USA > Illinois > Massac County > History of Massac County, Illinois > Part 6
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12
In November 1932 Harve Evens was elected State's Attorney. He was the third Democrat since the Civil War to win a county office. The first was Sylvester Shoemaker (County Clerk, 1877) ; the second, James Leech (Assessor and Treasurer, about 1882). On November 8, 1938, John Steele was
104
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
elected as sheriff and Harry Wright as County Sup- erintendent of Schools. Both were Democrats.
Party choices in the April 8, 1952 primary were Kefauver (Democrat) and Taft (Republican) for President; for Governor it was Stevenson (Demo- crat) and Stratton (Republican). The swing was away from the "Fair Deal" as the November elec- tion attested.
Lloyd Armstrong (Republican) has been circuit clerk for 26 years, the longest tenure of any Massac County officer in its history.
In the early days judges, district attorneys, and the lawyers were circuit riders. John A. Logan was one of those non-resident lawyers of Massac County. So was Green B. Raum. John H. Mulkey, after re- tirement, moved to Metropolis. He was Chief Jus- tice of the Supreme Court. (54) Thomas G. C. Davis was at one time a citizen of Metropolis. He was a lawyer of distinction. It was related of him that he was never at a loss to supply a missing link in the chain of testimony wherein his client had a per- sonal interest. (35) It was said of him that no man could speak as he did without being endowed from on high. He once served as attorney in Massac court for a colored boy, and presented proof that he was born free. (10)
Jedediah Jack, an almost forgotten lawyer, lies in an unmarked grave in old Kidd's Cemetery. He defended a poor and friendless colored man named Decatur Campbell, who had been convicted of mur-
105
POLITICAL NOTES-THE BAR
der. Jack carried the case to the Supreme Court and secured a reversal, thus promulgating the Doctrine of Self-Defense-that if a man is pursued or as- saulted in such a way as to induce in him a reason- able belief that he is in actual danger, he might with force defend himself whether the danger was real or apparent. (10)
States Attorneys since 1888 have been Douglas W. Helm, Fred R. Young, George Sawyer, Fred Smith, Walter Roberts, Roy R. Helm, Harve Evans and Robert Chase. The present incumbent is Louis Horman. County judges in the same period have been Jonathan C. Willis, B. O. Jones, George Saw- yer, Lannes P. Oakes, William F. Smith, Fred Smith, Walter Roberts, and presently, Carl H. Smith.
Other practicing lawyers have been Benjamin Delevan, John B. Hicks, Thomas B. Hicks, William H. Green, Thomas H. Smith, Isaac Armstrong, Richard Brown, Manning Mayfield, Hal Armstrong, William Hays, Edward McMahan, John F. and Robert W. McCartney and John R. Thomas. The Dean of the Bar in age and seniority was James C. Courtney. Harve Evans was the last of the old school of lawyers, those who did their own work and thinking, a time when "intellectual virility" was the ideal. (10)
During March 1940 the last term of court was held in the old court house with Judge Roberts try- ing the last case. The old court house was built in
106
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
1862. On July 29, 1942, the new court house was occupied.
In 1952 a record number of cases-some 573- were filed with the State's Attorney. It was a case of "growing pains". This resulted in the County Board appointing an Assistant State's Attorney, of which James L. Foreman has the honor of being the first. (11)
The present county officers are: Sheriff, Joe Troutman; Judge, Carl Smith; State's Attorney, Louis Horman; Circuit Clerk, Lloyd Armstrong ; County Clerk, Howard Miller ; Assessor and Treas- urer, George Krueger; Coroner, Dr. George Cum- mins; Master-in-Chancery, James L. Foreman ; Superintendent of Highways, Clyde Taylor ; County Superintendent of Schools, B. D. Fowler; County Commissioners, Curtis Comer, Henry Horntrop, and Walter Dyer.
