USA > Illinois > Fulton County > Fairview > History of Fairview Township and the village of Fairview : 139th anniversary, 1836-1975 > Part 3
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accompanying his father to the mill with a load of wheat to be ground into flour. They would arrive early in the morning with the wheat, and late in the afternoon would re- turn home with the flour. In the Fairview Bee of March 17, 1887, Berger had this notice: "Feed ground for 5¢ per bushel, or toll one-sixth; wheat ground for 12¢ per bu- shel, or toll one-eighth". In 1897 or 1898 Berger built an addition to the north side of the mill in which he installed a dynamo to furnish electric lights to the Villagers from dusk to 11:00 p.m. In the Treasurer's Report for the Village of Fairview for the fiscal year ending April 17, 1906, it is noted that the Village paid $40.75 per month to P. Berger for street lights.
The Saturday Leaf was the first news- paper to be published in Fairview. From cop- ies in the possession of Frank Wheat and Ralph Abbadusky, and reproduced copies in the Fairview Bee the following information is available: The Leaf was started in October 1875 and was published monthly until May 1876. It was printed on one side of the page only, and the subscription price was 25¢ per year or 2¢ per copy. The paper was issued weekly from October 21, 1876 to June 1878, and was called the Saturday Leaf. No indi- cation of the publisher was mentioned in any of the issues available, although Rev. Winter in his book "A Brief History of Fairview" states that the son of Rev. J.S. Joralmon, pastor of the Reformed Church from 1860-1865, was the editor. The Fair View Record, the second paper, began June 29, 1878, and was published weekly by W.S. Hunter. The subscription price was three months for a dime. The size was a single page 5x8 printed on both sides. There is no evidence available as to how long the paper was published. The following owners of a business or trade in Fairview for 1878 are listed by the Fair View Record of Septem- ber 7, 1878; J. E. Bower, Clothing and Dry Goods; H. F. Hillpot, Clothing and Dry Goods; A. Voorhees, Grocer and Druggist; J. Newt Suydam, Postmaster and Druggist; C. Wyc- koff, Hardware and Implements; J. Spiss, Stoves and Tinsmith; Joseph Cook, Furni- ture, Coffins, and Pumps; Theodore Pumyea, Sash, Doors, Blinds, and Lumber; P. Berger, Flour Mills; Jacob Cyphers, Confectionery and Cigars; Allen Keefauver, Barber and
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Confections; Herder and Pfeiffer, Carriage Makers; U. W. Cyphers, Saddle and Harness Maker; George Lewis, Hotel; S. B. Bennett, and J. D. Curtis, Physicians; Mrs. L. W. Davis and Mrs. Lina - Cyphers, Milliners; Little and Stines, J. Van Nortwick and J. S. Moore, Carpenters; H. Belue, J. Sosey, and P. Griggs, Shoemakers; Charles Cyphers, Painter; H. F. Hillpot, W. Rockafellow, Char- les Suydam, and J. Roberts, Blacksmiths; H. V. Lowe, Brick Mason; S. V. Robinson, Justice of the Peace; and Joseph Wcykoff, Mail Carrier.
There are many copies of the Fairview Bee scattered among the residents of Fair- view. This paper was established by F. B. Phillips on January 3, 1883. Mr. E. E. White- head bought the paper later in the year and continued its publication until at least May 20, 1909, which is the last available issue. There may have been a few issues later than this, but 1909-1910 seems to be about the time general opinion has Whitehead moving from Fairview. In 1896 the ofice of the Fairview Bee was located opposite the north- west corner of the Public Park, and in the fire of that year much of its contents were destroyed. Donald Ekstrand recalls working for Whitehead as a young boy, and, at that time, the office was located in an old building located on the site of the present Fire Sta - tion. The Fairview Bee was Fairview's most pupular and influential newspaper. Whitehead was a most energetic newspaper man, well liked by his business associates and neigh- bors; and the fact that the paper continued for some 26-27 years under his editorship speaks for itself. The paper was issued weekly, and the subscription price ranged from $1.25 to $2.00 per year.
