USA > Illinois > Will County > History of Will County, Illinois, Volume One > Part 16
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At this time, (1928) it is known as the Brown Church, a name which it has carried for the last forty years. It is in good condition and serves as a house of worship at frequent intervals. Until very recently, within eight years, a Sunday
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School was maintained quite regularly. The ladies of the El- wood Methodist Church have looked after it, the people of the neighborhood are liberal in contributing, and everyone has a kindly interest in the Brown Church. Therefore, it appears that the congregation, sixty years ago, acted better than they knew when they "deeded to the Lord". Surely He has looked after its interest well.
The United Brethren held religious services in the north- eastern part of the township for over twenty-five years. In 1865, they erected, on the northeast corner of Section 11, at a cost of $2,000. The building was a neat frame, 30 feet in width by 45 feet in length, and would seat one-hundred and fifty to two hundred persons. Rev. Mr. Marglist was the Pastor, and Isaac Overholser was Superintendent of the Sunday School in 1878.
The church of the United Brethren, erected on the north- east corner of Section 11, was located on Providence Ridge, a name still known to the older people of that vicinity. Church services had been discontinued for some years and no use was made of it excepting for funerals. It was demolished by a cyclone in 1914 and has not been rebuilt. A small storehouse was erected to house the tools and equipment used in the ceme- tery.
On the northwest corner of Section 24, stands the German Methodist, or, more properly speaking, the Church of the Evan- gelical Association. This is also a frame building, and was erected in 1865. It is 28x36 feet in size, and cost $1,400. It was erected at the instance of William Poleman, John Gise, Isaac Moyer, William Kriemier, Jacob Wible and other prominent members of the Association. Rev. Rieman Snyder was the resident pastor and M. Moyer superintendent of the Sabbath school. Preaching and other religious services have been held here for over twenty years by this denomination.
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The German Methodist Church, or the Church of the Evan- gelical Association, flourished for many years. About fifty years ago, dissension arose in the congregation over some question of theology or of practice in worship, and they divided into groups. The group which withdrew, built a church across the road, thus establishing two churches. For many years they were known as the "Twin Churches". In 1923, the original church built in 1865, was torn down. The other one has sur- vived but shows signs of decay, which indicate a weakening of the congregation. The originators of the church in 1865, have passed away and their descendants have moved to other places. Only a few remain in the immediate neighborhood.
The year 1854 was eventful for numerous localities between Joliet and Bloomington, as it marks the completion of what was then called the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad, now called the Chicago & St. Louis, and the location of most of the vill- ages and towns along the line. Before that date, a town in Jackson Township was not thought of; and, had it been, any other portion would have been as likely to be fixed upon as its present site at Elwood. As soon as the road was completed, steps were taken to establish a station at this point, and this being accomplished, the village followed as a consequence. A convenient trading point was at once provided, and the country and its products demanded tradesmen, mechanics and profes- sional men.
The town was surveyed and platted and lots offered for sale in 1854 and 1855, by Messrs. Spencer, Gardner and Myers, gentlemen interested in the road. The first house built in the town was erected by William Turner, formerly of New York. In this building he displayed the first stock of goods ever of- fered for sale in the township. Turner was also appointed Postmaster, and kept the office in his store. Joseph Partee, who had also been living in the neighborhood, built the first
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dwelling, and James Barrett built the second. George Blair built the first blacksmith-shop. To these were added stores, shops and dwellings, and the town grew quite rapidly, so that, in 1869, it was found advisable to incorporate the same. Only a few scraps of the original records and lists escaped the fire of 1874, so that no complete list of its officers or narration of its public acts can now be given. It is, however, remembered with certainty that William Muhlig was first President, and R. Spafford, John Linebarger, William Eversoll and T. A. Mapps were members of the Board of Trustees. W. F. Keith was first Police Magistrate. In 1873, the town was re-organ- ized under the general law of the State. The officers were: John H. Bridge, President; John Linebarger, C. D. Wickes, Bateman Lloyd, John Pinneo and J. J. Lichtenwalter, Trustees; W. H. Kinne, Clerk; and W. W. Gifford, Treasurer.
On the night of the 28th of May, 1874, a fire swept over the business part of the town, which, for destructiveness, taking into account the size of the place, exceeded that of Chicago of two years before. The fire broke out in the store of William Nicholson, which stood near the center of the business portion, and in a few hours every store but one and the hotel had given way before the fiery element. This was a serious blow to the little town. Prior to this, it had been, though slowly, yet stead- ily increasing. The loss of property was estimated at $30,000, of which not more than $1,000 was insured. Though some of the burned district has been rebuilt and business is carried on as before, some of the proprietors were so much crippled as not to be able to start again, and the village still feels the loss sustained. The present population is about four hundred.
