USA > Illinois > DuPage County > History of Du Page County, Illinois (Historical, Biographical) > Part 28
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At that time, in the summer of 1853, the Rev. Fr. Ottmann, a member of the Lutheran Synod of Missouri, Ohio and other States, lived between Naperville and Downer's Grove. He had been designated to preach the Gos- pel to a number of farmers residing in the
vicinity of the latter place, and alternately held divine service in a schoolhouse near Downer's, and in a similar building situated in a more northerly direction, on the old plank road from Naperville to the Desplaines River.
The above men from Naperville and Lisle went to hear Mr. Ottmann from time to time, and finally inade arrangements with him to come to Naperville every third Sab- bath morning, to preach a sermon in the old court house, and at the same time to make an attempt to build up a congregation sufficient- ly numerous to sustain their own preacher. Mr. Ottmann fulfilled his engagement to the best of his ability, establishing for himself a well-earned reputation for sincerity and piety, but felt compelled, after a duration of fifteen months. to abandon his trust, being unable to agree with the members in some fundamental principles held sacred by the Synod of Mis- souri, but which they had been taught to re- gard in a more liberal light. In the winter of 1854-55, Mr. Ottmann received a vocation to Missouri, and left for that State, accom- panied by the best wishes of his friends in Du Page County.
About the same time, information was re- ceived that, in the fall of 1955, the Rev. E. H. Buhre, formerly a member of the Lutheran General Council of the State of New York, had arrived in Aurora, Kane County, from Williamsburg, N. Y., built up a congrega- tion in the former place, and, by the help of friends, had even succeeded in erecting a church building. The Naperville men, after having attended his divine service occasion- ally, finally induced Mr. Buhre to visit Na- perville every third Sabbath afternoon, and for this purpose the building of the Method- ist Episcopal Church of that place was kindly ceded. Mr. Buhre came to Naperville for several months, when the members of the con-
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gregation, which then had assumed a more tangible form, secured the services of a Mr. Lerfling, who moved to Naperville in the fall of 1856, but was again dismissed by the con- gregation in January, 1857, after which time Mr. Buhre kindly resumed his activity in Na- perville, having, during this time, joined the Evangelical Lutheran Synod of Northern Illi- nois, consisting then mostly of ministers of German and Scandinavian, but also of Anglo- Saxon, descent, under guidance of the Rev. Dr. Harvey, of Springfield.
In April, 1857, a member of the Lutheran congregation at Naperville, who, in the mean- time, had in some way, though perhaps not formally organized, visited Germany, and there secured the services of Mr. Herm Lies. mann, a young man of many abilities, and ed- ucated by the missionary society at Barmen, Rhenish Prussia, to preach the Gospel to his countrymen in the United States. Mr. Lies- mann arrived in the fall of 1857, and, after having been ordained by the above-named Lutheran Synod of Northern Illinois, and de- clared their member, forthwith began to for- mally and legally organize the Lutheran con- gregation at Naperville. Mr. Liesmann at the same time held divine service about six miles southeast of Downer's Grove, and built and dedicated a church there in the summer of 1859 During Mr. Liesmann's stay in Naperville, which lasted two and a half years, the congregation there bought the old meeting-house of the Evangelical association of that place, situated on its present site on Van Buren avenue, for $600, and, for an equal amount, erected a parsonage. Mr. Liesmann left for Iowa in the summer of 1860, and in his place the congregation chose Mr. H. M. Guehl, also at that time a member of the Synod of Northern Illinois, but which, shortly afterward, he left, to be accepted as a mem- ber of the Lutheran Synod of Wisconsin.
whose doctrines seemed more conformable to his views.
The congregation soon followed his exam- ple, organized under a new constitution, and numbered about thirty members, several of whom, however, moved to other States in the course of time. In the fall of 1862, Mr. Guehl was called by his synod to Northern Wisconsin, and as his successor the congre- gation chose the above-named Rev. E. H. Buhre, who had long felt inclined to leave Aurora. Mr. Buhre also remained in Naper- ville two years, the same time visiting, on the Sabbath afternoon, Downer's Grove, and then, owing to some difficulties, vacated the par- sonage and removed to a private residence, which, in the meantime, he had created. Mr. Buhre left in the fall of 1864, and from that time to September, 1865, no minister of the Lutheran denomination resided at their parsonage at Naperville.
