USA > Illinois > Coles County > The History of Coles County, Illinois map of Coles County; history of Illinois history of Northwest Constitution of the United States, miscellaneous matters, &c., &c > Part 33
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
Paradise Township. School was kept here, or in the cabins, until about 1844 or 1845, when the first schoolhouse, built expressly for such purposes, was erected in Mattoon Township. That was about the dawn of the present school- system of Illinois. It had been agitated as carly as 1827, renewed in 1835- 36. and a few subsequent Legislatures, but so distasteful was the idea of tax- ation to the southern portion of the State, that not until 1844-45 did the first permanent school law come into force.
This schoolhouse was used until the present one, erected during the war on its site, superseded it. It was not alone possessor of the field long. Other parts of the township began to fill rapidly with settlers, especially when the railroads were opened, and, as necessity required, houses were built. The open_ ing of high schools in Mattoon gave additional facilities for instruction, which have. in a measure. been well improved.
EARLY MILLS, MILLING, ETC.
We have incidentally noticed the grater and mortar, and described their modes of use. Following these primitive mills, we will notice those that suc- cecded, viz., the hand and horse mills. The hand-mill was quite an improve- ment on the hominy-block. It consisted of two small circular stones, 14 or 16 inches acros the face, and made something like the millstones of to-day. The lower stone was made fast to some timbers, with a hoop bent around it and pro- jecting some three or four inches above, forming a receptacle for the upper stone. This had a hole in the center, through which the corn was dropped by the hand. and was made to fit the under stone as well as the tools of the day could dress it. Near the outer rim, a hole was drilled into it about 12 inches across, and of the same depth. Into this an upright was fastened, its upper end secured in the ceiling, or to some immovable piece of timber. The lower stone had a &- inch hole, drilled from 2 to 3 inches in depth, in the center, and a round piece of iron driven firmly in. Its top projected about the same distance above. The top formed a pivot, and by the aid of a flat piece of iron, was cut to a half circle, with flanges on each end, so as to fit the notches cut in each side of the " runner." This iron was placed in the "eye " of the upper stone, generally called the "runner," with the concave side down. Its under side was so notched as to fit the pivot and balance, so that when forced around it kept its place. These simple arrangements completed the outfit. When meal was wanted, a measure of shelled corn was placed near, from which the corn was dropped in by the left hand, while the stone was turned by the right. It was given a rapid motion, and, if heavy, both hands were used, and an attendant dropped the corn into the center hole. At one place, the under stone was sometimes made slightly sloping, and a spout inserted in the iron rim surround- ing the stone, through which the meal was forced as it was ground.
It will be observed by the reader, that this kind of mill is spoken of in the Bible, only that the handle was commonly a foot or more in height. It is as old as
.
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
the world, almost, and, in ancient times, was almost always operated by women. The Savior referred to the custom of women grinding at the mill, when He said, " The one shall be taken and the other left."
The horse-mill was simply the hand-mill made too large and heavy for one person to turn, and was rigged something after the manner a common circu- lar sweep is now made. To this a horse or mule was hitched and driven in a circle. It was often rigged with a pulley made of a leather band, and thereby given an increased motion. The hand-mill was also rigged with cogs and bands, and arranged so two or four men could turn it with a crank. It was toler- ably hard work, but it was often the case that, when properly rigged in this way, a bushel of grain could be ground in forty minutes.
After the horse-mills came into use, the hand-mills were largely abandoned. They were too slow when a better way was known, and gradually came to be a a thing of the past.
It is not stated that any horse-mills were built in Mattoon Township. The older parts of the county had them first, and to them the settlers were accus- tomed to go. Many of the old settlers now living, well remember getting up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, preparatory to getting early to the mill, hoping to get there in advance of any one else, only to find. perchance, a whole " string of wagons ahead of them," as they express it, and being obliged to remain a day or two awaiting their turn. No water or steam mills were built in Mattoon Township till after the city was started, when they were erected there. As their history properly belongs to the history of the city, the reader is referred to that, where the subject. as concerns this township, is concluded.
EARLY MAILS AND THE OLD STAGES.
