USA > Illinois > Macoupin County > History of Macoupin County, Illinois : biographical and pictorial, Volume I > Part 50
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THE SELECTION OF SITE FOR THE COUNTY SEAT.
At a meeting of the commissioners' court, held on the 2d of June, 1829,
"The Court received the report of the commissioners, appointed by law for fixing the seat of Justice for this county, which said report read as follows, to wit :
"The commissioners appointed by the General Assembly of the State of Illi- nois, in the year 1829, to locate the seat of Justice for the County of Macoupin, having met at the home of Joseph Borough in said county, and having fixed upon the following site for the seat of Justice of said county, etc., being and lying on the S. W. qr. of Sec. 28, Township 10 N. Range 7 West. Donation 30 acres, to be situated in an oblong square, 80 poles in front on the north side, to run 60 poles south. Stake drove on the north side of pubilc square, equi-distant from E. and W. corners on N. side, facing Main St., to run due East and West.
"Given under our hands and seals, this first day of June, A. D., 1829. "SETH HODGES. "JOSEPH BOROUGH. "JOHN HARRIS."
The court received a title in fee simple for the above described lot, or dona- tion of ground, which said bond was ordered to be filed in the clerk's office of this court. The site for the county seat was named Carlinville, in honor of Thomas Carlin, who afterwards became governor of Illinois, and who, as has been seen, secured the passage of the creating act.
COPY OF PROPRIETORS' BOND TO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS.
"Know all men by these presents that we, Seth Hodges and Ezekiel Good, are held and firmly bound unto William Wilcox, Theodorus Davis and Seth Hodges, county commissioners for Macoupin county, and their successors in office, in the penal sum of one thousand dollars, for the true payment whereof we bind ourselves, our heirs, executors and administrators jointly, severally and firmly by these presents. Sealed with our seals, and dated this Ist day of June, 1829.
"The condition of the above obligation is such that whereas the above named Seth Hodges and Ezekiel Good have agreed to make a good and lawful deed
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
to the above named county commissioners and their successors in office to thirty acres of land situate, and lying and being in the southwest quarter of section of No. 28, 10 N. in ,W. R. 7, to wit, situated in an oblong square, 80 poles in front, on the north side to run 60 poles south. Stake drove on the north side of the public square equi-distant from E. and W. on N. side facing Main street, Main street to run due east and west. Now if the said Good and Hodges shall make a good and sufficient deed to the above described lot or parcel of ground as soon as the patent for said ground shall come to their hands, then this obliga- tion to be void, else to remain in full force.
"SETH HODGES (SEAL) "EZEKIEL GOOD (SEAL")
LAYING OFF TIIE TOWN OF CARLINVILLE, JUNE TERM OF COURT, 1829-JUNE I.
"It is ordered by the court that the surveyor of this county proceed to lay off the town of Carlinville into town lots, under the direction of the Commis- sioners of this county, and that he return a plot of the same to the office of this court, previous to the 27th day of August next, and it is further ordered by the court that twenty lots of the aforesaid town of Carlinville be offered for sale on the 27th day of August next on the premises, on a credit of six, twelve and eighteen months, the purchaser giving bond with approved security for the pur- chase money, and that the clerk of this court furnish an advertisement convey- ing the intent and meaning of this order, to be published in the Illinois Intelli- gencer, and also advertise the same in such public places in this county as may be deemed expedient.
"State of Illinois, Macoupin county, s. s .:
"On this day personally appeared before me Ezekiel Good and Seth Hodges, who are personally known to me to be the identical persons who executed thirty acres, as a donation, to Seth Hodges, Theodorus Davis and William Wilcox, county commissioners of said county, and also said county commissioners, all of whom acknowledged the within to be their act and plat to all intents and pur- poses : Given under my hand and seal this 27th day of August, A. D., 1829.
"LEWIS SOLOMON, J. P.
"Registered August the 27th, 1829.
"T. P. HOXEY, Recorder."
CARLINVILLE PLATTED.
In August, 1829, Joseph Borough laid out the county seat, which had been given the name of Carlinville, giving the streets ample width and laying them at right angles to each other. At first Mr. Borough laid out fifty lots and received from the court of commissioners for his labors the munificent stipend of seven- teen dollars and fifty cents.
THE FIRST LOT SOLD.
Rowland Shepherd, although he may not have been the first to purchase a lot in the embryo city, was certainly at the head of the list in the matter of obtaining
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
the first deed. This historic legal paper was executed and delivered to Rowland Shepherd on the 6th day of November, 1829, and signed by Theodorus Davis, with the attestation of John Harris and Joseph Borough. The lot sold was desig- nated on the map as lot number seventy-one and the consideration was eight dollars.
