USA > Indiana > A popular history of Indiana : with an introduction > Part 12
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" There was a road one and one-quarter miles long, but the rails were of wood. The express car, mail car, baggage car, smoking car, ladies' car, dining car, Pullman's palace car ยท and all the rest were in one, and John Walker had it made in Shelbyville. The locomotives (there were two of them) had each four legs, and were very fond of corn and oats. There was to be a picnic at the other end of the line, with plenty of good things to eat and drink-with good music, good speeches, pretty girls, strong and handsome boys, and all the old settlers of the country and surrounding regions. The fare was only a shilling. The morning of the Fourth was
bright and beautiful. A Union Pacific train could not have carried all who assembled at the railroad. The locomotives switched-their tails-awhile. The conductor collected the fare from 'the fair.' The belles rang out their peals of merry laughter, and the train 'pulled out' on its journey. All day it ran, and away into the night. Nobody who was at that picnic will ever forget it, and men will talk of it so long as they talk of anything.
" Men shall hear of Walker's railroad
For a hundred year."
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In this same year, 1836, the state took hold of the Madison and Indianapolis railroad, and in 1839 it was completed to Vernon, a distance of twenty miles, and operated until 1842, when it was sold to the Madison and Indianapolis railroad company. This company completed the road gradually, first to Scipio, then to Clifty Creek, then to Columbus, then to Edinburg, then to Greenwood, and finally, in October, 1847, to Indianapolis.
During its existence, or until it was sold to the Jefferson- ville road, the presidents were Nathan B. Palmer, Samuel Merrill, John Brough, E. W. K. Ellis and F. O. J. Smith.
The road was a paying investment, having for several years a monopoly of the railroad business of the state. "No road in any state ever paid so well," we are told. Its approach to the capital was watched with eager delight, and a meeting of the citizens was called to make arrangements for giving the iron horse, which was destined to so completely revolutionize social and industrial conditions, an appropriate and enthusiastic welcome into the city.
The eventful day arrived and on the forenoon of Octo- ber I the last spike was driven, and two large excursion trains arrived from the south. The first screeches and puffs of the locomotive, and the thunderings of the noisy trains, as they dashed into the city, were greeted with cheers long and loud by the large and enthusiastic crowd which had assembled. From the top of a car Governor Whitcomb delivered an appropriate address. An immense procession was formed, which was joined by the entire troupe of Spalding's
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circus, which was in the city at the time, and in which was a famous bugler, Ned Kendall, and a cavalry company from the country. At night there were fireworks, illuminations and general rejoicings. And as the iron horse found his way into various towns and cities throughout the state, he was welcomed with similar demonstrations of delight.
The year following the completion of the first railroad, the telegraph was introduced into the state. The first dispatches were sent from Indianapolis to Richmond on May 12, and on the twenty-fourth of that month the Indianapolis Sentinel published newspaper dispatches for the first time. It was the first paper in the state to use the telegraph for news purposes.
But to return to the era following the civil war. The railroad system, whose beginning we have turned aside to trace, now spreads like a network over the state, creating numerous markets for agricultural and manufactured products. In 1891 there were over six thousand miles of railroad in Indiana.
Between 1865 and 1873 "money" was plenty, speculation was rife, real estate obtained fictitious values, and in due time the inevitable reaction followed. In 1873 a great financial panic swept over the country. Factories closed, railroad build- ing stopped, banks failed, money became scarce, and millions of people were without employment. For six years the entire country suffered from the effects of this financial disaster. But gradually all branches of business revived, and again our state went forward in the work of developing her natural resources,
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and establishing and increasing her manufacturing and com- mercial interests.
The natural resources of Indiana are by no means small. In her forests alone there has been, and still is, a mine of wealth. One-half of all the walnut timber used in the entire United States has been supplied by the grand old forests of Indiana. This useful and beautiful wood has been so lavishly used that the supply is rapidly becoming exhausted, but there still remains an abundance of other hard woods, such as oak, hickory and hard maple.
