USA > Illinois > Kane County > The past and present of Kane County, Illinois : containing a history of the county a directory war record of its volunteers in the late rebellion statistics history of the Northwest etc., etc > Part 37
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SCHOOLS
of Elgin were firmly established, and scores of the men aud women of the present city were obtaining within them the intellectual culture which has con- tributed to give the place a front rank among the river towns.
In 1838, Miss Gifford, who had taught the first school during the previous year in her brother's log house, was seated upon the throne in the Elgin chapel, or Union Church, where many little boys and girls were taught the rudiments of an education.
Some three years later, Mr. Adin Mann taught in the new church which the Methodists had recently erected ; and, later, Rev. Mr. Bolles and others wielded the ruler in the same building.
During the Winter of 1841-2, Miss Ballard, now Mrs. Nathan G. Phillips, had opened a small school, south of the business part of the town, in an unoc- cupied dwelling belonging to Horace Heath.
But each of these institutions was merely temporary, and no suitable house was dedicated exclusively to education until 1844, when one was completed, by private subscription, upon the lot now occupied by the residence of Dr. Tefft. Miss Harvey, afterward Mrs. P. R. Wright, was the teacher for a number of years ; but, in 1845, additional accommodations being found to be necessary, Mr. R. W. Padelford circulated a subscription paper, and, as a result, the brick
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school house was commenced, which was completed two years later and dedi- cated in January, 1848. It was then the most elegant school house in the northern part of the State. Mr. Ballard was employed as Principal, on a salary of $400 a year, while Mrs. Ballard and Miss Graves, now Mrs. J. J. Town, were assistant teachers.
About three years later, the School Law was adopted, and then the day of subscriptions for the support of education was at an end. Each man's tax was henceforth apportioned, and since that day there has been no interruption in the steady progress of the Elgin schools.
In 1854, they were by special charter placed under the control of the city, Edmund Gifford being elected Superintendent; Mr. Curtis, Principal in Dis- triet No. 1, and Mr. Cole in District No. 2. Various changes have since been inaugurated.
In November, 1855, the new school house was dedicated in District No. 3, and Mr. Daggett opened the school as its first Principal. In 1857, the new brick building was erected, for the occupation of the high school, and was dedi- cated in the Fall of the same year.
About this time, the citizens, after discharging several teachers, began to observe that competent instructors could not be secured upon the same scale of prices paid for splitting rails or for farm labor, and, accordingly, we find Mr. Heywood receiving the once fabulous compensation of $1,000 per annum.
Nine schools were taught in the city during the successive years, from 1859 to 1856, and ten teachers employed. The average attendance ranged from 427 to 468. Two new school houses were built about 1867, one in the First, the other in the Sixth Ward.
During the year 1869, the schools were re-graded and a complete census of the pupils taken by Mr. C. F. Kimball, the Superintendent, and also Principal of the high school. The result was as follows : White children, from 6 to 21 years, 1,545; colored children, from 6 to 21 years. 30; total, 1,575. At this time the entire white population of the city was 4,804 ; colored, 91 ; total, 4,895.
At the same time, more school room being needed, the old church formerly occupied by the Baptists was purchased by the City Council for $5,000, and three schools were opened therein, in 1870, enrolling nearly 200 pupils. In 1873, the schools passed from the municipal control and adopted the general school law of the State. A new school house, two stories high, was raised the same year, adjoining the high school. At present there are sixteen schools in successful operation upon the East Side, with nineteen teachers, while the West Side supports three schools, with four teachers. Mr. W. H. Bridges is the Superintendent of the whole .*
Aside from the public institutions of learning, several have been established by private enterprise, at various times. Of these, the Elgin Seminary, started in the Spring of 1851, by the Misses Lord, now of Chicago, should be noticed.
*For the above educational items we are indebted to Mr. C. F. Kimball, the former Superintendent.
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L. M. Kelley
ELGIN
HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY. 383
It was first opened in the basement of the Congregational Church, and a house on DuPage street, now owned by Mr. C. K. Anderson, served as the boarding department. It was designed, principally, for the education of young ladies, although several young men were admitted during its hist cy. It was removed to the Elgin House in 1852, which was fitted for its reception, with the house now standing next east of it, and there continued until 1856. During the inter- vening years, it attained a high reputation under the management of Rev. Daniel S. Dickinson (deceased), A. R. Wright (now of Sioux City) and others. The original charter of the Elgin Academy was granted to Solomon Hamilton, Col- ton Knox, George McClure, Vincent C. Lovell, Luther Herrick, Reuben Jume and Burgess Truesdell, by act of the Legislature of Illinois, approved February 22, 1839. After an unsuccessful attempt, in 1843, to erect a building and establish a school under this charter, the lot owned by the Free Will Baptists was purchased, in 1855, by a stock company organized under the charter as amended February 14 of the same year. This amended charter still remains in force, the peculiarly liberal spirit of which may be seen by the following extract :
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" SEC. 7. The said institution shall be open to all religious denominations : and the profes- sion of no particular religious faith shall be required either of officers or of pupils."
