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 85
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Jacob Summy was a cripple and a unique character in early canal days, who kept a little store and whiskey shop at the stone quarry euphoneously called "Corktown," from the number of bottles that were uncorked at that place. He read the Scriptures and could quote it better than any minister, but he did not follow its teachings very rigidly. He had a fondness for old axes and had a collection of hundreds of all makes.
In 1850 there was an epidemic of scarlet fever in this township, and but few families escaped its ravages.
July 23, 1876, Jennie and Manda Pritchard, aged eight and twelve years, daughters of Hugh Pritchard, while starting a fire with kerosene were fatally burned and died a few hours after the accident.
In 1882 the remains of a woman were found in Burley hollow, sup- posed to be a stranger and insane, as such a person had been seen in the neighborhood.
George Leach died suddenly at the home of Israel Watts in 1852. He was sitting in a chair singing and suddenly fell back dead.
Daniel Ellsworth, an early settler, was found dead in the woods near the McKaig sawmill. Cause of his death a mystery. He reposes in Shiloh cemetery.
In an early day a workman, name unknown, who was helping to make repairs on the canal lock near Kenneth, was killed by a pile of heavy timber falling on him.
Timothy O. Driscoll, in the fall of 1872, fell out of the door of a whiskey shop near Corktown on the old canal, and broke his neck-an- other victim of drink.
A prize fight was touched off at the old log school house that stood on the Royal Center pike where the Indian creek road branches to the north. Sidney Baldwin was the teacher. A number of large boys, among whom were Dave Barnett and Albert Thornton, arranged for a prize fight to a finish with bare fists.
They formed a ring, with Barnett and Thornton inside, fought to a finish, Thornton being compelled to "holler 'nough," but Barnett was Vol. 1-48
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also badly bruised and was confined to the house for three days. Mr. Baldwin attempted to interfere and stop the fight, but four of the big boys seized and held him until the fight was ended.
This is but one incident of the rough character of the big boys at school in pioneer days. They were often rough in their manners, but possessed big hearts as well as strong arms.
CHAPULTAPEO
Perhaps no farm in the county is as beautifully situated, has more extensive improvements or more distinguished proprietors than this farm, now owned by the Casperis Stone Company.
This is fractional section 28, containing three hundred and seventy- five acres. Hugh B. McKeen, one of the first settlers in Logansport, entered this land in 1836 and built a sawmill at the mouth of Fitches Glen.
Peter Barron then occupied the farm, which was a part of the Bar- ron reserve. About the year 1846, Col. William L. Brown of Logansport bought the farm and proceeded to improve it more grandly than any farm in the township. It occupies an elevated plateau about one hundred and fifty feet above the Wabash river, with a magnificent view across the valley of the Wabash, a precipitous hillside down to the river, and Fitches Glen, the most romantic canyon in northern Indiana, cutting its way through the limestone rock, through which flows a crystal stream over rocky ledges, forming beautiful waterfalls.
The house built by Mr. Brown stood on the verge of the bluff. A stone wall five hundred or six hundred feet long and from five to twenty- five feet high extended along the hillside. The rest of the hill was terraced, presenting a castellated appearance.
At the west end of this terraced area were stone steps leading from the foot of the hill to the top landing near the veranda of the spacious dwelling which was surrounded by a beautiful level lawn, interspersed with handsome shade trees. A short distance west of the house was the famed Fitches Glen, from the brink of which you could sit in the sum- mer shade and view the clear waters falling precipitously over the craggy rocks. To the east of the house were rows of shade trees, through which the road was constructed that wound around on an even gradient to the foot of the hill one hundred and fifty feet below. Large native sugar trees extending for half a mile along the crest of the bluff were topped and trimmed and many other improvements and changes made to beautify the place. Mr. Brown installed a hydraulic ram which forced the water from a spring in the glen to his dwelling on the hill. This was the most beautiful as well as the most lavishly improved farm prem- ises in the county and Mr. Brown christened it "Chapultapec," the Gibraltar of Mexico.
William L. Brown, banker, merchant, farmer, soldier, son of Wil- liam and Eleanor (Lyon) Brown, was born in Ohio in 1817, and came with his parents to Logansport in 1840. His father was a merchant and died in 1859.
William L. Brown was married to Elizabeth Purveyance in 1849. Their children were William I., now residing in Logansport, Eleanor H., Frederick S., Daisy (Rizer), James A. and Charles H. Mr. Brown affiliated with the Presbyterian church and had three brothers who were Presbyterian ministers. He served as a lieutenant during the Mexican war, was colonel of the Twentieth Indiana Regiment during the Civil war, and was killed at the battle of Bull Run, August 29, 1862. History ascribes to him the credit of being a "brave man, a judicious officer and a rigid disciplinarian."