CHAPTER XI
NEWSPAPERS - LITERARY - LIBRARY
Since the history of local newspapers is rather complex, the lines of succession must be only briefly given. The first newspaper in Massac County was founded by John H. Wood in 1848 or 1849. It was The Metropolitan. One issue is extant in the State Library. The next, The Metropolis Register, edited by W. B. and H. L. Acee, had a short life. A drug- gist, Dr. G. D. Duncan (or Duncombe), revived Wood's paper for a time. D. W. Lusk founded The Sentinel in 1853. It dwindled and died when Edward McMahon bought it and went to the war. (10)
The ancestor of The Republican Herald, longest newspaper in continuous circulation (83 years), was founded in October 1865. John F. McCartney founded The Promulgator after serving as captain in the Civil War. In 1870 the name was changed to The Massac Journal. From 1870 to 1892 it was published by McCartney, Jones, Davisson, Malone, Hines and Starkes, and Starkes successively. It was a weekly and always Republican. (10) (55) In 1892 the paper was combined with The Massac Repub-
108
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
lican and called The Massac Journal Republican. In 1918 W. A. Spence, the publisher, effected a mer- ger with W. E. Speckman's The Metropolis Herald and the name was changed to The Republican Herald. Speckman was editor and manager. In 1925 Spence became the owner. Allan V. Robinson purchased the paper in 1945 but four years later sold it to Charles C. Feirich, who extinguished the title. (10)
The founding of newspapers was epidemic be- tween 1865 and 1917. Many had only a brief exist- ence or were consolidated with others. Strangely, the record of local newspapers around 1900 seems to be dimmer than in the earlier period. Whereas many early copies are filed in the State Library (and some may be found locally), only a few are on file for the years 1900 to 1920.
The Republican was begun in 1890 by D. R. Pryor. The Metropolis Democrat was published from 1878 to 1892 by Stewart and Trousdale. In 1899 it was sold to the Starkes who changed it to the independent The Herald. (10) The Massac Times was published from 1867 to about 1879. Depue and Ward were the publishers in 1869; Ward and McBane in 1870; McBane, 1871-73; and J. F. McCartney until he sold it to Vickers, of Vienna. McCartney had changed it from Democrat to inde- pendent. The Democrat started about 1877 under Armstrong but did not long survive. (55) Other ephemeral papers were The Item (1880's), Republi-
109
NEWSPAPERS-LITERARY-LIBRARY
can, The Weekly Review (1890's), and The Evening Herald (a daily, 1900). (10)
In the first decade or so after 1900 several other newspapers arose. The Tribune was published by Stewart and Mulkey about 1908 or 1910. It was a Democrat paper. The Metropolis Daily Democrat (1906) made the claim that it was the first daily ever published in the county. The Metropolis Herald was being published in 1900 through 1910 by Trous- dale and Barnes. The paper, under Speckman, in 1918 became The Republican Herald. (10)
The Colored Baptist Church Society published for several years The Baptist Truth, under the direc- tion of J. B. McCrary. On March 8, 1898, he founded The Metropolis Gazette which continued well into the 1920's. (10)
In 1898 G. Lay Wolfe began publishing The Brooklyn Eagle. First independent, it changed to Republican. (6) Names have changed. The Brook- port News was followed by The Brookport Eagle, which was bought by Richard McGregor from Bon- nifield and Baugh in January 1906. W. D. Harring- ton was editor in 1908. In 1909 fire destroyed the building but he did not miss an issue. The Brook- port Journal was issued two or three months in 1923-24. In 1923 James L. Hall established The Brookport Independent and was publisher until his death in 1946. Charles C. Feirich is the present publisher. (10)
110
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
The Metropolis News was established February 15, 1917, by J. L. Starkes. At different times it was a bi-weekly and daily. Under the masthead of The Daily News, it performed a great service during the hectic days of the war, furnishing the news day by day of the world's greatest drama. The title was changed to The Metropolis Weekly News and under such was sold to Charles C. Feirich in October 1937. After consolidation with The Republican Herald in 1949 the circulation rose until it reached more than 4000 in March 1954.
An examination of old newspapers reveals dif- ferences from those today. Local news was scarce; the personal news terse. Politics, foreign news, and morality sermons occupied much space. Advertise- ments were numerous but space was small with little display appeal. The print was often poor. But people had more time to read. The bicycle, auto- mobile, movies, radio and television have succes- sively competed for the people's time. Conquest for that time began when folks started gadding about. The scene has changed. Through it all the news- paper has continued to be a means of mass com- munication. It is more popular than ever. Television will settle into its niche but the local newspaper will go on, the one thing of old which one cannot do without.
There has not been a plethora of literary activity in Massac County, which is strange, with its rich backgrounds of fact and fancy to draw upon. Egypt
111
NEWSPAPERS-LITERARY-LIBRARY
and Fort Massac have figured in considerable fiction written by outsiders, however. Nina Gordon Modg- lin has been the most prolific poet. In 1927 she was paid special tribute by the Woman's Club at a meet- ing during which two of her poems, "An Apprecia- tion of Fort Massac" and "Glass Houses", were read. Coming to Metropolis in 1871, Jennie Inman Wil- kins wrote much poetry over the years, with the local scene the dominant theme. T. M. Rutledge is the most prolific of the local versifiers today, writing on such homely subjects as "The Curb-Stone Sitter", "Trailer Folks", and "A Cup of Coffee".
