USA > Illinois > Woodford County > The Woodford County history > Part 12
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Thomas Dixon had built a house on the present site of Kappa in 1833. Among others, the Hibbs brothers had also built homes in the vicinity several years before the coming of the railroad.
A restaurant was operated at the depot as early as 1854 for the convenience of the railroad passengers, as the trains had no dining cars at that time. Horace Meech was the proprietor, but after the Campbell House at El Paso was completed in 1863, the railroad used those facilities. Conse- quently Kappa's restaurant was left with
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El Paso Township
few customers and Meech soon moved to Chicago.
After Caleb Horn moved to Kappa in IS54. Mrs. Ann Dewey taught a private school in the home for several years. Ma- tilda Hassom was the first public school teacher, teaching in a log house built in 1856. This building was moved two miles west of the village in 1864, and a larger one built on the site.
Frederick Niergarth succeeded Jones as postmaster, followed by George Lallman, J. B. Drake, then his daughter, Florence Drake; after her death in 1922, her brother Eugene Drake continued in the office until he retired November 30, 1957. The office was moved to the Leenhouts building, and Sally Nelson and Lee Reed served for short periods; the office closed October 31, 1958, and residents of the area received their mail from a rural route out of El Paso.
James C. Jaynes lived near Kappa in 1852 and became the first grain dealer in the village in 1853. However the first ele- vator was built in 1883 by George Lalhan and J. B. Drake, though the partners had been in the grain business several years by that time.
Dr. Albert Reynolds, who first settled in Bowling Green, built an office in Kappa in IS54 and became the first doctor here. W. R. Willis opened the first hotel about the same time. Both men later moved to El Paso.
A shoe factory was located in Kappa from about 1855 to IS61. Christian Schafer, who had emigrated from Germany in 1851, married Phoebe Boeshar in Peoria, and they settled in the new village in October 1854. For a time the factory employed 16 men. Schafer also moved to El Paso where he was a merchant for many years.
In the late 1840's Jacob Smoots had a sawmill on the Mackinaw River a short distance southeast of Kappa. Hiram Havens of Hudson purchased it in 1850 and con- verted it to a grist mill, which burned in 1852 and was rebuilt the following year. on the opposite side of the river. The dam for the mill created a small lake, and after the property changed hands several times,
Dr. E. D. Witt and his sons converted the area into a community recreation center. Pastime Park became the center for Sunday School pienies, political rallys, G.A.R. en- campments, and celebrations of all sorts. For a time a small steamboat made short trips on the river. Special trains brought groups from as far as LaSalle and Bloom- ington, and for some time a regular hack service operated between EI Paso and the park. Brass bands, parades, fireworks and oratory were a regular part of summer ac- tivity until 1894, when high water de- stroyed the dam. The mill was dismantled in November, IS94, and by 1905 only oc- casional fishing parties visited the scene.
A Baptist congregation was organized in Kappa in the 1850's, several years before the January 21, 1858 organization of a simi- lar group in El Paso. In December, 185S, some of the members of the Kappa group were received as members in El Paso, "the Kappa church having disbanded" accord- ing to church records.
Ten persons organized a Methodist Epis- copal class in 1855 and held meetings in the depot for some time. Members of the Evangelical Church in the area also wor- shipped with the Methodists and the two groups combined forces to build a church -"the building to be used by itinerant ministers of both conferences on alternate Sundays."
A new building and furnishings which cost $2,400 was dedicated in 1874, though it was ten years before payment was com- pleted. The church never has a resident minister, being served by pastors located in Gridley, EI Paso or Hudson. The Evangeli- cals withdrew in 1922 and the Methodists continued services, (though irregularly) until the church burned July 4, 1911. Sparks from a firecracker probably set off by some celebrating youngster were be- lieved to have caused the fire.
J. B. Drake purchased a general store from Fielder & Wheaton in 1907, and was succeeded in 1914 by his son Eugene, who maintained the store until 1965. This was the last store in Kappa.
The original depot was purchased by
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Woodford County History
Roy Dunseth in 1934; moved several blocks north, and remodelled for a tavern and restaurant. A gasoline stove exploded there on July 24, 1936, causing the death of Mrs. William J. Corbley and Leslie (Bud) Brown. The building was burned, however, was rebuilt and continues in operation. There are also two other taverns, and an elevator owned by the El Paso Elevator Company.