Jackson Township is one of the prosperous townships of the county. It contains some of the best farms to be had in the county. Some timber still remains along Jackson Creek but all of this is used as pasture land so that there is no under- brush to provide new growth when the old trees are removed.
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As a consequence the trees are bound to disappear because when one is cut down there is none to take its place.
Elwood which originated in 1854 when the Chicago and Al- ton Railroad was built became a flourishing village and con- tinued so for about one-half a century. The development of automobiles and the building of good roads made it easy to travel. Farmers naturally journeyed to the larger cities at Joliet, Wilmington and even some as far as Chicago. This took the business away from the stores in Elwood. Hardware stores were abandoned entirely. Blacksmiths found no work and closed their shops to follow other occupations or to move elsewhere for their regular work. The general stores changed hands at short intervals for a period of about fifteen years. In 1918-19 the nature of the business changed somewhat and these stores became places where refreshments might be bought and staple groceries could be procured. At this time (1928) they seem to be fairly prosperous. One business is noticeable here, that is, a successful bakery has been started. This seems to prosper because housewives seem to dislike to do their own baking and because tourists buy some bakery goods. Thus it is that times change conditions.
The concrete road passes along the east edge of the village on the east side of the railroad track. This has made it possible to operate a garage and service oil station, all of which do a good business.
Elwood always maintained good schools even though for some years the school building was practically unfit for use. A new building was built in 1916 with three rooms, modern at that time. These rooms are somewhat out-of-date at the present but are still sufficiently good to make a good school possible. Two rooms are maintained for the grades and one is devoted to a two year high school. Miss Fanny Bruce teaches the upper grades and Miss Peterson teaches the lower grades; W. P. Flaherty is principal and teaches the high school. The increase
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in the school was brought about by the consolidation of three districts, two in Jackson Township and one, formerly District 15, in Channahon Township, are consolidated into one district. Pupils from the rural part of the district are transported in modern school buses. This change to a consolidated school has proven satisfactory to all concerned.
Two churches are maintained in the village, one Methodist and the other a Presbyterian. The Methodist Church building burned about twelve years ago and was immediately replaced by a new building which includes an auditorium, parsonage, and community hall. This church is prosperous. The Presby- terian Church finds some trouble in maintaining services be- cause the congregation is small.
Elwood undoubtedly will improve and grow from now on because many people live in Elwood and work in Joliet. The concrete road over which a good bus service is maintained makes this feasible at all times of the year.
CHAPTER XI.
JOLIET TOWNSHIP.
DES PLAINES VALLEY-EARLY SETTLERS-FIRST WHITE MAN-PIONEER GRIST MILL-PRICE OF LAND-FIRST OFFICERS-MERCHANTS-GRAIN TRADE- STONE QUARRYING-EARLY BUSINESS MEN-JOLIET MOUND-BUILDING- SCHOOLS-PENITENTIARY
The early history of the Des Plaines Valley has been given in chapters one, two, and three; the aborignes have been ac- counted for at some length; the Red Man has had attention; these accounts are, to some extent, the history of Joliet. How- ever, we are interested in the early history of the white set- tlers. The following table is interesting because it gives dates pertaining to so many families which are represented in Joliet now (1928). It was prepared with much care in 1877 and recorded in LeBaron's History of Will County. It is reproduced here from that work:
Major Robert G. Cook, New York, 1831; John B. Cook (his father), New York, 1831; Philip Scott, New York, 1831; Rea- son Zarley, Ohio, 1831; Robert Stevens, Indiana, 1831; David Maggard, Indiana, 1831; Benjamin Maggard, Indiana, 1831; Jesse Cook, Indiana, 1831; Daniel Robb, 1831; William Bills- land, Indiana, 1831; Aaron Moore, Ohio, 1832; R. E. Barber, Vermont, 1832; Col. Sayre, New Jersey, 1832; Seth Scott, New York, 1832; Charles Clement, New Hampshire, 1833; Rev. George West, M. E. minister, 1833; Rodney House, Connecticut, 1833; Charles Reed, Indiana, 1833; William Hadsell, New York, 1833; Dr. A. W. Bowen, New York, 1834; Elias Haven, New
