History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. I, Part 38

Author: Davis, William W
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 706

USA > Illinois > Whiteside County > History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. I > Part 38

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).

Mrs. Vennum was nearly five when Washington was inaugurated, fif- teen at his death in 1799, twenty-five when Lincoln was born, thirty-four when Illinois became a state in 1818, fifty when the first settlers came to Whiteside, seventy-seven at the outbreak of the Civil war, and 105 lacking four days at her death, June 19, 1889. Peter Ford, who died at Deer Grove, 1907, at the age of 105, and Mrs. Vennum, are the only two centenarians of the county.

THE OLD MILL AT UNIONVILLE. By S. A. Maxwell.

The wide-spreading pond, and the mill which stood by it,

The bridge, and the rock where the cataract fell .- Woodworth.

Perhaps there is no other landmark in Whiteside county familiar to more people than the stone grist mill on Rock creek. Just fifty years ago, in the summer of 1858, its erection was began by John A. Robertson and W'm. Annan, but it was not completed till Dec., 1859. It has always been in operation, and grists of wheat, buckwheat, and corn, arc still turned out

332

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

to the satisfaction of customers. The larger part of its work now is the grind- ing of mixed corn and oats for feeding stock.

In 1867, Annan became sole owner by the purchase of Robertson's inter- est. Annan died about twenty years ago, and his son, Wm. Annan, who had been employed in the mills since 1868, has conducted the business since.

The first mill on this site was a saw mill built in 1839 by John A. Rob- ertson and Benjamin Burns. The latter traded his interest in 1842 for the whole of section 2 in Union Grove, and this section of the mill interest changed owners two or three times. In 1855 Porteus Robertson owned it, and sold out to Wm. Annan. For several ycars, the mill ran irregularly, as saw logs became scarce, and as excellent pine lumber could be obtained cheap at Fulton and Albany. When it became a poor investment, the proprietors wisely concluded to take it down, and erect the present grist mill.

Rock creek furnishes the power for the mill. Previous to 1862, a brush dam was used, but since, a frame dam has done excellent service with occa- sional repairs. The mill and dam are only sixty feet from the public road from Morrison to Unionville, which here crosses the creek on a splendid steel bridge. It was erected in 1892 in place of the previous structure of frame.

STERLING.

So we grew together, - Like to a double cherry, seeming parted .- Shakespeare.

If any one walks Third street from east to west, two miles long, now lined with stores and residences, and thinks of the time when there were a few scattered cabins on either cnd, he will soon have an idea of the wonderful development of the city. For years there were indeed two rival towns, Har- risburg on the east and Chatham on the west. Hezekiah Brink was the pioneer who, in June, 1834, put up the first log hut in what is now the first ward. Every year following brought accessions. In 1835 the Albertsons; in 1836 Luther Bush, Nelson Mason, Van J. Adams; in 1837 Hugh Wallace, E. B. Worthington, the Woodburns, Ezekiel Kilgour; in 1838 Luther Wetherbee, the Whipples, Jesse Penrose, Jonathan Stevens; in 1840 R. L. Wilson, John Dippell. But there was a jealousy between the two towns. Between the west line of Harrisburg and the east line of Chatham were six blocks called neutral territory. It was soon found that to exert any influence the towns must sink their differences, and unite for the common good. This necessity was hastened by the importance of securing the county seat. At a conference in 1839 the consolidation was effected, and Sterling adopted as the name, at the suggestion of Hugh Wallace, in compliment to his friend, Col. Sterling, of Pennsylvania. Broadway was made the dividing line, and the new court- house was erected on its west side in 1844. This became the center of busi- ness, and stores sprang up. But a large gap, a long hill still separated the eastern part of Sterling from the west. It was so as late as 1856. After the excitement due to the removal of the postoffice to the west end by Joseph Hutchison, to quiet the enraged patrons, Mr. Hutchison put up a small

JA PLUGALTY DRUGSTORE

SHOE STORE

FEEL

THIRD STREET, STERLING, IN 1868

LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS

333

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

one-story building on the hill, which gradually attracted trade, and led to other improvements.

It will be noticed that the avenues of Sterling, running north and south to the river, are mucli wider than the streets east and west. Rock river was considered a navigable stream, and small steamers in good stage of water came from the Mississippi. So delighted with the arrival of Capt. Harris in 1836 in his steamer Pioneer that the proud citizens of upper town named it Harrisburg in his honor. As late as 1844, when Galt and Craw- ford were carrying on a general store, they sent lard, butter, and other produce to St. Louis by occasional boats that made the trips up and down the river.

