USA > Indiana > Sullivan County > A history of Sullivan County, Indiana, closing of the first century's history of the county, and showing the growth of its people, institutions, industries and wealth, Volume I > Part 15
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The narrow-gauge railroad was completed to the Wabash in 1886. and the first trains crossed the river in that year. The bridge is over a mile south of Merom, and the railroad station established for the benefit of the townspeople is so far away that Merom is still practically isolated from the railroad. In November, 1887, the county surveyor laid out a town near the bridge, and this has since been known as Riverton, though it is really a suburb of the old town on the bluff.
The crown of the Merom bluff, overlooking the river, has always been a town commons, though the ownership and control of the property were subjects of litigation in the courts a few years ago. A grove of walnut and other lofty forest trees, standing in their native prime. is the chief adornment of the site, and a more picturesque natural park could hardly
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be imagined. The spot has many associations for the native residents of the town, and has been the scene of picnics, political meetings, and other celebrations from almost the first years of the county's history.
This park has for several years been the grounds on which the Merom Bluff Chautauqua is held. If we except the Union Christian College, the Chautauqua may be considered the principal institution of the town at this time. Every year thousands of people gather in these beautiful surroundings, and amid the perfect influences of nature enjoy the best in literature, oratory and music and intellectual and religious culture. The first Chautauqua was held during August, 1905. Among the speakers and entertainers at these assemblies may be mentioned Eu- gene Debs, Eli Perkins, William J. Bryan, Joseph Folk, LaFollette, Till- man (pitchfork Ben), Governor Yates, and others of note in the political and literary world. In 1908 it was estimated that nearly fifty thousand people visited the Chautauqua.
CHAPTER XI.
CARLISLE.
An advertisement in the Vincennes Western Sun, in the issue of June 10, 1815, makes it possible to assign a definite date for the founding of the town of Carlisle. This advertisement is a document of much his- torical value, and reads as follows :
Carlisle.
Lots in the town of Carlisle will be sold on Friday, the 23rd inst., sale to commence at 9 o'clock a. m. This town is situated in the flourishing settlement of Busseron-the public square is spacious, laid off at right angles, well accommodated with streets and alleys. The town is within one mile of Eaton's mill ( formerly Ledger- wood's ), twenty-five miles from Vincennes-the country, water, and the special command of situation as to centrality, has long been looked forward to as the most eligible site for a flourishing [town] in this section of country .- The crowded population of the neighbor- hood gives superior advantages, and as to land, water and navigation no situation in the territory will bear a comparison-the lengthy credit of two years, viz: one-half at the expiration of one year and one-half at the expiration of two years, will be given .- Due atten- tion at the town of Carlisle will be given on the day of sale by the proprietors .- June 7, 1815.
JAMES SPROUL, SAMUEL LEDGERWOOD, WILLIAM MCFARLAND.
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The site of Carlisle was originally owned by Samuel Ledgerwood, and was sold to the two other proprietors named for the purpose of founding a town. A survey and platting would naturally precede the sale of lots, and hence it is possible to fix the date of the founding of Carlisle as the early summer of 1815, only a few months after the close of the second war with Great Britain.
The original plat of the town covered twenty-five blocks, the streets being laid out at angles of 45 degrees. The public square in the center was dedicated for the use of the court house, but no such building was ever erected there, and after many years it is now occupied by the hand- home two-story school building, accommodating the school children of the town and the adjoining districts. Beginning on the northeast side of the plat, the street bounding the original townsite is Saline. Then came, parallel to it, Hackett, Lewis, Eaton, Harrison and Vincennes. From northwest to southeast the streets are-Turman, Gill, Ledgerwood, Alex- ander, Singer and West. The railroad station is at the east corner of the plat.
The first store was opened in this town in 1815, that being the tra- ditional date. No exact record of institutions and affairs of that period is now obtainable, but its position as county seat and the presence of the milling industries nearby on Busseron were sufficient to cause a steady growth of village activities during the years following the founding of the town. The building of a frame Methodist church in 1818 was another milepost in the town's history. But the removal of the county seat to Merom about that time proved a serious obstacle to the increasing pros- perity of Carlisle, and for over thirty years the annals of the town consist
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chiefly in the life and daily activities of that group of leading families who during the past century have been identified with this town.
