USA > Indiana > Daviess County > History of Daviess County, Indiana : Its people, industries and institutions > Part 28
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FINANCIAL EXHIBIT, CITY OF WASHINGTON.
The following exhibit, showing the municipal indebtedness, receipts and expenditures, for the years 1913 and 1914, will furnish to the uninter- ested taxpayers of Washington information as to the management of the municipal affairs. Referring to the item of expenditures for the electric light plant, for 1913 and 1914, it should be stated that the increased ex- pense for 1914 was caused by the payment of a claim of three thousand and six hundred dollars against the city for a damage suit, and also a con- siderable expense for an addition and improvement in the equipment of the plant :
Indebtedness-
1913.
1914.
City bonds
$41,500.00
$34,500.00
Cash on hand
14,427.39
13,436.63
Net indebtedness
27,072.61
21,033.37
Receipts-
Cash on hand, Jan. 1, 1913 -.
$19,838.14
$14,427.39
Taxes received
42,561.00
42,035.91
Electric light department.
28,050.16
28,386.44
Retail liquor license
7,200.00
7,000.00
Interest on deposits
233.70
202.28
All other sources
7,346.69
6,071.51
Total receipts
$105,229.69
$98,123.53
Expenditures-
Salary, city officials
4,580.00
4,651.3I
Health department
338.29
292.92
Fire department
7.313.92
7,182.35
Police department
4,594.74
4,413.41
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Electric light plant
26,593.13.
32,697.97
Water rent
6,741.00
6,900.15
Paid on city bonds
8,500.00
7,000.00
All other expenditures
32,141.22
21,458.87
Total expenditures
$90,802.30
$34,686.98
PUBLIC UTILITIES.
The Washington street railway was built in 1894 by a stock com- pany, composed of Louis C. Fritch, William McMahon and others. The franchise is now owned and operated by Ziba F. Graham. The line extends from the eastern terminus of Main street, running along that street to the Baltimore & Ohio railroad shops. Electric motive power is used and fur- nished by the city electric plant.
Washington has been furnished electric light and electric power for sev- eral years by a plant under municipal ownership and the experience has proven satisfactory to the patrons and profitable to the city. A small tax levy pro- vides funds for expense of operation and for street lighting, without any in- crease in the usual rates of service charged private consumers.
An abundant supply of good clear water is furnished by the Washington Water and Light Company, from a pumping station located south of the city, near Maysville.
Telephone service is furnished by the Central Union Telephone Com- pany and the Pike County Telephone Company.
THE RAILROAD SHOPS.
The greatest boom that Washington experienced in all its history was a result of the location of the Ohio & Mississippi railroad shops at this place. From the time of building this road the company had their machine and re- pair shops at Vincennes. As the business of the road increased it became necessary to build larger shops with increased capacity for handling their business. As the location of the extensive shops contemplated would be of great advantage to the town selected for the plant, the railroad company proposed that the favored town should put up a bonus that would in some measure compensate the company for the advantages offered. Vincennes had the old shops and the citizens of that town considered that was the logical situation for the enlarged plant. The railroad company asked for seventy-
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
five thousand dollars to be added to whatever advantage there might be in the "logical situation." The same proposition was made to Washington. Vincennes let the golden opportunity slip; Washington city and township took a vote on the proposition and it was accepted by a substantial majority of the voters. The shops were erected in 1889. Shortly after this the Ohio & Mississippi road went into the hands of a receiver, and finally became the property of the Baltimore & Ohio Company, being now operated by that company.
The buildings of the Baltimore & Ohio shops, as the plant is now known, consists of a round-house, containing thirty-four stalls; a machine shop, erecting shop, tin, cooper and pipe shop, boiler shop, planing mill, passenger-car shop, paint shop, steel-car shop and freight-car shop.
In the several shops and departments there are at present something over six hundred men employed. The average monthly payroll of all the departments is forty-nine thousand dollars. The shops are equipped with facilities and machinery of modern design, with skilled workmen employed in all the manufacturing departments. They build locomotives, passenger cars, freight cars, dining cars -- in fact, do any kind of work that is done at any of the large locomotive and car-building plants.
THE WASHINGTON POSTOFFICE.
