History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 20

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650

USA > Illinois > Effingham County > History of Effingham county, Illinois > Part 20

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The church has now a membership of about fifty families, with over two hundred communicants. The present Trustees are Henry Osterhauso and Francis Hoene, and Clemens Albers and Bernard Tobbe, Direct- ors. The schoolhouse belonging to the con- gregation was built in 1870-71, and is a two- story brick, containing four rooms. A free school is maintained and well attended.

The building of the Illinois Central Rail- road was an era in the history of this part of the State, aud Douglas Township came in for its share of the general prosperity, which followed the completion of this great internal improvement. It gave the people facilities hitherto unkuown to them and furnished markets for their surplus stock and grain. such as they had never dreamed of. Their lands sprang up in value, their mode of cul- tivating the soil was wonderfully improved and their income thereby increased tenfold. This gale of prosperity which swept over the

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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.

country, and this revolution in the agricult- ural, mechanical and mercantile world, led to the birth of numerous cities, towns and villages-particularly along this great high- way. To the building of the Central Rail- road-an enterprise described elsewhere-we may attribute the origin of the beautiful and now flourishing city situated in the southern part of this township, and which might never

have come into existence but for this grand culmination of railroad enterprise. With this allusion to events, which "cast their shadows before," we will close our sketch of Douglas Township, and in another chapter take up the history of Effingham, devoting a brief space to its birth, growth and material development.

CHAPTER XII .*

CITY OF EFFINGIIAM-TIIE OLD TOWN OF BROUGHTON-LAYING OUT OF THE NEW CITY-ITS BOUNDARIES AND ADDITIONS-FIRST HOUSES, STORES AND POST OFFICES-HOTELS, MAN-

UFACTORIES, ETC .- THE FIRE DEPARTMENT-CITY ORGANIZATION AND OFFICIALS -RAILROADS AND THIE PRESS-LITERARY SOCIETIES, ETC., ETC.

" What is the city but the people ?

True, the people are the city."-Shakespeare.

HE city of Effingham, the capital of T

Effingham County, and the metropolis of a fine and flourishing region of country, is beautifully situated on high rolling land at the crossing of the Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central Railroad and the Vandalia line, and at the termini of the Wabash and the Effingham & Southeastern Narrow Gauge roads. The original town was called " Broughton," and was named for Mr. Brough. an " Ohio man," afterward Governor of that commonwealth of statesmen, and who figured in the first edition of the Vandalia Railroad-a matter still familiar to many of our readers.

Broughton was surveyed and laid out by George Wright, County Surveyor, and the plat recorded May 16, 1853, for David B. Alexander and Samuel W. Little, proprietors. The following was the original survey: "Be- ginning at the southwest corner of the south- west quarter of the southwest quarter of Sec-

tion 21, of Township 8 north, Range 6 east, at a stone; thence north 7 degrees west 132 feet to the southwest corner of said plat; thence north 7 degrees west 1,037} feet to a stone; thence east at one-eight angle 1,1053 feet to a stone; thence south 7 degrees east 1,037} feet to a stone; thence west 1,105} feet to the southwest corner of said plat." The streets were sixty-six feet in width, except around the square, which was laid off ninety- nine feet, and Railroad and Section streets were fifty feet. The alleys were all sixteen and one-half feet in width.

The Times, speaking recently of the early history of Broughton, has the following: " In connection with Mr. D. B. Alexander, Mr. Little came to this place in 1853 and sup- posing this would be the crossing of the Illi- nois Central and the old Brough road, pur- chased 260 acres of land, 180, at $10 per acre, and 80 at $25, and laid the foundation of our present city by laying out Broughton. The Central was only in course of constrnc- tion, and had not yet reached this far south, and when the Brough road collapsed, Messrs.

*By W. H. Perrin,

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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.

Alexander and Little acknowledged the fail- ure of their investment by abandoning Broughton and going to Kentucky. Before they left, however, they had contracted with George Wright for three buildings, for $1, - 300, two residences and one storeroom, and as a consequence of this contract the first three buildings in our city were erected. One occupied the lots now occupied by Funk- houser's magnificent brick, the storeroom on the northwest corner of the public square which afterward perished in the contlagration that swept the block away, the remaining residence being the house now occupied by Mr. Russell. The Central was completed to this place in 1855-56, and, seeing that the point was a good one, in 1856, Mr. Little, in company with Mr. Alexander, returned to Broughton and took up his residence. With the exception of a short residence in Virgin- ia, in 1867-68, Mr. Little resided here con- tinuously until 1871, when he removed to Lin- coln, Neb., and during that long residence no one was more identified than he with the growth and prosperity of our city. And as a recompense for this publie spirit he has, in addition to the consciousness of having per- formed a public duty, a handsome fortune to sustain him in his declining years."