State Route 8, more familiarly known as the Corn Belt Route, was constructed in the El Paso area in 1923-24, and was later designated U.S. Route 24. In 1951 the road between Gridley and El Paso was com- pletely rebuilt. The Meridian Highway, formerly Route 2, now U.S. Route 51, was built in 1924. It was widened and black- topped in 1951.
E. A. Childs, supervisor for El Paso Township, proposed the first bridge over the Mackinaw River, south of Kappa, in 1907. Prior to that time the river crossing was at the old mill ford to the West. There was a legal dispute over the responsibility for financing the bridge between the two counties, Woodford and McLean, but that dispute was eventually settled.
The contract was let in December 1909 for $8,090, and was completed in June,
1910. However grading of the approaches so it would be used, was not completed until late winter. A second bridge was built in 1923 as a part of the hard road project, and cost $43,000. In 1960 U.S. Route 51 was relocated, by-passing Kappa by curving di- agonally from one mile west of the village to a point south of the Mackinaw River. Fill for the new bridge over the river made the road much higher than the old one. The bridge and new road cost over $1,000,000.
A history of the first 100 years of the El Paso community was written in 1954 as a part of the centennial observance. The late C. C. Kingdon, who had an avid interest in history, was prime mover in the project. He was assisted by Mrs. fiorace it. (Glenna Bonar) Baker; Mrs. Ralph A. ( Mildred Garber ) Burster; Glenn Yerk Wil- liamson; and Mrs. Charles G. (Ethel Moore) Eft.
Much of my research for the period 1854 to 1946 sent me to files of the El Paso Journal found in the El Paso Public Library. It was owned and edited by George R. Curtiss from 1889 to his death in 1946. Since that date, most of my in- formation comes from my own files of community happenings, as I have observed them as a re- porter for The Daily Pantagraph and The Peoria Journal Star.
Editors note: It is regretted that the very com- plete history submitted for this volume had to be condensed because of space limitations. We trust readers will turn to the El Paso Centennial Publi- cation for more complete details.
Tom Hagen
Greene Township
by MRS. IVAN KINDIG
SITUATED EAST OF THE CENTER of Woodford County, Greene Township is bounded on the north by Clayton, on the east by Pa- nola, on the south by Palestine, and on the west by Roanoke. It is known as Congres- sional Town 27 N., Range 1 E. of the Third Principal Meridian. It is six miles square. and contains about 23,000 acres of very fine land. The soil is deep and very rich and well adapted to the raising of corn. Greene Township was organized April 3, 1855 when the population reached about 200.
Panther Creek runs through Groene Township, one branch flowing from the east and the other from the west, forming a junction near the southwest corner, and leaving the township at a point near the Village of Secor.
The settlement of Panther Grove was commenced as early as 1828 when a few cabins were scattered through the timber along the banks of Panther Creek. Amasa Stout and his wife. Susannah, were the first settlers in this township and were among the earliest pioneers of Woodford County, preceded by a few settlers at Spring Bay, Walnut Grove and Metamora. The Stouts came in 1828 and lived their first two winters in a rail pen, protected on three sides and top with corn fodder. This pen was located near the west line of the north- west quarter of Section 19 which is also the west line of Greene Township. They lived on their farm for about eight years, then patented it under date of June 13, 1836, and immediately sold it to B. J. Radford. Sr., the father of the author of Woodford County's first history. The Stouts then moved south.
The next settlers in Greene township were the McCord family and relatives. Wil-
liam McCord of Overton, Tennessee, came in 1831, along with five other families, after 53 days of journeying. He built a log house 20 feet square, made of small round logs, chinked with smaller pieces of wood and daubed with mortar. There were two doors and two windows. The MeCords at that time owned the land, that is now owned by William Wilson and Mrs. Doris Man- gold.
William, Allen, Winslow and Almira Patrick, cousins of the MeCords, moved from Overton County, Tennessee in 1829 and settled on Section 29. They built a house, using the same plans previously used by Stout, and lived in it until the boys had cleared ten acres of ground.
Young Bilbrey, brother-in-law of the Patricks, came, with this wife, from Over- ton County, Tennessee. in 1830 and settled on the east fork of the ereck. To them was born the first white child in this part of the county, in 1831. The son was named Eli Patrick Bilbrey; he became the father of David Young and Ira Bilbrey of El Paso, making them the oldest family to con- tinously live in our area.