The soil of the valleys, which are chiefly drained by the Wabash river and its tributaries, is wonderfully rich and fertile, producing, a great variety of crops. Agriculture is conse- quently the leading industry of the state. Maize, flax, tobacco and fruits of various kinds are cultivated, and the beautiful hills on the Ohio river are covered with vineyards. But corn and wheat are the great staples of the state. Indiana was in ISSo the second wheat-producing state in the Union, and is now only surpassed by Illinois and the Dakotas.
The state also has mineral resources of great value. It is the fourth coal-producing state in the Union. There are 7,770 square miles of coal lands, portions of which, in the southern districts, furnish an excellent quality of cannel coal. There are also many quarries of fine building stone, covering an area of more than 200 square miles, and some iron mines.
To Edward T. Cox, who was appointed state geologist in 1869, Indiana is largely indebted for the knowledge and utiliza- tion of her mineral deposits.
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But in 1886 a hitherto unsuspected resource was dis- covered, which gave a new impetus to manufacturing enter- prises, and has proved a most desirable feature in the domestic economy and comfort of the inhabitants. The first natural gas company was incorporated March 5, 1886, and by the end of the year 1887 about 200 companies had been organized. At this time ( 1891) there are over 790 gas wells in operation, and twenty-one cities and towns are supplying natural gas to 136 manufacturing enterprises. This does not include a large number of towns which use it only for heating and light- ing purposes. Many new factories have been established as a result of this discovery. The cheapness, as well as convenience, of natural gas make it an object to manu- facturers to locate their establishments within the gas territory, which embraces some twenty-three counties, cover- ing an area of 8,654 square miles. The following counties are either in whole or in part within the limits of the natural gas district: Hamilton, Wabash, Tipton, Madison, Grant, Delaware, Randolph, Blackford, Jay, Wayne, Franklin, Dearborn, Henry, Hancock, Decatur, Marion, Rush, De Kalb, Shelby, Jennings, Harrison, Howard, Miami.
The extensive mineral resources of the state, supplemented by abundant facilities for transportation, have made Indiana the seat of important manufacturing interests. There are wagon works, car wheel shops, woolen mills, electrical works, iron foundries, oil mills, furniture factories, glass works, paper mills, implement factories, etc. The output of the manu- factories exceeds $100,000,000 in value annually. The Stude-
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baker wagon works at South Bend, the De Pauw plate glass works at New Albany, and the railroad car wheel shops at Fort Wayne, owned by John Bass, are the largest concerns of their kind in the world.
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CHAPTER XXVI.
EDUCATION IN INDIANA.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM-THE LOG SCHOOLHOUSES OF PIONEER DAYS-GROWTH OF THE SCHOOL FUND, NOW THE LARGEST IN THE COUNTRY-THE ACADEMIES, SEMINARIES AND COL- LEGES OF THE STATE-THE WONDERS WROUGHT IN HALF A CENTURY.
Now that we have sketched the leading events in the his- tory of our state from the time when we found it but a part of a dense, vast forest-unbroken, except by Indian footprints-and have also taken a glimpse of her natural resources, and reviewed her material progress, let us survey briefly her intel- lectual and religious development.
There was a day, perhaps-so we have been told-when there was no honor attached to being a native-born Hoosier. But that time has passed, and Indiana stands to-day in the front rank of states, as regards her schools, her philanthropies, and her literary activities.
And first let us glance at her schools. Provision for popular education was made in the constitution adopted when Indiana became a state. But few results were realized for many years. With the exception of a few district schools, which were widely scattered, and the founding in 1820 of the Indiana Seminary (which in 1828 became Indiana College)
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m
THE SCHOOLHOUSE- OLD AND NEW.
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nothing was done toward the establishment of an educational system until after the adoption of the constitution of 1851.
The district school-houses of the early days corresponded with the homes of the settlers. They were built, of course, of rough logs, "the floors laid with puncheon, the doors made of clap-boards hung on wooden hinges, the chimneys built of cat-an-clay, with back wall and jambs. The seats and writ- ing tables were also made of puncheon, and the windows were covered with greased paper instead of glass. The furni- ture consisted of a splint-bottom chair for the teacher, a water bucket, gourd, and some pegs in the wall on which to hang hats, cloaks and dinner baskets." The qualifications required of a teacher were exceedingly meager.
