USA > Illinois > Cass County > History of Cass county, Illinois > Part 13
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Odd Fellowship, the twin-sister of Free Masonry, though comparatively modern in organization, possesses the same virtues, and exerts the same wide-spread influence for good. It is represented in Virginia by Saxon Lodge No. 68, which was instituted in Virginia by Deputy Grand Master James Leonard, March 14, 1850, with P. O. Bryan, N. B. New- man, R. S. Lord, I. N. White, Charles Boyd, W. H. H. Carpenter, and William Collins charter members. The first officers were: R. S. Lord, N. G .; W. H. H. Carpenter, V. G .; I. N. White, Secretary; and N. B. New- man, Treasurer. Charles E. Lippincott (now General Lippincott), was the first member admitted into the new lodge. He was a mem- ber of Illini Lodge No. 4, at Jacksonville, and as soon as Saxon Lodge was instituted, took out his card of withdrawal, presented it for admission to this lodge, and was elected a member. H. H. Hall, now of Jacksonville, was the first initiate, being elected and in- itiated at the first meeting.
The first hall or place of meeting used by the lodge, was in a church that stood near where Traphagan's livery stable now stands, · and was burned in 1872. This building was used for town hall political meetings, school
house, and preaching place for all religions denominations, and was not the most secret and retired room for the meetings of a lodge. It was used however, for four years, and in 1854, the lodge moved to the upper room of the frame building on the southwest corner of the square, now occupied by D. J. McCon- nell as a grocery store. After remaining here two years, it was moved to the West End, where most of the business of the town was then done, and occupied the brick building now used by Harry Thompson as a residence. In 1860, it bought the property now owned by J. G. Campbell, and occupied by the Dan Leonard saloon, on the west side of the square. It used the upper story for a lodge room, and rented the lower story until 1864, when, owing to the rapid increase of membership, which had reached fifty-four, it became necessary to again move to larger quarters, and the prop- erty was sold to Mr. Campbell, and the lodge rented the room over the Farmers' National Bank, which gave it very commodious quart- ers. With the proceeds of the sale of its old building, it bought the lot on the north side of the square, on which it afterward built a hall. It bought also at the same time the lot adjoining it on the east. The lodge remain- ed, however, in the room in the bank build- ing until 1872, during which time it had ac- cumulated something over $1,300. It now determined to build on its own lots, and ac- cordingly contracted for a brick building 20x80 feet, two stories high, to cost about $5,000, and with its $1,300 issued bonds to the amount of $3,700, which were sold, and in the fall of the same year the building was completed. The lower room was occupied by John Rodgers' furniture store, and the upper room was occupied jointly by the Odd Fel- lows' and Masonic Lodges. The crisis of 1873-74 caused many of its members to drop out of the lodge, and the debt under which the lodge was laboring so embarrassed it,
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
that in 1881, after struggling long and hard against many difficulties, it succeeded in re- ducing its debt to 82,600, had $175 in the treasury, and but twenty-two members on the roll. Under this state of circumstances it proposed to the bond-holders to give them the $175, and a deed to the property, to be released from all further obligation, which was accepted. The lodge then rented the upper room for one year, and at the close of 1881, rented the suit of rooms now occupied in the Skiles building, on the southwest cor- ner of the square, and moved into thiem in January, 1882. Here it has one of the best arranged halls in Central Illinois, and at the present time (1882), has a membership of over ninety, comprised of the best men in the county.
The present officers of Saxon Lodge are as follows : Henry H. Berry, N. G., Geo. L. Warlow, V. G., Geo. J. Kelly, Recording Secretary; George R. Berry, Permanent Secre- tary, and Matt Yaple, Treasurer.
Advance Encampment No. 129, was insti- tuted November 29, 1871, at Paxton, Ford County, Ill., and the charter members were Stacey Daniels, A. F. Blake, Charles Guth- man, Dan. Guthman and H. C. Funk. The original charter was destroyed and a new one issued by T. Warren Floyd, Grand Patriarch, October 13, 1874. The Encampment was re- moved to Virginia, and re-organized under a dispensation June 23, 1880, from W. E. Carlin, Grand Patriarch. The first officers at Virginia were S. M. Colladay, C. P., F. E.
Downing, H. P., A. A. Leeper, S. W., S. P. Henderson, J. W., C. W. Black, Scribe, and J. W. Wilson, Treasurer. The present officers are: E. D. C. Woodward, C. P., Jas. A. Mar- tin, H. P., H. H. Berry, S. W., S. M. Colladay, J. W., J. W. Stanley, Treasurer, and F. E. Downing, Scribe. The Encampment has now about thirty members, and is in a flour- ishing condition. It owns no property, but uses the hall in common with the lodge.
