USA > Indiana > Carroll County > History of Carroll County Indiana, its people, industries and institutions > Part 6
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be obtained, and Gen. W. H. Harrison had been appointed secretary of the Northwest territory by Virginia, and from this territory had been a dele- gate to Congress in 1799. Through his efforts large grants of lands were changed so that private corporations could not hold large grants. Few citizens realize how near this state came to being a slave state. They have a good reason to remember the "Sage of Monticello."
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CHAPTER III.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION -- FIRST COURT HOUSE-FIRST COUNTY JAIL-NEW COURT HOUSE -- NEW COUNTY JAIL -- TOWNSHIP ORGANIZA-' TIONS-COUNTY INFIRMARY.
COUNTY ORGANIZATION.
Carroll county was organized as a corporate body, pursuant to an Act of the General Assembly of the state of Indiana, approved on January 7, 1828. The Act provided the boundaries of the new county and named it "Carroll," in memory of Charles Carroll, of Carrolton, then the only sur- viving signer of the Declaration of Independence. Five commissioners were named in the Act, charged with the duty of fixing the county seat of justice.
The boundaries of the new county were described as follow: "Begin- ning at the northwest corner of township numbered 25 north, range 2 west of the second principal meridian; thence south nine miles to the center of township numbered 23; thence east seventeen miles to the western boundary of the Great Miami Reservation; thence north with said boundary eighteen miles to the center of township numbered 26; thence west eight miles to the southeast corner of section 16, range I west; thence north three miles to the township line dividing townships 26 and 27; thence west thirteen miles to the section line dividing sections 4 and 5, range 3 west; thence south with said section line twelve miles to the northern boundary of Tippecanoe county ; thence east four miles to the place of beginning-shall form and constitute a county to be known and designated by the title of 'Carroll,' and the boundary line of the county of Tippecanoe, on the east and north, so far as it divides that county from the county of Carroll, is hereby established and to be deemed and taken as unalterable, unless by common consent of the boards authorized by law to transact county business in the counties of Tippecanoe and Carroll, respectively. The new county shall, from and after the Ist of April, 1828, enjoy all the rights, privileges and jurisdictions which to separate and independent counties pertain."
The commissioners named in said Act were Samuel Jessup, of Hen- dricks county ; Asa B. Strong, of Marion county; Fredrick Moore, of Mont-
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gomery county; Enos Lowe, of Putnam county; and Joseph Bryant, of Fountain county, "are hereby appointed commissioners for the purpose of fixing the seat of justice in said new county." The Act provided that "said commissioners shall convene at the house of Henry Robinson in said county. on the second Monday in May next, and shall proceed to discharge the duties assigned them by law."
Under the Act a board of county commissioners was provided for, and pursuant to the provisions of the law an election was ordered to be held on the 28th of April, 1828. of all the voters in the county, to elect two associate justices, clerk and recorder, and three county commissioners. The election was accordingly held, and Isaac Griffith and Christopher McCombs were elected associate judges; Daniel F. Vandeventer was elected clerk and recorder, and Jacob Baum, Aaron Hicks and Graham Roberts were elected county commissioners. At this election seventy-six votes were cast.
The commissioners, appointed under said Act, reported, "That they had located the seat of justice on a tract of land of one hundred acres, being a part of the northwest quarter of section 29, range 2 west, of the second principal meridian, township 25 north; the said one hundred acres having been received by us as a donation from William Wilson of said county, as will more fully appear by his bond for a title, payable to the county com- missioners of said county." Mr. Wilson, at the time, was living on the one hundred acres of land which he had obligated himself to convey for a seat of justice, and had reserved the growing crops and rails thereon. Mr. Wilson died in the year 1829.
The name given as the name of the county seat, to-wit, "Carrollton," was changed by the board of county commissioners to "Delphi" on the 24th of May, 1828. There was dissatisfaction among the citizens about the name "Carrollton." and the influence of Gen. S. Milroy was sufficient to get the name changed. He suggested the name "Delphi." At that time a small plat of ground northeast of Delphi, about five miles, called "Carroll- ton" had a house or two, and the state commissioners were at first induced to adopt the name "Carrollton."