In the month of April, 1829, when the first election was held, there were seventy-eight votes cast for the whole county. That would indicate there were then living in the community about 400 souls. The settlements had been made in various sections of the county so that, when the first sale of lots took place in Carlinville there were hardly more than a "baker's dozen" of families within its confines.
CITY OF CARLINVILLE.
Carlinville is now (1911), a beautiful little city of 3,616 population, with most of its business houses on four streets which face the square. The place is devoid of manufactories, although at one time it had flourishing machine shops, a brew- ery, established in 1859 by Steel & Lebherz, which continued in operation many years. This and the machine shops have long been abandoned. There were mills in Carlinville, the output of which was many hundred barrels of flour per day. These have gone out of existence, most of them having been destroyed by fire, until today not one remains.
The first mill was erected by Henry Fishback in 1845 and was lost by fire in 1864. It was a three-story frame and was replaced by another the same year, of brick and stone, with slate roof. This was an imposing structure to the eye and cost something near $50,000. It was owned and operated by the Weer broth- ers, who had invested about $100,000 in the concern. This building was also destroyed by fire. The Grove mills were also of brick and stone, three stories in height and had a capacity of 150 barrels of flour a day. The Diamond Mill and other milfs all had their day and went the way of their predecessors-up in smoke.
Carlinville is a splendid trading town and has one of the most fertile and prosperous regions in central Illinois from which to secure customers. With good roads and railroad facilities unsurpassed in the Chicago & Alton and the Illinois Traction System, the people easily reach her marts, not only from all points of the county but from adjoining territory. Her merchants are conse- quently busy and prosperous, as is evidenced by the modern store buildings and many handsome homes, churches and other structures.
The city of Carlinville is situated on the Chicago & Alton railroad, 223 miles from Chicago and 57 miles from St. Louis. It is 40 miles from Springfield, the capital of the state.
MAYORS OF THE CITY.
In April, 1865, Carlinville received its charter as an incorporated city and since that time to the present the following men of worth and standing have acted as its chief executive officer : John M. Woodson, 1865; William B. Dugger, 1866-67; Alexander P. Bettersworth, 1868; William Farrell, 1869; Henry H. Weer, 1870-71 ; Charles A. Walker, 1872; Henry H. Weer, 1873; James K. Fur-
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
ber, 1874; George R. Hughes, 1875; Peter Heinz, 1876; William F. Burgdorff, 1877; Jacob L. Plain, 1878; George J. Castle, 1879; Jacob L. Plain, 1880; Joseph C. Waggoner, 1881; Peter Heinz, 1882-83; Z. Harris, 1884; J. W. Hankins, 1885; J. L. Plain, 1886; C. J. C. Fischer, 1887-88; W. H. H. Horine, 1889-90; W. L. Mounts, 1891-92; A. H. Bell, 1893-94; W. D. Graham, 1895-96; Charles Gillman, 1897-98; Robert A. Hankins, 1899-1900; A. F.Weiss, 1901-02; W. H. Behrens, 1903-07; Dr. J. S. Collins, 1908-09; Jesse Peebles, 1910-11 ; James A. McClure, the present incumbent.
THE CITY HALL.
In 1885, when the Methodist church society abandoned its old church build- ing, on South Broad street, the city purchased it and after remodeling the build- ing, converting a part into an opera house, installed the municipal offices in the rear of the building, which there remained until 1897, when a new, commodious and sightly structure was erected by the city on West Main street for public purposes, at a cost of $8,000. Here is the council chamber, spacious and com- fortable. This is situate at the rear of the second floor, the front being devoted to the firemen and is known as Firemen's Hall. The ground floor is used by the city marshal, an office room having been arranged for that official; and a large space for the fire apparatus, which consists of hose and hose carts. This build- ing is of red pressed brick, trimmed in stone, is two-story and has a bell tower. The city bastile is a small building-one-story brick-on Plum street, just off West Main.
POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Carlinville has not grown to the proportions that demand a metropolitan police force or fire department. The city has, however, one marshal, or chief of police, who looks to the deportment of the unruly in the day time, and two officers, whose duties keep them patroling the city in the night season. The fire department is on the same small scale, but probably adequate for the purpose. The members are all volunteers and "run to fires" gratis. The paraphernalia is rather ancient for the town and after a costly fire will, no doubt, be replaced by more modern machinery for fighting fires and saving valuable property.
WATER WORKS.
