USA > Illinois > Iroquois County > History of Iroquois County > Part 5
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It is claimed that Rev. S. R. Beggs was the first to preach in Concord Township in the year 1832. In 1833 the first Methodist Church was established. The first pastor assigned to this circuit was Rev. Essex who held a series of meetings in the home of Benjamin Fry. This society grew from the smallest beginning, Benjamin Fry himself being one of its active members from the first. It met regularly at the Liberty School House, and finally in 1872 erected a church just east of the township line and named it Movies Chapel.
In 1850 a United Brethren society was formed in the Enslem school house south of the river. The second Methodist society, organized in 1854 in the township, held meetings in the school house in Iroquois. This society in 1875 erected a church edifice in the village of Iroquois. In 1870, Samuel Warrick and William Brown were the promoters in the building of the church named Prairie Dell near the west line of the township.
The third period of the history of the township begins about 1855. A number of causes have contributed to the transformation of the new county and its industrial development during this period. Grist mills sprang up and were in operation. One was located at Old Texas, near the southwest corner of the township. The railroads as a factor in building up Concord Township cannot be overestimated, and the C. C. C. and St. L. (Big Four) was completed in 1871.
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The present village of Iroquois was plotted by Henry Moore, June 7, 1836, as the town of Concord, but was not incorporated until thirty-nine years later. It originally contained fifty-two blocks, eleven streets running north and south and five streets running east and west.
Montgomery, which was laid out a year earlier, lies just south of the river and was first in point of settlement and prominence. It was also built up on both sides of the Hubbard trail. The original village of Iro- quois was surveyed about the same time as Montgomery.
The first county records were kept at the house of Isaac Courtright three-fourths of a mile south of the village, the farm owned by R. F. Karr. The first commissioners court was held in a private house located in the village owned by a William Armstrong. The town was named after the proprietor, Richard Montgomery. The first tavern in Mont- gomery was kept by Timothy Locy in 1831. David Meigs, Richard Mont- gomery, and John White followed as proprietors of the public inn. The first white settlers to locate within the town were Benjamin Fry, George Courtright, Richard Courtright, John White, the widow McCullock, and sons, William and Solomon, and many others who were more or less closely associated with the very early events of the twin villages of Mont- gomery and Concord.
This group of towns at the beginning of their history were derisively called Bunkum. The name in time grew so popular that they were not generally known by their correct names. The town, Bunkum, has a well authenticated origin. It originated from an incident in the Congress of
Winter scene of farmstead in Concord Township.
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1819-21. A member from North Carolina delivered a lengthy oration on the Missouri question, in the course of which he very plainly told those who still remained listening that he was only talking for "Bunkum."
The government, however, never recognized the name and the post office continued under the name of Concord. In 1875, when the town of Concord was incorporated, the village was officially named Iroquois. The government followed the precedent and changed the name of the post office to Iroquois.
The first election held in the county was held in Montgomery in 1833. The first white child born in the township was William L. Eastburn in 1834. The marriage of George Courtright to Agnus Newcomb is believed to have been the first to take place in the county. The license was obtained at Danville, and the ceremony was performed at the house of Isaac Courtright, where the county records were kept.
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Crescent Township
Crescent Township occupies the most central portion in Iroquois County. It was originally entirely prairie land with a slight rolling topog- graphy.
As far as records show John Johnson appears to have been the first to make a home here. He arrived in 1846 and lived in this township until his death eleven years later. In 1848 Joseph Myers bought the east half of Section 1 from Mr. Thomas A. Norvell of Gilman. Other early settlers were Moses Tullis, George W. Lovett, Nathan Harrison, Edward Hitchcock and the Hutchinson family, Jacob, Isaiah, Daniel and John. The first settler in the northwestern part of the township was Benjamin Wright who arrived in 1849. Robert Clark and James Lewis settled in the ex- treme western part of the township between 1852 and 1954.
In the summer of 1853 a Mr. Hoover moved into the southeastern corner of the township. In the next two years Henry and Jedediah Cobb and William Cunningham and his sons-in-law, Harvey Roll and Russell Search claimed land in this part of the township also. This land was controlled by persons out of Danville but after some legal activity these settlers gained the land. Settlement was slowed up by the panic of 1857, however. In 1865 people of German origin began to migrate to this township and greatly influenced its development.