An addition was made to the town of Broughton by Alexander & Little July 1, 1858, of a part of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 21, and platted by R. A. Howard, County Surveyor. After this the identity of Broughton seems to be lost, as we find no further reference to it in the records. Effingham having been laid out some years prior to this addition tu Broughton, the latter was finally merged into Effingham, and the name of Broughton dropped.

The original plat of Effingham was made by James M. Healey, Deputy County Survey-

or, for Andrew J. Galloway, proprietor, Sep- tember 12, 1855. and comprised the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, of Douglas Township. Of the com- mencement of Effingham, or Broughton, Mr. Hoeny furnishes us the following, in addition to the extract already made from the Times : In the spring of 1854, the first three houses in the town of Broughton were built by Alex- ander & Little, being two residences and one store. In the summer of the same year, George Scoles built the first residence that was put up by an actual settler. Shortly after this, Mr. Hoeny built a small dwelling for himself, on the lot now occupied by his present brick residence, which was the second house built in the place by an actual settler. Following the building of Hoeny's house, several rude frame structures were built in rapid succession, on the north side of the square, and one rather respectable and sub- stantial two-story frame building was put up by George Schmidt, on the lot now occupied by Mr. Reget's store. All of these last- named buildings, in the summer of 1863, were burned to the ground. This was the starting point-the beginning from which tho city of Effingham has grown to its pres- ent proportions.

Since the laying-out of Effingham. a num- ber of additions have been made to the origi- nal town, thus extending its corporate limits and giving it a foundation upon which 10, - 000 people may stand. and have plenty of room without " scrouging" each other. Some of the additions made to the town are as fol- lows: " Central Effingham " Addition, made July 22, 1858, by Alexander & Little, of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 20 of this township; the " Western Addition " to Effingham, by Alexander & Little, made June 6, 1859, of a part of the south half of the southeast quarter of the

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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.

southeast quarter of Section 20, by C. F. Jones and James W. Berry, of the north half of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 29, and by George H. Scoles, proprietor of the east part of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 20, of this township; the " Rail- road Addition" to Effingham, by J. P. M. Howard and William B. Cooper, August 29, 1859, surveyed by C. A. Van Allen, Deputy County Surveyor; "Gillenwater's Addition," made by Alexander & Little, Oc- tober 24, 1859, of a part of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 28; Addition A to Western Addition, by C. F. Jones and J. W. Berry, of a part of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 29, made May 19, 1866; McCoy & Arnold's Addition of four and three-fourths acres, in the southwest corner of the southeast quar- ter of the northeast quarter of Section 20. platted March 17, 1868; Alexander & Little's "New Addition" to Effingham, adjoining Central Effingham, and platted by Van Allen May 21, 1868; Addition B to Western Addi- tion, made April 7, 1870, comprising a part of the southeast of the northwest quarter of Section 29; Addition C to Western Addition of a part of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 29, by Joseph Buessing, proprietor. April 14, 1870; Addi- tion C to the city of Effingham, by C. F. Jones and J. W. Berry, proprietors of a part of the west half of the west part of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, and surveyed by Calvin Mitchell June 10, 1870; M. V. Parks' Addition to Effingham, of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 20 and a part of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, platted November 9, 1871; Summit Addition to Effingham, Henry G. Habing, proprietor, of the north half of

the southwest quarter of the northeast quar- ter of Section 20, platted April 11, 1875; Farr's Central Addition to the city of Effing- ham, of the northeast quarter of the south- east quarter of Section 21, and platted Au- gust 9, 1875. On the 10th of June, 1879, Blocks 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, of this addition, were formerly vacated, by Benson Wood, the owner of the same. If our read- ers desire further information on the subject of the origin, laying out and additions of their town, they are respectively referred to the records. We have given sufficient to sat- isfy us, and for our purpose, and will now switch off on other matters.

