USA > Illinois > Piatt County > Past and present of Piatt County, Illinois : together with biographical sketches of many prominent and influential citizens > Part 3
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A plan was set on foot to dredge the Lake Fork in the southeast part of the coun- ty. The question of forming a drainage dis- trict under the state law was submitted to a vote of the people and the question carried. On the seventh of October, 1882, an election was held in the Concorn schoolhouse for the purpose of electing the drainage commission- ers. The election resulted in the election of Alfred Jay, Samuel L. Busich and An- thony Clark. These were the first drainage commissioners. Before work on the ditch could be commenced, the land had to be viewed, and the amount of the benefits to the various landowners determined, and the as- sessments made. There were a great many objections to the decision of the commission- ers with regard to the assessment, and they were restrained by the court for awhile and were delayed in various ways, so that three years elapsed before active work was com- menced.
On September 21, 1883, C. D. Moore, county surveyor, was employed to survey the ditch and prepare a plat and profile. The original ditch extended from the north line of Sec. 36, T. 18, R. 6, to the Crain bridge, a distance of about eleven miles.
This was done that fall and submitted to the commissioners at the meeting held March I, 1884. The plat was approved, and it was decided to advertise for bids to be opened March 31, 1884. When the commissioners met, March 31, no bids were submitted. Nothing more was done until September 20, 1884, when the following motion was adopted :
Resolved, That the width and depth of the ditch to be dug be as follows: The width from Crain's bridge to the south line"
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of Sec. I, Township 17, R. 6, be thirty feet at the top, twenty-five feet from thence to south line of Sec. 36, T. 18, R. 6, and twenty feet from thence to the north line of said sec- tion 36. The bottom of said ditch to be one-fourth as wide as the top, and the depth one foot more, at all points than the depth as fixed by C. D. Moore in the profile approved March 1, 1884.
The commissioners advertised for bids which were to be received and contract let October 16, 1884. The board, however, ad- journed from time to time, and the contract was not let until the following spring. The contract was awarded to McGillis & Co., at eleven and nine-tenths cents per cubic yard, with the condition that if the ditch was com- pleted by April 1, 1886, they were to be al- lowed an additional one and six-tenths cents per cubic yard.
A short time after the contract was let the firm of McGillis &. Co. assigned the con- tract to Pollard, Goff & Co., and at a meeting of the commissioners held July 22, 1885, it was decided that with the consent of Pol- lard,.Goff & Co., they would make the ditch six feet wide on the bottom from one end to the other, and two feet deeper than the bot- tom of the ditch as shown by C. D. Moore's profile from the north end to within one mile of the south end, and from that point the depth to increase gradually until it is three feet deeper than the bottom of the ditch as shown by the plans and specifications. The width of top of ditch to remain as original contract. The time for the completion of the ditch was extended to June 1, 1886.
These changes were accepted by Pollard, Goff & Co. and active work was commenced in the summer of 1885, at the north line of Sec. 36, T. 18, R. 6, in Monticello township.
The work continued all summer and fall and all the next year until in November, 1886, they reached the Moore graveyard in Unity township. On the second of February, 1887, the boat was burned. The ditch, how- ever, had been completed as far as the origin- al ditch extended, in all over two hundred thousand cubic yards of dirt had been re- moved. As the ditch had been completed within the time, the price paid for the work was thirteen and one-half cents per cubic yard, and the ditch had cost in the neighbor-' hood of thirty thousand dollars.
The farmers near Mackville formed a special mutual drainage district (called Dis- trict No. 7), and cleaned out the ditch above and below Mackville with teams and scrapers. The ditch was afterwards extended about three miles. Some claim now that the outlet is not large enough, and they are contem- plating the extension of the work at least as far as the county line on the south, and pos- sibly into Moultrie county. A number of laterals have been put in, and that part of the county is getting to be well drained, so that now there is not a better farming re- gion anywhere. It has added greatly to the value of the land, also. To illustrate, in 1882, the year the ditch was commenced, the Dr. Clapp farm of four hundred acres, sold for $10,000-$25 per acre. Perhaps $35 would have been an average price for land in that vicinity. Now it could hardly be bought for four or five times that amount. At first, though, the taxes were very high, and it was a great hardship to many of the farmers to pay. The present commissioners are Ed. Moyer, M. F. Walsh and Michael Morris.
PIATT FAIR.
(Note. I am indebted to Judge M. R.
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
Davidson for the information about the earlier fairs.)