Illini Lodge No. 854, Knights of Honor, was organized January 16, 1878, with the following charter members: J. B. Black, C. W. Black, W. W. Bishop, C. A. Bruce, John Black, J. T. Black, George Conover, C. A. Crandall, F. E. Downing, J. M. Epler, W. W. Easley, H. D. Freeman, M. Graves, James Hunt, C. M. Hubbard, Reuben Lancaster, WVm. Murray, T. L. Matthews, T. A. Morrison, E. T. Oliver, W. B. Payne, J. L. Richardson, J. W. Rearick, J. W. Savage, C. N. Savage, J. H. Tureman, J. W. Virgin, N. S. Vance, Jno. H. Wood, W. W. Walker, D. T. Walk- er, D. N. Walker and J. B. Vanderventer. They have paid out for widows and orphans' benefit fund about $2,000, and have lost two members. The officers are T. L. Matthews, P. D., M. Graves, D., C. W. Black, V. D., J. W. Savage, A. D., W. W. Easley, G., J. L. Richardson, C., Wm. Murray, R., C. A. Bruce, F. R., George Conover, T., W. W. Bishop, G., W. W. Walker, Sentinel, J. B. Black, J. H. Wood and D. N. Walker, Trustees.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
CHAPTER XI .*
BEARDSTOWN-CITY AND PRECINCT-LAYING OUT OF THE TOWN-ITS LOCATION-OR- GANIZATION-FIRST OFFICERS-THE COUNTY SEAT QUESTION-CHURCHES- SCHOOLS -- THE PRESS-RAILROADS-THE PROFESSIONS -- EARLY SET- TLERS-BUSINESS INTERESTS-WAR RECORD, ETC.
THOMAS BEARD and Enoch C. March entered the northeast quarter of Section 15, in Township 18, North of Range 12 West, on Sept. 23, 1826, and Oct. 8, 1827; the same parties entered the northwest quarter of said section. Thomas Beard entered the west half of the southwest quarter of the afore- said section on Oct. 10, 1827, and March and Beard also on the same date entered fraction- al section 10 in said Township, embracing all the lands upon which Beardstown is now lo- cated, except the southeast quarter of section 15, and the west half of section 14, which two last mentioned tracts were donated by Congress, in lieu of the deficiency of section 16 for school purposes. The School Commis- sioner of Morgan county divided this land into 173 blocks and fractional blocks, which was designated as the School Commissioners' addition to Beardstown, and the first sale or blocks in said addition was on April 16, 1832, - when seventy-five blocks were sold therein, and the remaining blocks were subject to pri- vate entry at affixed prices.
The original town of Beardstown was laid off and platted by Enoch C. March and Thom- as Beard, Sept. 9, 1829, and recorded at Jack- sonville, Morgan County, in Book B, page 228.
The town having grown rapidly, an addi- tion was made, called " March & Beard's" ad- dition to Beardstown, recorded March 6, 1833. Soon afterward, Mr. March, having sold his
interest in Beardstown to N. A. Ware, atı- other addition was made by Beard & Ware May 10, 1836, and also a further addition was made by Beard & Arenz, July 1, 1837.
There were also additions made to Beards- town by John Ayres, David Clendenin, A. B. Dennison, and many school blocks have been subdivided into lots.
The location of Beardstown is a very favor- able one, being situated on the Illinois River, about midway between Peoria and St. Louis. It is connected directly with St. Louis and Chicago, by the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, and with Springfield and Southwestern Illinois to the Ohio River at Shawneetown, by the Ohio & Mississippi Railway. Another railway from Burlington to the Ohio River is contemplated, running through Beardstown, which in all probability will soon be built.
For purposes of manufacturing, Beardstown is not surpassed by any town in Illinois, pos- sessing all facilities; for there is plenty of water at all times, and coal, timber and other building materials can be obtained in its im- mediate neighborhood.
The first licensed ferry across the Illinois River was granted by the County Commis- sioners of Schuyler County, to Thomas Beard June 5, 1826.
The first organization of the town govern- ment of Beardstown, was by the election of a Board of Trustees in September, 1834. Hay- wood Reed was elected President of the Board; John B. Fulks, Clerk; Edward Tull,
* By Judge J. A. Arenz.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
Assessor; Martin S. Trent, Collector; Isaac C. Spence, Treasurer; William H. Nelms, Supervisor.