The Taylor Building, now occupied by Van Liew's Radio and TV Shop, was named for Joseph Taylor who acquired the building from Abram Voorhees on November 16, 18752 Voorhees operated a grocery and drug busi- ness beginning about 18653 Early records indicate that the building was located on the site of Joe's Market, and was moved to its present location prior to 1895.ª In 1876 Joseph Taylor opened a meat market, and in 1889 he added a line of boots and shoes. In 1890 he added dry goods and notions in the store rooms adjoining the meat market5 He either operated or leased the stores until at
least September 1903.6
Fairview continued to grow and prosper until the era of building railroads came, which almost brought ruin to the heretofore pros- perous Village. During the early sixties nu- merous roads were being built throughout the country, and Fairview awakened to the real- ization that she was surrounded by rail- roads, but not a single one passed through Fairview Township. The Quincy Branch of the Chicago, Burlington, and Quincy Road was sixteen miles west; the Peoria Branch twelve miles north; the Rushville Branch seven miles east; and the Toledo, Peoria, and Warsaw line ten miles south.
Efforts began to be made by the citizens to get a road passing through Fairview Town- ship. With the cooperation of a man by the name of Phelps, who lived in Elmwood, and with parties west who were interested, a char- ter was obtained from the State Legislature for a new road called the Elmwood and Mis- sissippi Railroad. This road was to connect with the C.B. and Q. at Elmwood, and run west through the towns of Farmington, Fair- view, Ellisville, Prairie City, and LaHarpe to Fort Madison, Iowa. Stock was subscribed by the people along the line with Fairview Township subscribing $35,250. The road was surveyed and the line as far as Prairie City was established. An assessment of five per cent was collected on the stock subscribed, and the work of grading was begun at Elm- wood. After grading two or three miles from this point, work ceased and was never re- sumed.
The next effort came in the late sixties when Pekin secured a charter from the State Legislature to build what was called the Pekin and Mississippi Railroad. The proposed line of said road was to cross the Illinois River at Pekin, entering Fulton County on the east making Farmington or Norris a point from which the line would extend west through Fairview, Ellisville, Prairie City, LaHarpe, and to Fort Madison on the Mississippi River. By an act of the State Legislature, townships at this time were granted the authority tois- sue bonds for building railroads, if so de- cided by a majority vote at a special elec- tion held for that purpose. After the line of the road was surveyed, an assessment of $3,000 a mile was asked from the people as local aid in building the road. This amount
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was pro-rated among the various townships through which the road would pass, and the people were asked to furnish their quota either in private subscription or township bonds.
In determining the pro-rata for the town- ships, the condition of the people and the ad- vantage expected to accrue to them from the success of the enterprise were considered; and their assessment thus made without ref- erence to the length of the road in the town- ship. The result was that Fairview Township was asked to contribute $50,000 which was $8,333 a mile, the length of the road passing through the Township being six miles. Captain John S. Wyckoff was elected a director of this road, and an effort was made to raise the amount by private subscription. This be- ing unsuccessful an election was called to vote the necessary bonds. This was a hotly contested election as the north and east por- tion of the Township opposed the project, while the Village and the south part of the Township favored it. The result of the elec- tion was in favor of issuing $50,000 in bonds. This election was held in 1870 and resulted in a split in the Township which persisted for a number of years. Many of the Townships between Fairview and Pekin failed to approve their bond issues, and thus the road was doomed. It is reported that Peoria engaged the noted orator, Robert Ingersoll, to defeat the Pekin Venture.
About the year 1872 or 1873 a charter was obtained from the State Legislature for a rail- road called the Burlington, Monmouth, and Illinois River Narrow Gauge Railway. The charter of said railroad was obtained and con- trolled by a construction company in the city of Monmouth. By the terms of the charter no work was to be done until there was a local subscription of $3,000 a mile obtained. Once again Farivew Township was honored by hav- ing a local citizen named to the directorship of the road, namely, H.M.B. Wilson. The work of subscription began, and in a little while Fairview Township raised a little in excess of $20,000 being some $2,000 more than was re- quired. But the required subscription of $3,000 per mile failed to be reached in other areas, and, consequently, Fairview Township was still without a railroad.1
Finally, help came from an unexpected source for a railroad for Fairview Township. In 1878 there was an attempt to remove the
County Seat from Lewistown to Canton. As a result of this contest a proposal was made by William T. Davidson, Editor of the Fulton Democrat, that a Narrow Gauge Railway from Havana through Lewistown to Fairview be built. It was generally understood that if the voters of the Township supported the reten- tion of the County Courthouse in Lewistown they would receive the benefit of a railroad ex- tending from Havana to Fairview. Seeing the economic value of such a road extending north and south across Fulton County, residents of Havana, Lewistown, Cuba, and Fairview be- came actively engaged in the promotion of the railway. On September 25, 1878, The Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railway was incorpor- ated under the Statutes of the State of Illinois. The officers of the new corporation decided to begin construction at Fairview and work south toward Cuba. The task of securing right-of-way became a difficult problem. Some of the land owners wanted exorbitant prices for the right-of-way, and others re- fused to sell at any price. This led the offi- cers to locate the site of the Fairview Depot one-half mile west of town. This aroused the ire of some Fairview subscribers, and they cancelled their subscription to purchase stock. However, other of the Fairview sub- scribers worked harder for the project, and finally the Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railway, later nicknamed the "Peavine" be- came a reality. On final completion the Rail- way operated from West Havana through Lew- istown, Cuba, Fairview, London Mills, and on to Galesburg, a total distance of sixty-one miles.
