USA > Illinois > Stephenson County > History of Stephenson County, Illinois : a record of its settlement, organization, and three-quarters of a century of progress > Part 50
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 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72
.
409
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
In 1843, the first school house was built near Oneco village. In 1851 the first schoolhouse within the village was built-a brick structure on Denio's addi- tion, just east of the postoffice. In 1876 the structure which is still in use was built on the Orangeville Road at a cost of $2,000.
U. B. Church. The church of the United Brethren Association, which is the only church building within the village of Oneco, was established ten years ago. The structure itself was erected in the summer of 1880 by the Methodist con- gregation of Oneco. It was occupied by them for twenty years, until the small size of the congregation and the shortness of the distance to Orangeville, which was only two miles away, made them decide to join forces with the larger church.
At the time above mentioned the transfer of property was made and the United Brethren Association took possession of the church. The Oneco church is on a circuit with Orangeville, McConnell, St. James, and Winslow, pastoral duties being performed by the Rev. W. G. Metsker, of Orangeville. The church property is valued at $1,200, and the membership numbers forty-three communi- cants, with a Sunday school of fifty.
The men who planned the village of Oneco entertained a vain hope that the settlement might some time attain prominence. Four things have thwarted the growth of the village. The first was the lack of the water power which the settlers had hoped to obtain. Honey Creek flows close to the village, and while, at stated seasons of the year, it is swollen with floods, and afford some water power, nevertheless it is of no value for the greater part of the year. Thus the mill venture was a failure. The second relapse which Oneco suffered was in the platting of Orangeville which was established on a more favorable site. Two villages of equal prominence could hardly exist in those days within two miles of each other, and when one of them offered greater inducements for habitation than the other the battle was sure to be to the strong.
When the railroad came through in 1888, and decided to locate its station at Orangeville and pass by Oneco, the third misfortune befell the ill-fated village. All the traffic was turned aside to Orangeville, and Oneco was no longer a commercial center. But with the coming of the Rural Free Delivery, the fourth and final blow was administered and the village passed out of existence. Oneco lost its postoffice, like so many other small villages, and the population, which had once been in the neighborhood of one hundred, dwindled to less than half that number. The more aspiring inhabitants of the village transferred their place of habitation to Orangeville, Rock Grove, or elsewhere, and Oneco became a tradition.
The site of the village is pleasant, though not surpassingly, beautiful. The town presents an appearance of thrift, if not liveliness, and, in spite of the lack of commercial advantages, the village of Oneco still remains a very pleasant place for residence.
JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP.
Jefferson Township occupies the southwestern corner of Stephenson County, and comprises an area of eighteen square miles. Although one of the three
410
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
smallest townships in the county, it contains some very desirable land, and is most attractive as a place of residence. The ground is rolling, and the hills rise to considerable height. Jefferson's only village, Loran, is picturesquely situated, lying among and between the green hills, near the source of the Plum River.
Jefferson Township was originally included in Loran Township. As late as September, 1859, this condition of affairs prevailed, and then, obeying the numerous petitions of the citizens of the western section of Loran, that portion was subdivided off, and Jefferson became a separate and independent township.
The settlers did not come into either Loran or Jefferson very early, and the land was strangely neglected. The first settler who came into the part of the township which afterward became Jefferson was Hector C. Haight, who made his appearance with his wife and family in 1837. He entered his claim and established his farm about four miles from the present village of Loran, on the Freeport road.
Very soon after Haight's settlement, M. Pennington came in and opened a claim in the eastern part of the township. The immigration to the southwestern corner of the county was for some unknown reasons not very large, but the section which afterward became Jefferson received the biggest quota of settlers. George Lashell settled where the village of Loran is today. Thompson Smith, Henry Aurand, and Jacob Gable, who later went to Kent, all settled in Jefferson, also Charles Fleckinger, who built his cabin and planted his corn patch on a hill near Loran.