The first set of ordinances were passed Sept. 22, 1834.
This town government continued from year to year, by the election of new officers, until Feb. 4, 1850, when a eity organization was established.
" By an act of the General Assembly of March 3, 1837, declaring the County of Cass to be one of the counties of the State of Illi- nois, Beardstown, the largest town in Cass County, and having the most numerous popu- lation in said town and immediate vicinity, was designated to be the county seat, pro- vided the citizens or corporation of Beards- town raise the sum of $10,000, to defray the expenses of erecting public buildings, and that the Corporation of Beardstown shall be allowed the period of one, two and three years, for the payment of said sum, in three equal payments. The court house shall be erected on the publie square of Beardstown."
At that time it was not a very easy matter to raise $10,000 at short notice, and the handy mode of running a town in debt by the issuing of bonds had not then been discovered. There was also a great diversity of opinion among the people of Beardstown; some would much rather pay nothing, alleging that the county ought to pay for its own buildings; others objected to erecting the buildings on the public square; and others, although wil- ling to furnish their proportion of the funds required, were unwilling to foot the bill alone.
Therefore, in order to raise the amount re- quired upon equal terms, an act of the legis- lature was obtained July 21, 1837, authoriz- ing the corporation to levy a tax of six per cent. per annum on all real estate in Beards- town, according to the value thereof, for the purpose of raising the sum of $10,000.
But the County Commissioners, then in office, Amos Bonney, Joshua P. Crow, and Geo. F. Miller, were determined to locate the county seat at Virginia.
February 24, 1838, the board of trustees at Beardstown appointed a committee to inform the County Commissioners that Beardstown will comply with the requirements of the law, establishing the county seat at Beardstown. This committee consisted of Thomas Graham, Edward Tull and Thomas R. Saunders, and having brought the matter by the County Com- missioners, reported to the town trustees that they had presented the matter to said County Commissioners' Court, while in session, and Mr. Bonney, the presiding officer of said court, had treated the same with contempt.
In March, 1838, another effort was made by the board of trustees to satisfy the Com- missioners' Court, if possible, by informing said court that Ben. H. Gatton had made proposals for building the court house and other public buildings at Beardstown, to which the following answer was returned by order of said court:
"To THOMAS WILBOURN, President of the " Board of Trustees, Beardstown.
"I am directed by the County Commis- " sioners' Court to inform you that they have "considered the propositions submitted to " them from B. H. Gatton through your "board, and regret that they do not feel "themselves authorized by law to acceed to " it.
" Signed, J. W. PRATT, Clerk."
The County Commissioners liad entered into an agreement with H. H. Hall, a resi- dent and large property holder of Virginia, on the 21st of April, 1838, for ereeting a court house and jail, at Virginia; and said Hall reported at the September term, 1839, that said buildings were completed ; where- upon the commissioners accepted the same, and notice was given at said September term,
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
1839, to the county officers, that their offices were ready for use in the court house at Vir- ginia.
The manner, in which the county seat of Cass was thus located was by no means satis- factory to the citizens of Beardstown, and the western portion of the county, and it is to be regretted, that out of this proceeding, arbi- trarily and highhanded, as some called it, and a desire that Beardstown again wished to obtain, what Virginia then had got, grew up that unfriendly feeling between these two places, which existed, and still exists, to the detriment of both.
That the county seat has never been any material benefit to either place, has been demonstrated, for each town has had it long enough to prove this. The only benefit in reality is the convenience of access to the records, offices and courts. The strife for county seat, between the two rival places, has cost the people immense sums of money, caused much hard feeling, and prevented or ruined many a useful enterprise.
The next election about the county seat resulted in favor of Beardstown, and at the March term of the County Commissioners' Court, H. E. Dummer, Esq., on behalf of the corporation of Beardstown, presented before said court, a deed from Thomas R. Saunders, to the County of Cass, for Lot 1, in Block 31, in Beardstown ; also a receipt from B. W. Schneider, contractor for building the court- house at Beardstown, and a receipt from Thomas Beard, contractor for the erection of a jail, and also the certificate of the suffi- eieney of said buildings from the Hon. Sam- uel D. Lockwood, presiding judge of the Cass Circuit Court; all of which papers were ordered to be filed. Upon which the Court adjourned, to meet at Beardstown, on Mon- day, March 3d, 1845. Beardstown remained in possession of the county seat until 1875, when it was removed to Virginia, after the
election in 1872 had been contested and car- ried through the courts, resulting finally in a decision that said election had been in favor of Virginia by a majority of eight votes.