The postoffice was established in Washington, October 9, 1817, James J. Read being appointed postmaster on that date. Following are the names of those who have served as postmaster in Washington, and the date of their appointment, since the first :
Seth Reddick, June 11, 1821; E. H. McJunkin, September, 1828; John Murphy, July 29, 1829; William C. Berry, April 4, 1838; Michael Murphy, May 22, 1840; S. A. Rodarmel, March 30, 1861 ; J. S. Berkshire, April 20, 1864; William A. Horrall, March 26, 1869; Albion Horrall, May 19, 1877; Stephen Belding, March 1, 1886; William P. Ellis, October 19, 1889; J. W. McCarty, February 5, 1894; Frank I. Sefrit, January 14, 1898; E. C. Faith, January 26, 1904; Benjamin J. Burris, January 30, 1912; Ernest E. For- sythe. July 30, 1913, the present postmaster.
Congress has made an appropriation of sixty thousand dollars for a postoffice building in Washington; five thousand of this has been used in the purchase of a site, and some money has been expended in the preliminary and foundation work. As soon as the other part of the appropriation is available the contract for the construction of the building will be awarded
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
and in due time Washington will have a suitable place for the handling of the large amount of mail matter passing through the office, an accommoda- tion that the city is very much in need of at the present time.
THE PUBLIC LIBRARY IN WASHINGTON.
The movement for the establishment of a public library in Washington had its origin in act of the Legislature, providing that a certain per cent. of the proceeds derived from the sale of town lots should be used for that pur- pose. This provision was incorporated in the act creating Daviess county, and it was provided that the library should be established and maintained as a county library. In accordance with the provisions of this act, a small fund was secured and a library was established in the early twenties. The making of many books was not as prevalent then as now, and the selection of books for this first library was confined to a very limited list.
If there was anything in the nature of light reading, in the catalogue of books, from which selections might have been made at that time, the per- sons who made the selections for the first library certainly overlooked the chance. Among the selections made were the following: "History of the Martyrs, " Buck's "Theological Dictionary," Wesley's "Sermons," "Pil- grim's Progress," Young's "Night Thoughts," Thompson's "Seasons," Har- vey's "Meditations," "Charles the Fifth," Rollin's "Ancient History," Plu- tarch's "Lives," Grimshaw's "History of the United States," Addison's "Spectator," Locke's Essays, Jefferson's "Notes," Woodbridge's Geography, "Children of the Abbey," Byron's Works, Pope's Essays, Shakespeare's Plays, Josephus's Works, and the like.
The librarian, in charge of a library stocked with heavy literature of this character, would not be overworked in handling the rush of school children for books, if the children of that time were like the children of the present time.
An act of the Legislature of 1852, provided for the establishment of township libraries. The townships were required to pay a small sum toward the expense and make. suitable provision for the care of the books and the maintenance of the library. The books were to be furnished at the expense of the state. In 1854 and 1855, under the provisions of this act, the state distributed about eight sets, of three hundred volumes each, to the several townships of Daviess county. In these sets were all the leading works of that period, including many volumes of high merit. The township trustee was the custodian of these libraries, and for awhile they were very popular
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
and largely patronized. Remnants of these township libraries may still be found in the office of township trustees; but most of the books of value will be found in the private libraries of citizens of the several townships, the books apparently having been taken out and never returned. Through the negligence of the custodian, no record was kept, and the borrower in time became the undisputed owner of the books. The township library books were all in substantial binding, and, unless wilfully destroyed, are, no doubt, in good condition.
About the time of the distribution of the township library books, William McClure, a citizen of New Harmony, of great wealth, died, leaving a large fortune as a bequest for the founding of public libraries throughout the state for the benefit of the working classes. These were known as the McClure, or working men's libraries, and were very popular wherever estab- lished. Several of these libraries were obtained for localities in Daviess county and were maintained for several years, to the great advantage of the community in which they were located. Like the township libraries, in time the books of the McClure libraries got into the hands of persons who were careless or indifferent about returning them. The custodian of the library was alike careless and indifferent about keeping a record of the books, and they are now scattered about in private libraries. A remnant may possibly be found in public libraries of later establishment in the schools and towns of the county.
THE CARNEGIE PUBLIC LIBRARY.