From 1840, to the completion of the Ili- nois Central Railroad, the county was set- tled very slowly, but after that event, the township began to fill more rapidly, and in 1855 there were no less than 200 inhabi- tants. Schools began to spring up, roads and bridges were built, and a better class of buildings were taking the place of the old log cabins. In the year 1870, the popu- lation of Greene Township was 933. The last census, in 1960, showed a total of 510.
In 1840, a cabin was built on Section 28 for the purpose of establishing a school. This school was known as the Cram School
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Woodford County History
and the first term it was taught by William Armstrong. A meeting of the school trus- tees was held in 1854 and plans were made for the formation of a new district; in 1856 a second school was established on the north side of the timber on Section 20, which was known as the Willow Tree School. Later, other schools were estab- lished until there were seven schools in the township. Of course, they have now all been absorbed into the surrounding school units; but the old Willow Tree School building is still standing and is believed to be the oldest building in the township.
Willow Tree School, still standing; oldest building in the township.
Not until a comparatively late date was much attention paid to the building of roads; but after the Township Organization Aet went into effect and each township was dependent on itself for its highways, the inhabitants of Greene went to work ear- nestly, and each year has seen improve- ments. In 1878 there were nearly 100 miles of graded road. In 1968, there are nearly 50 miles of township roads and about 13 miles of county roads in Greene Township, most of which is blacktop, and the rest gravel. State Route 116 runs about one and one-half miles across the northwest corner of the township.
As for communication, Greene Township is nearly all serviced by the modern dial phone system.
In the fall of 1834, John Armstrong and his wife came from Mercer County, Ken-
tucky, to the Panther Creek Grove and set- led on Section 34, where his great grandson Wayne Armstrong now resides. Stephen Armstrong, one of the ten children of Joha and Elizabeth Garrett Armstrong, settled on Sections 27 and 34; his grandson Curtis Armstrong resides today on Section 27. There are a number of descendants of John Armstrong still living in Greene township, the oldest family to continuously reside there. The Armstrong family has owned some of this land since the day it was patented, 134 years ago.
John and Sabrina Baringer came from Germany in 1830 and their son Jacob was born at sea on the trip. They settled first in Pennsylvania, then Ohio, and in 1846 moved to land west of Gabetown where John worked in the Gabetown sawmill for two or three winters. They patented the W1/2 of the SE1/4 of Section 30 on June 23, 1853 and lived on the south line of that 80 acres. They buried a 21-year-old son in the Carroll Cemetery at Gabetown; he died May 1, 1859. Their other son lived on a rented farm in Greene Township in 1846, then purchased the NW1/4 of Section 31 in 1854 from the Illinois Central. A sister, Lydia Martha, married Joel D. Powell, parents of Lewis, Ira and Elizabeth Powell.
Jonathan Wilson came with his father,
The house owned by Jonathan Wilson where Abraham Lincoln was often an overnight guest. The finish lumber for this house was brought from Chicago and the stone was hauled from Joliet. It has since been torn down, and a new home was built on the site by Robert Martin.
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Greene Township
Nathanial Wilson, to Metamora in 1835, and moved to Greene Township in 1850. He carried the surveyors chains, while helping to complete the section surveys in the Woodford County townships. He pur- chased the E12 of the NW14 of Section 20 in Greene Township on February 6, 1850, and other land soon after. It is very inter- esting to note that a frequent overnight guest of the Wilsons was Abraham Lincoln, who traveled the old road between Gabe- town and Metamora when he was practic- ing law there. This road passed near the Jonathan Wilson farm, which later was owned by Charles Kindig.
Gabriel S. Woods lived in the Gabetown area in the early 1850's. He was the first township clerk of Greene when it was formed in 1855. He enlisted in the 108th Illinois Infantry in the Civil War and be- came a second lieutenant.
John and Mary Miller were married in Virginia in 1854 and set out for Illinois on their honeymoon, arriving in Kappa on the Illinois Central Railroad. They settled in Greene Township, buying the NW14 of Section 22 on the Metamora Road. The farm remained in Miller hands for almost 70 years.
John and Cecelia Jones came from Vir- ginia in 1854 by boat, settling in Greene in IS57, where their old home was in the center of the NW14 of Section 24. They had accumulated eight hundred acres of land by 1872. Twelve children were born to them.
John and Elizabeth Evey came into Greene Township in 1854 from Pennsyl- vania and worked in the new town of Secor in the buikling trade, finally buying land and settling as a farmer on the south- west corner of the NE14 of Section 29, his residence being about the middle of that section and three-fourths of a mile west of Gabetown. Michael Evey came to the township in 1852; there were 12 families in the Evey party which followed Michael into Greene township.