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AUTOMOBILES
The following list of automobile owners is an indication of the pros- perity of Noble township farmers and in striking contrast to the ox- cart of eighty years ago:
William W. Moss, L. A. Moss, Horace Gotshall, Ora Strahle, Charles James, A. O. Brandt, David Heekard, Easton Cotner, James Welch, Harry Welch, William McDonald, John Kiesling, Max Beeker, John M. Tam.
REFERENCE BIOGRAPHIES
Biographies of the following persons may be found in Helm's History of Cass county, published in 1886, and will not be reproduced here :
Charles A. Brandt, born 1828, died 1913; Oliver P. Brandt, born 1832, died -; Martin V. Carney, born 1811, died -; Thomas P. Castle, born 1820, died -; William Cotner, born 1816, d -; Sarah A. Cotner, born 1833, died -; Andrew Cotner, born 1844; Thomas Dillard, born 1815; Mrs. Sarah A. Dritt, born 1830, died -; Samuel Farlow, born 1814, died - -; William Funston, born 1829, died Jacob Gotshall, born 1836, living; Solomon Horney, born 1816, died 1895; Jacob Kuns, born 1797, died 1886; Mrs. Mary Kuns, born 1833; Washington Kuns, born 1833, died -; William T. Long, born 1817, died -; E. E. Mckaig, born 1835; Robert McMillen, born 1806, died 1890; Lewis McMillen, still living ; Elias H. Moss, born 1820, died . ..
William F. Richard, born 1820, died - -; William Sturgeon, born 1803, died -; John A. Thornton, born 1829, died -; Mrs. Sarah Tilton, born 1816, died -; Mrs. Maria Van Emon, born 1820; Israel Watts, born 1814, died -; Herman H. Willing, born 1825, died Henry P. Wipperman, born 1797, died 1895; Arnet Shields, born 1816, died - -.
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CHAPTER LII
TIPTON TOWNSHIP
NAME-LOCATION-PIONEER SETTLERS - ORGANIZATION - INDUSTRIES - MILLS SCHOOLS-CHURCHES-CEMETERIES-PHYSICIANS - ROADS - AUTOMOBILES-TELEPHONES-TOWNS-WALTON-ONWARD - EASTON -CIRCLEVILLE-WALBAUM-OLD SALLY'S VILLAGE-MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND ACCIDENTS-BIOGRAPHIES.
Tipton township, named in honor of Gen. John Tipton, lies in the eastern part of the county and is bounded on the north by the Wabash river, on the east by Miami county, on the south by Jackson and Deer Creek townships and on the west' by Washington township. It is the largest township in the county, being six miles in width and seven and a half, extreme length, north and south, contains an area of over forty square miles, and lies in congressional townships 26 and 27 north, ranges 2 and 3 east. It is well watered and drained by the Wabash river, into which flows Pipe creek, quite a large stream running through the north and east part of the township and affording water power for the opera- tion of mills. Little Deer creek flows north through the east central part of the township and empties into Pipe creek. Rock creek and Dry run flow westwardly through Washington township and empty into Deer creek in Carroll county.
In the northern portion of the township, along the Wabash and Pipe creek, the surface is quite broken and hilly, but the central and southern parts are generally level. Originally the land was covered with a growth of heavy timber, consisting of walnut, poplar, oak, beech, sugar, etc., indicative of a deep and fertile soil, and Tipton ranks second to none in the county in productiveness.
Along Pipe creek the limestone outcrops and the water has cut a deep channel in the solid rock, and the sides of this channel, or canyon, present a rugged and romantic appearance, and at one place in the course of the creek there is quite a waterfall known as Pipe creek falls; this with the craggy ledges of rock and precipitous hills presents scenery of rare beauty.
PIONEER SETTLERS
Tipton township formed a part of the Indian reserve and was not opened to settlement until ten years after the settling of some other portions of the county, and it was not until 1838 that the first white man erected a cabin and took up his residence in this township. In that year John D. Forgy and James Cook settled in section 1, township 26 north, range 2 east. They were not permanent residents, soon became dissatisfied in their forest homes, sold their claims and moved to Logans- port, where Mr. Forgy engaged in business for a short time, then re- . turned to his native home in Ohio, where he died September 24, 1844. He was the father of C. P. Forgy, now living in New Waverly.
