History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 40

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 826

USA > Illinois > Clark County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 40
USA > Illinois > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 40

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roofs in repairing any old, or in the construc- tion of any new buildings.

In the matter of revenue, the policy of the city has been to maintain a high protective tariff. The earlier schedule of license fees was almost prohibitory in effect, and even now the peddlers, auctioncers and proprietors of exhibitions, circuses, etc., contribute very considerably to the city revenue when they have the temerity to " bill the town." The whole range of business, even to butcher- shops, are protected. The liquor license is generally restrictive in principle, but inci- dentally adds very largely to the ineom . of the city treasury. This is a constant source of agitation in the council, and enters very largely into every municipal election. Under the present organization of the ciy, the action of the city authorities has varied from absolute prohibition, to license for fers rang- ing from $150 to $300 per annum. For the current year licenses are grantedt to saloons at $300, and to drug-stores for $100 per a'l- num, subject to a heavy indemnifying bond. The cause of this vacillation is largely polit- ical. There is in the city an influential mi- nority constant in its opposition to granting saloon licenses. Besides this factor, there is a floating vote, which vote for or against li- cense, as serves' their purpose, and this ele- ment maintains the balance of power between the two "constant quantities." Through the saloon influence the political fortunes of the hour are carried in favor of one political organization, when its opponent will turn about and bring the attack upon the enemy's stronghold by cutting off the license provis- ion. This is done by cajoling the floating vote, not upon temperance grounds, but upon political necessity. It is not unfre- quently the case that the council act in di- rect opposition to the expression of the peo- ple when the subject is submitted to a popu-

A. L. Firebaugh.

HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

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lar vote. The revenue derived is doubtless a very cogent argument, and under the ordi- nances there seems to be every facility for making the liquor business a very unprofit- able one, if carried on to the detriment of individuals or the public, provided the means supplied by law are used. In 1880, under the liquor-license regime, the revenue from business permits was $165 from saloons $1,200, and from fines $361; in 1881 no sa- loon hcenses being issued, business permits amounted to $211.65, and fines $200. In 1882 the licenses for liquor sales will prob- ably reach $1,600. The following gentlemen have been elected to the mayoralty of the city: 1870, James MeCabe; 1842, Thos. H. Sutton; 1879, Edwin IIarlan; 1881, D. S. MeMullen.

The early business growth of Marshall was not marked by more progressive tendencies than were exhibited in the administration of public affairs. For over thirty yea s the vil- lage was handicapped by competition with more successful and older towns, with a sur- rounding country not rapidly developed, nor largely productive, and by a lack of pub- lic-spirited men. It scarcely needs to be said that the provisions of the founders of Marshall for its development, reveal some- thing more than the mere business sagacity of a shrewd man of affairs. The plan of founding the village was doubtless conceived in a spirit of speculation, but in carrying out the details, his personal interest became strongly excited, and Col. Archer accepted no criterion save its future success. Though subsequently burdened with public duties and embarrassed by serious reverses, he de- voted his best energies and the last remnant of his fortune to the promotion of the town's highest interests; and while many of his proj- ects proved abortive, the impress of his mold- ing hand is stili felt by the citizen and ob- served by the stranger. Ilis relations with

Governor Duncan in the history of the town, while not clearly ascertained, were probab y simply the purchase of his name and pres- tige for a consideration, a prestige that availed little beyond the inception of the enterprise.

The first building in the village was Bart- lett's hotel, which was erected in 18 6, and this was soon followed by business and dweil- ing houses, so that by the close of 1838 there was a good showing for a town, and the present business portion pretty well marked out. On the corners of Franklin and Market streets were the hotel buildings; on the north corners of Franklin and Cumberland were the stores of Whitlock and Anderson; on the southeast corner of Hamilton and Cumber- land was Cole's saloon; and on the north- west corner, a story-and-a-half frame build- ing, just inclosed, which Woodford Dula- ney was erecting for a place of business. On the site of Foster's block was a frame build- ing which served Dr. Allison as office and residence; and just west of this, on the cor- ner of the block, stood an unfinished frame which was afterward bought and finished by Dr. Poole. Near the southwest corner of Clinton and Cumberland streets, fronting on the latter, stood a structure, the frame-work of which was composed of jack-oak poles. This was one of the very earliest buildings in the village, and was erected by Joseph Martin, a laborer on the National Road. This passed into other hands, and as a hotel was the first competitor for public patronage that Bartlett had. The older part of the build- ing was torn away to give place for Clay- poole's block in- 1881. This was the only structure on the west side of the public square in 1838; but on the south side, beginning on the southeast corner of Clinton and Market streets, was the brick residence of Uri Man- ley; a frame building just east of it, which was first used by the court, and later as a post-office and business room; and still farther