On June 4, 1852, "an act to provide for a general and uniform system of public schools" was passed by the legisla- ture, but owing to the fact that it did not make provision for the necessary officers to manage the system, it was not put into operation until April, 1853, at which time the necessary change was made.
This system is the one used in most of the states, and includes ungraded schools for the counties, which are divided into school districts, and graded and high schools for the towns and cities.
After completing the course in the high school, a scholar is admitted to the State University without examination, the certificate from the high school being sufficient.
The first state superintendent of public schools was William C. Larrabee, who served two full terms in that
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capacity, and had much to do with introducing the present system.
The permanent school fund of Indiana is larger than that of any other state in the Union, being now about $10,000.000.
The State University had its beginning in the State Semi- nary in 1820, but was not open for the reception of students until May 1, 1824, when ten scholars were received. The first professor was Baynard A. Hall, and it is said he was the first man in the. state who could read Greek. In 1828 the school was chartered as a college, and Andrew Wylie, D. D., was made its first president.
Dr. David H. Maxwell, for many years president of the board of trustees, has been called the father of this institution, as he was a most untiring and energetic worker in its estab- lishment. In 1838 it received its charter as a university. It is situated at Bloomington, and the value of its buildings and grounds is estimated at $200,000. Being under control of the D state it is of course non-sectarian.
An educational institution of high repute is the State Normal School at Terre Haute, which began its career in 1870. In this school there is taught not only the elementary course, but an advanced course, which includes all the subjects taught in the high schools. Teachers completing this course are pre- pared for positions in these schools. French and German are given special attention. The new school building is one of the finest in the state, and cost $150,000. At Valparaiso is located the Northern Indiana Normal School, which was organized in 1873, but this is a private enterprise.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Another institution supported by the state is the Agri- cultural College at Lafayette. This is connected with Purdue University, but is a part of the state public school system.
In addition to the excellent advantages afforded the chil- dren by the public school system there are nineteen universities and colleges in operation. In several of these the tuition is free. Some are non-sectarian, but most of them are denomina- tional, the different denominations providing such schools for the purpose of educating the young in their respective doc- trines. The Methodist, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, Lutheran, Baptist, Christian, United Brethren and Roman Catholic denominations are represented in these seats of learning.
The oldest denominational college in the state is Hanover, which was founded by the Presbyterians in IS27, and chartered
in 1833.
The school was
opened with six scholars, in a little log cabin. It is picturesquely situated on the bank of the Ohio at Hanover, a pretty village not far from Madison. The grounds cover about 200 acres, and their value, with that of the buildings and apparatus, is esti- mated at about $145,000. HANOVER COLLEGE, 1837. The faculty numbers thir- teen, and the libraries contain from 10,000 to 12,000 volumes.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Wabash College, at Crawfordsville, received a charter in 1834, the year following Hanover. Its first school was convened in December, 1833. Its faculty numbers sixteen, and the value of its real estate, buildings, apparatus and books is about $320,000. These are exclusive of endowments and special funds. Wabash has the largest college library in the state, consisting of about 33,000 volumes.
