USA > Indiana > St Joseph County > A history of St. Joseph County, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 46
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
The interest aroused in the pursuit of agri- culture, horticulture and floriculture contin- med unabated for many years. In the fall of 1852 the fair was held at Mishawaka, the people of the town paying all the expenses. An excellent address was made at this meet- ing by the IIon. John B. Niles, of Laporte,
For the fair of 1853, two aeres of ground on Washington street. in South Bend, three squares west of the court house, were leased. This property was afterwards purchased by the society; which continued with varying success to hold its meetings and annual fairs on this ground until 1857.
On March 15, 1858, the society was again re-organized, this time under provisions of an act of the general assembly for the en- couragement of agriculture, approved Feb- ruary 17, 1852.ª At this meeting the fol- lowing officers were chosen: President, John a. 1 R. S., 1852, p. 98; 1 Gavin and Hord, p. 60.
Drulinger; vice-president. William F. Bulla; treasurer, William Miller; secretary, Milton W. Stokes; directors, Elmer Rose, George C. Merrifield, Jacob Snyder, John Kingery, Jacob Rush, Jeremiah White, John Smith, P. S. Stambangh, E. M. Irvin, Thomas R. Tutt, John F. Ulery and John Moore.
On this re-organization, the location of the fair grounds was again changed. The two- acre tract on West Washington street was sold; and, in its place, the company, on April 13, 1858, purchased abont seven acres and a half on Portage avenue, taken off the south side of lot one hundred and twelve, of the state bank's first addition of outlots to South Bend.
The first fair on the new grounds was held on September 28, 29 and 30, 1858. The so- ciety now entered upon a period of prosper- ity which continued for ten or twelve years, after which a state of indifference again in- tervened. The last annual fair was held Sep- tember 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, 1872. Even before that time, that is, on December 16, 1871, the grounds had been platted and of- fered for sale as the St. Joseph County Agri- cultural Society's Addition to the City of South Bend. During the war these fair grounds were occupied as a military camp for quartering and organizing troops.
Some zealous spirits still continued to keep up an agricultural society. In 1873 an ex- hibition was held in connection with the northern Indiana fair; and efforts were made to continue annual exhibitions on grounds west of South Bend, on Division street, being lots five, six and seven of Harper & Ruek- man's survey. These lots were ten acres each, and the grounds were ample. The exhibits shown on those lots were interesting and of value to the people of the county; but the enterprise was not successful financially.
By an act of the legislature, in force March 18, 1873,ª boards of county commissioners were authorized, on petition of the majority of the voters of any county, to invest not to a. Acts, 1873, p. 118.
269
IHISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
exceed five thousand dollars in the purchase of real estate to be used for the purposes of agricultural and horticultural fairs. On April 20, 1881, at a special meeting of the board of county commissioners of St. Joseph county, a petition such as required by the statute was filed with the board; and there- upon an order was entered for the purchase of forty aeres of land on the north side of the St. Joseph river, between South Bend and Mishawaka, being the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of section seven, town- ship thirty-seven north, range three east, to be used for agricultural fairs.
On February 3, 1881, the Northern Indiana Agricultural Society was formed with the de- sign to hold fairs on grounds to be purchased by the county, under the provisions of the act of 1873. It was a stock company, each share five dollars and the number of shares with- out limit; the purpose was to promote the interests of agriculture in northern Indiana.
The incorporators were among the strong men of the county, representing every town- ship, and were as follows: William Miller, Portage; Robert M. Savidg, Clay; Edward A. Metzger, Harris; Ashbury Lindley, War- ren; Irwin Skinner, Portage; Dr. J. R. Brown, Greene; William O. Jackson, Ger- man; Peter N. Huff, Portage; William H. Stull, Center; J. H. Eberhart, Penn; Wil- liam D. Rockhill, Portage; Elias Rupel, Cen- ter; Thomas B. Chalfant, Clay; Alexander HI. Price, Liberty : Samuel Bowman, Center ; Basil Rupel, Center; . Aaron Jones, Penn ; Charles G. Towle, Penn; Christian Holler, Warren; C. L. Stiles, Penn; Nathaniel Frame, Portage; George W. Shade, Center; Henry Studebaker, Penn; George W. Locke, German; D. F. Miller, German; Henry Barth, Portage; John R. Shank, Penn; Seth Hammond, Greene; Asa Knott, Greene; William C. Jackson, German; John C. Ulery, Greene; James R. Miller, German ; Charles Frank, Madison; Chauncey N. Fassett, Port- age; D. B. Jewell, Madison; W. W. Butter- worth, Penn; Edward A. Jernegan, Penn;
J. M. Wommer, Penn; Joseph Miller, Penn ; Studebaker, Portage; John M. Studebaker, John Jackson, Center; Isaac N. Miller, Olive; F. R. Eberhart, Penn; A. Eberhart, Penn .; Christian M. Wenger, Portage; Clement Portage; Peter E. Studebaker, Portage; Jacob F. Studebaker, Portage.