The most important event in the history of Carlisle after its founding and its brief importance as county seat was the building of the Evansville & Crawfordsville Railroad in 1854. This brought to test the real public spirit and enterprise of the inhabitants. The railroad was built with the aid of large subscriptions from all the counties through which it passed, and after the people of Carlisle and vicinity had already taxed themselves for the amount first demanded, the builders of the railroad announced their decision to run the railroad by a route whose nearest point was three miles from town. It was probably in the nature of a threat, made to secure more money. When protests proved unavailing, some of the wealthier citizens of Carlisle subscribed a fund of $30,000 as an additional subsidy. Their action secured the railroad. The names of the sixteen men who subscribed to this fund are a representative list of the business men and leading citizens of that time, and are as follows: Joshua Alsop, William D. Blackburn, James D. Riggs, James K. O'Haver, James H. Paxton, Garrett Bros., Smith Greenfield, Alonzo Cotton, Joseph W. Briggs, William Alsop, William Collings, William Price, Josiah Wolfe, Benson Riggs, Jacob Hoke, Murphy & Helms.
An era of progress following the advent of the railroad, which made the village a shipping point for the rich agricultural region lying about the town, and resulted in the establishment of new lines of business and the general improvement of town. The next step was the incorporation of the town. The petition which was presented to the board of commis-
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sioners in March, 1856, asking for incorporation, was signed by the following citizens :
Henry Hill
A. W. Springer
Peter E. Warner
F. M. Akin
Samuel J. Ledgerwood
Hugh S. Ross
Benson Riggs, Sr.
J. A. Curtner
J. D. Whitaker
Isom Shannon
Franklin Deckerman
John F. Curry
W. A. Watson
Spencer C. Weller
Mayo Jones
WV. D. Blackburn
James S. Brengle
John Ledgerwood
W. M. Akin
J. A. Beck
Chester O. Davis
J. M. Parvin
H. N. Helms
Alexander Trigg
William Alsop
Lewis Gott
J. S. McClennan
S. M. Curry
Peter Hawk
John Martin
Smith Greenfield
John S. Davis
John Buckley
James D. Riggs
Thomas E. Ashley
John Trigg
W. H. Mayfield
John D. Simerell
W. R. Hinkle
Joshua Davis
Benson Riggs, Jr.
Joshua Alsop
Josiah Wolfe
Hosea Buckley
John M. Hinkle
The vote of the citizens residing within the limits of the town on
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the question of incorporation, which was held March 25, showed an al- most unanimous sentiment in favor of town government. Sixty votes in all were cast, 57 being affirmative, and only one in direct negative, the other two being somewhat non-committal. The first town officials, elected in the following April, were: Smith Greenfield, James M. Parvin, Aaron W. Springer, John S. Davis, and John F. Curry, trustees ; John Martin, clerk; Smith W. Buckley, marshal.
The first important undertaking of the new town government was the building of a suitable schoolhouse. Up to that time the school chil- dren of Carlisle attended a district school, but henceforth the town school system was to prevail. The board of trustees accepted plans for the building of the town school in July, 1856, and the four-room brick school building which stood on the public square until supplanted by the present building was completed in 1857.
The money for constructing the schoolhouse of 1857 was raised partly by taxation and partly by private donations. A few years ago when the present building was in process of construction, the Sullivan Democrat published some historical reminiscences concerning the first schoolhouse, and also some documents in the possession of Mrs. James E. Speake, among which was the following receipt issued to John Martin : "$120. Town of Carlisle in Sullivan county, Ind. Received of John Martin one hundred and twenty dollars in John Davis receipts, it being the amount subscribed by him and wife as loan to build a schoolhouse in the town of Carlisle, which amount is to be refunded without interest, either in the way of paying special taxes assessed by the board of trustees of said town, or their successors in office, or a pro rata proportion of
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each year's special taxes collected. Done by order of the board of trus- tees of the town of Carlisle, Oct. 15, 1858. (Signed) James M. Parvin, Pres. Attest : John Martin, clerk."