From October 28, 1880, when the first train entered the Village of Fairview, changes began to occur in the economic activities of the community as this was the first rail trans- portation easily accessible to the people of this area. Shifting of some industries and the creation of new industries resulted from the new railroad facility, together with the fact that the station was located one-half mile west of town.
Probably, the first new venture was the creation of shipping facilities at the new sta- tion. Thomas H. Travers, who had donated funds to the Narrow Gauge Railway, es- tablished a grain, stock, and lumber business forming a partnership with L.W. Davis and P.B. Voorhees under the firm name of T.H.
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Travers and Company. They bought and shipped the first car load of hogs and cattle from Fairview; also they bought the first load of lumber to be forwarded to Fairview.1 In 1881 Charles E. Mitchell became mana- ger of the grain elevator and other business of the firm. In 1890 Mitchell became mana- ger of the firm of Buckley, Persley, and Company?
Some of the older residents of Fairview seem to think that Travers sold his elevator to Buckley, Persley, and Company at that time; however, no official record was found to prove that fact. In 1900 Buckley, Persley, and Company erected a grain elevator with a ca- pacity of 18,000 bushels.3 In 1894 the lumber interest was purchased by James G. Simpson who merged with Powelson under the firm name of Simpson-Powelson Lumber Company. The lumber yard in Fairview was discontinued in the late 1950's.
All of the economic expansion of the 1880's called for capital, and the need for a banking institution to serve the business and financial needs of Fairview and the rich agricultural area in the northwest portion of the County be- came very evident. On July 1, 1885, the Fair- view Banking Company was organized. In the beginning the bank was not capitalized, but was privately owned and operated at various lo- cations in the Village. The first officers were T.H. Travers, President; L.W. Davis, Vice- president; John W. Gaddis, Cashier; and P.B. Voorhees, Assistant Cashier. Ten years later in the year 1895 the owners and officers had constructed in the Village of Fairview the present bank building.4
The Hill Store, now occupied by Joe's Mar- ket, dates back to 1882 when it was owned and operated by H.M.B. Wilson and John W. Gad- dis. In 1884 Wilson soldhis interest to Gaddis, who operated it alone until 1887, when Harry C. Hill became a partner under the firm name of Gaddis and Hill. In 1895 they built a new building which is the present site of Joe's Market. In 1901 Hill became the sole owner, and the business was known as Hill's Store.
In 1889 Joseph Cook, Sr., who opened his furniture store in 1852, went into partnership with J.F. Belue. In 1892 Cook and Belue con- structed a new building 28x94 feet using the old building as a warehouse. This constituted a very fine facility for the furniture business, and continued to be used as such until 1967.
In 1894, Belue bought Cook's interest and be- came the sole owner. People came from far and wide to trade at Belue's as he sold organs, pianos, and sewing machines, as well as com- plete line of home furnishing. Belue was a li- censed embalmer, and carried on the underta - ker's functions in funeral ceremonies in con- junction with his furniture business.5
Along with the expanding businesses in the Village of Fairview, the coal industry became a growing economic asset to the Township. Old mines were worked more extensively, and new mines were being opened and opera- ted on a larger scale. In 1883 Samuel Parr bought land in Section 30 for the principal purpose of obtaining coal lands. On January 8, 1900, he opened his mine near the Fulton County Narrow Gauge Railway, which pro- vided him with better shipping facilities for outside markets. He opened a drift mine which had a vein of coal four feet eight inches thick. Later a small settlement grew up here which was called Parrville6 No evidence is available as to how long Parr operated his mine. It is known that some time later other operators were in this area, namely, Frankovich Broth- ers, and Schuler and Long. There were mines to the north and east of Fairview as the Fair- view Bee of September 17, 1891 carried this ad: "Soft coal for sale at the bank one-fourth mile north of C.I. Alcott's; 4¢ if paid for; 4 1/2¢ if charged. W.L. Burdon. "In addition to these mines there were many others which continued to operate until the mining interests were assumed by the large companies which, today, have elevated Fulton County topromi- nent leadership in the production of coal in Illinois.