The Northern Indiana Agricultural So- ciety, with its splendid list of incorporators, its free grounds and the fresh enthusiasm in- fused into agricultural interests in this and the neighboring counties, continued to flour- ish and to furnish exhibitions of a very high order for many years. It was not until the World's Fair at Chicago, in 1892 and 1893, with its extraordinary exhibits from every part of the earth, that the people began to show a want of interest in the simpler and more homelike display of our local fair. Nevertheless it is good to remember how much pleasure and profit all our people re- ceived from those fine exhibitions on the county . grounds between South Bend and Mishawaka. The time will yet come when the memories of those days will inspire the people to renew, at least for a time, those annual farmers' reunions.
The fortunes of the society having declined, by reason . of the indifference of the people and the consequent falling off of the attend- ance at the fairs, a new society was formed, March 31, 1899, to take over the property. and, if possible, to revive interest. The old name, the "St. Joseph County Agricultural Society," was restored; and the incorpora- tors were: Charles G. Towle, William D. Rockhill, Abram W. Byers, Ashbury Lindley, Daniel W. Beall, William O. Jackson, John B. Witwer, W. C. Jackson, Thomas II. Jack- son, Adam W. Shidler, Edward A. Metzger and Samuel Bowman.
The end had come, however, and on June 4, 1903, the St. Joseph County Agricultural Society made a formal surrender of the county grounds, which were accepted by the board of commissioners. With this surren- der the history of agricultural societies in
270
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
St. Joseph county came to a close. On April 3, 1906. the grounds were placed in the cus- tody of the city of South Bend, to be used as a public park, as related in chapter ninth of this work.ª The name Pottawatomie was given to the park by the city.
It has been matter of regret that the county fairs should be discontinued; and there are already indications that renewed ef- forts will be made at no distant day to have those profitable and enjoyable annual exhibi- tions again provided for the people of the county. If county fairs are again instituted, as they ought to be, care should be taken to have them strictly agricultural and horticul- tural. Mechanical and other exhibits should be encouraged only in so far as they concern the cultivation of the land and the improve- ment of live stock, crops and other products of the soil. In the past the tendency ran too greatly to mere exhibitions, as such, and the farmer and gardener naturally lost interest. The fair became a city show rather than a farmer's exhibition. Even horse racing should be only sparingly admitted. The continued success of our horticultural society shows where our county fairs failed. Let the fair be an exhibition of the products of the farm and the garden, including of course so much machinery, vehicles and implements as re- late to these products. If the farmer or the gardener wishes to go to other shows he can do so; but let the fair be his own show, the annual reunion where he and his friends may come together.
Sec. 2 .- HAILSTORM, FLOOD AND TORNADO. -- The county fair held in 1886 was marked by one of the few disastrous natural phe- nomena that have visited this county. The older inhabitants tell us of destructive floods that occurred on the St. Joseph river, one on January 15, 1847, and one on June 17, 1855. We have also seen, in chapter seventh of this history,b that this locality was visited, on August 9, 1865, by a tornado from the south-
a. Chap. 9, Subd. 3, Sec. 4.
b. Chap. 7, Subd. 2, Sec. 2.
west, which did much damage in the city of South Bend, unroofing the court house, blowing down one bent of the old Water street bridge, and overturning and injuring many buildings. Except the floods of 1847 and 1855 and the tornado of 1865, there is no record of any excessively violent action of the elements within the limits of the county until the great hailstorm of 1886.