The organization Act designated the house of Daniel Baum, then situate in the bottoms of Deer creek, west of where the Wabash railroad is now located, as the place for the holding of the courts. The land for the seat of justice was surveyed and platted into lots and streets. The lots were sixty by one hundred twenty feet. The principal streets were eighty feet wide; under said Act an agent was selected by the board of county com- missioners to sell the town lots at public auction, the proceeds to be used
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for county purposes. The first sale took place on August 11, 1828, and only a portion of the lots were sold. The state commissioners were paid the sum of $126 for their services. At the June session of the commissioners court a tax list was made, as follows : in each poll, 50 cents; license for sale of foreign merchandise, not exceeding $1,000, the sum of $10. The bond of the clerk and recorder was fixed at $2,500. On the 12th of May. 1828, the board of commissioners laid out four townships, Deer Creek, Tippe- canoe, Rock Creek and Eel. Itlections were held in these townships, June 7, 1828, for the election of a justice of the peace. The board appointed Daniel Baum county treasurer, and fixed his bond at $1,000. Constables. fence viewers and overseers of the poor, were appointed by the board of commissioners. The first postoffice was opened on April 3, 1828, with Abner Robinson as postmaster. Eel township was later on struck off and exchanged with Cass county.
The circuit court, commissioners and probate courts, were held at the house of Daniel Baum during the year 1828. In the fall of 1829 the courts were held in a new school house in Delphi. The associate justices were elected and sat with the circuit judge. This continued until the adoption of the Constitution of 1852. Judge B. F. Morris was the first presiding judge, and was of the fifth judicial district. Henry Bruce Milroy was the first sheriff, under an appointment of Gov. J. Brown Ray. There were no resident attorneys. Attorneys from other counties attended the court here, coming on horseback, along the Indian trails.
The business of the courts was very little for several years, but a good supply of attorneys was always on hand at the court. For several years the sessions did not exceed three days. Some of the attorneys who were in attendance upon the courts were James Raridan. Joseph Talman, S. Smith, William Quarles, Andrew Ingram, Moses Cox, Albert G. White, Cyrus Ball, Calvin Fletcher, W. W. Wick, Benjamin Hurst, A. Finch, J. B. Chap- man, T. J. Evans, E. A. Hannegan, Henry Cooper and John Petit.
Among the first attorneys who became residents were L. B. Sims, Levi S. Dale, H. Graham, H. Allen, J. A. Sims, A. H. Evans, L. Graham and a few others. Some of the non-resident attorneys became noted men in the state. White, Hannegan and Petit were members of Congress, and Petit was a United States Senator. From 1850 to the present time the circuit court was visited by attorneys from all the adjoining counties. Under the head of "Judiciary" will be found a detailed statement of the judicial pro- ceedings of the courts, from the first organization to the present.
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FIRST COURT HOUSE.
In the year 1831, the county commissioners proceeded to erect a build- ing for the courts and other purposes. On the 18th of July, 1831, a con- tract was entered into by the board of commissioners and Theophilus Hard- man, who afterwards surrendered his contract and was released. The con- tract was then awarded to John Dolason in September, 1831. At that time there was in the hands of Aaron Dewey, county agent, the sum of $275, money realized from the sale of town lots, which was in accordance with the grant of the land for a county seat. The contractor received as a second installment $200; the third installment was $500. The building was of brick, and was completed and accepted at the September session of the board of commissioners in 1832. The contractor received the further sum of $376, making in all the sum of $1,351. This contract did not include painting, inside work and the cupola. This work was done by T. C. Hughes for $972.63.
Afterward the walls were painted a straw color. The plastering cost $300. Other work required to complete the building cost various amounts. The aggregate cost of the court house reached the sum of $3,500. The building was fifty feet square, two stories high. A bell was hung in the cupola which served for all purposes that a bell could be used for in the town and is still in use. This court house served the county twenty-five years.
FIRST COUNTY JAIL.
