USA > Indiana > Porter County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 49
USA > Indiana > Lake County > Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana : historical and biographical > Part 49
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After the second May session, in vacation, Benjamin Stalleup was granted a certificate for $1.50 for three wolf scalps. A license to sell goods and keep tavern granted to Russell & Stilson, of Liverpool, from July to September, for $3.50; same except grocery license, to Benjamin Rich, Liverpool, $2; license of 62 cents to Samuel Miller to retail foreign merchandise on Deep River until September. The collector of revenue referred to above refused to act, and the Sheriff, Luman A. Fow- ler, elected in August, was appointed Collector in his place.
In September, 1837. it was resolved by the board, " that all Viewers (of roads) appointed by the court at the present term, perform the duty without compensation within thirty days, or give notice to the clerk of
423
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
their refusal to serve." During this session, many roads were projected in the county, and considerable money was paid out for their construction. In truth, from that time onward until the present, the records of the Com- missioners are filled with orders to locate, to view and to construct roads : and thousands of dollars of public funds have been expended in payment for labor, for material and for supervision. In September, $68.25 were or- dered and paid to the Grand and Petit Jurors, who had served at the first term of the Circuit Court in October.
In November, the license granted to Henry Frederickson, Nathaniel Davis and John B. Chapman, proprietors of Liverpool, to keep a ferry across Deep River, was revoked, as they had neglected to procure proper security on their bond. Abner Stilson, Jr., was appointed to keep the ferry, provided he secured a good and sufficient bond. In November, a county seat was adopted ; A. L. Ball, who had been one of the County Commissioners, but who had resigned the position to run for Representa- tive, refused to deliver over to the authorities the books and papers in his possession belonging to the county, whereupon it was " Ordered, That a summons be issued to him to make return of the same forthwith, or ap- pear and show cause why he refuses, at the next term." The following persons served as Grand Jurors at the October term, 1837, of the Circuit Court : John Wood, E. J. Robinson, J. P. Smith, Benj. Albee, Thomas Sawyer, Elias Bryant, Horace Taylor, Henry Wells, W. L. Harrison. Henry Torry, Abner Stilson, Jr., W. W. Payne, James Westbrook, Levi D. Jones, Calvin Lilly and George Earle. At the same time, the follow - ing men served as Petit Jurors : Milo Robinson, G. L. Zabriska, Aaron Cox, Orrin Smith, E. W. Bryant, John Reed, Thomas Hornor. Levi Jones, J. Mendenhall, Horace Wood, Hiram Nordyke, James Prentice, Elias Myrick, G. E. Woodbridge, Henry Farmer, Daniel May, N. D. Hall, Richard Fousher and Allen L. Cord. Amount paid Grand Jurors. $36 ; amount paid Petit Jurors, $26.25 ; amount paid Supernumeraries. $8.75. On the 1st of January, 1838, Milo Robinson, 3 per cent Com- missioner, presented his report as follows, which was accepted : Receipts. $2,380 ; expenditures, $1,896.81; balance on hand, $483.19. On the same day, "it now appearing to the satisfaction of the board that the Recorder's office of the county has become vacant, in consequence of the absence of the person heretofore elected to that office, for more than two months past, to the injury of several citizens now present before the Board, it is, therefore, 'Ordered, That Solon Robinson be, and he is here- by, appointed to fill the said office of Recorder until the next annual elec tion, and that he enter into bond. and take the oath of office, and enter upon the duties thereof instanter.'" The County Treasurer reported that, from the organization of the county to the 1st of January, 1838, a
424
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
total of $411.14 had been paid to him as such officer, and that a total of $392.25 had been expended by him, leaving a balance in his hands of $18.89. Of this, he was paid $6.16, leaving in the Treasury $12.73. It was also reported that $506.45 in county orders had been issued, of which $114.20 were yet in circulation and unredeemed. The Assessors for 1838 were J. V. Johns, for North Township; Daniel May, for Centre Township, and Jacob Mendenhall, for South Township. In May, 1838, the county was divided into sixteen Road Districts, the following men in order being the Supervisors : S. J. Cady, J. V. Johns, Seth Owens, Boyal Benton, Jonathan Brown, Leonard Cutler, Henry Wells, John Reed, Edmund Brown, Hiram Nordyke, Robert Wilkinson, John Smith. G. L. Zabriska, Thomas Sawyer, Lewis Warriner and Jabez Rhoades. The Assessors were paid: J. V. Johns, $32; Daniel May, $25, and Jacob Mendenhall, $18. Luman A. Fowler was appointed Collector of Revenue for 1838. On February 17, 1838, the Legislature enacted that the building wherein the courts were held in Lake County (a log building owned by Solon Robinson) should be declared and established as a court house, and a seat of justice of the county, until such time as the county seat shall be located, and public buildings erected, provided that the Commissioners of Lake County should agree to the provisions of the act. all of which was agreed to by the board, except that the erection of a jail, and other buildings, was postponed. This log building was erected in the summer of 1837, by Solon Robinson and his brother Milo, and was used continuously until the new court house was constructed in 1848 and 1850. In the bond which Solon Robinson gave the County Com- missioners, pledging certain property to the county in consideration for the location of the county seat at Crown Point, was a provision to the effect that the old log building might be used as a court house until the county saw proper to erect new buildings, which did not take place until. 1849, after which time the old house was no longer occupied for county purposes. Mr. Amos Allman has a section of one of the logs composing this building, which he prizes next to the historical lecture in his posses- sion, written by Solon Robinson in 1847, and read to the citizens at that early day. Many of the items contained in this volume were obtained from this lecture, which Mr. Allman kindly permitted the historian to inspect.