Beardstown adopted a city organization on February 4, 1850, when the following persons had been elected as officers:
John A. Arenz, mayor ; Eli S. Houghton, marshal.
Aldermen of the 1st ward-Thomas Eyre and Jesse Riggins; 2nd ward, James Hope and Joseph Stehlin; 3rd ward, George Guenther and Jacob Ritcher.
S. Emmons was appointed eity clerk, and T. A. Hoffman, treasurer.
The present officers in 1882 are:
J. J. Beatty, mayor.
Aldermen of the 1st ward-H. C. Meyer and S. O. Buek; 2nd ward, B. F. Epler and H. B. Wilson; 3rd ward, H. Schmoldt and Henry Huge; 4th ward, George F. Frauman and H. Sehroeder.
Charles E. Fulks, clerk; Franklin A. Ham- mer, treasurer; J. G. Liston, marshal.
Churches .- The first church was erected in 1841 or 1842, at the corner of Fifth and Washington Streets, and designated as, "the German Evangelical Church at Beardstown." Mr. Beard and wife executed an amended deed for the lot of ground, upon which it had been built in June, 1842.
Mr. George Kuhl, Christian Kuhl and Wil- liam Hemminghouse, were elected trustees of said church, to hold their offices until suc- cessors should be elected and qualified. The church was open to all denominations, and independently of synods, bishops or confer- ences. For some years it proved to be a very useful institution, filled to its full capacity on Sundays for worship, and for school purposes on other days of the week. After the expira- tion of several years, some of the most ortho- dox members came to the conclusion that, in addition to services on Sundays, there should
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
also be held prayer-meetings and religious exercises on certain evenings during the other days of the week. In this movement Mr. Hemminghouse and Mr. Geo. Kuhl were the leaders, and for a considerable time such meetings were held in the town school-house, or in a building on Main Street, belonging to Geo. Kuhl, and resulted finally in the organ- ization of the German Methodist Church, about the year 1845.
Although the German Evangelical Church continued on for several years, it decreased in members, because other religious societies had been established, erecting places of wor- ship of their own until finally it was dissolved as a church organization, and the building was sold in 1881, to Mr. H. T. Foster, who constructed it into a dwelling house, which he now occupies as a family residence.
The second church in Beardstown was erected at the corner of Third and Washing- ton Streets, in 1845, as a Presbyterian Church, but in February, 1850, the Congregational form of government was adopted, and it be- came, " the first Congregational Church at Beardstown."
Horace Billings and Dr. V. A. Turpin were the first deacons. Mr. Billings continued to hold office until his removal to Jacksonville in 1867. The Rev. Socrates Smith was the first minister of the church, and Dr. B. F. Grey is pastor now.
The Methodist Church was organized in Beardstown at an early day, supposed to be in the year 1837 or 1838, and a church was built on the corner of Fifth and State Streets in 1848, and an addition in 1874.
Rev. J. K. Miller is the present pastor. In the year 1846, the German Methodists erected a building for worship on State street, which was also used for school purposes. In 1848, when William Bauermeister was pastor, a difference arose between the members about sonie question of belief, or government, of the
nature of which we are not informed, and a division occurred, Mr. Bauermeister and thirty-two members withdrawing from the church and forming the Evangelical Lutheran Church.
In 1851, the German Methodists built their church at the corner of Fifth and State streets, and the old building was converted into a dwelling for the pastor.
The first pastor of the church was Peter Wilkens, and the present one is John Ritter.
The members who had withdrawn from the German Methodist Church with William Bauermeister organized as " the First Evan- gelical Lutheran Church at Beardstown," with William Bauermeister as pastor, and in 1848 erected a building used as church and school- house, and shortly afterward erected a church at the corner of 4th and Lafayette streets, in 1850. This church has a fine organ, and is well fitted ont. Rev. William Bauermeister was its pastor from May 22, 1848, until Oc- tober, 1850. The present pastor is Rev. John Bond.
The church increased rapidly in members, and in 1871, when Rev. Robert Knoll was its pastor, dissention arose between the members, and the result was that the pastor with his adherents withdrew, and established another Evangelical Lutheran Church on 6th street. This later church claims the same name as the former ; the one on 4th street adhered to the synod of Illinois, and is now connected with the general synod, whilst the church on 6th street is under the Missouri synod.
The first pastor of the 6th street church was Rev. Robert Knoll, and his successor is Paul Merbitz.