The first mail facilities enjoyed in this part of the country were indeed quite meager. Letters were few and far between, while newspapers were a rarity. The postage, was, in the early days of post-routes, governed by the distance the letter was sent, ranging from five to twenty-five cents. After the express com- panies started and began to carry them at a cheaper rate, the Government low- ered the cost from time to time until the present rate was established. The first post office, says Mr. Hiram Tremble, for the Little Wabash Point settlement was established at George M. Hanson's, who drew up a petition for one, obtained the necessary signatures and sent it on to Washington. Capt. Adams states also, that this was the first post office in the county, and that it was established by George M. Hanson, who was the Postmaster. The office was named Paradise, in memory of Paradise Post Office in Virginia, in the county where Mr. Hanson was born. These two were the only post offices of that name in the United States. The office was located here in 1829, and remained with Mr. Hanson about two years, when it was removed to the State Line Road, just then being opened. There it was kept by Mr. William Langston, who had what was known as the " Relay House," i. e., where the stage-horses were changed. This stage-road, or, more
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
properly. State Road. had formerly been a trace or trail, simply a bridle-path. and led from Charleston to Shelbyville and on to Vandalia, the old State capi- tal. At first the mail was carried on horse-back. and made a weekly trip. The road passed through Mattoon Township, a little north of the present village of Paradise ; hence, when the post office was removed to Mr. Langs- ton's, it was still in Mattoon Township. It remained at the " Relay House " about two years, when it was taken to a little embryo town located on the Houtchin Farm. called Richmond, where G. W. Nabb had quite a store. in which the office was kept : Mr. Nabb, Postmaster. The office remained there till the Alton & Terre Haute Railroad was completed and Mattoon founded. There is considerable dispute among the old settlers concerning this post office and its frequent removals. We have given Mr. Tremble's recollections. which some pronounce correct. while others think a little differently. It seems impossible to reconcile all the statements regarding it. The subject is further treated in Paradise Township.
After the stages began running. the mail was changed to a bi-weekly, then to a tri-weekly. and when the railroad came. to a daily mail. The old stage- coach was as much an improvement on the modes of travel preceding it, as the railway of to-day is an improvement on the coach. It was generally quite gorgeously painted, were made secure, and would carry just as many passen- gers as could get inside and on its top. This propensity to crowd stages has given rise in this day to the trite proverb, "There is always room for one more in a stage." They were drawn by four horses commonly, but in times of bad roads six or eight would be hitched to it. The driver was perched on top in a comfortable seat at the front. and nearly always had a passenger with him. In times of good roads and fine weather. the driver's seat was often sought. as it gave such commanding views of the country. When the fierce prairie storms abounded. and winter set his icy hand on everything. it required a brave man to face the contest. Not unfrequently drivers perished at their post in unusually severe weather. The most interesting time was probably in the spring, when the ground was thawing out. The soil of the prairies would sometimes freeze two or three feet deep. especially in low, wet places, conse- quently the thawing-out process reached down that depth, where it com- monly met the perpetually wet undersoil. producing what was termed. in the common parlance of the day, a road with "no bottom." Then it was. indeed. interesting to the passengers. First one side of the coach was down. then the other. alternately pitching the passengers right and left. About as soon as they got used to this mode of travel. the fore wheels would go suddenly down to the axle. and a forward lurch of the passengers followed. As they came up. the hind wheels went down, and a retrograde movement on the part of the passengers was the result. Relief from this alternate pitching arose only when an eminence was reached. or when the passengers walked.
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
Sometimes exciting drives occurred, especially when the driver wanted to give a team "all the running they wanted." He would ply them with the whip, and keep them at a full gallop until completely broken of their desire to run away. If the road was a few inches deep in mud, the condition of the pas- sengers. unless securely inclosed. can be well imagined. They came out of the race considerably sprinkled with the prairie soil. These days of the stage con- tinued till the opening of the railroads in 1855, when they it farther west, only in time to be obliged to give way to the fleet iron horse, destined in time to entirely supersede it.
EARLY COURTS.
