History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 193

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875

USA > Illinois > Cook County > History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time > Part 193

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).

JAMES PITTAWAY was born In 1839 in Welford, Glouces- tershire, England, being one of ten children of Edmundl and Alice ( I Jarris) Pittaway. Having received an academic education in Welford, young l'ittawny was regularly indentured to the grocery business, which in one branch or another he has since followed. In 1865 he came to the United States and settled in Chicago, where he oldained employment as salesman in his line In 186g he went back to England, and in 1872 again came to Chicago, taking the position of tea-buyer in a grocery house. In 1875 he went into business on his own account, and in 1878 bought out the Great China Tea Company, which he still owns. Ilis first wife died in 1873, leaving four daughters. In 1876 he married Nellie Lynch, of Chicago, a native of Massachusetts, of Irish parentage. They have three children, of whom two are sons-Frederick Dale, born in 1878, and George Edmund, born in 1881. They are attendants at the services of I'rof, Swing's Central Church, and went to reside at Normal in April. 1882.

ASA R. SWIFT, superintendent telegraph departinent C., R. 1. & P. R. R. Co., was born at l'helps, Ontario Co., N. V., in 1837, and began the study of telegraphy in 1855 with the New York, Albany & Buffalo Telegraph Company at Canandaigua, N. 1. Early in 1858 he came to Chicago and entered the employment of John F. Tracey, president of the C., R. I. & P. R. R. Co. as operator and clerk, remaining with him eight years. In August, 1867, he was appointed to his present position. Mr. Swift has made his home at Normalville since May, 1880.

Digizedby Google

708

HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

SOUTH LYNN

South Lynn lies between Sixty-third and Sixty- seventh streets, and Western and Ashland avenues. It was platted in 1870, but has never grown rapidly and to-day has only a few residents. It has a school but no churches.

AUBURN.

Auburn is a vicinity at the corner of Wallace and Seventy-sixth streets, and beginning between the tracks of the Western Imliana and the Rock Island railroads. It was platted in 1872 and is now a growing suburban settlement. The Abbott Buggy & Carriage Manufact- uring Company have built a large four-story factory here which will be in operation by the spring of 1884.

The first settlers of this vicinity were the Schafers, Schorlings, Sutherlands, Henkervilles, Deercups, Schultzs and Meeters. Of the last named family, Mr. Meeters, Sr., died in 1859. The first post-office here was known as Cummorn, and was established in 1850, with Mr. Schafer, of the Ten Mile House, Postmaster.

In March, 1883, the name was changed to Auburn; T. J. Nelson is the present Postmaster.

The Auburn Public School was erected in 1876, under the authority of school directors, August Scher- ling, Frank T. Haynes, and Mathew Ciscle. The building is large and commodious in its arrangement being admirably adapted for the purpose for which it is intended. The cost of the structure was $15,000. The trains of the Chicago & Rock Island, the Chicago & Eastern Illinois, the Chicago, Louisville & New Albany. and the Chicago & Atlantic Railroads pass through the place, affording the best of facilities for reaching the city at all times.

SOUTH BRIGHTON,

South Brighton lies between Thirty-ninth and Forty. third streets and west of Western Avenue. It is quite a little settlement. The Moran Public School is located here.

Arnoldsville, or New City, is that portion of the town of Lake lying west and south of the Stock Yards; it is rapidly increasing in population, and in growth and pros- perity fully keeps pace with other portions of the town.

HISTORY OF LAKE VIEW TOWNSHIP.