Occasionally during that time, divine serv- ice and communion were held by the Rev. E. Kenchen, a member of the then United Evan. gelical Synod of the Northwest, comprised of representatives of both the Lutheran and Reformed Churches of Germany, as embod- ied in the Evangelical Churches of that State, though conforming to republican institution. The congregation of Naperville soon found the doctrines held by that synod more agree- able to their views than the ultra-Lutheran doctrines of the Synods of Missouri and Wis- consin, joined the former, and were, in July, 1865, by them supplied with a pastor of their own, in the person of the Rev. William Bin- ner. The members, however, whose nun- bers had become smaller, organized under a new constitution, which, with only one amendment, regarding membership, exists to this day.
Mr. Binner, with his family, remained at Naperville a little over three years, and,
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though removed by the Lord some seven years ago, is still kindly remembered by his many friends. Mr. Binner left Naperville in October, 1868, and was succeeded by Mr. J. Kern, a young man of medium capacities, who, unaided by experience, ultimately failed in his task, and was in turn succeeded, after a year's time, by the Rev. T. Lotka, who, however, after a short stay of nine months, accepted a call for a Professorship at Fari- bault, Minn. The Rev. Fr. Lohappel fol- lowed in the fall of 1870, and under his guid- ance, in 1871, the church building was greatly enlarged, a steeple was built and a suitable bell procured; the interior also was newly and neatly furnished, the whole outlay being nearly $2,000. The funds for this purpose were raised partly by contribution of members, one-half of them, however, present- ed to the congregation by Mr. William Preis- werk, a wealthy gentleman of Switzerland, formerly a resident of the State of Illinois, who faithfully remembered his old friends.
Mr. Schappel having, in March, 1874, re- ! signed his trust, was, in July of the same year, succeeded by the Rev. R. Wobus, a young man of great ability and sterling char- acter, who, however, was called, two years afterward, to a theological Professorship near St. Louis, Mo., belonging to the Evangelical Synod of North America, which, at the pres- ent time, comprises in the United States all the representatives of their own creed.
To this day the Evangelical Lutheran Con- gregation adheres to that synod, and their pulpit has been successively occupied by the Rev. A. Teutschel, from September, 1876, to the same time in 1877, by Rev. H. Huebsch- mann from April, 1878, to October, 1881; the present pastor, Rev. G. Hageman, how- ever, residing at Amboy, Lee County, and al- ternately holding divine service at Naperville and at the former place. Owing to the re-
moval of many members to Iowa, Kansas and other States, the number of them is not large, but the prospect of having the ranks again filled by emigration from the Fatherland is encouraging.
EVANGELICAL ASSOCIATION.
The Evangelical Association at Copenha- gen, in the southwest part of Naperville ' Township. Six families of this faith came to Copenhagen and settled in 1844, from Pennsylvania, holding religious services in a schoolhouse till 1858, when a church was built by subscription. Rev. Lintner was their first pastor, who preached at the school- house; after whom they had other pastors biennially, according to their church govern- ment. From its first organization, the mem- bership has continued to increase, chiefly by immigration. It now numbers about forty members. The church is a neat edifice, and its grounds ornamented with trees.
The society is in a prosperous condition, all of its members thrifty farmers, sons and daughters of the first founders of the church, who have inherited the religion of their fa- thers, as well as their correct habits in social life.
VILLAGE OF NAPERVILLE.
The first settlers of Boston were attracted there by an excellent spring of pure water that broke out of the ground from the base of one of the three hills that originally stood at this place, which the Indians called Shau- mut.
Naperville had a like attraction as to the spring, which drew settlers here and made it the first nucleus of rising power in Northern Illinois west of Chicago and east of Dixon. Joseph Naper first surveyed and laid out the town in streets, and his plat of it bears date of February 14, 1842. It was situate on the southeast quarter of Section 13. Township
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
38, Range 9 east, and henceforward the name of the place was Naperville, instead of the Naper settlement. The first frame building erected in it was done by A. H. Howard in the fall of 1833. It stood a few rods sonth of a house in which Mr. J. Horn lived in 1876.
Here was the center to which highways tended. Here were saw and grist mills, stores, and the material out of which to make a town, and here existed the necessities for a corporate government to regulate certain con- tingencies that are sure to come up amidst diverse interests in close proximity and pos- sible rivalry to each other, and a public meet- ing was called at the court house in 1856 to take the initiatory steps to bring about the desired end. By a vote at this meeting, Hi- ram Cody, R. N. Murray, H. F. Vallette and H. Loring were appointed to draft the form by which it was desired by the sense of this meeting to incorporate the town, and Lewis Ellsworth and Nathan Allen were commis- sioned to present this document to the Legis- lature to be acted on by that body. In ac- cordance with their request, an act was passed by the Legislature of Illinois, and approved by the Governor, Joel A. Matteson, February 7, 1857, to incorporate the village of Naper- ville. Its officers were to consist of a Presi- dent and four Trustees, a Clerk, a Police Magistrate and a Police Constable. The President and Trustees to be chosen annually. and the other officers once in four years, and all by a vote of the people.
