USA > Indiana > Marshall County > History of Indiana : containing a history of Indiana and biographical sketches of governors and other leading men. Also a statement of the growth and prosperity of Marshall County, together with a personal and family histry of many of its citizens, Vol. II > Part 12
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II4
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
and served out his third term, having been appointed by Presi- dent Hayes. He was also appointed by the Garfield administra- tion and served some time into Cleveland's term, when he was relieved by Dr. G. R. Reynolds, who at the end of his term was succeeded by John W. Seiders, the present incumbent.
The banking business has increased from an extremely small beginning to proportions equal to the demands of trade.
The first bank organized was under the free banking act of 1852. It was called the Plymouth bank, and had an authorized capital of $200,000, all in the name of George O. Jennings, of New York. The articles of association declared that it should com- mence operations in Plymouth on the 5th day of October, 1852, and continue until the 5th day of October, 1872. It was a Peter Funk concern and soon collapsed.
The Marshall county bank was commenced May 1, 1854, and was to continue until May, 1872, but suspended not long after- ward. The capital stock was $100,000, divided into 1,000 shares, all taken in the name of L. T. Meriam and J. H. Kibbee, of War- ren, Ohio. William J. Moir and John Porter were managers of the bank.
About 1858, A. L. Wheeler erected a bank building, arranged with an excellent vault and other conveniences, expressly for the transaction of financial business. A branch of the bank of the state of Indiana occupied the building for some time. After it was transferred to the Fletchers, of Indianapolis, Mr. Cressner took charge of it and removed it to the rooms, up-stairs, over N. S. Woodward's building, on the west side of Michigan street. Mr. Wheeler opened a bank in the building which he continued to operate until 1865, when he diverted his means into other channels.
A branch of the State bank was established and occupied Mr. Wheeler' building until 1870, when the Plymouth bank was organized, with A. L. Wheeler, banker; E. R. Wheeler, cashier. Mr. Wheeler closed his bank in the early part of 1878.
The First National bank of Marshall county was organized about 1872, with a capital of $50,000, M. A. O. Packard, presi- dent; James A. Gilmore, cashier. Mr. Packard, the president, has erected a magnificent bank building on the southeast corner of Michigan and Garro streets, at a cost of probably $25,000. It is the finest business building in the county, and is a monument of the good taste and enterprise of the owner.
The Exchange bank of Buck & Toan was organized several years ago, and is managed by the proprietors in connection with their extensive hardware establishment. They occupy a new and elegant two-story brick building, erected by them in 1878, expressly for the transaction of the business in which they are engaged.
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
The following is an extract from a response to the toast, "Our City - Retrospective," by Hon. C. H. Reeve, at the commence- ment exercises of the Plymouth high school, in 1878:
Go back with me, in imagination, and look at the town as I saw it. Where stands your classic school building was a forest of great trees, and beneath them were resting the bodies of a few of the early settlers, just gone before. Where stands the commodious station of the Great Trunk railroad were the out- lines of a rude burial-place in the forest. On the corner diag- onally opposite where we now are was a common log house in which lived the father or uncle of Mrs. Griffin. Where is now the brick block east of us was a rough log store, and on the op- posite corner a log tavern. Where are now your finest residences, the wild deer passed and re-passed in the forest without fear.
Later, there stood on the corner where Mr. Dial lives, a rude school-house of the old type, and on the lot north of Mr. Will- iamson's was an unsightly one-story structure, used as a church. Where Mr. Freese lives was an uncouth, one-story, unpainted building, used as a court-house.
A few poor dwellings dotted here and there, and between the tangled undergrowth of hazel, oak, hickory, sumach, blue-grapes, bitter-sweet, pigeon-berry and other growth, interspersed with large trees, covered the earth. Around was a forest and marsh, and swale and swamp.
Leading westward, a narrow sinuous path, worn deep in the ground, was the trail of the Indians to their mission on Twin lakes. Northwest, another led away to their settlement on-Pine creek. Southeast, another led to the settlement on Tippecanoe. The Michigan road to South Bend, and Yellow river road to La Porte, our only open streets. The waterfowl frequented the surroundings here in numberless flocks. The long trails of squaws, papooses and ponies in single file, with the male Indians on foot, armed, wending their way in the narrow paths and along the roadside to the larger towns of La Porte, South Bend and Logansport to trade, and in and around where now the white man's skill has given us our pleasant little city, wild nature -in many things as Columbus found it on our shores - held somber court and greeted all who came.