The Carlinville Water Company received its franchise in December, 1888, and built a water works plant-power house, mains laid-in 1889. The power house, a one and one-half-story brick structure, was built one and one-half miles south of the city on Macoupin creek. Two Dean pumps, with a capacity of 1,000,000 gallons of water every twenty-four hours, were installed and the water from Macoupin creek became an article of commerce. From the analysis of the creek water here given one can determine the quality of nature's beverage, as furnished by the company.
In 1904, the Water Company, a foreign corporation, went into the hands of a receiver, and in June, 1907, the principal part of the stock being owned by him,
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
A. H. Soden, of Boston, purchased the plant at master's sale, paying $53,000. During the receivership the old cement mains were moved and replaced by iron ones. A filter plant was built and to meet expenses of these improvements re- ceiver's certificates were issued, all of which were finally redeemed. The com- pany 'had been' forced into liquidation by the city refusing to pay its water rent, claiming inferior water and an insufficient pressure. Or in other words, the works were not furnishing pure water, nor were they capable of serving the city in a proper manner in case of fire or other emergency. Since the new regime and under the efficient management of A. M. Boring, the works increased in its capacity and efficiency and is meeting the necessities of its patrons. A steel stand pipe, 120 feet in height, on Market square, is one innovation and five miles of mains now tap pretty much of the residence and business sections of the city. The stand-pipe pressure is from 40 to 45 pounds; direct pressure, 150 pounds. The works is now on a paying basis.
In 1907 the company was reorganized and the name.changed from the Car- linville Water Company to the Carlinville Water Supply Company. The officers are: A. H. Soden, of Boston, president ; A. M. Boring, secretary and treasurer ; Captain George J. Castle, superintendent. Directors, A. H. Soden, A. M. Bor- ing, E. A. Carter.
The Jackson filter system has been adopted. The main filter bed is 30x30 feet in dimensions and 30 feet deep, having six compartments. In the latter is sand from Minnesota, specially prepared, and other requisites, through which the water percolates and when it reaches the consumer it is very palatable and healthful, as the following analysis by the director of State Water Survey would indicate :
"DEPARTMENT OF CHEMISTRY, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
"URBANA, ILLINOIS, April 12, 1907.
"Report of the Sanitary Chemical Analysis of Water.
"Source of Water-Macoupin creek.
"Location-One Mile South of Carlinville.
"Amounts are stated in parts per million.
"Turbidity-50.
"Color-4
"Odor-o.
"Total residue on evaporation-365.
"Chlorine in chlorides-IO.
"Oxygen consumed-7.35.
"Nitrogen as free ammonia -. 064.
"Nitrogen as albuminoid ammonia -. 272. .
"Nitrogen as nitrites -. 000.
"Nitrogen as nitrates -. 320.
"Alkalinity-199.5.
"Sulphates-
"Iron.
"EDWARD BARTOW, PH. D.
"Director State Water Survey."
RAUCH .?
REV.
ST. PAUL EVANGELICAL CHURCHI. STAUNTON
CATHOLIC CHURCH. STAUNTON
LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
PAVED STREETS.
In the matter of well-paved streets Carlinville is keeping pace with the modern city idea. Today there are two and one-half miles of brick paving, which cost the taxpayer $85,531. The public square streets were the first to be laid with brick-in 1892-at a cost of $13,851 ; the same year West Main was paved at an expenditure of $15,823. One block on South Broad was laid in 1893, the im- provement costing $1,285, North Broad, $10,960, and East Main, $14,237. Five years were permitted to go by before any more permanent work was done on the streets. In 1908 paving was extended on South Broad, at an outlay of $12,176. In 1910 First South street was paved and cost the city $17,200.
SEWERAGE.
Public improvements were commenced in a proper manner, by first inaugurat- ing a sewerage system. In 1891 work was begun on this sanitary device, the main sewer for that section being laid on First South street to East Main. Then followed other mains, chiefly of brick, the sewers ranging in size from two feet to five feet, as follows: Public square to East street, Oak to Chicago & Alton railroad, First South to Second South, East Main to North, East to North Broad, East to Charles, North Broad to Plum, Plum to Oak, North to Washington, East to College avenue, East to Ellison, North to Moore, Charles to Seminary, North to Nicholas, and a number of extensions ; Oak to Chicago & Alton railroad, North to Nicholas, Ellison to Center, in all five and one-half miles, at a total cost of $65,130.
CITY FIRST LIGHTED BY GAS.
