USA > Illinois > Macon County > History of Macon County, Illinois, from its organization to 1876 > Part 12
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None of us can do much of ourselves, but what has been done in the last thirty, forty or fifty years has been by the accumulated la- bor of all that have come and gone before us. What we accom- plish will be in the same way, and with doubts and anxious solici- tude we leave it for the future historian to record.
A RETROSPECT.
BY A. J. WALLACE.
Fair Genius of the West, whose magic wand Spreads fadeless beauty o'er this western land- Where nature o'er the rude and savage wild Reigned, ere the city or the farm-house smiled; Or yet was waked the echoes of the horn, Or dreams of wealth in these wide wastes were born, Bid thou the light of recollection flow . Back o'er the scenes of fifty years ago.
The savage, then, with never yielding will Pursues the frightened deer with sleuth-hound skill And tireless feet, till, with unerring aim, The fateful arrow slays the panting game; Or shadows, with a panther's step, his foe- The hated pale-face-cause of all his woe; Turns deaf his ear at each imploring cry, And shouts with joy to see his victim die; Then, with the nightfall seeks his dusky mates, And all his triumphs of the day relates; Or, urged by soft infatuations pent, The same which heav'n to all mankind has sent, He quits the crown, to gentle conquest moves, And worships at the feet of her he loves.
Hard by the borders of yon sheltering wood . We pass the spot where once a cabin stood; But see no sign-save that the grain-stalk spears -21
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More rankly o'er the garnered mould of years. Gone, with the builder gone-and yet how dear The rough-hewn cottage of the pioneer! Its doors unshut, and generous all its laws, Broad as the ingle-place its welcome was. Warm as the hearthstone, ever cleanly swept, So warm the heart that with each sufferer wept. Bright as the flame that up the chimney flew, So bright the joy that round the fireside grew; And when the night with silent step advanced On slumb'rous couch the household sank entranced; And dreams as blissful filled each sleeper's head As e're filled prince's in his downy bed. Rough were the men who ploughed the virgin lea, Swept by the billows of a grassy sea.
Rewarded was their toil; the golden grain Waved answering undulations o'er the plain. Uncouth their manners, cordial as the day, No unfed beggar toiled his weary way. The traveler unknown, belated, lost, E'er found a welcome and a kindly host.
These gallant men with ax and plough and spade, The deep foundations of the nation laid; And built so well that ages hence will see An ever-widening home for all the free. The patriots ever as the poet's heart Hoards up the memories as the years depart; Leaps with the joy and feels the battle thrill That Putnam felt at glorious Bunker Hill. The rarest gems in nature's rich array Are valued ever by the price we pay; Forgot the cost, and we forget the trace That lends the magic to the diamond's face ;- So when the nation, all ungrateful grows, Forgets the past, its struggles, and its woes, In swift retreat 'twill take, with hurried breath, Its first step downward to the shores of death.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
If evil with unrighteous rule prevails, 'Tis not the heritage the past entails. The wanton child of Luxury and Lust, Unknown to shame or virtuous distrust, Runs riot through the heart's enchanted ground, And leaps its walled defenses at a bound. The "fast" young man, less noble than his sire, A slave to wealth and to untamed desire, In youth decayed, in trembling age unblessed, Sinks unregretted to his solemn rest.
See Fashion all-adored, though lovely less Than maiden nature in her homespun dress. What is the flame her tinseled robes inspire To fervid nature's fierce magnetic fire? See wild Ambition, on his fiery car (Behind him famine, pestilence and war,) Lift high the flaming truncheon in his hand, And to destruction doom a smiling land. Thus great the evil, not without some good; Or else the prospect is a blackening flood.
Sure, Science in her study brooding brings Some compensation on the agile wings Of Enterprise, that mobile as the wind, Seeks every good that blesses human kind; And Art enraptured, beautiful and true, Whose magic pencil steals the sunset hue, Whose chisel stroke the heroe's living mold, Doth fix forever in the marble cold, Smooths down unpolished nature to the line, And in designing proves itself divine.
Then, reigned a rude and simple rustic grace, And, now, Refinement sits with smiling face, A hundred comforts fill our daily store To one that blessed the pioneer of yore. His life is past, his labor all is done, And we now reap the harvest that he won.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
NAVIGATION UNDER DIFFICULTIES.