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The first permanent settlers were Lewis Conner and Allen Wilson. They located in the northwest part of the township, erected their log cabins in the midst of the dense forest, and began to clear and prepare the land for cultivation, which only brave hearts, energetic and strong men were capable of doing. In the same year William Vandeveer located in the Wa-pa-pe-shee reserve. He was a great hunter and supported himself and family largely by the chase, and his cabin was always deco- rated inside and out by coon, mink and other peltries stretched up against the logs of his cabin. In 1839 William Scott became a resident and An- drew Wilson, the father of Charles B. Wilson, the present township trustee, erected a cabin in section 12, where he remained until his death some years ago. He was one of the most influential men in the town- ship, and did much to develop and build up the material and spiritual welfare of the community.
William Wilson, a brother of Andrew, came the same year, as did also Jacob Richardson and Curtis Fiddler, Archibald McGrue in section
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21, and Moses Barnett in section 20. Mr. Barnett served as county commissioner and as justice of the peace. When he was elected justice of the peace, his boy asked if they were all squires, when the mother replied, "No, to be sure not; only your father and me are squires."
In 1840 Thompson McGrue settled in section 35 north, range 2 east, and William and Westley DeMoss in the same section; James Tucker, David Ripley, William P. Louthain, Lewis Whitacre, John Hahn and John Larimore.
During the year 1841 David and Samuel Puterbaugh settled on Pipe creek and the same year came Vincent and Joseph Louthain, John Merritt, David Whitsell, John Ladd, E. Harris.
In 1842 James Mays settled in section 15, on the Miami county line; D. K. Smith and Joseph Kulb in the same neighborhood.
During the years 1844 and 1845 many well-known pioneers took up their abode in the forests of Tipton, among whom were: Charles Flanagan, near Walton; Henry Wilkinson, west of Walton; James, Samuel, John, William and Hiram Lowry, Daniel Bowyer, John Booker, Henry P. Berry, William Nelson, in section 7; Gilbert Wall, near Wal- ton ; Hugh Morgan, Mathias Bechdol and Conrad Minnick in the south-
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western part of the township. Prominent among the arrivals in 1846 were: William P. Thomas, in section 17, who became an energetic and active promoter of all that tended to the betterment of the community; Anthony Hilles, James Louthain, John C. Leffel, a relative to the Leffel family in Bethlehem township; John Ulery, Dudley Madden, Joseph Hemard, Thomas Plummer, Jesse Haas, Samuel Lowman, James Brock- man, Oliver Waite and William Nichols.
ORGANIZATION
The township was organized by the board of county commissioners on March 3, 1840, and an election ordered to be held at the house of David Ripley on Monday, April 1, 1840, and William Scott appointed inspector (see Commissioners' Record II, page 166). Probably this elec- tion was not held, for we find another election was ordered to be held at the cabin of Andrew Wilson on September 7, 1842, and Samuel T. Mc- Grew was appointed inspector (see Commissioners' Record II, page 338).
The first justice of the peace elected was William Wilson, followed by Moses Barnett and Noah Vandeveer.
The early trustees were Oliver Waite, William P. Thomas and Frank Bowyer.
INDUSTRIES AND MILLS
Agriculture is the chief industry of the people of Tipton, and no better farming district can be found in the county than in this town- ship, which produces all the products indigenous to a temperate climate, and in recent years much attention has been given to stock raising and large herds of cattle, sheep and hogs, together with fine horses, may, be seen grazing on the fields of this township.
In an early day, however, when the land was covered with heavy forests of valuable timber, mills sprang up along the water-courses to manufacture lumber and various products of the forest. The first mill was erected by David and Samuel Puterbaugh. This was a sawmill with a small buhr for grinding cornmeal for the pioneers, and stood on Pipe creek in section 10, near the Miami county line. The power was supplied by an old-fashioned overshot waterwheel and was built in 1842-3. It was operated by Samuel Oblinger, and later by Lewis Lyttle and others until about 1882, when it was closed down.
George Sharts and Jacob Ringer built a sawmill on Pipe creek just below the falls about 1850. Ten years later John Costenborder pur- chased it and operated it for twenty years or more, but it was finally closed many years ago.
Elihu and Thomas Plummer built a sawmill in 1857 on "Little Deer creek," in section 17; operated later by Lindol Smith and David Snyder, but it ceased operations thirty years ago.
As early as 1851 Thomas Hansberry erected a sawmill at the falls of Pipe creek, and about 1855 a large grist mill, the first of the kind in the township, was built at the same point by James A. Lewis, but it was some years after burned down. It was rebuilt by Joseph Stewart and operated by him, Charles Green and others, but ceased its operations in the early nineties and has long since been torn down.