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

cast stood the little frame tailor-shop of J. B. King. These buildings, with the fifteen to thirty dwellings generally scattered over the entire area of the plat, constituted the village of 1838. The only public means of commu- nication with the outside world was by the stage line that ran north and south on the State road from Vincennes to Danville, and east and west from Indianapolis through Terre Haute to St. Louis. The mail in this region was brought from Vincennes to Paris once a week, first on horseback, and as early as 1832 in a vehicle. In 1838 the stage line superseded this mode, and four-horse coaches ran three times a week, stopping at the log hotel to change. About 1842 the Indianap- olis and Terre Haute line was extended to St. Louis, and then daily coaches passed through the town, furnishing a direct route of travel as good as any town could boast. The merchants were forced, of course, to rely upon their own resources for the transporta- tion of goods, teaming them in favorable weather from Terre Haute, or in the spring from Darwin, where merchandise was deliv- ered by boats. For the next thirty years the town had a steady but very slow develop- ment. Archer and Bartlett put up the brick hotel, now known as the St. James, in 1842, which, though occupied, was not finished un- til two or three years later. This was the most pretentious building at the time in the illavge and was the center of attraction. Here the stage lines passed, and the curious villager found it a convenient point to learn the news and get a glimpse of passengers as the stages changed horses and stopped for meals. A little before the erection of the hotel, Archer erected a frame building on the site of Benedict's block, which was subsequently destroyed by fire. In 1856 the present brick was put up in its place. Du- laney was called to Kentucky by the death of his father, and his store was subsequently

occupied by Booth & Greenough. This firm was succeeded by Lyman Booth & Co. (the Greenough interest being represented in the "company"), who built a store building on the corner of Hamilton and Market streets in 1850. Three years later, Mort. Reed erected the block now known as the "Clark corner," and in the year following the block occupied by Bradley & Doll was built by Charles Welch, W. T. Martin block by Tower Bros., and the Sherman House by Summers. The Sherman Hlouse was sold to James Wright when the foundation was laid, and was finished by him in 1855 and called the Wright House. I 1856 an addition to the Benedict block, what is known as Streever's block, was erected. This covered the space between "Clark's corner " and the end of the present two-story bricks, and consisted of five buildings. The three nearest Reed's building were erected by Streever, the next one by Henry Wallace, and the last by Win. Davis. With the ex- ception of a single-story brick where Galla- gher's saloon is now kept, these were the principal additions to the business portion of the town up to 1868.

In the meantime a vigorous agitation for a railroad had been started. A line for an east and west road had been surveyed, pass- ing through the central part of the village; but this was seriously antagonized by other railroad interests and failed. Subsequently the Terre Haute, Vandalia & St. Louis route, better known now as the " Van. road," was projected, with lines varying from one to eight miles away from the village. The newspapers and the public-spirited men of Marshall were urgent in their appeals to the people of the county to be ready to support the project liberally with their money, and the township did vote $50,000, in addition to the $100,000 voted by the county at large, to aid this enterprise. The town, however, was subsequently relieved from this special dona-