It may not be known to many of our present residents that the Sangamon has ever been navigated. Such is the fact, however. A small sized steamboat is said to have come up as far as Spring- field at one time, but experienced considerable difficulty in turning around, and the captain probably abandoned further efforts in that direction in disgust. The legislature at one time declared the San- gamon navigable, but the law did not make it so in fact and soon became a "dead letter." In 1845 the navigation fever struck this vicinity, and a flat-boat was built and went down the river, com- manded by Capt. Wm. Rea. In 1846 five more boats were built destined for New Orleans, and were loaded with hogs and corn. They got as far as Long Point (a short distance south of Niantic) that year, and landed for the winter, awaiting high water in the spring of 1847. That spring three of the boats were fitted up and the loads of the other two transferred to them, and another attempt made to get to their destination, with more success. Two were loaded with hogs and one with corn. At Beardstown, the river becoming deeper and the loads being too light, a large quantity of bran was bought and taken on board, partly, perhaps, as ballast and partly as an article of merchandise. Two of the boats went through to New Orleans, and one stopped at Natchez. The captains of these several vessels were Uncle John Hanks, J. G. Braden and Hosea Armstrong. The latter became tired of seafaring at Beards- town and transferred his command to Moses Spencer. The firm engaged in this laudable enterprise was composed of the following gentlemen: Hosea Armstrong, J. J. Peddecord and Henry Prather. We have tried to ascertain the profits derived from these ship- ments, but have only been able to ascertain that they were not very large. The losses, however, were not very large, for the prices paid for the corn was not to exceed eight cents per bushel, and the hogs were purchased far about one dollar per head. The people along the river were very much interested in the success of this flat-boat experiment. "Uncle Henry Prather," in the autumns of 1845 and 1846, went along down the river and made speeches, urging the necessity of the people turning out and assisting in remov- ing the obstructions in the river. They did so, many of them working for days in cutting out the logs and drifts that had accu- mulated so that during the high water of the spring following the
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
obstructions would float out in advance of the arrival of the boats When the boats were passing, crowds of people would be found congregated upon the banks of the river to observe the passing flo- tilla of commerce, so to speak. the people even followed the boats in some instances for miles, to see that no harm should overtake the infant enterprise, and to assist in getting the boats over the logs and mill-dams that impeded their progress. After this effort, all fur- ther attempts at navigating the Sangamon ceased.
DEER HUNTINGS.
It was also customary to have neighborhood huntings, when all the men, young and old, would meet together at some appointed place with their hounds, generally on Saturday afternoon, and en- gage in hunting. The locality was selected, and the participants placed in their positions, which were called " stands,;" then the " driver " with the hounds would go out to " start up " the deer, which, when started, would pass the stands where it was generally shot, for there were but few of the early settlers but were " good shots," and rarely failed to bring down their game. It should be mentioned in this connection that deer have their regular runs or courses they follow, and it was necessary in these hunts to be fam- iliar with them, in order to secure positions or stands the game would pass.
Wolf hunts and fox hunts were also quite common. In the early settlement of the county wolves were very common, especially prairie wolves. They could be heard at night in droves, barking like so many dogs. They were very destructive of sheep, and no farmer ever dared leave his out of the "sheep house " over night, and they were often attacked in day time in close proximity to the dwelling. As a means of exterminating these ravenous creatures, a reward of one dollar was provided for by an act of the legislature in 1837, for each wolf scalp exhibited to the clerk of the county court. The black wolves, which were very large, when hungry, have ben known to attack persons, but they were never plentiful in this county. Wolf " chases " were among the many amuse- ments of the early inhabitants, and were a source of protection as well. Wolves ordinarily run very fast, and their endurance was wonderful, the chase often being given up as fruitless when hounds and horses had been completely exhausted. They, even when taken very young, could not be tamed.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
The red fox and gray fox were also to be found in this county, though they were not as plentiful as in other localities. The fox chase, owing to the peculiarities of this animal, was always a source of great amusement, not only here, but in all countries. They were often caught and confined for days, until those who desired to take part were ready for the chase, when the excitement of the chase was next to that of " mustering day."
Shooting matches were also very common to the early settlers, and especially so about the holdays. Almost every man was an ex- pert in the use of " fire-arms," especially the rifle. Pioneer life is productive of good marksmen.
COURT DAYS.