In December, 1869, Carlinville took on metropolitan airs by lighting its streets, stores and residences by artificial gas. An incorporated company built a plant at the corner of Mulberry and Locust streets. The concern was capitalized at $31,- 000 and had for its first officers: Charles W. Weer, president ; Samuel B. Dug- ger, secretary; John T. Rogers, treasurer. The board of directors was made up of Dr. John Logan, William Farrell, Charles W. Weer, Morris Hezel and Henry Daley. Eventually the majority of the stock found its way into the possession of C. H. C. Anderson, who became its president and treasurer and after his death, in the settlement of his estate, the property was turned over to a daughter, Mrs. W. L. Mounts. This occurred in 1888. The concern continued in operation from this time to 1890 as the Carlinville Gas Light & Coke Company, when the charter was surrendered. That year, W. L. Mounts, as an official of the company, bought the Brush Electric Light plant and merged the two lighting concerns into the Carlinville Gas & Electric Light Works, as a private institution. This condi- tion prevailed until December 31, 1909, when the Carlinville Utilities Company was incorporated and these properties were turned over to the corporation.
The officers of the present company are: W. L. Mounts, president; W. H. Behrens, secretary; William McKinley, of Carlinville, treasurer. These gentle- men also compose the board of directors. When the gas works came into the possession of the Mounts, the product was changed from coal gas to water gas
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
and later both kinds were made. The company continued to manufacture gas until February, 1910, when the factory was closed and by arrangements consum- mated with the Impromptu Development Company gas has been furnished from . the natural gas field of Macoupin county and retailed to consumers. At this time the citizens of Carlinville have both gas and electric lights, furnished by the Carlinville Utilities Company.
POSTMASTERS OF CARLINVILLE.
The first postmaster of Carlinville was Ezekiel Good, who has been men- tioned in this work so often that the reader will have become well acquainted with the characteristics of that pioneer long before reaching this article. At the time of his incumbency of the office there were but very primitive means of carrying the mails from one locality to the other. Postage stamps were then unknown and the recipient of a letter paid twenty-five cents or more to the postmaster, according to the bulk of and distance the missive had been carried.
In those days there were no fast mail trains, no regular place for the dis- tribution of mail matter, no city mail carriers, no rural deliveries, no trans- mission of money by the postoffice department and no postal savings banks. Nor were these conveniences even dreamed of by Postmaster Good and his patrons.
It is said that Ezekiel Good performed his duties toward "Uncle Sam" and the citizens of Carlinville well and faithfully. Almost every week letters would reach the village and the postmaster, as a rule and in order to be accommo- dating, would place in his hat the precious communications from loved ones, in- cluding sweethearts, back in the erstwhile far eastern homes of the settlers, and as he met a "lucky one," would hand him a letter, written on a sheet of paper doubled over and sealed with wax, first collecting the postage. Those old days of primitive things are long since passed away. The government has now in operation a postal system second to none in Christendom. A letter is carried to any part of the United States for two cents and the time is not distant when the postage on the ordinary letter will be reduced to one cent. The privileges accorded residents of towns and cities have been in recent years ex- tended to the man on the farm and in a very short time the city of Carlinville will have its own government building, from which will radiate each day, not only the urban carrier but also the rural mail distributor, whose route covers on an average a distance of twenty-five miles.
The successors of the premier postmaster of Carlinville have not been so many, when one considers that since Ezekiel Good's time over eighty years have gone by. However, no complete list of the names of the incumbents of this office has ever been published, hence, as a matter of history it is herewith given:
Ezekiel Good, Feb. 26, 1830; T. C. Kendall, Aug. 6, 1834; John Wilson, Nov. 30, 1835 ; Dan Anderson, Sept. 4, 1837; J. C. Howell, June 4, 1841 ; Daniel Anderson, Sept. 14, 1844; Leroy G. Palmer, April 15, 1846; C. J. Palmer, Nov. 4, 1847; J. L. Dugger, Feb. 3, 1849; James Fishback, Feb. 16, 1852; John Keller, May 26, 1853; J. W. Hankins. June 9, 1854; G. W. Wallace, Mar. 23, 1855; F. M. Bates, Jan. 7. 1859; Wm. A. R. Moore, July 3. 1860; H. M. Kim-
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
ball, April 9, 1861 ; H. B. Grubbs, Sept. 28, 1866; Dinah Crew, Mar. 28, 1867; H. M. Kimball, May 28, 1869; C. T. Prouty, Dec. 11, 1873; John Westermeier, Feb. 10, 1886; G. J. Castle, Feb. 14, 1890; V. H. Siegel, Feb. 16, 1894; G. J. Castle, May 4, 1898; G. F. Jordan, Feb. 28, 1907.