In 1871 the church on 6th street built a house, which was used for a place of worship and school purposes, and in 1873 erected a very neat church at the corner of 6th and Jefferson streets. This church contains a fine organ, and the windows are of stained glass.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
The erection of this church shows what can be accomplished by determined people. Al- though the number of members was small at first, they nevertheless put up buildings cost- ing over $8,000, without calling for any aid outside of its own members. Both the Lu- theran Churches are in a very flourishing con- dition. The services on Sundays are well attended, and each congregation keeps up a school, with a teacher.
The Catholic Church was built in 1855, on 5th street, and was considerably enlarged in 1860. Its present pastor is Rev. Father Weig- and.
Schools .- The first school-house was built by Thomas Beard and F. Arenz, in 1833, which was also used as a place of worship on Sundays.
In 1853 a commodious school-house was erected on block 36, on 4th street. This building and the former court-house are now used for public school purposes, but additional buildings are much needed.
The Catholics and two Lutheran Churches have also schools of their own. There is also outside of Beardstown a school-house near Casp. Stock's farm.
The enumeration of children in township 18, range 12, of which Beardstown alone contains nearly the whole population, in July, 1882, shows that there are
Males under 21 years. 797
Females .862
Total, 1,664
The population of Beardstown is about 5,000 inhabitants.
Newspapers at Beardstown .- The first newspaper was established by Francis Arenz, and was published in 1833 and 1834; Francis Arenz, editor, and J. B. Fulks, publisher. It was called The Beardstown Chronicle and Illinois Military Bounty Land Advertiser.
Then for some time there was no newspa-
per published here, until in 1845; Sylvester Emmons established and published The Beardstown Gazette, the first number being issued in August, 1845. At this time the newspapers nearest to this place were publish- ed, to wit: one at Jacksonville, two at Spring- field, two at Quincy, two at Peoria, and one at Burlington, Iowa. In 1846, the Gazette published the delinquent tax list for the counties of Cass, Mason, Schuyler and Brown, it being the only paper located nearest the county seat of the respective counties. This paper was continned by Mr. Emmons until 1852, when it was sold to C. D. Dickerson who published the paper about eighteen months; when it was sold to J. L. Sherman, who afterward sold out to B. C. Drake, who issued the paper, and for some time also pub- lished a daily; then the paper was published for a time by a Mr. Mitchell, and afterwards passed into the hands of L. U. Reavis. Mr. Reavis having published the paper for sever- al years, it passed into the hands of a com- mittee, composed of members of the Repub- lican party, of which J. A. Arenz was the chairman. This committee were the owners of the paper for several years, and it was published by different persons, until in 1867, the paper came into the hands of John S. Nicholson.
From the time of sale by Mr. Emmons, the name of the paper was alternately the Gaz- ette and Central Illinoisan, which latter name it still retains.
Mr. Nicholson has published the paper reg- ularly, and under many trying circumstances, to the present day. It was first located in the building known as "the Great Western," which burned down. Then he moved the printing office into the Billing's block, in the third story, when in the night of Nov. 26, 1875, the entire block was consumed by fire, which destroyed the press and everything be- longing to the office. The Illinoisan is now
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY.
published up stairs in the building owned by Sheriff Sielschott, on Main street. From its long publication, and faithfully and ably advo- cating the interest of Beardstown, it deserves the patronage of the citizens of Beardstown.
In 1876 another paper was established, called The Cass County Messenger, of which Mr. George Dann was editor and publisher. This paper was purchased by Joseph P. Sailor in 1880, who changed its name to Cuss County Democrat. The paper is published on the second floor of the building owned by the estate of H. Mohlmann, at the corner of Main and Jefferson streets. Mr. J. P. Sailor is its editor, and the paper is well gotten up and full of news.
The German newspaper was first established in 1877, by Rev. A. Schaberhorn, under the name of The Beobachter am Illinois Fluss. Mr. Schaberhorn being the editor and pro- prietor until 1878, when it was purchased by Mr. Theodore Wilkins, who edited the same under the name of The Beardstown Wochen- blatt, until his death in 1881, when the paper was purchased by Ross & Son, who continue to edit and publish the same.
This paper has a very large circulation, and is gotten up with considerable ability and in- dustry. It is of large size with a supplement to each number, and deserves the support and patronage it at present enjoys among its German readers.
Railroads .- When the era of railroads had come, causing a great revolution in business matters, benefiting some places, and cutting off the trade of towns which were not so for- tunate as to obtain a railroad, Beardstown was for some years at great disadvantage, and desperate efforts were made by its citizens to secure railroad facilities.
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