A political incident is pleasantly recalled in connection with the block built on Third street in 1856 by J. H. Boynton. Hon. John P. Hale, the famous anti-slavery senator of New Hampshire, was advertised to speak, Oct. 30, but the wind was so wintry, that an out-door meeting was impossible, and as the partitions of the Boynton block were not up, the whole lower floor was seated, and several hundred men' made comfortable. He spoke for two hours, keeping his audience in good humor with his argument, ridi- cule, and illustration, and there was a sigh when the genial speaker left the stand. No more delightful piece of political oratory was ever given in the city.

THE HOTELS.

Whoe'er has traveled life's dull round, Where'er his stages may have been, May sigh to think he still has found, His warmest welcome at an inn .- Shenstone.

Four of the older hotels are gone, the Central House, Sterling House, the American somewhat later, the Wallace House, now the office of the Gazette. The Boynton has been metamorphoscd into a European hotel. The old Wallace House, built in 1854-55 by Hugh Wallace, enjoyed a high repu- tation for twenty years, secured chiefly through the management of Mr. and Mrs. William McCune, who, like the landlords of English country inns, gave their personal attention to office and kitchen.

The opening of the Galt House, erected in 1877 by Thomas A. Galt, drew together the largest assemblage of prominent persons since the railroad inauguration in 1855. The reception and ball on the evening of August 21 was attended by five hundred invited guests, comprising state officers, editors, men in high station from various cities. Flowers, music, decorations, made the brilliantly lighted halls a scene of Arcadian revelry. A sumptuous ban- quet. Toasts and replies by Attorney General Edsall, Speaker Shaw, Con- gressman Burchard, Sullivan of Chicago Journal, Judge Eustace, Wm. Barge, M. S. Henry, C. C. Buell, E. B. Washburne stood on the stairway, and said a few words, the last appearance of our distinguished diplomat in the city. The enterprise represents an investment of $75,000. J. H. Gray, of Chi- cago, was the first lessee. The building is brick, four stories above basement, and one hundred by hundred and twenty feet on the ground. Accommoda- tions for two hundred guests.

334

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

Built a few years later is the Randolph House, corner Third and A avenue, on the site of the oldest grocery in Wallacetown, kept by Robert and Edgar Randolph, whose gray-haired, father, a soldier, was until his death, the oldest citizen, and regularly given the place of honor on the plat- form at public celebrations. It is just north of the Northwestern station, con- venient for travelers, and until her decline of health, was conducted by Mrs. Emma Randolph, widow of Edgar.

SOME EARLY MEMORIES. By John D. Arcy.

Oft in the stilly night Ere slumber's chain has bound me Fond memory brings the light Of other days around mc .- Moore.

Before the cities of Sterling and Rock Falls existed, the place they occupy was called Rock river rapids. In 1837 a town of about one half mile square was laid out on the north bank of the river at the head of the rapids, called Harrisburg in honor of Capt. Harris, who ran the first steamboat up the river to this place. Soon after a town of the same size was laid out on the same side of the river, at the foot of the rapids, about one-third of a mile below Harrisburg, called Chatham. At this time the State of Illinois began a series of internal improvements, one of which was a canal up and down the rapids, to enable boats to pass them by a lock. The canal was located along the south bank of the river, and about $40,000 expended toward its construc- tion. This gave the south side of the river a great advantage in future pros- pects, and a town one mile square, called Rapid City, was laid out on that side opposite Chatham, and while the state work was in progress, completely overshadowed the prospects of the two north side towns. The work done on the canal was one-half mile in length, between avenues A and D in the pres- ent city of Rock Falls. A dry stone wall, eight feet wide at the bottom, and to be four feet wide at the top, was laid along the margin of the river far enoughi out from the bank to give the canal the proper width, the stone quarried from the bank to build the wall, and the stripping and waste from the quar- ries deposited on the river side of it, making a bank about fifty fect wide and a little higher than the wall. When the work was stopped, the wall, was from six to eight feet in height, but no part of it was completed. The failure of this work put a stop to any further improvements in Rapid City, and it passed out of existence.