CARLINVILLE LIBRARY.
That the city has a library at all is all owing to the gratuitous labors of al certain number of women who early gave their attention to the needs of an institution of the kind in the community. There has never been any assistance rendered these worthy women of an official character, but on the contrary, monies secured for the purchase of books and to meet running expenses have been raised mainly by means of entertainments gotten up by the ladies of Carlinville.
No connected records have been kept by the library association during its early years of existence that avails the historian in a research for data pertinent to its history, and the following article has been made possible simply through the valiant efforts of Mrs. John I. Rinaker, Miss Sue Dick and Mrs. Lolah Woods. The article below was written by Miss Sue Dick :
SOME INTERESTING FACTS.
The historian digging among early records for data relating to people and incidents connected with the pioneer days of the city library will unearth some interesting facts. First and foremost among them is the fact that the Car- linville library has now a permanent place in the history of the community.
Starting from a small beginning, with only a few books secured through the solicitations of a committee, its growth and continued success have been very gratifying to its friends. Several attempts at inaugurating a library in Carlinville had been made, which resulted in absolute failure. The earliest record regarding the institution shows that in 1834 a library was started by the first teachers of the county seat, namely, Mr. and Mrs. Cooley and Miss Packard, which continued only during the time of their employment in the pioneer school. General John I. Rinaker and Hon. C. A. Walker remember a library organi- zation that met over Oliver Hall's store. Don Cameron was the librarian. No records were kept and the books were scattered throughout the village and lost.
On December 15, 1868, a number of the citizens of Carlinville, H. M. Kim- ball, D. W. Dresser, A. S. Ruark, F. L. Matthews, Nicholas Dubois, A. M. Barker and others, met to agree upon plans for the organization of a public library. They had on hand more than $100 in cash and more than two-thirds of the subscribers to this fund were present. They chose T. L. Loomis chairman, who appointed J. G. Koester and W. H. Steward a committee to devise and report upon plans for the formation of a library association. The result of this committee's labors was the perfecting of the organization and the acceptance of its title-the Carlinville Library Association. W. R. Welch, D. W. Dresser and A. C. Rafferty were elected trustees. For some time after the creation of the association the few books then collected were
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HISTORY OF MACOUPIN COUNTY
.
kept in a small room where the Koester building now stands, on East Main street. Officers were elected on December 30, 1869. Miss Bettie Robertson was chosen president. No record of the proceedings of their meetings has been found. Under the first organization meager funds were secured through mite societies, and much of the business of the association was transacted in the room above mentioned. Many of the homes of the early workers, however, were open to these meetings. George Holliday, A. S. Ruark, C. A. Walker, A. M. Dubois, J. L. Plain, J. I. Rinaker, W. R. Welch, J. B. Liston, N. Boice, J. G. Koester, C. H. C. Anderson and Dr. J. P. Matthews were at the head of these homes. Subsequently a permanent place of meeting was obtained in the north- west room in the court house basement. The first meeting was held here March 5, 1870, and on the 17th of the same month, the library was thrown open to the public from 2 to 5 P. M. This room was donated to the association by the board of supervisors. In a few years two larger rooms were secured in the basement of the court house, both of which are now filled, with a large and well selected list of books.
PERMANENT ORGANIZATION.
The permanent organization of the library association was effected February II, 1871, with the election of the following officers: President, Mrs. A. M. Du- bois; vice president,, Mrs. 'M. J. Anderson; recording secretary, Miss Lizzie Corn; corresponding secretary, Nicholas Dubois; treasurer, Miss Sue Uhl; and trustees, A. S. Ruark, S. T. Corn, and A. M. Barker.
Mrs. Dubois' administration as president gave excellent satisfaction and much credit is due her for the foresight she exhibited in the management of the affairs of the association. Through the efforts of the Carlinville bar, the "Pick- wick Trial," a drama, was rendered by certain of its members, which proved a success in every way and redounded to the benefit of the library. Mrs. J. I. Rinaker, during her term of office, was also very helpful and added not a little toward keeping up the interest in the movement. Under her administration the constitution was amended, and a code of by-laws adopted, with Dr. A. P. Bet- tersworth, Mrs. J. I. Rinaker and Mrs. W. R. Welch forming the committee. The cataloguing of books was also necessary and this being under Mrs. Rina- ker's supervision, as president, she appointed a committee, consisting of Mes- dames Welch, Matthews and Dubois, and the Misses Lizzie Corn and Sue Dick for this work. Under the committee's instructions a catalogue was published, which added much to the convenience of librarians and patrons.
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