The first school register, also in the possession of Mrs. Speake, showed that school was first held in the new building, December 14, 1857, and the enrollment of male scholars was of the following, some of whom are now dead and others well known citizens of this and other communi- ties : William Lewis, Harvey Ford, Elliott Halstead, Aaron Holder, Richard Parvin, William Jenkins, Anthony Springer, John Warner, John Henderson, Charles Riggs, William Simpson, Lewis Benefield, Marcellus Benefield, Charles Mayfield, Richard Mayfield, Henry Ott, Elijah Ott, Oscar Hall, Emory Ashley, Ransom Akin, John Owen, Quincy Ashley, ยท Jacob Hasselbach, John Rodenbeck, Richard Jones, William Riggs, David Jones, Fleming Jones, Henry Hill, Charles Hill, Charles Davis, William Parvin, Lucian Johnson, John R. Adams, Edward Adams, John Wolfe, Alonzo Penzen, Eldridge Ellis, John Timmerman, John Curtner, Robert Ellis, Melvin Ellis, George Gannon.
The brick work on the old building was done by Jacob Starner, who was noted at that time for his skill as brick mason. The brick was made on the Starner farm, near Morris Chapel, and their excellent condition when the building was torn down to make room for the new one, nearly half a century later, showed how well brick could be made at that time. John Runkles and John Scanting did the carpenter work on the old building.
In May, 1903, the citizens of Carlisle voted to erect a new school building, of modern proportions and design, which might accommodate
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the school population of this vicinity for years to come. The building was planned with two stories and basement, pressed brick and stone trim- mings, with an assembly hall 30 by 75 feet. The construction of the new building began with the close of the school year, and early in 1904 it was completed and ready for use.
Within the present century much prosperity has come to Carlisle as a result of the coal mining industry. In 1905 the Carlisle Clay and Coal Company was organized, largely of eastern capital, and with Solomon Dieble general manager. Its large purchases and leases of mining lands and the sinking of a coal shaft near the town caused the building of many new houses in the town, and a general revival and improvement in busi- ness affairs.
CHAPTER XII.
SHELBURN, FARMERSBURG, HYMERA, PAXTON, NEW LEB-
ANON, GRAYSVILLE, PLEASANTVILLE, CASS, DUGGER, FAIRBANKS.
The town of Shelburn was named for Paschal Shelburn, one of the early settlers of Curry township, who had purchased a large tract of land when he came here in 1818, and lived there until his death at the age of eighty. He was a bachelor. In 1855, about a year after the completion of the railroad, he platted a town on some of his land. There were 33 lots in the original plat, 24 being on the east side of the railroad and the remainder on the west side.
The coal mining industry has always been the main source of profit and support for the town, and the Shelburn Coal Company a quarter of a century ago was one of the large companies of the county. The town had been incorporated, a graded school had been organized, and there were a grist mill and the various stores and professional interests of a. village of several hundred population. During the nineties the impression prevailed that the coal deposits of this vicinity were worked out, and the progress of the town was seriously checked until it was discovered
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that the better veins of coal lay deeper than those already worked. Since then a considerable part of the coal industry of the county has centered about Shelburn, and the population has grown rapidly during the present century. The Mammoth Coal Company was one of the large concerns that gave employment to many miners, for whose accommodation nearly a hundred houses were built south of the old town.
During 1904 and 1905 several notable developments occurred. An addition was built to the old school house, making the building nearly three times its original capacity. A chemical fire engine was bought for the protection of property. In the fall of 1905 the Presbyterian and Christian denominations effected church organization. The oldest churches are the Methodist and the Baptist, the latter having been organ- ized about 1871. In February, 1906, the Baptist Sunday school celebrated its 36th anniversary, commemorating its organization in the old school- house with forty members, of whom the only survivor at this time was J. P. Siner, who was the first secretary. This was the first religious organization in the town, and was followed about a year later by the organization of the Baptist church.
Shelburn has been rather in advance of the towns of its size in municipal improvement. It has made the beginning of a sewer system, its streets are lighted, and with good schools and churches it affords many advantages to its residents. Shelburn has had several destructive fires- that of July 7, 1885, when the Linn and Cuppy buildings were burned ; on December 22, 1893, burning Siner's hardware store; and November 15, 1905, which caused a loss of about $5,000.
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Farmersburg.