The history of the early settlement of what is now North Chicago, with that of the southern portion of the present town of Lake View, is so intimately connecteil as to form almost the same topic. It is quite well known that the huts built by the Clybourne family narrowly escaped being erected within the bounds of Lake View. The oldest living settler within the present limits of the town, however, if not actually the earliest in point of time, is Frederick Sulzer, who moved with his parents to what is now Ravenswood, in 1837. His father, Con- rad, settled upon the same land, although not upon the same spot which the son now occupies. Mr. Sulzer died in 1873; Mrs. Sulzer is still living with her son, who is a florist by trade. During the same year Sam- uel Rohrer, a live-stock dealer, settled at what is now Rose Hill, but, after a season, moved to Evanston, For several years thereafter there appears to have been a hesitation on the part of pioneers to fix their stakes within the present limits of Lake View. Between 1844 and 1847, however, quite a number of farmers settled on the Ridge-road, between Rose Hill and Evanston, among others David Hood, John Beck, Peter Bletsch, Henry Fortmann, Joseph Klein, John Tillman, Henry Reinberg, Michael Breit, Peter Rinn, Frank Schmitt and Peter Muno. The parents of Peter Schaefer and Nicholas Mann located near Rose Hill in 1846. Mr. Schaefer's parents now reside in Evanston, where they first located, he himself carrying on the old farm. Mr Mann has lost both of his parents, his father dying in January, 1874, and his mother in September, 1882. Mi- chacl and Margaret Hansen located in the town during the year > 847, their son who keeps a restaurant at Rose Hill, being born in April, 1859. Peter Reinberg, who still carries on the farm which his father purchased in >848, and upon which his mother lives, was born in March. 1858. He therefore is among the oldest resi- cents of Lake View who were born within its bounda- ries, In 1850 Nicholas Mueller came from Cleveland

and located near Rose Hill Cemetery, Michael Weber came to Ridgeville in 1852, and purchased his farm front John Anderson. Among other early settlers may be mentioned Nathan D. Parker (1861), now deceased, a lawyer formerly associated with Matt. Carpenter, at Beloit, Wis .; Thomas Moulding, who established the first brick yard on Southport Avenue, in 1862; John McConnell, since 1863 a member of the Board of Edu- cation ; Sebastian Kiel and Michael Simon, settlers of 1863 ; Nicholas Girsch, an early blacksmith, and J. H. Anderson, Postmaster at Havelock, settlers of 1864 ; William Miller, carly brick manufacturer, who came 10 the town in 1865, and died in 1880 : Charles Teuchert, who located at Graceland with his parents in 1866 ; Dr. Truman W. Miller, Surgeon of the Marine Hospital some years, J. S. Birkeland, assistant superintendent of Graceland Cemetery, and Charles Lindemann, nursery. man, settlers of 1867 ; and E. M. Brainard, in the County Clerk's office, also a resident of nearly eighteen years' standing.

Lake View Settlement .- One of the most noteworthy events in the history of the town was the opening of the Lake View House, on the 4th of July, 1854. It was situated (and is still standing) south of Albert Street (Graceland Avenue: on the lake shore. The ho- tel was built by James H. Recs and Elisha E. Hundley. and was intended to be the nucleus of a settlement. It was a three-story wooden structure of generous pro- portions, and its opening was made the occasion of a grand jubilee and dinner, which Cassius M. Clay at- tended and, presumably, enjoyed. There were present many of the brilliant men of Chicago, speeches were made, and everything passed off smoothly and wuh joy. The hotel was rapidly filled-principa ly by chul cra refugees from the city. As the projectors of the Lake View House intended, in the vicinity of the hotel a number of fine residences were erected, among other- those of S. B. Chase, S. H. Kerfoot. John B. Le Moyne,

Dig zedby Google

709

HISTORY OF LAKE VIEW.

H. G. Spofford, Dr. Thomas Sim, James B. Waller, Hundley, George W. Snow, T. M. Bradley, Charles Cookson and Edgar Sanders. The present subdivision of Pine Grove covers what was then the settlement of Lake View, most of the above gentlemen owning quite extensive tracts of land in this vicinity and around the Marine Hospital. In the autumn of 1854 the property owners, who had clustered around the Lake View House, proceeded to construct a plank road from the city. It was called the lake View Plank- road, and followed the Green Bay road from Fullerton Avenue to Diversey Street, and thence north on what is now Evanston Avenue to Sulzer Street.

