USA > Indiana > Cass County > History of Cass County, Indiana, from its earliest settlement to the present time; with Biographical Sketches and Reference to Biographies, Volume I > Part 66
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
MILLER'S MILL
The Henry Miller flouring mill was erected about 1835 on the head waters of Spring Creek in the southeast quarter of section 3. It was at first a small log structure, but a few years later a commodious frame building was erected. Samuel Gingrich owned and operated it for many years, until his death when it changed hands. Wm. Snepp and others continued to run the old mill until about twenty-five years ago it ceased to be operated on account of scarcity of water and new roller processes of the larger mills that drove many small mills out of business.
SUTHERLAND FLOURING MILL
This mill was built by Zera Sutherland about 1844 a mile below the last named mill on Spring Creek from which it received its motive power. This was a large frame structure, fitted up with the best machinery in that day and turned out a fine grade of flour. These two Spring Creek mills did a big business for more than a third of a cen- tury, people coming from Kewana and Rochester to have their grain ground and staying all night and sometimes two or more days before they could get their flour. This mill was last operated by S. I. Gingrich, but it has been closed for twenty years or more, having yielded to modern machinery and centralization of human effort.
JOHN MILLER CARDING MACHINE
This was erected by John Miller about 1837-8 on the west bank of Spring Creek, a half mile south of his flouring mill. At first it did only carding but later spinning and weaving machinery were put in and it was operated extensively from 1860 to 1870, and turned out a good quality of woolen cloth and flannels. Jacob Weaver was the operator for some years about this time. Later it was run by J. W. Thomas and James Smith; then Joshua LaRose, but has yielded to centralization and closed its doors more than a quarter of a century ago.
Conrad Martin about 1834 built the first mill at Adamsboro. It was a saw mill located on the north or west bank of Eel river and re- ceived its power from that stream, a brush dam being first built across the river just above the present wagon bridge, which was, however, soon washed out and replaced by a more substantial dam. Mr. Martin operated the saw mill for a number of years, probably until his death in 1844-6 when it was sold to Joshua Morgan, who continued the busi- ness until the early fifties when George Rush purchased the mill. About 1855 the dam was washed out and Mr. Rush sold out his interests. Dr. G. M. Jeroleman gained control of the power on the west side of the river; he with the Kendall Bros. on the east side erected the present dam some distance above the old, which was completed in August, 1857. John Davidson then operated the saw mill until 1861 when J. S. Win- ters purchased the property and did an extensive business in hard- wood lumber. He was succeeded by J. W. Thomas and later C. M. Swigart, who was the last to operate the saw mill and he retired from the business more than twenty-five years ago. Since then the old mill has fallen into decay.
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DISTILLERY
Conrad Martin started a small distillery at the mouth of Spring creek about 1837 and turned out a fair article of "tanglefoot," where the farmers so inclined could exchange a bushel of corn for a gallon of the stuff. The place bore the euphonious name of "Hell's Half Acre." Geo. Rush, Reise and Joshua Morgan, Chas. Luy, Jacob Fisher and Henry Fiedler operated the distillery at different times for many years but closed up the business over fifty years ago.
CARDING MACHINE
About 1843 Reese Morgan erected a building of moderate dimensions at Adamsboro and installed a complete line of machinery for roll card- ing which was patronized for miles around. The farmers came to have their wool carded into rolls which the good housewife would spin at home on the old time spinning wheel, knit the yarn into stockings or maybe weave it into home-spun cloth to clothe the family, for in those days women not only made the clothing for the family but very often spun the yarn and wove the cloth out of which the clothing was made. Mr. Morgan did a thriving business for some years, but after a time the business ceased to be remunerative and the machinery was advertised for sale in the Pharos in 1854. The old building was used later for a distillery by parties previously named as engaged in that business.