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

tion. Still the road was not definitely located in the region of the village, the engineer vacil- lating between the various proposed lines. It was shrewdly suspected by persons interested here that he was waiting for a personal pe- enniary inducement which he failed to get from the Marshall people, and receiving peremptory orders to fix the survey, ran the line a mile out of town. The work was pushed with reasonable vigor, and in 1870 the cars passed within the limits of the eor- poration. The completion of the Vandalia Road gave business enterprises a new start, but failed to do for the village much that was hoped for, on account of its distance from the central part of the town, and because in making Terre Haute more accessible, it re- acted upon the home business interests. During this time the north and south line of railroad was agitated, and in 1874 became a fact. To this venture Marshall gave 850,- 000, an investment which the community has had no reason to regret. The line passes through the central part of the city and has given its development and growth an impe- tus which the other railroad failed to do. The finest part of the present business part of the city has been erected since its construc- tion. In 1821 Gorham's block was built on Cumberland street, north of the square, and Legore's block, on Hamilton street, east of the square. In 18:2 were erected Cheno- weth's block, by Bryan & Chenoweth, and Harlan's hall, on the corner of Hamilton and Market streets. The row of three brick buildings, just west of the Sherman House, was built in 1813. Foster's block, north of the square, was built in 1874, and rebuilt in 1881. The west part of Gallagher's block was rebuilt in 1874, and the eastern part erected in the following year. Dulaney's grocery building in 1875, and the bank block in 1876; Jno. Archer block, north of square, in 1876; F. A. Berner block in 18:7; and Henry Wal-

lace's block in the same year. In 1880 Du- lancy's grocery builling was remodeled, the block of Kester, Cole & Archer, Dr. Brad- ley's office building, and the south part of Claypool's block, were erected. In 18SI Brad- ley's block, Claypool's corner building, Dr. Jayne's block, and Hippard's block, on the site of one of Streever's old buildings, were put up. Whitlock's building, which occupies the site of another store of the old Streever block, was erected in 1882; and Pat. Smith's block in same year.

Marshall has never laid any claim to spe- cial advantages for manufacturing purposes, but so far as abundance of good timber and shipping facilities are concerned in the ques- tion, the city is admirably adapted to such enterprises. Coal and water are secured with reasonable facility and at reasonable cost; and these various qualifications have recently attracted the attention of capitalists seeking a location, but receiving little or no encour- agement from leading men, have gone else- where. The early community was not inde- pendent of this class of business, especially of grist and carding mills. These were a necessity, and that community that could sustain such enterprises was deemed highly favored. Marshall early secured the mills best known in pioncer times, and when the country outgrew these crude affairs, the city was fortunate enough to secure their natural successors, and so flouring and woolen mills have been a prominent factor in the city's business prosperity. The earliest among these more modern manufactories was a card- ing mill, started here in 1841, by Win. Mc- Keen. It stood where the property of Wm. Bartlett is now placed, the building having been moved across the street and now occu- pied by Ben. Dangler as a residence. The propelling power was an old-time tread- wheel, but in 1849 the machine was trans- ferred to the steam mill and propelled by its

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

machinery. In the older settlements on the eastern and western sides of the county, there were a good many sheep kept for that time, and these brought considerable patronage to the mill. It was nearly the only one in this section of the State and people came from a large area of country. The mill was main- tained for some fifteen years, making a com- fortable competence for the proprietor.

The first steam flouring mill in the county was erected on the National Road in the west part of town. Before it was completed, the projector of the enterprise, Le Vay Cory, sold the structure to Wm. McKeen, who in com- pany with Ebenezer Payne carried on the business for a number of years, when the death of Mr. Payne dissolved the partner- ship. McKeen then sold his interest to the Payne estate, when it was conducted by the firm of Martin & Payne, who subsequently sold it to Laingor & Fasig. From this firm it passed into the hands of Payne & Besser, and thence to Besser & Martin. The mill origin- ally started with two run of stone, but two more were subsequently added. A mill-pond was at first constructed and used for years, but becoming offensive to the neighborhood it was abandoned and water drawn through eleven hundred feet of pipe from wells near the woolen factory. It was gradually sup- plied with all improvements of the time and did a large custom business, grinding about 400 bushels of wheat a week, 200 bushels of corn per day, beside other grains which were in regular demand. On October 6th, 1874, the structure took fire and was totally de- stroyed, the firm losing $16,000, without a dollar's insurance. Another mill was built in the following year on the site of the old structure by A. M. Payne and Wiss. Harlan. This was a fine brick structure with modern improvements, a large capacity, and intended for commercial purposes. It was built and furnished at a cost of $25,000, and for nearly