During this period the schools shared in the building growth of the Township. In 1863 a two story frame building was erected in the north- west part of town at a cost of $3500. The Fairview Academy was sold and moved east of its original site to the property now owned by Eugene Suydam. The new school was sur- rounded by beautiful grounds, with delightful grove and lawn not excelled, perhaps, by any public grounds in the County. Its rooms were well furnished, giving ample and comfortable accomodations for 225 pupils? This building was located on the site of the former Fairview Grade School. School was held in this building until 1899 when it was sold and moved to the south part of town, where it was converted into
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a residence and is now occupied by Harry Vollmar. M.M. Cook, who was born in Fair- view on November 9, 1855, served as Prin- cipal of this school for fifteen years before being elected County Superintendent of Schools in 1894. He served in this capacity from 1895 to 1919.1 Cook served as a teacher in the Grade School before becoming Principal, as we find the following item in the Saturday Leaf, dated October 21, 1876: "We have printed Report Cards for teachers Mapes and Cook. We glad- ly chronicle this advance in school disci- pline."
On June 17, 1899, the people of Fairview voted to build a new school building, and to bond the district not to exceed $10,000. T.H. Travers, J.W. Gaddis, and C. Gilmore, Board Members, were inspecting buildings on Tues- day, June 20, 1899.2 William Wolfe of Gales- brug was employed as architect. The contract for construction was let to Hjerpe and Munson for $7,9503 The building was completed in 1900, and continued to be used until 1973 when all schools were combined into a K-12 build- ing. Fairview's first high school was estab- lished in 1897, and was held in the building on the corner of Pumyea and Carter Street until the new building was completed. Mrs. E.H. Murphy taught from 1898 to 1900, and she was in charge of both grade and high school. The first Baccalaureate Sermon was delivered in the Methodist Church by the Rev. G.P. Sne- daker to the first graduates Edgar Zabriskie, Ruth Wilson, and Carl Polheums who received their diplomas on June 7, 1900. The following year there was no eleventh grade so that the second class graduated in 1902. At this time the high school course was only three years, but in 1908 the fourth year was added.ª
By 1870 the following schools had been es- tablished in the Township outside the Village of Fairview: Maple Grove, Johnson or Plea- sant Hill, Pisgah, Rosedale, Smoke Row or Oak Grove, Smith, Sunbeam, and Lamb or Schleich5 All or some of these schools were, no doubt, established as early as 1840, but no factual evidence as to date of establishment is available. Some of these schools were moved slightly from their original location, but each continued to function until closed or absorbed by unit districts in the late 1940's.
As the moral and spiritual responsibility of the churches to the community increased, improved facilities were necessary to main-
tain the high quality of their services. As mentioned earlier the Reformed Church had acquired more ground, and built a parsonage in 1856-1857. By 1873 the building debt for the parsonage had been paid so it was decided to hold a festival of Thanksgiving to celebrate the fact that all church property was free of debt. The celebration was called the Harvest Home Festival, and it was such a success that the event was continued until the late 1930's. Through the years people came from wide areas to renew old friendships, to enjoy the entertainment, to feast on the famous fried chicken dinners, and to enjoy good Christian fellowship.
By 1897, when the site of the M.E. Church had become valuable as a business location, the church building was sold and converted into a store building. The last service in the old Church was held on Sunday evening, Feb- ruary 13, 1898, with Rev. B.F. Mattox offici- ating? By this time the present M.E. Church Building was completed at a cost of $3, 000 and was located in the first addition to the original town on the corner of Main and St. John's Streets.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church, situated at Coal Creek, was organized by Rev. Swartz about 1850. The congregation met in a school house at first, and indeed until 1866, when their present church structure was erected. It is 30 x 40 feet in size, and cost $2,000 of which the Swygert family gave $600. Samuel Gourley donated the ground upon which the building stands, and also the ground for the Cemetery.