The Piatt County Agricultural Society was organized in 1856. No record of the early proceedings of the society can be found. In 1861 an election of officers of the society was held in the court-house, at which time the following officers were chosen: Presi- dent, Jacob Smith; Vice-Presidents, J. C. Johnson, H. S. Coonrod, Ezra Marquiss, Secretary, A. T. Pipher; Treasurer, Elias Hall and directors, John M. Barnes and Dr. Kelly.
The first fairs were held on the grounds east of Mr. Bear's residence in Monticello. In 1861 the society bought fifteen acres north of town, where the present fair grounds are located. The only fence around the grounds was a rail one, and there were no buildings. Jesse Warner, C. P. Davis, and Dr. Farra were appointed a committee to see what could be done. It was decided to mortgage the ground to get money to im- prove with. J. C. Johnson furnished the money, and the ground was fenced, and two cheap buildings erected. The grounds were put in shape by persons who donated their labors. There is very little resemblance be- tween the early fairs and the modern ones. The early fair was a gathering in the inter- est of the farmer; it was an annual county picnic, and an annual occasion for meeting old friends. No races were held. It was morally clean and a distinct success socially, but a failure financially. As Capt. C. P. Da- vis expressed it, "We knew the debit and credit side of our ledger, and the debit side was always in excess." At times the people were solicited for private contributions to keep up the honor of the society for it has always made it a point to keep all obligations in good faith.
All attempts to introduce races met with violent opposition inside the association until 1876, when there was a change in the offi- cials of the fair, and consequently a change in its management. A race course one-third of a mile long was constructed, which was surveyed by the surveyor of the Monticello railroad free of charge. J. W. Warren and C. P. Davis carried the chain without pay. That year the fair was a financial success. Every one wanted to see the new grounds. and to see what the new management would do. Capt. C. P. Davis was secretary, and J. W. Warren, treasurer, and they acted as a committee on privileges.
It was not an easy matter to make the fair a financial success, and some new device had to be resorted to each year to draw the people. One year the principal attraction was to be a grand balloon ascension, and it was advertised all over the county to take place on a certain day. When the people came to the fair, they found that they were required to procure a balloon ticket in addi- tion to the regular admittance ticket before they could be admitted to the grounds. Some of the people demurred. They didn't want a balloon ticket; they came to see the fair and when the balloon went up, it would be an easy matter for them just to turn their backs. But such an excuse would not go, and the visitor must get the balloon ticket before he could be admitted to the grounds. When the time came, it was too windy for the balloon to go up, and a veritable howl balloon tickets, and the management saved themselves from bodily harm, only by prom- ising faithfully that it should go up the next day. They fulfilled their promise, for the next day the old balloon went up about fifty feet, and the people were satisfied.
Another scheme to get a large attend-
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ance was to have some eminent man speak on some current topic of general interest. Schuyler Colfax was the orator at one fair, Ex-Governor Oglesby at another. Later they had chariot races, a "guideless wonder," bicycle races, high diver, jubilee singers, cap- tive balloon, etc.
In this time, the fair was put on a firmer financial basis, twenty-eight more acres were bought, a new amphtheatre was built, several buildings and many new stalls added, and a good supply of water for the fair furn- ished. In 1891 steam power was provided for the machinery on exhibition.
The receipts for some of the years are as follows : 1877, $1825; 1886, $5225; 1891, $6892; 1897, $6272.
In 1901, the week of the fair was very rainy, and the attendance was not large. In 1902 the society cleared about a thousand dollars. In 1903, C. A. Tatman, who had been secretary of the fair for over twenty years, resigned, and a new organization was effected. The name of the society was changed to the Piatt County Board of Agri- culture, and the officers elected are as fol- lows : President, C. E. Moffitt; Secretary, C. H. Ridgely ; Vice-President, J. D. Mack- ey; Treasurer, O. W. Moore; Directors, W. W. Royer, J. A. Mathews, M. F. McMillen, J. L. Bodman, R. M. Dobson, F. Bales, John Phalen, B. R. White and Samuel Howe. The first fair under the new management will be held August 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28, 1903. It will be the fortieth annual fair.
COUNTY PAPERS.
The Piatt County Herald was started in April. 1874, by H. D. Peters. Mr. Peters was an able editor and managed the paper successfully for eighteen years.
The Piatt Independent was started by G. A. Burgess in December, 1887. In 1892 Mr. Burgess bought the Herald of Mr. Pe- ters, and the Herald and Independent were consolidated under the name of The Piatt County Republican, and it has been run un- der that name to the present time. G. A. Burgess is editor and manager.