Oliver J. Page has been referred to several times as the author of The History of Massac County. The book was written in Metropolis in 1900, but was not published until 1903. It was a fitting event with which to close the century. Practically every phase was covered up to 1900, including a biographical section. The book was illustrated. It is now a collectors' item for only a few copies seem to exist. Page was not a native of the county and after doing newspaper work, serving in the legislature, and pastoring the Christian Church, went to Missouri, where he died in 1948.
During the years of World War II Clyde Froth- ingham released, among others, the song hit "Star Spangled Banner Waving Somewhere." It was named the Number One song on the 1943 popular list. Mrs. Hattie Bakehouse also had success with
112
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
her war song hit, "Good-bye". By 1941 Kenneth Fulkerson had had three songs published.
The "R. W. McCartney Library" was the an- cestor of the present Carnegie Public Library. As a result of a meeting in 1892 of public spirited women, Judge McCartney offered to erect a suitable building if they would procure the books. The McCartney Music Hall was erected in 1894 and opened as a private library. There were few books and few borrowers. The next year McCartney died and F. A. Trousdale became president in his stead. As a city library it continued until 1915.
The Carnegie Library was begun June 8, 1914, and dedicated November 27, 1915. The Carnegie Corporation gave $9000 of the $11,500 cost of erec- tion. The first appropriation was $900 for the year. The first president was Dr. Edward Trovillion. Mrs. Daisy Walsh was appointed librarian. The library has remained open continuously ever since, except for three weeks during a World War I coal shortage. In 1917 the library had 1292 books, in 1934 there were 6928, and as of July 1952 there were 12,192. The circulation of 48,315 constituted an increase of 63 per cent over the three previous years. Mrs. Jack Middagh is the present librarian.
CHAPTER XII
CHURCHES
The growth of the county's religious organiza- tions has kept pace with the growth of the area itself. Today there are 66 religious congregations in the county but it is impossible to tell in these few pages the complete story of each. The author late in July made a complete tour of rural and city churches and here gives a few of the most pertinent facts. Some of the statistics of membership are only approximate. Churches contiguous to the county line, such as Azotus and Reevesville, have been omitted, although some Massac membership is held in such nearby churches.
Long before 1843 there was Baptist and Meth- odist preaching within the area. Lasley, McIntosh, and Rondeau, of England, were early Baptist preachers in Massac and adjacent counties. A little later were Americus Smith, J. A. Ramer, Valentine Smith, M. W. Holland, Willis White, John Baxter, George Lefever, and Wiley Pullen. (6) Peter Cart- wright, a Methodist, rode the Fort Massac circuit in 1812-13. Jacob Whiteside served in the Cache and
114
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
Big Bay areas 1815-18. Assistants were W. R. Jones and Thomas Davis. Josiah Patterson preached along the Ohio in 1814-15. However, as yet, no permanent home congregations were organized. These awaited the 1830's and 1840's. (32)
The First Baptist Church of Metropolis is the oldest church in existence in the county, as it is also the largest in membership. In April 1951 a new church was begun. A new parsonage on Marberry Drive was occupied in April 1954. Membership is 877. Sunday School enrollment is 698, a growth of 153 per cent the past two years. The pastor is Dr. Charles H. Morris. Immanuel Baptist Church (Metropolis) began as a mission house January 1939. It was reorganized in 1941. Membership :
300. Sunday School: 150. Pastor: J. R. Jenkins. The First Baptist Church of Brookport was organ- ized late in 1891. The present building dates from 1921, and the parsonage from 1948. With 425 mem- bers and a Sunday School of 320, it shows an in- creasingly vigorous growth. The pastor is Ivan V. Christoff. Joppa Mission Baptist Church is a project of the Brotherhood Union of the Baptist Associa- tion. Services in the prim new building began March 1953, but street and tent meetings had pre- ceded. With 12 members and a Sunday School of 35, it is still unorganized, but Pastor Don Anderson views a field rich in opportunities.
Rural churches have always added a nostalgic and not unromantic touch to the American scene.