From the first settlement until society became established, the settlers were generally a law unto themselves. They were too remote from the county seat before Coles County was erected, and settled disputes among themselves. They were exceeding honorable in their dealings with each other, and rarely did occa- sion require of them recourse to law. When it did. the punishment was sure and swift. They abhorred the petty vices. stealing, lying, etc., and would com- pletely ostracize any one found guilty. As all were poor and mutually depend- ent on each other, they were strict in their observance of the right. and would aid one another to the farthest extent of their ability, did he show any disposi- tion to try to do for himself. At every house-raising all did their part ; all wanted to, and should any one evince a disposition to shirk, he was made to feel his dependence whenever he wanted any help from his neighbors. Mr. Trem- ble says he does not remember of but one theft occurring in the neighborhood from the date of its first settlement in 1827, till after the first election in 1831. The theft and its punishment were characteristic of the times, and will suffice as a good illustration for the " court proceeding " of the day.
One of the settlers had killed a beef, and, to secure the hide, bent down a small sapling. attached the hide to the top branch, and allowed the tree to spring back to its place, bearing the hide aloft, far out of the reach of wolves or any other species of thieves. He never once thought of any person stealing it. and hence allowed it to remain in the tree-top over night. The next morn- ing it was gone. By what means, he could not determine, but he felt sure nothing but a human being could have secured it. He sent word to a few of the neighbors, and soon word was all over the settlement that a theft had occurred ; something so unusual, that all left their work and gathered at the settler's cabin, determined to find the offender and give him his merits. By some means, the hide was tracked to its place of concealment. The guilty man was now to be apprehended, in case they could find him. He had been sus- pected, it seems, from the start, for, in a scattered community like this, every one was pretty well known, and two citizens were deputed to search his premises. They returned in an hour or so, with the information that they could not find him, though they had given the cabin and its contents a thor- ough examination. The settlers were not satisfied, and a second search was
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
instituted, in which all took a part. Under the bed, a puncheon was found displaced, and a lot of rags and old quilts substituted. Removing these, the thief was discovered between the floor and the sill of the cabin. He was at once brought forth. and a trial held. The tears of his wife and children could not avail now : the pioneers were determined to punish theft whenever found. One among their number was appointed Judge, another Sheriff, another Prose- cutor, and a fourth, counsel for the defense. The trial was held under a large elm-tree in the east side of Dry Grove. Everything was conducted decorously, and. at its close, the prisoner was sentenced to receive thirty lashes on his naked back. at the hands of the Sheriff-and that at the close of the next two hours. Court was held about a mile from the prisoner's cabin, and, before the execution of the sentence was carried into effect. he begged to be allowed to see his family. This was granted, and the Sheriff ordered to see him safely home and back. On the way to his cabin, he was informed by the officer that if he would leave the country that night, " hook and line." with the promise never to be seen in those parts again, he would let him escape. The Sheriff informed him that he must. however, run for life, for as soon as he started he (the Sheriff) would shout at the top of his voice. " Stop thief ! Stop thief !"' By this tine, they were out of sight of the Court, and the Sheriff, pointing one way, remarked, "That's your course," and away he went at the top of his speed. The Sheriff appeared to be after him, yelling with all his might. " Stop thief !". The Court, of course, heard, and, immediately forgetting its dignity, started, pell-mell, in pursuit. The prisoner, however, had the start, and made good his escape. He was joined by his family afterward, and was never seen again in these parts. He had, doubtless, learned a lesson he never forgot, and. it is hoped, one he heeded. It was. undoubtedly, part of the plan to allow him to escape, but to so thoroughly intimidate him that others would heed the lesson.
Whether the trial was just in its conclusions or not. and its mode of action commendable, can hardly be doubted, in the condition society then existed. Even were such methods adopted now, so thoroughly prompt and decisive, it is hardly an open question but that it would sometimes be better. After the county was organized. the processes of civil law were carried out, and. from that date down, we are not informed of any impromptu courts and court pro- ceedings.
We have thus far narrated the leading events in the history of Mattoon Township. The history of its organization is given in the general county history, and, as it did not occur until four years after Mattoon village was established, we will proceed directly to the history of the city, and, in like manner, note its important events.