Farmersburg as a business and population center originated with the building of the Evansville and Terre Haute Railroad. James Cum- mins and George Hopewell laid out the village in 1853 on forty acres of land which lay west of the railroad. The founding of the Ascension Seminary here just before the war was the principal institution of the town, and the basis of its growth and prosperity. The word Ascension was used to designate the place quite as often as Farmersburg. Heap and Crawford laid out an addition to the village east of the railroad, and about that time the town was incorporated. When Captain Crawford moved the seminary in 1872, the departure almost caused the death of the town. One member of the Jennings family moved to the town about 1872, and a little later ran for the office of councilman. Only twenty- two citizens were entitled to vote, and he received 21 votes, the other suffragist remaining at home. There were about fifteen or sixteen families in town then. Some of the town lots which a few years before had brought a good price came near reverting to farm land. About 1903 Church Taylor laid off an addition of forty acres west of the original plat, and soon afterward Farmersburg began to grow, and has since been on a permanent basis of steady prosperity.
On the site of the old seminary stands the present Farmersburg public school building, constructed of brick and concrete, the cornerstone of which was laid September 1, 1905, and which was dedicated for use on Washington's birthday, 1906, the principal address being delivered by Capt. W. T. Crawford. At the close of 1907 a comparative review of the
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public schools included the contrast between the old crowded four-room building and the new schoolhouse of ten rooms, the increase of enroll- ment from 275 to 385, from 35 high school pupils to 85, and a faculty of eight teachers.
In 1892 the Presbyterians of the village and vicinity erected a small church just east of the railroad, the dedication services being held about November Ist. In 1906 the church had increased so that a new building was needed, and with the expenditure of about four thousand dollars the church was remodeled into a pretty little edifice of Bedford stone with cathedral glass windows, and in May was dedicated by the Rev. George Knox.
On January 20, 1907, the new Central Christian church was dedi- cated. This is a stone church, of modern design and pleasing archi- tectural lines.
In 1902 were organized the two banks of the town, the Citizens . State Bank and the Farmersburg Bank, W. S. Baldridge being at the head of the former organization.
Hymera.
Hymera, the principal center of Jackson township, was platted as a townsite about 1870. The site had during the pioneer period of the county been selected by the Methodists for the Bethel church, and a log building once stood within the limits of the present town, where the carly settlers assembled for religious worship. On Busseron creek, southeast of the town, was a grist mill, said to have been erected in 1829. The first
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
school of the township was probably held in a building in the vicinity of the town. On the west was one of the first coal mines of the county, owner by H. K. and Harvey Wilson. The coal was used chiefly by blacksmiths, and was hauled in wagons to all parts of the county.
William Pitt was the owner of the land on which Hymera was founded, and when Nathan Hinkle platted the site the name Pittsburg was selected, in honor of the local resident and also perhaps suggested by the great coal center of Pennsylvania. Coal operations on a more ex- tensive scale than in pioneer times had begun here when the town was laid off. Robert Linn had a general store, and for some years the store and postoffice, and two or three shops, comprised the business of the place. Linn's store was on the site now occupied by the Odd Fellows block. When the postoffice was established the name Pittsburg was not accepted by the department. The origin of the name Hymera is credited to John Badders, who was postmaster. He had an adopted daughter whose name was Mary and who was tall in figure, and the name he suggested for the postoffice was significant of these facts. The change of name for the village was accomplished in 1890. In April of that year a petition from nearly all the voters of Pittsburg was laid before the county commissioners asking that the name of the town as recorded on the plat be changed to Hymera. A short time previously, on the opening of the new mine at Alum Cave, the new town laid out there was called New Pittsburg, while the Hymera community in distinction was referred to as Old Pittsburg. The resulting confusion brought about the change in name. About this time a branch line of railroad reached up to the coal
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mines in this vicinity, and since that time the coal industry has been su- preme here, and Hymera has grown rapidly.
With the consolidation of the coal mines and the heavy operations which began with the opening of the present decade, Hymera expanded into a town. In 1902 it was incorporated, and in July the first election for town officers was held.