When Whiteside county was organized, Lyndon was fixed upon as the county seat, and the courts were held there for a few years. The town did not furnish a suitable building in which to hold courts and keep the county records, and it became a question between the towns in different parts of the county as to which could hold out the greatest inducements and secure the prize. Harrisburg and Chatham both realized that neither could succced if opposed by the other, and immediately decided to unite their fortunes and the towns at the same time, which they did by laying out a street north-

335

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

westerly from the river bank, through the center of the piece of land between them, one hundred and fifty feet in widthi, called Broadway, and extending the streets in each town until they intersected it, distinguishing the num- bering of the blocks, by east, or west, of Broadway. A committee from each town was authorized to decide on which side of Broadway the county build- ing should be located, and on a name for the new town. Block fifty-seven west of Broadway was selected, and the new name was Sterling, given in honor of a personal friend of one of the committee. In 1844 a courthouse was erected, and the courts were therein located. There were then about two-thirds of the inhabitants of Sterling living east of Broadway, but as stores and hotels were built, they were mostly located west, and in 1855, when the first railroad was built, a majority of the people were living there. When the first depot was located there were but two or three buildings in the town west of Third avenue, the lower dam was built the same season, and the stone used in its construction was taken from the old canal wall, and the quarries that were opened in both banks of the river above the dam. Wallace's addi- tion was laid out and stores, hotels, and other business enterprises grew up in the new part of the town. Mills and factories were built on the water power, and the city which was incorporated in 1857 has had a steady growth to the present time.

In 1857, Morrison, then an important station on the railroad, and located near the center of the county, raised the question of a new location for the county seat. An act was passed by the General Assembly enabling the people to vote on it. Out of a total vote of 3,203, it was carried for the town of Morrison by a majority of 59, and the county offices were moved to that place in 1858, where they have since remained.

At the time of the earliest settlement of Rock river rapids, the nearest point where the people could receive their mail, was at Dixon's ferry, where the mail route from Peoria to Galena crossed Rock river, and a postoffice was established. The first postoffice was opened within the limits of the present city of Sterling in 1837, and was kept in a store on River street, on the west side of Chestnut street in the town of Chatham.

FERRIES AND BRIDGES.

The river knows the way to the sea; Without a pilot it runs and falls .- Emerson.

In the days of Harrisburg, a ferry propelled by horse power was run across Rock River above the rapids for a few years and discontinued. From that time until the lower dam was built, the only way of crossing the river at Sterling with teams, was fording in summer, or crossing the ice in winter. A fund was raised by subscription in 1856, and the first bridge was built from avenue B, crossing the north channel to the island, from the island to the south bank. The bridge was completed with the exception of the floor planking at the south end, when it was carried out by the ice in the spring of 1857. The railroad bridge west of Nelson was at the same time taken from the piers and left standing with the track on it, on the bottom

336

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

lands on the east side of the river, about half a mile down the stream. A boat was then built, and a ferry established about two hundred feet above the present location of the First avenue bridge. A cable chain was laid across the river, and the boat was propelled by a tread power, the chain running over the drive wheel, and over pulleys at each end of the boat. A few years afterward another ferry was established at Broadway, and was operated by anchoring one end of a wire cable about a thousand feet in length, in the center of the river above the ferry, with the other end attached to the boat in such a' manner that it could be swung across the river by the current. The cable was supported above the water by small boats located at intervals of about two hundred feet, under the line of the cable; it did not prove a success, and only ran one scason. About the same time a rope ferry was started on avenue B below the dam, which was operated until in 1863 a stock company was formed, and a toll bridge was built at the same place, and maintained until a few years after the present bridge was built.

The present free bridge between Sterling and Rock Falls was voted by a large majority, and completed in 1878. It is a six-span bridge, each span 171 fect long, the superstructure of iron being twenty feet above the bed of the river, with a road bed eighteen feet wide, and a walk five feet wide on each side. The abutments and piers of Batavia stone. The structure is guaranteed to sustain a weight of 1,800 pounds to the lineal foot.

In 1874 George W. Barr fitted up a steam tug, purchased at Lyons, Iowa, and operated it as a ferry boat between the cities. It was called the White Swan, and did a good passenger traffic for several years.

· Avenue G Bridge, completed in December, 1907, is the latest structure thrown across the river. It is the second on the same site. The first barely completed and ready for travel, was swept away bodily in the tremendous ice gorge of March, 1906. The solid iron and stone work snapped like pipe stems before the resistless wall of moving blocks. Steps were taken at once to rebuild, and the rapid reconstruction is worthy of all praise.

