USA > Indiana > Lawrence County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 41
USA > Indiana > Monroe County > History of Lawrence and Monroe counties, Indiana : their people, industries, and institutions > Part 41
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434
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
Wayport and Hindostan are the two villages which have been founded in Washington township. The former was laid out in April. 1851, on sec- tions 28 and 33, by Isaac Gillaspy, Thomas Gillaspy, and G. W. Smith, pro- prietors, and James Washburn, surveyor. Sixteen lots comprised the town. One store, a postoffice, a blacksmith shop are about all the town had.
Hindostan was laid out on the northeast quarter of the northeast quar- ter of section 14, in June, 1853, by Charles G. Corr, proprietor, and James Woodburn, surveyor. Twelve lots were laid out on the line of the Martins- ville and Bloomington state road, and just north of the Columbus and Gos- port state road. The industries were on a par with those of Wayport.
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CHAPTER XIII.
MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS AND INCIDENTS.
Under this caption are given many interesting items of local history which do not seem to appropriately fit into other regular chapters of this volume, but are invaluable in the annals of Monroe county and the city of Bloomington.
VILLAGE PLATS OF MONROE COUNTY.
The subjoined is a list of the various original plats for villages within this county. Some of these have long since become defunct :
Bloomington .- June 22, 1818, by Benjamin Parks, agent for the county. The public square was described as being two hundred and seventy-six feet each way. The associate judges who acknowledged the survey were Hons. Lewis Noel and Jonathan Nichols.
Chanlersville was platted February 25. 1893, by J. H. Louden, William P. Rogers and H. Henley, on the north part of the east half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 29, township 9. range I west.
Chapel Hill was platted October 11. 1856. on the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 31, township 7, range I east, by David Mil- ler and John Smith.
Ellettsville (or Richland ) .- On the northeast quarter of section 7, town- ship 7. range 2 west, February 13. 1837, by Reuben Tompkins.
Fairfax .- On the east half of the southeast quarter of section 26, town- ship 7, range 1, by Z. Long and his wife, Mahala Long. -
Friendship was platted October 19, 1857, by James Fleener, on section 21. township 8. range I east.
Fleenersburg (Unionville now) was platted on the southwest corner of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of section 9. township 9, range I east. June 5. 1847. by Nicholas Fleener.
Harrodsburg ( originally known as Newgene) was platted on the north- east quarter of the southwest quarter of section 20. township 7. range I west, December 16, 1836, by Alexander Buchannon. It was re-platted May 22 and 23. 1866.
4,36
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Hindostan was platted August 18, 1853, on the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 14, township 10, range I west, by Charles G. Carr.
Hinsonburg, situated on the northeast quarter of section 31, township 9, range I west, by James and Caroline Hinson, Riley Sanders and William E. Buzzard, September 24, 1892.
Limestone (now Sanders) was platted in Perry township, by Newell and Carinne Sanders, July 14, 1892, on the west half of the southwest quarter of section 34, township 8, range I west.
Mt. Tabor was platted April 21, 1828.
Oolitic was platted by the Oolitic Stone Company, on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 33, and the west half of the southwest quarter of section 34, township 8, range I west.
Palestine was platted February 17, 1845, by Thomas Shipman, in town- ship 7 north, of range 2, and is now defunct.
Rock Castle, in the west half of the west half of the southwest quarter of section 29. township 9, range I west, by Gilbert Perry, Henry Perry, Fred Mathews, W. H. Wicks and others, July 20, 1872.
Smithville was platted November 26, 1851, on the northeast quarter of the southwest quarter and the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section 3. township 7. range I west, by Mansfield Bennett and George Smith.
Stanford was platted July 29. 1838, by H. A. Tarkington.
Stinesville, platted April 5, 1855, on the southeast quarter of section 17, township 10, range 2 west, by Ensebiens Stine.
Unionville, same as old Fleenersburg.
Wayport, platted April 12, 1851, on sections 28 and 33. all in township I0, range I west, by Isaac Gillaspy, George Smith and wives.