The Carnegie public library of Washington originated in a suggestion made by the ladies of the Monday Afternoon Club. Acting upon the sug- gestion, a meeting of about twelve citizens was held, February 21, 1901, in the office of Gardiner & Slimp. At that meeting a committee was appointed, consisting of Rev. I. I. Gorby, Ezra Mattingly and John W. McCarty, to correspond with Andrew Carnegie, for the purpose of ascertaining the con- ditions, and the amount he would be willing to donate, for the establish- ment of a public library in the city of Washington. Mr. Carnegie promptly responded to the inquiry of the committee, making an offer of fifteen thou- sand dollars for the establishment of the proposed library, which amount was afterward increased to twenty thousand dollars. The usual conditions were imposed as a condition to this donation: that an amount equal to ten per cent. of this donation should be guaranteed annually by the city as a fund for the permanent maintenance of the library. The city council accepted
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
the donation on the conditions named, and guaranteed an annual appropria- tion of two thousand dollars as a maintenance fund.
On June 14, 1901, Joseph Cabel generously donated a large tract of ground, located on West Main street, for a library site and a public park. In accordance with a provision of an act of the General Assembly of 1901, a library board of seven members was appointed, three of whom were appointed by the judge of the circuit court, two by the city council and two by the city school board. Judge William R. Gardiner and Mayor John W. McCarty were appointed by Judge Houghton, of the circuit court; William. F. Hoffmann and Mrs. J. M. Wakefield, by the city council; Ezra Mattingly and Mrs. T. A. Ackley, by the city school board. Mr. Hoffmann died on October 24, 1901, and Hamlet Allen was appointed in his place. Mrs. Wake- field and Mrs. Ackley resigned and their places were filled by Mrs. Austin F. Cabel and Mrs. J. W. Corning.
Patton & Miller, of Chicago, were selected as architects, plans and specifications were adopted, and a contract was let to Bulley & Andrews for the construction of the building. The contract price was sixteen thou- sand four hundred and ninety-one dollars, for all the work except heating, lighting, plumbing, sewerage, gas and water fittings. Furniture and book cases, and the work of finishing the two basement rooms, were also in addi- tion to the contract price. The first brick was laid by Hamlet Allen in May, 1902. The building was completed and ready for occupancy by the latter part of December, 1902. The structure is of stone and brick, and is well and carefully built, of durable material and of the most approved style of workmanship. The architectural design is for a building of a durable and substantial character rather than one in which the ornamental and artistic features are most prominent.
John H. O'Neal, acting for himself, and in compliance with the wishes of his father-in-law, the late Dr. G. G. Barton, delivered to the library board over one thousand volumes. Some of these were books belonging to Mr. O'Neal, and some that were left in his custody, years ago, by Doctor Barton, for library purposes. There are now about ten thousand volumes in the library, of which fifty are the property of U. S. Grant Post No. 72, Grand Army of the Republic, which have been placed in the library for use and for safekeeping.
The first librarian was Mrs. Annie H. Gibson, who was appointed in 1902, and began her work on January 7, 1903. Those who have served as librarians since the establishment of the Carnegie library are the follow- ing: Mrs. Annie Gibson, 1903 to 1910; Miss Lucia Bogner, 1910 to 1911;
CARNEGIE LIBRARY, WASHINGTON.
ODD FELLOWS HOME, WASHINGTON.
し
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Miss Helen Allen, 1911 to 1913. Miss Mary E. Waller is the present libra- rian, having begun her work in 1913, succeeding Miss Allen. Miss Adelia Casto is the assistant librarian.
Members of the present board of trustees are Prof. Hamlet Allen, president ; Mayor John W. McCarty, vice-president; Ezra Mattingly, secre- tary and treasurer; W. F. Axtell, Mrs. A. F. Cabel, Mrs. M. S. Hastings and Mrs. Mary C. Shirley.
LIBRARIAN'S REPORT.
The following report of the librarian for the month of March, 1915, shows the number of books in the library on that date. The comparison of circulation with the corresponding month of the previous year shows a marked increase in patronage, the increase, it will be noted, being about equally distributed between adult and juvenile publications :
Total number of books on hand, March 1, 1915 9,645
Books added by purchase 236
Books added by gift.
5
Number of books in library March 31, 1915 9,886
Circulation of books in March, 1915-
Adult
2,455
Juvenile 2,035
Total 4,490
Circulation, March, 1914-
Adult
1,864
Juvenile 1,419 3,283
Increase circulation, March, 1915 1,207
Number of borrowers at beginning of month 1,783
New borrowers registered during month. 79
Total number borrowers. 1,862
Average daily circulation for March, 1915 144.83
Average daily circulation for March, 1914 131.32
M. J. C.
Garnahan
BIOGRAPHICAL
MAGNESS J. CARNAHAN.