Previous to the sale of their lot, the Free Will Baptists had laid thereon the foundation of an institution of learning, to be called the Northern Illinois Col- lege, and upon this arose the Elgin Academy. The school was opened for stu- dents December 1, 1856, with Robert Blenkiron, a teacher of great ability and culture, as its first Principal. He was followed successively by James Sylla, Clark Braden, C. C. Wheeler, Dr. Nutting, W. T. Bridges, B. C. Cilley, A. S. Barry and A. G. Sears.
1
The war record of the Academy was a glorious one, sending, as it did, seven commissioned officers, six non-commissioned staff officers, twenty-one non-com- missioned officers and twenty-three privates.
In 1872, the course of study in the normal department was enlarged by the addition of the natural sciences, physiology and laws of health-branches which have been retained in the course ever since.
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In the years 1873-4, $1,500 were expended in beautifying the grounds and in making the school building more suitable to the purpose for which it was de- signed. A heavy debt with which the institution had been incumbered was liqui- dated during those years, and the year 1875 opened with renewed prospects of suc- cess, and since then has been steadily advancing. The course of study embraces all the higher branches required by the students desiring a liberal education; also, the fine arts, music, drawing and painting. Since September, 1870, A. G. Sears has been the Principal.
K
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
The foregoing notice of the educational facilities of Elgin would be incom- plete without a sketch of the rise and progress of the
TOWN LIBRARY.
In March, 1872, the General Assembly of Illinois passed an act providing for the support, by taxation, in each town, city or village, of a public library. under the control of six Directors. Section 6 of this act reads as follows :
" Every library or reading room established under this act shall be forever free to the use of the inhabitants of the city or township where located, always subject to such reasonable rules and regulations as the library board may adopt, in order to render the use of said library and reading room of the greatest benefit to the greatest number."
On the 2d day of April, 1872, the town of Elgin voted to organize a library under the above act, and, on the following April, a Board of Directors were elected at the annual town meeting, as follows: Zebina Eastman, I. C. Bos- worth, E. C. Lovell, J. A. Spillard, J. W. Ranstead and W. H. Hintze.
A tax of $3,000 was collected in the same year, and a correspondence opened with some of the leading publishers of the world, by a committee of two of the Directors.
In December, 1873, the books and furniture of the Young Men's Christian Association library, previously formed in Elgin, was purchased by the Board of Directors, for $250, and removed to the third story of the Bank Block, on the corner of Chicago street and Douglas avenue, where rooms were leased and fitted for the use of the library.
In February, 1874, the circulating library of Denison & Burdick, contain- ing 700 volumes, was purchased for $500; and other purchases were made in Chicago, which swelled the number of volumes to 2,000.
In 1875, Mr. E. C. Lovell made the tour of Europe, and was directed by the Board to expend a certain amount for the library. The result was the pur- chase of the entire Tauchnitz edition of British writers, and many other valu- able works-some of them exceedingly rare. The selections, from the com- mencement, have indicated unusually good taste in the Directors. While all the standard and popular authors of English and American fiction and poetry are to be found upon the shelves, history has been made the specialty, and there is scarcely a work in the English language, of any special merit in that de- partment, which may not be found in this valuable collection. Science, too, has not been overlooked, and all the more popular works under this head may there be found. Books of reference, comprising lexicons of the various lan- guages, atlases and cyclopædias, astonish the visitor with their vast amount of erudition upon every conceivable subject. Several of the most frequently quoted authorities upon English and American law have been gathered in, and a room is devoted to works prepared under the direction of the United States Government, comprising State papers, agricultural reports, geological surveys.
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
etc. There are now between 4,000 and 5,000 volumes in the entire library -1500 of them having been obtained by the Lovell purchase. The annual tax for the support of the institution is $2,100. In addition to this, donations are received from any individuals disposed to assist by money or books. Not less than 120 persons attend the reading rooms daily, which are kept open until 10 o'clock at night : and where all the news of the world may be found, as given by 25 weeklies, 8 dailies, 16 monthly journals, and the North American Review.