After the coming of the railroad to Freeport, the section quickly filled up with settlers. The names of the early settlers are for the most part lost, but it is certain that they came in large numbers. Ministers of the gospel, and teachers began to be in large demand; and a number of them are listed among the early settlers of Jefferson Township. Two teachers who are known to have migrated to this section of the country were a Mr. Bonnemann and George Truckenmiller. The first schoolhouse in the township was a log cabin, built near the village of Loran, and the children for miles around attended it, as the only institution which their portion of the country possessed. Two ministers who are on record as pioneer preachers of the gospel were Revs. Kiefer and Chester, who came soon after the advent of the school and teachers and preached to the people (so says tradition) in th barn of one Samuel Hays.
In 1844 occurred the first death of the township. Louis Kleckner, a laborer in the employ of Samuel Hays, was taken ill with a sort of malarial fever, which seems to have been prevalent in the early days of the county. He re- ceived the best of care and attention, but notwithstanding, he died, and was buried in the cemetery in the wilderness west of Loran. The records seem to in- dicate that the death of Kleckner was greatly mourned in the county side round about and was considered a deplorable tragedy. We have stated that Kleckner's death was the first to occur in Jefferson Township. His burial was however preceded by that of a man named Tiffany, living in Jo Daviess County, who died at his home across the county line and was buried in the Loran cemetery. His headstone bears a date earlier than that of Kleckner's.
The first marriage took place in the fall of 1845, the contracting parties being Henry Doherty and Catherine Fleckinger. The ceremony was performed
411
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
by the Rev. Mr. Kiefer at the home of the bride's father. Tradition says that the celebration of the event was meagre, for the times of prosperity had not yet come in the vicinity of Jefferson, and the settlers lived in the meagrest and closest manner possible. But after 1845 the township began to fill up. It con- tinued to be part of Loran until 1859, when, as before stated, the division was made, and Jefferson went on its way rejoicing.
The township does not contain any railroad, but the line of the Chicago and Great Western passes less than a quarter of a mile from the northwestern corner of the township. The land is well supplied with streams, and contains the source of the Plum River, which flows down into Carroll County: Though small in size, Jefferson Township, has always played an important part into county politics. It is always largely democratic, which distinguishing feature has perhaps served to differentiate it from the other townships of the county.
LORAN.
Loran is one of the most picturesque villages of the county, being situated between and among the hills. It is a very old settlement, and, in spite of the lack of railroad facilities, has continued to hold its own with the towns of the county which are more favorably situated.
In 1854, George Lashell, who owned a farm near the Jo Daviess County line, conceived the idea of laying out a town and selling lots at a very rea- sonable price. The county surveyor was called into service, and laid out the plat of the present town, which has never been increased or added to because of a too rapid influx of population. The village occupies only one street, and orig- inally contained five blocks of twelve lots each. The sale of lots was so slow that part of the original town plat was then vacated for village purposes, and only as much reserved, as equalled the limited demand made.
The town contains a store, blacksmith shop, two churches, a schoolhouse, and a number of private residences.
The First M. E. Church was built in 1875, and is valued at about $1,500. It is a frame edifice 30x40, with a seating capacity of one hundred and fifty worshipers. The congregation numbers about seventy-five members, who live in Loran and the surrounding country. There is no resident minister.
Evangelical Church. The Evangelical church is also a frame structure, 30x44 in dimensions, and was built about forty years ago. The membership of the church is about fifty, and the pastoral duties are performed by the pastor of the church at Shannon, Carroll County.
The schoolhouse is a stone building located on High street, the main and only street of Loran. It has always been considered an unusual good district school, and serves the country round about Loran for some miles.
Loran has not grown appreciably within the last fifty years, and hardly any development is to be expected of the village, as it is inaccessible, without trans- portation facilities, and offers no inducements in the way of business oppor- tunities to the prospective settler. Its pleasant location distinguishes it from most of the villages of the county, but in all other respects the place is the or- dinary country village. The population is supposed to be about one hundred or thereabouts.
412
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
FLORENCE TOWNSHIP.