The Piatt County Pilot was started in April, 1896, by L. S. Kilborn and Son. It was run by them as an independent concern until the following November, when it was purchased by a stock company incorporated under the name "Piatt County Pilot." C. ? H. Kilborn was chosen editor and manager. In May, 1900, it was purchased by L. S. Kilborn and Son, the present owners.
The Monticello Bulletin is the oldest paper in the county. The name has been changed a number of times, but the Bulletin can justly be claimed to be the successor, sev- eral gnerations removed of the Monticello Times, whose first issue was printed in No- vember, 1856. Mr. James D. Moody pub- lished the paper for a short time, and then sold out to J. C. Johnson. Mr. Johnson sold, out to James Outten. After a time Mr. Out- ten sold an interest in the paper to Mr. Has- sett, and the name of the paper was changed to the Sucker State, The paper was next. · edited by Messrs. Gilliland and Tritt. Thomas Milligan succeeded them, and the name of the paper was changed to the Con- servative. W. E. Lodge edited the paper from 1862 to 1864, at which time he sold out to N. E. Rhoades, and the paper was. conducted under the auspices of the Union League. In the political campaign of 1864 the paper was called The Piatt County Union and was edited by M. A. Bates. In 1865 the paper was sold to Jas. M. Holmes, and the name was changed to the Piatt Independent.
11 not with accurate
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
It was published under this name for about seven years, and then the name was changed to the Piatt Republican. In 1876 the paper was sold to H. B. Funk, and became as the Monticello Bulletin, and has since been run under that name. Mr. Funk edited the paper . for several years. W. E. Krebs is remem- bered by our citizens as the witty editor of the Bulletin. Mr. Krebs sold out to Mr. Evan Stevenson, who edited the paper very ably for about a year. C. E. Gaumer was the next editor, who sold out to H. W. Buckle, the present editor and manager.
IMPROVEMENTS OF COUNTY BUILDINGS.
In June; 1901, the Board of Supervisors visited the county farm to see what was needed there. It was found that the buildings were inadequate, and at the request of the committee on public buildings and grounds, Mr. C. S. Bainum, a professional architect, prepared plans and designs for buildings needed to cost about twelve thousand dollars. The buildings were to be of brick, two stories and a basement, with slate roof, and to be provided with convenient and modern equip- ment. The plans were presented to the Board of Supervisors, and with some modi- fications, were accepted, and Mr. Bainum was directed to prepare complete plans and specifications. The board advertised for bids, and on the 26th of August, the con- tract was let to George Lux for $11,750.
The buildings were completed the next year, and formally accepted by the Board of Supervisors. The buildings are all of brick, heated by steam, and are very comfortable and convenient. They are three stories high the sleeping rooms on the lower floor being provided with iron grated doors, so that the occupant can be locked in the rooms if neces-
sary. One part of the building is set apart for the men, another for the women.
Following is a complete list of the poor farm stewarts : James G. Miner, E. Garver, G. Turk, Solomon Leitz, W. R. Hyde, John Lohr, W. R. Hyde, D. R. Kemper, George A. Lindsley, Ben Cole.
COURT HOUSE AND JAIL.
At the meeting of the Board of Super- visors held September 10, 1902, on motion of William L. Plunt, of Sangamon township, it was decided to submit to the voters at the next general election, a proposition to issue the bonds of the county to the amount of one hundred thousand dollars, to erect a court house to cost not more than seventy- five thousand dollars, and to repair the jail at a cost not to exceed twenty-five thousand dol- lars.
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A great deal of interest was taken in the matter, and the proposition was vigorously discussed by our newspapers and citizens, which discussion continued up to the election which was held November 4, 1902.
The result of the election was a majority of 167 votes in favor of the proposition to issue the bonds of the county for the purpose of building new court house, and repairing jail.
Steps were at once taken to get suitable plans for the new building. A committee from the Board of Supervisors was appoint- ed to visit a number of county seats and in- spect the court houses.
January 20, 1903, the bonds were sold to the First National Bank of Monticello at a premium of $1050, and accrued interest.
In March, 1903, it was decided to accept the plans prepared by Architect Joseph, W. Royer, of Urbana, and he was instructed to
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PAST AND PRESENT
prepare suitable plans and specifications. The contract was let July 8, 1903, to H. B. Walters, of Danville, for seventy-five thous- and dollars, building to be completed by July 15, 1904. It is to be a three story brick building, with modern conveniences.
On the lower floor on the east side will be the office and vault of the county treasurer, and in the south east corner the Board of Suprvisors' room.