William, Sr. and Catherine Meginnes came from Pennsylvania to the Roanoke
area in 1853. They moved to Greene Town- ship in 1855. Nine children were born to them, William Jr., being the father of Charles, who in turn was the father of the William Meginnes who now lives in Secor. That farm is now owned by Reuben Ken- nell.
Although Greene Township has no city within its boundaries, it has sent forth an unusually large number of men prominent in political life. Among these are A. H1. Bru- baker and lsaae B. Hammers, members of the legislature; T. W. and L. C. Gish, sheriffs; L. C. Gish, treasurer; G. W. Pat- ton, circuit judge; Thomas Huxtable, county clerk; L. H. and F. A. VanAlstine, circuit clerks. C. W. Stephenson served as treas- urer and secretary of the Roanoke Fire Insurance Company. These men were not all residents of Greene township at the time of their election, but had at one time resided there.
An historic place to visit in Greene township is the old Carroll Cemetery on Section 28 about eight miles southeast of Roanoke. In the 1850's, James Carroll took up a small homestead there and later oper- ated a mill. Later a Gabe Woods started a small store at the roadside. Travelers on horseback, buckboard, or covered wagon re- ferred to the roadside store stop as Gabe- town. Then came a Jacob Lahr from Peoria, who, in turn, erected a smithy shop. The small roadside hamlet was quite a busy center for the early pioneers to gather, until the coming of the railroads; then a place to buy grain and ship by rail was founded at Secor. This and other railroad points soon took from Gabetown's patronage and popu- larity. From then on Gabetown gradually went into decline.
However, in the passing days, years and decades, as death came to their midst, loved ones were laid to rest in the Carroll Cemetery, which is still there today, al- though many of the markers have fallen down. One of the notable distinctions about the place, is that there are soldiers from three wars whose remains rest there. Ed-
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Woodford County History
ward Fitzpatrick of the Revolutionary War, who died in 1834; John Armstrong of the Mexican War, who died in 1857, and Wil- liam Betz of the Civil War. Also one Civil War soldier's wife.
It is estimated there are about 100 burials there; the stone markers denoting names such as McCord, Van Alstine, Ray, Stine, Mixter, Magarity, Dye, Harvey, Pat- ton, Armstrong. Arnold, Betz, Bolin, Bru- baker, Baringer, Carroll, Fitzpatrick, Ham-
mers, Marshall, Risser, Stevenson, Wesley and others.
Greene township, having no city, re- mains agricultural, though the farms are fewer and much larger. This, along with smaller families, accounts for the lesser population. The only big business in the township would be the Martin Implement Company, dealers in farm machinery. They are also farmers and have a large cattle feeding business.
Kansas Township
by CHARLENE PROCTOR
KANSAS TOWNSHIP is just a little more than half of a Congressional township, and its southern boundary zigzags into a similar section of McLean County. In fact, Kansas and White Oak Township, of McLean County, make a complete town between them, and are so closely connected, both socially and geographically, that to trace the history of one, without mixing in that of other other, is a somewhat difficult task. Kansas Township lies in the southeast part of Woodford County, and is bounded south and east by Mclean County, north by Palestine Township and west by Mont- gomery Township. The Mackinaw River and Denman Creek flow through the north- ern part of the township. Much of the land is timber and bluffs; however there are some fine farms in the township. Kansas is known as Township 25 north, Range 1 east of the Third Principal Meridian. There has never been a town in the township.
The First Settlement
White Oak Grove was the first settle- ment in Kansas township. Settled in 1828. it was located near what became the boundary line between Woodford and Me- Lean counties. Robert and Samuel Phillips were the first comers to that region, but they were soon followed by others who built homes and began farming. Among the early settlers of Kansas Township were Smith Denman, Isaac Allen, Zachary Brown, Reuben and Abraham Carlock, Samuel Kirkpatrick, Adam Moore, and Thomas and Elisha Moore. Denman came from Ohio and settled in the southeast part of the township, in the timber of Denman Creek, which is named for him.
The Dicksons, Samuel Kirkpatrick and Adam Moore were also from Ohio. Thomas and Elisha Dickson came to Illinois in the fall of 1829, and settled in the White Oak Grove area. Samuel Kirkpatrick settled a short time after the Dicksons. Zachary Brown came to the county in the carly thirties, and was later followed by his brother James. When Mr. Brown came to the vicinity, there was no house between his cabin and Bloomington.
