History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 41

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 41
USA > Illinois > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 41

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).

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first article Mr. Littlefield said: " We shall contend for a strict observance of the Con- stitution and the enforcement of the laws. * * We shall ignore politics and discus- sions as to the cause of the war. But, in the language of Stephen A. Douglas, 'fight the battles of our country first, and talk about the causes after.'" This newspaper venture was started on small capital and limited editorial experience, but it gradually gained support until it passed beyond the stage of an experi- ment to a regular institution of the county. The publication of the Flag was suspended, however, at,the end of the third volume, when the editor entered the army, but did not leave the State. In April, 1865, having purchased the press and material of the Illinoisan, Mr. Littlefield launched the Marshall Messenger, the first issue appearing April 28, 1865. In his salutatory the editor says: "The Messen- ger will be independent in all things." It started as a six-column folio, but has since been enlarged to a six-column quarto with the inside furnished by an "auxiliary " print- ing establishment.

Of the papers which have disputed the political field in Marshall with the Democrat- ic journals, the earliest was the Marshall Telegraph. This paper was started to aid the Whig campaign of 1852, with Messrs. Jones & Farley as editors and proprietors. This venture was the outgrowth of a general desire of the Whig supporters for an organ and prominent members of the party invested considerable money in furnishing the office. The paper subsequently passed into the hands of Charles Summers, who soldl it to the Demo- cratic contemporary in the spring of 1853. In April or May of the following year Messrs. E. Callahan and S. F. Andrews, issued another paper of " Know Nothing " proclivities, reviv- ing the name of the Marshall Telegraph. Mr. Callahan retired from the management in the following fall, Mr. Andrews conducting

it in the support of the Republican party until the winter of 185 :- S, when its publica- tion was suspended. In the following June or July Messrs. N. O. McKeen and John A. Whitlock started the Marshall Journal in the interest of the Republican party which continued until the fall of 1859, when it was absorbed by the Illinoisan. It was edited by John A. Whitlock alone, after Mr. MeKeen's retirement in the early part of 1858, and subsequently by Dr. W. S. Goodell, who published it as an independent organ, until its demise. The extinction of Repub- lican papers, however, did not indicate the death of Republican sentiment in the county, and in 1868, the Clark County Herald made its appearance. The editor and proprietor, M. O. Frost, had been formerly an attache of the Cincinnati Commercial, and in 1867 was pub- lishing the Hotel Reporter at Covington, Ky. He was placed in communication with several of the prominent Republicans of Marshall, and the result of a conference was an agreement on Mr. Frost's part to establish a paper if 500 subscribers could be secured. This a com- mittee ot Republicans undertook to secure, and with such success that Frost was written to come with his paper. About 400 subscrib- ers were secured, and the first issue of the Herald appeared August 28, 1868. The Messenger was then in undisputed possession of the editorial field, and viewed the estab- lishment of a Republican journal as a cbal- lenge to political combat. Since the first issue of the Herald a vigorous fusilade has been maintained between these papers, which was varied on the revival of the Illinoisan by a triangular distribution of the skirmish. The Herald has been enlarged to the proportions of a six-column quarto, printed entirely in its own office. It has been marked during its history for the attention paid to the publica- tion of local news.

Church Progress, is a weekly paper pub-

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lished in the interest of the Catholic church. It was projected by the pastor of the Catholic church here, in 1878. It was designed sim- ply as a means of communication from the pastor to the people of his congregation and was first issued monthly in a four page pam- phlet form. The church was heavily in debt and this means was taken to stimulate the members to larger contributions. The scope of the paper was gradually enlarged, becom- ing semi-monthly in January 1880, and weekly in its publication during the present year. It is a seven column folio and is still edited by Rev. Charles Kuhlman.