The town is the outgrowth of the crossing of the two railroads, and dates its beginning from that occurrence. When the original surveys for the rail- roads were made, it was predicted that a town would grow up at their crossing; but, until the exact location of the routes was determined, no one ventured to
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
purchase the ground and prepare for the expected village. It was at one time thought that the crossing would be made about two miles north of the site of Mattoon, and a town, to be called Arno, was laid ont there by David A. Neal, of Massachusetts, owner of the land. The survey was made by John Meadows, March 14. 1855.
The routes of the roads were pretty certainly established by 1852, and in that year a company of persons, prominent among whom were Elisha Linder, Ebenezer Noyes, James T. Cunningham, Stephen D. Dole. John L. Allison and John Cunningham, purchased Section 13, in Township 12, and concluded to plat thereon a town. Two years elapsed before this was done, during which interval. Davis Carpenter. Usher F. Linder, H. Q. Sanderson, Harrison Mes- ser, Samuel B. Richardson, W. B. Puell, Josiah Hunt and Charles Nabb obtained an interest, and, by direction of all these persons, a town was laid out on December 12, 1854, by John Meadows, then County Surveyor. It must be borne in mind that the grant of land given by the Government in aid of the Illinois Central Railroad (a full history of which appears elsewhere), included only alternate sections in the belt, and that, to equalize the revenue from the remaining sections, the price was doubled. These men, then, paid for Section 12 $2.50 per acre, which, considering the location, was certainly cheap enough.
No sooner was the survey made than preparations for building began. Men did not wait for a sale of lots, but went to the proprietors and selected such lots as they desired, began building on them, with the understanding that they be allowed them as their choice on the day of sale ; that then they really be con- firmed in their purchase. The first building brought on the town site was an old structure moved here from La Fayette Township by Blueford Sexton, and used as a kind of lodging-house, boarding-house and toolhouse. Anything that would in any way shelter a person was acceptable, and was, as they termed it. " better than nothing." On the 28th day of March, 1855, the next spring after the survey, Mr. R. H. McFadden raised the first house erected on the site of Mattoon. It stands on its original site, on the south side of First street. just east of the Illinois Central Railroad track. and is now occupied by Mrs. Cartmell. The house, when built. contained two front rooms, one of which was intended for a store, and in it Flemming & Sexton opened the first stock of goods offered for sale in the town. This was done early in April, and by that time several other buildings were in course of erection. Afterward, Cartmell and Dr. Camp had a small drug store in the room, and when Mr. Noyes built a small brick store west of the railroad, the stock was moved there. Dr. Camp was deaf and dumb, and lived a while in one half of Mr. Cunningham's warehouse, built on the north side of the Terre Haute & Alton Railroad, before the sale of lots occurred. The pioneer drug store was closed out in the little brick.
Two days after Mr. MeFadden raised his house, an enterprising individual set up a little board shanty a short distance south of him, and began selling whisky and other compounds.
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
James M. True opened a store soon after. John Allison built a small land office ; Ebenezer Noyes a small brick building on the ground now occupied by Mr. Tremble's house, on West Charleston street ; John Cunningham. a ware- house, in the eastern part of town. near where the car-shops are now situated. Michael Toby and others erected dwellings, and the lively times of frontier Western towns were indicated on all hands. Mr. Toby says he had been here in the fall before, looking over the ground, and decided to locate. In the winter, probably in January, he and a number of others met in a little shanty made of sod and plank, and placed near the crossing, then only located, where they ex- amined the map of the new town and selected lots. They were all known as " Improvement lots." paid for by putting so much improvement on each lot, for which, as yet. the plat not being acknowledged and recorded, no deeds could be made. He went back to the Kickapoo timber, where he was living. and, before spring, had erected two barns for some of the residents there, and had the timbers for his house ready. He came again to Mattoon when the building began, and, that summer, assisted in erecting a good many structures, as well as building his own house.
The sale of lots was extensively advertised by means of hand-bills sent all over the country. The 15th day of May was the day set, and on the 14th, the proprietors went to Charleston, where they acknowledged the plat before Eli Wiley, a Justice, and had it recorded.