Among the notable days in the early history of the county, was court day. The convening of court was one of the events of the year. On that day nearly everybody went to town. If he hap- pened not to be on one of the juries, or a witness, or a suitor, he felt it to be his duty to "go to court" to see and hear what was going on. It answered the place of the shows and circuses of a later day, and perhaps was as instructive if not as entertaining. When court was over in the evening, the judge, lawyers and eiti- zens congregated in the bar rooms of the taverns, where stories were told, and the evenings spent in conversation, regarded by the " old inhabitants as very entertaining. No doubt but they were, for Lincoln and Douglas and Baker and McDougal and Stuart and Emerson and Lockwood and Treat and Logan and Davis, and others of world-wide reputation, were there and engaged therein. It is said that the immense fund of anecdotes possessed by the late President Lincoln was largely derived from collections made "while on the circuit."
HOUSE RAISINGS.
In the early settlement of the county, the dwellings were mostly built of logs, and those who built houses of such proportions as not to be called " cabins " were compelled to give what was called a " house raising," to which all the inhabitants far and near were in- vited to assist. The logs were prepared, sometimes hewed and sometimes not, and brought to the place where the house was to be erected, then when the people had all gathered in, those who were
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the more dexterous in the use of the axe were selected to " carry up the corners," i. e. notching the logs so they would fit the one upon the other, and the others would divide off in pairs of correspond- ing strength, and would carry the logs and place them in position as the building progressed. At the raising of a barn on the farm of the author's father, and which is now the oldest barn standing in the county (erected in 1829), people came the distance of 20 miles to assist in its " raising." At these gatherings in the early days, it was considered improper, in fact an act highly reprehensible, not to have " liquor," as it was then called, to drink. And it may also be noted that while almost every one drank, yet, it was seldom that intoxication was to be seen. Log-rollings and rail-maulings were also common in those days.
THE MAILS.
For a good many years after the organization of the county the mails were not of great dimensions. The arrival of the mail car- rier was not a very important event, excepting for a few weeks after election. The news, which was generally by letter, was not fresh and racy when received, as it is to-day. It was more ex- pensive, however, for the postage on a letter cost 25 cents, and it was not always that the recipient could raise the necessary funds to liquidate the government dues. The law was that the postage might be paid at either end of the route, and upon the anti-biblical doctrine that it is more pleasant to receive than to give, the person receiving the letter as a usual thing was compelled to pay the car- riage. Letters were often weeks and even months in arriving at their destination. The " fast mails " of " Old Father Taft," though not yet an assured success are of quite late invention. The mails were carried on horseback, usually in a pair of saddle bags more frequently unlocked than locked. The wolves sometimes chased the mail carrier, who was often but a lad, so that at times the mail arrived " ahead of time," which is about the only instance of at- tempts at fast mail carrying of early days. Sometimes the mail carrier got the ague enroute, or his horse got sick, or the rain or snow stopped him, and then the mail would be " behind time" for a few hours or a few days perhaps. Then instead of the mails coming once or twice a day and from all directions, they came once a week and from Shelbyville only. That was the point of dis-
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tribution for us. Afterwards and before the era of railroads, the mails were carried by the stage lines, some of which ran east and west and some north and south. This was an improvement, for the mails were then more frequent. We insert the following no- tice of arrivals and departures of mails in 1851 :
ARRIVALS AND DEPARTURES OF THE MAILS.
Arrives from Springfield, Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, at 8 o'clock P. M.
From Covington, Indiana, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, at 1 o'clock P. M.
From Bloomington, Fridays, at 12 o'clock M. Returns" same day at I o'clock P. M.
From Charleston, Thursday, 12 o'clock M. Returning same day at 1 o'clock P. M.
From Ewington, Saturdays, 6 o'clock P. M. Returns Wendes-
days, at 6 o'clock A. M.
From Paris, Thursdays, at 6 o'clock P. M. Returns Fridays, at 6 o'clock A. M.
From Edwardsville, Wednesdays, at 6 o'clock P. M. Returns next day at six o'clock A. M.
DECATUR, July, 1851.
P. BUTLER, P. M.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE OF MAILS IN 1876.
Post Office Hours.
Office open at 7 A. M .; closes at & P. M.
Sundays from 9 to 10 A. M.
Money Order and Registering office open from 7.30 A. M. to 7 P. M.
Mails Close.