Crescent remained a part of Belmont Township until April, 1869 when it became separated and was named Grenard. This name was the name of the first supervisor, E. Grenard. Two years later the name was changed to Crescent, because the name of the station was Crescent City. The first township officials were the aforementioned E. Grenard as super- visor, David John, clerk; H. C. Boughton, assessor; Edward Hitchcock, collector, and C. M. Potts and A. J. Harwood, justices of the peace.
As Iroquois County became settled between Watseka and Gilman the railroads authorities saw the need for grain handling facilities to be improved in this area. In 1866 the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad built a switch and a station on the farm of Hiram Dunn, which is now Crescent City.
Mr. Dunn was instrumental in getting a post office established here and Mr. Riggles was appointed Postmaster. Mr. Dunn called the town Crescent for the idea of the circular shape of the timber, which skirted Spring Creek and the Iroquois River, in its curved stretch from section six in Crescent Township to section six in Belmont Township.
About 1868 people of German stock began to come into this area. Most of these people were engaged in farming. During the year of 1868, Mr. J. D. Young opened a store in Crescent City and Samuel Crumpton induced the railroad company to locate a switch and establish a station there.
Crescent City was platted in 1869. Frederick March followed J. D. Young in locating a business establishment there. A. J. Harwood built
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the first residence in this town and the first school was built in 1870. Also in 1870 a hotel building was moved into town by a Mr. Short and was later operated by J. B. Mounts. Later J. B. Grice built the hotel known as the Union House and operated it until 1879 when it was converted into a private residence. Mr. S. G. Staples built an elevator in 1869 and ran it for some time.
There are four religious denominations related to the growth of the Crescent Community. The First Congregational Church was organized in 1869 by Reverend Joseph E. Roy. The Methodist congregation dates back to 1865 when a class was formed by Reverend Thorp. The services of the Roman Catholics began in 1869 on the arrival of Mr. J. D. Young. In 1870, Father Fanning of Gilman was appointed to the Crescent City parish and regular services were conducted.
As the result of the German migration into the Crescent area the St. Peter's Lutheran Church was established in 1887. Their church was built in Iroquois Township in the northern part of Crescent City. A large number of Crescent Township residents also helped to organize and become members of St. Paul's Lutheran Church of Woodworth in 1873.
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UNDERTA FURNITUF
Main Street in Crescent City, Illinois about 1910.
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Danforth Township
During its early political existence, Danforth Township was a part of Douglas Township. This township is the form of a parallelogram, four miles wide by thirteen miles long.
About 1852, A. H. Danforth and George W. Danforth, of Washington, Illinois, in Tazewell County formed a partnership to buy land in part of Iroquois County. Between 1854 and 1860 they purchased from the government and the Illinois Central Railroad nearly 50,000 acres of land. George Danforth came to this part of the county during this time and devoted his time to improving and selling the land. Much of the land purchased by the Danforths was quite swampy and had to be drained to increase its value. The closeness of various rivers and creeks made such drainage quite practical.
Besides draining the land, the Danforths induced a number of people to migrate from Holland to settle here. It is this action that accounts for the Dutch influence in this township. For example, John Huizenga, a native of Holland, was attracted to this area while he was working on the Illinois Central Railroad near here in 1853.
Returning to this township after the Civil War, Huizenga, along with a Mr. Heersema, purchased farmland here. After farming some time, John Huizenga opened what was probably the first store in the township.
Practically all of the new residents were members of the Dutch Re- formed Church. This denomination held services as early as 1869 in Dan- forth and built their first church in 1872. St. John's Lutheran Church began holding religious services in 1870 and built their original place of worship in 1873.
In 1877, the residents of the northern part of Douglas Township requested a separate township organization. In that same year, a division was approved by the Board of Supervisors as to the area of the two townships, Douglas and Danforth.
The first election of Danforth Township officers was held in 1878. The following were elected: David Brunlack, supervisor; H. R. Danforth, clerk; L. A. Benjamin, assessor; and Fred Kohl, collector.