five years did a large business. It changed hands several times, and was owned by A. M. Payne and D. S. Mc-lullen when it was de- stroyed by fire. Payne's interest at that time was rented by J. S. Lycan, and the business was conducted under the firm name of Lycan & McMullen. About two o'clock on Sep- tember 11, 1879, fire was discovered in the upper story, and the citizens summoned to the rescue by the steam whistle. But the flames had got beyond the resources of the city and it proved a total loss, save a few fix- tures which were removed from the lower part of the mill. A large warehouse, not quite finished, but containing about ten thou- sand bushels of wheat, stood within thirty feet of the mill, but fortunately escaped the flames. There was a light insurance, but not enough to cover half of the loss. The ware- house was subsequently moved to the Wa- bash railroad, near Market street, and grad- ually converted into an elevator. It is pro- vided with steam power, a corn-sheller with a capacity of thirty-five hundred bushels per day, and a corn buhr. It has a storage ca- pacity of 20,000 bushels, and is now rented and operated by Emerson & Archer.

In 1872 Ewalt, Lycan & Co. built the Little Giant Mills on South Bend street. Lycan subsequently sold his interest, and rented Payne's half in the Marshall Mills. When that was destroyed, he purchased an interest in the Little Giant Mills again. It was re- built in 1874, and has a capacity of fifty bar- rels of flour per day. Quaker City Mill was erected in 1874 by Joseph Cork at a cost of $16,000. It has a capacity of 125 barrels per day and an elevator attached. Messrs. Besser & Marvin now own and operate the mill.

A natural successor to the old carding mill, but in no way connected with it, is the Mar- shall Woolen Mill. This enterprise was begun by the erection of a wooden building on nearly

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

the exact site of the " Little Giant Mill " in 1853. The projector of this business, E. L. Janney, was a resident of Palestine and a law- yer by profession. His eyes failing him, he was induced by his brother-in-law, Mr. Alex- ander, to go into this business and the two gentlemen came to Marshall for this purpose. The mill did a thriving business for some five years when it was totally destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt and continued in operation until the present brick structure was erected near the old site, at a cost of about $12,000. The early business was largely custom work and drew its patronage from a large area of surrounding country. Home-made clothing was at that time the general wear, and cus- tomers were in the habit of coming long dis- tances to get their wool worked up, frequently waiting two or three days for their turn. In the last mill some improved machinery was placed and considerable commercial work done. A good grade of jeans, a coarse sort of cassimere, common flannels, and a good qual- ity of blankets were manufactured. But of late years the industry has languished, the mill operating only a part of the time.

There was little demand for early banks here, and there has never been one of issue in the town. In 1852, the Eagle Insurance Com- pany was chartered, with Nathan Willard, Uri Manley, Chas. Johnson, Robt. Brown, and Sam'l McClure as stockholders. The charter authorized the company to loan money at any rate of interest that might be agreed upon between the contracting parties. No atten- tion was paid to insurance save, perhaps, an agency business, the evident intention being to establish a loan office without the liabilities and restrictions of a regular banking charter. The business never assumed any great impor- tance and gradually died out. It was subse- quently revived by Bates, of Terre Haute, and McMullen, of Marshall, and in 1875, was suc- ceeded hy the Clark County Bank. This

organization while possessing the old charter, went into business under the general law pertaining to incorporations. The stockhold- ers at this time were Robt. Brown, John Mor- ton, Jonathan Hogue, D. D. Doll, and D. S. McMullen, with Brown as president, Doll as vice-president, and D. S. McMullen, cashier. The present officers are, Jno. Morton, pres- ident, Robt. Brown, vice-president, and T. W. Cole, cashier. Another private bank was started in June, 1879, by Robt. L. Dulaney, and still continues, doing its share of the bus- iness.