The first buildings in Effingham have al- ready been noted-their location and by whom erected. In the fall of 1854, William Dorsey, from Princeton, Ind., opened the first store. It comprised a general assort- ment of dry goods and groceries, and was kept in the storehouse built by Alexander & Little, situated on the northwest corner of the square, where Hodebeke's brick resi- dence now stands. Prior to the opening of the store by Dorsey, John Hoeny, then a teacher at Teutopolis, moved to Broughton, and was employed as a salesman and clerk in the establishment, and until he built a resi- dence of his own, he occupied one of the residences built by Alexander & Little, stand- ing on the site of Funkhouser's " Trade Pal- ace." As the town grew rapidly, other stores were established to satisfy the increasing wants of the people, and shops of different kinds were opened.

The post office, before the appointment of a regular Postmaster, was a kind of an “ ac- commodation " concern, called Wehunka. It was on the petition of the first settlers- Scoles, Dorsey and Hoeny-that the Indian name Wehunka was changed to Effingham. A petition, signed by twelve names, was for-

John K Groves

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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.

warded to Washington, recommending John Hoeny for Postmaster, upon which he was duly commissioned the first Postmaster of Effingham. Mr. Hoeny's official duties were not extremely heavy, and had postal cards been fashionable then, he could have found plenty of time for reading all passing through his office. The mail was semi-weekly, and Mr. Hoeny says he usually sent and received some half dozen letters each mail. Friend Scott, the present obliging Postmaster of Effingham, and his gentlemanly First As- sistant, can discount that a thousand (more or less) to one. Our poet-laureate does it up in verse, thus:

" The post office. too, is wonderful now, With its lock-boxes and that ; Why, I can remember how Iloeny Carried the thing in his hat."

Mr. Hoeny continued as Postmaster until he removed to Waterloo, in Monroe County, when he turned over the office and its " emol- nments " to George Scoles, his successor. The office has grown and increased wonder- fully in these years, and from the one semi- weekly mail of twenty-five years ago, there are now some eight or ten mails received daily, and the number ef letters, papers and periodicals passing through it would astonish some of our pioneer fathers. No better proof is required than this of our growth and de- velopment and our advancement in civiliza- tion and refinement.

There are few cities of the size of Effing- ham on the face of the globe probably as well supplied as she with hotels. A stranger would almost conclude that the entire popu- lation-men, women and children-take their meals at the different hotels and eating- houses. It is claimed by many, though by way of burlesque, perhaps, that Effingham has more first-class hotels than Chicago. Be this as it may, there are a great many- " more than any man can number" -and

vary, doubtless, in quality as much as in out- side appearances. The first tavern or public house-or, more properly speaking, boarding- house-was kept by John Hoeny. Scoles also kept a similar establishment in a house which stood where Ledrick now lives. John Woods and Holdzcolm also kept boarding- houses.

The first regular hotel was the Central House, which stood west of the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad, and was kept by Dr. Bishop, about 1855-56. He ran it about three months and then sold it to John Woods. Samuel Fleming afterward took possession, and kept it for a number of years. His wid- ow is the present owner of the Fleming House, one of the best hotels in the city. Other hotels now flourishing are the " Pa- cific," " Western," "St. Louis," "Cincin- nati," " California," " Buckeye " and a num- ber more of lesser caliber, and too tedious to mention.

The first practicing physician in Effingham was Dr. George Scoles, a very talented man. He commenced practice about 1856 to 1858, and continued for many years. Dr. Farley was also an early physician, perhaps the next to Scoles. The medical brethren of the city at this time are as follows: John Le Crone, J. B. Walker (no relation to Dr. Mary), W. L. and F. W. Goodell, W. H. Davis, J. N. Groves, L. W. Smith, L. J. Schifferstein and G. S. Schuricht. In conclusion of this brief notice of the medical fraternity, we give a few lines regarding the shooting and some- wbat remarkable recovery of George Holli- day. He was a barber in Effingham and well known, and was shot early in the year 1882, with a 32-calibre cartridge pistol. He was attended by Dr. Frank Goodell, who worked with him faithfully, notwithstanding other physicians pronounced his case hopeless and bis wound mortal, and, after six months of 1

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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.

patient and faithful care and attendance, dismissed him, on the 3d of July, 1882, as cured. No one believed it possible for Hol- liday to recover, not even the physicians, and for hours after the wound was inflicted, many pronounced him dead, but amid all discour- agements, Dr. Goodell persevered, and now enjoys the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts were crowned with success. The case of Holliday was pronounced by competent judges more dangerous than that of President Garfield.

