USA > Illinois > Ogle County > Mount Morris > Mount Morris: past and present, an illustrated history of the township and the village of Mount Morris, Ogle County, Illinois, in their various stages of development, together with a local biographical directory > Part 4
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Previous to the building of the railroad through Mount Morris, lumber for building was hauled from Chicago and Rockford, and later from Polo and other nearby towns. After the completion of the railroad, the first regular yard was established by John Nye, father of U. C. Nye. The suc- cession of its owners from that time to this has been: John Nye, Henry Gilbert, Philip Sprecher, Riner & Clark, Minnesota Lumber Company, and lastly, Clark & Wingert, the present owners.
The tonsorial profession in Mount Morris was ably represented in the past by a number of artists, notable among whom were William Star, Boone Washington, and Joseph Patterson, colored; and Daniel Bowers.
The bakery business has been represented by a large number of bakers, most of them continuing in business but a short time. Ed. O. Startzman was one of the first, and is yet in the business after a term of about twenty-four years.
Kett's History of Ogle County, in a short sketch of Mount Morris, gives the following list of the business enterprises of the village, with the dates of their establishment, which existed in 1878, at the time of the pub- lication of that history:
GENERAL MERCHANTS .- Lookabaugh & Middour. May, 1866: Sprecher & Clevidence, 1866: Gilbert Bros., formerly Gilbert & King, April 7, 1874; Newcomer Bros .. December 12. 1877.
HARDWARE .- J. M. Smith, formerly Smith & Pickard, 1870; Hitt. Smith & Co., April 23, 1877.
GROCERIES .- Wingert & Swingley, 1874; William H. Bull. March 17, 1875.
DRUGGISTS .- A. W. Brayton, formerly F. B. Brayton, 1860; O. H. Swingley, Novem- ber 11. 1868.
FURNITURE .- Upton Miller, 1873.
HOTELS .- Blair's Hotel, 1851: Webb's Hotel, 1858.
RESTAURANTS .- E. O. Startzman. November 25. 1876; H. Jimmerson, June 21, 1877: S. Knodle. 1877.
CARPENTERS AND BUILDERS .- George H. Riner, N. E. Buser. 1868: B. Rine. J. T. Stewart. Jonathan Knodle.
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THE GROWTHI OF THE VILLAGE.
BLACKSMITHS .- A. W. Neff. Calvin A. Potter. 1852; Nicholas Koontz.
WAGON MAKERS .- Joseph Knodle, B. F. Tracy.
LUMBER DEALER .- P. T. Sprecher.
HARNESS MAKERS. Joseph F. Thomas, 1873: H. H. Newcomer, Sr.
JEWELERS .- J. A. Knodle & Son, 1875.
BUTCHERS .- Smith & Eberts, 1877: Middour & Lookabaugh, 1877.
LIVERYMEN .- H. L. Smith, May, 1876; the first livery stable was kept by Peter Funk. then C. C. Wagoner, then F. B. Brayton, then H. L. Smith; others having engaged in that business at various times.
BOOT AND SHOEMAKERS .- George W. Fouke. Peyton Skinner, 1854; M. F. Noel. 1856. TAILORS .- C. B. Stanger, 1870; W. E. Moats. 1876.
MILLINERS .- Mrs. C. Startzman, Mrs. Mary McNeill.
MANTUA MAKER .- Mrs. Sarah J. Coggins. 1845.
PHYSICIANS .- Dr. D. Newcomer, Allopath: Dr. B. G. Stephens, Allopath. 1850; Dr. John McCosh, Allopath. 1863; Dr. R. Berry, Physio-Medical, 1878.
PAINTERS .- S. G. Trine, 1859; Peter Householder, L. J. Brogunier.
BARBER .- Daniel Bowers.
