USA > Illinois > Stark County > History of Stark County, Illinois, and its people : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Volume I > Part 26
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follows: Massillon-Edward Trickle, Thomas S. Clark and Allen Greenlee; Toulon-William Ogle, George Buchanan and Oliver Whitaker; Wyoming-Henry Butler, Joseph Newton and James Holgate; Lafayette-William Pratt. M. Atherton and Jacob Emery : Osceola-John Lyle, William Dodd and Walter Fuller.
It may be of interest to the reader to know just who belonged to the society. Besides the officers and committees above named, those who enrolled themselves as members were: Isaiah Ackley, HI. S. Albright, Joseph Atherton, J. H. Barnett, Joseph Blanchard, Wil- liam Bowen, Henry Briee. A. R. Butler, Sammel G. Butler, W. II. Butler, William Chamberlain, Joseph Cox. John Dodd, Lemuel S. Dorrance, Thomas Dugan, W. E. Elston. Conrad Emery, David Emery, Jesse Emery, Joseph Emery, Brady Fowler, W. T. Fuller, Christian Gingrich, Thomas Hall, William Hall. A. W. Harrod, J. W. Henderson, Thomas J. Henderson, Jacob Holgate. Henry T. Ives, William Lyle, Elijah McClenahan, William Moore, Philip Munson, Joseph R. Newton, Lewis Perry. John Pollok, Peter E. Pratt, John Prior, John Richey, Hugh Rhodes. W. M. Rose, George Sheets, Minott Silliman, Nathan Snare, Henry Sturm. Mathias Sturm, George Summer. Jacob Summer, W. B. Sweet, Isaac Thomas, Samuel Thomas, Henderson Truman. John Turnbull, Ira Ward, Hugh White, George A. Worley and Samuel G. Wright.
A few of the members lived in Knox and Henry counties, but in the above list will be found the names of a large number of the pioneer settlers of Stark County who left the impress of their character upon local institutions. All were law-abiding citizens and the society con- tinned in existence until the reign of law was fully established and the country was rid of the desperadoes.
AGRICULTURAL SOCIETIES
The first move toward organizing an agricultural society in Stark County was made in the fall of 1843, when a number of farmers met in the old courthouse at Toulon for that purpose. Jonathan Miner was called to the chair and Henry Butler was chosen secretary. The latter delivered an address, urging the necessity for and importance of such a society. After some diseussion a society was organized with Col. W. H. Henderson, president : Lemuel S. Dorrance, vice presi- dent: Oliver Whitaker, secretary: Jonathan Hodgson, treasurer: James Holgate, Sylvanus Moore and Cyril Ward, executive com- mittee. Committees of three were chosen in each of the preeinets of
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the county, but the society never did any active work for the promotion of the agricultural interests, such as holding county fairs, etc.
On October 29, 1853, the society was reorganized, or it might be more proper to say a new one was organized to take its place, although quite a number of the members of the old society retained their mem- bership under the reorganization. The first fair was held at Toulon, beginning on September 20, 1854, Concerning this fair Mrs. Shal- lenberger says: "Some still remember that first fair in 1854, when the stock was quartered in Mr. Whitaker's yard and exhibited in the public square, while the products of the dairy, kitchen and loom were disposed of within the old courthouse, the table containing a few faney artieles which a gentleman lifted up, one by one, that they might be seen by the assemblage. * But in one respect, at least, this little fair of 1854 was a prototype of all its successors, viz: disap- pointed competitors for premiums felt at liberty to vent their chagrin on or at the judges of the various departments, whom they thought had been instrumental in wounding their vanity. The writer recalls that she was unfortunately a judge of dairy products on this oeeasion, and being eoneerned in awarding the first premium ever awarded in Stark County for butter, to Mrs. Ann Hartley, was soundly berated before leaving the house by another competitor, who informed the judges one and all that 'they couldn't know good butter when they saw it:' but they still think they did."