Until 1848, Marshall was without a news- paper. The town was small and the develop- ment of the county such that a newspaper venture did not promise abundant returns for the investment. The village was not, however, lost sight of by the public prints of the neigh- boring towns. Occasional communications from the " county seat of Clark County " ap- peared at irregular intervals in the Paris and Terre Haute papers, but they were so muchi taken up with personalities that nothing is to be gleaned from them as to matters of public interest. There was but little to induce the early founding of a newspaper here. The proprietors, though men of political ambitions, seem to have had less faith in newspaper influence than is generally entertained at this day, and they do not seem to have exerted any influence in securing such an establish- ment. It would doubtless have proven a valuable adjunct to the other means employed to develop the village, but the man and the hour did not coincide. The harmony of polit- ical tastes was another retarding feature. On most of the important state and national questions, there was little diversity of senti- ment and what really existed was of such an uncertain character that no permanent lincs were drawn. The Whigs, so long as they kept the field, were in the large majority, and the " Know Nothings " ran a short but success-

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

ful career, but since then until 1862, the Democratic party has been in the ascendancy. During the War of the Rebellion, party differ- ences were largely ignored and the Republican or Union party was the prevailing organiza- tion, but since its close party lines have once more been drawn more according to carlier affiliations and both of the great parties are represented with a slight preponderance in favor of the Democratic.

Journalism here, in the language of a noted politician, has been a " halcyon and vociferous proceeding." There has never been mani- fested any loss for language to express edito- rial convictions or to characterize the views or conduct of opposing writers, and much of the editorial writing has been marked more by forcible than elegant expression. In common with most early newspapers, those of Marshall have given much more space and effort to the cultivation of public opinion than to the dis- semination of local news, which, perhaps, the nature of early communities and their sur- roundings more fully warranted than at pres- ent. But with the growth and development of the town, the newspaper has developed until Marshall is now represented by four weekly papers equal in ability to any of the surrounding towus.

The first paper published in Marshall was the Illinois State Democrat. It was demo- cratic in politics, and was owned and con- ducted by John M. Crane and Nathan Willard The paper showed considerable ability, the enior editor being a man of some editorial. experience, though of somewhat erratic habits. Late in 1848, soon after the paper was estab- lished, Mr. Crane withdrew, leaving Mr. Willard sole proprietor, who continued its publication until the spring of 1853, develop- ing a native capacity which gained for him an enviable reputation as a journalist. At this time he sold the paper to Messrs. J. C. Robin- son and Jacob Zimmerman, who reinforced it

by the purchase of the Marshall Telegraph, an opposing paper which had sprung up in the campaign of 1852, and changed the name of the combined journals to the Eastern Illi- noisan. The paper continued without fur- ther change until December, 1856, when S. S. Whitehead became proprietor, as he had been editor during the most of the preceding cam- paign. Several gentlemen were associated with Mr. Whitehead in the business manage- ment of the paper at various times until in 1861; when it became evident that the civil war was soon to occur, he sold out his entire interest in the Illinoison to H. H. Peyton, " to avoid the heat and anger sure to result." The latter gentleman, however, entered the army in August, 1861, and Mr. Whitehead was compelled to take the paper into his own control. The publication was continued until 1865 when, public duties making it impossi- ble for him to attend to its management, he sold the office to Mr. John Littlefield. For nearly thirteen years its publication ceased, but in January, 1878, its publication was revived and it is now the organ of the more pronounced wing of the Democratic party. It is now a six-column folio, devoted prin- cipally to politics.

The Flag of Our Union, was a five-col- umn folio, started on May 30, 1861. The leading principles of this paper are suggested by its title. The Illinoisan was hostile to the prosecution of the war by the North, and while its attitude in this met with the support of a considerable element in the county, the majority of the people, without regard to polit- ical faith, called for an exponent of the Union sentiment. It was in response to this senti- ment and some more substantial enconrage- ment, that John Littlefield began the publica- tion of the Flug. His political affiliation had been with the " Know Nothings," but in this venture, he cautiously planted himself on the Union side of current questions. In his

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History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 40

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 826

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 826