Organisation .- When a number of citizens, princi- pally residents of '" Andersonville " and vicinity, as- sembled at the school-house, which had lately been com- pleted, to make arrangements for holding the first township election of Lake View, they had (uncon- sciously, perhaps) commenced to make history for the future. I. S. Shippy was moderator of that meeting and John Mauritzen clerk. It was resolved that the election be held April 7, 1857, and that $175 be raised for town expenses. The old school-house, just mentioned, still stands at the extreme northeasterly corner of the subdi- vision, called Andersonville. There was something of a contest between Robert Edson and S. H. Kerfoot, candidates for the office of Supervisor, and both of them filed their certificates of election, but Mr. Edson was finally successful. Sixty-four votes were cast. Su- pervisor Edson, feeling no doubt elevated at his good fortune, proceeded to purchase the first record-book of Lake View, wherein to enter the doings of moment which had transpired and those which were to happen. The exact time, when Mr. Edson reached down into his own pocket to accomplish this matter, is fixed by an entry which still appears on the fly-leaf of the musty volume, and which reads in this wise :

" Bought, June 16, 1857, by Robert Edson, Super- visor of Lake View Township. Price, 82.50. Dedi- cated to the Township Clerk of Lake View Township."

The entire ticket elected in April, 1857, was as fol- lows; Robert Edson, Supervisor; Conrad Sulzer, Assess- or ; Nicholas Kranz, Collector; John Mauritzen, Town- ship Clerk; Isaac C. Shippey, Justice of the Peace; Lewis A. Brown, Jacob Wolf and Francis Baer, Commission- ers of Highways; John Rees, Constable; John Bugner, Overseer of the Poor. The Commissioners of lligh- ways at once held a meeting, and divided the town into two districts, No. 1 comprising all the territory from the city limits north to Albert Street (Graceland Avenue), and No. 2 everything between Graceland Avenue and the northern line of the township. The next year, James H. Rees was elected Supervisor, and continued to hold that position until after the town was incorporated.

The town (then the township) of Lake View was organized under its charter in February, 1865. The act was approved by Governor Oglesby on the 16th of that month. Following is a roster of officers from March of that year up to date:

Supervisors .- James H. Reese, March to Novem- ber, 1865; Charles W. Colehour, November, 1865, to November, 1866; Edward Foster, November, 1866, to November, 1868; Timothy M. Bradley, November, 1868, to November, 1870; Robert R. Clark, November, 1870, to November, 1871; Belden F. Culver, November, 1871, to April, 1873 (change in law); Samuel B. Chase, April, 1873, to April, 1875; Frederick Sulzer, April, 1875, to April, 1876; Seth F. Hlanchett, April, 1876, to April, 1878; John N. Hills, April, 1878, to April, 1879; Edgar Sanders, April, 1879, to April, 1882; George W. Parks,

April, 1882, to April, 1883; Sebastian Werdel, April, 1883. to April, 1884.

Assessors,-Nicholas Kranz, March, 1865, to No- vember, 1869; Edward M. Barnard, November, 1869, to Noveniber, 1870; Martin Van Allen, November, 1870, to November, 1871; Edward M. Barnard, November, 1871, to April, 1873; Nicholas Kranz, April, 1873, to April, 1874; Adam J. Weckler, April, 1874, to April, 1879; Eli P. Chatfield, April, 1879, to April, 1882; Ber- nard F. Weber, April, 1882, to April, 1883; Eli P. Chat- field, April, 1883, to April, 1884.

Commissioners of Highways .- District No. 1: Sam- uel B. Chase, March, 1865, to November, 1865; Timo- thy M. Bradley, November, 1865, to November, 1868, Frederick Sulzer, November, 1868, to April, 1875: Ed- win P. Goode, April, 1875, to April, 1881 ; Frederick W. Labahn, April, 1881, to April, 1884.