De Pauw University, formerly known as Asbury, was organized in 1837, though in 1832 it had opened its doors to the young people as a seminary. Its location is near Green- castle. With the early life of this college we have become somewhat acquainted through its first president, Bishop Simp- son. When he became its president, in 1839, the number of professors, including himself, was four; the students numbered eleven; the sessions were held in a small rented building of two rooms, and there was no endowment. The experience of the Rev. T. A. Goodwin, of Indianapolis, the first graduate from this school, when he journeyed from his home to Green- castle, will serve as an illustration of the obstacles and hard- ships endured by students of those days, when, on the "royal road to learning," or, in other words, when going from their homes to the few scattered schools through the state. In the "Life of Bishop Simpson " we find the following reminiscence :
" I left Brookville Wednesday at noon, expecting to reach Greencastle by Friday night. The first seventeen miles were traveled in a two-horse coach. It had been raining for two weeks. There were no turnpikes then in Indiana. We were six hours in reaching Bulltown. From that place to Indian-
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apolis the coach that had been running three times a week had been taken off on account of bad roads, and a two-horse wagon, without cover or springs, had been substituted. In this, before daylight, we started, hoping to make Indianapolis, fifty-three miles distant, before the stage west should leave at ten that night. But we failed. It rained all day, and Rush county roads were at their worst. The corduroy was afloat in many places, and the creeks, and rivers, unbridged, were bank-full. Night overtook us about ten miles from Indianapolis, and it was dark as pitch. About eight o'clock our wagon broke down, six miles from Indianapolis, in the middle of a mud-hole. We were half a mile from any house and without a particle of light. We soon discovered that the wagon could go no further. There were three of us -- the driver, an agent of the stage line, and myself. The only baggage was my trunk and the mail pouch. After considering the situation, it was determined that the driver should ride one horse, without a saddle of course, and carry my trunk before him; the stage agent should ride the other, and carry the mail pouch before him and me behind him. By this conveyance I made my first entrance into Indianapolis, about eleven o'clock, the first Thursday night of November, 1837. The town was fast asleep, and hence our procession down Washington street, single file, the driver in the lead, with my trunk before him, created no marked sensation, and no mention of it was made in the city papers next morning. As the stage for St. Louis had been gone an hour or more, nothing could be done but to wait a day." This Mr. Goodwin
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
did, and finished the journey under equally disagreeable and uncomfortable conditions, reaching Greencastle four days after leaving home. The struggling little school to which he made this memorable journey now has a faculty of over fifty men- bers, an attendance of over a thousand students, a library of 11,000 volumes, and a large endowment, $240,000 of which was given at one time by Washington C. De Pauw, of New Albany, whose name the university now bears. The value of the grounds, buildings and equipments is estimated at about $210,000.
One of the largest educational institutions in the state is Notre Dame, a Roman Catholic university. It was founded by the Very Reverend Edward Sorin, superior general of the congregation of the Holy Cross, in 1842, and received its charter in 1844. In 1879 many of its builings were destroyed by fire, since which time about $750,000 have been expended for buildings and improvements. The value of the buildings and equipments is now estimated at $1,000,000, while the grounds are worth $100,000. The university is located at South Bend, and has a faculty of forty-nine members, between 600 and 700 students, and a library of over 25,000 volumes.
About one mile from Notre Dame University is situated the St. Mary's Academy for girls. Its site was selected by the founder of Notre Dame, and is on the beautiful banks of the St. Joseph's river. The school was established in 1855, has commodious buildings, and is well equipped for instruction in the various branches of an English and classical education.
Butler University is situated about four miles from
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Indianapolis, at Irvington, and is open to all without distinc- tion of race, color or sex. It was chartered in 1850, but was not prepared to receive students until 1855. For many years it was known as the Northwestern Christian University, but in 1877 it took its present name, in honor of Ovid Butler, who gave more largely of his time and thought and money to its upbuilding than did any other person. Its chair of English literature was filled for many years by Miss Catherine Merrill, a noble woman whose name is a household word throughout Indiana. The value of the grounds and buildings is about $125,000. The library contains about 6,000 volumes, and the faculty comprises thirteen members, besides four tutors. The attendance averages nearly 250.
. One of the most prominent educational institutions in the state is Purdue University at Lafayette. It had its origin in an act of Congress, passed in July, 1862, but not until 1875 was its career of usefulness begun, when sixty students were admitted to its privileges. This number has increased to 500, and there is an endowment fund of $340,- 000. John Purdue, of Lafayette, for whom the university is named, contributed $150,000 of this amount. Purdue is an industrial school, and includes the departments of agriculture, mechanics, mining and engineering, industrial art, and military science.
At Terre Haute is located a school unique in its character, as it is the only school in the west which provides facilities for the advanced courses in mechanical engineering. This school is called the Rose Polytechnic Institute, and was organ-
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
ized in 1875. It has a productive fund of at least $500,000, the gift of Chauncey Rose, who previously erected the buildings, and equipped the college entirely at his own expense. He was one of the greatest benefactors Indiana has ever had, his gifts to the Providence Hospital, the Free Dispensary, the Rose Orphan Asylum, and other worthy objects in Terre Haute and its vicinity, amounting to over $1,000,000.