The banking business is represented in Effingham by two good solid bauks. The first institution of this kind was started in the city in 1866, by Craddock & Habing, in the Little building. Two years later, it was moved to the Kepley building. The business was continued by these gentlemen until 1873. when the firm dissolved, Craddock retiring. Habing continued until 1876, when he ceased business. The Effingham Bank was estab- lished in 1879 by F. A. Von Gassy, who is sole owner of the institution, F. H. Euers, Cashier. Eversman, Wood & Engbring or- ganized a bank September 1, 1881, with a capital of $25,000, H. Eversman, Cashier; William Engbring, Assistant Cashier. Prep- arations are now being made for the erec- tion of a new bank building These two es- tablishments afford ample banking facilities to the city and surrounding country.

Effingham has never been an extensive manufacturing town. The largest thing of the kind ever in the place is the Division shops of the Vandalia Railroad, which are located here. They employ a great number of men, whose wages are mostly spent in town, thus affording quite a little item of in- come.

Among the few manufacturing enterprises may be noted the two excellent flouring mills in the western part of the city. Previous to

the building of these, Swingle & Little had a saw-mill, which they started about 1857, and ran for two years. A grist-mill was added then by Mette & Little. In 1860, a mill was built opposite of where the Pacific House stands, and, after running for some nine years, was moved from the city.

The City Mills were built in 1869 by Christan Alt & Co., and cost about $10,000, now owned by John Alt & Co. The building is two and a half stories high, containing three run of buhrs, also rollers, and has a ca- pacity of about three barrels per hour. It has been recently improved and refitted, and is now worth about $12,000. The Excelsior Mills were also built in 1869, in a two and a half story building, and when the repairs now being made are completed, they will be worth near $18,000. Gammon, Riekelman & Co. are the proprietors.

A woolen factory was built in 1863 by M. V. & George Parks, which did quite an ex- tensive business until 1880, when it was burned. A brewery was erected in the north- ern part of the city by Freepartner, and ran somne ten years, when it also was burned. A brewery was built in the eastern part of the city in 1560 by Valentine Jakle. It was a large brick building, and cost about $6, 000, and it was run some fifteen years, but is now standing idle.

The city has at different times been visited by rather destructive fires. The severest, perhaps, occurred in 1863, and broke out in the cabinet shop of H. A. Rebels, on the north side of the square. From the shop the fire spread to a saloon, which was quickly consumed, the contents not having yet been sufficiently watered to prevent being combustible. Speck's dwelling and shoe shop, two-story dwelling of Henry Dutton, George H. Smith's dwelling and grocery store, were among some of the buildings de-

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stroyed. Several other fires have occurred, but none quite so destructive as this. The city enjoys the reputation of having an excel- lent fire department and of being well organ- ized. It was established in 1865, some two years after the fire above alluded to. An en- gine, the "Old Vigo," was purchased at Terre Haute in 1867, at a cost of $1,350, and has since been refitted. An engine-house was built in 1876, on land donated the city by the Illinois Central Railroad. The first step toward a fire department was the oganization of a hook and ladder company of thirty-seven members, of which J. J. Funkhouser was Cap- tain; George Parks, First Lieutenant; H. J. Lacy, Second Lieutenant, and Gilbert Bush- or, Chief Engineer. The department now consists of a hook and ladder company and Delugo Fire Company, Albert Gravenhorst, Chief Engineer; Jacob Schneider, Foreman of Deluge Company, and Charles Schmidt, Foreman of hook and ladder company.

The village of Effingham was incorporated under the law governing such matters, but as the record book of the proceedings has been lost, nothing definite can be given in regard to this period of its local government. It was incorporated as a city in 1867, and the first Mayor elected was B. F. Kagay; E. H. Bishop, first Clerk; first Aldermen, Wesley Spitler, R. E. Moore, W. H. St. Clair and Fred Mindrup. Henry Eversman was the second Mayor, and served from 1867 to 1869; Thomas A. Brown for 1870; C. F. Lilly for 1871; John LeCronc, 1872 to 1874; H. G. Habing, 1874 to 1876; John LeCrone (again) for 1877; J. N. Gwin, 1877 to 1879; John Hoeny, 1879 to 1881, and Benson Wood, 1SS1 and 1882, the present incumbent. Addition- al to the Mayor, the present city government is composed of the following: John C. Evers- man, City Clerk; John J. Loar, Treasurer; Aldermen in First Ward, John Morhinners

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and Conrad Boos; Aldermen in Second Ward, J. H. I. Lacy and George M LeCrone; Al- dermen in Third Ward, Charles Beuler and Thomas Powell. B. F. Kagay, Police Magis- trate, and J. C. White, City Attorney.