The success of men in business or any vocation depends upon character, as well as upon knowledge. Business demands confidence, and where that is lacking business ends. In every community some men are known for their upright lives, strong common sense and moral worth rather than for their wealth or political standing. Their neighbors and acquaintances respect them, the younger generations heed their examples, and when they "Wrap the drapery of their couches about them and lie down to pleasant dreams," posterity listens with reverence to the story of their quiet and useful lives. Among such men of a past generation, in Indiana, was Magness J. Carnahan, of Washington, Indiana, a progressive man of affairs, successful in material pursuits, but a man of modest and unassuming demeanor, well educated and a fine type of the reliable, self-made American, a friend to the poor, charitable to the faults of his neighbors, ready to unite with them in every good work and laudable public enterprise. He was proud of the county in which he lived, zealous for its progress and prosperity. He performed valiant service in behalf of the Union cause during the Civil War and, at the time of his death, was survived by a widow and a daughter who revere his memory.
Magness J. Carnahan was born on February 10, 1844, in Washington, Indiana. He was a son of Robert and Eliza (Graham) Carnahan, both of whom are natives of Kentucky, and who came to Daviess county, Indiana, in pioneer days. Magness J. Carnahan had a varied career. At the breaking out of the Civil War, he enlisted in Company C, Fifty-fifth Regiment, Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry, and at the expiration of his term of enlistment, re-enlisted in Company K, One Hundred and Seventeenth Regiment, Indi- ana Volunteer Infantry, serving nine months. He returned from the war and engaged in the clothing business at Loogootee, Indiana, in partnership with a Mr. Sefrit. He continued this business but a short time, when he formed another partnership with Thomas Adams and founded the hardware business that is now known as the Reynolds-Brooks Hardware Company.
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
He purchased the interest of Mr. Adams in 1873 and worked alone till 1884, when Lewis C. Brooks and Hervey Trueblood became members of the firm under the name of Carnahan & Company. The O'Donnell-Barrows Hard- ware Company, of Washington, is the successor to M. J. Carnahan Company. He thus built up two of the largest implement stores in southern Indiana. At one time he was also engaged in the grain and lumber business at Loo- gootee, and established a line of saw-mills. Later, he established a planing- mill at Loogootee, and still later he established the Carnahan Manufacturing Company there. He resided in Loogootee until 1900, when he moved to Washington.
Magness J. Carnahan was twice married, the first time at Louisville, Kentucky, in 1872, to Hattie Dunn, who died in 1885. His second mar- riage was to Margaret Trippet, in 1889, and to this second marriage two children were born, Helen, a graduate of Wellesley College, and Ramona, who died in infancy.
For some years prior to Mr. Carnahan's death, he lived at Washington. He had a splendid and imposing residence on East Main street. Magness J. Carnahan was a member of the Presbyterian church, in which he was a trustee and elder. He was a charter member of the Grand Army of the Republic at Loogootee, and throughout his life was prominent in the affairs of this patriotic organization. While in Washington, Mr. Carnahan served as a member of the county council.
HON. EZRA MATTINGLY.
The life history of the Hon. Ezra Mattingly has been for many years closely identified with the history of Daviess county, Indiana. Throughout the years his life has been one of untiring activity and it has been crowned with a gratifying degree of professional success. By a straightforward, honorable course, Mr. Mattingly has built up a good legal business. His life affords a further example of what an American youth, unaided by wealth, but plentifully endowed with energy and determination, can accomplish when accompanied by sound moral principles.
Ezra Mattingly was born on August 27, 1864, in Washington township, Daviess county, Indiana, and was reared on his father's farm. He attended the district schools and the old Southern Indiana Normal School at Mitchell. After leaving school, Mr. Mattingly engaged in teaching for seven years.
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
He then studied law in Washington and was admitted to the bar at the age of twenty-six. He has practiced law in Washington since his admission to the bar. His first partner was William Heffernan, and this firm continued in business for sixteen and one-half years. Mr. Mattingly's present partner- ship with Stephen E. Myers began on December 1, 1908.
On September 8, 1892, Mr. Mattingly was married to Tillie Millis, a daughter of Dr. Edward D. and Eliza Ann (Burton) Millis, and to this union three children have been born, Caroline, Edward J., and George E. Caroline is a graduate of the Washington high school and also of Frank- lin College, graduating from the latter institution in 1914 with high honors, and is now principal of the high school at Greens Fork, Indiana. Edward J. died in infancy. George E. is a freshman in Washington high school.