About fifteen minutes after two o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 22, 1886, this hailstorm, coming from a point a little east of north, broke over the north central part of St. Joseph county. In less than five minutes, the ground was white with hailstones from the size of a walnut to that of a hen's egg, and even larger. Some picked up off the streets in South Bend measured eleven inches in circumference. Window glass was broken in about every house in South Bend. On the county fair grounds, horses were struck, and ran, with buggies, wagons and carriages, in every direction. The people, crowded all over the grounds, were wild with fright; but, happily, no one was seriously injured. In the region of the storm, the chief loss suffered was the destruc- tion of window glass. It is doubtful whether a single window on the north side of any building was left without broken panes of glass. The Oliver Chilled Plow works and the Studebaker works, each, suffered a loss of from ten to twelve thousand lights. The loss of the churches was very great, espe- cially in the destruction of stained glass. The Reformed church, First M. E. church, First Presbyterian church and St. Joseph's Catholic church lost the stained glass on the north sides of the buildings. The damage to glass at Notre Dame was estimated at a thou- sand dollars. A peculiar accident was the knocking of the hour hand off the face of the city clock.
The storm originated just north of Niles, was three miles in width and extended for about seven miles south of the city of South Bend. The largest stones fell over the ter-
271
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
ritory from Notre Dame and St. Mary's to points just south of South Bend. The form of the stones that fell in the city and on the fair grounds was spherical; further south the stones were jagged. At either side of the line of hail there was a heavy fall of rain. The duration of the storm, in any one place, was about seven minutes.
Comparing the hailstorm of 1886 with the tornado of 1865, it is noticeable that they proceeded from nearly opposite direc- tions,-the tornado up the Kankakee valley, from the southwest: and the hailstorm from a little east of north.
Sec. 3 .- HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY .- On No- vember 9, 1892, the St. Joseph County Hor- ticultural Society was formed, on petition to the State Horticultural Society, and by action of that body, as provided by statute. The membership is without limit, new mem- bers being admitted at any regular meeting on the vote of a majority of the society. Honorary members are also provided for. The meetings of this society are to a great ex- tent of a social character and have been of exceeding interest to the members. A feature of the membership is that the wives of mem- bers are admitted, without payment of dues, to the full privileges of the society. Much good has accrued to the fruit interests of the county, by reason of the discussions and de- liberations, as well as by the exhibitions, of this very successful society.
Sec. 4 .- FARMERS' FIRE INSURANCE COM- PANY .- On August 25, 1877. the Farmers' Mutual Fire Insurance Company, of St. Jo- seph county, was organized. The principle on which the society proposed to act was that all losses should be paid by a pro rata as- sessment on all the members. The plan has proved successful, and the farmers of the county have secured insurance for their prop- erty at actual cost. The membership has al- ways included the best farmers of the county. The original incorporators of the company were :
Samuel Bowman, Aaron Jones, William D. Rockhill, George H. Stover (Center town- ship), Adam M. Shidler, Basil Rupel, Elias Rupel, Asa Knott, Christian Holler, Louis De Condres, Neely Frame, Thomas B. Chal- fant, William O. Jackson, Edwin M. Irvin and James R. Miller.
Sec. 5 .- THE GRANGE, FARMERS' INSTI- TUTES, ETC .- A society that has been of the greatest good to St. Joseph county farmers, by reason of its perfect organization and the close friendship which it secures among its members, is the Grange. St. Joseph Valley Grange, No. 584, has been most successful from the beginning, and its members have been among the most influential in the order. In the person of Aaron Jones, the local organ- ization has frequently furnished the master for the Indiana State Grange; and for sev- eral years Mr. Jones was the most ef- ficient master of the National Grange. In- deed, it was chiefly through him that the farmers of the United States have become a living force in shaping the internal policy of the nation. The present officers of the St. Joseph Valley Grange are : Master, John Layton; secretary, Mrs. William Golden ; treasurer, Carrie E. Webster. The officers of Pomona Grange, No. 31, are: Mas- ter, L. P. Robertson ; secretary, Maud Gray ; treasurer, Mrs. Samuel Bowman.
For many years the citizens of St. Joseph county have enjoyed the pleasures and ad- vantages of yearly Farmers' Institutes, in which a full week is taken up in valuable in- struction and discussion, during the fall or winter season. These institutes have been schools, in which study and recreation have been combined in an eminent degree. Dis- tinguished lecturers from Purdue University and other seats of learning are always pro- vided. The institutes at which Governor and Mrs. James A. Mount were present are treas- ured in the memory of all the people of the county.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE TOWNSHIPS.