In the northwest corner will be the rooms of the county school superintendent. South of these.will be the vault of the county clerk, and in the southwest corner will be a public waiting room.
On the second floor above the rooms of the county superintendent will be the office of the sheriff. South of this will be the rooms of the county clerk.
The county court room extends across the south end of this floor. In the southeast corner is the office of the county judge. Just north of him is the state's attorney's office, and north of that the office and vault of the circuit clerk.
On the third floor is the circuit court room. In addition to this, there is a room for the law library, the circuit judges' private room, the attorney's consultation room, the petit jury room, the grand jury room, ladies' waiting room, and gentlemen's waiting room
The heating plant for the building is at the jail. The old court house was sold at public auction on May 26th, and bought by Lodge Bros., for $138.01, which included the heating plant and the plumbing. By.the first of August the entire building was torn down, and the work of getting the ground in shape for the new building commenced.
twelve thousand, four hundred and eighty- eight dollars, work to be completed in four months. The contract for the cell work was let to Van Dorn Iron Works Co., of Cleve- land, Ohio, for eight thousand, six hundred dollars.
The contract for the heating plants for court house and jail, and for laying of mains was awarded to Field, Shorb & Co., of Deca- tur, for fifteen hundred dollars, and four dollars per lineal foot for laying the mains.
The work of breaking the ground for the new court house commenced August 10, and the work is being pushed rapidly forward.
Following is a list of the county officers since the organization of the county :
STATES' ATTORNEY.
James McDougal, David Campbell, M. R. Rust, John R. Eden, J. P. Boyd, D. L. Bunn, M. V. Thompson, Samuel R. Reed, Peter A. Hamilton, Albert Emerson, Charles Hughes, James Hicks, H. H. Crea and Charles F. Mansfield, the present states' at- torney. ,
COUNTY JUDGES.
James Reber, John Hughes, James Ater, A. G. Boyer, H. C. McComas, G. L. Spear, Hiram Jackson, William McReynolds, W. G. Cloyd, H. E. Huston, M. R. Davidson, and F. M. Shonkiveler, the present official.
COUNTY CLERKS.
Joseph King, J. D. Hillis, James F. Out- ten, J. L. Miller, W. F. Cox, J. A. Helman, W. L. Ryder, John Porter, A. L. Rodgers
The work on the jail was also begun. The contract for the repair of the jail was let to V. Jobst and Son, of Peoria, for and B. F. Kagey, the present county clerk.
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
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CIRCUIT CLERKS.
James S. Reber, J. C. Johnson, A. G. Boyer, L. J. Bond, W. T. Foster, W. H. Plunk, G. A. Stadler, Robert Hudgen and J. C. Tippett.
COUNTY TREASURERS.
(While the county was not under town- ship organizaion the sheriff acted as county treasurer.)
N. E. Rhoades, Charles Watts, S. E. Langdon, J. T. VanGundy, Nelson Reid, Theodore Gross, E. W. Walker, Dan Hall, E. W. Walker, S. M. Funk and Isaac N. Biebinger.
SHERIFFS.
John Piatt, Edward Ater, Charles Har- ris, George Heath, Samuel Morain, G. M. Bruffett, Peter K. Hull, Renben Bowman, F. H. Lowry, E. P. Fisher, W. B. List, George F. Miller, John Kirby, W. H. Plunk, E. P. Fisher, W. M. Holmes, J. E. Andrew, George F. Miller, J. M. Woolington, C. A. Shiveley, J. M. Woolington and Freeman Clow.
COUNTY SUPERINTENDENTS.
At first this officer was called school com- missioner. The school commissioners were as follows: Joseph King, W. H. Piatt, George A. Patterson, Joseph Kee, Thomas 4 Milligan, John Huston, The first county superintendent was J. W. Coleman. The oth- er county superintendents are as follows : C. A. Tatman, C. J. Pitkin, Mary I. Reed, G. A. Burgess, George N. Snapp, Allen B. Mar- tin, James H. Martin and Charles 'McIntosh.
SURVEYORS.
James Reber, George Heath, James Bry- den, C. D. Moore, Wm. McReynolds, C. D. Moore, Henry Eatherton and W. J. Day.
CORONERS.
Reuben Bowman, W. M. Barnes, M. N. Secrist.
MASTER IN CHANCERY.
A. G. Bowyer, A. T. Pipher, S. R. Reed, E. A. Barrington, Albert Emerson, Frank Pittman, H. H. Crea and R. I. Tat- man.
GROWTH IN POPULATION.