Abraham Lincoln travelled through Kan- sas township on his circuit from Springfield to the old Metamora Courthouse. He used the Wyatt's Ford Crossing over the Mack- inaw in the northeast quarter of the town- ship. In 1922, the counties of Woodford and McLean erected a marker on the county line which reads "Abraham Lincoln travelled this way as he rode the Eighth Judicial Circuit; 1847-1859."
The Old Democrat
Prominent among the names of carly settlers in this region is that of Abraham Carlock. The Carlocks. Abraham and his brother Reuben, came to this area in 1833 from Tennessee, His father and two broth- ers were soldiers under General Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Mr. Carlock was fond of saying that his first vote for a presidential candidate was for General Jackson. He liked to call himself "The Old Democrat."
Abraham Carlock owned approximately 1000 acres in McLean and Woodford Counties. Ilis home lay just inside the Woodford County line.
Harry Carlock, great-grand nephew of Abraham Carlock, says that when travelers
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Woodford County History
sought shelter for the night, the Old Demo- crat would ask their political leanings. If they were Democrats, he would offer them shelter; if they were Republicans, he would give them directions to the Bensen home just down the road where they would be welcome.
In approximately 1850, Carlock donated about an acre of land in southern Kansas Township to the Christian Church for use as a cemetery. His old political rival, Phillip Bensen, a Republican, donated another parcel of land in 1862, also for use as a cemetery. The Carlock Cemetery is situ- ated on the west side of the country road by which Abraham Lincoln traveled from Springfield to Metamora; and the Bensen Cemetery is a quarter of a mile farther south on the other side of the road, near the county line separating Woodford and McLean counties. Although no real distinc- tion was made politically between the two cemeteries, for about 30 years the Demo- crats were buried in the Carlock Cemetery and Republicans in the Bensen Cemetery. Even today, the Carlock cemetery is often called "The Democrat Cemetery," while the other is called "The Republican Ceme- tery." Abraham Carlock was buried in 1884
H
Abraham Carlock is buried in the Carlock Ceme- tery for which he donated the land. His tombstone reads "Abraham Carlock: 1800-1884. 'Here Sleeps the Old Democrat.'"
in his own cemetery with the words, "Here Sleeps the Old Democrat" inscribed on his tombstone.
Churches and Schools
It was not until about 1850 that a school house was built in Kansas Township. Until this time, children from the area had at- tended a school taught by Rev. Abner Peeler, just across the line in McLean County. The first school was built in the eastern part of the township near the farm of Zachary Brown. At one time there were three schools in the township. There are no longer any schools in operation, however, and children from the western part of the township go to school in Congerville in the Unit 140 School District. The eastern part of the township belongs to the El Paso school system.
The pioneer preacher of ths vicinity was Rev. John Dunham who preached in both Kansas and Montgomery townships. There was no church at all in the township until 1916 when the East White Oak Union Church was built. Residents were obliged to go to Montgomery Township or into McLean County for religious services.
"In 1905 a Sunday School was started at the old Spring Hill School House. The Sunday School was organized with Oscar Franklin as superintendent. The Rev. Troyer served as pastor until a church was built. Services were not held during Janu- ary, February, and March because of the mud roads. In 1915, a committee of four women-Mrs. May Metzger, Mrs. Kate Weirman, Mrs. Emma Brown, and Mrs. Emma MeClintock-canvassed the com- munity to see if money could be raised to build a church. On August 5, 1915, the following building committee was ap- pointed-Henry Green, Guy Brown, Eli Mishler, Ed Weirman, Fred Hohl, and Will McClure. Many of the community cut the oak logs from their own timber and do- nated material and labor to erect the build- ing. George Farrell was operating the saw mill and Ed Brown did the sawing. In the fall of 1916 the church was completed. On April IS, 1917 the building was dedicated.
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Kansas Township
The speakers were Rev. Huff, Carlock; Rev. Phillips, El Paso: and Rev. Troyer, Carlock. Since the erection of the church many changes have taken place and few families are still living here who were ac- tive in the organization at that time, and the church no longer serves the township. The name of the church has always been the East White Oak Union Church." 1
There has never been a store or post office in Kansas Township and residents were served by communities outside the township. The earliest business enterprise was a blacksmith shop, conducted by a man named Craig.
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