In the Spring of 1874, Mr. Louis II. Yarwood was appointed sole librarian, an office which he still retains, having contributed much by his industry and good sense to render the benefits of the library available to all. The present Board of Directors are J. S. Wilcox, E. C. Lovell, W. H. Hintze, J. A. Spill- ard, Geo. D. Sherwin, and D. F. Barclay.
THE PRESS.
No place in the county has been so productive of newspapers as Elgin. Their name is legion, and they commenced in 1845, with the publication of a Baptist and Anti-Slavery sheet, by a joint stock company composed and edited by Spencer Carr, Rev. A. J. Joslyn and Rev. Wareham Walker. It was sub- sequently removed to the State of New York, and was succeeded in Elgin, in 1847, by the Elgin Gazette, which continued until consolidated with the Advo- cate, in 1874. In 1851, the Fox River Courier commenced its brief existence in support of the political views of the Whigs, but, never proving a financial success, the publication was soon suspended. The Elgin Palladium followed, in 1853, edited by Mr. Hough, and was changed about three years later to the Kane County Journal, published by Lyman & Smith. In 1858, a Democratic paper was established by Grosvenor & Willis. In 1865, the Second Distrivt Democrat took its place, succeeded in turn by the Elgin Chronicle, edited by Ed. Keogh, and finally merged into the Watchman, after being purchased by E. C. Kincaid. The Lady Elgin, a monthly paper, under the control of operatives of the watch factory, commenced her career in 1872, edited and pub- lished by Bertha H. Ellisworth, Alida V. Ahle and Lydia A. Richards. It afterward passed through some important changes, and had attained a circula- ' tion of 1,500, when its publication ceased during the past year. The publishers of the Dundee Citizen issued an edition in Elgin in the Fall of 1874, and called it the Elgin Republic. It continued to be published until the Spring of 1877, when it became the Elgin Free Press, with C. Stoddard Smith, editor and publisher. Since then it has been steadily gaining ground and now claims a circulation of 1,000. Its size, 28x44, folio. The office is well arranged for job work. The Elgin Advocate was established in 1871, by S. L. Taylor, its present editor and proprietor, and has proved the most successful newspaper enter- prise launched in the city. It absorbed the Gazette in 1874, and since then had an uninterrupted career of prosperity. The newspaper work of the office
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
is but a small fraction of the entire business-book binding, blank book manu- facturing and job printing requiring the services of sixteen hands. Its office occupies a front rank among those west of Chicago, both in its favorable loca- tion and the convenience of its furnishings. The circulation of the Advocate is between 2,000 and 3,000 ; its size a seven-column quarto ; politics, Repub- lican. The Elgin Times was established by Ed. Keogh, in 1874. No changes have occurred in its management, and it now claims a circulation of 600. It is an eight-column folio, 24x36, and politically "Greenback." In December, 1874, Dudley Randall issued the first number of the Daily Bluff City, sus- pended its publication for a few days, and recommenced it in January, 1875. In the following August, W. J. Christie purchased a half interest, and in the Fall of the same year it was enlarged from a three to a four-column folio. In June, 1876, it was again enlarged by an additional column, and became a six-column folio in the following Fall. It is now owned by W. J. Christie & Co., C. E. Gregory, editor. A daily paper was started by Dudley Randall, in 1875, but scarcely survived the first quarter. The Elgin Daily News was first issued June 17, 1876, by the Elgin Printing Company, with F. H. Taylor as manager. It is a five-column folio, and Republican in politics. Its job printing establishment is quite extensive, six men being employed in the office. Two
1 monthly papers are also issued from Elgin, both commenced in 1874-the Informer and the Gospel Trumpet. Each has a large circulation.
CHURCHES.
As has been already seen, the Congregational Church was the first organized in Elgin, and dated May 12, 1836. We copy the following from the records : ELGIN, May 12, 1836.