On June 3, 1856, the society petitioned the board of supervisors to lease seven aeres of land in the southwest corner of the poor farm for a fair ground, with the right to make such improvements as might be necessary for holding fairs successfully. The petition was granted and the board of supervisors leased the seven aeres to the society for a term of twenty-five years, at a rental of 1 cent ammally. Five addi- tional acres were leased to the society on December 12, 1859. Fairs were held here until 1868, when the society decided to incorporate and purchase the fair grounds. The supervisors' minutes for October 16, 1868, contain the following entry:
"At a meeting held at the courthouse in the Town of Toulon, in the County of Stark and the State of Illinois, on the 10th day of October, A. D. 1868, for the purpose of incorporating the Stark County Agricultural Society, due notice whereof had been previously given, P. M. Blair, J. II. Quinn, P. Nowlan, John Turnbull, D. Tin- lin, James Frail, Davis Lowman, William Nowlan, William Low- man, B. H. Bush, Benjamin R. Brown, I. W. Searle, Liberty Stone, S. P. Fast, Benjamin Boughn, Andrew Oliver, G. W. Dewey, John
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Hepperly, C. M. S. Lyon, HI. M. Hall, James Shivvers, Perry Winn, J. M. Brown, R. J. Dickinson, John W. Riggs, Robert McKeighan, Charles Myers, Nathan Lankford, and James Holgate, legal voters of said county, being present, it was unanimously resolved that the above named persons be and are organized into a society to be known as the 'Stark County Agricultural Society,' and upon the adoption of a constitution and by-laws for said society, Oliver Whitaker was chosen president ; Patrick Nowlan, recording secretary, and William Lowman, treasurer of said society."
Soon after the incorporation. the society purchased the twelve aeres leased from the county some years before, and a little later pur- chased three aeres adjoining. Fairs were held annually upon these grounds until about 1888, when the society decided to disband. A portion of the fair grounds was sold in 1889 to Miles A. Fuller, who bought another section in 1891, and in 1893 the remaining portion was sold to Burge & Dewey.
In the winter of 1873-74 some of the citizens of Wyoming made an effort to have the Stark County Agricultural Society remove its fairs to that town. James Holgate, F. F. Broekway. W. F. Thomas, Alfred Castle, Perry Stancliff, Isaae and Samuel Thomas agreed to remove the lumber from Toulon to Wyoming free of charge, and Winfield Scott guaranteed the payment of $800 for the purpose of fencing and improving new fair grounds. On the other hand B. C. Follett. Doetor Baemeister and J. D. Rhodes, of Toulon, tendered the society the free use of five acres ad joining the fair grounds on the east, on condition that the fairs should be held at Toulon for ten years. On January 24, 1874. the propositions were taken under consideration by the society and the vote to remain at Toulon was seven to six. Wyoming losing by one vote.
The people of Wyoming were not altogether satisfied to remain without a fair, and on October 23, 1878, a meeting was ealled to eon- sider the question of organizing the "Central Agricultural Society of Stark County." A. G. Hammond presided and F. B. Wall acted as secretary. A committee was appointed to solieit subscriptions to a capital stoek, but nothing definite was accomplished for about two years.
Another meeting was held on February 5, 1881, at which a con- stitution was adopted, signed by Benjamin Bunnell. George W. and Winfield Seott. T. B. Wall. James M. Thomas, Samuel Wrigley, John Speer. James McKean. John Monier and A. G. Hammond. Winfield Seott was chosen president ; Samuel Wrigley, vice president :
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J. M. Thomas, recording secretary: T. B. Wall, general secretary; G. W. Scott, treasurer. In April, 1881, the new society purchased 391/2 acres of ground from Mrs. M. A. Markham and the work of improving was commenced. The first fair was held here beginning on September 6, 1881, and lasting four days, $4,000 being paid in premiums.
Doubtless the competition offered by the Wyoming fair had its influence upon the old Stark County Agricultural Society and has- tened its downfall, but there were other influences at work in that direction. Not the least of these was the fact that the society had incurred some indebtedness that it found difficult to liquidate and finally decided that the best way out was to sell the property.
In 1915 the officers of the Central Agricultural Society, or Wyo- ming Fair Association, as it is commonly called, were as follows: W. H. Wrigley, president; John P. Code, vice president: E. Argan- bright, secretary; J. E. King, treasurer. The board of directors was then constituted of the above officers and W. H. Hartz, Orpheus Bailey, D. J. Colgan and J. J. Moran, of Wyoming, and E. C. Caverly, of Toulon.