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York, 1834; Philo A. Haven, New York, 1834; Orlando H. Ha- ven, New York, 1834; James Haven, New York, 1834; Dr. Da- vid Reed, New York, 1834; M. H. Demmond, New York, 1834; Wm. B. Hawley, New York, 1834; Benj. F. Barker, New York, 1834; Benjamin Richardson, from the East, 1834; James Rock- well, Connecticut, 1834; Abner Cox, Indiana, 1834; I. P. King, Indiana, 1834; Joseph Zumalt, Indiana, 1834; Jacob Zumalt, In- diana, 1834; Charles Sayre, New Jersey, 1834; James McKee, Kentucky, 1834; Daniel Clement, New Hampshire, 1834; Rich- ard Hobbs, Indiana, 1834; N. H. Clarke, 1834; Thomas H. Black- burn, 1834; O. D. Putnam, 1834; Harlow Webster, 1834; Geo. H. Woodruff, New York, 1834; N. H. Cutter, Massachusetts, 1834; Jay Lyons, 1834; Chas. W. Brandon, New York, 1834; James C. Troutman, Ohio, 1834; Edward Perkins, New York, 1834; Fenner Aldrich, 1835; Hervey Lowe, New York, 1835; F. Collins, Hoosier, 1835; Oliver W. Stillman, Massachusetts, 1835; Robert Duncan, Detroit, 1835; Thomas Culbertson, Dela- ware, 1835; Charles W. Hopkins, New Jersey, 1835; S. W. Bowen, New York, 1835; Dr. Zelotus Haven, New York, 1835; Hugh Henderson, New York, 1835; Wm. A. Boardman, New York, 1835; Russell Frary, New York, 1835; Michael Shoe- maker, New York, 1835; John L. Wilson, New York, 1835; Richard L. Wilson, New York, 1835; Charles L. Wilson, New York, 1835; Abijah Cagwin, New York, 1835; H. N. Marsh, New York, 1835; J. Beaumont, New York, 1835; George Hig- ley, Ohio, 1835; Levi Jenks, New York, 1835; William Walters, Indiana, 1835; O. F. Rogers, New York, 1835; Rev. J. H. Pren- tiss, New York, 1835; George Squire, 1835; Wm. A. Chatfield, Indiana, 1835; C. C. Pepper, New York, 1835; Francis Nichol- son, New York, 1835; W. R. Atwell, New York, 1835; John M. Wilson, New York, 1835; Allen Pratt, Massachusetts, 1835; Bar- ton Smith, Indiana, 1835; Jonathan Barnett, New York, 1835; E. M. Daggett, Indiana, 1835; George Howlitson, Scotland,
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1835; Asa Rowe, 1835; Elias Hyde, New York, 1835; S. B. Hop- kins, New Jersey, 1835.
In 1836 we may notice among the arrivals in the new settle- ment, George Woodruff, Joel A. Matteson, R. Doolittle, Edmund Wilcox, Uri Osgood, Thomas R. Hunter, E. C. Fellows, and Francis L. Cagwin, from New York, and Otis Hardy and H. Hartshorn, from Vermont; Orange Chauncey, Albert Shepard, James Stout, Thomas, Edward and Bennett Allen, John Curry, J. J. Garland, W. J. Heath, J. C. Newkirk, William Blair, Rufus Calton, Stephen H. Palmer, E. E. Bush, Theodore Woodruff, H. K. Stevens, David Richards, G. W. Cassedy, and a great many others, whose native states we have not learned.
When the first white man came to Joliet Township in 1831, there were plenty of Indians in the present limits of Will County, and though of the friendly Pottawatomies, yet the very fact that they were surrounded by savages, whose ferocity, when aroused, is scarcely equaled by wild beasts, coupled with the fact that low mutterings were now and then borne to them on the gale, of the threatening troubles with the Sacs, then on the verge of taking the warpath, all conspired to divest the wilderness of its romance, and render their every-day life, to say the least, unpleasant. The Pottawatomies, though friendly as already stated, were looked upon with much suspicion at times, and required a good deal of watching to prevent their petty thieving, a penchant for which is a native characteristic of the red man. While the Black Hawk war was raging in 1832, the few settlers who remained upon their claims built a fort in the present city limits of Joliet, which they called "Fort Nonsense," but as it is graphically described in the general history, we pass it with this slight allusion. Nearly half a century has passed since Black Hawk led his painted warriors over the prairies of Illinois, and the wilderness where a few hardy pioneers braving danger, planted a feeble settlement,
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
has "flourished and blossomed like the rose." The Indians have long since taken up their line of march toward the "land of the setting sun"; their council fires burn away in the "untrod- den West," and the little settlement on the Des Planes River, which had its birth, as it were, in the midst of an Indian war, has grown into a prosperous community, with a prosperous city in its midst. The half dozen families that settled in Joliet Township in 1831, have increased in numbers, and, including city and township, aggregate several thousand.