The first election was held under the new corporation May 4, 1857, resulting in the election of the following officers: For Presi- dent, Joseph Naper ; Trustees, Hiram H. Cody, George Martin, Xavier Egerman, Mich- ael Hiens; for Clerk, C. M. Castle; Treasurer A. W. Colt; Police Magistrate, H. F. Val- lette; Police Constable, A. C. Graves.
At this election, 174 votes were polled; at the election in 1860, 230 votes; in 1865, 199 votes; in 1870, 253 votes; in 1874, 389 votes. (Returns wanting in 1875.) In 1881, 420 votes were polled.
In March previous to this election, the most disastrous flood ever known on the Du Page River occurred. It carried away the dam above the town, and the accumulated waters it held back thus suddenly released rose into the streets of the low grounds and gave the inmates of the houses barely time to escape. The damage caused by the flood was over $15,000. M. Hines, J. T. Green, R. Willard, C. W. Keith and J. Naper were the principal losers.
The original town lies in the southeast quarter of Section 13, in the town of Naper- ville, as it is now named, which civil division was given to the Government township de- scribed as Township 38, Range 9 east, but, by subsequent additions made to it, the vil- lage extends eastwardly into Range 10, Sec- tions 7 and 18, in Lisle Township. The elevation at the railroad track above Lake Michigan is 146 feet.
The present public square of Naperville is the ground occupied by the old court house, about half of the grounds laid out in the town of Lisle, and was conveyed gratis to Naper- ville March 30, 1877.
Much the largest portion of the village lies on the northeast bank of the Du Page River, which naturally inclines its surface toward the south and southwest, thereby giving veg- etation an early start in the spring. The ground graduates upward from the river on both sides into a great variety of oval eleva- tions. One of them, on which the house of Mr. Ellsworth stands, was the spot on which Fort Paine was built in 1832, it being con- siderably higher than any other rise of ground near by, but the broad plateau in the back-
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ground beyond the erosion and bank drainage of the river is still a little above any portion of the village of Naperville. The town is well supplied with springs of very pure wa- ter, which rises several feet above the sur- face, and is made to flow into tanks for con- venience to the citizens.
. The following description of the town, given by C. W. Richmond and H. F. Val- lette, in their History of Du Page County, published in 1857, will show what it then was, only the next year after it had been in- corporated:
" The mercantile business, aside from agri- culture, is the chief business of the town. The principal stores employ capitals of be- tween $6,000 and $8,000 annually. They sell large amounts of goods, not only to the in- habitants of this, but to those of surrounding towns. Integrity is the marked characteristic of the dealings of the merchants of Naper- ville. This, in connection with the uniformly low prices at which they sell their goods, has secured to them a liberal and extended pat- ronage.
"There are two large nurseries near the vil- lage, from which trees and shrubs are sent to all parts of the Northwest. We have been furnished some account of the business of these nurseries, which we give below: The Du Page Eclectic Nurseries were established in 1853, by R. W. and R. B. Hunt. During the four years past, these nurseries have prop- agated, in each year, from fifty to one hun- dred and fifty thousand fruit trees. Orna- mental trees and shrubbery have been propor- tionately increased, and some thousands of foreign trees and shrubs have been added by importation, as the business has justified. The Du Page County Nurseries of Lewis Ellsworth & Co. were established in 1849. These nurseries cover at present some fifty acres of ground, embracing in their collec-
tion the most extensive stock and assortment of varieties of fruit and ornamental trees, shrubs and plants, to be found in the North- west. The yearly increase of trees and shrubs by propagation is truly astonishing. The proprietors have imported, during the present season (1857), from Europe, more than thirty thousand young evergreens and other plants. Attached to the establishment is a plant- house, arranged for propagating plants dur- ing the winter season. The establishment gives employment to a large number of work- men, some ten or twelve families deriving their entire support from it. Some fifteen or twenty men are employed. at an expense of over $6,000 per annum."
The foregoing account of a business so es- sential to the comfort and beauty of newly made prairie homes serves to show from whence came the horticultural development of the country around, or at least how a branch of industry took its start that has mul- tiplied trees and other plants till every hamlet and every farm is supplied with them.