The Lafayette Horse and Fair Association held its tenth annual fair on August 31, September 1, 2 and 3, 1915. The fair grounds include sixty-five acres a short distance west of the town, located in a natural park that is conceded to be one of the prettiest groves in the state. The grounds are equipped with modern horse and cattle barns, a good half-mile raee track, etc. The farmers of three counties- Knox, Stark and Henry-are interested in this fair association and have cooperated to make the exhibits here as good as any county fair in the State of Illinois. In 1915 A. H. Jackson was president: F. E. Winans, viee president : F. T. Gelvin, seeretary and treasurer. The directors were: J. G. Reed. F. F. Quinn, A. M. Janes and Arthur Baltimore, of Lafayette; M B. Downend and E. L. Paeker, of Tou- lon: W. I. Sellon, William Beals and Will Cardiff. of Galva.
OLD SETTLERS' ASSOCIATION
Although the pioneers in a new settlement on the frontier of civilization may come from widely different sections of the country. or even from foreign climes: may speak different languages and wor- ship at different shrines: may hold opposing views on politieal ques- tions, they soon learn that they are dependent upon each other to a great extent and cooperate for the general good. They borrow and
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lend freely, attend each other in times of siekness, share their good fortune in times of prosperity and sympathize with each other in ad- versity. The fraternal relations thus established become hallowed by fond memories as the years pass by and another generation comes upon the scene. It is but natural, and it is well that such is the ease, for these old settlers to enjoy meeting together and talking over the inei- dents of former years. Through this spirit old settlers' associations have been organized in numerous places throughout the great Middle West. and through these associations have been preserved many in- teresting faets regarding local events-facts that otherwise would have been lost to history.
The first attempt to organize an old settlers' association in Stark County was made on January 2, 1866, when a meeting was held at the Town of Toulon for that purpose. Dr. Thomas Hall was chosen to preside and Oliver Whitaker was elected secretary. T. J. Hender- son. C. L. Eastman and C. M. S. Lyon were appointed a committee to make arrangements for another meeting, to be held on April 4, 1866, and a committee, consisting of one member from each township, was chosen to prepare a list of all persons residing in the county on April 4. 1839, when the county commissioners met for the first time. That committee was composed as follows: M. G. Brace, Elmira Township: W. HI. Butler, Essex: Lewis Perry, Goshen; W. W. Winslow. Osceola: James Holgate, Penn: C. L. Eastman, Toulon; Harry Hull. Valley: Washington Trickle, West Jersey. The com- mittee, or at least some of the members thereof, performed its duty, but if a meeting was held in April following no record of it can be found.
On December 13, 1878, over one hundred old settlers assembled at the Toulon House, where a sumptuous dinner was served, after which they marched through a severe snow storm to the town hall to consider the question of an old settlers' society of some character. After the meeting was called to order by Benjamin Turner, Oliver Whitaker was chosen chairman and E. H. Phelps, secretary. Minott Silliman, Benjamin Turner and James Holgate were appointed a committee on resolutions. They reported in favor of organizing the "Stark County Old Settlers' Association." and suggested that only those should be eligible to membership who had resided for twenty-five years or more in the county. The report was adopted and the asso- ciation was then organized by the election of the following officers: Oliver Whitaker, president: W. II. Butler, secretary: Benjamin Turner, treasurer; Edwin Butler, E. H. Phelps and Dr. W. T. Hall,
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executive committee. A motion was then carried to hold the first annual meeting at the courthouse on September 1, 1879.
After the business in hand was disposed of the meeting was turned into a sort of informal social gathering. Charles Myers acted as toast master. Elder Keane spoke on the "Pioneer Ministry;" Norman Butler on "Our Earliest Settlers;" Martin Shallenberger on "The Stark County Bar:" E. II. Phelps on "The Press:" B. F. Thompson on "Education," and Dr. W. T. Hall on "The Physician." 'The meeting elosed with a vote of thanks to Mr. Stockner, proprietor of the hotel, for his kindness in opening his house to the old settlers and the excellent dinner he had prepared.
Subsequently a vice president was elected for each township, to- wit: Elmira, M. B. Parks; Essex, Jefferson Trickle: Goshen, D. J. Hurd; Osceola, W. W. Winslow; Penn, James Holgate; Toulon, Brady Fowler: Valley, Edward Colgan: West Jersey, Levi Eekley.