WOOLEN MILL
About 1868 J. W. Thomas built a large woolen mill at Adamsboro adjoining the old saw mill and utilized the water power from Eel river to run the machinery, which was up-to-date in all respects. He did considerable work manufacturing the usual classes of domestic woolen goods. Later Mr. Thomas leased the mill to Paden and Wiggington, who operated it for about two years, when they gave it up. John Tat- man, an Englishman, next took charge of the woolen mill. He, with his family, all textile workers, turned out large quantities of first class goods, which found a ready sale, but he could not compete with the large mills with improved machinery and in a few years found his business was not profitable and closed the mill about 1883 and the machinery fell into decay and was never used thereafter. The old building stood idle until about 1898 when David Myers took possession of it, installed mill buhrs for grinding corn meal, whole wheat flour and buckwheat, and operated the mill until his death, when his son Willard continued the business for several years. He in turn was followed by M. T. Oliver for one year. In 1910 J. G. Wilson repaired the property, put- ting in concrete race walls and operated the mill, principally confining his work to grinding feed, corn meal and buckwheat. He also put in a cider mill attachment and made large quantities of cider. In the spring of 1912 the high water and heavy ice carried out a large section of the dam which has never been repaired and the mill has fallen into disuse.
SPRINGDALE
This is one of Cass counties paper towns which was laid out by Samuel Swigart in September, 1873. The plat shows sixteen lots ad- joining Adamsboro on the north and situated in section 14, Clay town- ship. No improvements were made, lots were not salable as Adamsboro did not develop as expected and Springdale reverted to the tiller of the soil and only exists as a town on the plat book in the recorder's office.
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VILLAGE OF ADAMSBORO
This town is an outgrowth of the Eel River Railroad and was laid out by G. E. Adams in the fall of 1872 and receives its name from the owner of the town site. The town plat is situated near the center of the east line of section 14 and a quarter of a mile from Eel river bridge at old Hooverville. The original plat embraces sixty-three lots and one park, traversed by five streets: Jefferson, Monroe and Quincy run north and south, and two, Adams and Madison, east and west. Mr. Adams was interested in and largely instrumental in the building of the railroad and the platting of the town was largely a matter of specu- lation on the part of the proprietor, who was disappointed in the town not coming up to his expectation. But few of the lots were sold and with the exception of a depot, schoolhouse and a store room no improve- ments have been made on the town site, but there are a number of houses that were previously built around the milling industries on Eel river in the vicinity and a few more recently erected, which collectively are now called Adamsboro, a village of less than a hundred population. Soon after the railroad was completed and opened to traffic in 1872 the Adamsboro postoffice was established, but as there were no houses in the townsite the office was kept nearly a half mile east across the river in old Hooverville, in Miami township. Here J. S. Dubois became Adamsboro's first postmaster, followed by Amos Fortney, J. M. Max- well, S. McCoy, Emanuel Loser and M. J. Morgan. In 1891, Mr. Mor- gan erected a commodious and substantial frame building near the depot on the railroad to which he moved his store and the postoffice where he has continued to do a profitable business to the present time, in all lines of goods usually found in a well stocked country store. Mr. Morgan was postmaster for twenty-one years and until the office was discontinued, being replaced by the rural mail service from Logans- port, about 1905, which now daily delivers mail at the door of every house in Adamsboro, which is more satisfactory to its people than its former postoffice. Several years ago J. M. Swigart put up a store build- ing in the village and opened a general stock of goods, but after a few years sold out and retired to his farm.
Samuel I. Gingrich formerly started a steam sawmill near the rail- road just east of the station and did quite a business, the larger part of which was making ties for the railroad, but timber becoming scarce compelled the closing of the mill nearly twenty years ago. Messrs. C. D. and Reese Morgan are engaged in the stock and grain business at Adamsboro and Mexico, thus furnishing a ready market for the farmers in all the surrounding country. They also handle coal, lime, cement, tile, wire fencing and farm implements, greatly to the convenience of the farmers in the vicinity.
When the railroad was first completed a large station house was erected and a telegraph office established with J. F. Rhodes as operator, but the service did not pay and was soon discontinued and some years later the depot building was blown down during a heavy storm.
The village schoolhouse, a comfortable frame building, was erected in 1869, and I. J. Berry taught the first school therein. Larkin Justice was the first blacksmith in the village, opening a shop just south of the Eel river bridge, in 1850. The present blacksmith is J. A. DeMoss, who located here some years ago. Jacob Fisher at one time had a furniture factory where he made common household furniture, coffins, handrakes and grain cradles, before the time of reapers and binders, but modern methods have driven out all such industries.
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Dr. Cyrus Pickett located in Adamsboro in 1879 and continued in active practice until 1884, when he moved to Twelve Mile in Bethlehem township.