The following table will show the coun- ty's growth in population :
In 1850, 1606; in 1860, 6127; in 1870, 10,953; in 1880, 15,583; in 1890; 17,062; and in 1900, 17,706.
CHAPTER III.
SCHOOLS OF THE COUNTY.
The pride of Piatt county is in her schools. The school work has been organ- ized and systematized to an extent much greater than in many counties of the state. The first schools were very crude ones. They were subscription schools, and the main object was to make the children able to write a little, to read some and to "cipher."
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PAST AND PRESENT
The first school houses were like the first dwellings, of logs. There were no desks, the pupils sitting on benches made by putting some legs in a puncheon log. A board along. the side of the room held up by sticks driven into the sides of the school house, were the writing desks. The teachers would come around occasionally to set the "copy." In the earliest houses the light came through paper greased with " coon grease," the only windows that the houses afforded. Since that time the schools have made rapid pro- gress, and we have a system of schools of which the people are justly proud.
At first but few districts were organized and these extended over a great deal of ter- ritory. As the country developed, new dis- tricts were formed bringing the schools , nearer to the people. At the present time there are IOI school districts in the county, most of which contain four sections or a lit- tle more. The largest school district in the county is the Bement district, which has ten and one-fourth sections. A few districts have five and six sections. Watson numbers 50 and Elwood number 53, contain eight sections. A few contain less than four sec- tions. . The smallest districts in the county are Hammond, district 84, which contains two sections and 200 acres, and Love, num- ber 85, the smallest in the county, which con- tains but two and one-fourth sections. In all these are 90 rural schools in the county, and 13 graded schools as follows: Atwood employs six teachers ; Bement, eleven; Cerro Gordo, six; Cisco, three; DeLand, four; Hammond, four ; LaPlace, three; Mansfield, six; Milmine, two; Monticello, thirteen, 10 in one school and three in the other ; Pierson, two and White Heath, two. The Bement, Cerro Gordo, Mansfield and Monticello schools are on the accredited list of the state University.
The funds to support the schools are de- rived from four different sources, the state, county, township and district. The state appropriates a million dollars annually for the support of the schools. The proceeds of the sale of public lands is loaned to the state, and the interest on this (one sixth part excepted which goes to the State University) is distributed to the schools of the state. The interest . on the surplus revenue which was loaned to the state by the federal government during Jackson's administration (Illinois gets $477,919.24), is distributed to the coun- ties by the state auditor in proportion to the number of children under twenty-one years of age, as determined by the last state or fed- eral census. The amount due each county is sent to the county superintendent as a warrant on the state treasurer. This war- rant is cashed by the county treasurer who turns it in when making settlement with the state treasurer in lieu of so much taxes.
The county fund is the proceeds of the sale of the swamp lands of the county. The amount in our county at this time is $7,565. This amount is loaned by the county superin- tendent and the interest is distributed to the schools in the same way that the state funds are distributed. Fines and forfeitures im- posed by justices of the peace and police magistrates for misdemeanors are distrib- uted in the same way.
The township fund is the proceeds of the sale of the sixteenth section in each township. The amount of this fund varies from $500 to $13,660, according to the location of the sixteenth section, and when the land was sold. Every township in our county has sold its section, and has the money loaned out on interest. The interest on this fund is distributed by the trustees to the different schools of the townships, in proportion to the number of children under twenty-one
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PIATT COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
years of age, at the meetings held in April and October.
The principal of the township funds is as follows :
16-6. $ 1,563 00
17-6 ..
5,916 28
18-6.
500 00
19-6.
1,175 00
20-6.
1,400 00
21-6.
5,000 00
16-5.
13,660 00
17 -- 5.
2,965 56
18-5.
1,072 76
19-5
2,145 00
20-5.
4,000 00
The district fund is the annual tax levied by the board of school directors.
Every since 1878, Piatt county teachers have had an organization called the Piatt County Teachers' Association, alternating between Bement and Monticello. The mem- bership for the last few years has included nearly every teacher in the county. Mem- bership is obtained by the payment of an an- nual fee of twenty-five cents, which is used in defraying the expenses of the association. In all sixty-five regular meetings have been held. The meetings are held the latter part of September, October, November, January, February and March. For the last two years the association has been divided into sections for the morning work, as follows: high school section ; country school section, grade section and primary section. In the afternoon the teachers meet in general ses- sion and usually have a teacher from neigh- boring city school, normal school or univer- sity to address them. Resident teachers of the county furnish the rest of the program, which consists of a discussion of the books in the course for the year in the Illinois Teachers' Reading Circle, and a discussion
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