But the permanent progress of a community is not measured alone by its business success. Indeed such success depends very much upon the foundation society lays in the school and church. This fact was clearly foreseen by the founder of the city and early provision was inade for these aids to civilized development. The liberal donations and the sentiment of Col. Archer on this subject led the early set- tlers to believe that the best of educational advantages would soon be within their reach, but they did not wait for schools to come to them. Such men as Col. Archer, Whitlock, Griffith, Bartlett and Neal, set about securing a school-house at once, and in 1837 the first building for this purpose was erected on the southwest corner of the college lot. A school was taught here in the following winter by Thomas Handy, who lived on Union Prairie. In the following year Jonathan Greenough, who was a native of Maine, wrote, inviting Dean Andrews to this place with a view of promoting the school interests. He was a graduate of Bowdoin College and came in the latter part of 1838. After fitting up the school-house which had been used by Handy, and the court for its first session, he taught a term or two of public school, and later, a private school in a frame building erected for the purpose. In the meantime there wasa gen-

eral desire that the donation of land on which to erect a college should be perma- nently secured by the founding of such an institution. This was the prime object of Andrews' coming to Marshall and he proposed at once to erect a building for such pur- pose if assisted by the people. To this prop- osition the people responded liberally, and about 1852 Mr. Andrews erected the main part of the brick building which is now used for the public school. No definite informa- tion can be gathered of this early school, save that for some years it was generally patron- ized and fairly successful under the guidance of the projector. Some eight or ten years after its founding it occurred to some of the leading Methodists of the town that it would be advisable to establish a sectarian school, to which proposition Mr. Andrews lent a willing ear and eventually sold his property to certain trustees for $3,000, certain gentle- men securing the payment of $1,000, by joint note and the balance secured by mortgage on the property. "Marshall College " proved no better as a financial investment than other unendowed colleges, and the makers of the note were obliged to meet its payment. The mortgage was subsequently met in the same way, Samuel Park, John English, James McCabe and P. McNutt assuming the burden for the Methodist society, in August, 1865. Two years later McNutt conveyed his inter- est to the other trustees, and on Feb. 22 1867, the property was advertised for sale. Mr. English subsequently bought it, and in 1871, sold it to the public school trustees for graded school purposes.

Among the early successors of Mr. Andrews was E. D. Wilkins, who carried on the schools with promising success from about 1856 to 1861. This was the period of the school's greatest prosperity, which, however, grew rapidly less at the opening of the war. The Flag says of the close of the school year in

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1861: " There was a slim attendance at the ex- amination. No examining committee being present at the exercises." B. G. Bradshaw succeeded Mr. Wilkins as president, with Prof. Hughs as assistant, and L. H. Bradley and Sheridan Cox as teachers. In 1863, a pri- mary department was added and in the follow- ing year Mr. and Mrs. P. MeNutt engaged as teachers. Mr. MeNutt succeeded to the presidency in the following year and was assisted by Professor Merrick from Ohio. Mr. McNutt was subsequently appointed trav - eling agent and was succeeded by Rev. Wm. S. Hooper who, a little later, combined the duties of teacher with those of pastor to the Methodist church here. The college term rates at this time were, for the First Prepara- tory class, $7.00; 2nd. Prep. class, $8.50; Fresh- man class, $9.00; Sophomore, Junior, and Senior classes, $10.00; contingent fee, $1.00. Various causes combined to work against the prosperity of this school during the war and especially after its close. The growth of graded schools, and the lack of sufficient capi- tal to place the institution in the front rank of collegiate institutions was severely felt by the management. Still the school was main- tained for some time after the building passed into private hands, until it finally ceased in 1867 or 1868.

In the meanwhile the public schools had grown into considerable importance. A stone school-house succeeded the early frame build- ing about 1840 or 1842, and was situated in the eastern part of town. Some five or six years later a brick school-house was erected on the lot donated for a female academy, and as the population of the town was increased, school room facilities were augmented by hiring vacant rooms about town, the office of the St. James Hotel serving this purpose for a time, and in 1868, some of the rooms in " Marshall College " building were also used. The inconveniences of holding schools in the

several parts of town without a central build . ing, gradually created a demand among the people for some better provision for school rooms. The question of purchasing the hotel on the corner of Michigan and Cumberland streets was early submitted to a popular vote and negatived. In 1865, it was again sub- mitted to the people and carried by a majority of three in favor of the proposition, but the minority was so large and a counter-agitation to buy the college building sprang up, so that the trustees did nothing about it. In 1868, the subject was again raised, by an offer of the proprietors of the building to sell it for $4,000, in four annual installments. If, how- ever, the railroad was not built, the price was to be reduced to $3,000. The building was at this time in a dilapidated con- dition, and some two or three thousand dollars were estimated as the cost of refitting and repairing it. The matter thus passed on until August 8, 1871, when it was decided by a popular vote of 138 to 39 to purchase the building for $3,000. The property was at once overhauled, replastered, refitted, and repaired at a cost of nearly $2,000. The public schools were graded about 1852 or 1855 by a Mr. Griffith. In 1865, there were three departments; in 1873, these had grown to seven, and there are at present twelve departments for which ten teachers are employed. The school year is eight inonths; the average monthly salary for teach- ers is $53; highest $80 and lowest $25.