For five years Carroll county was without a jail. When the popula- tion had increased to the extent that it became necessary to have a place to confine the lawless class, a county jail was ordered by the board of county commissioners to be erected in 1829, on the lot owned by the county, being lot No. 101, in the original plat of the town, situate on the block north of the public square. At a special session of the board, held on September 26, 1830, the board made the following entry :
"Ordered, That a jail be built in Delphi, on the following plan, to-wit : Twenty-six feet long, eighteen feet wide, and a nine-foot story with a parti- tion in the center; three doors, one window to the dungeon, fourteen inches square, double-barred with iron bars; floor double, with oaken timber one foot square; the debtor's room single, the walls of the dungeon to be double. the outside walls of oak timber one foot square, the inside walls of solid
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CARROLL COUNTY COURT HOUSE.
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timber one foot square; the debtor's room to be one wall of oak timber one foot square; the partition to be double, of the same kind and size timbers as the wall; the roof to be made of jointed shingles."
The contract for the erection of the building was awarded to Henry Robinson, who was to receive the sum of $550. The board made some changes in the plans of construction of the building, specifying the width of the doors, providing for the roof to be of shingles, an inside door to be of iron, one-half inch thick, the jailor's residence to be sixteen feet square and seven feet high in the clear. The building to be completed by the 15th of September, 1839. At a meeting of the board held on September 4, 1839, the contractor was ordered to make an inside door six inches high and eight inches wide, of iron, with a shutter on the outside, and provide a strong pad- lock. This aperture was no doubt a "peep" hole.
The board of commissioners, at their session in 1840, the same being the September session, concluded that the jailor was entitled to a more com- modious residence and ordered that public notice be given in the Delphi Bulletin that proposals would be received by the clerk for the building a jailor's house and debtor's room, of the following plan: "The house to be built of brick, two stories high, with a passage in the middle, the wall to be twenty-four inches thick around the jail both stories, and the wall for the other part of the house to be eighteen inches thick. The house to be forty- two feet long, from outside to outside; the lower story to be nine feet high and the upper story to be eight feet high; the debtor's room to be built immediately above the present jail; to have one window in the debtor's room, twelve light, eight by ten glass, to be fixed with crossed iron bars in such a manner as to make the same secure. The floor in the debtor's room to be laid of oak planks one and one-half inches thick, the same to be sealed with oak planks one and one-half inches thick, to be strongly spiked on with strong iron spikes. The building to be covered with good shingles; the rooms for the jail to be plainly and neatly finished off; to have one chimney, with two fireplaces in the same, one above the other below the stairs. The hall to be six feet wide, with a strong door on the front, and the same kind on the rear; to have a good and neat pair of stairs in the hall to reach the upper story. The foundation of the whole house to be of stone, two feet thick and two feet high. The door going into the debtor's room to be similar to the wooden door in the present dungeon, with a similar lock; to have two windows above and two below in front of the jailor's room, one below and one above in the rear. The debtor's room to have a flue for a stove pipe, to be topped out like a chimney in the end of the
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house; the family part of the house to have two coats of paint. The whole to be completed by the Ist day of September, 1840."
The board afterwards increased the length of the building five feet. The contract was awarded to James Rogers to build this building, at a cost of $1,800. The building was completed and the board received it on November 17, 1841.
It will be observed that people who failed to pay their debts were liable to be incarcerated when a judgment was rendered against them, but they were kept separate from criminals. This was a wise provision, humane and sensible for separation. The court records, however, do not show that many were thus confined, as experience taught our forefathers that a man in jail had no opportunity to earn money to pay debts or to support his family, if he had one. This nefarious law went out when a new Constitu- tion was adopted. The old jail also went out in 1871, when a new county jail was built, which was supposed to be proof against "jail-breakers." Its history will appear presently.
NEW COURT HOUSE.
The increased business of the courts and county affairs, made it neces- sary to provide more commodious accommodations for the administration of justice, and proper preservation of the public records. The board of county commissioners in June, 1855, directed Thomas C. Hughes, a resident reputable architect, to examine foreign court houses, and to report to the board his information acquired. He submitted plans at the following term, and the one proposed by M. J. McBird, of Logansport, was accepted. On April 2, 1856, the board considered the bids filed, and the bid of James Woods, of Logansport, proposed to build the court house in accordance with the plans and specifications for the sum of $32,300.
