USA > Illinois > Jefferson County > History of Jefferson County, Illinois > Part 39
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J. F. Watson taught a summer school after Dwight's second term closed; then came Johnson Pierson, who married a Miss How- ard, wrote an epic poem, the " Judaid," and went to Burlington, Iowa. After Pierson, Dr. Beech and lady-the Miss Bullock before- mentioned, W. W. Bennett, T. B. Tanner, Mr. Walbridge with his sister, and the noto- rious Robert G. Ingersoll, were successively Principals of the institution.
But all this while the academy was grad- nally slipping away from the Trustees. The later teachers taught on their own hook. The financial career of the academy was in- glorious. The tangle began early. The first schedule, from some cause, missed fire; and February 24, 1843, an act of the Legislature was passed, authorizing and requiring the School Commissioner to receive the schedule of a school taught in 1840, and apportion thereon its share of the funds of 1842, pro- vided all other schedules in the county were paid in the same manner-rather an odd act. Then there was a balance due Watson and Leonard on the building; John B. Leonard obtained a judgment against the house for $40.53; the claim changed hands a few times, not being considered worth much litigation. Asa Watson found a purchaser in the Ragan family; execution had issued in November, 1852; Watson transferred the claim, and Sheriff Dodds, in 1854, conveyed the prop- erty to Richard and Barzilla Ragan. After the death of these old people, on partition of the estate, the lot was sold to C. R. Poole,
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who transferred it to Mrs. M. G. Rohrer. She had the old building taken down in 1882, and a neat brick cottage erected in its stead.
After the fall of the old academy, we had schools at various places, as happened to be convenient. When Mr. Leffler, Presbyterian minister, was here, he undertook a private enterprise, and put up a schoolhouse west of Noah Johnston's a short distance. But his school broke down on the start, or soon after, and Judge Grant bought the house, moved it into town, and annexed it to the east end of his hotel. There it stood till the old hotel was torn down several years ago. A more successful effort was made by H. T. Pace in 1851-52. He had bought a lot with a beautiful grove on it, just north of where Dr. Plummer lives, on Union street, and here he erected and furnished a very neat schoolhouse at his own expense, em- ployed a teacher and kept up a school. Miss Willard, afterward married to Rev. John In- gersoll, taught in this house; then Miss Chamberlain, Mrs. Hogue, A. M. Green and others. Some schools were taught in the old Methodist Church-notably those of the Misses Martha and Sarah Green, both now residing at Normal, where the former, now Mrs. Haynie, is a Professor; the latter is the widow of the late Dr. Gray.
When the Methodist Episcopal Church was built, it was understeod that the three rooms below were for school purposes; and here Prof. J. Leaton, the first stationed preacher, opened a school in the fall of 1854. February 6, 1855, a charter was granted by the Legislature to Zadok Casey, James Lea- ton, John N. Jo nson, John H. Watson, Joel F. Watson, Charles T. Pace and Walter B. Scates, who, with three others, to be named by the Southern Illinois Conference, were to be Trustees of "The Mount Vernon Acad-
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emy." Prof. Leaton was chosen Principal, of course, and continued for three years. He succeeded well, being a finished scholar and thoroughly systematic. After he left, Prof. A. C. Hillman, now of Carbondale, John H. Pace, Charles E. Robinson and others con- ducted the school. But there was a steady decline of enthusiasm, till the academy de- generated into a common school-sometimes very common.
After the war, however, interest revived, and the Board of Trustees was re-organized. It then, 1865, consisted of S. T. Strattan, Joel F. Watson, C. T. Pace, J. S. Bogan, W. H. Herdman, Dr. W. D. Green, D. C. War- ren, James Lyon, C. D. Morrison and Thomas H. Hobbs. The services of Rev. Thomas H. Herdman, of Greenfield, Ohio, were secured as Principal, with Mrs. Carrie Smith, of Mattoon, as assistant. The school numbered sixty to seventy five pupils. At the end of the first year, Mrs. Smith returned to Mat- toon, and Miss Sadie K. Sellars, who had formerly taught with Prof. Herdman, in Ohio, was chosen to take her place. Miss S. remained two years, and was succeeded by Miss Anna Waggoner, now Mrs. A. M. Strat- tan. Thus Prof. Herdman remained four years, giving entire satisfaction to his pa- trons, and winning, in an unusual degree, the love and respect of his pupils.