Church influences were felt in Marshall as early as the coming of schools, but they did not result in permanent organizations until some years later. Services were early held by Congregationalists, Methodists and Catho- lics in private houses and school-houses, and about 1840, an effort was simultaneously put forth by Dean Andrews, T. F. Day and Pat- rick Conahy, to organize a society of their re- spective denominations.

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The Congregational Church was organized April 3, 1841, by Dean Andrews, John Black, Elza Neal, A. M. Chapin and Willard Center, assisted by the Rev. A. M. Jewett of Terre Haute, Ind. The members were the gentle- men named, with their wives, and Nancy Black and Emeline Cole. Dean Andrews was licensed as a minister, April 7, 1842, and ordained as pastor of this church in May of the following year. He served the church, however, from April, 184I, continuing until October of 1852, and subsequently from Sep- tember, 1864, until his death in September, 1872. He was a man of large influence and public spirit, and his loss was seriously felt. Between the two terms of Mr. Andrews' ser- vice, Rev. Jacob P. Chapman was pastor, and served with acceptance. Following the death of Mr. Andrews, Rev. J. T. Graves of- ficiated as pastor until October, 1876, when a vacancy occurred until 1880, filled tempo- rarily by Revs. M. A. Jewett, S. S. Martin and others. In September of the latter year, Rev. H. M. Burr was called, and served as pastor until September, 1882, since which time the church has been without a pastor. The church building is a frame structure standing on Hamilton street north of Cum- berland street, and was erected in 1843, at a cost of about $1,500. This sum was raised by subscriptions varying from a widow's mite of three cents to the donation of a pair of Fairbanks' scales, the latter contributed by Mr. Fairbanks himself. The original trustees were John Black, Elza Neal, Dean Andrews, Wm. Dougan, Jesse Mark, J. K. Greenough, and John Bartlett. This was the first place of worship erected in the town, and although lacking many of the modern conveniences, is still a comfortable place of worship and a well preserved building. A weekly prayer meet- ing was instituted at the time the church was organized in 1841, and has been regularly maintained since. A Sunday school was also

organized at the same time, and still exists, with an attendance of about seventy scholars and officers. It was about the first school of the kind organized in the county. Burns Ar- cher is the present superintendent.

A Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- ized in the year 1841, also. There were some ten persons of this denomination in Marshall; Abel English and wife, Uri Manley and wife, T. F. Day and wife, James Martin and wife, Hannah Chapman and Mrs. Hays. Abel English was a local preacher of New Jersey, and under his lead a church was organized at the court house in June of this year. Rev. Burr of the Livingston circuit, "supplied " the church, and meetings were held in the Andrews frame school-house. About 1845, an effort was put forth to secure a permanent place of worship, and the following gentlemen were elected trustees with a view to carrying this effort to a practical issue; Abel English, Uri Manley, James Martin. T. F. Day, Willard Center, John Combs and Simeon Poole. The work was undertaken in earnest, and Mr. Day undertook the task of circulating a subscrip- tion paper. This was a task of no small di- mensions, as not only was the home field to be canvassed, but aid was sought in Edgar and other counties where there were older Meth- odist societies. He secured subscriptions to the amount of some $800, which by contract with the trustees he retained, and rendered service on the building at $1.75 per day. This proved a valuable contract to the church, as the full subscription was not realized and the cost of collection proved an item worth consideration. The frame was erected on Hamilton street, just south of Market, in 1846, but for lack of funds, remained uninclosed until the next year. The building of this structure was a heavy burden to the little church, and each one was obliged to shoulder all the responsibility he could carry. The la- bor fell principally upon Mr. Day who, with