A building committee was appointed to supervise the work. An extra allowance was allowed the contractor in the sum of $1,087. The clock cost $800. The court house yard was graded at a cost of $2.000. A fence enclosed the yard at a cost of $5,697.15. About twenty-five years ago the fence was sold and the hitch-racks removed over considerable opposition. Subsequently the walks around the public square were laid in concrete and the unsanitary conditions that had existed so long (and by some people wished to be continued) were eliminated forever. Fifty-nine years have passed since the court house was built, and the growth of this county, the large increase of county business, the accumulation of records in all the
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public offices (storage room being at a premium), the cellar full of books and papers, office rooms over-crowded when a half dozen men enter them- the necessity for better accommodations are manifest to everybody. Sooner or later a new court house or additional annexes will be an accomplished fact. Carroll county is a rich county, with very little indebtedness and has a splendid citizenship, and this county need not lag behind sister counties which have fine court houses that reflect credit upon a wide-awake. advanc- ing and prosperous citizenship.
NEW COUNTY JAIL.
After the completion of the new court house it was evident that the old jail had served its purpose, and was inefficient and unsafe as a place to incarcerate prisoners, and public opinion being of one accord the board of county commissioners, at the September session, 1871, took steps to secure suitable grounds. Lots 37 and 38, in the original plat of the town of Delphi, were bought of Noah Cory for the sum of $3,000. Plans and specifications were submitted to the board by C. A. McClure, a competent architect. for a jail and jailor's residence, which were accepted by the Board, and after notice to contractors, on April 9, 1872, the bid of F. L. Farman for $36.998.75, was accepted by the board and the contractor entered into a contract with the board of commissioners to build said buildings in con- formity to the plans and specifications on file.
Some changes were made during the construction of the buildings. At a special session of the board held in December, 1873. the architect reported the buildings completed and that the contractor was entitled to $570.52 for extra services. The board approved the report, accepted the buildings, and allowed the contractor the extra allowance. The contractor claimed he had suffered a loss of $8,000 in the construction of the buildings, and produced the vouchers to show his contentions to be true, and the board, being human beings and believing in the doctrine "do unto others as you would have others do unto you." met him a little over half way and allowed him the sum of $4.430.73.
The jail and sheriff's residence is situate on the corner of Main and Wabash streets in the city of Delphi, and is a brick structure, thirty-eight by forty feet in size and two stories in height. The rear of the building is the main prison building, built of stone and in size thirty by twenty-eight feet, and two stories high. At the time it was built it was regarded as containing all the best features of the most modern buildings of like char-
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acter. At present M. M. Popejoy is the occupant of the residence, as jailor and sheriff. He says. "he don't care to occupy the back part."
ADAMS TOWNSHIP.
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Adams township was organized by the board of county commissioners at the May term, 1828, and John Scott was appointed inspector of elections. The first election was held on the first Monday in August, 1831, and John Love was elected justice of the peace. Three trustees were elected at said election. The first school house was built on the farm of John Love in 1834. Thomas Mclaughlin was the first school teacher. The first religious organization was the Associate Presbyterians in 1834. Rev. Nathaniel Ingles was the first pastor of the church.
Burnett's creek furnished excellent water power and a saw-mill was erected at Lockport by John A. Barnes in 1832. He built a grist-mill in 1835. Lockport was the only village in the township. It was located on the Wabash and Erie canal, and for many years a large amount of business was transacted at this place. John Newman built a saw-mill on Rattlesnake creek in 1834, and a few years later added a flouring-mill. A number of saw-mills were built by various persons.
Among the early settlers were William Hicks, John Love, John Crowell, Joseph Newman, Jacob Riegel, Peter Speece, Amassa Straight, John Barnes, Charles Wright, Daniel Hoover, Samuel Neill, James Small and others.
BURLINGTON TOWNSHIP.
Burlington township was organized by the board of county commis- sioners in March, 1832. Alston Wyatt was appointed inspector of elec- tions. The first township election was held on the first Monday in April, 1832. and Mahlon Shinn was elected justice of the peace. The first schools were taught in log cabins; the first of note was in 1836 on the farm of Edmond Moss. Brick school houses abound in this township. The gospel was preached in the log school houses until church buildings were erected. Burlington is the principal town in this township. It is located on the state Michigan road which runs through this township. It contains a fine high school building, a bank and churches. Burlington Lodge No. III, Free and Accepted Masons, was organized at Burlington in 1851. Burlington Lodge No. 77, Independent Order of Odd Fellows was organized on Janu- ary 10, 1850.