In 1866, the subject of building a school- house was warmly discussed-indeed, it was hot. Several sites were proposed, but it re- quired an effort of the board to get the peo- ple to say they wanted any. The effort cost Bogan, Satterfield and others their positions. But a site was chosen-Lots No. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Block 4, Green's Addition, and a deed was obtained of W. H. Herdman November 6, 1866. After so long a time, a large, two- story brick building was erected, costing about $12,000, and having two large rooms
above and two below. A Mr. Barbour was employed to teach, but got cut by Duff Green, one of his pupils, and quit before his time was ont. E. V. Satterfield finished his term. Then followed G. W. Johnson in 1869, then Ryder, Forbes, Wilson, Woodward, Courtney, Frohock and Barnhart, the present Principal. It was made a graded school under Mr. Ryder.
When the schoolhouse was finished, the classes that had been in the Methodist Epis- copal Church went into it. Those in the Presbyterian Church remained till 1878. The contract made with the Presbyterian Church August 3, 1859, by N. Johnston, C. T. Pace and I. G. Carpenter, Directors, was for the use of the room ninety-nine years, for females only; the Directors were to finish the house and keep it continually in good re- pair. and to keep account of all expenses, and the church could annul the contract by re- funding the sum expended. In 1878, the church asked for a settlement. The Directors presented a bill of about $555. The Trustees of the church thought this too much, as noth- ing had been done but lathing and plaster- ing the room, running a partition and put- ting up two cheap privies and fencing the lots. They specially kicked at $50 or $60 for the privies. They also claimed to have kept up the repairs. They also wanted some- thing for the seats that were in the room at first, but now gone. A hot war was brewing, but was finally compromised by the Trustees allowing the Directors to use the rooms for one more term and paying $50. Thencefor- ward, the school was consolidated. In 1881, an addition eighty feet long was erected, and now our six or seven hundred pupils are pretty well accommodated.
Country Schools .- The first school in the township, outside of Mount Vernon, was taught by the late William H. Chastain. He
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came in 1838, and located near the spring. near where Johnson Hutchison lives, about three miles northeast of town. Finding out that he was a teacher, the neighbors com- bined and put up a log house on the rise- now the eastern part of Joseph Dawson's farm. Here Chastain, Holt, Leech, Stockton and others taught for a number of years. The patrons of these schools were O. Harlow, Mr. Lisenby (Chastain's father-in-law), Bur- rell Warren. James Carroll (who lived near where George Stitch lives), A. D. Estes (near the mouth of Two Mile), Freeman Burnett, Mr. Marlow, the Summerses, the Yearwoods, etc.
As the country became more populous, a division became necessary, and a school was taught in the Cumberland Church at the Camp Ground, by a Mr. Wineburger. I think the next school there was taught by Miss Hamline, now Mrs. William B. Casey, Miss Tempe Short following in the summer, and William H. Summers the next winter. These schools were about 1848 to 1851. The writer taught three schools there in 1853, 1854, 1855. July 12, 1856, John Wright conveyed to J. R. Satterfield, W. M. A. Maxey and R. A. Grant, Township Trust- ees, a lot beginning at the southeast corner of Pleasant Hill Church lot, running north 208 feet, east 208 feet, south 208 feet and west to beginning.
About the time the Chastain or hickory log house fell into disuse, and the division above spoken of ensued, the northern neighborhood erected a house of split logs near Hiram Duncan's. This was known as the Split Log, the Seven Mile, or the Duncan Schoolhouse. After doing service for five or six years, this house was burnt down, and in 1853 the
hewed log house was erected near the same place, where most of the people in that part of the township received their education.
