USA > Illinois > Effingham County > History of Effingham county, Illinois > Part 26
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The railroad accommodations of Mason are not the best to be seen in the county, by any means, and scarcely up to what might natur- ally be expected of a town from which so much shipping is done. In support of this
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assertion, we make one other extract from the Mason correspondence of the Republican : " There is probably no village on the Central Railroad entitled to as much sympathy and assistance as our own town, and there is cer- tainly none that has received less. We shall make no pitiful mouth of the matter, nor cherish ill feelings about it, but it is a fact that scores of places far less deserving than this have been the objects of repeated and lavish expenditures by the company. Thus far, however, Mason has paddled her own canoe successfully, and, thanks to the vim of her citizens she can continue to do so, with credit to herself and country. 'Never say die' is her motto. But there is one consol- ing thought, the people of Mason are inde- pendent. Whenever panics drive them to 'brown jeans ' and 'shoddy,' they lose none of their native pride. They dance and have festivals and church fairs, and get drunk, with as much dignity and regularity as though their purses were stuffed. The aver- age Masonite is irrepressible. He can play billiards and pray and shout and dance with equal vivacity." Under this veil of humor and sarcasm is concealed a palpable fact, and that is, that the old, tumble-down, rickety railroad buildings, depots, etc., are a disgrace to a great railroad such as the Illinois Cen- tral, and the people are justified in gfum- bling. They certainly deserve a respectable depot, if nothing more.
The history of Mason during the late war helongs in part to a distinct chapter. But a brief mention of the part taken in the great struggle by the town cannot be well avoided. In 1861, the village of Mason was a micro- cosm. Not a movement of Scott, an order of the President nor an editorial of Greeley but was discussed and thoroughly ventilated by the people here, utterly regardless of what others might say or think. A few days after
the fall of Fort Sumter, a flag, half as big as a quarter-section of land, was raised in the central part of the town, bearing the pat- riotic inscription, "Death to Traitors!" Pol- ities was a study for each one, and there was much whistling to keep up a show of courage and hopefulness. Mason was no more loyal or disloyal than other portions of the coun- try. There were those who opposed the war, and those who favored the most vigorous measures for prosecuting it until the rebell- ion should be crushed out; and this class predominated. Excitement was high, and the drum was heard daily as it beat for vol- unteers.
In the spring of 1863, a paper called the Loyalist was established, the better to aid the cause of the Union, and its loyal bolts were hurled at the heads of traitors with a boldness and a bitterness unequaled by Pren- tice or Brownlow. But these subjects are fully given in preceding chapters, and are merely alluded to here as a part of the his- tory of the village, which could not be wholly omitted.
Toward the latter years of the war, and es- pecially in 1863, the village of Mason im- proved and prospered as it never had before. Indeed, at such a rate did it travel on the high road to wealth that it really had the cheek to set itself up as a rival to Effingham. A large number of buildings were erected, and some of the best yet put up in the town, among them Vey's brick store, and Hardin's and Baker's dwellings. After the close of the war, however, and the general stagnation of business which followed, together with the contraction of the currency, a check-a very material one -- was put to the prosperity of the place. Improvements were few and of an unimportant character, and for the last dec- ade the increase in population and impor- tance have been exceedingly small.
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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.
The village was incorporated in 1865, un- der an act of the Legislature. Its charter was amended by legislative enactment in 1867. Since then it has been governed by a Board of Trustees who look faithfully to the inter- ests of its citizens. The present board is as follows, viz .: Stephen Hardin, Ross Bil- lingsley. James Drewry, - Goddard, James Richmond and D. S. Turner. Of this board, Stephen Hardin is President; Willis Richmond, Clerk; George Mills, Treasurer; and Joseph Donnelson, Marshal.
The business of Mason at the present time may be thus summarized: Soven dry goods and grocery stores, by R. G. Gibson, A. Con- oway, Henry Hoggs, H. Tyner, Lawrence Smith, Ross Billingsley and Wiley Burk; one hardware store, by Henry Rankin; two drug stores, by R. S. Miller and J. P. Hutch- inson; and two millinery stores, three black- smith shops, three wood shops, two butcher shops, two shoe shops, one harness shop, one copper shop, one hay-press, one saw-mill, one grist mill, one livery stable, four grain ware- houses, a post office, schoolhouse, two churches and two lodges.