The firm of A. H. Danforth and Company had been dissolved in 1873, and H. R. Danforth had arrived to represent the interest of his father and his own. This firm had much more success in managing its land holdings than did many similar companies and played an instrumental role in the development of this township.
The village of Danforth was laid out in 1872, on section 18 and the corner of section 17, which lay between that and the railroad. The switch and station had already been established in 1865.
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Douglas Township
Douglas Township was named for Senator Stephen Douglas. It lies in the western part of the center of Iroquois County, originally em- bracing twice as much territory as it does now. It was divided in 1878 with the Illinois Central Railroad dividing it exactly in the center and the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw railroad dividing it almost in the center from east to west. Spring Creek runs across the southeastern corner of the township.
The surface of the land of Douglas Township is generally level and early in its history suffered greatly in the rainy years, but since drainage the land is a rich black soil and raises an abundance of corn and all kinds of small grains and beans and hay.
There were very few early settlers in this township; however, a Jacob O'Feather settled near Spring Creek in 1836. He had a fair education and was believed to be the first school teacher in the lower Spring Creek Set- tlement. He was also the first Douglas Township resident.
Douglas Township had three towns: Gilman the largest, LaHogue, and Leonard (which has only a few houses left now).
We have no exact dates for the village of Leonard. According to Anna Hallam Howard ( now 85 years old), she remembers when there were a large general store owned by Herman Minhardt, a depot (flag stop for T.P. & W. passenger trains), post office, school and telephone office. She estimates the date from the 1850's to the early 1900's. These landmarks vanished and were later replaced with an elevator, which burned down, and now on the same spot stands a fertilizer plant. Leonard is in the eastern part of the township.
LaHogue is in the western part of the township on the TP & W rail- road, and again there are no exact dates but information was obtained from Mrs. Winifred Meyers (79 years of age) whose father was the first doctor of that village. Dr. Lockwood came there in 1881. The village got its name from two men who brought in their hay press to harvest the wild hay, a Mr. Laney and Hogue. The first resident was John Zea, who was also the first ticket agent. In 1921 LaHogue had a hotel, bank, school, two large grain elevators operated by Zea from the start, three grocery stores, post office, and church, but with the coming of the highway one mile south, nine houses were moved, and soon the other businesses dis- appeared, leaving at present only one store which also houses the post office and a few well kept homes.
Gilman, the largest town in Douglas Township, is located at the junc- tion of the IC & TP&W Railroad. In 1847, Gilman's first resident, Matthew Lynch, a railroad contractor and engineer came to live in what was called the railroad or section house. By 1855 the Illinois Central was run- ning trains from Chicago to Del Rey and in 1857 the Peoria Oquawka (eastern extension) was opened from the west to this point and a com- bined passenger and freight house was erected. The first passenger train over the road was made up here and ran west to Peoria to the state fair,
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the last of September. Wm. B. Fleager came here also in 1857 as the first station agent. That same year D. L. Parker became the first postmaster. The first car of lumber and first residence was built by William P. Gard- ner also in 1857, and later he built a two-story furniture and school supply store. A large part of what is Gilman in 1967 was once under- water overgrown with bullrushes, cattails, and overrun with beavers and muskrats. After much work and drainage, Gilman was a reality.
In the year of 1858, three citizens and three Methodist ministers donated half of their various holdings in land to the company of Cruger, Secor, and Gilman, if in consideration they would run their railroad to this point and make a town here. They had the right to name the town which was named after one of the members of the company, Mr. Gilman. This railroad was known in later years as the Springfield division of the IC Railroad. Those giving the land were E. E. Hundley, John Chamber- lain, Joseph Thomas, and pastors Walter C. Palmer, John Dempster, and Joseph Hatwell.
The original town plat contained 77 blocks all north of the Peoria Railroad. In 1866 Mosher and Dent purchased a tract of land south of the Peoria Railroad and started improving it to make Gilman a thriving town. Later there was the Mann addition. In April of 1867 the first board of trustees was elected-Geo. Patter, E. S. McCaughey, Albert Dick- erson, Ellias Wenger, ad Hiram Baker. In 1874 Gilman was incorporated; Thomas Spalding the first mayor. The first hotel was the Gilman House which burned down as did the next three hotels that followed.