After the Hutchisons and some others came into the border neighborhood, between Mount Vernon and the Camp Ground, still another schoolhouse was demanded, and a site was secured from John W. Summers April 7, 1856. It is described as beginning at the northwest corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 22, Town- ship 2, Range 3, running south ten rods, east eight rods, north ten rods, and west to be- ginning. A house was built here, and so continues, except the addition of ten or twelve feet to the north end.
Later school buildings are of such recent date as to require but brief notice. The Col- lins Schoolhouse was built on a lot bought from Joshua C. Maxey May 3, 1863. It is in the southeast corner of the southwest quar- ter of Section 4, and is eight rods wide from north to south, and twenty from east to west. The Block Schoolhouse was built in a district organized chiefly by the efforts of C. G. Vaughn, and is built on a square half-acre bought of Garner McWalker October 9, 1876.
It is in the southeast corner of the south- west quarter of the southeast quarter of Sec- tion 16. The Waite Schoolhouse was built on a lot bought of Mrs. Jane C. Webber De- cember 6, 1SSO. The boundary of the lot begins 24.89 chains west of quarter-section corner on the east side of Section 35, Town- ship 2, Range 3, runs east 4.47 chains, south 2.23 chains, west 4.47 chains, north 2.23 chains to beginning. The schools in these houses are well sustained, and the people aim to employ better teachers and have better schools with each succeeding year.
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
CHAPTER VI .*
MOUNT VERNON-TOWN SURVEYS AND ADDITIONS-" MORE THAN ANY MAN CAN NUMBER"- CASEY'S ADDITION-GREEN'S, STRATTAN'S AND SEVERAL OTIIERS-THE NUMBER OF ACRES COVERED BY THE CITY-MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT-CITY OFFICIALS, ETC., ETC.
W E have already noticed the survey of the original town of Mount Vernon. It is dated July 10, 1819, and signed by William Hosick. The question is often asked why our corners are not right angles. A sufficient answer is found in "Will's" statement of his beginning and first line: " The public square be- ginning at the northwest corner at a mul- berry stake, running thence thirteen degrees east, agreeably to the magnetical direction run by a compass made by Thomas Whitney, of Pihladelphia, No. 419, thirteen poles to another stake of the same description," etc. This was the west line. The survey and plat are acknowledged by Henry B. Maxey, John Jordan and William J. Tunstall, before Oliver Morris, Justice of the Peace. The fact that William Casey sold ninety rods off the west side of the quarter section on which the town stood to James Gray has been referred to. Gray sold a lot to the Methodist Church Sep- tember 8, 1835. September 12, 1835, he also sold to John Johnson all the ground he owned east of the town and north of Bunyan street, now Blocks 14 and 15. Angust 25, 1837, he sold a square acre in the northwest corner of his tract to Rhodam Allen, now Block 31; October 5, 1837, he sold to James Ross, Dr. Adams and John Stanford all the ground he owned west of the town and south of Bunyan street, now Block 6; October 7, 1839, he sold to W. S. Van Cleve a strip in-
cluding the ground where Merrill's livery stable stande, running as far west as Mrs. Baltzell's and back to the alley. Downing Baugh bought all the ground Gray owned south of the town and east of Union street, now Blocks 3 and 4.
Some of these were at once laid out in lots. Adams, Ross & Stanford's Addition, of six lots with a twenty-one foot alley-"North west Alley"-on the west, was surveyed by Daniel P. Wilbanks, Deputy Surveyor, No- vember 27. 1837. Baugh's Addition of thirty-two lots in two blocks was laid out by the same surveyor, April 20,1838, comprising the ground above named; the blocks were not numbered. The lots were numbered retroversely; acknowledgement taken by Noah Johnston. The title to the lots in this addition was pretty badly tangled for some time, but finally came out pretty straight in most cases.