Edgewood is situated about three miles south of Mason Village, at the crossing of the Illinois Central and the Springfield Di- vision of the Ohio & Mississippi Railroads. It is located on the south half of the north- east quarter, the north half of the southeast quarter, the southeast quarter of the north- west quarter, and the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter, of Section 32, of Ma- son Township. It was surveyed and plat- ted December 24, 1857, for the Illinois Cen- tral Railroad. The first house built was a dwelling erected by James Buckner; the next was put up by Byron Woodhull. The first store was a general assortment of goods kept by Ichabod Stedman in the station house, and was opened in 1859. A storehouse was
erected in the latter part of 1859 by Stephen Balcom, and is now occupied by the hard- ware store of T. A. Schefflin. Mr. Balcom was in business for two years, and was one of the most enterprising business men ever in the town. He built the " Balcom Corner" in 1861, on Broad and Chestnut streets, con- sisting of four large storerooms, offices, Ma- sonic Hall, etc. His death, in 1863, was a severe loss to the little town. Stedman & Emery built the fine store now occupied by Dr. Joseph Hall as a drug and jewelry store. In 1864, J. N. Faulk put up a large building in the east part of town. A. Goodnight was the first blacksmith.
The post office was established in 1858, and Byron Woodhull was appointed Postmas- ter. Joseph Hall is the present Postmaster. The first school-teacher was Malissa Sted- man. The schoolhouse was erected in 1864, and is a frame building. Miss Lilly Land- enberg now teaches the young idea to shoot -- paper wads.
Ichabod Stedman erected a flouring.mill, saw mill and carding machine combined in 1862, which was quite a mammoth establish- ment. He operated it until 1862, doing a large and profitable business, wlien it was destroyed by fire. Charles Heilgenstein built a steam flouring-mill in 1868, which was also burned. It was rebuilt by Kay & This- tlewood some five years ago, and is a large three-story building, containing three run of buhrs, and does a fine business.
The first religious organization was made by the Methodists several years before any church building was erected. They built a house in 1870, at a cost of $1,800, but were unable to pay for it, and had to give it up. It is now used as a public hall, and the church occupies the schoolhouse. Rev. Mr. Mall is the present pastor.
St. Ann Roman Catholic Church was built
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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.
in 1866 by the Franciscans. There were originally about thirty families, and Father Kellin was the first rector. The church cost abont $3,000, and the membership comprises forty-three families, under the pastorate of Rev. Father Reisin, who has been with them three years.
Edgewood Lodge, No. 484, A., F. & A. M., was organized October 3, 1866, and the charter issued by Most Worshipful H. P. H. Brom well, Grand Master. The charter mem- bers were B. W. Burk, Thomas Hamilton, John McDonald, John S. Kelly, Jonathan Hooks, Thomas A. Austin, Jay N. Faulk, James L. Gillmore, F. C. Healey, David Dyer, William McNeile, A. Stedman, John Harrison, F. H. Belm, John Broom, M. A. Broom, G. W. Gary, L. D. Coonly, E. Pesk, J. A. Nevins, James McCaffrey and John Scasefl. The first officers were: John S. Kelly, Master ; Jonathan Hooks, Senior Warden; and Thomas A. Austin, Junior
Warden. The present officers are: Joseph Danks, Master; John McCloy, Senior War- den; George Charlotte, Junior Warden; John McDonald, Secretary ; and Henry Tookey, Treasurer.
The village of Edgewood was incorporated in 1869, and a Board of Trustees elected, as follows: E. Barbee, James Johnson, J. F. Erwin, Joseph Fiechs and Joseph Hall. E. Barbee was President of the Board, and Jo- seph Hall, Clerk. The present board is J. C. P. Vandervort (President), Joseph Hall (Clerk), Charles Kay, H. Tookey, H. Peterson and A. Goodnight.
At present, the town presents the following business outlook: One dry goods store, two grocery stores, two general stores, one hard- ware store, one drug and jewelry store, one furniture store, one restaurant, two mills, two churches, one schoolhouse, two hotels, sev- eral shops, three warehouses, two physicians, two railroads and one depot.