Many of the Gilman business places were destroyed by fire over the years due to lack of fire equipment. First came the hand-pulled and horse-pulled carts, then the fire engines, but as late as 1915 there was still a fire tower and bell to be hand rung on the lot back of the present Star office, a far call from Gilman's equipment of today. On July 5, 1883, a whole block of large store buildings and offices were completely de- stroyed by fire and never rebuilt.
The first religious services were held in the new IC station and pas- senger room by a Rev. Osborn sent out from Chicago by the Illinois Cen- tral to conduct the meeting. The first church of Gilman was the Catholic Church built in 1858, destroyed by fire in 1878, but replaced by a much larger one. The first Protestant Church was the Presbyterian organized in 1858. They held their meetings in various places until their first church was built in 1866; the Lutheran followed in 1867.
In 1866 Al Peck and his father ran the Hay press, probably Gilman's first. That same year this area (which was referred to as the Grand Prairie of Illinois ) was hit by a big frost in August which killed everything in the fields.
In 1865 there were just thirty-one buildings in all, but by 1965 Gilman had twice that number of business buildings and many times that number residents.
The Journal was Gilman's first newspaper, published by Matthews
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Custer in 1868, but it lasted two years. Then on May 21, 1870, the Gil- man Star was born, a weekly paper which is still in operation ninety- seven years later.
Gilman had increased in population until in 1870 there were 767; in 1920 the population was 1443; in 1925, 1700. In 97 years the population has only increased a little over a thousand. Two big boons to Gilman were the flowing wells in 1868 with a public fountain erected and electricity in 1898. The water was probably the biggest of the two. Gilman's first doc- tor, it is thought, was Dr. Wenger who came here in 1865. Some other early doctors were Dr. Brook, Dr. Dodge, Dr. Van Valkenberg, Dr. Snyder and Dr. Miller.
Gilman in 1920 had two highways-the Egyptian Trail and the Corn Belt-both cement paved. There were six Protestant and one Catholic Church and a new $100,000 High School, a very modern up-to-date hos- pital, a new high-powered fire truck, a good library with thousands of books, two building and loan companies, two good banks, a model creamery and ice plant, many blocks of paved streets, many first class business houses, and a beautiful comfortable depot. The years have brought many changes: Gilman now in 1967 has three highways, 24, 45, and 54 running through the south edge of the business district with a new super highway being built about a mile from town. Today there are four Protestant Churches and one Catholic Church, seven taverns or saloons, but now the taverns are twice as many as the churches. The hos- pital has not been in operation for at least tweny-five or thirty years, and the building was sold to Hitchings and Gelmers and houses Dr. Buckner's office and two upstairs apartments. The first truck has been replaced with newer equipment. There are now two fire trucks, an inhalator, and all modern fire fighting equipment. One of the banks closed its doors and went into receivership, so Gilman has only one bank and one Building and Loan Association. It is still a big little town and one of the best small business towns around.
The first club was the Dorcas Society started in 1859. Since the early 1900's many, many clubs of and lodges have come and gone, but many such as the Masons, Oddfellows, Woodmen, Legions, Commercial Club, Rotary and the Woman Auxiliaries have prospered.
One of Gilman's big prides is her Old Boys' and Girls' reunions held every five years since March 21, 1886. Six high school boys met at that time and decided to meet again each five years. These reunions bring old timers from every point in the United States. At one time there were so many Gilmanites in Chicago and Kankakee that they would charter two railroad cars to bring them back home, but, like every thing else, the autos have taken over, and the passenger trains are becoming a thing of the past. The original signers are all gone, and although it is a big event with parades, floats, and carnivals and probably will always be a cele- bration, Gilman misses the old time zip and all night dances, hayrides, and celebrations of the Oldtimers.
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The Old Community Hospital in Gilman.
High School at Gilman before 1911.
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Looking north on Central Street in Gilman.
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Depot and hotel with freight house and water tower in Gilman.
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Fountain Creek Township
Fountain Creek Township is the center of the southern tier of town- ships in Iroquois County and is bordered on the south by Vermilion County. Lovejoy is on the east, Ash Grove township on the north and Pigeon Grove on the west.