Subsequently, C. W. Richmond established a nursery here, and continued the business for some years, thereby lending a hand to the arduous and useful work of supplying the country with trees.
Ernst Van Oren also established a nursery about the same time as Mr. Richmond, and still continues the business.
The Du Page County Nursery, the first one established here, is still supplying orders for trees and other plants, but is not increasing its stock, or propagating, Mr. Ellsworth, the proprietor, wishing to relieve himself of its active work and responsibilities.
The present nursery stock here is not as large as it formerly was, but the growing of trees is constantly on the increase in the country.
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
Of other manufacturing establishments in Naperville, at the same time, says Richmond and Valletto, in their history :
"The plow and wagon shops of Messrs. Vanghan & Peck. It was originally estab- lished by A. S. Jones, who is entitled to the credit of originating the steel plow now so much in use. The manufactory of this plow commenced in 1840. They possess many supe- rior qualities, for which they have become ex- tensively noted throughout the West. From its circular we learn that this establishment is the oldest in the Western States, having manu- factured the steel scouring plow for eighteen or twenty years, and always winning first preminms at State and county fairs. The establishment is capable of making fifteen plows per day."
Say Richmond and Vallette, in 1857: Subsequently, this establishment passed into the hands of Mr. N. Boughton, who carried it on under the name of the Naperville Agri- cultural Works, who, having enlarged its ca- pacity, employed about sixty hands. These workmen, with others employed by manufact- uring establishments here, on public days made the streets of Naperville lively, espe- cially on one 4th of July, 1870, when a dis- pute arose between some of them and the German citizens of the place about some trifling matter of no vital interest, which re- quired the utmost efforts of Mr. J. J. Hunt, then Police Magistrate, to settle, or rather to prevent violence from growing out of, for he made no attempt to investigate the "true in- wardness " of it, which undoubtedly had been bottled up and escaped from such confine- ments down the throats and thence into the brains of a few otherwise "real good fel- lows." Mr. Hunt interposed between the unctuous aggressors and the objects of their resentment, when they reconsidered their res- olution and retreated, muttering, as they
went, something about the -- Dutchman, and peace was restored.
Mr. Boughton, not long after this, removed the establishment to Chicago, and took these "real good fellows " along with him. Hence they did not make "real good plows," but an inferior article, and his business ran down, but, after a brief cessation, the business was resumed again in Naperville.
Messrs. Strauss & Getsch, who now turn out plows after the first perfect mold, invented by Mr. A. S. Jones, the original proprietor.
There were two breweries in Naperville in 1857, where the famous beverage of lager beer was made. Their annual consumption of barley was then 15,000 bushels, and of hops 11,000 pounds. Their capacity of manufacture was then 186,000 gallons annu- ally, which brought in to the manufacturers about $150,000 per year.
There is now (1882) but one brewery in operation here, which was established by John Senger in 1850. It consumes annually 10,- 000 bushels of barley and from 6,000 to 7,- 000 pounds of hops. It makes about five thousand barrels of beer annually, which is sold at Chicago and through the country around.
From the Naperville Clarion of July 25, 1877, we take the following, to show the con- dition of the town at that time:
"Naperville of to-day is an enterprising city of about two thousand inhabitants, the largest and most important in the county. It is situated in the heart of one of the finest agricultural districts of Northern Illinois, and the fertile acres and healthful climate have contributed to make up Du Page County one of the wealthiest sections of the State. The city is located on a series of elevations overlooking the surrounding landscape of hill and dale which, with the glistening waters of Du Page River, seen here and there as they
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roll through the valleys, form a pleasant view to the beholder.
The streets, which are fringed with shade trees, are regularly laid ont, and mostly graded and provided with sidewalks. Upon the business thoroughfares are many two and three story blocks, mostly of brick or stone, comprising stores and business houses, con- structed in modern style of architecture, and presenting a front scarcely inferior to the business streets of our larger cities.