For Terre Haute on Ill. M. R. R 9.40 A. M.
West and St. Louis, on T., W. and W 10.40 A. M.
East and Chicago, on T., W. and W 11.30 A. M.
East, on Ind., D. and S. R. R. 1.OO P. M.
Peoria, on Ill. M. R. R. 1.OO P. M.
Monticello and Champaign, on I., B. and W 1.OO P. M.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
From Pekin and Peoria, on T., W. and W. R. R 2.30 P. M.
Chicago and St. Louis. 8.00 P. M.
Lafayette and East. S.00 P. M.
66 North, on Ill. Cent. R. R. S.00 P. M.
Mails Arrive.
From South and St. Louis. 5.45 A. M.
Lafayette, on T., W. and W 5.45 A. M.
" Peoria, on I. M. R. R. 5.45 A. M.
" Pekin and Peoria, on T., W. and W. and Ill. M. R. R., 10.30 A. M.
East. 11.20 A. M.
66 Monticello and Champaign, on I., B. and W 11.20 A. M.
East, on Ind., D. and S. R. R. 11.20 A. M.
West and St. Louis, on T., W. and W. 12.20 P. M.
East, on Ill. Mid. R. R. 1.30 P. M.
North on Illinois Central. 5-45 P. M.
R. P. LYTLE, P. M.
DECATUR, ILL., May 1, 1876.
THE STAGES.
But few now here remember those old fashioned stages we used to have, that ran between Terre Haute and Springfield, Shelby- ville and Bloomington. The arrival of the stage with its passen- gers and mails was a more important event than the arrival of the mail carrier. The stage stand in our villages, which was usually the tavern, was a place of very considerable local interest. The stage driver was usually considered as a little larger man and entitled to a few more privileges than ordinary mortals. Albeit he was a man of functionary privileges, and you were required by law to give the entire road to him as he passed.
The passing of his stage was a matter of as much interest as the passing of a new train of cars. He had a peculiar swing and crack of his whip that the little boys would strive to attain. The stage was a peculiar piece of mechanism that rocked prodigiously, as if to keep the passengers awake. It was never full, for in staging it was a proverbial saying that there was always room for one more. It had a "boot" fastened on behind for the storage of the luggage and mails, that was almost as capacious as the stage itself. These stages
-22
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
are still seen in some of our western states and territories, and as in our pre-railroad times are yet carrying the mails. With us, how- ever, they are of the past-gone west, like Greely's young man, or the star of empire, as it were. But we are not to forget them. They were of use and importance in their day and generation, and they were of dignity as well, for Clay, as Senator, and Jackson, as President, rode to Washington in them. They were not remark- able for ease and comfort and not to be compared to the palace cars of to-day, but were endurable nevertheless, for some of our oldest citizens came to the country in them, making an uninterrupted journey of fourteen days and nights. In this day a trip can be made across the continent and back in the same length of time and with immeasurably less fatigue.
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HISTORY OF MACON COUNTY.
CHAPTER VI.
THE CHURCHES, ETC.
I say the pulpit (in the sober use Of its legitimate peculiar powers)
Must stand acknowledged while the world shall stand The most important and effectual guard,
Support and ornament of virtue's cause.
It would be idle to speculate as to which of the various denomi- nations has done most in bringing about the present condition of society, so far as morals are concerned. Which they have all accomplished in the aggregate there are no methods of ascertain- ing. If
" There's a Divinity that shapes our ends, Rough hew them as we will,"
We are disposed to believe that He in his providence has devised . the church in all its branches for the accomplishment of certain purposes, and the whys and wherefores are matters of little concern to us. If the theological disquisitions and discussions that have taken place in the last hundred years had been devoted to the erad- ication of evil rather than heated contests, long drawn out, as to whether this denomination or that one was the church specially recognized and sanctioned by holy writ, perhaps equally as much good would have been accomplished. If there shall be a time coming when the lamb and lion shall lie down together and a little child shall lead them, then the asperities engendered by the wordy warfares over the ipse dixits of creeds and doctrinal points, whether essentials or non-essentials, will have entirely disappeared. The
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millennium will in all probability obliterate all the speculations of doctrinaries and consign to oblivion many learned theories of innu- merable learned D. D.'s. He that shall stand in the light then shining may, perhaps, look into the past centuries and see the paths of at least twelve tribes all converging towards the promised land. There is no royal highway leading up to the New Jerusalem of which any particular corporation has exclusive privileges and sole control. On the contrary there are many ways. That which, for designation, we call the Methodist way, may be a little rough, and its trains may run, at times, at what may seem a reckless speed; and that other way, which we may call the Presbyterian way, may seem more solid and better ballasted, and its trains may run with a more solemn stillness, as it were; yet they both tend to the same point. The trains on each are through trains. The managers of each may speak in terms of praise of the safety and ease and peace of mind vouchsafed by the respective routes, but the passenger, when through, on either, is tired and glad to escape the incidents of travel. It is not our design, therefore, in the very brief sketches of the various denominations mentioned in this chapter to enter into any analogies of their differences, their accomplishments or special characteristics. We give the dates of their organizations, as near as attainable, present membership, etc. Before that, however, we may be pardoned for mentioning specially the
PIONEER PREACHER.