On the 8th of May, 1838, sundry petitions were received by the board from different portions of the county, asking that a re-division of the county into townships should be made, but action on the same was deferred by public announcement until March of the following year.
The following are the receipts and expenditures of the county school fund for the first five years, or from the spring of 1837 to the spring of
425
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
1842. Under the head of expenditures, the amounts paid individuals, as indicated, were paid them in their official capacity as Treasurers of their respective townships :
RECEIPTS.
Interest of surplus revenue drawn for 1837 $ 170 00
Interest of surplus revenue drawn for 1838. 170 00
Interest of surplus revenue drawn for 1839. 170 00
Interest of surplus revenue drawn for 1840. 170 00
Interest of surplus revenue drawn for 1841 170 00
Interest on the above amounts of 1837 and 1838
16 26
Loans paid School Commissioner, 1838 170 00
Sundry loans and interest, 1839.
306 90
Sundry loans and interest, 1840
446 26
Sundry loans and interest, 1841
406 76
Total.
$2,195 18
EXPENDITURES.
Loans to sundry individuals, 1837 and 1838 $ 440 76
Cash paid Township 34, Range 8, 1838. 46 87
Cash paid Township 33, Range 10, 1838
9 56
Cash paid Township 33, Range 8, 1838.
25 50
Cash loaned sundry individuals, 1839
298 81
Cash paid Joseph Jackson, Township 33, Range 10, 1839.
4 27
Cash paid Horace Taylor, Township 34, Range 9, 1839.
32 33
Cash paid W. A. W. Holton, Township 34, Range 8, 1839
24 40
Cash paid E. Saxton, Township 35, Range 8, 1839 14 75
Cash paid E. W. Bryant, Township 33, Range 8, 1839. 21 46
Loans, 1839.
80 00
Loans, 1840 ..
183 81
Cash paid Solon Robinson, Township 34, Range 8, 1840. 20 40
Cash paid T. Sweney, Township 33, Range 7, 1840 9 00
Cash paid James Farwell, Township 34, Range 10, 1840
12 00
Cash paid E. W. Bryant, Township 33, Range 8, 1840. 17 00
Cash paid W. A. Nichols, Township 34, Range 7, 1840.
14 40
Cash paid Horace Taylor, Township 34, Range 9, 1840.
24 40
Cash paid Horace Taylor, Township 34, Range 9, 1837 and 1838 ..
29 16
Cash paid W. A. Nichols, Township 34, Range 7, 1841. 48 54
Cash paid Solon Robinson, Township 34, Range 8, 1841 34 71
Cash paid Horace Taylor, Township 34, Range 9, 1841
61 16
Cash paid B. Barney, Township 35, Range 7, 1841. 25 00
Cash paid W. N. Sykes, Township 35, Range 8, 1841
33 13
Cash paid G. L. Zabriska, Township 33, Range 8, 1841. 30 76
Cash paid T. C. Sweney, Township 33, Range 7, 1841
20 25
Total. $1,562 43
Receipt balance held in the form of notes 632 75
In May, 1838, the licenses for tavern stands and liquor sales in Liv- erpool were fixed at $30 per year; at other places on the Sand Ridge road at $25 per year, and in other portions of the county at $15. An appeal was taken to the Circuit Court by Frederickson, Davis and Chap- man from the order of the board granting to Abner Stilson, Jr., condi-
426
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
tionally, the license to keep the ferry over Deep River at Liverpool. The security of the bond of these men having been made satisfactory, the court granted tbem the right of keeping the ferry. In November. 1838, L. A. Fowler, Sheriff, fitted up the lower room of the old log court house for a prison, at a cost of $64.