The medical profession in Mount Morris was first represented by Dr. James J. Beatty, who practiced here sixty years ago. His practice ex- tended over a very large territory. While returning from a professional call over near Forreston, at one time he had a very thrilling, and well-nigh fatal, adventure. He was astride a very fine horse, and, being in a hurry to reach home, attempted to ride the animal through a prairie fire, depend- ing upon its fleetness of foot to carry him through without injury. However, the animal stopped, crazed by the fire, and stood stock-still, while the rapidly-moving flames licked up the long grass around them. Both horse and rider were terribly burned. The doctor recovered from his burns, but the horse died from the experience. Apparently the doc- tor's ill-fortune clung to him; for a few years later, while en route for the California gold-fields, he was taken ill and died on the plains. Other doc- tors of prominence who practiced in Mount Morris in the past are Augustus Post, Benjamin G. Stephens, Francis A. McNeill, Thomas Wins- ton, J. I. Mershon, W. T. Speaker, and David Newcomer. The last-named physician deserves more than a passing notice, in virtue of his long con- nection with the affairs of our village,-nearly thirty years, during which time he has attended and ministered to our sick. Dr. David Newcomer was born July 26, 1830, in Franklin county, Pennsylvania, and was of Swiss descent. November 18, 1852, he was united in marriage to Mary S. Funk, who was born in the same township as himself. In 1859, he graduated from the Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, and returned to the place of his nativity, to practice his profession. In May, 1862, he received his appointment as Assistant Surgeon of the Army of the Potomac, and at once entered upon his duties. He filled this position with credit, and after a service of nine months he was honorably discharged. In 1865, he went to Martinsburg, West Virginia, where he established his practice. After six years' residence at this place, he determined to try the already famous state of Illinois, and came to Mount Morris in 1871. He has since resided here, continuing in active service up to a few months ago, when failing health compelled him to relinquish his practice and retire. To Mr. and Mrs. Newcomer were born six children, two of whom are dead. Those
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
living are: Mary Katie, wife of M. W. Solenberger, of North Dakota; Bar- bara Ann, married to J. W. Thomas, a retired Lutheran minister, now re- siding in Mount Morris; David is in business at Kansas City, and is married to Nellie McFadden; Harry C. is a graduate of West Point Mili- tary Academy and is serving his country as a soldier.
In 1878, John Hitt and Thomas Mumma erected a large building in the south of town. Here they established the Mount Morris Creamery, with a capacity of one thousand cows, for the manufacture of butter and cheese. This was a valuable addition to the business interests of Mount Morris. The creamery passed through a number of hands; viz., Michael Miller, William H. Jackson, Campbell & McMaster, and is at present owned and operated by Robert C. McCredie. The old building was burned down some years ago and a new one erected to take its place.
Alfred R. Binkley has been a figure in the business circles of Mount Morris during the greater part of the past twenty years. About 1880, he bought a confectionery business, which had been started by Charles H. Allen and continued later by by Samuel H. and Samuel E. Sprecher. Adding a stock of groceries, he conducted this business for fifteen years. He then sold to Jacob G. Miller who later disposed of the stock at auction. Mr. Binkley again started a grocery store in 1896 with Oliver S. Watts as a part- DR. DAVID NEWCOMER. ner, but soon dropped out, leav- ing the business to Mr. Watts, who still conducts it. Again, in September, 1899, Mr. Binkley established a grocery in Mount Morris, hav- ing brought a stock of goods from Forreston, and is now in the business.
William H. Miller took up the furniture and undertaking business, which his father had been conducting, in the year 1892, and has been found regularly in his place since that time.
John D. Miller opened a harness shop in Mount Morris in 1888, having previously followed the profession of telegraph operator. Since that time he has been one of the town's business men, and has followed the harness trade ever since his advent into the mercantile circles of our promising village.
45
THE GROWTH OF THE VILLAGE.
One of the most prominent men in the business circles of Mount Morris the past half-century was Samuel Knodle, who retired from busi- ness in the spring of the present year (1900). Mr. Knodle came to Mount Morris in 1856, expecting to teach the village school; but circumstances favoring his embarking in the jewelry business, he relinquished the peda- gogical profession, and in May, 1856, opened a jewelry shop in rooms in the Eldorado House, then conducted by Jonathan Mumma. From that day until his retirement, as mentioned before, he continued to pursue that avocation. At the time of his retirement he could claim the distinction of having been engaged in mercantile business a longer period of time than any other man in the vil- lage. In connection with the jewelry business, he was identi- fied with the various newspaper enterprises up to 1879. His con- nection with these newspapers is given in another chapter upon the press. Mr. Knodle was born at Fairplay, eight miles south of Hagerstown, Maryland, August 4, 1820. He secured a common school education at the Fairplay public schools, and ac- quired an academic education while engaged as a clerk in a number of stores. In May, 1843, he became a teacher in the Boonsboro public schools, and filled that position three years. He was also in partnership with his brother Josiah in the publi- cation of The Odd Fellow at Boonsboro. In 1846, he began the publication of the Williams- port Times, continuing it two years, after which he again en- SAMUEL KNODLE. gaged in teaching, this time at Fairplay. He retained this position eight years, and then came to Mount Morris. During his long residence here he was very active in local affairs. He was clerk of the township of Mount Morris from 1858 to 1861, and he was village clerk in 1860, 1861 and 1868. In 1871, he served as village trus- tee and president of the board. In 1883, he was again elected village clerk, and was annually re-elected up until the present year, when he re- fused to be renominated. In 1876, he was collector of the township of Mount Morris. Few men have had such a close and extensive connection with local affairs as Mr. Knodle, nor enjoy a greater degree of the esteem of their fellow-citizens. He is passing his declining years at Oregon.