Although the date of September 1, 1879, was fixed for the first annual meeting, it was not held until the 3d, when fully one thousand people gathered in the publie square at Toulon to attend the first old settlers' picnic ever held in Stark County. After music by the Toulon band, prayer by Rev. J. M. Stickney, and the song "We've Come Home Again." by the Toulon Glee Club, Martin Shallenberger de- livered the address of welcome. This was responded to by Gen. T. J. Henderson, who made the principal speech of the occasion. In the business meeting the president, secretary and treasurer were reelected for another year, and Orlando Brace, Henry Perry and Levi Silliman were elected members of the executive committee. On motion of B. F. Thompson, it was decided to erect a monument to Dr. Thomas Hall and a committee was appointed to solicit sub- scriptions. The old settlers responded liberally and a handsome monument was placed over Doctor Hall's resting place in the Toulon Cemetery as a tribute of respeet from his old friends and neighbors.
A good sized volume might be written on the doings of the Old Settlers' Association at its annual meetings since it was organized in 1878, but there are two of these annual meetings that stand out with more prominence than others. One was the meeting of 1898. when the log cabin on the public square was raised as a memorial to the county's pioneers. By previous arrangement a number of the pioneer families each contributed a log and on the appointed day here came the Olivers. Turnbulls. Turners, Holgates, Vandykes. Whitakers, Halls, Hendersons, Thomases, Sheetses, Nowlans, MeClenahans, Winslows, Winns and other old time families, each bringing a log.
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Madison Win was master of ceremonies and the cabin was "raised" with all the customs of pioneer days. The meeting of that year was held on August 25th, and after the cabin was raised it was formally dedicated by Gen. T. J. Henderson in an address, the closing para- graphs of which were as follows:
"This log cabin, representing as it does the primitive homes of early settlers of Stark County, has been erected here in this place under the authority of the board of supervisors of this county as a memorial of the men and women who were the first settlers, the pioneers of the county, and I am here, upon the invitation of your association, to dedicate it to their memory.
"The first house of the first white settler in this county was a log cabin, and the homes of all the pioneers who followed for many years were log cabins. The first schoolhouse built was a log schoolhouse. The first marriage celebrated in this county was solemnized in a log cabin. The first white child born in this county was born in a log cabin, and the first courts held in this county were held in a log cabin built by my father, and which was a part of our home for many years. It was therefore a fit and proper thing to do, Mr. President, to ereet here, in this public place, a log cabin representing the early homes of our fathers, in memory of their settlement of the county. And I esteem it not only a privilege, but a great honor, now to dedieate this building to the memory of the pioneers of the county, whose names I have mentioned in my address, as well as to those I have omitted through forgetfulness.
"Long may this cabin endure, to perpetuate the memory of the early settlers of Stark County."
Within the eabin are stored a number of relies of early days. Here one may see the old-fashioned spinning wheel, the old brass candle- stick and "snuffers." the huge fireplace with its heavy andirons, the straight-backed chair with its splint bottom, the cooking utensils and many other things used by the first settlers of Stark County. A list of the settlers to whom this cabin is dedicated is given in Chapter V of this work.
The other meeting of more than unusual interest was that of 1912. when the old settlers' monument was dedicated, P. G. Rennick, of Peoria, delivering the address. The movement to erect a monument to the county's pioneers was inaugurated the year before. Twelve hundred dollars were raised by popular subscription and the board of supervisors appropriated $300. With the $1,500 thus provided a handsome monument of granite was placed on the west side of the
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Main Street entrance to the public square. On the north side, facing Main Street, is the inscription: "In Memory of the Pioneers of Stark County," and above the inscription is a kettle suspended from an iron crane, such as were used in the fireplaces of the pioneer eabins. The west side bears the inseription: "In Memory of Stephen A. Douglas, who spoke here October 5. 1858;" the east side is inscribed : "In Memory of Abraham Lincoln, who spoke here October 6, 1858." and on the south is the simple statement: "Dedicated August 28, 1912."
At nearly every meeting of the Old Settlers' Association letters from former residents of the county have been read, expressing regret that the writers were unable to be present and frequently referring to events of former years. Sometimes a letter from some old resident. who had moved away, would be published in some of the Stark County papers. A letter of this character was written from Casper, Wyo., by Perey H. Shallenberger and published in the Stark County Sentinel of March 7, 1900, a short time after his mother's death. In that letter he says:
"I feel it to be a sad duty which I owe to my poor mother to make known to her old friends about Toulon how fondly she had cherished the hope of seeing them just once again; to breathe once more the fragrance of those friendships which had bloomed in the summer of her heart. To every friend who kindly came to cheer her here she told the story of her precious anticipations. How her dear old face would brighten as she told to strangers in this distant land how she hoped to spend her seventieth birthday in old Toulon and be present at the old settlers' meeting. As day by day her little strength went from her, she sat a silent watcher by the bedside of this dying hope. One of her first questions to the doctor when she reached Hastings was as to whether he thought she would live to go back to Illinois in the spring. He kindly told her that he thought she would.