The committee in charge of the construction of the bridge were Super- visors A. E. Parmenter of Lyndon, Frank Thomas of Tampico, and Rollin Halsted of Rock Falls; Road Commissioners F. S. Bressler, Amos Hoover and John I. Phillips, the clerk of the board being Roy R. Baer.

The approximate estimate of the cost of the superstructure is $32,000; the concrete abutments $8,000; the fill and grading $1,500, making the total cost of the bridge $41,500, which is $3,500 less than the appropriation pro- vided for the building of the bridge. The town of Sterling voted the sum of $22,500 to rebuild the structure and the county appointed a committee of . supervisors to act for the county, which is equivalent to appropriating $22,500 for the county's share of the bridge.

The total length of the Avenue G bridge is 1,200 feet and is built in two parts, covering channels on each side of the island at the foot of Avenue G. A truss bridge was erected across the south channel. It is a 300 foot span, the largest single span on Rock river and is a magnificent structure. There are nine spans of 100 feet each on the north side. This is plate girder superstructure. The width of the roadway is twenty-four fect, and the floor

337

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

is twenty feet above the normal surface of the water. This is five feet and four inches higher than the old structure. The plate girders are ten feet deep. The floor of the bridge was built on the bottom of the girder. On the old bridge the floor was built in the center of the girder. The girders will act as a wind break during winter. It was necessary to re-enforce the girders and at intervals of fifteen feet "wind" braces were erected to brace the girders.

The new bridge is believed to be even more substantial than the other. It looks firm enough to stand for all time. A magnificent prospect up and- down the stream. Really the most picturesque spot in the city's landscape.

OUR OLDER HOUSES.

All houses wherein men have lived and died Are haunted houses. Thro' the open doors The harmless phantoms on their errands glide

With feet that make no sound upon the floors .- Longfellow.

The cabins of the earliest settlers, Brink, Brewer, Kilgour, and others, Wallace's fort, are gone. So the hotels, Sterling House and Central House, and later, the American in first ward, torn down in 1908. The stone house west of Central Park, sometimes called the Glass house, was built, says M. M. Warner, about 1847, by Captain McCabe, who many years ago navigated Rock river at the time from Como to Rock Island and operated the stone flour mill at Como. The mill at the time was the largest on Rock river. The captain went to California, and died there.

Kilgour's log hut stood near the site of Walter Haskell's mansion. George Brewer's father built his first house with bass wood sides, near the river, south of Mr. Brewer's present home. Luther Bush built a low one- story house in 1838 near the present Lincoln school. The stone foundation, is two feet thick, heavy enough for tower of Babel. Mr. Bush and his sons Ed and Henry burned brick, and erected that large double dwelling on Broadway, lately purchased by John Hoover. This was in 1856. The son, Henry, with his family, occupied it, and he died there in 1907. John Arey says Hugh Wallace's first cabin was near Power's coal shed, and that he moved into the old wooden fort in 1844.

Of all the antique dwellings, the Wilson house is the best known. R. L. Wilson came from Sangamon county in 1840, and his family the next year. For awhile they lived in a house near the river, and in 1846 occupied . the present brick near the Central School. It is only one story, the style in that day, as there are some in Prophetstown, with thick walls. It will yet outlast many of our modern dwellings. Here the Col. and Mrs. Wilson entertained a large circle of friends. Here the children grew up and mar- ried. Both liked company. Soon after the colonel returned from his trip to Europe, the writer called, and was received in a front room. He heartily enjoyed the tour which he had planned long before. No more intelligent and gracious man ever lived in the city.

Ben Butt house on Third street, first ward, a white-washed frame on a high bank, was put up, says Mrs. R. C. Thompson of De Kalb, sometime in

338

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

the forties. An old timer is the small dingy brick once occupied by Sheriff John Dippell. It is on Broadway, north of Fourth street. The American House, first ward, Mrs. Susan Shultz says, was erected in 1857. Luther Bush built the old courthouse with bricks burned by himself in eastern part of Sterling. According to Mrs. M. F. Spalsbury, that narrow house, corner of Third and Fifth avenue, was erected by Dr. Benton for dwelling and drug store about 1849. The lower story is grout, or a mixture of lime and gravel poured into a frame. Early fashion. Now they call it concrete.