Of the pioneer buildings but one remains. It was erected by Jacob Martin about 1837, and is a two-story frame house and has changed but little since its erection about seventy-five years ago.
OLD TOWN INDIAN VILLAGE
The village of Ke-ne-pa-com-a-qua or Old Town, was the name of an Indian village on the north bank of Eel river, covered by the reser- vation to Manchinequa, in the treaty of October 16, 1826, with the Pottawattomies. This village extended from the east part of Clay township eastward into Adams township. In the latter part of the eighteenth century this was an important Indian village and the center or headquarters for Indians on the Upper Wabash and from which numerous depredatory expeditions against the whites were sent out. The government determined to break up this rendezvous of the Indians and sent a force of five hundred and twenty-five soldiers from Kentucky under General Wilkinson, who in August, 1791, attacked and dispersed the Indians and burned their wigwams. Many curious relics have been found on the site of this Indian village, such as tomahawks, beads, pipes, knives, swords, etc. The place was for many years known as the "plum orchard" on account of many wild plum trees growing there in early days.
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INCIDENTS AND ACCIDENTS
In the early fifties a young son of Josuha Morgan, while crossing Spring creek on a foot brodge, fell into the water and was drowned; this is the only tragic event to record in the village of Adamsboro.
INDIAN OFFENDED SEEKS REDRESS
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Rev. John Scott, the first settler in Clay township in 1828, who then lived on the Julian farm in section 16, had an exciting experience with a drunken Indian. The Indians had a village on Eel river above Adams- boro and a trail led through Mr. Scott's land to Logansport. In clear- ing his land he had felled a tree, the top of which obstructed the Indian trail. This particular Indian took offense at this obstruction of the trail and determined to seek redress in his death. So while in Logans- port he filled up on "red eye" and started off in advance of his com- panions and sought Mr. Scott in his cabin and made demonstrations to make mince meat of him with a knife which he flourished in his hand. However, Mr. Scott was on the alert, as the pioneer always learned to be when a drunken Indian was about, and with a chair knocked the Indian down. He lay apparently lifeless for some time, and Mr. Scott began to feel nervous lest he had killed him, but soon the Indian began to show signs of life and got up and left as suddenly as he came and Mr. . Scott was never molested thereafter, but he, being a Christian gentleman, went to the Indian camp, where they usually stayed all night on their way from Logansport to their village, which camp was only a mile or less east of his cabin on the Plummer farm, and there related what had occurred. The Indians generally applauded Mr. Scott's actions, stating that he was a quarrelsome and bad Indian and he was treated as he deserved. This, however, illustrates the trials and difficulties of the pioneer, especially during the Indian occupation before their removal west in 1838.
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PHYSICIANS
Dr. Bruce Harmon was born in Miami county, Indiana, about 1850; moved with his father to Bethlehem township, near the Twelve Mile M. E. church, in the early sixties. The doctor studied medicine but did not complete his course in the medical college. He located and practiced at Adamsboro about 1875 to 1880. The medical law of 1881 compelled his retirement from practice in Indiana and he moved west, where we are informed he is still engaged in dispensing pills. He married a Miss Dalzelle, of Adams township, and they have several children.
DR. JOHN WILDS
Was a native of England, where he was born June 17, 1827. He made a number of trips across the Atlantic as a sailor. He finally settled in Butler county, Ohio, and learned the shoemaker's trade. About 1858 he attended the Cincinnati Medical Eclectic Institute. In 1867 he located in Clay township, on a farm adjoining the county farm on the north, where he engaged in the practice of medicine and managed his farm until 1895, when he sold out and moved on a farm near Richmond, Virginia, where he is now living a retired life. The doctor was married in 1849 to Mary A. Winerose, of Ohio, by whom he had three children. One son, John W. Wilds, now an honored citizen living near Adams- boro. Mrs. Wilds died and the doctor has since remarried.
DR. MYRON H. WILLIAMS
Was born in Ripley county, Indiana, in 1854. He moved to Cass county in 1905, and was licensed as a regular physician to practice medicine. He located on a farm in Clay township just north of the county poor farm, and engaged in general practice and acted as assist- ant county physician, attending the inmates of the county infirmary. In 1908 he removed to the suburbs of Indianapolis, where he had form- erly resided.