CHAPTER XVII .*
WATSON TOWNSHIP-SURFACE AND PHYSICAL FEATURES-COMING OF THE WIIITE SETTLERS -- THEIR LOCATIONS AND CLAIMS-SKETCHES OF SOME OF THE NOTED ONES-MILLS AND OTHER PIONEER INDUSTRIES-SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES-CIIURCHES -VILLAGE OF WATSON-ITS GROWTH AND BUSINESS.
R ECURRENCES of the past, with the recollections and associations which make it pass in life-like review before our mental vision, will continue to be, as of yore, a source of satisfaction, especially when they connect themselves with incidents reflected back from our own experiences. These re- minders vanish with the life of the partici- pants, when no landmarks remain to save us the pictures faintly delineated in the tablets of memory. To preserve these from forget- fulness before they have lost their distin-
1 gnishing originality is the work devolved upon the historian. History fails in its great mission when it fails to preserve the life features of the subjects committed to its trust.
Local history, more than any other, com- mands the most interested attention, for the reason that it is a record of events in which we have a peculiar interest, as many of the participants traveled the rugged and thorny pathway of life as our companions, acquaint- ances and relatives. The township of Wat- son, which forms the subject of the following
*By G. N. Berry.
1
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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.
pages, is a somewhat diversified and broken body of land, lying a little east of the cen- tral part of the county. The following town- ships form its boundaries : Douglas and Teutopolis on the north; Bishop on the east; Union on the south; Jackson on the west; and comprising, under the Congressional survey, Township 7 north, Range 6 east. It was named in honor of a prominent official of the Illinois Central Railroad, at whose suggestion the village of Watson was laid out and improved. The surface of the coun- ty is considerably varied, being high and roll- ing in the north and east, while the central part and the land lying along the several wa- ter-courses is much broken, and in some places rugged, hilly, and almost wholly unfit for cultivation. The southeastern portion consists of a gently undulating prairie land, interspersed with a number of small groves, and contains some of the most valuable farming lands in the township. Along the eastern border from the northern boundary south to the village of Watson, there is a stretch of level prairie varying from a mile and a half to two miles in width, the major- ity of which is very fertile and in a high state of cultivation. North of Bishop Creek, in the eastern part of the township, is a small tract of prairie also, but of more irreg- ular surface, the greater portion of it being rather uneven, though very fertile.
Originally, about three fourths of the township's area consisted of timber land, much of which has of late years been cleared and brought into cultivation, while a great deal of the most valuable timber was cut and sawn into lumber at an early day, that busi- ness at one time being carried on quite ex- tensively. The largest and best growth now standing is found in the central part of the township, on the broken region alluded to, and along Salt and Bishop Creeks, and con-
sists mostly of the following varieties: Wal- nut, oak of several different kinds, elm and sycamore in the low ground along the streams, where they often grow to gigantic sizes; hickory, ash, maple, locust, etc., with a thick growth of underbrush, chiefly hazel, intervening on the high lands. The soil on these high and broken lands is rather thin, chiefly a white clayey nature, but, by proper tillage, it has been made to yield some very fair crops, especially wheat and oats, while it seems well adapted to fruit. Salt Creek, Little Salt Creek and Bishop Creek, with their several tributaries are the water-courses by which the township is watered and drained. The Illinois Central Railroad passes through the township, and has been the means of de. veloping the country's resources in a very marked degree by bringing its rich farming lands into easy and direct communication with the flourishing eities lying along that line.
In 1830, a man by the name of Davenport, from Tennessee, emigrated to the wilderness of Illinois, with the hope of securing a home for himself and children. He located a little north of the present site of Watson Village, and improved a small patch of ground, which he afterward entered. Here for several years this lone pioneer family lived, in their little pole hut, uncheered by the presence of friends or neighbors, toiling in the meantime for a scanty existence, which the wild condi- tion of the country at that time could scarce afford. The region surrounding the rude domicile abounded in gray wolves, large, gaunt and fierce, while an occasional black one was to be seen, and was much more to be dreaded. The right of Davenport to the few pigs and sheep which he brought with him was hotly contested by these denizens of the woods, and, in order to maintain his claim, a tight inclosure was made, in which the
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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.
stock was penned and carefully guarded every night; yet, in spite of this precaution, a number of unlucky porkers were nabbed up and carried off by the alert enemy.