115
CHURCHES
There are five (white) rural Baptist churches. Macedonia is situated on one of the highest points in the county with a superb view toward Kentucky. It was organized April 1851 with five members and as an arm of the Metropolis Church. J. A. Ramer was the first of 31 pastors to date. A log house built in 1886 burned in 1889 and the present building was soon erected. Members: 180. Sunday School: 85. Pastor : A. R. Adams. Seven Mile Church was or- ganized in 1853. A new building is presently being erected. Members : 100. Sunday School : 85. Merrel Scott has been the pastor for three years. Waldo Church, organized in 1850, is the oldest of the five. From Sycamore Plains, in Pope County, it moved to Tindall Valley, then Shadrack School (now rural Central), and about 1883 to the present site. The present building was erected about 1889. Its belfry, built in 1911, is a landmark. Members: 81. Sunday School : 43. James Pepper has recently taken over pastoral service. New Hope is occupying its third new building. Organized February 1860, a log house was soon built, and in 1879 a better frame building occupied. It burned March 1935 and a new structure was dedicated the next year. Americus Smith was one of the first organizers and the first pastor. Members: 256. Sunday School: 65. The pastor is Kermit Jackson. Hillerman was organized in 1886. A destructive storm made necessary a new building which was dedicated May 1941. Members : 95. Sunday School: 46. John Harner is pastor.
116
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
Methodism in Metropolis dates back to 1838 or 1840. Samuel Peter gave the first services. In 1842 Samuel Boicourt preached in private homes. The First Methodist Church was organized in 1854. The present building was finished in 1892. Many records before 1870 have been destroyed by fire. Members : 792. Sunday School : 420. R. A. Lippman is pastor. A Brooklyn class organized in 1897 under S. D. Smith. A building was dedicated by September 1899. The church was plagued by flood in 1937 and by fire in 1951, the latter necessitating a complete rebuilding which was done in 1952 at a cost of $27,000. Members : 122. Sunday School: 100. Eu- gene F. Black is pastor. The old Oak Grove log school house in Joppa, probably built in the 1850's, was the birthplace of both the Methodist and Chris- tian Churches in Joppa. Subsequently the Method- ists occupied their own log house and later a brick structure. The present one is frame and was dedi- cated in 1931. Members: 149. Sunday School : 106. Roy Cole has been pastor more than a year.
The Methodists also have five rural (white) churches. Lower Salem was organized shortly after 1875. It and the Boaz Congregational Church hold Memorial Day services in alternate years, a custom begun soon after the Civil War. Members: 43. Sunday School: 45. The pastor is Carl Davis, of Karnak. Oak Grove was organized in 1901 and the building finished in 1902. Members: 95. Sunday School: 47. Pastor : Roy Cole. Upper Salem began
117
CHURCHES
as a German Church but later was changed to Eng- lish. Organization and building were finished in 1860. Presently there are 45 members with Roy Cole as pastor. Powers was organized in October 1888 under Rev. F. J. Davis, who was pastor until 1899. The building was erected in 1897. The pres- ent pastor is Eugene F. Black. Zion Methodist Church is located at Midway and the pastor is also Reverend Black.
The Christian Church of Metropolis was organ- ized April 1864 in the Court House. The first house was completed in 1873. Captain William McBane deeded the lots. The present organization was per- fected in 1876. A cyclone wrecked the building which had to be rebuilt. The present commodious building was dedicated in December 1914. The mem- bership has grown from 230 in 1900 to the present 400, with 260 in Sunday School. O. L. Angel has been pastor for 14 years. Brookport Christian Church was organized October 29, 1885, by Dr. D. M. Breaker, of Tennessee. The building was dedi- cated in May 1895. With 185 members, and 120 in Sunday School, the pastor, Gene Carter, thinks the outlook for continued growth is bright. Joppa Chris- tian Church was organized September 21, 1881, by H. C. Waddell, Dr. Bundy, and J. F. McCartney. Standstills and revival marked its earlier history. A building was secured in 1894 and the famous church bell added in 1895. Formerly a boat bell, it is one of the finest toned in the county. Members: 23.
118
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
Sunday School: 52. Pastor: Harold Calhoun. At the end of the Civil War W. W. Duger organized the Unionville Christian Church, and erected a building, possibly the first Christian Church in the county. A new building was dedicated by 1900.
The Congregational Church (Metropolis) began with a tent meeting in 1889. The house secured in 1890 was hit by a cyclone, but was rebuilt the same year. The Presbyterians organized June 8, 1850. They reorganized in 1866 and a building was dedi- cated in 1868. The Congregational Church and Presbyterian Church merged in 1923 under the present name, Union Presbyterian Congregational. Members: 260. Sunday School: 110. James M. Lotz has been pastor since October 1950. The Cum- berland Presbyterian Church, or Mt. Sterling, near Unionville, was organized in 1861. A new building was acquired in 1879. A new organization was ef- fected in 1881. The first Cumberland church estab- lished in the county, services are still held with about 100 members.