In consequence of the early opening of the Michigan and Yellow river state roads through the Indians' country while they owned it, we were always fortunate as to mails. Always one daily from north and south, and one every other day from east and west. The great coaches on good roads, and the huge mud-wagons when the roads were bad. The driver's tin horn giving notice of his coming, drew the few residents together to see who was traveling. When the road was hard the four horses came into town at a spanking gait, and at other times they moved
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
like snails, not infrequently getting stuck between the river and where is now the tannery.
Where Wheeler's block is now, A. L. Wheeler had a one- story frame store, and where Abe Becker is now, the Carters, of Michigan City, had another, in which Gilson S. Cleaveland and Charles Palmer, severally, were educated as merchants.
Johnson Brownlee and myself were about the only young men of marriageable age at one time, and we rambled from the river to the tannery on moonlight nights, in the middle of the road, and sang songs and whistled in parts, as full of romance as if we were born princes. He clerked for Wheeler, and worked as a tailor on the counter, at least to make his own clothes, and I thought nothing of walking ten miles to attend a suit before a country justice for $2 or $3, which I never got sometimes.
Buggies and spring wagons were not a part of our property, except wooden springs.
H. B. Pershing was a tailor, and worked in a little shop where Brooke's cigar store now is. John Cougle kept a little one-story grocery and lived where Humrichouser and Dial do business. James Russel had a harness-shop where Lauer's store now is. Lester, Charley Wilcox's father, had a gunsmith's shop where Becker & Wolf are, and acted as justice in the front part.
Grove Pomeroy, I think, Frank Dawes, John Houghton and William M. Patterson, whose descendants are among us, and others, successively "kept tavern" on Corbin's corner. Will- iam C. Edwards lived where H. A. Work does now, and was constable, and Joseph Evans, later, kept tavern where Has- langer does.
I cannot pause to go over more particulars. But few are left of those who played marbles on the streets, watched the flies buzzing about on the lazy days, sat in the sun when the ague came on, and waited for the town to grow and settlers to come in; while the amusements were hunting and fishing, and plenty of leisure for it. Messrs. Wheeler, Palmer, Cleaveland, Belangee, Edwards, Fuller, Hervey, Pershing, Houghton, David How, the McDonalds, Woodwards, Mistresses Dunham, Dawes, A. P. El- liott, Maria Elliott, How, Griffin and a few others alone remain who have seen the changes of forty-two to forty-six years, since the treaty of Tippecanoe, when the Pottawatamies gave their great inheritance to the white man, and the county was organized.
In 1852, 1857, 1866 and 1873, sweeping fires laid our little town waste, and left our people- with their limited means - well- nigh penniless. With their accustomed energy, they sprang Phonix-like, from the ashes, and again built up as best they could. While no effort has been made to create a manufactur- ing locality, our growth has been permanent and substantial, and is not ahead of the country. Little by little the forest and the
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swamps disappeared, the frame took the place of the log build- ing, and the bricks the place of the frames. The mud roads gave place to the graded streets, and the winding paths to the comfortable plank walks. The steam car took the place of the mud-wagon, and the plumed hearse the place of the hand bier. One by one the most of the pioneers have gone back to dust, and the few remaining ones will soon follow.