Davenport lived here until the year 1840, and made, during the period of his residence, a number of improvements, chiefly in the way of building, clearing and fencing. His death, which occurred in the above-named year, was the first event of the kind in the township, and his grave, marked by the simple epitaph of his life and death, can still be seen in the old cemetery which he set apart for the bur- ial of the dead. The next settler was John Hutson, who came from the far-off State of Alabama, and located in the southwest cor- ner of the township about the year 1835. He made but few improvements, aside from a small cabin; sold his claim about two years later, to a man by the name of Hart, and went to the State of Missouri, where he after- ward died. The place is now in possession of Edmund Loy, an early settler near the town of Ewington.
An early settlement was made on Salt Creek, near the northeastern part of the town- ship, by Benjamin Bryant, a short time after Hutson came to the country. Bryant was from Kentucky, and appears to have been a man of rather reckless character, and not particularly noted for piety. His residence in the township will cover a period of per- haps eight years, the greater part of which was spent in hunting, trapping, etc .. but lit- tle attention being given to his improve- ments. On account of some domestic tronb- les, he left the country rather abruptly, and took up his residence in Missouri, near St. Louis. His family remained here, where numerous descendants still live, and are of the substantial citizens of the county. Among the early settlers of Watson was a man of the name of Browning, a relative of
the Davenports, who came into the present limits of the township as early as the year 1838, and opened a little farm on Section 29. He sold his claim shortly afterward and left the community, and the farm is now in pos- session of J. V. Bail, of Watson Village. A man named Hafhill was one of the early pio- neers of this section, having located near the northeastern part of the township some two years after Hutson made his appearance in that neighborhood, but he does not seem to have made any permanent improvement.
One of the most noted characters in the early settlement of this part of the county was an old hunter known as " Ci " Blansett. The date of his arrival was not ascertained, but he probably hunted over every acre of the township when there were but two or three scattering settlements in it. He built a rude log cabin near the Hafhill place, around which he cleared a little garden spot, where he raised a few vegetables. His chief sup- port, however, was derived from his rifle, and many stories are told of his encounters with wild beasts and his wonderful success in hunting. When he had killed a sufficient number of deer to make a load, he would pack the hams and skins in his wagon, and, with an ox team, start for St. Louis, where an exchange would be made for groceries, ammunition and other commodities. As the country settled up and game became scarce, Blansett concluded that, like Daniel Boone, it was high time for him to leave; so, load- ing up his few household effects, and turn- ing his face toward the setting sun, took his departure for the far West, where he could find a home more to his tastes, away from the fetters of civilization. John Funk came from the South about the year 1840, and set- tled near the central part of the township, where he resided for five years. He earned the reputation of being a good citizen, and
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HISTORY OF EFFINGHAM COUNTY.
did much, in a quiet and unobtrusive way, toward advancing the material interests of the community in which he lived.
Prominent among the early settlers was Michael Sprinkle, a man well known through- ont the township, and universally respected, and who came in the year 1841. He located near where Watson now stands, and after- ward sold out to his son and moved to Ew- ington. Several years ago, he moved back into this township, where he still resides, one of the oldest settlers now living within its limits. From the year 1841 to 1846, the following settlers made their advent into the township and settled in different portions of it: Daniel Rinehart, William Moody, Alex- ander McDuester, Thomas Hillis, John Tay- lor, Daniel Le Crone, William Le Crone, and the Loy family. Rinehart was prominently known in the early settlement as a man of more than ordinary intellectual abilities, and to him the citizens were wont to look for their instruments of writing, legal advice, and other items of knowledge generally belong- ing to the legal profession. He settled on the farm where Michael Sprinkle now lives, to whom he sold the place after he had occu- pied it about twelve years. From this town- ship he went to Ewington in the year 1853, but moved back again, and died in Watson some nine years ago. For a number of years, he served the people of the county as County Clerk, and discharged the duties of that office in an acceptable manner. A son of Erastus N. Rinehart is the present State Senator from this district, and a prominent man of Effingham. Moody entered the land where William Le Crone now lives, which he occupied about five or six years, when he dis- posed of the place and moved to Missouri. McDuester improved a tract of land near the northern boundary of the township, which is still in possession of his family. Hillis and !