POPULATION.
The population of Monroe county in 1820 was 2,679; in 1830, it was 6,577 ; in 1840, 10,143; in 1850 had reached 11,286; in 1860 it was 12,847; in 1870 it was 14,168; in 1880, 15,875: in 1890, 17.673; in 1900 it was 20,873 and in 1910 it had reached 23,426, an increase of about twelve per cent. in the ten years between 1900 and 1910.
By townships and towns and cities, the following population was given in the United States census reports for the years 1900 and 1910:
437
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
1900.
1910.
Bean Blossom township and Stinesville
1,466
1,76£
Stinesville (town of)
288
499
Benton township
1,114
962
Bloomington township and part of city
5,899
7,354
City (part of)
4,949
5,952
Total Bloomington City
6,460
8,338
Clear Creek township
1,618
1,713
Indian Creek township
927
860
Marion township
506
365
Perry township and part of city Bloomington
3,443
4,970
Polk township
1,103
1,054
Richland township and part Ellettsville.
1,565
1,578
Ellettsville, town of
708
676
Salt Creek township
927
855
Van Buren township
1,210
1,153
Washington township
1,095
771
Total
20,873
23,426
VILLAGE, TOWN AND CITY POPULATION-1910.
Bloomington, 8,838; Bryant Creek, 149; Buena Vista, 75; Chapel Hill, 12; Clear Creek, 94; Cortelyou, 47; Ellettsville, 676; Fairfax, 25; Fleener, 20; Gable, 6; Godsey, 23; Harrodsburg, 358; Kirksville, 75; Lemons, 15; Payne, 50; Smithville, 375; Stanford. 120; Southern, 25: Stinesville, 497; Todd, 24; Unionville, 125; Victor, 75; Yellowstone, 15.
THE OLD SETTLERS' SOCIETY.
The first steps to organize an old settlers' society were taken in 1852, when a call was issued at Bloomington for a public meeting. However, this meeting was not held, and nothing further was done until 1857, at which time an old settlers' society was formed. The Republican of Bloomington had the following notice in regard to it :
OLD SETTLERS' MEETING.
"In pursuance of previous notice for an old settlers' meeting, quite a large number of the old gray-headed fathers and pioneers of Monroe county
1 1 I
Į
1
438
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
met in mass at the court house in the town of Bloomington, on Monday, the 26th day of April, 1857, for the purpose of organizing a society to be called the Old Settlers' Society, and make suitable arrangements for its permanent organization. The meeting was called to order. On motion of Matthew M. Campbell. Jacob B. Lowe was called to the chair, and Marton C. Hunter appointed secretary. Colonel Campbell, of Washington township, moved that a committee of five be appointed by the chair to make all necessary' arrangements for an old settlers' meeting on the 4th of July next. Prof. M. M. Campbell moved to amend the motion by striking out the word 'five' and inserting 'one from each township in Monroe county', which amendment was accepted by Colonel Campbell, and the motion as amended passed. Whereupon the chair appointed the following gentlemen to serve as said committee : Colonel Campbell, of Washington township; John Hubbard, of Marion ; David Barrow, of Benton: James P. Ellis, of Salt Creek; John Hanson, of Polk; Colonel Ketcham, of Clear Creek; Joseph S. Walker, of Indian Creek ; M. M. Campbell, of Perry : Ellis Stone, of Van Buren; Judge Reeves, of Richland; James V. Buskirk, of Bean Blossom; Elias Abel, of Bloomington township. To which was added Paris C. Dunning and Austin Seward. Eli P. Farmer, of Richland township, moved that twenty-five years' residence in Monroe county entitle a man to membership. George A. Buskirk, Esq., moved to amend the motion by requiring each member to be fifty years old, and have resided in the county thirty years, which amend- ment was accepted by Mr. Farmer. . The motion as amended passed. Samuel H. Buskirk, Esq., moved that a committee of nine be appointed to make all suitable arrangements for the meeting of the old settlers on the 4th of July, and to prepare refreshments for the occasion. The chair appointed the fol- lowing gentlemen such committee: Samuel H. Buskirk, F. T. Butler, P. L. D. Mitchell, Jesse T. Cox, William Ward, Aquilla W. Rogers, William C. Sadler, Col. L. Gentry, George A. Buskirk. The object of organizing the Old Settlers' Society is, that the old gray-headed fathers may be called to- gether at stated periods for the purpose of enjoying a social repast with each other, and in their own way entertain the meeting by the narration of anec- dotes, as well as. the hardships and perilous scenes that transpired during the early settling of this country, in the planting of civilization, clearing up of the lands, and subduing the red man of the forest, as also the dangers, perils and hardships of the war of 1812, that the rising generation may be kept in remembrance of the debt of gratitude that is due from them to their pioneer fathers for the blessings they now enjoy, and that the pen of the historian
