History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, Part 101

Author: Sulgrove, Berry R. (Berry Robinson), 1828-1890
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 942

USA > Indiana > Marion County > Indianapolis > History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana > Part 101

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Aims of the association : 1st. To hold an annual fair at the cheapest possible rate, so the masses may receive the benefits ; 2d. To make this annual gath- ering second to none in the State.

To accomplish this they propose to spend every dollar they receive over and above expenses in beau- tifying the grounds, in comfortable improvements for man and beast, and paying premiums. In another year the association will probably have forty acres of their own, which will give more room for improve- ments.

This, briefly, is a history of its rise and progress. President, Voorhis has been prompt in helping the objects of the association, while Secretary Flick has been not only tireless in his efforts, but has shown rare and excellent judgment in the discharge of his difficult and sometimes thankless duties.

The following are the officers of the association for 1883: O. W. Voorhis, president, Lawrence, Iud. ; John W. Apple, vice-president, Oaklandon, Ind .; Levi Bolander, treasurer, Oaklandon, Ind .; James H. Thomas, general superintendent, Lawrence, Ind. ; William B. Flick, secretary, Lawrence, Ind.

569

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP.

Schools .- Lawrence township has turned out many excellent school-teachers ; it has the best public-school buildings, and it is one of the most enterprising in all matters pertaining to schools, of all the town- ships in the county. The first school in the town- ship was taught by a man named Edmison, from Chillicothe, Ohio, in Elisha Reddick's cabin in the year 1828. The teacher took the measles and spread consternation among the few scholars, and thus the school was brought to a sudden termination. The first school building ereeted was in the year 1830, upon the northwest corner of the Eddie Newhouse land, now owned by James W. Jenkins. The first school taught there was a subscription school, and was taught by an old man named Lamb. The boys barred him out on Christmas day and asked for a treat. The demand was acceded to and a gallon of whiskey purchased. The boys drank of it quite freely, and many of them became intoxicated. The patrons held a meeting and discharged Mr. Lamb. Subse- quently log school-houses were erected at various points, notably on the east side of the land uow owned by William B. Flick ; on the northwest corner of the farm known as the Smay land; on the northeast corner of Robert White's farm, and it was afterwards moved on to the southwest corner of the eighty-acre tract of land now owned by Mrs. Mary Ann Negley ; on Cornelius ,Wadsworth's land; on the Bragdon farm, east of where Lawrence now is; one near where each of Nos. 4, 5, and 8 school-houses now stand. School was taught at intervals for four years in a vacant house upon the farm now owned by John Johnson, south of Castleton. In the year 1834 William Hendriek taught school in a small round- log cabin on Indian Creek, near Williams' mill. Spelling-school was held there quite often, and the boys had to carry brush to throw upon the fire in the fireplace in order to light the house. John Thomas taught the first school in the house on the Bragdon land in the year 1831. He taught three terms. Cyrus Smith taught the first school held in the heuse on Robert White's land. In the year 1835, Travis Silvey taught the first school held in the log house near where No. 8 school-house Low stands. For many years after the settlement of the 37

township the schools were few and the terms of short duration, while a majority of the teachers were of an illiterate class. Many of the scholars were obliged to travel long distances through the brush and over swamps, often being obliged to " coon" logs for great distances.

The first public school-house was built of hewed logs, on the land then owned by John Bolander, and stood very near the spot upon which the new brick (No. 7) school-house now stands. Daniel Speece, if not the first, was one of the first persons who taught there. After the organization of the Congressional township system the schools were placed upon a solid and permanent basis, and their good effects began to be realized. The township system was adopted in 1853, and immediately thereafter the township was supplied with ten schools, and about three years thereafter with ten frame public school buildings, and the township ever since has had an excellent corps of teachers. The first teachers after the adoption of the township system were: School No. 1, Aquilla McCord; No. 2, Henry Cronk; No. 3, Nelson Hoss ; No. 4, John Cory ; No. 5, George Speece; No. 6, Cyrus Smith; No. 7, James Mc- Kean ; No. 8, Gilbert Ross; No. 9, William Young ; No. 10, Nelson Hoss.

The term lasted sixty-five days, and they were paid as wages seventy-five dollars each. Cyrus Smith taught No. 6 in the Universalist Church at Oakland, and the trustees of the church were allowed nine dollars for the use of the building.