One of the memorable days in the history of Hymera was the cele- bration in October, 1904, known as "Mitchell day," in honor of the presi- dent of the national mine workers. The crowd in town was estimated at over seven thousand. A delegation met Mr. Mitchell at Terre Haute, and the local procession was made up of the K. of P. band, the labor organizations, the school children. The ceremonies of the day centered about the unveiling of a monument to Nathan Hinkle, the Revolutionary soldier (see sketch) who was buried in the Hymera cemetery. About a year before the movement had been started to raise funds for such a memorial, and the subscriptions had been gathered and the monument set in place for this occasion. Hon. James S. Barcus, a great-grandson of the patriot, delivered an address, and Miss Mamie Asbury, a great- granddaughter, assisted in the unveiling. The monument is fifteen feet high, representing a Revolutionary soldier at "parade rest." The inscrip- tion is "Nathan Hinkle, born June 7, 1749, died December 25, 1848." The other events of the day were held in the Zink grove, where speeches were made by Rev. A. P. Asbury and Robert W. Miers and John C. Chaney, and the principal address of the afternoon was delivered by John Mitchell.
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HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY
In the fall of 1905 John Mitchell was reported to have said that Hymera was the neatest mining town in America, with more and better sidewalks according to its size than any town in the county, and many improvements indicating a progressive spirit among the citizens. There were five church organizations, the Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, United Brethren and Christian, the first two having good buildings, while the Presbyterians and U. B. were preparing to build. A five-room school building had proved inadequate, and a four-room addition was added in the summer of 1905. The Hymera State Bank, which had been organized in December, 1903, as the Bank of Hymera, by S. M. Patton and R. L. Ladd, was reorganized as a state bank in January, 1906, with Mr. Ladd as president and Mr. Patton cashier.
Paxton.
The railroad station between Carlisle and Sullivan, established a few years after the building of the railroad, was given its name in honor of an early merchant and physician of Carlisle. The town was platted in 1868 by W. P. Walter. A newspaper iten of July, 1870, stated that the village contained.one store, one cooper shop, a blacksmith, wagon and shoe shop, and some eighteen or twenty dwellings. Also a graded school was to be opened in the fall. A mission branch of the Sullivan Baptist church was organized at Paxton, June 27, 1886, by Rev. D. B. Miller, with A. R. Angle moderator and W. S. Smith clerk. The Church of Christ was built at Paxton in 1896, this being a branch of the Providence church south of town. The brick schoolhouse, which is a central school
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accommodating several districts, was erected in 1906. In June of that year, just before the commencement exercises of the schools of the town- ship were held in the Providence church, the former schoolhouse was burned. This building was in bad condition, and for some years had been a fruitful source of contention in the neighborhood.
New Lebanon.
The village of New Lebanon, though little more than a cross-roads hamlet and railroad station, with a few stores, churches and school, has had a noteworthy history and in other ways than commercially has in- fluenced and wrought upon the social and moral welfare of the county. For many years its relations to the county at large comprehended a well defined and effective position as an educational center, and also a promi- nence derived from its acknowledged place as the center of Methodist activities and influence in the county. These relations have been else- where described, but aside from them New Lebanon's history may be briefly recalled.
The site of the town was originally owned by James Mason, Jesse Haddon, Robert Burnett and Thomas Springer, each one giving ten acres to make the plat. Thomas Springer kept the first store, and in 1836 was established the first postoffice. At one time a saloon existed in the town, but it was the only one and had a brief existence, being inconsistent with the moral attitude of the town.
After the academy ceased to exist many of its ideals were continued in the public schools. The building, itself in which the academy was
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taught was used by the township for the village schoolhouse, and is still standing back of the handsome brick schoolhouse that was erected a few years since. During the seventies the old academy building was con- sidered one of the most commodious school buildings in the county.
Graysville.
About 1850 Lafayette Stewart established a store four miles from Merom on the State road. He also procured a postoffice for this vicinity, and he became postmaster and delivered the mail at his store. Joseph Gray, Sr., was the owner of the land in this vicinity and was probably owner of the store. He was also proprietor of a woolen mill near by, and for these reasons the postoffice was named Graysville. The village has never been incorporated. During the seventies it had a population of about 100. Robert Carrithers was the merchant of that time. At an earlier date more than one store was kept at a time. The physicians of thirty years ago were A. N. and S. D. Weir and Arbaces Cushman.
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