A BIT OF INTERESTING HISTORY
About 1836, John Stafford came from Rush county, Indiana, and lived with his daughter, Mrs. Sallie Julian and her husband Geo. Julian, who then resided on the farm now belonging to Ed Douglass, in section 16, Clay township. He was a soldier in the United States army under General Wilkinson and engaged in Cass county's only battle, that of Old Town on Eel river, August 7, 1791, where he was wounded and made a cripple for life. By virtue of his service in Cass county's only battle and his residence with us in early days he is one of our honored and respected pioneers. It will therefore be of interest to notice the last sad experience of his, among the Indians, and is worthy of record in Cass county history, although the incident occurred in Rush county after he went out from our midst. John Stafford located in the midst of a dense forest and made what was called a brush house or tent, by setting four forks in the ground, laying poles across and covering it with brush and leaves and closing the sides with the same material, thus he occupied his first rude house in Hoosierdom. It was the custom for pioneers to fire a brush heap at night and work by the light it gave in clearing the land. One night John Stafford and his son and Billy Tune, a helper, were thus working by the brush light when suddenly Indians in ambush fired upon them; one of Stafford's legs was shattered and he was at the mercy of the savages. Billy Tune was shot and mor-
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tally wounded. John Baker, grandfather of J. J. Julian, of Clay town- ship, lived in a cabin about a mile distant from the Stafford camp to which place the Stafford family hurried as the Indians placed the torch to their rude domicile made of extremely inflammable material. Billy Tune also was able to reach the Baker home where he died two days later. When Mr. Baker and other friends returned to J. Stafford, who was unable to walk owing to his fractured leg, they found him lying in a dying condition, where the Indians had scalped him. Thus perished one of Cass county's early and honored pioneers and who was the only soldier that fought and was wounded on Cass county's only battlefield.
A WILD MAN
About 1833-35 Clay township had a peculiar man within her bor- ders, known at the time as "the wild man." He was so named because he lived solitary and alone in the woods where he had "squatted" with- out right or title. His little cabin about 8 x 10 feet and seven feet high was made of round poles and covered with brush, bark and leaves. It was located in the dense woods with no clearing around it, just north of the little prairie on the north part of the Hamilton and Taber farm and on the bluff east of Tick creek. He came no one knows from where, he lived to himself, having no relations with the neighbors, although neighbors were seldom near each other in those days, and no one knew whither he went. This eccentric creature may well be styled the "wild man of Clay township."
SCHOOLS
Clay township being in close proximity to the county seat was early settled and here as elsewhere, the pioneers were alert to the advantages of an education for their children and although there was no system of public schools, yet they began to arrange for the instruction and educa- tion of their children as soon as there were families sufficient in the set- tlement to justify the employment of a teacher.
The first schoolhouse in the township was erected on the farm now owned by Art Wells, about eighty rods east of the Michigan road in the northwest quarter of section 7. This was a log structure and the first teacher was Chas. DeMoss, in the winter of 1830-31. Later, Felix Mclaughlin, an erudite, but eccentric Irishman, a rigid disciplinarian, who did not spare the rod. Daniel McCaufil, a native of the "Emerald Isle" also and of similar characteristics to his predecessor taught the next term in this pioneer temple of learning which continued to be occupied until about 1852-3 when it was torn down and the present brick schoolhouse (No. 3), a half mile or so to the northwest on the Michigan road, was built. Geo. C. Horne was the last teacher to occupy this, the first log schoolhouse in Clay township.
The next schoolhouse was built in the thirties on the north bank of Eel river, about twenty rods east of the Davis bridge in the southwest quarter of section 20. This was a frame building. A. J. Sutton taught school here and Bob Barnett relates some amusing incidents connected therewith. Mr. Sutton made a rule that no one should skate upon the river, for fear of breaking through. One day, however, when the teacher was temporarily absent at noon, all the scholars went sliding on the ice- covered river. Mr. Sutton returned, saw his orders disobeyed, called them in at once and set about to apply the rod to every pupil, big and little, except two, Levi Horn and Dave Douglass, who were large boys and went home and never returned. It was no small job for the teacher to whip twenty-five or thirty scholars and it was amusing to the larger
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pupils, and a smile came over the countenances of some, while the per- formance lasted, which only aggravated Mr. Sutton, and he would fume and sweat all the more but his orders must be and were enforced that day, but the rules were soon changed and all was peaceable; but Levi Horn and Dave Douglass never returned. About 1850 this schoolhouse was abandoned and a new frame house erected near the Douglas farm on the southwest corner of section 17 and known as "Fair View;" this was abandoned and removed about 1870 and "Shady Nook" (No. 4), a substantial brick structure two stories high was erected. This was blown down or injured by a heavy wind storm December 5, 1909, but rebuilt the same year.