Effingham is quite a railroad center, as well as a hotel town. It has the benefit of four railroads, with trains, almost hourly, to all points of the compass. A man can go from Effingham to any place -- except the moon-by rail. As the roads have been so fully written in preceding chapters by Mr. Bradsby, nothing more can be said, withont recapitulation.

The press also receives full justice in an- other chapter, on the county at large, and, like the railroads, nothing remains to be said in this connection.

Effingham takes a literary fit semi-periodi- cally, and indulges the most intonse interest and gets excited in the highest degree over such matters. But as it becomes older, the disciples of literature grow somewhat luke- warm and finally dormant, until another fit comes on. These fits and spells have been represented by the " Lyceum, " the "Forum " and the "N. L." societios, which have sprung up at times in the history of the city, swept over the scene like untamed meteors, flashed, darted and fizzled-then went out in darkness. The first of these literary feasts was inaugurated in 1877, the prime movers in the affair being John C. White and H. C. Bradsby. They determined to make the greatest efforts of their lives, and called a meeting of a few of their friends, viz., S. F. Gilmore, H. B. Kepley, Miss Emma Cooper, Virgil Wood, George M. LeCrone and a few others. White bossed the organization, with Bradsby as a "looker on in Venice." He (White) wrote the constitution and the by- laws, put the thing on its fect, named it the " Lyceum," and if there had been anything

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else to do, he would have done it. Bradsby was elected the first President, and served one year. White, Miss Emma Cooper and G. M. LeCrone comprised the Programme committee-the most important and respon- sible place in the society, in fact; its success or failure depended on this committee. From the very first meeting it was a complete suc- cess. They met in the Baptist Church every two weeks, and on each night crowds were turned away from the door for the want of room. During the first winter, the winter of its most successful existence-for, like all other organizations, it had its time to die, Mrs. Ann Eliza Young, nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Gov. William Cumback, of Indiana, and George R. Wendling, lectured before the society. Brilliant success attend. ed, and the society more than paid expenses on each lecture.

The entertainments and performances of the society were very popular, and the people of the city-men, women and school children contributed-and the variety of music, recita- tions, readings, papers upon various subjects and discussions were highly interesting. For the first time, perhaps, in the history of the city, the people were united, and little jealousies and bickerings and such things as so often kill off similar efforts in other cities, and had often done so in this, were unheard. The flattering success and prosperity of the first year gave evidence of permanency and of the good the society would accomplish. Owen Scott was elected the second President, afterward Prof. Page, then Prof. Mann, and lastly, Mrs. H. C. Painter. Its first year was its best, for, like all new things, it flourished until the novelty wore off, when, to some ex- tent, it waned in prosperity.

In the fall of 1880, another of the period- ical outbursts occurred in the literary world of Effingham, resulting in the organization of

the Forum. Chief among the pillars of this new institution were White, Buckner, Bailey, Dr. Thompson, Charles Kelly, John Webb, Virgil Wood, Caldwell, the Drs. Goodell and a few other kindred spirits. A short time after it got under way, they roped in Brads- by, and in his introduction to the society, some of the members, especially Buckner, Bailey and Webb, had oceans of fun at his expense, and thus paid off old scores with interest. The society developed into an old fashioned debating club, but it was mostly a kind of running fight on parliamentary ques- tions. John C. White was the first Presi- dent, then Bailey, Webb and Buckner in suc- cession, and in this exalted position they probably got angrier at Bradsby and White than they ever will at their future unfortu- nate mothers-in-law. Yet they somehow managed to learn more about parliamentary law than they had ever dreamed or imagined there existed. Bradsby says the Forum was a mighty success, even if it did make Buck- ner and Bailey eat nails and fire coals all winter.

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History of Effingham county, Illinois, Part 20

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co. Number of Pages: 650

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? ed
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, O. L. Baskin & co.
Number of Pages: 650