439
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
may record those scenes for the benefit of generations that may come after us. All will therefore come prepared to narrate the various incidents that came under their observation. The various committees above named will meet at Bloomington on Saturday, the 19th day of June, to make all neces- sary arrangements for the meeting, which is to take place on the 4th of July next. No committeeman should fail to attend. On motion, the proceed- ings were ordered to be published in the Bloomington Republican. On mo- tion adjourned.
"MORTON C. HUNTER, "Secretary ..
GEN. JACOB B. LOWE, President."
On the 4th of July there was held a meeting, but no adequate record was kept of the happenings, hence the incident cannot be described. It is true, however, that great crowds of people were in town, and a big dinner given to the old people.
The second meeting of the old settlers occurred on September 17, 1858, and the Republican said of it :
"Pursuant to previous notice, the old settlers of Monroe county met at the court house, in the town of Bloomington, on the 17th day of September, 1858. The meeting was organized by calling Col. John Ketcham to the chair, and appointing Milton McPhetridge, secretary. The proceedings of the meeting were opened by an appropriate prayer by the Rev. Eli P. Farmer.
"On motion of Austin Seward, Benjamin F. Rogers was admitted to all the rights and privileges of the old settlers, he being forty years of age and the first white male child born in the county.
"The chairman requested every person who was fifty years old. and up- ward, and who had resided in the county thirty years, to come forward and have their names, ages and places of nativity registered, whereupon eighty- eight came forward and were duly registered.
"General Lowe, who was selected by the committee of arrangements to deliver an address, not being present, Rev. Eli P. Farmer was called upon, and addressed the meeting in a brief, appropriate speech, detailing many interesting incidents connected with the early settling of the county. He was followed by Col. John Ketcham, M. M. Campbell, John M. Saddler, James V. Buskirk, Rev. Solomon Lucas, and others, each giving an account of his trials and hardships in the settling of the county, and of their bear, ·wolf, deer and panther hunts, many of which were truly amusing, and were listened to with much interest, not only by the old settlers; but by a large num- ber of citizens who had assembled on the occasion.
440
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
"On motion of Mr. McCollough, it was resolved that the next annual meeting of the old settlers be held at the same place on the 17th day of September, 1859, and that each member bring his wife, and those that have none are requested to get one, or bring a widow ; also, that all old settlers who have not registered their names are requested to do so previous to the next meeting : and, on further motion of Mr. McCollough, Col. John Ketcham was appointed chairman, and Milton McPhetridge secretary, to serve until the next annual meeting.
"At half-past one o'clock, a procession was formed, and after marching around the public square, the old settlers, with many others, repaired to 'Young's House,' and sat down to a sumptuous dinner prepared by mine host, Jacob Young. The tables were well filled with everything necessary to satisfy the most fastidious.
"The best kind of feeling prevailed throughout the day, no incident oc- curring to mar the harmony of the meeting. After dinner was over, the old men got together, in groups, and talked over bygone scenes. All seemed to enjoy themselves, and will long remember the happy meeting of this day. The company dispersed at a late hour without any formal adjournment.