INCIDENTS OF PIONEER SCHOOLS
Bob Barnett professed to be something of a bully himself and relates that at his first day of school at "Fair View" he became involved in a fight with Bob McMillen, who had deformed legs but was very strong in his arms; that McMillen clinched him in his arms, they fell to the ground and although Barnett was on top, yet McMillen when on his back could hold him in his powerful arms and with his crooked legs beat him into a jelly and he soon "hollered nuff," the first and only time Bob Barnett was "licked" and that, too, by a cripple.
At this same school the teacher was a long-haired, dudish-appearing little man; he was an educated and polished gentleman but was not liked by the rough hoosier boys of pioneer days. One day Bob McMil- len, under some provocation, jumped onto him during the session of school and clinched him in his strong arms, threw him on the floor and with his club feet, gave him a thorough beating. The school was broken up for the day. A meeting of the patrons was called and the teacher dismissed.
In the early forties a typical round log schoolhouse, with puncheon floor, a fireplace with stick and mud chimney and clapboard roof, was built in the woods on the southeast quarter of section 15, which was occupied for several years, but about 1852 a frame building was erected where the present schoolhouse (No. 5) stands, near the northeast cor- ner of the southwest quarter of section 15. This school is commonly designated by the euphonious name of "mud sock." We will relate an incident that occurred in this old log schoolhouse in the forties. Isaac Shilling, a very small man, but nervy, taught a very unruly school. Ash Carter, who was school supervisor of the district, doubted Mr. Shilling's ability to control the unruly boys, but Mr. Shilling told him he would not ask one cent of pay if he did not successfully teach the entire term out. The big boys entered into a conspiracy to whip the teacher. It was arranged that Joshua P. Shields, who is now an old soldier in the "Marion Home" should do some rude act to insult the teacher by "wig- gling his thumb and fingers at his nose in derision." Mr. Shilling did not pretend to notice the insult at the moment, but soon after walked around and took him unawares, seized him, shoved him down and gave him an unmerciful beating with his clinched fists, and did it so quickly that the other bullies had not time to think. After. that he had no fur- ther trouble, finished the term and Mr. Carter paid him according to contract.
About 1857 a log schoolhouse was built about a mile north of Adams- boro, on the west part of section 12, which was abandoned in 1879, and the present frame house was erected on the southeast quarter of sec- tion 2, now known as No. 1. About 1843 a log schoolhouse was built in the northeast quarter of section 9 and in 1853 was replaced by a handsome eight-equare frame building built by Benj. Campbell, Sr.,
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and John Carr, and N. S. Rose taught the first term in this new school- house and Ida Harp (now Mrs. Harrell) taught the last in 1881, when it was sold to Henry Orwin and is now doing duty as an out-building on his farm. A new building to replace the eight equare was erected at this time a short distance to the northeast in the southwest quarter of section 3, but it has recently been temporarily abandoned and the pupils hauled elsewhere.
In 1869 a substantial frame schoolhouse was built at Adamsboro near the center of section 14, and I. J. Berry taught its first term. Prior to the adoption of the new constitution in 1852 there was no system of public schools and each neighborhood managed its own school. There was but little or no public funds and most schools were main- tained by private subscription and the teacher boarding around with the scholars. Text-books were scarce and the pioneers had little funds to buy with and books were borrowed and loaned among the pupils. The Bible was the standard reader. From these crude begginnings Clay township has gradually evolved, with the aid of our splendid school system, her present magnificent public schools with all the grades up to the high school, and last year out of her public funds, paid $480 as tuition for her high school students who attended in Logansport. Clay township at present has two brick and four frame schoolhouses, with a total valuation of $8,150; a total enumeration of two hundred and twenty pupils and pays her teachers from $2.70 to $3.50 per day, accord- ing to grade of license. The following is a list of the township. trustees with date of election, from 1865 to 1912:
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