Florence Township forms one of the southern tier of the county. It has an area of exactly six square miles, and is bounded on the north by Harlem and Freeport, on the east by Silver Creek, on the west by Loran, and on the south by Ogle and Carroll Counties. The township is well wooded, but there is also a large acreage of fertile and valuable farm lands. The water supply is good, and the streams are numerous. Yellow Creek flows through the north central portion of the township from west to east, and is joined by one or two smaller creeks of greater or less importance, which flow down from the south. The rills and brooklets cover the township with a network of small water- courses, and at certain seasons of the year become flooded with the heavy rains. Two railroads enter Florence Township. The Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul - cuts across the southeastern corner of the township, and has a station at the village of Florence Station. The Chicago & Great Western cuts across the cen- tral part of the township in a straight line from east to west, with its only station at Bolton.
The lands about Yellow Creek are heavily timbered. Especially on the north side of the creek are there woods of considerable extent. Near the vil- lage of Bolton, formerly Van Brocklin, the County Woods, a stretch of al- most virgin wilderness, are situated. Farther toward Freeport are Beebe's Woods, and, adjoining them, the forests and hollows of Krape Park, formerly Globe Park, where the Freeport Chautauqua is held each year. Oakland Cem- etery, Freeport's new cemetery, a beautiful stretch of wooded land, is located in Florence Township, on the Pearl City road, about three miles west of Free- port.
The first claim taken up in Florence Township was entered upon by Con- rad Van Brocklin, who settled on Section 17, near the site of the future village of Van Brocklin. He had come to this county from western New York in the fall of 1835, and after a long, hard winter's journey he arrived at his new home in March, 1836. His first log cabin was built but a short distance from the farm house which he afterward built and which his descendants have con- tinued to occupy for many years. For most of the first year he had no neigh- bors nearer than Thomas Craine, at Craine's Grove, and at Freeport. In Au- gust of the same year, Mason Dimmick, of Ohio, emigrated to Stephenson County, and took up his claim northeast of the cabin of Mr. Van Brocklin. Otis Love and his family soon followed, and these three conclude the list of settlers of 1836.
In 1837, Lorenzo Lee arrived, as did James Hart, who settled a mile and a half north of Van Brocklin's. A few more came in this year, whose names are now lost, but the influx of settlers was not very great as yet.
In 1838 the emigrants began to arrive in large numbers. A few of them settled at Liberty Mills on Yellow Creek. They were followed by one Mr. Wickham, William Smith, known to the farmers roundabout as "Saw-Log" Smith, a Mr. Strong, who came in 1839, Sheldon Scoville, Russell Scoville, and C. K. Ellis, who came the same year, and others. In 1839 Anson Babcock
413
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
came to Florence Township, but the prospects were not encouraging enough, and he returned to New York state with his family. Strangely enough, many of the early comers to Florence did not remain and improve their claims. The Van Brocklins were permanent fixtures, as the lapse of time has proved, but the others came more or less as a matter of experiment, and many of them departed sooner or later for other parts. Mr .. Strong, who had come in 1839, stayed several years, but at the end of `a period of reasonable prosperity he departed for Lebanon, Ohio, where he became a member of the sect of Shakers. Several of the other early settlers are said to have become Mormons, and a few of them moved to Freeport.
After 1840, the number of settlers suddenly increased surprisingly, and the claims began to be improved. Eli Ellis, P. T. Ellis, Mr. Sheets, William Boyer, John Turreaure, and a few others came in 1840. Improvements began to be made everywhere, and the condition of the township was greatly bettered. Mills were built along Yellow Creek, some of which are still standing, such as Liberty mills and Hess' mills. All of them have long been silent.
The growth of Freeport offered an impetus to settlements in Florence Township. Formerly farmers had sought the more distant parts of the county, such as Rock Grove Township, and Winslow and West Point, owing to the fact that agricultural prospects in those portions of the country were brighter. Now they began to discover that Florence Township contained a goodly extent of tillable land, and the nearness of a base of supplies at the county seat quickly boosted the price of land. Also the proximity of Kirkpatrick's mills at Mill Grove, in Loran Township, and the comparative insignificance of the distance to the old Van Valzah mills at Cedarville.
By 1850 the claims were taken up, and the township was about filled up. In - that year, and within the next four years, the country in the northern part of the township, along the banks of Yellow Creek, suffered greatly from the plague of Asiatic Cholera which fell upon Stephenson County at that time, and a large number of deaths were reported. Gradually the plague wasted itself, and, since 1854, it has never visited these regions.