"She wanted to go again to Osceola Grove, to find the site of the old Henderson cabin, where she had learned to know a noble woman and her family, to look again on the old Major McClenahan house. and to walk once more into the old office which her father built.
"The last time she ever went to church, she said on returning that they had sung some old hymns which alone repaid her for the effort (which was no small one) of going. She loved to repeat those which reminded her of other days. One had been sung at the first funeral in Osceola Grove: another had been used at the first Christmas service ever held in Toulon. when old John Prior led the singing and Brother
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Woollascraft preached; one had been a favorite with Caleb Flint, and another sung by Mrs. Whitaker at the old temperance meetings. . . . One line upon my mother's tomb should read: 'She loved Stark County and its pioneers.'"
Mrs. Shallenberger was the daughter of Dr. Thomas Ilall and the author of the little book, "Stark County and Its Pioneers." The letter written by her son is illustrative of how persons and places with which one has long been associated may become endeared to memory.
The last meeting of the Old Settlers' Association was held on the public square at Toulon, September 8, 1915. A. C. Shallenberger, a native of Stark County and former governor of Nebraska, and Con- gressman C. U. Stone were among the speakers. For many years it has been the custom for the ladies of the leading churches to serve dinner on the publie square on the day of the old settlers' meeting. In 1915 the dinner was served by the ladies of the Baptist Church. Dr. W. T. Hall was elected president of the association and Elmer S. Buffum, secretary.
MASONIC FRATERNITY
It is generally conceded that of all the secret orders, Masonry stands first in point of seniority. A tradition of the order says it was introdneed into England by Prinee Edwin, about 926 A. D., and there are still in existence Masonie documents dated back to 1390. Mother Kilwinning Lodge of Scotland was organized in 1599 and has been in continuous existence since that time, being the oldest known lodge of Masons in the world. In June, 1717, the Grand Lodge of England was instituted and it is the mother of all Masonie bodies in the English- speaking nations.
In 1730 the English Grand Lodge appointed Daniel Coxe, of New Jersey, "provincial grand master of the provinces of New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania in America." About the same time a provincial grand master was appointed for the New England colonies. Before the elose of that year a lodge was established at Philadelphia and one in New Hampshire, each of which claims to be the oldest lodge in what is now the United States.
The first Masonic meeting in Stark County, of which there is any record, was held at Toulon on March 25, 1850, when several members of the fraternity assembled and took the preliminary steps toward the organization of a lodge. On October 20, 1850. the lodge received its charter as "Toulon Lodge No. 93, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons." Says Mrs. Shallenberger: "The names upon the charter
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are: Oren Maxfield, William Rose, W. W. Drummond. Ellison Annis. Capt. Henry Butler, William A. Reed and Gen. Sammel Thomas. From these the grand master, C. G. Y. Taylor, appointed W. W. Drummond worshipful master. William Rose, senior warden, and Oren Maxfield, junior warden.
To complete the complement of officers, an election was held on November 19, 1850, when Thomas J. Henderson was chosen secre- tary; William F. Thomas, treasurer; William A. Reed, senior deacon ; Samuel Thomas, junior deacon; Simon S. Heller and Thomas J. Wright, stewards, and C. F. White, tiler.
For many years Toulon Lodge was the only Masonie organization between Peoria and Cambridge. It is the parent of the lodges at Bradford, Lafayette and Wyoming. Notwithstanding the numerous withdrawals to form these lodges, No. 93 still has over one hundred members and is in a prosperous condition. In 1915 Melvin C. Pratt was worshipful master and Walter F. Young was secretary. This lodge once owned its own ball, located on the north side of Main Street, near the northwest corner of the public square, but the building, with all its contents, including the charter and records of the lodge. was destroyed by fire on May 17, 1877.
Lawn Ridge Lodge No. 415 was organized at Lawn Ridge, a little village in the extreme southwest corner of Marshall County, about the close of the Civil war. When the Chieago & Northwestern Railroad was built through the eastern part of Stark County and the Town of Speer was established, a majority of the members of the lodge voted to remove to the new town on the railroad, but the name of the lodge was not changed. Lawn Ridge Lodge now has about fifty members, a good hall and is gradually inereasing in membership and influence.
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