46
MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
The past decade of this closing century has brought in a number of new firms. John Sprecher, after ending his long business career in part- nership with H. H. Clevidence, rested several years, and then, in 1893, again entered the mercantile circle, with S. C. Kinsey as a partner. In 1895, Mr. Kinsey sold out, and Mr. Sprecher continued the business alone until 1899. Since that time W. W. Wheeler has been a member of the firm. Melchor Newcomer, in 1888, established a grocery and dry-goods store in the Seibert block. D. S. Cripe became a partner in 1891, and in 1893 became proprie- tor, and he is still in the business. McCosh & Mishler launched in the drug business in 1896. Since 1899, the former has conducted the business alone. H. J. Wolfe started a bakery in 1895, and since his death, several years ago, the business has been continued by his son Walter. S. A. Shriner started a new harness shop in 1898, and B. E. Avey, a hardware store in the spring of the present year. N. E. Buser established a lumber yard in 1893, which was later purchased by J. T. Baker and Frank Coff- 'man, the present owners. More extensive mention is made of all these in a later chapter upon the present condition of the village.
Mention has already been made of the erection of the first few resi- dences in the village. Many of the early houses were built of brick, which were burned in this vicinity. A brick-kiln was situated in the northeast part of the village, and another upon
Building up of the Village the Samuel Domer old farm, northwest of the village. David Gloss was one of the men engaged in burning brick and also Sam- uel Domer. The college buildings were constructed of stone, quarried from sandstone ledges on the farm of Josiah Avey along Pine creek.
By the courtesy of Samuel Knodle, we are able to reproduce a number of old photographs of the village, taken in the early seventies. Probably those most interesting are three looking eastward over the business part of the village at slightly different angles from the cupola of "Old Sand- stone." The view shown on page 48 shows the village as it appears look- ing directly eastward from the cupola. The two larger views following, the first looking northeast and the second, southeast, include all and more than the small view, and accordingly the explanations will be made from them.
The view on page 49 will prove to be exceedingly interesting to a per- son knowing the present conditions. It is readily seen that the entire business portion of the present village, from and including Seibert's block northward to beyond Gregor Thompson's building, is entirely lacking. The two-story brick building, numbered 1, on the corner occupies the present location of Seibert's block. The residence marked 3 is on the present site of Mrs. Mary McCoy's millinery store and part of that occu- pied by William H. Miller's furniture store. In the foreground is seen a winding path, leading across the campus through what is apparently a growth of underbrush, now grown up a stately maple grove. Four saddle horses are hitched along the street, showing the usual mode of travel in
47
THE GROWTH OF THE VILLAGE.
those days. The brick house numbered 1 was built some time between 1842 and 1845, but at first was only one story high. In this building Wood & Petrie kept their general store at an early day, and later Lookabaugh & Middour were engaged in business there. The building was torn down in 1873 to give place to the present Seibert block.
No. 2 was at one time occupied by Peter Funk. It is still standing and is owned and occupied by Rigdon McCoy.
No. 3 occupies the present location of William H. Miller's store, for- merly Deppen's opera house. It was occupied for many years as a resi- dence by Martin Rohrer. The east half is the building spoken of on page 29 as the barn built in 1840 by Rev. John Sharp. The west half was built on later for a restaurant by James Fouke.
VIEW SOUTH FROM "OLD SANDSTONE" ABOUT 1870.
When this picture was taken, the schoolhouse had been built but a short time. The smatt size of the pine trees in the yard is very noticeabte.
No. 4 was recently purchased and moved to the south part of town by G. B. McCosh. Here it was remodeled and is now the residence of William Domer. The house between Nos. 3 and 4 was last used as a residence by A. W. Neff, but was torn down and John Deppen's present residence erect- ed in its place.
No. 5 was the residence of Andrew Newcomer. The frame part was moved several rods westward and a new house built in its place several years ago by Mrs. Newcomer.
No. 6 is the old schoolhouse, afterward used by William H. Miller as a residence. It has been superseded by Mr. Miller's present fine house.
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
No. 7 is the present residence of P. T. Sprecher. A part of it was built by Abram Thomas.
No. 8 is the brick house owned by Mrs. Crawford and occupied by S. A. Shriner.