About four miles from Terre Haute is located St. Mary's Academic Institute, a Roman Catholic seminary for girls. It was founded in IS40 by the Sisters of Providence from Ruille, France, and is said to have one of the finest academic buildings in the United States. .
One of the largest and best equipped colleges under the supervision of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States, is Concordia College, located at Fort Wayne. It was organized in 1839 and chartered in IS48; has extensive grounds and buildings, a fine library and large faculty, and is . doing a great work.
In addition to the colleges and schools named in the fore- going, are many other worthy institutions of learning, which are doing their part to keep Indiana in the future in the front rank of civilization.
In 1889 there were 9,928 school buildings in Indiana, of which fifteen were of log, eighty-five of stone, 3,691 of brick, and 6,137 of frame. The total enrollment in the free schools was 514,463.
With all these facilities for acquiring, not only a public school education, but for following advanced courses of instruc-
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
tion; with halls of learning so free and accessible, it is not - strange that Indiana is so rapidly becoming famous as a center of great literary activity.
A half century has worked wonders in the intellectual as well as in the material development of Indiana. In 1841 one-seventh of the adults of Indiana could neither read nor write. Now the percentage of illiteracy is among the lowest in the United States, while Indiana's capital is recognized as the literary center of the west.
CHAPTER XXVII.
INDIANA'S LITERARY HISTORY.
A RECORD OF NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS IN FICTION, POETRY, HISTORY AND BELLE LETTERS-LEW WALLACE AND HIS MASTERPIECE, " BEN HUR "- JAMES WHITCOMB RILEY, THE "HOOSIER POET"-MAURICE THOMPSON, A MANY-SIDED GENIUS-THE EGGLESTONS, JOAQUIN MILLER AND OTHER CELEBRATED INDIANA WRITERS.
"People that are busy in cutting down forests and build- ing new towns have no time to write books or paint pictures." These achievements must come in the later years of a state's history, after much of the drudgery of laying the foundation of a new commonwealth has been done. For such work brave, enterprising and progressive citizens are needed, and able, far- seeing statesmen. These the state was fortunate in possessing when they were most needed. But of late years a new luster has been shed upon the name of Indiana from the departments of literature and science.
Lew Wallace, Maurice Thompson, James Whitcomb Riley, Sarah T. Bolton, David Kirkwood and the Owens are names that any state might be proud to own. We can also justly claim the Egglestons and Joaquin Miller, for they are native-born Hoosiers.
The little village of Vevay is the birthplace of the Eggles- ton brothers, and here Edward lived until manhood, when he
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
became a Methodist clergyman. On account of ill health he
went to Minnesota. At thirty he entered upon his literary career, and was associated with various newspapers and maga- zines in different parts of the country. For several years he was literary editor of the New York Independent, becoming its managing editor when Theodore Tilton withdrew. Subsequently Mr. Eggleston was edi- tor of Hearth and Home, and for sev- eral years pastor of the Church of Christian Endeav- or in Brooklyn. But failing health obliged him to give up pastorial work. EDWARD EGGLESTON. which he did in 1879, going to his home-Owl's Nest on Lake George-and devoting himself to literature. Not only are we interested in the author because he is one of Indiana's sons, but because we find in several of his works vivid pictures of early life in the Hoosier state. " The Circuit Rider" and "The Hoosier School Master" are among his best-known works, both of which portray life in the pioneer days of Indiana. Edward Eggleston has contributed largely to the enjoyment and profit
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of young people in "School-master's Stories for Boys and Girls," "The Hoosier Schoolboy," and a juvenile "History of the United States."
George Cary Eggleston spent his early life in Indiana, and
=
Jours.
was a student at De Pauw university. Subsequently going to Virginia, he entered the Confederate army, serving as a private 17
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
during the civil war. At its close he became a journalist, and succeeded his brother as editor of Hearth and Home. He has been a prolific magazine writer. On the list of his published books appear a number for young people, among them "Cap- tain Sam," "The Big Brother," "The Signal Boys," and "The Wreck of the Red-Bird."
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