John Costenborder in 1860 built a large flouring mill on Pipe creek below the falls, and generally known as the Costenborder mill. It was modernized in 1888 and the new roller process introduced. This mill still stands and is operated by Mr. Anderson, his chief products being cornmeal, buckwheat and graham flour, and is the only water power
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mill now, operated in the county outside of Logansport, except the little mill recently rebuilt at Georgetown.
A sawmill was built about 1864 by William Hildebrandt on "Little Rock creek," section 23, and run by water power, and later by steam, but it has long since been torn down and removed.
About 1870 Mr. Dunbar built a small sawmill at the mouth of a creek that flows into the Wabash at the upper end of "Cedar Island," but the dam was washed away before the mill began operations, and it was never run.
A sawmill was built by David Puterbaugh on Bear creek, northwest part of Tipton township, about 1847, and was operated extensively by him and Milton McGrew for twenty years or more, but like all the old water power mills it has been abandoned and all vestige of its former greatness has disappeared. After the railroads were constructed and transportation made easy, the water power mills gave way to steam sawmills which were erected at Walton, Onward and in the northern part of the township.
In the early eighties L. E. and J. C. Howe built a large steam saw- mill near Circleville and in 1883 Harry Bennett erected a steam sawmill near the Wabash river, which was later operated by Isaac Himmelberger and O. P. Flynn.
The timber, having been cut off and exhausted, all these mills have been closed and removed, and the only sawmills in the township at this time are two small steam mills, one at Walton and one at Onward.
SCHOOLS
Realizing that education was" essental to good citizenship, the pioneers began early to arrange for the proper instruction of their chil- dren, and as soon as a few families were located in a neighborhood schools were opened. The first school in the township was taught, not in a public school building, but in an old log cabin that had been aban- doned by a "squatter," located on the Allen Wilson farm in section 12. This was in the winter of 1842-3, and a Mr. Heathener was the first teacher; and the following winter Lewis F. Bowyer taught the second school in a cabin on the Andrew Wilson farm in section 12.
The first schoolhouse was built in 1844 in this section. This was the ' typical round log house, with cracks, plastered with clay, benches and floor made of slabs, oiled paper for windows, clapboard roof, which was the only ceiling; here in this primitive temple of learning, with a fifty or sixty day term, where only the three R's were taught, was sown the seed that has developed into the present magnificent system of graded schools with the term lengthened to one hundred and fifty days, where all grades are taught up to and including the present commissioned high school, equal to a college course of eighty years ago. This original house was replaced by a hewed log structure, which in 1853 gave way to a frame and later the present brick schoolhouse, which was erected on the southeast corner of section 2, now designated as School No. 2.
Probably the second schoolhouse in the township was a hewed log building erected about 1845 or 1846 near the center of section 35, in the northwest corner of the township. This was occupied until 1868, when it was torn down and a frame building erected a mile to the southeast, which in turn gave way to the present brick schoolhouse, known as Dis- trict No. 1.
In this old log schoolhouse B. F. Louthain, the editor of the Pharos, was first taught the rudiments of knowledge, under the tutelage of such pioneer teachers as Mr. Kyle, John and James McGrew, Aaron Puter-
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baugh and Lewis Jack. James McGrew was a captain on a canal boat in the summer time and taught school in the winter ; was a tall and powerful man and knew how to wield the birch. He moved to Minnesota and served as a captain in the Indian wars, and also in the Civil war.
In the forties a log schoolhouse was built on the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 26, replaced by a frame on the north- west corner of the southwest quarter of section 25 about 1860 or 1863, and about 1875 the present brick schoolhouse (No. 3) was erected on the northeast corner of section 35. In this township, as elsewhere, there was no system or order in the erection of schoolhouses or in the management of the schools, each neighborhood built its schoolhouses wherever they might desire, and employed and discharged teachers at their own sweet will. The result was that schools were irregularly placed throughout the township. It was some years after the adoption of the new constitution of 1852 that the township trustee assumed full control of the schools and arranged the districts with some regularity, and in the early eighties there were thirteen schools in the township, the three above located; No. 4, situated in the northwest corner of section 32; No. 5, in the east side of section 7; No. 6, near the center of section 20; No. 7, in the southeast quarter of section 10; No. 8, in the northeast corner of section 33; No. 9, at Walton; No. 10, on the northeast corner of section 23; No. 11, in Richardsville reserve, north of Pipe creek ; No. 12, in Oz-an-diah reserve, near Pipe creek, and No. 13, in Onward.