No. 9, which is but faintly discerned behind the trees, is the old brick hotel on the corner of Front and McKendrie streets, which has been re- placed by William Newcomer's house.
No. 10 is the present residence of Martin T. Rohrer. It was built by Elias Baker,
No. 11 is the old house occupied until recently by Miss Maria Malone. It was moved to the Amick Addition in the spring of 1900 by S. E. Avey.
2
9
FRAGERIRSJ
VIEW DIRECTLY EAST FROM "OLD SANDSTONE" IN 1870.
Nos. 12 and 25 (see plate on page 51) were built about 1857 or 1858, and were the first brick buildings built in the regular square mercantile shape. No. 12 was built by Brayton & Baker for their store, and is the building now occupied by C. E. Price as a hardware store. No. 13 originally occu- pied that position and was used as a store by Brayton & Baker, but was moved to the position in the rear, as shown in the picture. It was again moved at a later date to the rear of the livery stable now owned by Charles Niman, and used as a building in which to bale hay and straw. It was finally torn down.
No. 14 was occupied for many years by John Stewart. He replaced it with a new building, which is now owned by Miss Callie Black.
14
-
12
13
1
15
GROCERIES
VIEW LOOKING NORTHEAST FROM "OLD SANDSTONE" ABOUT 1870.
34
39
31
25
25
-26
25
Avuto
29
18
12
20
19
23
#TITHTTP
21
VIEW LOOKING SOUTHEAST FROM "OLD SANDSTONE" ABOUT 1870.
-
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THE GROWTH OF THE VILLAGE.
No. 15 was built in 1858 by D. C. and B. Wagner. It was later raised to two stories and is the present meat market building.
No. 16 was also built by Brayton & Baker. After standing there for a number of years, it was moved to the corner of First and A streets, in the Railroad Addition, and is now serving as the residence of A. J. Long.
No. 17 was built in 1854 by Joel K. Frost, who also had a blacksmith shop a little to the northeast of this residence. This house was subse- quently owned by H. T. Knight, and is now the property of Richard Shaw.
No. 18 (see plate on page 51) is the old Masonic building. It was built about 1848 and used as a Masonic hall from that time until 1876, when the present Masonic block was erected, part of the site of which it occupied. It is now standing north of No. 25 and is being used by S. A. Shriner as a harness shop. Previous to its occupancy by Mr. Shriner, Samuel Knodle was stationed there for thirteen years with his jewelry store. In this ven- erable old building many of the old, old citizens of Mount Morris met and became Masons, a fuller account of which will appear in a chapter on secret societies.
No. 19 was built some time in the forties, and was occupied as a book- store by Samuel Knodle from 1862 until 1876. In the place of this build- ing and No. 18, the present Masonic edifice was erected.
No. 20 is the Sons of Temperance old building, and at the time of the photograph it was occupied as a shoe store by W. H. Atchison. It was later owned by C. H. Swingley. It was removed to the present site of Dr. McCosh's building, and a small part of it is now contained in that struc- ture.
No. 21 is Peyton Skinner's old shoe-shop. The awning in front, con- structed of boughs of trees, is the style of artificial shade which the busi- ness men made along the street during the great excitement always connected with the seminary annual "exhibitions," as the final exercises at the seminary were called. This little building was moved back and is still standing in the rear of the new shoe-shop which Mr. Skinner erected and which is now occupied by Hess's restaurant.
No. 22 was the property of Edward Davis, father of Solomon Davis, who kept the post-office there at one time. It was torn down in 1899 to make room for H. E. Newcomer's new brick building.
No. 23 was, at the time the picture was taken, the office of Dr. B. G. Stephens, who died in Mount Morris some years ago.
No. 25 was built in 1857 by Joseph S. Nye and used as a hardware store by him for about ten years. Since that time the building has had a great many occupants, many of the later firms which did business in the village having had their origin there. It is now owned by Reuben S. Marshall and occupied by Strock's grocery. No. 26, just east of No. 25, was built by Mr. Nye as his residence.
The little building at the left of No. 25 was later moved northward and repaired, forming at present the barber-shop of Levi Bear.
No. 27 was built at an early day by John Ankney, who came here from Buffalo Grove, where he was a very early settler. The building was used
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
by him as a residence and post-office, the latter being kept in the grout addition on the west side, which has since been torn down. The main structure is still standing, having served as the residence of Peyton Skin- ner for many years.
No. 28 once stood near the grist-mill along Pine creek and was used as the residence of the miller. It was moved to Mount Morris probably dur- ing the sixties, and was used as a residence by various parties. Later a new house superseded it.