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the sons of Mr. English, got out all the tim- bers, went to the land of Mr. Blundell in Wa- bash Township, got the poplar logs and hauled them to the mill. The lumber was sawed at English's mill on Big Creek. It is related that the bridge across the stream partly washed away, leaving a part of it stand- ing half way over the stream. There was 110 way to get the wagon to where the lumber was piled, and as the only resort the lumber was brought to the wagon. To do this every board was brought to the end of the broken bridge and stood up in the stream, from whence it was taken and carried up a steep bank to the wagon. This work was performed principally by Mr. Day and illustrates some of the difficulties to be overcome to se- cure the place of worship. It was finally completed, and in 1849 dedicated by Rev. Hiram Brick. This building sufficed until I813, when the present brick structure was erected on Mechanic street. For some time previous, however, the building had proved too small to comfortably accommodate the au- dience, and services were held in the court house, in the school house, in Manley's office, and in the Congregational church. During the pastorate of Rev. Mr. Pilcher the church experienced a remarkable revival, which re- sulted in some 300 additions to the church, and the subject of a new building was forced upon the church. A building committee was appointed, which decided upon a brick struct- ure, the plan of which was drawn by an ar- chitect of Terre Haute. Work was com- meneed in spring of 1813, and the present building, 40 by 80 feet, erected at a cost of nine thousand dollars. The church numbers now about 200 members, and is in a flourish- ing state. Among the ministers who have served the church since Mr. Pilcher, are the Revs. Slagle, Obenchain, Burkett, McVey, and the present pastor, Rev. Robt. McIntyre.

The first Catholic who settled in Marshall

was Patrick Conahy, a brother of the Bishop of Kilmore, Ireland. A year later five Ger- man Catholic families settled on farms south of Marshall. . Father Bouteau, who built churches in Terre Haute and North Arm, was the first priest to visit this place. After hin, Father Lallemier, of Terre Haute, attended to the spiritual wants of these early settlers, say- ing mass in their houses. The first priest sta- tioned in Marshall was Rev. Hugh Brady in 1848, who remained about one year, during which time he began to build the first Catho- lic Church in Clark County, and roofed it. He died suddenly while on his way to Chi- cago to see the bishop. After him, the little congregation was attended by Revs. F. Ingolsby, G. A. Hamilton and Thos. Ryan, from North Arm, once in every two months. Father Ryan completed the old church, which still stands, though long alienated from its sacred office. A graveyard was donated in the time of Father Ryan. After him Revs. D. Byrne, John Vahey, and others, attended here. In 185I, Bishop Van de Velde, of Chicago, visited Marshall and administered the sacrament of confirmation. In 1860, Rev. H. Horen became resident pastor, and in the same year purchased a square fronting on Hamilton street, and on it laid the foundation for the present church building. In 1862, Rev. John A. Mark became pastor, and com- pleted the new church, which was dedicated October 20, 1872, by Revs. J. A. Mark, F. Stick, and Francis, O. S. F. On this occasion twenty-nine persons received the sacrament of confirmation.

Rev. J. A. Mark, after having completed the church, put up two substantial buildings for school purposes. At the time of his re- moval in 1872, the congregation was heavily in debt. The Franciscan Fathers of Teutopolis attended the congregation until May, 1874, when Rev. I. Wegener was appointed pastor, and remained such until June, 1876. From

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this time until December 9, 1876, Rev. P. Raynerius, O. S. F., of Teutopolis, attended the congregation. Since then Rev. C. Kuhl- man has been pastor. The congregation, consisting now of about one hundred families, principally Irish, have extinguished the heavy debt under which they have labored so long, and is now in a thriving condition.

On April 4, 1846, a petition signed by fourteen persons was presented to the Pales- tine Presbytery in session at Paris, request- ing to be organized into a church. The Presbytery gave the petition a favorable reception and appointed Revs. H. I. Venable and R. H. Lilly, and Elders James Welsh and T. M. Brooks, a committee to at- tend to the organization. On the 25th of this month, the committee and signers to the petition met at Martinsville and organized a society to be called the " Marshall Presbyte- rian Church." The original members were Alexander, Prudence, Rachel, Amy, John R., and Mary Jane Matthews, William and Jane King, James and Sarah Gibson, Rachel Babcock, Thomas B. and Jane McClure and Prudence Cochran, all of whom lived in the vicinity of Marshall and Martinsville. Alexander was made Elder, and for some years meetings were held alternately at Mar- tinsville and Marshall, at irregular intervals, using school-houses, private residences and other church buildings for the purpose. About 1857, a fixed location was agitated and in the following year a neat, frame place of worship was erected on Hamilton street, in the south part of town. This effort cost the church a severe struggle and the house was not com- pleted until a year later. In 1877, the build- ing was remodeled and put in complete repair. Its steeple was subsequently blown down and has not yet been replaced. The building occupies a good-sized plat of ground and is surrounded by a handsome young grove, formning the pleasantest church property in

the city. Its regular pastors have been, Ellis Ilowell, from 1855 to 1865; R. C. Mckinney, 1868-69; Thomas Spencer, 1871-72; George F. Davis, from 1876. For years the church had no regular ministry, and its growth, some- what retarded by this circumstance, has been slow from the beginning. Of late years, the Sabbath school has been considerably en- larged, and the general condition of the church and congregation much improved. The entire membership numbers about one hundred and thirty-two.