These schools have all been maintained until 1907, since which time several district schools have been abandoned and consolidated with others.
In 1907 a handsome two-story brick high school was erected in On- ward, containing five rooms and costing $10,500. This is a commissioned high school and its curriculum is equal to the city schools. Five teachers are employed and forty high school students are being instructed in the higher branches, in addition to all the lower grades. The town of Walton in 1907 also erected a two-story brick high school building, with an ex- penditure of $8,000. The commodious grounds upon which this building stands were donated to the town by Isaac Bumgardner shortly before his death. Five teachers are employed in the Walton school, and all grades are taught up to and including the high school. The latter be- came a commissioned high school in 1908, and now has about fifty students in the high school grades.
After the erection of commodious school buildings in Onward and Walton some of the smaller district schools were abandoned and con- solidated with. those schools. Districts Nos. 2, 9, 5, 6 and 7 have been abandoned and the students from the three latter are hauled to Onward at a daily cost of $3.75, and is eminently satisfactory to the patrons.
Tipton township at present has nine schools, including that of Wal- ton, all of which are substantial brick structures, and represent a capital of nearly $30,000.
The school enumeration for the past year was 290, with 160 in the town of Walton, making a total of 450 in the township, taught by sev- enteen teachers. Tipton takes just pride in the complete and efficient system of its graded schools with its corps of experienced and trained instructors.
The following list shows the persons who have served as trustees of Tipton township, with the date of election, from 1865 to 1913.
Some of the early trustees were: William P. Thomas, Oliver Waite, Frank Bowyer, Alexander Benson, Mr. Persinger; Benjamin Heward, 1865; Samuel Alexander, 1867; Thomas J. Flynn, 1868; D. B. Enyart, 1869; P. O. Flynn, 1877; W. T. Shafer, 1880; William Ramer, 1882;
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Samuel Penabaker, 1886; Samuel Smith, 1890; William T. Shafer, 1894; O. E. Erbaugh, 1900; Edgar E. Philips, 1904; Charles B. Wilson, 1908-13.
CHURCHES
CROSSROADS M. E. CHURCH, LATER MCKENDREE CHAPEL
So far as is known the Methodists were the pioneers of Christianity in this township. As early as 1842 they began to hold religious meetings under the auspices of Rev. Allen Skillman, in a cabin on the Andrew Wilson farm (northwest quarter of section 12).
In the year 1843 an organization was formed in the cabin of David Baker west of Onward, the Rev. R. Calvert officiating. The early mem- bers of this first Methodist class were: David Baker and wife, Peter Berry and wife, Joseph Heward and wife, D. K. Smith and wife, Wil- liam P. Thomas and wife.
Services were held at irregular intervals at the cabins of David Baker, Peter Berry, D. K. Smith, William P. Thomas and the Mays schoolhouse and later at the Crossroads schoolhouse, until 1870, when a commodious frame church, 30x45 feet, was erected on land donated by William P. Thomas, situated in the northwest quarter of section 8, at a cost of $1,500, and was dedicated April 23, 1871, by the Rev. L. M. Monson, assisted by Rev. V. M. Beamer.
Prior to the erection of the church building a reorganization of the class took place in 1870. The meeting was held in the "Crossroads" schoolhouse, presided over by Rev. R. J. Parrot, and the following per- sons signed the charter roll :
William P. Thomas and wife, Ezra Delawter and wife, Alf. Delawter and wife, D. K. Smith and wife, Henry Snyder, Thomas and Catherine Plummer, J. W. Thomas and wife, Harriet Snyder, George, Annetta, Samuel, .William R., J. W. and Eliza Thomas, Uriah and Martha Oblinger, Eliza McClure, Orpheus, Mary, Sallie, Catherine, Jacob, Re- becca and Laura Delawter, Moses and Catherine Plummer, William, Charlotte, Mary and Josephine Helvie, Precilla Snyder, Ermina Kess- ling, Lydia Yohea, Charity McClure, Absalom, Martha, Sarah, Amelia and Solomon Blinn, Benjamin Dunn, Jane, Rebecca, Eliza and Mahlon Smith, Catherine and Della Steward, Adelia Kelly, Mary Weston, Mary Guge, Margaret Venter, Andrew Richison, John and Emma Allison, Allexson Patterson, Thomas and Sarah Deford, Minerva Kinsey, Mar- garet Hopper, M. H. and Sarah E. Brown.
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