St. Paul's Lutheran Church (Metropolis) organ- ized in 1869 but reorganized in 1876. A brick build- ing was erected in 1869 to be replaced by the new one in 1950. The confirmed membership is 282 with 150 in Sunday School, Roger Burchett pastoring. St. Stephen's Lutheran (Midway) was organized in 1857 according to the Synod's records, but in 1875 according to the local record. The earlier date is believed to be more correct. The present building
119
CHURCHES
was erected in 1881. The grounds are graced by many large oak trees, horseshoes being embedded in many, when during horse and buggy days the shoes were driven in as hitching rings. Confirmed members: 200. Sunday School: 130. Marvin H. Krueger has pastored for four years. St. John's Lutheran (northeast of Round Knob) was organized in 1860 and the building erected in 1885. Confirmed members : 202. Sunday School: 135. Pastor : Hart- wig Harms.
Located near St. John's Lutheran is Zion's Evan- gelical and Reformed Church. It was organized in August 1853 and a building erected in 1876. Services in German was the practice from the start; in fact it virtually became a requirement for burial in the church cemetery that one be German. Members : 159. Sunday School: 120. Pastor: Noel A. Gehm. St. John's Evangelical and Reformed Church (rural) was organized in 1892. A building was finished for the Christmas season, 1893. A Sunday School was immediately formed and has never ceased; hence the "Evergreen Sunday School." The parsonage was built in 1897. Fred Feiker is pastor over the 136 members.
Two dates are given for the establishment of the Metropolis Church of Christ : 1929 and 1933. Though not the oldest, it is, with its 150 members, the largest of the denomination in the county. The building presently occupied was bought from the Episcopal Church. Kenneth Gossage is pastor. The Brook-
120
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
port Fourth Street Church of Christ was begun about 1922 and the building erected about 1927. It has never had a pastor but Rev. Gowers is the evangelist. It counts 70 members and a Sunday School of 48. The other Brookport Church of Christ is located at 3rd and Crockett Streets. It was organized about 1913. Members: 45. Sunday School: 55. Pastor: Albert Gardene. In 1885 George Barrows held a meeting at Hillerman and organized the Bethel Church of Christ. Andrew Perry was the first minister. J. F. McCartney deeded the ground. There is no regular pastor but L. E. Wright conducts services at present. Membership is under 25. Mt. Pleasant Church of Christ is at least 50 years old. Robert Lamb shepherds the 17 regular members. Samoth Church of Christ holds services but it does not have a pastor.
Certain ones of the comparatively new Pentecost group of the 1920's have separated until now there are only four small congregations bearing that name. Briefly, they are: Boaz, organized in 1940, and pas- tored by Alvin Thomas the past 8 years, with 100 in Sunday School; Mermet, with a neat stucco building; Samoth Free Pentecost Trinity, organized about 1940, and presently pastored by Charlie Rush- ing, with 25 in Sunday School; and the First Pente- cost Church of Brookport, with only a few members, but the property debt free, and pastored by Mrs. Elsie Jones.
Boaz Congregational (Unity) Church is a unique
121
CHURCHES
example of religious tolerance and cooperation. Organized in May 1894, it is composed of members of various original denominational beliefs. The old edifice burned in 1943 but by the next year a new one was ready for dedication. As has been said, this church alternates Memorial Day services with Lower Salem. Present pastor is Lowell Earnhardt in charge of 40 members and a Sunday School of 75.
The Church of God (1105 Girard Street, Metrop- olis) organized between 1920 and 1922. The build- ing was erected very soon. The membership is more than 100. Under E. H. Harding since 1946, it has been a very active and solid church. Services at the Church of God in East Metropolis have been sus- pended temporarily.
The number of Catholics is small in proportion to the total county population. They assembled for years at various places until property was acquired and a church built in 1895. The church is under the patronage of the first American saint, St. Rose of Lima. An elementary parochial school has been conducted the past two years. Church members number 80. Day school enrolls 59. Herbert C. Kopff is the shepherd.
The Church of the Nazarene occupies the same building as the older extinct United Brethren Church. The latter was organized in 1895 under Mrs. M. W. Lennox, a powerful preacher. After 1900 the church languished. In 1939 the new Church
122
HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY
of the Nazarene was dedicated. There are 26 mem- bers. The new pastor is Keith Kelley.
The Assembly of God was established about 1941. Today there are 60 members under the pastor D. Lungsford.
The Congregational Holiness Church was estab- lished about 30 years ago, and has been located at the present site 23 years. A new building was dedi- cated in April 1934. Membership, under Walter Brack, is 40.
Jehovah's Witnesses meet in Kingdom Hall, Metropolis, every Sunday and every Wednesday night. First known as International Bible Students, they assumed the present name in 1931. They met in private homes for years. September 4-6, 1953, more than 750 persons attended an assembly in the Junior High School. W. B. Lucas leads the 50 members.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.