A number of members of Presbyterian and Congregational Churches met, by appointment, at the house of James T. Gifford. The meeting was opened by prayer. Rev. N. C. Clark was chosen Moderator, and James T. Gifford, Clerk. On motion, Resolved, that it is expedient to have a church formed in this place, and that its form of government be Congregational. The Rev. N. C. Clark then proceeded to organize a church, composed of the following members, who presented letters from sister churches, gave their assent to the Articles of Faith, which were adopted as the Articles of the church, and solemnly entered into covenant :
George McClure, Philo Hatch, Laura Gifford, Relief Kimball, Sarah E. McClure, Reuben Jume, Experience Gifford, Mary Ann Kimball, Julia Mc- Clure, James'T. Gifford, Ruth G. Dixon. The first house of worship was the Elgin Chapel, occupied, jointly, with the Baptists, but in 1843, the Congre- gationalists sold their interest to the Baptists, and in July, of the same year, the present building was commenced. It was enlarged, however, and repaired in 1869 and 1870; is now in a very prosperous condition, and has enjoyed many seasons of revival. The membership is 300; and the Pastors, in their
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
regular succession, from its commencement, Rev. Nathaniel C. Clark, from September 1, 1837, till June 13, 1845; Rev. Marcus Hicks, from July 17, 1845, to April 19, 1847; Rev. N. C. Clark, from July 29, 1847, till July 13, 1851; Rev. William H. Starr, from September 1, 1851, until his death, March 6, 1854; Rev. William E. Holyoke, from March 20, 1854, till September 14, 1858; Rev. J. T. Cook, from April, 1859, till the same month of the following year; Rev. N. C. Clark, from May 1, 1860, until September 1, 1862; Rev. Fred. Oxnard, from September 1, 1862, until November 1, 1866; and lastly, Rev. C. E. Dickinson, the present Pastor, who commenced his labors May 12, 1867.
Baptist .- On the Sabbath following the 12tli day of September, a relig- ious meeting was held at the cabin of Hezekiah Gifford, and, as stated on a. previous page, a sermon read by Miss Harriet Gifford. About the 1st of October, in the same year, Hezekiah, Asa and Harriet Gifford met with a few other Baptist brethren and sisters, at the house of Mr. Kittridge, in St. Charles Township, for devotion, and were organized into a Baptist Church, under the name of the Little Wood Baptist Church. The Elgin Baptists continued to meet with this congregation, near, and subsequently, at Fayville, until the 14th of July, 1838, when Rice Fay, Esther Fay, Asa Gifford, Marietta C. Gifford, Abel D. Gifford, Harriet E. Gifford, Hezekiah Gifford, Luther Herrick, Sarah Hamilton, Samuel J. Kimball, Clarinda J. Kimball, Nancy Kimball and James C. Stone, haying taken letters of dismissal, met at the house of Heze- kiah Gifford, where a church was organized, called the Baptist Church of Christ of Elgin. Luther Herrick (Cook County) was the first Deacon, and Hezekiah Gifford, Church Clerk. Rev. Joshua Ambrose was employed to preach every alternate Sunday, for $150 a year, while Mr. Clark, the Congregational Pastor, preached during the remaining Sabbaths. During the year 1838, under the ministration of the Rev. R. B. Ashley, a great revival swelled the ranks of the church members. The sincerest friendship and good will prevailed during these early years, while the two Christian societies worshiped together. This may be illustrated by the fact that the Baptist and Congregational Pastors were met upon the Sabbaths by nearly the same congregations. The glory of God was then sought in preference to the up-building of any sect ; and the conversion of members, nearly every year, testified that the object was fully attained. During the Winter of 1842-3, the coldest since the first settlement of the country, an addition, 24 x 20 feet, was made to the chapel, and in the following Spring the Congregational interest in the building was purchased by the Bap- tists. Here they continued to meet regularly until 1849, when the cobble-stone building was erected, which remained their spiritual house for twenty-one years, at the expiration of which time it was converted into a school building. The Pastors, in their order of succession, have been Revs. A J. Joslyn, Levi Parmley, C. N. Chandler, Levi Parmley, Benjamin Thomas, A. J. Joslyn (supply), Charles K. Colver, Wm. P. Everitt and L. M. Woodruff, now in charge. During the pastorate of Mr. Everitt, extending from 1869 to 1872,
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
the present brick edifice was erected at a cost of over $35,000, and dedicated on the 5th of October, 1871. It is the most imposing edifice of the kind in the place. The membership exceeds 400.
Methodist .- A sermon was preached by a Methodist minister in Elgin in 1835, and a class formed by settlers in the township, and across the line in Cook County. In the following year, a sermon was preached by Rev. Washing- ton Wilcox west of the city, and occasional sermons followed in various parts of the circuit until 1839, when the church was located for a time in the village, at the Union Chapel, a part of which is now the residence of Dr. Jaeger. A camp meeting held the same year greatly increased the membership by addi-
tional converts. In 1840, a church was completed 25x42, on land donated by James T. Gifford. Diminutive as was this chapel, it was amply large for the. congregation. The land upon which it stood is still the church lot. The timber was given by the Messrs. Hammers; George Hammers made the oak shingles, and Horace Benham did the carpenter work for $150. When the brick church now occupied by the society was built, in 1866, the former was sold to the colored Baptists, removed and occupied by them until destroyed by fire March 28, 1875. The membership is now about four hundred.