By this time Gray had sold out most of his land around the town that was available for building lots. Very naturally the Village Trustees wished to see the town grow and branch out in good shape; so they, and not Jimmy Gray, as some suppose, but no doubt, at Gray's suggestion, employed John Storm, County Surveyor of White County, to come up and survey the town. Storm's survey was to include all the tracts just mentioned and what Gray had left and the original town. Fortunately, there was not a block in the whole menagerie, so he was free to num-
*By Dr. A. Clark Johnson.
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ber his blocks any way; but wherever lots were numbered the numbers could not be changed. This explains the numbers run- ning so irregularly in some parts of the town. The ninety rods off the west side of the quar- ter section made about ninety- four acres. The plat is dated September 18, 1840. The key corner stone was set at the southwest corner of Section 29, and the variation main- tained 6 degrees. The blocks ran from 1 in the southwest corner to 35 in the north- east. Block 24 and several others in the north and east were not lotted; they were so far from town and so badly in the woods, Storm states in his certificate, that the survey was "made pursuant to the request of the Trustees of said town." The survey and field notes fill thirty pages of the record, Book C, and J. R. Satterfield, Recorder, cer- tifies that they were recorded from the 1st to the 27th of September, 1845.
But of all the parties interested, not a man but Jimmy Gray acknowledged the "act and deed." This raised grave doubts as to the legality of it. Hence an act of the Legislature was procured and approved Feb- ruary 21, 1843, declaring " That the survey of the town of Mount Vernon in Jefferson County, made by John Storms in the year 1840, and the plats and profiles made by him of said survey, are hereby legalized and shall be taken and received in all courts as prima facia evidence of the facts therein con - tained and set forth, and the beginnings, endings, boundaries and abuttals thereby es- tablished are hereby legalized and con- firmed." Thus perfected, Storms' survey has remained almost unchanged. In February, 1865, by act of the Legislature, six feet were taken off the east side of Washington street from Main to Harrison, and added to the several lots, but in March, 1869, this was re- pealed. Block 24 was laid off into thirteen
lots for J. F. Watson by B. R. Cunningham, April 27, 1880. And Varnell opened an alley in Block 19, and S. H. Watson and others an alley through Block 26. Lots 7 and 8, Block 12, have been cut up by H. T. Pace's heirs, but no record made of it. It may be added that Storms' chain may have been just slightly too long, as many of his lines overrun a little. I may also add, as I am better at addition than multiplication, that Judge Pollock, April 14, 1881, carved four lots out of the parts of Blocks 28, 29, 30 and 31, lying west of the Salem road. He opened a street and an alley, but failed to give them names, and A. Curt. Johnson has divided Block 5 into lots.
Casey's Addition soon followed Storms' survey. November 14, 1840, Zadok Casey had E. M. Grant, Deputy Surveyor, to lay out some lots on a triangular piece of ground just west of town, from the Nashville road to the Carlyle road. It had been a field. He moved his east fences back to a line west of where Judge Casey lives, and the town looked expansive. He built two cottages and a store, now on Main street, and invited im- provement. But Jarvis Pierce had an idea that the improvement would take the opposite direction, and center about the academy; so he bought a strip ten rods wide, and about fifty rods from north to south, in the north- west corner of the east half of the north- west quarter of Section 32, from James Gray, and laid out sixteen lots, with Seminary street twenty feet wide on the west side, and South street fifty feet wide on the south. This was done by A. M. Grant, Deputy Surveyor, May 18, 1811; and Pierce's Addition stretched from where Mr. Brun- ing lives toward the Sunny South. But Jar- vis failed to pay for the ground; failed to sell lots, failed all over, and it all " went under." He and Albert Towle and Almon N.
