral and religious and well-behaved persons. The village is just what it was hoped it would become, when, in 1857, the State Board of Education selected this as the site of the future training-place for the common-school teachers of Illinois. Away from the temptations of a populous city, in the midst of a population made up largely of people who have made Normal their homes for the sake of its educational and social advantages, the State Normal University is admitted by the general public to be most happily located, while the citizens of the village are justly proud of the institution, which has become a model to be patterned after by all those States which are seeking to elevate the standard of education within their borders.
To illustrate the energy and the appreciation of educational institutions manifested by the citizens of Normal, we will mention the gallant fight it made in 1867 for the loca- tion of the State Industrial College. The citizens of Normal Township voted $100,000 of ten per cent bonds ; and besides were ready individually to pledge quite a large sum. The total offer for the location of the college was :
McLean County 10-per-cent bonds. $200,000
Bloomington City 10-per-cent bonds 100,000
Normal Township 10-per-cent bonds. 100,000
Chicago & Alton Railroad Subscription (freight) ..
50 000
David Davis, cash. 25,000
Jesse W. Fell, cash. 15,000
Citizens of Normal and Bloomington, 140-acre tract for site. 40,000
Total .$530,000
The magnitude and liberality of this offer, viewed in the light of the present value of money, seems almost marvelous, and yet there is little doubt that had Normal been successful, the Industrial College, added to the Normal University, together with other institutions which would naturally have been attracted thither, the investment, large as it seems, would have been worth all it would have cost. This is also an illustration of the harmony of feeling existing between Normal, Bloomington and the people of the county at large, a proof that we are really one in interest and feeling. In fact, so thor- oughly are the inhabitants of Bloomington and Normal convinced that their welfare i almost identical, that quite a movement has been made for their formal union under one
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government. There are many weighty reasons for such a union, and it is very prob- able that some future historian may tell the story of its accomplishment. At present, one of the chief objections on the part of Normal is the sale of liquor at retail-now utterly prohibited in their village-but which would probably be allowed if the two places were in one municipality.
NORMAL.
As a matter of course, we find the early settlement of the village of Normal cannot antedate the location of the town unless we include as residents those farmers whose land went to make up the two-miles square of the place itself. We have made no effort to trace the actual settlement of any of these farms, taking it for granted that several fam- ilies were living here previous to the location of the town site of " North Blooming- ton" in the early part of 1854. The cars ran on the Illinois Central Railroad through Normal in May, 1853, but, by the latter part of that year, the line of the present Chi- cago & Alton road was sufficiently well established to indicate where it would cross the Central, fixing thus the point where a town might be built, if suitable efforts should be made. We have elsewhere stated the facts in relation to the establishment here of the young village of North Bloomington in 1854, and of its change of name to Normal in 1858.
When the Normal School was in Major's Hall, in Bloomington, from October, 1857, to June, 1860, the village of Normal was rather a dull place. As stated below, there were perhaps nearly twenty families living here during this time, but there was no visible reason for the existence of the town, which had the appearance of being on hand before it was needed. The present business portion, where the blocks of stores are now located, was in 1858 a beautiful grass plat, remarkably smooth, looking in some respects like a village green in an Eastern town. In the month of June, 1858, the Normal stu- dents had an excursion to view the site of the future seat of learning, and on their return the young men had a game of ball on the green grass where now we see the business part of the town, and the site was one of the best that could possibly be imag- ined for that purpose. The writer has a distinct and vivid remembrance of the scene, and to his mind the view was one of the most charming ever met. He watched the game as a spectator, and remembers wondering whether the town would ever grow enough to encroach upon what was then called by the students the "ball-ground." This spot was covered only with grass as late as 1863.
While the game was going on, the railroad cars rushed past, barely stopping at the crossing, having rarely any business at this point. In fact, so careful were the railroads not to make any foolish stops in those days, that even when the material began to arrive for the Normal building, in the fall of 1857, there were no conveniences here for receiving freight, and the State Board of Education actually passed a resolution requesting the companies to put in side-tracks here for their convenience, which was done, as requested, by the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, in a very short time thereafter.