In 1888 the city council determined to put in water-works, and that year, put in 18,012 feet of pipe, put in the necessary engines and constructed the reservoirs at a cost of $17,000, and during the year 1890, 2,757 feet of additional pipe have been laid at a cost of $1,100, making the aggregate cost of our water-works only the very low and reasonable sum of $18,100. The reservoirs are filled from several flowing wells that have been sunk near the engine house of the water-works. This water, which is as pleas- ant and wholesome as the world affords, is used by most of the wealthier citizens of the place for all domestic, irrigating and other purposes, and although the works have been in operation less than two years, the water rental now goes far toward de- fraying the expenses of the entire system. There are thirty- three hydrants placed in the most available positions in the city, for extinguishing fires, and in every case of fire since the comple- tion of the works they have given entire satisfaction, except in one instance, at the extreme limits of the city, and that was oc- casioned by an excessive use of water by customers for sprinkling purposes, and on account of not giving sufficient power or pres- sure for the great distance the fire was from the engine. The works are a great success and convenience, and have already, al- most, if not quite, saved the city their cost, by the timely ex- tinguishing of fires. The old fire department consisted of " Pro- tection hook and ladder company No. 1," which was entitled to forty men; the "Adriatic engine company No. 1," which was al- lowed sixty men; "Torrent hose company No. 1," which had twenty members; "Wide Awake hose company No. 2," composed of eighteen members, and the " Alert hook and ladder company No. 2," consisting of twenty members. The above members in- cluded the officers of the respective companies, and the full mem- bership or force aggregated 158.
Since the completion of the water-works, the department con- sists of 106 volunteer firemen, including the officers, who are at this time as follows: Chief, Fred. H. Kuhn; first assistant chief, A. R. Underwood; foreman Adriatic engine company, John C. Kuhn; foreman Protection hook and ladder company, Robert McCance; foreman Torrent hose company, D. B. Armstrong; foreman Wide Awake hose company, A. R. Underwood.
The apparatus now composing or constituting the fire depart- ment of the city, is, one hand engine, large size, two hose carts,
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
one hose carriage, two hook and ladder trucks, 1,250 feet of No. I hose, 350 feet of No. 2 hose and the water works above described.
In the year 1888 it was also decided to light the city with elec- tric lights, and at this writing, August, 1890, the city has twenty- five arc lights placed in such position that ours is one of the best lighted cities in the state. Each light costs about $80, which makes the lighting of the city cost $2,000 per year. Each year additional grading and graveling are being done and at this time there are about four miles of as nicely gravel-paved streets as will be found in any city of its size in the state.
Candor compels the compiler of this chapter to say that the manufacturing establishments of Plymouth never have been, are not now, and most likely never will be, either numerous or large. In fact, the auspicious day for the establishing of manufacturing interests in the place has evidently passed. Years ago, when the best of timber was plenty and being slaughtered and destroyed, many establishments for the manufacture of furniture and all implements made of wood could have been successfully operated but nothing less than the devouring saw-mill was ever thought of, and at this day its work of destruction is almost completed, enough of valuable timber having been wantonly destroyed in the past twenty-five years to have furnished hundreds of opera- tives with employment for as many years to come and to have made many others wealthy and influential citizens of the place. In fact the good citizens of Plymouth have been most unfortunate in every effort they have made to secure the establishing of per- manent manufacturing enterprises in the city. Some ten years ago the Adams Chilled Plow company was organized under ap- parently very favorable circumstances and flattering prospects of success, but this only ran about one year before it " busted up," ending in litigation, many of those who had gone into the matter in good faith losing all they had invested in the enter- prise and having their faith in the honesty of many of their ac- quaintances and fellow citizens sadly shaken and their ardor for assisting in enterprises of a public nature, almost entirely cooled off. But in 1888 another greater and more general effort was made by the citizens to secure the location and establishment of an institution that would give employment to a large number of hands. This effort was made upon the proposition of the Fort Wayne Jenn Electric Light company to move a great portion of their works to Plymouth if the citizens would raise a certain amount as a donation and subscribe for a specified number of shares of stock. The poorer portion of the citizens, assisted to some extent by the richer, raised the amount asked for -$15,000 in cash and ten acres of ground in the city limits, and the build- ing was erected, but the subscribers of the stock, for reasons that were good to them, concluded to not pay for their stock and
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this action on the part of the stock subscribers was seized upon by the members of the Fort Wayne company as an excuse for not complying with their part of the contract, and no machinery for the manufacture of electric light apparatus was put in, and after a time the citizens appointed a committee to look into the matter, who, after a thorough investigation, brought suit against the Fort Wayne company in the name of the citizens of Plymouth for the recovery of the amount of the donation and for damages. The suit was brought in Allen county. A change of venue was taken to the Wells county circuit court, where the citizens won the suit, but from this decision the Fort Wayne com- pany has taken an appeal to the supreme court of the state, where the cause is now pending; but those who have watched the termination of similar cases have but little hope of the people finally winning the suit, and it would certainly be difficult to now get up anything of a boom or donation for another company or corporation.