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Towle, his nephews, held Gray's bond for a deed, but it did no good. In September of the same year, the same three mon, with Joel Pace, laid out South street, hoping this would help Pierce's Addition out. It ran from Union street east 639 foet, and was sixty six feet wide. There was nothing but . open prairie south of it-nothing to hinder its being 639 feet wide. It was not surveyed. but it was recorded twice. The first time they had it south of Blocks 3, 4 and 5 of Baugh's Addition. But they found there were but two blocks in the addition, and they next got it south of Baugh's and Ross, Stanford & Adams' Additions. This was no better, but they let it go so-and I don't know that it ever came back. Our blood did not call for any more additions until after the Su- preme Court came. Casey's Second Addition was the result. Gov. Casey moved his fences in again, and May 5. 1854. W. B. Anderson surveyed one tier of lots south of Bunyan street two blocks north of them, a huge block for the Supreme Court, and three blocks north of that. The lots ran from 1 to 25. On the plat of the huge block afore- said was written "Block 1. donated to the State of Illinois." This was all the " Block " in it, and this is all the deed the State ever had for that. Fourth street, which ran north and south from the middle of the court house lot. was soon after vacated. The court house and the Presbyterian 'Church soon brought this addition into notice.
Green's Addition came next. The tidal wave had moved west-it now turns back to the east. Billy Casey had sold the east sev- enty acres of this quarter section to Stins. Anderson, March 1. 1836. Anderson had sold it to Edward Ridgway. April 4. IS50, and at length. October 20. IS56. Ridgway had sold it to Dr. W. Duff Green. When Storm made his survey. everything east and
north of where Fletcher Johnson now lives was in the woods, except an awfully small and more awfully stumpy field on the hill north of the Fairfield road, and a field not quite so small and stumpy south of it. But now those fields had grown vastly. and more- ly a few clumps of the black jack woods were left. So Dr. Green. October 29, 1859, had Mr. L. J. Germain, Deputy Surveyor, under Mr. Grant, lay out the entire seventy acres into blocks and lots. This added seventeen blocks to the town, in three tiers running north and south, with Breckinridge and Spring streets between, and Green street separating all from the old town, Jesse J. Fly owned Block 7: H. D. Hinman most of Block 17; Block 9 was owned by Dr. Brown; Dr. Green reserved Block 12 for his home. and 15 and 16 included the springs, so that these blocks, as well as two and three, were not lotted. The street between 15 and 16 was soon after vacated. Fly had Block 7 divided into lots by a Mr. William S. Morgan, Deputy Surveyor. April 9, 1861, making eleven lots, except a strip at the northeast corner that he did not own. Indeed, he did not own near all the rest. Frank Parker coming in on the west and Benjamin Miller on the east, etc. Block 9 was subdivided by B. R. Cunningham, February 26, ISSO, or rather he surveyed and platted its seven lots, for it was already divided among as many owners. The rest of this addition remains about as it was. Improvement progressed slowly until the railroad was built, when it swept over the whole addition like another tidal wave. Newby's Addition, surveyed by Germain June 20, 1S60. also improved slowly for ser- eral years and experienced a like revival when the railroad was first built. Perhaps a sufficient clew to the location of this addi- tion is furnished by the record. for it seems to have one corner at the intersection of
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HISTORY OF JEFFERSON COUNTY.
Breckinridge street and the Shawneetown road. its northeast corner. The record don't say where it is.