The County Seat .- On the 2d of November, 1838, the following action was taken :
WHEREAS, The law organizing the county of Lake prohibits the Board of Commission- ers from calling on the Commissioners appointed by the Legislature to locate the county seat of said county, until after the general sale of public lands in said county, and
WHEREAS, The county suffers much inconvenience in consequence of the county seat not being permanently located, and
WHEREAS, Only a part of such public lands are as yet offered for sale, and
WHEREAS, Much of the land in said county is claimed and held under the late pre- emption law of Congress.
We would, therefore, respectfully ask the Legislature at their next session to so amend said law as to allow the County Commissioners to call on the Locating Commis- sioners at any time after the passage of the said law, to examine said county, and if they find a suitable point upon which to fix such location that is held by pre-emption title, that they may, if they see proper, fix the location upon said site.
And it is further ordered that the Clerk of this Board certify this order to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and request him to lay the same before the House for their action thereon.
In response to this entreaty from Lake County, the State Legislature. in February, 1839, appointed five Locating Commissioners, and instructed them by special enactment to proceed to Lake County, and locate the county seat ; whereupon, in obedience to the order, the following action was taken by such Commissioners :
We, the undersigned Commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice of Lake County, after having examined the local situation and advantages of three points, to wit .: Lake Court House, Cedar Lake and Liverpool, a majority of the undersigned have agreed to locate said county seat on the town plat of Liverpool, and place the stake for the court house of said county on the public square of the town of Liverpool, in case the pro- prietors and donors comply with their proposals by securing to the county of Lake the amount offered by them, the bonds to be approved by us before we set the stake for the court house. The above bonds referred to have been signed and approved by us this 11th of May, 1839.
(Signed)
JOHN M. LEMON, STEPHEN JONES, ASAHEL K. PAYNE, JACOB ELLIS, SAMUEL WITTIER, Locating Commissioners.
At the same time, the Locating Commissioners turned over to the County Commissioners seven bonds given by the proprietors of Liverpool, whereby certain donations of property were secured to the county. They also drew their pay, a total of $138, and were discharged. In conformity with the legal requirements, George Earle was appointed County Agent,
427
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
to look after the property that had been donated the county as a consider- ation of the location of the county seat at Liverpool, and to perform other duties required by the act establishing the seat of justice in new counties. But the location of the county seat at Liverpool was not at all satisfactory to the citizens of the central and southern portions of the county. So great was the hostility to the location of the county seat at Liverpool, not merely because the location was at one end of the county, but because the citizens were generally satisfied that some sort of sharp work had induced the Locating Commissioners to select Liverpool, that the county officers were publicly urged not to go to that town until the State Legislature had been petitioned for a re-location. Under the law, the county officers were not compelled to remove to Liverpool until suitable buildings for their occupancy had been erected. The proprietors of Liverpool began the erection of a frame court house, but the building was never quite finished. It remained unoccupied at Liverpool until 1846, when it was floated down the river to Blue Island. where it was used as a tavern many years. At the session of 1839-40, the Legislature received information of the dissatisfaction existing in Lake over the county seat question, whereupon a re-location was ordered, and Commissioners were appointed to carry the enactment into effect. These officers met, deliberated, and finally made the following report :
To the Board of Commissioners of the County of Lake, State of Indiana :
We, the undersigned Commissioners to re-locate the seat of justice of said county appointed by an act passed at the last session of the Legislature, having met agreeable to the provisions of that act at a place named in said act as West Point, on Monday, the 8th day of June, instant, and having taken the oath required by law, have proceeded to the fulfillment of our duty, and after having thoroughly examined the situation of the county, as to the quality of the soil, weight of the present population, and having duly examined and considered the several sites offered, together with the donations offered in bonds, money and labor upon the public buildings, and duly deliberated upon all the several matters in relation thereto, have come to the conclusion, unanimously, to fix the said seat. of justice on Section 8, Town 34, Range 8, near where the present temporary court house is situated ; and for the purpose of erecting the court house and public offices, we have selected an acre of ground on the north side of the present public ground or square, a more particular description of the situation of which, and the use it is designed for, as well as a full description of all the land donated for the use of the county, will be found in a paper marked " original proposals," and in a bond taken in pursuance of that, whichi papers are herewith returned, having been approved and accepted by us. We also return to you sundry obligations of individuals for donations of money, materials and labor toward your public buildings, which we have ordered to be secured to your satisfaction ; and having discharged all the duties required of us by law, we most respectfully submit this, our report, to you, and ask to be considered discharged from our duties under said law.