In the building erected by the people's money and on the grounds donated by them a few individual citizens have started a factory for the manufactory of electric batteries, in which a few hands are worked a portion of the time. The truth is that Ply- mouth has always been cursed with a few money sharks who have gotten rich by loaning money at extortionate rates of interest, taking mortgages and foreclosing them and getting the property at from one-half to one-third of its real value. These men never invest to any extent in any kind of manufacturing interests or improvements, and when they are pressed to pay taxes on even the one-tenth of their ill-gotten gains they move away to some larger place where they are not known, and there, by making a false statement annually, avoid taxation almost entirely. Taking these facts into consideration it is not to be wondered at that our city has not prospered as it should have done in the way of manufacturing interests.
Arthur L. Thomson has for years run a very reliable planing- mill, sash, door and blind factory immediately south of Thayer's grain elevator, and J. F. Behrens has also for years run a similar factory two squares east of the Lake Erie & Western railroad depot.
A few months ago Mr. Behrens died and a short time ago Mr. C. L. Morris rented the plant. The following from the Democrat of August 28, 1890, will explain the new enterprise entered into: " A new industry which in the course of time will be familiarly known as the Acme Novelty Works, has been started in Plymouth. Mr. C. L. Morris is directly interested in the business in a financial way and has associated with him Mr. G. W. Marble as general manager, who has had wide experience in the line of manufac- turing they will engage in. They have leased J. F. Behrens'
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
planing-mill and its machinery, and as soon as new machinery can be placed will start up with as many hands as can be conven- iently used. They will work in hard and soft wood lumber and make a specialty of wood work for electric companies, automatic turned work and rods for bending and dowels, all kinds of chair stock, table tops and legs, garden hose reels and job work gener- ally. It is a new thing for Plymouth, and inasmuch as it is just the kind of enterprises we need to make the town grow we wish it every success."
Mr. C. L. Morris is also running a first-class saw-mill immedi- ately west of the Vandalia depot and is using up the remnant of timber in this vicinity very fast, but he manufactures only rough lumber, and his excellent mill will soon be a thing of the past for the want of timber to work on.
The "Plymouth Water Mills," in the northeast part of the city, owned and run by William Zehner, has, within the past four years been entirely remodeled and the "roller process " put in, and it is one of the finest mills in this part of the state, and the " Eureka Mills," now called the " M. J. Disher Mills," east of the Parker House on the bank of Yellow river, has also been quite generally overhauled and does very fine custom and merchant work.
The tannery, in the northern part of the city, on the east side of Michigan street, and owned by John Heultheiss, enjoys a good reputation for the manufacture of leather and commands a very liberal patronage not only in this but in surrounding counties.
The above are all the manufacturing enterprises being carried on in Plymouth, that can be called to mind.
The population of Plymouth, 1870, was twenty-four hundred and eighty-two (2,482); in 1880 it was twenty-five hundred and seventy (2,570); and in 1890, it is twenty-seven hundred and thirty-nine (2,739), showing an increase of eighty-eight between 1870 and 1880, and 169 between 1880 and 1890.
The following statement of the length of the different rail- roads in the city, and their valuation for taxation purposes, may be of interest at this time:
The Lake Erie and Western railroad has 1.30
miles of main track assessed at. . $8,450
.85 of a mile of side track assessed at. 1,700
Improvements on right of way assessed at. 365
Rolling stock -proportion, assessed at. 2,600
Personal property assessed at.
20
Total assessment $13,135
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MARSHALL COUNTY.
The Pittsburgh, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroad
has 1.26 miles of main track assessed at . $35,280
1.66 miles of side track assessed at .. 5,810
Improvements on right of way assessed at. 5,950
Rolling stock - proportion, assessed at 8,190
Personal property 935
Total assessment. $56,165
The Terre Haute and Logansport railroad has 1.51 miles of main track assessed at
$6,795
.46 miles of side track assessed at. 690
Rolling stock - proportion, assessed at ..