The first family to settle here by virtue of the demands of the town, was that of Mr. William McCambridge, who came as agent of the railroads in 1854, to look after their interests at the crossing. His family lived for a time in the rude depot-building, which stood in the north angle of the railroad " junction," as a crossing was often called in those days. Sometimes the place was called by its proper name, oftener " Blooming- ton Junction." Mr. McCambridge's neighbors were the Junks, Bakewells, Colemans,
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Hills, Joshua Fell's family, W. F. M. Arny, the Taylors and a few others, who lived on farming-lands which were wholly or partly within the present village limits. Mr. Arny was living on a farm just west of the University building, west of Main street. He was a remarkable man. He was a minister, a lecturer, an educator, a politician, a news- paper writer, was in short, ready for almost anything that might turn up in a new country. Though living on a farm, tradition asserts that farming was almost the only business he did not understand. His name frequently occurs in the history of Bloom- ington and Normal until the year 1856, when he was made the Secretary of the Kansas Free State Emigrant Aid Society, and after that date his fame became national. His services there, as well as here, were of great assistance to the cause of humanity. Mr. Arny was one of Normal's projectors and early benefactors, and is always mentioned with respect. He became Governor of the Territory of New Mexico, and filled the position very creditably for several years. He has since been an Indian agent.
Mr. Jesse W. Fell's residence was finished in 1856, when his family moved into the new house, finding in the vicinity only the family of Mr. McCambridge. During the next year, 1857, the Normal University was located, and from that time the settle- ment went forward rapidly. By the close of that season, we learn of the following families, in addition to those before mentioned as residents of North Bloomington : Loran R. Case, Addison Reeder, James Maley, Stephen Dike, John J. North, John R. Dodge, James Carleton, John Carleton, Mrs. Taylor, William Junk and Joseph Walker. The Landon House, now occupied by the family of Mr. C. R. Parke, was started in 1856, and finished in 1857.
The University foundation was commenced in the fall of 1857, and over $30,000 expended thereon. A foundry was also commenced, owned principally by Mr. Fell, in company with Mr. Reeder, but the enterprise was a failure. Some of the castings used in the Normal building were made here, and also the iron work for Royce Block in Bloomington.
The financial crisis of the fall of 1857 caused a discontinuance of work on the Nor- mal, and this of course acted as a damper upon the new town. During the year 1858, and also during 1859, but few residences were erected, among which we can mention that of Mrs. Robinson, in 1859. In the latter year, work on the Normal building was pushed with great vigor, and the town began to have good prospects again. During the following winter, plans were made for the erection of several residences, and they were completed in 1860. Among , these we will mention those of President Hovey, Messrs. Hewett and Moore, who were of the Faculty, Albert North, Wesley Pearce, William Flynn and Mr. J. S. Stewart. By this time, the town made quite a pleasing appearance, several of the residences evidencing good taste. All of Normal was most distinctly visi- ble from almost any point, as the trees were then in their infancy.
When the Normal institution was opened at the new building, in the fall of 1860, there were not enough rooms in the village for all the students who wished board, and during the fall term many boarded at Bloomington. A new sidewalk was constructed to meet the walks in Bloomington, and it extended nearly to the corner of Main and Chestnut streets. When this old foot walk was new, there was some good walking done by Normal students of both sexes. All the boarding-houses in Normal were full to overflowing. There were only two houses with many rooms; these were kept by Mrs. J. H. Stewart and Mrs. Grinnell, the latter in what was called the Landon House.
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Normal built its first sidewalk in the fall of 1860, and it then began to take on the airs of a village, though it did not possess a post office, a telegraph office, or stores, for several years.
The first post office was opened about the year 1862, on the corner of Linden street and the C. & A. Railroad, in a building where there was also a store. The first Post- master was Robert E. Bower, and the first store was kept by a Mr. Phillips. The two railroads did not at first make Normal a full office, tickets having first been sold from this place on the Chicago & Alton road, April 4, 1864; William McCambridge, Jr., was the first agent who sold tickets and made all the regular official reports in 1864. Shortly after this time, he also became the first express agent ; he was also the first telegraph operator, in 1870.