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CHRISTIAN CHURCH, BURLINGTON.
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Among the first settlers were Henry Bolles, Samuel Anderson, J. M. Darnell, Robert Johnson, Jacob Brown, William Smith, James C. Smith, W. C. Ewing, Edmund Moss, William Runnion, S. Harmon, William Stock- ton, Andrew Gwinn. John T. Gwinn, Joseph Kingery, Samuel Gwinn, Andrew Beck, Joseph Rinker, Peter Harmon, James Chittick, Enos James, Thomas Huston, William Trent, Richard Duncan and others.
CLAY TOWNSHIP.
Clay township was organized by the board of county commissioners in 1831, and Albert G. Hanna was appointed inspector of elections. The first election was held at the house of Jonathan Gillam, on the second Mon- day of April, 1831, and George Julian was elected justice of the peace. This township is the southwest township of the county. Wild Cat creek runs through this township. ( The first school house was built on the farm of Alexander Murphy in 1837 and a Mr. Troxell taught the first school. The next school house was built on the land of John Beard in 1839. Log school houses were built thereafter as the demands of the people required. Two churches of the German Baptist denomination are located in this township. John Wagoner erected the first saw-mill, and also a mill to grind wheat and corn. The villages in this township, are Pyrmont and Owasco. Pyrmont is situated on the western border, and Owasco on the Monon rail- road.
Among the early settlers were John M. Beard, Nicholas Garst, Jacob Shigley, Alexander Murphy, Adam Bates, James Gray, Eli Moore, Samuel Moore, James Enochs, George Stombaugh, Daniel Wagoner, John Wagoner, Samuel Mooney, N. Campbell, John Cripe, S. Studebaker, Jacob Cripe, Daniel Metzger, Jacob Saylor, Daniel Saylor, Samuel Bugher and others.
CARROLLTON TOWNSHIP.
Carrollton township was organized by the board of county commis- sioners in 1835, and Elisha W. Lake was appointed inspector of elections. The first election was held on the first Monday in April, 1835, at the house of E. W. Lake, and George Fouts was elected justice of the peace. The first settlements were made in 1832. The state Michigan road runs through this township. The Rev. John P. Hay was the minister of the Cumber- land Presbyterian church; the first to hold religious services in this town-
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ship. 'In 1836 the first school house was erected on the land of George - Young. Saw-mills were built in 1835, and the first grist-mill was erected in 1848. The villages in this township are Wheeling, Sharon and Carrol- ton, located on the state Michigan .road.
... Among the first settlers were George Trapp, Johnson Kirkpatrick, George Fouts, Benjamin Kirkpatrick, Martin Wagoner, Francis McCain, Peter Duncan, Samuel Ayres, John Garrison, John Shively, Abner Shanks, Jacob Shively, William Martin, Charles Martin, Jacob Cline, Jeremiah Trent, E. W. Lake, Andrew Hunter, Uriah Blue and others.
DEER CREEK TOWNSHIP.
Deer Creek township was organized in May, 1828, by the board of county commissioners, and an election was ordered to be held on June 7, 1828. At this election Henry Robinson was elected a justice of peace. The board appointed the constables, overseers of the poor, and the fence viewers. Delphi, the county seat, is situate in this township. At the time of the organization of this township, there were about two hundred people in the township. The chief civil business transacted was the laying out of roads. The Wabash and Erie canal ran through this township, upon which canal there were a number of warehouses established. Delphi was incorporated pursuant to a charter of the Legislature of 1837-1838. In May, 1838, William Crooks was elected the first mayor.
The early schools ware taught in log school houses. The first public school building erected in Delphi was used for all purposes. The courts were held in it until the first court house was built. After the new Con- stitution went into effect, in 1852, the free school system, which has been in operation ever since, made provision for better school houses, and pro- vided for a tax for school purposes. "The first building erected in Delphi for school purposes was in 1848, a brick, two-story house. A Methodist Society was organized in 1826. The Presbyterian church was organized in 1828.
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