The lower story of the northwestern corner of the casket factory on Third street, it will be observed, is made of even blocks, carefully dressed. These were quarried along the river and trimmed into shape by Edward Jamieson, a Scotch marble cutter from Edinburg. This on the authority of Mrs. Spalsbury. He afterward went south, and was killed by Morgan raiders during the war. She also says that Andy McMoore had a one story brick for the sale of candy and groceries, where Schmoeger's meat shop is now.

The second set of old buildings may be dated after the fifties. The Wal- lace House, long the leading hotel, being near the depot. The Patterson & Witmer, store block, now the Rock Falls Manufacturing Company. The Commercial block, just west on Third street. Among the private houses are the spacious mansion of Hugh Wallace, west of Simpson's lumber yard, now owned by Mrs. Emma Randolph; next the smaller stone dwelling erected by Gabriel Davis in the same year, 1855; the Smith Patterson residence of brick, further west. Near the park is the old home of Nelson Mason, erected about 1855, where he resided till his removal to Chicago. The postoffice is on part of his lot. The stone in the Wallace, Davis and Mason houses was taken from the river.

THINGS THAT HAVE VANISHED.

But past are all his triumphs. The very spot Where many a time he triumphed, is forgot .- Goldsmith.

Just as the Roman Empire arose, flourished and fell, so do various enter- prises in the young cities of the West. Conditions change, and they are given up. The mitten factory stands in Rock Falls, but no more mittens are made. The hand corn-planters of Batchellers are a thing of the past. Zollinger's grist mill makes no more flour. In Sterling, we hear no more of the Williams & Orton Company, the Empire Feed Mill, the Mineral Paint Works, the pruning shears shop, the packing house, which an old directory claimed was the largest west of Chicago, having a capacity for slaughtering 500 hogs per day. After the dam and race were completed in 1853, Joshua and William Mckinney built a stone mill, which long had a reputation for its flour. Then Church & Patterson, Dillon and Bowers. Of all our industrial establishments, the distillery started in 1864 by John S. Miller, was the most extensive. The huge buildings covered five acres, two thousand head of cattle grew fat in the sheds, two thousand bushels of grain were used every day, and 8,500 gallons of alcohol daily manufactured. The government tax was $5,000 a day, or a yearly revenue to Uncle Sam of nearly two million dollars. The business of the works required the services of 117

339

HISTORY OF WHITESIDE COUNTY

men, whose weekly wages amounted to $6,000. The alcohol was shipped to Europe and South America. For convenience of shipment, the railroad made a switch to the ware house. It was a busy spot. Farmers were sure of a market for their grain, and the highest prices were paid. Nearly every day a procession of teams. In 1880 a disastrous fire involved the sheds and the helpless cattle in common ruin, but the sheds were rebuilt. After the death of Mr. Miller, the sons, John and William, carried on the business until the works were closed, 1884, by agreement with other distillers to regulate the production. The buildings remained vacant until they were finally taken down, and today not a brick is left to mark the site.

Two nurseries once in Rock Falls, now not one. The city has spread over the early gardens of Mr. Lukens, and the evergreens and apple rows of Grove Wright, east of town, have been converted to other uses. The old brick courthouse in Sterling on Broadway was a prominent landmark as it stood, lonely and forlorn, for many years, after the removal of the records to Mor- rison, until it was taken down to make way for cottages. The early Presby- terian church is a mournful memory. In your mind's eye, Horatio, you can picture it where the high school now rears its quaint facade. And the little white Lutheran church on the prairie is gone with all its traditions of strug- gle and sacrifice. .

Farewell, a long farewell, too, to the primitive schoolhouses. Yes, two generations of them. Not only those rooms in which Mrs. Worthington and Martha Millikan presided but the next set in the wards: the brick in the first ward, the brown one-story depot in the third, and the two-story square frame in the second, moved to Locust, opposite Burlington station. Wallace's old fort and the diminutive briek of Thomas A. Galt stood on or near the site of Simpson's lumber yard. There was a hill, but it was cut away. Wil- liam Miller's spacious frame mansion is on the spot occupied by Wallace's barn. D. R. Beck's incomplete brick, Fourth street, is now metamorphosed into a cozy cottage by Prof. Chaplin.

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.

History of Whiteside County, Illinois, from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. I, Part 38

Author: Davis, William W Publication date: 1908 Publisher: Chicago : Pioneer Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 706

Author: Davis, William W
Publication date: 1908
Publisher: Chicago : Pioneer Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 706