In all new communities, one of the first things thought of is a mill. This branch of enterprise engaged the attention of the people of Joliet Township at a very early period of its settle- ment. When we look around us at the magnificent mills of to- day and the unbounded facilities for procuring our supplies of meal and flour, it seems almost impossible to realize the lim- ited means of obtaining bread by the pioneers of fifty years ago. What would we think at the present day, of having to go to Peoria to mill, with a wagon and team, and a rainy sea- son coming on, of being detained six weeks? And yet there are those living within sound of the church bells of Joliet, who remember such an experience. The first attempt at a mill in Joliet Township was made by one John Norman, in 1833-34. It was built at the head of an island nearly opposite the peni- tentiary and was rather a primitive affair. He built a dam across one branch of the river, and thus turned the current in the other. In this his wheel was placed, the shaft communi- cating with the machinery of the mill. It was a small log structure, and its capacity for grinding rather limited, as we have been told that fifteen bushels of grain in twenty-four hours was good work for it. The next mill was McKee's, built on the west side of the river, just above Jefferson Street, the frame of which was still standing in 1878 a monument to pioneer enterprise. Several sawmills were built in the town. A. Cagwin built one on Hickory Creek in which was sawed the
ST. FRANCES ACADEMY, JOLIET, ILL.
WASHINGTON STREET SCHOOL, JOLIET, ILL.
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lumber for the first frame house in Joliet. Clement & Clark, and the Haven Bros. built mills in the early times, as noticed in the general history of the county. But the day of useful- ness of these original mills has long since passed, and the more modern inventions and improvements fill their place.
There are (1878) in the town eighteen comfortable and com- modious school houses, five of which are built of stone, and the others are substantial frame buildings. The first bridge in the township of which we have any account was built over the Des Planes River in the latter part of 1837. At that time, two substantial wooden bridges were built about where the lower and middle bridges now are. They were both washed away, however, in the next spring, which was a season of un- precedented high water, and many a day passed before they were rebuilt, or other accommodations provided for crossing the river than a "dug-out" or ferry boat, when it was too high to ford. But at the present day, the town is well supplied with excellent bridges, wherever those useful and convenient inven- tions are needed.
In the early settlement of this section of the country, claims were usually made by "squatting" wherever the newcomer found land or a situation that suited him, provided there was no prior claim. Building a cabin and enclosing and cultivating a patch of ground established a preemption right to their claim -that is, a right to purchase it, when it should come into mar- ket, at the Government price of $1.25 per acre; and at the land sales, though there might be ever so many speculators present, they dare not bid against a settler, unless they chose to risk rousing their vengeance. They (the settlers) had organized a regular court to protect and settle their claims, which was a kind of "higher law," and woe unto him who trespassed upon the rights of this court or the settlers. A compromise was finally effected between the settlers and speculators whereby, the latter paid for the land and the settlers gave them half,
17-VOL. 1
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and thus securing to themselves a reasonable amount of land for nothing. The land sale of 1835 caused a great rush of immigration to this section and a rage for land speculation, and soon all the most valuable and available lands were taken up or secured by the speculators. In 1850, the county adopted township organization, and this further added to the con- venience of laying claims and locating lands. Upon the or- ganization of townships, this one received the name of Joliet -a name conspicuous in the history of Illinois as that of one of the early French explorers, Louis Joliet. The first super- visor of Joliet Township was Charles Clement, who held the position for three years successively. The present township (1878) officers are as follows, viz .: Frederick Rappell, super- visor, and John Scheidt, John Lyon, William Gleason, assistant supervisors; Kelly, township clerk; W. D. Fay, school treasurer; J. T. Millspaugh, police magistrate; R. Doolittle, Ed- mund Wilcox, J. P. Murphy, Patrick Shanahan and William P. Webber, justices of the peace.