On April 29, 1853, the township trustees called " a special meeting of the voters of the township at usual places of holding elections on Saturday, the 28th day of May next, for the purpose of deter- mining whether they will submit to a tax for build- ing, removing, furnishing, and purchasing sites for school-houses of said township." The result of the election was: For tax, seventy-three; no tax, forty- four. The trustees then levied fifty cents on each poll, and thirty cents on each one hundred dollars of taxablo property, and built a new frame school-house that year, and afterwards about four houses per year until the township was fully supplied with new houses. The estimated cost of eight school-houses

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HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.

was thirty-two hundred dollars, and it was ordered by the trustees that sixteen hundred dollars be. raised in the year 1853 and sixteen hundred dollars in the year 1854. On June 21, 1853, the township trustees, Abraham Sellers, Samuel Cory, and Moses Craig, " Ordered, that the school districts now ex- pending the school funds which was in their hands unexpended on the first Monday in April, 1853, be permitted to expend the same for tuition."

There are now twelve school districts in the town- ship, distributed at convenient points. Districts Nos. 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, and 10 are supplied with commodious brick buildings, each containing thirty-eight thousand briek. District No. 3 has a two-story brick edifice, finished in modern style, and district school-house No. 9 is a beautiful two-story frame structure. Dis- triet No. 6 has two frame houses, and the school is a graded one. The remaining districts have substan- tial frame buildings. The following is from the teachers' reports to the trustee for the term of 1882 and 1883, viz .: Whole number enrolled, 626; males, 341 ; females, 285; average daily attendance, 413; number studying orthography, 578; reading, 625; writing, 605; arithmetic, 570; geography, 339 ; grammar, 367; history, 75; physiology, 125.

The trustee made the following school levy for 1883 : Tuition school, seven cents on the one hun- dred dollars; special school, three cents on the one hundred dollars.

The school term now lasts six months, and the fol- lowing are the teachers for the winter of 1883 and 1884, viz .: No. 1, Samuel Beaver ; No. 2, A. E. Bragdon; No. 3, Principal, Marioo Bell; No. 3, Primary, Annie Herrin ; No. 4, O. H. Tibbott; No. 5, James Watson ; No. 6, Principal, William F. Lan- dis; No. 6, Primary, Lou Abbott; No. 7, A. A. Johnson ; No. 8, F. A. Whitesides; No. 9, Prin- cipal, Samuel Bolander; No. 9, Primary, Jennie O. Hensley; No. 10, Edward White; No. 11, Charles Bolander; No. 12, Belle Conkle. They are paid from $2.25 to $2.50 per day.

The township library contains about eight hun- dred volumes, some of them valuable works. They are about equally distributed- at the following con-

venient points, are in first-class condition, and in charge of the persons named : Castleton, Mrs. Au- dersoo ; Lawrence, Grace Mapes ; Oakland, Dr. A. F. Cory.

Churches .- The first preaching held in the town- ship after its settlement was in the year 1825, on the farm entered by William Reddick for his son Joshua, and in his cabin, situated northwest of the mouth of Mud Creek. Preaching was held there ncarly seven years. The first sermon was delivered by a young man named Miller.

There are now ten church buildings in the town- ship, under control of five different denominations, as follows, viz. : Five Methodist Episcopal, two Evangel- ical Lutheran, one Christian Church, one Baptist Church, and one Universalist Church.

Oakland Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- ized in 1852, with a membership of twenty-four. The meetings were held two years in an old log cabin, one half-mile east of Oakland, on the Combs farm. Rev. Manwell and Rev. Gillum were the first preachers. The present church building was erected in the summer of 1854. James Hines, Jr., was accidentally killed in May of that year, while en- gaged in adjusting one of the timbers of the cupola. The church was dedicated in 1855. Rev. M. Gillum was the first circuit preacher in the new building, and James W. Hervey, Henry Whittiker, and Foun- tain Kimberlain were the first trustees. The present trustees are John Mock and Ephraim Thomas. J. S. Ruggles is the circuit preacher. The church is on the Castleton Circuit. Paul Klepfer is the stew- ard and class-leader. This society was at one time in a flourishing condition, but not so now. Present membership, twenty-five.

Lawrence Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- ized by Rev. Trusler, from Virginia, at the residence of Benjamin Newhouse, one and one-fourth miles west of where the town of Lawrence now is, about the year 1838, with the following members, viz. : Benjamin Newhouse and Mahala, his wife, Henry Newhouse and Elizabeth, his wife, and Edmund New- house and Sallie, his wife.

571

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP.