The writer of the above, in his further de- scription of the place, speaks of the follow- ing material interests and business firms then prominently known here. Eight churches are noted, a district school, the Northwestern College, and hotels, among which the Pre- emption House was named as an old land- mark. The tile and brick works of Messrs. Martin & King; the stone quarries of Mr. J. Salfisberg; the cheese factory of George H. Hunt: the Du Page Valley Mills, under the management of L. Rosentreter, the one orig- inally built by Joseph Naper; Mr. William. Shimps, carriage factory; the drug store of Mr. F. Morse; Mr. Theo German's merchant tailoring house; Willard Scott & Co.'s dry goods store: Messrs. Collins & Naper's store; Mr. P. Beckman's leather and shoe findings store: Messrs. Rickert & Vance's blacksmith - ing business; Mr. Fred Long's furniture house; Mr. C. Scherer's hardware store; Mr. D. Strubler's carriage factory; Messrs. Escher & Drisler's grocery; Mr. M. Weismantel's jew- elry store; Willard Scott, Sr., & Co.'s Bank; Mr. L. S. Shafer's planing-mill; Mr. J. Hil- terbrand's carriage factory; Mr. Martin Fest's boot and shoe factory; Messrs. Reuss & Diet- er's clothing store; Mr. P. Marlin's flour and feed store; Mr. M. Brown's store; Messrs. Ditzler & Hosler's store; Messrs. Dunlap & Co.'s grocery; Mr. R. H. Wagner's saddlery establishment; Mr. W. S. Latshaw's grocery;
Mr. John Pfister's hardware store; Dr. H. C. Daniels' paint, oil and drug store; Mr. P. Strubler's grocery store; Messrs. Ehrhardt & Bros.' boot and shoe store; Mr. George Strubler's livery stable; Mrs. Lindeman's toy store; Mr. L. G. Kent's grocery; Mr. P. Schmelzer's bakery; Mr. M. B. Powell's drugs store; Messrs. J. Ehrhardt & Co.'s boot and shoe store; Mr. C. Schultz's cigar store; Mr. A. Scott's grocery; Mr. M. Hemmer's furni- ture store; Mr. B. J. Slicks' grocery; Mr. H. L. Peasley's dry goods store; Messrs. W. H. Hillegar & Co.'s hardware store; and Mr. C. H. Finley's photograph gallery; Mr. C. Ken- dig's dental rooms and photograph gallery; Mr. Jacob Saylor's lumber yard; Messrs. Hart- runf & Son's lumber yard; Mr. C. Boettger's meat market; Mr. D. Garst's meat market; Thomas Saylor's ice cream and confectionery store. Also shoemakers as follows: J. Con- grave, --- Compte, G. Friess, G. Fosha, J. Fehlman, Mr. Knetzger, J. Stnbeurauch and Jacob Zimmerman; Mr. Obermayer's cigar factory; Mr. F. Strahecker's blacksmith shop; Mr. W. Lent's blacksmith shop; Messrs. Strausz & Getsch, proprietors of the plow factory; Messrs. Bauer Bros., blacksmith shop, and Mr. A. Hartrunf's blacksmith shop ; Mr. J. J. Hunt's hardware store; Alfred Shafer's car- penter shop; Mat Stevens' carpenter shop; R. Swarz's blacksmith shop; John Herbert's harness shop; Walter Good's paint shop; Francis Saylor's carriage factory; Mr. Arm- bruster's and Mr. Mueller's wagon shops; Fred Miller's taxidermist and painting estab- lishment; Mr. Brussel's livery stable; Fred Kaylor's clothing store ; Mr. Schloessler's cigar factory; and Mr. Michael Hines' shoe shop.
NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE.
The Northwestern College, under the aus- pices and patronage of the Evangelical Asso- ciation, is located at Naperville. The college
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HISTORY OF DU PAGE COUNTY.
building is an elegant, substantial and com- modious structure of stone, containing spa- cious recitation rooms, a large chapel, society halls, reading room, laboratory, and other rooms for special college purposes. The sit- uation of the building and grounds is in the finest part of the village, on a moderate eleva- tion, affording a commanding view of the rich and beautiful country all around to a distance of many miles.
The college was instituted at Plainfield, Will Co., Ill., in the fall of 1861. Prior to this time, there had been no college institu- tion under the support and patronage of the Evangelical Association. With the exception of several seminaries in the east, no higher schools of learning had been sustained by the denomination. Indeed, it may be said that the organization of Northwestern College is the mark of a new departure in the history of the enterprises of this young and growing church. It had long been verified that de- nominational schools inured greatly to the benefit of the churches which they represent- ed. Leading men, ministers and laymen, believing that the means to support and ma- terial to furnish a college were in the pos- session of the church, strongly advocated the establishment of such an institution. The Illinois and Wisconsin Conferences of the church were the leaders in this movement. Accordingly, a deputation of citizens of Plain- field was sent to the sessions of the confer- ences in the spring of 1851, with overtures for the location of the school in that village. An agreement was effected. There was at this time a township high school building in process of erection at Plainfield. This was conveyed to the Trustees of the college, and in the fall, when the building was completed, the school was opened under the name of Plainfield Col- lege.
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