LAKE COURT HOUSE, Lake County, Ind., June 12, 1840.
EDWARD MOORE, JESSE TOMLINSON, HENRY BARKLEY, JOSHUA LINDSEY, DANIEL DALE, Locating Commissioners.
Z
1
428
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
These Commissioners, having performed their duty, were paid $184.75, and discharged. George Earle was continued County Agent, with orders to have the notes of Henry Myrick, James Wright, J. A. Bothwell, C. . F. Cooke, Daniel May and Jacob Gilbert executed agreeably to their several donations. The agent was also ordered to prepare a plat of the town, to be laid off in accordance with the obligations of the proprietors of the county seat, and to assume control of the lands and other property that had been donated, as follows : William Clark, 35 acres, a portion of which, owing to some imperfections in the transfer, went back to Mr. Clark ; Solon Robinson, 20 acres on the west; Russel Eddy, 10 acres, and J. W. Holton, 15 acres, besides one-half the lots of the county seat, all of which property furnished the county with an important source of revenue in after years, and obviated much of the necessity of heavy tax- ation. Mr. Robinson had made other valuable concessions to the county, such as receiving county orders, and furnishing a court house for the county.
In September, 1840, the building belonging to Solon Robinson was enlarged, by raising the roof, for the purpose of affording more room for the county offices. At the same time, the county agent was ordered to sell the county lots in Crown Point, on a credit of one, two and three years, taking notes for the same, and also to rent the land donated by William Clark and J. W. Holton, to some person who would put it under a good state of cultivation. A bounty of $2 was ordered paid for wolf scalps. A public pound was built, and Henry Wells appointed keeper. At this time, the board gave notice that $20 would be paid for the best plan for a county court house, the building to be 28x46 feet, with court room below and offices above, the plan to be accompanied with full specifications, with estimated amount of material, cost, etc. No further action on that matter seems to have been taken. Arrangements to construct a fire-proof Auditor's office were made in March, 1844. It was ordered that the log building owned by Solon Robinson, and situated at the west end of the court house, should be turned over to Mr. Robinson, in March, 1844, as it was no longer needed by the county officers. In Sep- tember, Michael M. Mills donated $50, in labor, toward the construction of the public buildings. The county agent was authorized to contract for stone for the foundation of the new court house. In June, 1845, it was ordered that two offices should be built of brick, each 18x24 feet, both to be com- pleted before the 1st of November, 1845, the architecural design to be under the direction of William C. Farrington, H. S. Pelton and Joseph P. Smith, and the superintendency to be under Henry Wells. Michael M. Mills was given the contract of constructing the county offices, the consideration to be partly cash and partly on time, with interest. The
429
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
notes which had been given by those who had donated money to the county, or had purchased town lots, had not yet been paid, and the county agent was instructed to cash the same as soon as possible, as the money was needed in payment for building the offices. In March, 1846, Solon Robinson was notified to remove his log building from the court house square, which was accordingly done. In September, the county offices were ready for occupancy. At the December session, 1846, Henry Wells was appointed a Commissioner to advertise the letting of a contract to furnish 250,000 bricks for the building of a court house, at a price not exceeding $3.25 per thousand, to be delivered on the lot north of the public square in Crown Point by the 1st of January, 1848, payable as follows : $150 in labor donations and the balance in county orders, sub- ject to the direction of the board. The design of this order does not seem to have been realized as soon as was expected, as in December, 1847, the county agent was directed to procure a plan and specifications for a court house, 36x56 feet, with a porch or portico in front, ten feet wide, with columns to support the roof and proportioned in a suitable manner for the purposes intended, with wings on each side, 16x18 feet, and to report his doings at the next term of the board. In March, 1848, those indebted to the county for donations toward the erection of the county buildings .were notified to pay up, and it was intimated that upon refusal, suit would be commenced. This had the effect of raising the necessary funds. The Sheriff was notified to repair the jail. In March, 1848, the county agent was directed to procure a plan and specifications for a court house without wings, as was ordered some time before. On the 5th of June, 1848, the Board authorized the county agent to adver- tise in the Western Ranger, of Valparaiso, the letting of a contract to build a court house at Crown Point, agreeable