The first doctor in the Village of Fairview was Dr. John Gaddis, son-in-law of Rev. A.D. Wilson, who came here in 1838 with Rev. Wilson, and began the practice of medicine in the Village and surrounding community. Owing to the sparsity of population, Dr. Gad- dis was called upon to make many long trips in all kinds of adverse weather. The result was that he sacrificed his own health in his services to the people of this pioneer com- munity. He contracted tuberculosis and was constrained to give up his practice, but not before he provided the people with medical students who served apprenticeships under his supervision. Dr. John H. Piersol assisted Gaddis until he was elected to the Office of County Clerk in 1853, subsequently, moving to Lewistown. Dr. Henry W. Kreider was
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also a student of Gaddis for a time, as was Dr. Edgar L. Phillips of Galesburg. Even- tually Dr. Gaddis retired from the practice of medicine, and went into the mercantile business in Fairview. Finally, ill health forced him to quit business, and about 1855- 56 he moved to Jacksonville, Illinois.1
The next known doctors were S.B. Bennett and J.D. Curtis who started practice in 1861 and I.L. Beatty opened an office in 18813 S.B. Beer came sometime during the 1880's! Other doctors who were here prior to 1900, and who were associated with either Bennett, Beatty, or Beer, were S.S. Clayberg, T.E. Wetzel, W.P. Frazier, and Doan Parks? W.C. Mitchell was here in 1905,6 and R.E. Wasson arrived in 1906 and practiced until his death in 1944. W.L. Crouch came around 1914, and continued practice until his death in 1939. In the latter part of that year K.J. Long came and stayed until called into the Armed Ser- vices. C.W. Atherton, who was located in Farmington, came to Fairview twice a week during the latter part of WW II, and in 1946 moved here permanently. He remained until 1949. I.S. Easton was here from 1949 to 1952. The present doctor is Visvaldis Ziedins who has been here since 1956. Thus, in addition to the three student doctors, there are sixteen known physicians who have lived in residence and practiced medicine in the Fairview Com- munity. Those with the longest period of ser- vice were Gaddis, Bennett, Beatty, Crouch, Wasson, and Ziedins.
Very little information of the early post- masters is available. However, on March 7, 1863, James N. Suydam was appointed post- postmaster, but in 1866 he was "swung out" by President Andrew Johnson for two years, after which he was reappointed. On July 7, 1908, Jacob J. Zabriskie was appointed post- master, and a building now occupied by the Fairview Insurance Agency was constructed specifically to house the post office.8 In 1912 the post office was burglarized. As the story goes, four yeggmen blew open the post office safe with six blasts of nitroglycerin. The men began the burglary about midnight, and con- tinued with blasting until successful in open- ing the safe while a few residents watched from the street with horror. The men re- portedly escaped on a hand car with more than $300 in their possession9 The names of other postmasters, with date of appointment,
who served the Fairview Post Office during the latter part of the 19th Century are: Marv- in L. Harrington, September 18, 1885; Isaac L. Swegle, May 22, 1888; Abraham Eldert, February 28, 1894; Lawrence W. Davis, Jan- uary 27, 1898; and Matthew V.D. Voorhees, May 28, 1902.10
When Mr. and Mrs. G.W. Lewis passed away their only son, Frank, operated the Lewis House and from 1880 it became even more famous for its hospitality. Frank was a good musician, and he organized an orchestra which met in the House for practice sessions. There were many gay parties and get-togeth- ers which furnished entertainment for the community and surrounding areas. Excellent home style dinners were still served, and when Frank would step out on the porch and "ring the dinner bell, guests and local residents headed for the dining room. After the Narrow Gauge Railroad came to Fairview, travelling salesmen made it a point to stay at the Lewis Home. Mr. Lewis bought a new carriage from Herder and Pfeiffer which he operated to and from the depot. On Sundays people came from nearby towns, as well as from the Fairview vicinity, to enjoy the family style dinner and hospitality of the Lewis House. As times and conditions changed, first the dining room closed, then later the hotel itself, thereby, bringing to an end an establishment which had brought renown to the Fairview Community for almost one hundred years.
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