District No. 2: Louis A. Brown, March, 1865, to November, 1866; Robert R. Clark, November, 1866, to November, 1869; Edgar Sanders, November, 1869, to April, 1873; Jacob C. Schieswohl, April, 1873, to April, 1876; Felix F. Canda, April, 1876, to April, 1879; Washington Van Horn, April, 1879, to April, 1882; Charles M. Netterstrom, April, 1882, to April, 1885.

District No. 3 : Nicholas Mann. March, 1865, to November, 1867 ; Michacl Weber, November, 1867, to April, 1874 ; Peter Schafer, April, 1874, to April, 1880 ; Nicholas Hanson, April, 1880, to April, 1883 ; George H. Carver, April, 1883, to date.

Clerks .- Until the amendment to the charter March 5. 1867, the Assessor acted as Clerk of the board. Since then the Town Clerks have been as follows : William E. Dye, March, 1867, to November, 1867 ; Frederick Sul- zer, March, 1867, to November, 1868 ; George Wol- fram, March, 1868, to November, 1870; James A. Colehour, March, 1870, to March, 1871 ; James J. Wil- son, March, 1871, to April, 1875 ; Henry C. Bradley, April, 1875, to April, 1878 ; James J. Wilson, April, 1878, to date.

Collectors .- Baptist Portmann, March, 1865, to No- vember, 1866 ; Mathias Honvlez, November, 1866, to November, 1867 ; Baptist Portmann, November, 1867, to November, 1869 ; Jeremiah Waldron, November, 1869, to April, 1873 ; Robert Greer, April, 1873. to April, 1876 ; Oscar Charles, April, 1876, to April, 1883 ; Frank O. Parker, April, 1883, to April, 1884.

Besides these officers there are elected annually three Overseers of Highways, one school trustee, and every four years four Justices of the Peace, four Constables, and one Police Magistrate. The "town authorities," so called, consist of the Board of Trustees, which under the charter is composed of the Supervisor, Assessor, and and the three Commissioners of Highways. The boun- daries of the town are as follows : " All of sections 6, 7, 18 and 19, and that part of Section 30 lying east of Western Avenue and the North Branch of the Chicago River ; all of sections 17, 20 and 29: also all of frac- tional sections 5, 8, 16, 21 and 28, lying west of Lake Michigan ; being all that part of Township 40 north, of Range 14 east, of the third principal meridian, bounded on the north by the north line of sections 5 and 6, on the south by Fullerton Avenue, on the east by Lake Michigan, and on the west hy the north and south center line of Western Avenue and the North Branch of the Chicago River. It is also divided into three road districts. No. I comprises all that territory lying south of the center line of Graceland Avenne and north of the center line of Fullerton Avenue : No. 2, north of the center line of Graceland Avenue and south of the cen- ter line of North Fifty-ninth Street; No. 3, north of

710

HISTORY OF COOK COUNTY.

the center line of North Fifty-ninth Street to the north boundary line of sections 5 and 6. The town has juris- diction over the waters of Lake Michigan bordering upon it to the extent of three miles, and to prevent or punish any pollution or injury to the source of water supply to the water works, also five miles beyond its corporate limits.

In 1872, at a cost of $17,000, was built the Lake View town hall. It stands on the corner of Halsted and Addison streets, and contains the public offices on the first floor and a large assembly hall in the upper story. The latter is used not only for municipal pur- poses, but for concerts, lectures and religious services. The town hall is a red brick building of fine, substantial appearance, and serves its purposes admirably.

The town is well protected from fire, both by reason of its fine system of water works and the organized de- partment. A new hose house is about to be erected on Clark Street near Belmont Avenue.

The first town police force was formed April 2, 1866, and composed of four persons-William E. Dye, Robert Edson, Luther Smith and A. C. Wood. Sebastian Wer- del is the present superintendent of the force, having three assistants. R. S. Andrews is Police Magistrate.

The Board of Health consists of Sebastian Werdel, Eli P. Chatfield and J. J. Wilson.

The post-offices of the town are three: Havelock (at Rosehill Station), J. H. Anderson, Postmaster; Ravenswood, W. H. Bryan; Wright's Grove, C. S. Wells.