By 1840 there was a demand for schools in Florence Township, and, in response, the first school was opened, in James Hart's log cabin, with Miss Fla- villa Forbes as teacher. By 1850 the school census of the township showed such an increase that other schools were imperative necessities. In 1857 the first railroad, the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul, then known as the Western Union Railroad, surveyed its line across the southeastern corner of Florence Town- ship. In 1859 their line was built, and with the coming of the Iron Horse the pioneer history of Florence Township is past. Later the Great Western sur- veyed its line through the county, and immediately the village of Van Brock- lin, at Liberty Mills, then rechristened Bolton, sprang into prominence as a settlement of importance.
The farm lands of Florence Township today present a neat and orderly ap- pearance. It is a well known fact that when the Freeporters have friends of out-of-town guests to whom they wish to show the fine farming lands of the county, they invariably take them out on the Pearl City road, and down south through Florence Township. And this is not wholly on account of the ac-
414
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
cessibility of Florence, but because the region justly deserves its name of the most fertile and prosperous of the regions round about.
There are a number of Freeport enterprises, connected with the growth and development of Florence Township, which deserve mention in connection with the history here presented.
Krape Park. Globe Park, in the possession of the Order of the Knights of the Globe, was established about ten years ago, and named from the organ- ization of which W. W. Krape was founder and supreme captain general. It is a portion of the wooded land lying on the banks of Yellow Creek about a mile west and two miles south of town. Just adjoining the tract are Beebe's Woods, noted for their popularity as a picnic ground for Freeporters.
When the Cosmopolitan Life Insurance Company went out of existence, and the Order of the Knights of the Globe suffered in consequence, Globe Park passed from the hands of the fraternity into Mr. Krape's own hands, and the park was rechristened Krape Park. For several years it has been the seat of the Freeport Chautauqua, of which Mr. and Mrs. Krape were the instigators and advisory committee.
A number of improvements have been made, which improve the park as a camping and chautauqua ground, but somewhat mar the natural wilderness. The necessary park buildings, including a very attractive and commodious little lodge for the keeper of the park, have been built, a windmill on the banks of the creek supplies the place with drinking water, and a large iron bridge spans the creek near the park lodge. Formerly a bridge was built across the dam, farther down stream, but four years ago, it was deemed unsafe and removed, and the present structure forthwith built. Across stream are lo- cated the Chautauqua buildings. No large auditorium has been built as yet, but one is contemplated. Several cottages have been built on the cliffs, and swings and park benches add to the comfort and convenience.
Nature had done her best to render the site of Krape Park attractive. Yellow Creek, at other points a very ordinary muddy prairie streamlet, is here transformed into a sylvan river of exquisite beauty. On the south side of the creek the limestone cliffs tower to a height of two hundred feet, indented with numberless caves and tiny indentures. A natural bridge of considerable proportions spans the dry bed of a stream, which formerly made its way down the cliff side in the form of a tiny waterfall, and which, at times, becomes gorged with the spring rains. Two large caves in the rock are accessible from the river and by pathway from overhead. One of these is known as Krape's Cave, while a smaller but more picturesque opening, far above, half covered with trailing vines and shrubbery, is known as Bear Cave. A huge cliff, ris- ing above Krape's Cave, and surmounted with a growth of evergreen, has be- come known as Cedar Cliff, and the point of land on the heights overhead, from which an extended and lovely prospect of the park and surrounding country is visible, is christened Lookout Mountain. Until recently animals have been kept in the park, but not long ago the deer were taken away. Krape Park is about two miles from the heart of the city, and is accessible by an automobile transfer line from the courthouse.
415
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
Oakland Cemetery. The new cemetery, four miles from Freeport, covers about one hundred and fifty acres of wooded land, extending southward about a mile from the Pearl City road. The landscape gardener has done his most to beautify the locality, and a large part of it is now laid out with winding drives and carriage paths. A large stone gateway half hidden by vines and trees forms the entrance to the cemetery and from the entrance, the drive leads down into the hollow and up on the hill where most of the lots now sold are located.