In chapter fifth, subdivision second, we have seen that St. Joseph county proper, as originally formed, was thirty miles square; and that, in addition, there was attached to the county for governmental purposes all the unorganized territory west to the Illinois line, including the present counties of Laporte, Porter and Lake, as well as parts of Mar- shall and Starke. Afterwards all unorgan- ized territory to the south was added for jurisdictional purposes. The area of the eounty proper included ranges one and two west, and one, two and three east, and ex- tended thirty miles south of the Michigan line.
I. THE FIRST DIVISION OF THE COUNTY, INTO TOWNSHIPS.
On November 25, 1830, the county board, then styled the board of justices, divided the whole county, including the attached terri- tory, into four townships, as follows:
Sec. 1 .- MICHIGAN TOWNSHIP .- The at- tached territory on the west, that is, all west of the line dividing ranges two and three west, and extending to the Illinois state line, was called Michigan township. This township included the territory now em- braced within the western part of Laporte county and all of Porter and Lake counties. It was called Michigan township from the circumstance that it was bounded on the north by Lake Michigan.
Sec. 2 .- DESCHEMIN TOWNSHIP .- The first township east of Michigan embraced ranges one and two west, and was ealled Deschemin.
Range two west is now within Laporte county, as is also the west half of range one west. A part of the east half of range one west is all of Deschemin township that still remains in St. Joseph county. The name of the township was, no doubt, a corruption of the French Du Chemin, by which name Hud- son lake was formerly known. This lake was in the heart of the township. As we have seen, the name first given to Hudson lake- Du Chemin-Of the Road, was no doubt taken from the great east and west road, long known as the "Great Sauk Trail," and afterwards as the Detroit and Chicago, or simply the Chi- cago road.ª
See. 3 .- GERMAN TOWNSHIP .-- East of Des- chemin was German township, embracing range one east and also the west half of range two east, and extending consequently . nine miles east of the second principal me- ridian. The township therefore inchided the castern part of the present township of Olive, all of Warren, the western part of German and Portage, the greater part of Greene and Liberty, the west part of Union and the east part of Lincoln. It is said to have been named from some German settlers then re- siding within its boundaries.
Sec. 4 .- PORTAGE TOWNSHIP .- All of the county east of the middle line of range two east was ealled Portage township. The east boundary of the county at that time was the east line of range three, so that Portage township was a range and a half in width, the same as German. It included the eastern a. See Chap. 2, Subd. 5; also Chap. 5, Subd. 4.
272
273
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
parts of the present townships of German, Portage and Union, all of Clay and Center and the western parts of Harris, Penn and Madison. The township was named from the old portage extending through the township from the St. Joseph to the Kankakee.
II. SECOND DIVISION INTO TOWNSHIPS.
On September 7, 1831, being the first meet- ing of our first board of county commission- ers, the board repealed and set aside the order of the board of justices, made November 25, 1830, and ordered that the county be divided into three townships, as follows:
Sec. 1 .- PORTAGE TOWNSHIP .-- The order of the county commissioners was that Port- age township should embrace ranges two and three east. The township included the pres- ent townships of German, Clay, Portage, Center and Union : the east parts of Greene and Liberty; and the west parts of Harris, Penn and Madison,-being about one-half the area of the present county. It included, be- sides, a part of Marshall county.
Sec. 2 .- CENTER TOWNSHIP .- Ranges one east and one west were by the same order formed into the township of Center. This township embraced all of the present county of St. Joseph west of the east line of War- ren township, and nearly all of the east tier of townships of the present county of La- porte, besides parts of Marshall and Starke counties.
Sec. 3 .- HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP .-- All the territory west of range number one west was formed into a township which was called Highland. No part of this township was within the present limits of St. Joseph county. The township, no doubt, received its name from the high lands of rolling prairie.
Sec. 4 .- COMMISSIONERS' DISTRICTS .- In the same order the county board provided that Portage township should form the first county commissioners' district; Center town- ship, the second district ; and Highland town- ship, the third district. 18
III. THIRD DIVISION INTO TOWNSHIPS.
On January 9, 1832, the county of La- porte was organized, taking from St. Joseph county all territory west of the middle line of range number one west. On the 31st of the same month the legislature detached from Elkhart county and added to St. Joseph county the west half of range number four cast." It therefore became necessary for the county board of St. Joseph county to make a third division of the county into townships. Accordingly, on May 6, 1832, it was ordered that the connty be divided into three new townships, as follows:
Sec. 1 .- PENN TOWNSHIP .- All that part of St. Joseph county lying east of the line dividing ranges two and three east was formed into a township called Penn. The township so formed embraced all the terri- tory now ineluded in the townships of Har- ris, Penn and Madison, and also the east parts of Clay, Portage, Center and Union.