The settlement of Ravenswood commences with 1868. 'This is the only portion of the town which might be called an imposing village, although quite a collection of buildings have sprung up in the vicinity of Rose Hill Cemetery, or Havelock, as the post-office is called. Rose Hill and Graceland cemeteries are, without doubt, among the most artistically laid out of any in the country. Lincoln Park is continued, on the lake shore, along the entire eastern boundary of the town. The wide and beautiful drives leading from North Chicago to these cemeteries are among the attractions of this portion of the county. Lake View has two other rail- road stations, Belle Plaine depot and Summerdale. Henrytown and Andersonville, to the east of Rose Hill Cemetery, are sublivisions which have been laid out, but are now sparsely settled. Pine Grove, another sub- division, is east of Graceland. The southern part of the town is quite thickly settled, and if it were not for that arbitrary "town line," no one would imagine but that it was a portion of Chicago.

Town Schools .- Lake View is as well supplied with schools of a high grade as any town in the county; notwithstanding which fact there are over one hundred children unable to obtain schooling, because of the over- crowded condition of the eight buildings which protect their more fortunate comrades. The school board of trustees are as follows: John N. Hills (president), Franz Baer and A. S. Maltman ; Seth F. Hanchett, secretary and treasurer. School No. 1 is situated on Evanston Avenue, corner of School. The original building is over twenty years old, but the main portion of the two-story brick structure was erected in 1879. The property is valued at $22,000. Amelia Holcomb is principal of No. 1.

School No. 2 is located on Diversey Street, corner of Seminary Avenue ; the building a two-story brick edi- fice. In 1878 a four-room building was erected, while n 188z the accommodations were increased to fourteen rooms. The school-house is one of the most substan- tial in the town ; value of property, $45,000. Lena E. Troendle is principal.

School No. 3, corner of Wrightwood Avenue and Ashland, was erected in 1882, the pupils being under the care of Margaret Fitch. The value of the property is $18,000.

School No. 4, corner of Orchard and Wrightwood avenues, has eight rooms, and is one of the finest dis- trict school buildings in the county. It was completed last year (1883), and with the site, is valued at $22,000. Gertrude E. Williams has been transferred as principal of No. 3 to the same position in No. 4.

No. 5 school building, on Belmont Avenue, near Hoyne, has three rooms, and was removed, being the old frame structure occupied as No. 2. Miss A. T. Shockley keeps the scholars in hand.

In addition to the above, there is a branch primary school at Ravenswood, known as Ravenswood School No. 1, corner of Sulzer and Paulina streets, J. F. Klet- zing principal ; an ungraded school at Andersonville, taught by Mrs. Mary W. Jackson ; and the Rose Hill School, the brick building being erected in 1882, and the the pupils taught by Mr. Williams.

The five most important schools of the town are in District No 1, the total value of the property being §112,000. The bonded debt is $89,000; school popu- lation in June, 1883, 3,305 ; number of children, 4,665 ; total population, 12,824.

The population of the town is about 19,000.

Lake View High School .- In March, 1873, the legal voters of the township of Lake View presented the treasurer with a petition for the establishment of a high school. At the annual election for the choice of a trus- tee the citizens decided in favor of a high school and the Township Trustees became directors of the proposed new institution. It was resolved to hold an election for the choice of a site, but before the arrival of the day fixed upon, the Graceland Cemetery submitted a proposition offering the present site, on condition that the building cost not less than $15,000, and be erected within two years. A decision having been made in fa- vor of the site, on the corner of Graceland and Ashland avenues in August, bonds were issued to the required amount. The plans submitted by S. M. Randolph were accepted, and the contract for erecting the structure was awarded to Jens Oleson for $16,000. The first blow upon the new building was struck on the ist of Seplein- ber, 1873, and opened to the public on the 29th of April, 1874. On the 4th of May the school was formally or- ganized, with the following corps of teachers : Princi- pal, A. F. Nightingale, A. M., Omaha, Neb. ; first as- sistant, Agnes R. Walker, Montpelier, Vt. ; second as. sistant, Julia A. Lord, Washington ; teacher of French, Mlle. Louise Appleberg, Lake View ; teacher of music, H. T. Merrill, Chicago. The school structure is of brick, substantially and tastefully constructed. On the first floor are twoschool rooms and two recitation rooms. The second floor is divided into a spacious auditorium, principal's office, library and laboratory.