Several stone buildings have been erected on the premises. There is a stone receiving vault, built into the hillside, down in the southern end of the ceme- tery, a stone chapel where services can be held, and one marble mausoleum erected by Jacob Schaetzel. Many of the lots of the city cemetery have been transferred to Oakland Cemetery, and the place is now regarded as one of the most beautiful spots in the neighborhood of Freeport.
BOLTON.
Bolton comprises two villages: the original village, known as Van Brocklin, which contains a church and originally contained the store and post-office, and the new village, called Bolton, which is built about the Chicago Great Western station, nearly a mile south of Van Brocklin. The old village is of early foun- dation, and marks the site of the first permanent settlement in Florence Town- ship. The new village dates from 1887, when the railroad station was erected and the plat of the town laid out south of the station.
There is nothing of interest at Bolton. The town contains a grain elevator, a creamery owned by a farmers' stock company, and a distillery, which caters to a local trade. The population of the town is about fifty, with small signs of an appreciable future increase. Yellow Creek winds through the old vil- lage of Van Brocklin, now almost deserted, but for the country church. The site is very picturesque, lying a short distance southwest of the limestone cliffs and caves of Krape Park. The old village is interesting as the site of an early settlement in the county's history, but the new village is practically without life or interest.
LORAN TOWNSHIP.
Loran Township is one of the western townships of the southern tier. It is bounded on the west by Jefferson Township, on the north by Kent and Erin, on the east by Florence, and on the south by Carroll County. Until 1859 it was of much larger extent than at present, comprising also the township- of Jefferson, with its eighteen square miles extent. In 1859, owing to a petition of the dwellers in the western part of Loran, that section was divided off, and became a separate township. As Jefferson Township has been treated else- where, we now propose to treat of the settlers who took up their claims and established themselves in that part of the country which is now Loran Town- ship.
416
HISTORY OF STEPHENSON COUNTY
The first settlement in the township was made in 1836 by William Kirk- patrick, who subsequently built Kirkpatrick's mills and became a figure of great prominence in the county history. He established himself in Section 14, on the banks of Yellow Creek, at the settlement which was later known by the name of Mill Grove. Here he soon erected his mill-just at what time we can- not say. Some of the old settlers assert that he put it up in 1836 or 1837- as soon as he had got his household settled. Others are quite as vehement in their declarations that the event did not take place until 1838. Whatever the time was, it is of small importance to know the exact date. It is altogether probable that Mr. Kirkpatrick built his mills as early as 1837 at least, for the traditions of the village of Winneshiek, which became Freeport, affirm that some of the houses of that settlement were constructed of boards brought from Kirkpatrick's mills on Yellow Creek.
Mr. Kirkpatrick built his mill as soon as he did his house, and the traditions say that he was subjected to all sorts of hardships while the building was going on, being forced to sleep in his wagon, in an improvised tent, and so forth.
Loran Township was settled very slowly, and later than almost any other section of the county. As late as 1838 the settlers were few and scattered, and confined almost entirely to the Kirkpatricks and the few people about the mill in the Mill Grove settlement. In the next year Smith Giddings came, with John Shoemaker, who settled in Section 19, Albert Curry, and Sylvester Lang- don, who established himself in Section 15. There were others, but their names are now forgotten.
In 1840 a considerable delegation of new settlers arrived: the Babb fam- ily, including Samuel Babb, Solomon Babb, Reuben Babb, and Isaac Babb; Mathias Ditzler, and Christian Ditzler. In 1841, George House arrived and soon after him John Lamb. Warren Andrews and Anson Andrews came about this time, but just when it is impossible to say. They settled in Section 3, and there erected a mill on the banks of the creek. In 1842 Horace Post came, and located near the Andrews brothers' mill. Among the other settlers who came in this year were Truman Lowell, Moses Grigsby, William Barklow, Thomas Foster (both of these men settled in Section 17); Joseph Rush, in the south- western corner of the township; Samuel Shively, near Yellow Creek; John Apgar, also on the creek bank near Kirkpatrick's mill; Henry Layer, and two men by the name of Slocum and Pointer.
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.