The town of Fountain Creek was created following a petition signed by twenty or more legal voters of the town of Ash Grove. The County board of Supervisors heard the petition. After legal posting of notice including legal description of the area to be included, all preambles, the resolution was adopted by the board on Tuesday, September 15, 1868.
These pioneers used every effort to establish schools, churches, gov- ernment, and improved roads. One by one churches were established, moved, and united. The present United Brethren Church of Claytonville, was dedicated December 21, 1912; the new Apostolic Christian Church was dedicated October 23, 1949; Goodwine Methodist Church, the oldest one in the area, was dedicated in 1872 and has been added to and im- proved over the years.
Earliest history mentioned numerous one-room schools-Burden School, Judy School, Carey School, Leemon School, Rudd, Fountain Creek, and Goodwine School which was established in 1884 and continued in use until 1960 when its closing made Iroquois County one of the first in Illinois to abandon all one-room schools. The school districts have all been absorbed into consolidated districts outside the township.
The first post office, established by the United States Postal Depart- ment on November 23, 1874, in the home of Jehu Judy, was given the name Seemly. The mail was brought by post rider from Wellington. The old post office records kept by Mr. Judy show it was closed at the end of the first quarter, March 31, 1883, following completion of the rail- road branch. Post offices were established in Goodwine and Claytonville with mail coming in by train.
The building of the Wellington to Cissna Park branch of the C & E I railroad opened transportation in 1882 and was a great asset for ship- ment of agricultural products to market. Then in 1903 when the Wood- land to St. Louis line was opened from north to south, additional trans- portation facilities were provided.
The greatest resources of this township are agricultural products. There is excellent farmland, fine dairy and beef herds, hogs and sheep. Grain farming has developed over the years, and with it the establish- ment of elevators and grain companies to meet the needs of grain farming.
At present there are three elevators in operation-Fountain Creek, Claytonville, and Goodwine. This last named grain company is the oldest Farmers' Elevator in the state of Illinois that has been in continuous opera- tion since it was organized and incorporated in 1889.
The once-swamp prairie land has been tiled by the owners and drain- age districts established. The general slope of the land is toward the
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north, with very little timber except a small belt along the streams. The stream from which the township derived its name was once called Bussing Creek, but one of the earliest settlers not liking the name changed it to Fountain Creek, and since it has remained.
William Goodwine, for whom the village of Goodwine was named, owned at one time around one thousand acres of land in the area. He was active in organizing the township government and served in some offices in it.
William Clayton, for whom the village of Claytonville was named, owned many acres of land as well as an elevator in Claytonville.
Depot and grain elevator in Goodwine, Illinois in 1900. This is the oldest Farmer's Elevator in Illinois that has been in continuous use.
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Howbyy
General store in Claytonville, Illinois. This building was destroyed by fire in 1920.
The Goodwine Methodist Church erected in 1882.
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Iroquois Township
Iroquois township is in the central portion of the county and includes an entire congressional township. The Iroquois River runs across its northwestern part; Spring Creek passes across its western half from near its southwestern corner in a northeasterly direction to its junction with the Iroquois. So large a portion of the township was originally timber that all requirements for early settlement were found here. The surface is gently rolling, and the eastern half of the township is decidedly sandy.
The earliest inhabitants migrated mainly from Ohio and Indiana, but later many came from counties north and west of Iroquois County. John Flesher and Levi Thompson seem to have been the first residents of this township. Among other early residents were John Wilson, John Johnson, Maurice Kirby, Alfred Fletcher, and L. D. Northrup. Northrup in 1836 laid out the town of Point Pleasant, located on the east side of Spring Creek about eighty rods from the Iroquois River.
The next settlement made in point of time, and the first in point of prospective importance, was Plato. A group known as the Plato com- pany purchased land along the Iroquois River and prepared a platting of land for a town that was quite attractive. Plato was described to the prospective land buyers in the East as quite a metropolis. According to them, Plato was at the bend of navigation on the Iroquois River with many steamboats trying to find room to dock at its wharves. The plat for Plato was to the south and west of the river. It was the expectation of the proprietors to secure the location of the county seat here, and it was advertised in New York and Boston as "one of the handsomest locations
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