Since the establishment of the high school, fifty- seven pupils have graduated from it, a large number of whom have entered college, and many of the others are now teachers in the county. Forty-eight diplomas and over $300 in money, offered as premiums in the com- petitive educational contests of the State, have been awarded to the Lake View High School, which certainly stands in the front rank with the best public schools of higher grade in the West. The present faculty is as fol- lows : A. F. Nightingale, A. M., principal and teacher of ancient languages ; Mary T. Cochrane, mathematics and literature ; James H. Norton, A. B., natural sci-

Digitized by Google

711

HISTORY OF LAKE VIEW.

ences ; Laura C. Hills, French and Latin ; Clara Klemm, German ; Mrs. Fannie O. Nightingale, music.

The Lake Viete Water Works were first put in oper- ation on the ist of May, 1876. They are situated on Sulzer Street, corner of Halsted, and consist of two pumps, and five engines, with appropriate and substantial buildings. In the fall of 1877 the second pump was started, having the same capacity as the first-2,000,000 gallons every twenty-four hours. John N. Cole had charge of the construction of the works, and A. S. Gurnee was the first chief engineer, and holds that posi- tion at the present time. The water furnished the town of Lake through this fine system of works is drawn from the lake 1,700 feet from the shore line. Over

Australia and New Zealand. Buiklings and lumber yards cover an area of twenty-five acres.

Northwestern Terra Cotta Works, No. 988 Clybourn Avenue, were established in 1878, being removed to their present location from the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Mills Street in the spring of 1883. Over $300,000 worth of terra-cotta goods, of an ornamental and architectural nature, are manufactured annually. These wares are shipped all over the West, many of the buildings in the city of Chicago being adorned with the tasteful work. The manufactory of the Northwestern Terra Cotta Works is three stories in height, with base- ment, its size 220x120 feet, and between 185 and 200 men are employed.

LINCOLN PARK IN JEL.Y.

thirty miles of pipe are now laid from the main, $125 .- ooo in bonds having been voted for the building of the works, in June 1875.

Manufacturing Interests .- The manufactories of the town of Lake View consist of the Deering Harvester Works, the North Chicago Malleable Iron Works, and the Northwestern Terra Cotta Works.

The Deering's Harvester Works, on Fullerton Ave- nuc, were lir-t established at Plano, Ill., in 1858. In 1869 William Deering became associated with E. H. Gammon, the firm being Gammon & Deering. Mr. Gammon retired from the firm in 1879, and in 1880 the works were removed to their present location, being then owned and conducted by Mr. Deering alone. On January 1, 1884, the firm name was changed to William Deering & Co., Charles and James E. Deering, sons of the senior proprietor, being admitted to partnership. They now employ some fifteen hundred men, and manu- facture more self-binders, reapers, mowers, etc., than any other establishment of the kind in the world, their business extending over this country, South America,

The North Chicago Malleable Iron Works were established November 1, 1882, the buildings consisting of two frame structures, one 64x112 feet, the other 64 x154 feet. The machinery consists of a boiler and engine, two annealing ovens, and one cupola. William Deering & Co. came into possession of the works, which are situated north of the terra cotta works, in November, 1883. Their total cost is $20,000, and the value of the annual product from $60,000 to $75,000.

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.

History of Cook County, Illinois From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, Part 193

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas Number of Pages: 875

Author: Andreas, A. T. (Alfred Theodore), 1839-1900
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Chicago : A.T. Andreas
Number of Pages: 875