Sec. 2 .- PORTAGE TOWNSHIP .- By the same order range two east was formed into a town- ship which was called Portage. This town- ship included the territory embraced within the present township of German, besides parts of Clay, Portage, Greene, Center, Lib- erty and Union.
Sec. 3 .- OLIVE TOWNSHIP .- All of the county lying west of range two east was eon- stituted a township ealled Olive. This town- ship included the territory embraced in the present townships of Warren, Olive and Lin- coln, and parts of Greene and Liberty. The township was named after Olive Stanton Vail, wife of Charles Vail, who settled in the township in 1830.
Sec. 4 .- COMMISSIONERS' DISTRICTS .- The board in the same order re-arranged the county commissioners' districts, as follows : The first distriet embraced all of the county east of range two east; the second distriet, all of the county within range two east; and the third, all of the county west of range two east. The first distriet, consequently, em- a. See Chap. 5, Subd. 9, of this History.
274
HISTORY OF ST. JOSEPH COUNTY.
braced all the territory of Penn township: the second, all of Portage; and the third, all of Olive. These townships have been very much changed since that time; but the county commissioners' districts have remained un- changed since the order so made by the county board, January 9. 1832.
IV. TWO LOST TOWNSHIPS.
Besides the townships of Michigan, Desche- min and Highland, which were lost to St. Joseph county on the west, we also lost two others; one on the south and one on the northeast.
See. 1 .- PLYMOUTH .- On September 1, 1834, the county board ordered that all the territory of the county lying south of the north line of congressional township thirty- five north, should form a new township to be called Plymouth. The township so formed included the south parts of the present town- ships of Madison, Union and Liberty, and all of Lincoln. It also included so much of the present counties of Marshall and Starke as then formed a part of St. Joseph county.
In the order setting off the township the board provided for an election for the choice of two justices of the peace for said town- ship, to be held on the 27th of September, 1834. On October 13th of the same year the election so held was contested before the board: when the contest was sustained and a new election ordered. Both elections were held "at Grove Pomeroy's, in said town of Plymouth, in St. Joseph county." Mr. Pomeroy was himself appointed inspector of election until the ensuing April election. At the May term, 1835, of the county board, Samuel D. Tabor was "allowed the sum of one dollar and a half for making a return of the election of Plymouth township."
The town of Plymouth, now the county seat of Marshall county, was situated in and gave its name to the township of Plymouth. We have already seen that the plat of this town was filed and recorded in the office of the re-
corder of St. Joseph county. in October, 1834.ª The commissioners' records show that on December 7, 1835, there was recorded therein the description and plat of the "sur- vey of the state road from Goshen in Elk- hart county, to Plymouth, in St. Joseph connty."
By an act of the legislature approved February 7, 1835, the north boundary of Marshall county was defined to be the north line of congressional township thirty-four, leaving all of township thirty-five in St. Jo- seph county. This congressional township, as we have seen, was included in the civil township of Plymouth. The act of February 7, 1835, does not seem to have been intended as completing the organization of Marshall county ; but by an act passed at the next ses- sion of the legislature, February 4, 1836, the county was finally organized, and the north boundary of the county was extended to the middle line of congressional township thirty- five. thus leaving in St. Joseph county only so much of Plymouth township as was in- cluded in the north half of congressional township thirty-five.b The consequence was that Plymouth, as a township of St. Joseph county. ceased to exist, the territory still re- maining being attached to the adjacent town- ships of the county, as their boundaries were defined by successive orders of the board of county commissioners.
Sec. 2 .- WASHINGTON .- But few of the people of St. Joseph county are aware that Washington was the name of a township once provided for by order of our county board. This township was located in the southeast corner of the county, and embraced all of fractional congressional township thirty- eight that lies east of the west line of sec- tions eight. seventeen, twenty, twenty-nine and thirty-two, township thirty-eight north, range three east. It included the territory of the present township of Harris, the north part of Penn and the east part of Clay.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.