Preaching was held at Benjamin Newhouse's sev- eral years, and afterwards at Henry Newhouse's resi- dence. About the year 1848 the elass built a hewed log house on the farm of Henry Newhouse, three- fourths of a mile west of Lawrence, Mr. Newhouse donating land for the site. This church was ealled Coneord, and was used and occupied by the elass as a place of worship for twelve years. Concord was then abandoned as a preaching-point, and the ground eon- veyed back to Henry Newhouse. The society then went to the present frame ehureh in the town of Law- rence, which was ereeted in the year 1860, the ground for the site and one hundred and fifty dollars in money being donated to the society by Henry Newhouse. The frame church was dedicated in 1860. Frank Hardin delivered the dedieatory sermon. The first trustees of the new church property were Amnos Anderson, James Beard, and James Wheeler. The trustees of the property at the present time are Matthew C. Dawson, John Smith, and Franklin Joseph Johnson. The stewards are John Smith and Matthew C. Dawson. The present membership is seventy-five. The following ministers preached regularly at Coneord, viz. : Frank Hardin, Bernhart, Johnson, Martin, Manwell, Greenmund, and Burt. The church is now on the Castleton Circuit, and Rev. J. S. Ruggles is the minister. The society is a strong one and in a good condition financially.

Spring Valley Methodist Episcopal Church was or- gauized as a class in Hilary Silvey's cabin, near the eentre of the township, in the year 1832, with about eighteen members. The first regular preacher was Rev. Ellsberry, the second Rev. Igoe, and the third Rev. Sullivan. Services were held there for five years, and then from house to house until a preaeh- ing point was established at Spring Valley. A Sab- bath-school was organized in district (log) school- bouse by Abraham Vines, under the auspiees of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in the spring of 1852, and carried on successfully for two years. In about 1854 a preaching-point was established there, and the place ealled Vines' School-House. Preaching and Sabbath-school were held there until the com- pletion of the present frame building. In 1859,

Abraham Vines, John Stires, and other moral men concluded to erect a frame building, thirty by forty feet, and soon succeeded in raising enough money to do so. The building was built in the years 1860 and 1861, near No. 8 school-house. J. H. Thomas did the carpenter-work, John C. Thomas was the plasterer, and Isaac N. Thomas the painter. The building was dedieated in 1865, the Rev. John V. R. Miller, the then presiding elder, delivering the dedicatory sermon. At that time Rev. J. C. White was the circuit preacher. The first trustees were Joshua Huston, Thomas P. Silvey, and J. H. Thomas. In 1837 the church had thirty-two members. The following pastors followed Rev. J. C. White, who was on the circuit two years, viz. : Michael Black, 1 year ; William Nichols, 2 years ; Samuel Pinkerton, 2 years ; Richard Osburn, 1 year; W. S. Falken- berg, 1 year ; L. Havens, 1 year ; Alexander Jami- son, 2 years. The present minister is J. S. Ruggles. The church is attached to the Castleton Circuit. The present trustees are Hezekiah Smart, Pressly Silvey, George G. Johnson, Johu W. Russell, and William T. Johnson. Martha Speece is the only person remaining with the class who became a mem- ber in 1832.

Hopewell Metbodist Episcopal Church edifice is situated on the west bank of Mud Creek, about one and one-half miles south of the Hamilton County line. It was built about 1850, by J. N. McCoy, Jacob Hoss, John Tate, Hiram Simons, Alexander McClaren, and others, who banded together for the purpose. John Burt was the first preacher, and Richard Hairgrave the first presiding elder. The church began with a membership of fourteen. The ground for the church site was donated by Jacob Hoss, and a cemetery surrounds the building. The church was abandoned as a preaching-point in 1878, but is kept in moderate repair and used upon oeca- sions such as funerals or special preaching. The first trustees were Jacob Hoss, James N. MeCoy, and David Fee. The present trustees are Henry Cronk, James N. McCoy, and C. B. Wadsworth. The church belongs to the Castleton Cireuit. Alexander Jamison was the last pastor.

572

HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.

Castleton Methodist Episcopal Church was organ- ized with fifteen members about 1843, by James T. Wright. Its meetings were held at the residences of James T. Wright, William Orpurd, Milford H. Vert, and others ; also, in an old log school-house in the north part of Vertland, just west of the railroad, and in Milford H. Vert's warehouse, for twenty years. After which their meetings were held for twelve years in the new frame school-house. The present brick edifice was built through the instrumentality of Rev. James H. Stallard. It was completed in the year 1874, but was not occupied as a place of worship until the year 1876. The trustees of the church in their report to the Quarterly Conference, Aug. 16, 1882, represented the title as being good, and placed the value of the property at three thousand five hun- dred dollars. James T. Wright, the founder of the church, was its first minister and for several years its sole pastor. Thomas Jones was the first preacher in the new brick. The church was dedicated in the summer of 1880, during the pastorate of Harvey Harris. The dedicatory sermon was delivered by J. K. Pye, the presiding elder. The present minister is J. S. Ruggles. The present membership is about sixty. The stewards are John J. Johnson, Henry Cronk; and C. B. Wadsworth. The trustees are as follows, viz. : Wilson Whitesell, John J. Johnson, Samuel T. Hague, Robert Johnson, John E. Mylcs, Robert E. Smith, James I. Rooker, William F. Wads- worth, and Andrew Smith. Prior to the building of the new church building the following circuit preach- ers were the most prominent: George Havens (3 years), John Burt (3 years), Wade Posey (2 years), R. D. Spellman, J. C. White, D. C. Benjamin, Sam- uel Longdon, and James H. Stallard.