Taylor both came from Ohio and purchased claims in the northeastern part of the town- ship. Daniel Le Crone came also from Ohio, about the year 1842, and settled where his son, William L., now lives. The family originally came from Pennsylvania, but had been resi- dents of Ohio a short time before moving here. One son lives in the city of Effing- ham, where for a number of years he has been a leading physician.
The Loys were an important family in pio- neer times, and the name continues to hold a respectable place in the county. They were from Alabama, and made the long journey to this part of the country with teams-an un- dertaking at that time quite formidable, and fraught with a great deal of peril. It would compare well with the embarkation of the Pilgrims, who left their native shore two hundred years earlier to make their way across the deep. to find a home in the New World. Indeed, the hardships of the wilder- ness road which lay before them were nearly as great as those experienced by those on board of the Mayflower, while the length of time required to complete the journey was almost as great. The roads in the South at that time were but poor, and, after crossing the Ohio, consisted of mere trails, through sloughs, over hills, fording creeks and ferry- ing rivers. There were but few bridges across the streams then, especially on this side of the Ohio, and during the journey many of the water-courses were so swollen by rains that the emigrants were compelled to go into camp for several days to wait for the flood to subside in order to cross over. Their little stock of provisions soon gave out, but they did not suffer for food, as the timber and prairie were full of game, and the rifle sup- plied them with plenty of meat. The cattle easily subsisted on the grass that grew along the road. In this manner, the long, weari-
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some journey was at length completed, much to the relief of all concerned. The original place of settlement was in Shelby County, where the family remained but a few years, and afterward moved to this county and lo- cated in Jackson Township. From the lat- ter, John Henry Loy came into Watson about the year 1845. He had several sons, all of whom were prominently connected with the early history and development of the county. Joseph Loy, the oldest, came to this town- ship from near Ewington, about the same tinte his father settled here, and located a farm a short distance east of the village of Watson, where he still lives. John and De- witt C., brothers of Joseph, selected their homes in the northern part of the township, where each has a very handsome property, and are among the well-to-do citizens of the county. Another brother, Thomas Loy, was a prominent settler also, and figured rather conspicuously in the early politics of the county, having been called to fill the offices of County Treasurer. Surveyor and Repre- sentative at different times during his life. This comprises the early settlement of Wat- son Township as far as we have been able to learn, though there may be other names equally entitled to a mention in these pages. Their early struggles and hardships, and trials incident to the pioneer's life, are but a repetition of those experienced by all settlers in a new and uninhabited region, and is il. lustrated by the Loys' trip to the country. Many daring deeds by these unknown heroes have passed into oblivion, and many of the foregoing list who labored hard to introduce civilization into this part of the country now lie in obscure graves, unmarked by the sim- plest epitaph. Those of the number who still live little thought, as they first gazed upon the broad waste of prairie, the unmo- lested groves, dense and tangled with brush
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and brier, that all this wilderness, in their own day, would be made to blossom as a garden. Little thought had they of seeing beautiful homes, waving fields of golden grain, green pastures and grazing herds, where the bounding deer, crouching and howling wolf, held unmolested sway.
"All honor then to these gray old men, When at last they are bowed with toil; Their warfare then o'er, they battle no more, For they've conquered the stubborn soil."
The majority of the early pioneers of South- ern Illinois were men of moderate cireum- stances, and came here desirous of bettering their fortunes. Like all pioneers, they were kind to a fault, and ever ready to do a favor. They came with but a meager outfit of this world's goods, but, strong in faith and hope, expected to increase their worldly store, and provide a home where to pass their declining years. The emigrant, upon his arrival, be- gan at once preparations for a shelter. Dur- ing this period, the family lived in a wagon, or occupied a temporary hut made of poles, with no floor except that of mother earth, and no windows except the interstices be- tween the logs forming the walls. Should the time of arrival be in the spring, this simple structure sufficed for a house until the crops were sown, when a more comfortable abode was prepared for winter. The crops were principally corn and a few potatoes. Wheat and the other cereals were not raised for a number of years after the first settle- ments had been made, on account of the poor condition of the soil, which, at that time, was very wet and marshy, especially on the prairies. A serious difficulty was experienced in raising corn, owing to the early frosts, which were sometimes so severe as to com- pletely ruin the entire crop, thus bringing upon the people a great many hardships. Edmund Loy speaks of one of these frosts,
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