Mr. Mattingly is the youngest of a family of nine children : Albert G., who died on April 16, 1896; Mary E., the wife of John L. Johnson, of Bicknell, Indiana; James W., of Washington; Laura C., the wife of William H. Cole, of Okmulgee, Oklahoma; Elisha, of Washington; Samuel, who died on January 5, 1905; and two who died in infancy. His father was James Mattingly, a native of Mason county, Kentucky, who, because he hated human slavery, came to Daviess county, Indiana, and located upon a farm.
James Mattingly was first married to Catherine Barr, who died, leav- ing him two children, John and Martha, both of whom died many years ago. On March 4, 1849, he was married to Mary Ann Berry. They lived in Washington, Indiana, where he engaged in carpenter work until four or five years before his death, when failing health compelled him to return to farming. He died on the home farm in Washington township on January 31, 1865, at the age of fifty-five years. His widow died on March 26, 1914, at the age of eighty-five years. She never remarried and was for many years an active member of the Baptist church.
The paternal grandparents of Ezra Mattingly were natives of Ken- tucky and pioneers of Mason county. They were the parents of four chil- dren, John, Augustine, Sylvester and James, all of whom came to Daviess county, Indiana. The maternal grandfather was Beverly Berry, who was born in Kentucky in 1800 and who died in Daviess county, Indiana, in 1858. He likewise fled from the land of slavery to the free soil of Indiana. His wife was Ann Eliza (Evans) Berry, also a native of Mason county, Ken- tucky, born in 1802, who died in Daviess county, in 1872. They had a large family of children: Arthur, Evaline, Henry, James M., Mary Ann,
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
Sarah, Walter, Susan, Louisa, Amelia and John D., all of whom are now deceased except Amelia and John D.
Mrs. Ezra Mattingly was born in Orange county, Indiana, January 20, 1868, and is the eldest of four children, Tillie, Burton J., Caroline and William E. Her father, Dr. Edward D. Millis, is a native of Orange county, and her mother of Lawrence county, Indiana. Her mother died on September 12, 1898, at the age of fifty-two; her father still resides at Plain- ville. Her paternal grandfather was Capt. John Millis, who married Nancy Cloud, and her maternal grandfather was Zachariah Burton, who, for his second wife, married Matilda Teegarden. Zachariah Burton was a native of North Carolina, born in 1801, who became a pioneer of Lawrence county, Indiana, where he died in 1888. His children were Ransom, Caswell R., Mary S., Hugh F., Virginia C., John C., Margaret, Zachariah, Juliette, Eliza A., Sarah J., William H., George W., Caroline and Shubil.
Mr. Mattingly is actively interested in the civic and commercial affairs of his home city; is a director in the State Bank of Washington, attorney for the Union Savings and Loan Association and a member of the board of the Carnegie public library. He and his family are members of the Mis- sionary Baptist church and he is a member of the board of trustees of his church and is a deacon of the local congregation. For several years he has served as a member of the board of trustees of Franklin College.
Throughout his life, Mr. Mattingly has been identified with the fortunes of the Republican party. He served as county attorney for two years and was county chairman in 1892 and 1894. From 1906 until 1910 he was a member of the Indiana state Senate, representing the district of Daviess and Pike counties, where he made an honorable record as a legislator, for which he is well known throughout the state of Indiana.
PROF. EUGENE D. MERRIMAN.
Perseverance and sterling worth are almost always sure to win con- spicuous recognition in any locality, especially in educational work. Prof. Eugene D. Merriman, superintendent of the Washington city schools, for years has been recognized as one of the leading educators of this state. After an extensive course of training for educational work and wide experience as a teacher in the schools of Indiana and Illinois, Professor Merriman was called to Washington, as superintendent of city schools, in the fall of 1913,
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DAVIESS COUNTY, INDIANA.
and has made a splendid record as the head of the schools since arriving in that city. He is a fine example of the successful, self-made man and not only deserves the confidence reposed in him by his fellow citizens, but also possesses a degree of talent and forcefulness of character which have made him successful as an instructor and educator. Professor Merriman is a man of strong fiber and vigorous mentality and has achieved a signal success. as a director of educational work.
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