The following have been the pastors of this church since the completion of the new building, viz. : Revs. Thomas Jones, - Thornton, Alexander Jami- son, Austin Reek, Harvey Harris, and William M. Grubbs.

Camp-meeting was held under the direction of Rev. Alexander Jamison in the vicinity of Castleton, in July, 1878, and again in 1879 and 1880, lasting each year for several days. The church is in a pros- perous condition, having passed safely through a

great financial strain, and its future prospects for accomplishing much good are very flattering.

The parsonage of the Castleton Circuit of the Methodist Episcopal Church is located at Vertland, and adjoins the Castleton Church building. The parsonage is under the control of the following trus- tees appointed by the Quarterly Conference : Wilson Whitesell, John J. Johnson, Andrew Smith, and Henry Cronk.

Wesley Chapel Methodist Episcopal Church was organized as a class at the residence of Jeremiah Plummer, on Indian Creek, about the year 1835, and a circuit-rider preached there regularly every four weeks for two or three years. The hewed-log school- house on John Bolander's land was then used for five or six years. About the year 1842 a hewed-log church was built by the moral men of the neighbor- hood on the northeast corner of the eighty-acre tract of land now owned by John Smith. John Shenkle donated an acre of land for the site of the church. The first trustees of the property were George Plum- mer, William Lakin, and John Obrian. It was the first church building erected in the township, and was commonly called the Plummer Church. The so- ciety numhered about fifty at the time the church was built. William Lakin, James H. Murphy, Ben- jamin Chapman, John Obrian, Ephraim Thomas, George N. Plummer, Jeremiah Plummer, and John Shenkle were the prominent members, and took an active interest in the building of the church. John B. Burt, Charles Morrow, et al., were the ministers of the church prior to the erection of the church build- ing. George W. Bowers was the first preacher in the log church. Following him, the most prominent were Allen Beasley, L. M. Hancock, William C. Smith, - Crouch, and Eli Rummel. The mem- bership dwindled down to a few, the building became unfit for occupancy, and the class was unable to build a new one; consequently about 1857 meetings ceascd to be held there, and the class disbanded. The build- ing was left standing until the year 1867, when the crumbling structure was torn down and removed from the premises. The old site has long been used as a cemetery, and is known as the " Plummer grave- yard."

573

LAWRENCE TOWNSHIP.

The Pleasant View United Brethren Church was organized many years ago, and held its meetings at the cabin of William Hendricks, on Fall Creek, for . several years. A hewed-log church was raised about the year 1845 on the east bank of Fall Creek, on a high hill called Mount Holy, near the Emery Ford, and used as a meeting-house nearly thirty years. The class disbanded years ago. The first preacher in the church was the Rev. Richardson. Amos Hanway was one of the most prominent ministers of the church. William Hendricks and Charles Emery were two of the first trustees. The house was built upon the farm of William Hendricks, now owned by Richard Johnson. The house has decayed so that it is in a condition to fall at any time.

The Salem Lutheran Church was organized at the residence of Abraham Sellers several years prior to 1848. During that year a hewed-log church was built upon an acre of ground donated as a site for the church by Joseph Swarm. It was built by donations from men of moral influence, and is situated on the Fall Creek and Mud Creek gravel road, about one- half mile south of school-house No. 2. The church was dedicated one year after its completion, John A. Myers delivering the dedicatory sermon. Hugh Wells was the minister in charge at the time of the dedication. The present minister is Obadiah Brown. The first trustees were Joseph Swarm, Abraham Sellers, and Arthur Clawson.