No. 29 was built by W. S. Blair. It has been superseded by the house now occupied by Joseph Baker.
VIEW SOUTHWEST FROM "OLD SANDSTONE" ABOUT 1870.
Notice that the college campus then included the two blocks to the west of the present campus limit, now entirely built up with new residences. The house to the left is the old parsonage of the Methodist church now owned and occupied by J. W. Crump.
No. 30 is the present residence of John Sprecher, Sr. It was built and occupied for a time by Henry A. Neff and family.
No. 31 is still standing, being the residence of Mrs. Samuel Domer. The rear of it was built by Henry Frost and the front part by Henry Mid- dlekauff.
No. 32 is the John Holsinger old house on the corner of Clark and Bangs streets. It has been replaced by Oliver S. Watts's fine residence.
55
THE GROWTH OF THE VILLAGE.
No. 33 is Samuel Mumma's present residence. It was built by Mrs. Spenser Mattison.
No. 34 was built in 1855 by F. B. Brayton, and for many years was the finest residence in Mount Morris. It is now occupied by his son, A. W. Brayton. A modern view of this residence with its elegant park-like lawn is found elsewhere in this volume.
No. 35 is Daniel Eversole's house, of which further mention is made in the chapter dealing with the history of our public schools.
No. 36 was built by Cyrus Alden, and is now owned and occupied by Prof. J. G. Royer.
No. 37 is readily discerned to be the present residence of Charles H. Sharer. From an early day it was owned by his father, Henry Sharer.
No. 38 is the residence of Frisby Keplinger.
No. 39, at the time this picture was taken, was being used as the Luth- eran church. It was later purchased by the Christian denomination, and the present steeple added to it. A modern view of it appears in the chap- ter upon church history. It was built in 1845.
No. 40 is the livery barn, which, having been several times remodeled, is now occupied by Niman's livery.
In this picture can be seen four more saddle horses hitched along the street.
A few years after the time the preceding views were taken of Mount Morris, the Chicago & Iowa railroad was built through the town and a re- markable business boom followed. Elevators were built and the grain and stock-buying industries commenced. Robert R. Hitt, M. Emery Hitt and Emily Hitt laid off the Railroad Addition to the village in 1872. This has since been substantially built up. Morris Hitt thought that the building of the railroad north of the business portion of the village would draw all new mercantile structures in that direction, and consequently he erected a store building a few rods south of the depot, on the corner of Second and Wesley streets. His supposition, however, proved a mistake and later his building was moved southward to the business portion of the village. The structure is now used by A. W. Brayton for his drug-store. The cellar which was dug under the building can yet be seen on the vacant lots east of George Sprecher's residence. Shortly after the building of the railroad a number of large brick structures were built and smaller frame store buildings. Seibert's building, a two-story brick edifice having a hall above and three business rooms below, was commenced in 1873 and completed in March of the following year. During 1874, another large two-story build- ing, costing twelve thousand dollars, was erected by Henry Sharer, John Sprecher and J. H. Nye. This building also contains three store rooms on the first floor. During the seventies were also erected the present Masonic building and the brick structure now occupied by O. S. Watts's grocery. The first was built by Sprecher & Clevidence in 1876 and the second by Cyrus Alden in 1875.
Since the boom of business during the seventies the village has con- tinued to advance with a healthy growth. During the years from 1891 to
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MOUNT MORRIS: PAST AND PRESENT.
1894, or thereabouts, another impulse of prosperity overtook the village, as a result of which more than seventy-five new residences, two new college buildings, the Old Folks' Home, five or six store buildings, a bank building and various other structures of more or less importance, were erected. During 1894, more buildings were put up in Mount Morris than in all the other Ogle county towns combined.
Concerning the present progress of Mount Morris, its business inter- ests and many desirable qualities as a place of residence, an entire chapter is devoted later on.
CHAPTER III.
INCORPORATION OF THE VILLAGE.
In an investigation of the past history of the churches, schools, and even of the township of Mount Morris, it is found that the old records, in the majority of cases, have been woefully neglected, many of the old books being entirely lost sight of. In the case of the village, however, the clerks whose duty it was to keep the minutes of the proceedings of the Village Board of Trustees preserved the old records from the time of the first movement toward organization of the corporation to the present time.
From the time when the first settlers built their rude dwellings within the present limits of Mount Morris, late in the thirties, until 1848, Mount Morris was simply a precinct of Ogle county. The first step toward incor- poration was made December 28, 1847, when copies of the following notice were posted about the town:
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