2,115
Improvements on right of way assessed at. 510
Personal property assessed at
40
Total assessment
$10,150
Making the grand total of railroad assessments for 1890, foot up $79,450.
Plymouth's commercial importance is not very great. One reason of this is that there are so many rival trading places within a few miles of the city.
The financial condition of the city is good, and our rate of taxation is less than that of any other city in northern Indiana, that has the improvements and advantages we enjoy. The only indebtedness of the city is a balance of $15,000 in bonds issued to pay for the water-works. Each year a bond of $1,000 becomes due. They bear five per cent. interest. The original amount of the bonds issued was $16,000, but the first one was paid the Ist of July, 1890, leaving the balance above stated.
Newspapers of Plymouth, 1851 to 1890 .- It is with feelings of awe and reverence that we approach the task of sketching the rise and progress of our county papers, and those who have been connected with their publication since their establishment. Only think of the brains that have been racked and the fortunes that have been squandered in those nearly forty years, now passed into eternity ! All has been
" Double, double, toil and trouble,
Fire burn and caldrou bubble."
Some of the old veterans have passed away, and some who were in the prime and vigor of manhood have been cut down by the all devouring scythe of time. But their memories shall never fade and ther works do follow them. For them -ah, well-we drop a tear to their memory, and to the living, we promise our support and sympathy until the silver cord shall be loosed, and the golden bowl shall be broken !
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
The Plymouth Pilot was the first paper published in Plymouth, and although there are no more copies of it to be found, the first number must have appeared sometime in June, 1851. The legal printing was done by Schuyler Colfax in the St. Joseph Valley Register for the May term of the circuit court of that year, and the publications were made in the Pilot for the November term, 1851. The press and material were transported from Rochester to Plymouth on wagons, and we remember very well, the day it arrived. The population of Plymouth at that time, did not ex- ceed 700 or 800, and there were few of the whole number who failed to make a personal examination of the novelties connected with it, and express an opinion in regard to the enterprise. John Q. Howell was the reckless disciple of Faust, who made the venture. The novelty soon wore off, and Mr. Howell was permitted to run it in his own way without any special effort on the part of the people, to assist him. It did not prove a paying investment and Mr. Howell determined to get rid of it on the best terms he could. He succeeded in selling it to Richard Cor- baley on the first of March, 1852. Mr. Corbaley changed the name of the paper, and sent out Vol. I, No. I, of the Plymouth Banner. He continued the publication of the Banner until the 28th of July, 1853. Mr. Corbaley was clerk of the court at that time, and had no particular knowledge of the printing business, and the work of publishing the paper was done by jour printers and " devils," who made the office a loafing place, and were learn- ing to stick type for the fun of it. The rollers always worked badly, the type was badly worn and bruised, and the tympan sheets were always out of fix, and as a matter of course, when the paper made its appearance, it was not the most perfect specimen of newspaper printing. Richard was a man of an amiable turn of mind, and seldom suffered his natural equilibrium to be dis- turbed. On one occasion, however (we shall never forget), he came near saying cuss words, albeit he wouldn't have done so for the world. The matter was all up for the paper, and the forms ready to go on the press. One of the hands in the office, in at- tempting to lift the third page, let it fall, and pied the whole form. Richard was not himself for several days. It took about two weeks to distribute the pi and get things in running order. Mr. Corbaley sold out to William J. Burns and he assumed the editorial management of the paper July 28th, 1853, and continued until December 4th, 1854. Mr. Burns was an educated news- paper man, having been engaged in the business most of his life. He told what he had to say in an easy off-hand way, and all in all, published a fair local paper.
" December 4th, 1854, the office passed into the hands of Thomas B. Thompson. Mr. Thompson was deputy sheriff at that time, and became interested in its management on political
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grounds. He was not a literary man, and made no pretensions as a writer. The services of William G. Pomeroy were secured to edit the paper, and he launched out on the sea of journalism in the following style: 'Our Banner will always be found against the doctrines of slavery extension, and in favor of freedom; against drunkenness and in favor of sobriety; against vice and in favor of good order; against wrong and in favor of right.'
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