The Upper Ebenezer Lutheran Church originated in 1824, in the old Ebenezer Lutheran Church of Washington township, which will be found fully mentioned in the history of that township. Au ac- count is there given of the division of that church and the sale of the church building in February, 1868. In consequence of the sale of the church building, about sixty persoos were left without a house in which to worship. They resolved to build a new frame church after the modern style, and ap- pointed John Mowry, J. G. Marshal, and John C. Hoss as a building committee, and selected John Negley as a suitable person to raise the funds. In due time the necessary money was secured, and the building erected in the year 1868 upon seventy-two square rods of ground donated to the church society

by Hezekiah Ringer out of the southwest corner of his farm in Lawrence township. The church build- ing was dedicated in 1868 immediately upon its com- pletion. The dedicatory sermon was delivered by Rev. Samuel Sprecher, D.D., of Springfield, Ohio, the then president of Wittenburg College. The Rev. Jacob Keller, the pastor at the time of the separation of the church, went with the upper settlement and continued their pastor two years, until 1870. The old book of the original organization was kept by the congregation of the upper settlement. The congre- gation at present numbers forty-one active members. The pastors since 1868 have been as follows: Jacob Keller, 2 years; E. Fair, 1 year ; J. Boone, 2 years ; Wm. H. Keller, 5 years ; and Obadiah Brown, 1 year. The last named is the present minister. Harrison Ringer and George Mowry are the elders, and Elijah Mowry and George W. Pressly are the deacons. There was no reorganization of this body after the division in the church ; it was by the terms stipu- lated in the articles of agreement a continuation of the original body. .

The Oakland Christian Church was organized May 1, 1866, with a membership of one hundred and thirty-eight, and occupied the Universalist Church building one year thereafter. In 1868 the class erected the present frame building, and dedicated it the same year. Rev. David Franklin, of Madison County, Ind., delivered the dedicatory sermon. Christopher Apple took the most active part in the building of the church. He contributed all the material that went into the building and three hun- dred dollars in money. The first preacher was W. V. Trowbridge, and the first trustees were Chris- topher Apple, Sylvester Vanlaningham, and Daniel Jordan. Newton Wilson, of Irvington, is the min- ister at present, and John W. Apple and Henry Apple are the trustees. The church has fifty-eight active members. Sabbath-school has been held every Sunday during the past fifteen years, a most remark- able incident for a country church.

The Lawrence Baptist Church. The Baptists in the southwestern portion of the township held their meetings for a few years at the residences of various persons of that religious faith, notably at Milton

574

HISTORY OF INDIANAPOLIS AND MARION COUNTY.

Woolen's cabin, Parsley's cabin, and George G. F. Boswell's cabin. It was at the cabin of George G. F. Boswell, on the third Friday in May, 1848, that these people formed an organization and consti- tuted themselves the Lawrence Township Baptist Church. About that time the congregation built a frame meeting-house on the farm of Milton Woolen, one and one-half miles due west of the town of Law- rence. Milton Woolen, the founder of the church, donated the ground for the site and obtained the pastors. The following persons were very enthusi- astic in the building of the church : Milton Woolen, George G. F. Boswell, Wilson Hartsock, Moses Winters, and Moses Dunn. The following were the ministers in the frame church, viz .: John S. Gilles- pie, Michael White, Madison Hume, - Stewart, and Josiah H. Razor. About the year 1860 the congregation abandoned the church on the Woolen land and went to the town of Lawrence, and for sev- eral years thercafter held their meetings in the school- house. A portion of the time they were without a meeting-place and without a pastor. In the year 1872 the present brick edifice was erected in Robin- son & Co.'s addition to Lawrence, and on the oppo- site side of the Pendleton road from old Lanesville. When the congregation occupied the new brick it had but five members that belonged to the church when its meetings were held in the old frame on the Woolen farm. The new brick was dedicated in the year 1875, the Rev. John S. Gillespie preaching the dedicatory sermon. The Rev. R. N. Harvey has been the pastor for eight years, and is in charge at the present time.

The Third Regular Baptist Church of Jesus Christ, on Fall Creek, was organized on Saturday, July 28, 1838, when the following delegates from the churches named met in council at the residence of Madison Webb, on the "correction line," one-fourth of a mile west of Fall Creek, and constituted them- selves a regular Baptist Church, viz .: T. Woolen, from Indianapolis ; Elder Madison Hume, Thomas Oliphant, and David Stoops, from Crooked Creek ; Harris Tyner, John Griffis, and John Perry, from Pleasant Run, and adopted articles of faith and a constitution, and the following persons declared mem-

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History of Indianapolis and Marion County, Indiana, Part 101

Author: Sulgrove, Berry R. (Berry Robinson), 1828-1890 Publication date: 1884 Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co. Number of Pages: 942

Author: Sulgrove, Berry R. (Berry Robinson), 1828-1890
Publication date: 1884
Publisher: Philadelphia : L.H. Everts & Co.
Number of Pages: 942