to plans and specifications in the hands of the agent, John W. Dinwiddie, sealed proposals to be received until the first Monday of September next, the house to be com- pleted within two years from the time of letting the contract, payments to be made every three months, as the work progressed, 15 per cent of the payments to be retained until the building was completed. Thus, after many years of talking and maneuvering. a sensible and determined movement was made. This offer had the right ring in it, something which former offers did not possess, and soon led to effective results. Jeremy Hixon's proposal was received, and Luman A. Fowler was ap- pointed Superintendent of the work. Soon after this, a portion of the public square was ordered laid off into lots and sold, the proceeds to go toward the erection of the county buildings. Work on the court house was begun in the spring of 1849, and constant, slight alterations, in both the cost and the plan of the building, were made by the Commissioners
1
430
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
from time to time, until the house was completed in 1850, at a cost, in round numbers, of $10,000. A bell for the new court house was tendered the county, by John Hack, the same to revert to him or his heirs, when - no longer needed. In March, 1851, the contract to build a county jail was given to H. M. Nash, for $2,600. This building was completed, and accepted in January, 1853.
Legislative Acts .- In April, 1853, the herd law was put into effect in the townships of the county, certain animals specified being permitted to run at large. In June, 1855, Harvey Pettibone was appointed agent, for the sale of spiritous liquors, in pursuance of an act of the Legislature, approved February 16, 1855. His compensation was fixed at $209 per year, and reports were required quarterly. On the 18th of June, 1854, the Treasurer's office at Crown Point was broken open and robbed of $2,636.71 belonging to the different funds of the county ; $1,000 re- ward was offered for the apprehension of the burglars, but the culprits were never discovered. In July, 1865, Lorenzo D. Holmes, Michael Johnson, Peter Schiller, John Krost and W. S. Babbitt, representing the " Lake County Drainage Association," asked the Board for the appoint- ment of appraisers to assess damages to the lands of individuals in certain ditches, designed to be constructed. Whereupon, G. C. Dutton, Henry Hayward and another were appointed such appraisers. In June, 1868, appraisers were appointed for the " Calumet Valley Drainage Company." In March, 1859, John E. Trass was given the contract of the wood work and J. H. Abrams of the brick work, " for the enlargement and rebuild- ing of the county offices." Many alterations and modifications were made to the county buildings, from time to time, during the long period which elapsed from the time of their erection until the new court house was built.
An enactment of the Legislature, passed in 1838, provided that cer- tain fines and penalties should be devoted to the purchase of a county library. In about the year 1841, the amount had reached about $100, which was invested in books. A Librarian was appointed and by-laws adopted, and the citizens began to enjoy themselves at the expense of law-breakers. In 1845, Joseph P. Smith became Librarian and Treas- urer. In 1846, arrangements were made to devote a portion of the proceeds of the sale of town lots at Crown Point to the purchase of books; and, at the same time, a number of messages of the President of the United States were ordered bound, and several important volumes of law and miscellany were received as contributions. New books for the library were in great demand, so much so that they were often kept out much longer than the by-laws allowed. On one occasion, the County Commissioners ordered Edwin B. Warriner to replace in the library the
431
HISTORY OF LAKE COUNTY.
second volume of the "Phantom Ship," probably that others might read it before it was all absorbed. Joseph Jackson succeeded Mr. Smith, who went out to fight the Mexicans, and remained Librarian and Treasurer for some eight or ten years. Several hundred volumes were in the library. In 1854, the State Board of Education sent six school libraries to Lake County to be distributed to the townships, under the direction of the County Commissioners. The following disposition was made of the books : One set for North and Hobart Townships, one for Ross, one for Centre and Winfield, one for St. Johns and Hanover, one for West Creek and one for Cedar Creek and Eagle Creek. D. K. Pettibone and Daniel Turner were Distributing Commissioners. The development of the com- mon school system invaded the ground that had formerly been covered by the county library and the county seminary projects, and early in the fifties the funds of both were turned over to the common school fund. Many of the old books may yet be seen scattered throughout the county. Quite a library was received by the county from the McClure bequest. These may yet be seen at Crown Point.
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