As already stated, Charles Reed is regarded as the first permanent settler in the original town of Joliet, or "Juliet." David Maggard, however, settled in what is at present the city of Joliet, some three years before Reed. But at the time Mag- gard built his house, which was nearly opposite the rolling mill, there was no City of Joliet, and it was years after the birth of the city before it extended its limits to include Maggard's original cabin. Charles Reed, the pioneer of Joliet, finally went to Winnebago County, where he died in 1875. Charles Clement settled permanently in the spring of 1834. He commenced mer- chandizing after he had been here some time, a business he continued for many years. In 1839, he with others started the first newspaper in Joliet, which is more particularly referred to in the history of the city press.
The first merchant in Joliet was a man named Cox, who commenced the mercantile business, in a very limited way,
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
about 1833-34. It was for this man Cox that H. A. Cagwin clerked when he first came to the place. Further than this, we know little of this first store and first merchant. The next store was opened by M. H. Demmond, who used one room of his residence for a storehouse, as soon as it was finished. In the meantime, while waiting for the completion of his house, his goods were stored in Chicago, in the first warehouse ever built in that city. In January, 1835, Demmond bought Mc- Kee's claim, except his mill property, and laid it off into town lots-McKee having previously divided it into acre lots only- the plat being recorded in June, 1830. Soon after laying out the West Side, Clement built a saw-mill, and under the firm name of Clement & Clark, a brisk lumber trade was at once inaugurated. This year, Demmond set the example, since so extensively followed in Joliet, by putting up the first stone building. It is the block of business houses on the West Side, opposite the National Hotel, and upon its completion was ap- propriately celebrated by a ball, at which all the young people for miles around congregated.
The grain trade, which is one of the most important branches of business in Joliet, was begun in an early day. John M. Wilson and Charles Clement were the first grain merchants of the place, and used an old barn on Block 16 for storage pur- poses. Their net profits for the first year, and the only one, in which they handled grain, are said to have amounted to the immense sum of nine dollars. They made a corner in the mar- ket and retired from the business at the end of the first year. But without attempting to follow the grain trade through all its stages, from Wilson & Clement's "corner" to the vast pro- portions it has since assumed, we will endeavor to give some- thing of its present status (1878.) There are now five able firms engaged in grain, viz .: Carpenter & Marsh, A. Cagwin & Co., E. R. Knowlton, H. C. Teed, Wheeler & Co. and J. E. Bush. Carpenter & Marsh are the heaviest dealers. As an illustra-
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tion, we give their shipments for one week, taken from a news- paper publication of 1874:
Monday
48 carloads
Tuesday
44 carloads
Wednesday 21 carloads
Thursday
33 carloads
Friday
30 carloads
Saturday
42 carloads
Total for the week 218 carloads
They handle annually not far short of three and a half mil- lion bushels of grain, and all of which is shipped direct to Eastern markets. Their elevator capacity is about thirty thou- sand bushels, and twelve to fifteen men are employed in loading and unloading grain. Last year, this firm alone handled 3,750,- 000 bushels of grain, most of which was corn and oats, but a little wheat and barley. A. Cagwin & Co. handle annually about five hundred thousand bushels of corn and oats, most of which is shipped direct to the East. The elevator used by this firm was built by Carpenter & Marsh, and will store from fif- teen thousand to twenty thousand bushels of grain. It is owned by M. O. Cagwin. H. C. Teed, Wheeler & Co., handle about five hundred thousand bushels annually, and have storage room for about thirty thousand bushels in Michigan Central Ele- vator. They also handle pressed hay, mill feed and wool, which, together with grain, they ship East, viz .: to Canada, New Eng- land and Pennsylvania. E. R. Knowlton handles about three hundred thousand bushels of corn and oats, which are shipped East. He has two elevators, one of which was built by Cagwin, in an early stage of the grain business, and will store about eighteen thousand bushels of shelled corn, and the other about twelve thousand bushels of oats. His cribbing capacity is about five thousand bushels of ear-corn. J. E. Bush, whose ware-
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HISTORY OF WILL COUNTY
house and elevator stand near the Jefferson Street bridge, han- dles about six hundred thousand bushels of corn and oats annually, and ships both to the East and to Chicago - to the latter place by canal. He has storage room for about forty thousand bushels. As will be seen, most of the grain handled in Joliet is shipped direct to Eastern markets. This is done by the "Cut-off" division of the Michigan Central Railroad, a very important road for the business of Joliet, as it avoids the delay and expense of shipping by Chicago. Much of the grain and stock going east over the Chicago & Rock Island and Chi- cago & Alton Railroads are here transferred to the "Cut-off" Railroad, and do not go to Chicago at all, which, added to that bought at this point, makes Joliet quite a center of trade.
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