About as far back as we had settlers we had Baptists, Presbyte- rians, Methodists, etc. By and by along came the preacher, and he selected out his followers. The sheep, though terribly scattered, heard the voice of the shepherd, and came following. Those early shepherds-those pioneer preachers-deserve a passing notice. Their's was no easy lot. Their lives did not fall in pleasant places. Those who stood upon the outskirts of civilization and proclaimed the Word of God, held no enviable positions. It was no place of ease and comfort. It was like picket duty, and just as necessary.
Those early pioneer preachers were men of endurance, and sometimes their hearers as well. They wore their homespun and preached homespun sermons to homespun hearers, in similar logic, and on similar subjects. They had no fine churches with carpeted floors and cushioned seats, and windows of stained glass, and Gothic
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roofs, frescoed over with bugled angels. None of this. Their meeting houses were often groves, with grass for carpets, rude logs for seats, and the broad canopy of heaven for a covering. Their position, however, was not unenviable. Their songs mingled with the songs of the birds. Their prayers ascended to heaven on bree- zes bedewed with the perfumes of millions of wild flowers. Their voices echoed through the forests planted and decorated by the hand of God himself. There were no reverberations from painted and papered walls, borne upon an oxidized atmosphere filled with gases from cracked furnaces, and poisonous from diseased lungs. With pure and gentle breezes playing around him, the preacher preached to reprove, persuade and convince, and not to keep his hearers awake. He kept on preaching, too, after his thirty minutes were out, for his hearers came to stay all day. He finished up his sub- ject to his own satisfaction, at the end of an hour, an hour and a half or two hours. It was not necessary to bring part of it up at the next meeting as unfinished business. That subject, or doctrine, was nailed down and riveted. No, the thirty minute executioner didn't stand over your pioneer preacher ready to lop the sermon in two at the end of secondly. The pioneer preacher was also in the habit of speaking out in meeting. No subject laid upon his mind for weeks and months waiting for a favorable opportunity for ex- pression. He had no wrestling with his conscience about whether he ought or ought not to reprove brother or sister so and so. He spoke as he was moved by the spirit, as it were, unmindful of what brother was hit or missed. He preached what he believed to be true, no matter if it ruffled the belief of half his congregation. He had no knack at tempering the winds to shorn lambs. He was bold and fearless in this respect. He could preach Perseverance of the Saints to a whole conference of Methodists. He could preach Falling from Grace to a synod of Presbyterians. When he saw the enemy attempting a flank movement, he moved on him and attacked him in his most vulnerable point, When the devil showed himself he was sure to be struck then and there. There was no coaxing and diplomacy resorted to to dislodge satan from his strong- hold. The pioneer preacher never used tufts of grass. He took a stone in the first instance, and he threw it. A two-edged sword was his constant companion, and he kept it whetted sharp.
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And then again your pioneer in the wilderness was a man of no great pretensions. He was what he was, and made no effort at appearing to be anything else. While his calling was high, yet, like his Master, he was found among all classes and conditions of society; among the rich and those that dwelt on fine lands and in pleasant surroundings; among the poor and the wretched, where the wolf was continually at their doors. He was a man of simpli- city and plainness. What he was upon one day of the week he was sure to be upon all the others. He had no special Sunday cloak that covered up a multitude of weekly sins. His conduct was as the crow flies, straight on, without shadow of turning. He was always a poor man. Like Goldsmith's parson, his income was exceedingly meagre.
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