On the next morning. a construction-train came over from Terre Haute, that railroad being completed this far, bringing a great number of buyers. All the people from the surrounding country came on horse-back to see the cars they had heard so much about, and which so many had never seen.
The auctioneer was Samuel Adams, of Terre Haute. During the sale, various races occurred between fleet horses and the locomotive and between one another. Foot-racing, wrestling, leaping and other things of such hilarious nature were indulged among the attendants who came to see, while not a few, especially among the ladies, were compelled to stand and hold their horses, there being no places to hiteh, and no places, except in the unfinished houses. to find seats. The sale passed off very satisfactorily, a large part of the lots finding purchasers. Great expectations existed on the part of the majority of the purchasers: a large town, predicted they, would some day grace the high hill on which the city is built. All Western towns partook of the same spirit. but all were not successful in reaching their anticipations. The embryo village was by this time named. In casting about for a suitable synonym whereby it should be known to the world, the proprietors took into consideration the advantages accruing from the railroads, which had, indeed, been the cause of the town, and determined in some way to perpetuate their construction. The contracting firm for the Terre Haute & Alton road was Phelps, Mattoon & Barnes, of Spring- field, Mass. They had been extensive contractors, having built, in the previ- ons decade, the Rome & Watertown, the Buffalo & Corning and the Watertown
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HISTORY OF COLES COUNTY.
& Potsdam Railroads. The second partner, Mr. William Mattoon, was very actively engaged here when they were building the Terre Haute & Alton Road, and became quite well known along the line. In honor of him, the city of which we are writing received its name. He and Messrs. Dawsen and Messer were, in 1857-58, engaged on the towers of the suspension bridge at Cincinnati, and for a few years after, Mr. Mattoon was actively engaged in such pursuits. About 1859, he began to spend the most of his time at home, on his fine farm near Westfield, where he lived the remainder of his life, devoting himself to the raising fine stock. His herds of fine Devon cattle are said to have taken more pre- miums that any other herd in the United States. Mr. Mattoon died a few months ago. He will always be remembered by the old citizens here. whose city, as well as a street in Springfield, Mass., will perpetuate his memory.
After the sale of lots on May 15. the greatest activity prevailed here in the erection of houses. Lodging and boarding were very hard to get. Every one was "full," and accommodations of every kind were brought into use. Labor was high, as it always is such times, and laborers flocked to Mattoon to share in the prosperity. Work on both railroads was carried on, and num. bers of men found temporary homes here. The inevitable results followed. Whisky was brought on by unlawful persons. and a saloon started. To the credit of one or two of the contractors, it is to be said, they gave some of the saloon-keepers so long a time to leave-they left. But the temptation was strong and whisky, in one way and another, would come. It seems to be the inevitable follower of all frontier towns, and Mattoon was no exception to the rule.
Though the town had now a few stores, several houses, and a great many in the course of construction, it lacked that commodity of all towns, a hotel. Messrs. Sanderson and Carpenter, two of the original proprietors, were, however, preparing to supply the deficiency. As labor was high here, they had the tim- ber all framed and put in readiness at Terre Haute, and on Sunday, June 30, 1855, erected the first hotel-the Pennsylvania House-in the town. It stood on the south side of Broadway, just west of the present Mattoon National Bank, occupying part of the ground now used by that building. It was already to put together when it arrived, and before night the frame was up. It had, how- ever, been constructed like many another building, a little weak, and after the third floor and the rafters were finished, the structure gave way, letting that floor and the rafters down upon the second. Props and braces were imme- diately applied, and the disaster remedied. Not a few of the people expressed their disapprobation at the erection of the building on the Sabbath day, while some affirmed the falling of its upper story was a judgment sent on the builders for desecrating the day. The building probably fell because it was poorly con- structed. Many persons stoutly affirm that this hotel was raised on the Fourth of July. All were agreed that it was raised on Sunday. The writer of these pages, with several others, made a calculation, based on an invariable rule in mathematics, and found that the Fourth of July in 1855 came on Wednesday .
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