As soon as the railroad was an assured thing. several more additions were made. Samuel K. Casey came, bonght ont the Gov. Casey heirs, and October 9. 1867, had a large square tract on the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 30 laid out into twenty-one lots. The southeast cor- ner, or key corner. is north 65 degrees west 3.90 chains from the key corner of Storm's survey, vernier set at zero. This throws it 150 feet west of First street or the Brownsville road: Mills and Elm are its principal streets. Gov. Casey had sold a lot at the corner of First and Bunyan to Dr. Short. and lots fronting on First to va- rious persons from time to time, south of the Short lot and running back the same dis- tance. After Samuel Casey had platted his square, as he called it, it was hard for the Assessor to properly describe the lots between it and First street, as they hardly seemed to be still "parts of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 30, Town 2 Range 3." So Samuel W. Jones. then Treas- urer and Assessor, had the County Surveyor make a plat of those lots. Joel Pace owned one at the corner: N. C. Pace one west of that, and south of it were lots owned by Samuel Hawkins, T. H. Herdman, J. J. Garrison's heirs. J. J. Fly, J. F. Johnson and J. & J. Slevin, a bad place for jays. The surveyor's plat of these lots has no name on the record, but is generally knowu as the Williams Sur- vey. It was made May 21. 1S6S. Then in the same year, August 3. S. K. Casey's Sec- ond Addition was surveyed. It lies entirely west and north of the Supreme Court lot, beginning sixty feet west and sixty feet north of the northwest corner of it. It con- sists of two tiers of large lots, its lots being
numbered from 1 to 9. The town now reached as far west as the depot south of the railroad, and as far as the west line of Bell's and Goodale's lots. etc .. north of the railroad.
The pendulum of improvement now swings to the east. and A. M. Strattan opens up Strattan's Addition. May 7. 1869. This is on the same tract with Green's Second. that is. the southwest quarter of the southeast quar- ter of Section 29, Town 2, Range 3. The Yearwoods owned eighteen rods off the east side. and Sirattan had bought a strip west of theirs. 5.235 chains wide. and sold an acre off the south end to Fitch; on the rest he laid out his addition. But it is described as beginning at a point fifteen feet south and 176 feet west of the northeast corner of the southwest quar- ter of the southeast quarter of Section 29. thns lapping over on to the Year- woods 121 feet. A recent deed from Dr. Green, however, corrects this error. This addition contains four lots. Rynd L. Strat- tan put a good house and barn on No. 1. now owned by Dawson, and the rest are unim . proved. In fact. the Strattans have sold two strips, fifty and twenty feet, off the east side of Lot No. 4. and what is left is two feet eight inches wide by 630 feet long.
Then the pendulum swings back to the west, and S. K. Casey's Third Addition is thrown open. It was surveyed by John A. Garber, civil engineer. Jannary 25. 1870. It includes seven blocks, on both sides of the railroad. north of Bunyan street or the Ashley road, and lies just within the western limits of the city. extending to Bogan street. It is there, and seems to be well fastened down with stakes and things, but it's hard to tell how it got there. for Garber located it on the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 30. Town 2. Range 3. about where the big pond is. Then it swung back to the
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east-the pendulum-and Varnell's First Addition was the result. Varnell owned the south half of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 29, and Novem- ber 24, 1870, he laid out about half of it along the Fairfield road-or Main street- into lots, in three blocks. It is ninety feet seven inches, widest at the east end.
The improvement now swings round to the south. First, Green's Second Addition, January 4, 1871, took in or let out all he had left of the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 29. The Doc- tor seldom did things by littles-don't think he ever gave a quit-claim deed, but always a warranty.) There are nine blocks, only the first four being laid out in lots; all the rest fronted on the Fair Ground road. But the demand for lots was such that September 18, 1871, he divided Block 5 and the south part of Block 6 into lots. This is Green's Di- vision, etc. He had sold 300 feet off the north end of Block 6 to the Lowrys. This Secoud Addition is bounded on the east by Lee ave- nue and the east line of the tract, on the west by Park avenue, and divided in the mid- dle by Lee avenue. Next, August 16, 1871, George S. Winslow throws over seventy-five acres of lots into the market in Winslow's Addition. It occupied the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter and all of the north- east quarter of the northwest quarter, except four and one-half acres off the south side of Section 32. Its avenues ran east and west. Casey, Opdyke, Castleton, Walnut and New- by: its streets, Temple, Water and Sum- mer, north and south. It had 224 lots and no blocks. Lot No. 222, including the ma- chine shop grounds. But afterward, Decem- ber 22, 1877, Lots 1 to 166 were vacated. except Lot No. 12S, being all of the north- west quarter of the northeast quarter of Sec- tion 32, except one lot. Still swinging
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