Catholic .- Rev. M. De St. Palais, a zealous and devout priest of the Cath- olic Church, and now Bishop of Vincennes, was the first who addressed congre- gations of his faith in Elgin. For about four years. he labored in the place, administering to the spiritual wants of his flock once in two or three months, and at the expiration of that time was followed by Father Doyle, after whom came Rev. Wm. Feely, who was priest in Elgin from 1845 to 1852. During his pastorate, a lot was donated to his church by James T. Gifford, and a church edifice, still occupied, was immediately commenced thereon. From 1852 to 1857, Rev. James Gallagher officiated as Pastor, and was succeeded in the two following years by Rev. M. Carroll. Next followed the long pastorate of Rev. A. Eustace, from 1859 to 1868, succeeded by Rev. T. Fitzsimmons, an earnest temperance worker, who accomplished much good in the city. In addition to his efforts in behalf of morality, Father Fitzsimmons inspired his congregation with a sufficiency of his own zeal to undertake the building of an academy on Center street, at a cost of $15,000, to be managed by a religions community of sisters, to whom he donated a house upon Gifford street, where they intend to board a number of the young lady students after the academy has been opened.
Universalist .- A liberal movement was instigated, principally by the Universalists and Unitarians, in the years 1847-8, resulting in the erection of the church on Center street, now occupied by the Free Methodists. Rev. Mr. Conant was the first Pastor. The church was soon sold, and preaching was afterward held in the Masonic Hall, and later in the Free Will Baptist Church, where Rev. O. A. Skinner officiated for some time as Pastor. Mr. Skinner being called to the Presidency of Lombard University, the church declined, and no meetings were held until the Winter of 1865-6, when Rev. H. Slade re-
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HISTORY OF KANE COUNTY.
organized it, and the edifice now occupied at the corner of Center and Du Page streets was built. In 1871, Mr. Slade left, and was succeeded by Rev. W. S. Balch, who in turn resigned in 1876. At present, Mr Slade is supplying the church, which numbers about one hundred members.
Presbyterian .- The Presbyterian Church, of Elgin, was formed by the Chi- cago Presbytery (N. S.), February 8, 1853, with twenty-five members from the Congregational Church. A small building, standing on Center street, south of the Methodist Episcopal Church, was purchased, and Rev. A. W. Henderson commenced his pastorate therein in June, 1854. Leaving, in 'August, 1856, he was succeeded, in March, 1858, by J. V. Downs, who remained until March, 1861. The organization, meanwhile, flourished ; but, owing to re- movals about this time, became weakened, and was dismissed.
The present organization called " The First Presbyterian Church of Elgin " was organized on the 4th of May, 1855, by the Chicago Presbytery of the Re- formed Presbyterian Church, with twenty-five members. The first Board of Elders was composed of James Christie and George Kilpatrick. Rev. J. B. McCorkle was elected to the pastorate in September, 1855, and administered to the wants of the congregation until April, 1864. The house of worship, at the corner of Center street and Dexter avenue, was erected in the Spring of 1856. After the resignation of Mr. McCorkle, a vacancy occurred in the church for three years, during which it was supplied by the Presbytery. At the expiration of that time, Rev. D. C. Cooper was called to the pastorate, in May, 1867, and served until September of the following year. On the 18th of August, 1867, the congregation, with their Pastor, Mr. Cooper, withdrew from the Synod of the Reformed Church, and united with the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (O. S.) Rev. Samuel Hare then supplied them, from October, 1869, to January, 1871 ; after which, Rev. Donald Fletcher supplied them, until October, 1872. During Mr. Fletcher's stay, the old church on Center street was sold to the Swedish Evangelical denomination, for $3,000, and an elegant new church erected on the corner of Chicago and Center streets, at a cost of nearly $15,000. It was beautifully furnished, and contained one of the most elegant chandeliers west of Chicago, and was surmounted by the finest bell in the city. It was dedicated to the service of God July 11, 1872, but, by a mysterious dispensation of Providence, took fire, December 5, and burned down. Its destruction was a severe blow to the society, but the present chapel was immediately commenced, and is very neatly furnished, and designed merely as a lecture room of a larger structure to be built in the near future. Rev. Robert Mckenzie followed Mr. Fletcher to the pastorate, and was'succeeded, in February, 1874, by Rev. W. L. Boyd, who remained until February, 1876, when a vacancy occurred until the following October. The present Pastor, Rev. Alexander Alison, then accepted a call from the congregation, and under his ministration the church has doubled during the past year. The member- ship is at present 160.
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