The Chicago & Alton Company built a depot in 1864, which was burned at the time of the Normal Hotel fire, February 14, 1872. Very soon after the present station- house was erected. The freight-house on this road was constructed in 1866; and in 1871, the freight-house of the Central was built, which has since been destroyed by fire and replaced by another building which is a duplicate of the first.
In the chapters relating to the public schools, churches, and the State institutions. we have given the dates of the erection of the buildings used by each, and we will not here repeat those statements.
We should also mention that the village of Normal grew with wonderful rapidity from about the year 1864 to 1870. Since the latter date, improvements have been made quite slowly ; and at present, Normal, like all the towns in this part of the State, appears to be almost at a stand. It is, however, a beautiful village, noted all over the West for its fine appearance; for the intelligence and culture of its citizens; and is very specially remarkable for the trees which are so strikingly beautiful. But as we have touched more fully upon each of these topics in other portions of this work, we will uot here enlarge upon them.
Quite a large number of the best families living in Normal have become citizens since 1864, having come here for the express purpose of rearing their children in the most moral and best behaved community they could find with first-class educational advantages. Many of these families had accumulated enough property at farming or other business for a comfortable support, and have here built or purchased homes where they can attend to the education of their children. This element of society is a very important one, and, added to others that are equal in all respects, gives the town a good name and a permanency that it is hoped will grow with time until Normal will become a place of national reputation.
TREES.
Normal has obtained an enviable reputation for its beautiful trees and shrubbery. At the time of the locaton of the State Normal University, as we have stated, the town was a bare, wild-looking piece of prairie, enlivened occasionally by the smoke and noise of a few railroad trains, and then relapsing into desolate quiet. A beginning had been made, however, by Mr. Jesse W. Fell, in that great tree-planting enterprise in which he took such a loving interest. In the year 1856, he had planted a large number at North Bloomington, and at the very time of the visit of the State Board of Education to view the site for the Normal University, in 1857, his men were busy at tree-planting on the public highways. The fact of the start thus already made, together with the
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interest then awakened in the matter of ornamental shrubbery, by such men as Cyrus R. Overman, O. M. Coleman, W. H. Mann and F. K. Phoenix, all living in the town- ship, and all enthusiastic tree-planters, went far to convince the members of that Board that the young institution would fall into good hands, and its future be watched by careful men, if it should be located at this point ; and the more than twenty thousand beautiful trees at Normal, with the successful twenty-two years' growth of the Normal University, bear united witness to the foresight of the men of 1857. The zeal and enthusiasm of Mr. Fell in the subject of trees on our publie highways, found vent before he had fairly commeneed his labors, by giving names of trees to the streets of North Bloomington, at the time of recording its plat in the Circuit Clerk's office.
Proceeding from west to east, we find Maple, Walnut, Oak, Linden and Elm streets ; from Sycamore, going south, we come successively to Poplar, Cypress, Willow, Locust, Cherry, Mulberry and Ash streets. Is not this an atmosphere of verdure ? How could the new town help growing as the trees grew, fresh, graceful, ever increasing with each annual effort ?
The planting of shade-trees in double rows in such a manner that the sidewalks are overhung by the two rows, is a novel feature-one that is duplicated in but few places in the land. It is said that Germantown, Penn., has similarly shaded sidewalks. This is the distinguishing feature of Normal. The number of these trees planted adja- cent to sidewalks is in the neighborhood of six thousand. There are a little over nine miles of streets thus shaded. There have been planted, in the streets, within the lots, upon the grounds belonging to the State at the two institutions, and in private parks, the larger part of the whole under the direct care and supervision of Mr. Fell, over thirty-five thousand trees, including shade, shelter and fruit trees. These trees now range in height from twenty to fifty feet, and give the town in summer the appearance of being one vast. ornamented park, with a few houses in sight, the church-spires, even, being then visible only at a distance of a few blocks. Well may Normal be proud of these shade-trees, which are monuments to the memory of those who planned and exe cuted the immense work of transplanting, guarding and training these beautiful objects.
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