The ministers of the Evangelical Associa- tion, visited this county as early as 1842, and as many Germans had settled here and were without church facilities in their own lan- guage, they gladly seconded the efforts of the association in establishing societies. The first appointment was made at a point about seven miles southeast of Marshall, in the neighbor- hood of Mr. Kraemer's. Soon after an ap- pointment was made for a point four or five miles east of Marshall, and L. Mannbery made leader, and another four miles west of Marshall, at the house of G. A. Fredenberger. In 1855, Marshall was made an appointment and services held at the residences of G. Mar- kel and others. The first camp meeting was held a mile and a half southwest of the Grand Turn. Thus, unt:1 1850, Clark County was served by two ministers whose labors took them to Dubois, Spencer, Gibson, Vander- bilt, and Warick counties, Indiana. The first German minister in Marshall was John Schrefley, and was succeeded by C. Augen- stein, C. Lindner, A. Nicolai, G. G. Platz and others. The first church was built here in the summer of 1849, at a cost of about $700. A few years later a parsonage was built near the church and subsequently was enlarged and is now valued at $600.

Societies are well represented in Marshall, each of the principal orders having lodges here. Marshall Lodge, No. 133, Free and

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Accepted Masons was chartered October S, 1856, by Jas. H. Hibbard, Grand Master of the State, with James C. Robinson, Nathan Willard, Jacob Zimmerman, J. P. Woodside, Thomas Brown, Win. S. Price and J. S. Gimbrel, as charter members. The lodge held its meetings in Benedict's block, later in a hall north of the court house square, but more recently have fitted up a hall in Dulaney's block, where the members now have very comfortable quarters.

Eureka Lodge, No. 64, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was organized July 15, 1850, in a room over Booth's store. The charter members were Robt. L. Dulaney, Newton Harlan, Nathan Willard, Albert D. Safford, Howard Harlan, Daniel Safford and Ben- jamin Stover, the latter of whom is the only

one of the charter members now living. The first regular place of meeting was in Bene- dict's hall, from which the lodge moved to the third story of D. D. Doll's building and later to W. T. Martin's building where the lodge-room now is. The lodge now has a membership of ninety-six.

The William B. Archer Post, No. 119, Grand Army of the Republic, was organized February 21, 1881, with L. S. Kilbourn, M. O. Frost, Milton Harris, George Slusser et al, as charter members. They have a finely furnished hall in Claypool's block. The Knights of Honor have a lodge here which numbers about a hundred members, occupy- ing the same hall with the G. A. R. It was organized June 16, 1881.

CHAPTER X .*

YORK TOWNSHIP-TOPOGRAPHICAL-UNION PRAIRIE-THE PIONEER SETTLEMENT OF CLARK COUNTY-EARLY LIFE ON THE WABASH-BOATING-YORK VIL- LAGE-ITS GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT-THE RISE OF CHURCH AND SCHOOL, ETC., ETC.

" It is not now as it hath been of yore." -Wordsworth.

"THE early flow of emigration coming up the Wabash reached the territory of what is now Clark County, in the present township of York. Very many of the early members of the community that gathered here were persons of culture and wealth, and a society grew up in this vicinity that for years dominated the county. The general settlement of this part of the State, and the incidental changes wrought, effected great modifications of these characteristics, and the seat of county influence has long since moved to the interior. The early precinct included a large portion of the eastern part of the county, but subsequent changes have shorn York of much of its early territory, and under the township organization it was left an area something less than the regular Congressional town, and given the name of York in defer- ence to the nativity of the carly influential settlers. Its western and northern boundary lines are regular, but on the east, the Wabash River, flowing in an irregular southwesterly course, cuts off nearly two sections from the northern corner and nearly three from the southern corner, leaving the central range, however, nearly complete. The southern line is about two miles and a half long in a direct line, but the regular outline is broken by the addition of the section on which the village of York is situated.

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History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 41

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