"Places of nativity: Kentucky, 30; Virginia, 24: North Carolina, 10; Tennessee, 8; Maryland, 6: Pennsylvania, 4: Indiana, 3 : Ohio, 1 ; Vermont, I : Delaware, I.
"By order of the committee of arrangements.
"JOHN KETCHAM, Chairman. "MILTON McPHETRIDGE, Secretary."
Meetings were held annually after this until the opening of the Civil war, when they were discontinued. In 1866 the society was reorganized and held meetings until 1870, when it was joined to the district society at Gosport. This alliance had short life, and soon the old society was reformed. Its exist- ence since had been of varying quality. and at no time has an adequate record been kept of the meetings and what transpired therein.
Ellettsville formed an independent society of old settlers in 1878, and the following are the minutes of the first meeting :
"Minutes of old settlers' meeting, held in Worley's Grove, Ellettsville, September 26, 1878.
"In honor to Uncle Jimmy Parks, this being his ninety-seventh birthday. At eleven, there were about three thousand people on the ground, and the exercises proceeded as follows : I-A song by congregation, "Sweet Bye and Bye." 2-Prayer by Rev. E. P. Farmer. 3-Music by Old Band. 4-
44I
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Song by all over seventy years of age; song, "Jesus. Lover of My Soul." 5- Elected D. Byers, president ; William McNutt, secretary. 6-Speech by James Parks, Sr. 7-The autobiography of James Parks, read by Elder R. Parks. 8-Music by New Band, followed by Old Band. 10-Short speeches by all over eighty. Robert Graham, E. P. Farmer, J. Campbell, Elias Abel and L. Walden participated. IT-A. W. Reeves, master of ceremonies, an- nounced dinner. Adjournment. 2 P. M .: 1-Music by Old Band. 2- Speeches by all over seventy years old called for. A. Mills, of Spencer, ad- dressed the meeting. 3-Music by Hoadley String Band. 4-Speech by David Byers. who made a very appropriate speech, and thanked the people for conferring upon him the office of president. Then came to the front Abra- ham Henry dressed in ancient style, with a bark-colored scissor-tailed coat, with an enormous collar which made his head lean slightly forward. He made us a good speech, producing a splendid sensation. 5-Song by the Galloway family, "The Old Hearth Stone." This was an excellent piece, and was well performed. 6-Speeches by J. Manis and R. M. Parks were next. 7-Closing speech by Rev. S. C. Kennedy, presenting a wreath of beautiful flowers to Mr. Parks and wife, as an emblem of honesty and beauty, unsur- passed by the arts of men.
"Some relics were exhibited by the Rev. G. N. Puett and Johnson Sharp, calling the mind back to years gone by. Ordered the secretary to publish the minutes of the meeting in the Sun, requesting other county papers to copy. Adjourned to meet at this place on the 26th of September, 1879. Benediction by R. M. Parks."
With the departure of the sturdy old pioneer sentiment, and the endless number of attractions on every hand, for the rising generations most of the "old settlers' societies" have gone the way of all the earth. But few such societies and meetings have been held of recent years, and it is to be regretted, for such organizations are beneficial to society, and they ought to be revived, at once, before the last vestige of pioneer sentiment is forever lost to the community. Other counties and sections keep alive these meetings and they are looked forward to annually with great enthusiasm by both old and young.
TIIE MONROE COUNTY, INDIANA, HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
The Monroe County, Indiana, Historical Society was organized at Bloomington on March 21, 1905, with the following officers: Amzi Atwater, president; James A. Woodburn, secretary; Dudley F. Smith, treasurer ; Samuel B. Harding, Minnie B. Ellis and Henry C. Duncan, advisory members.
442
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
The purpose of the society, as stated in the constitution, is "to promote the study and preservation of local history ; to discover, collect and preserve, and, when practicable, to publish historical facts pertaining to the history of this county and community ; to collect and preserve books, pamphlets, maps, pictures, relics, manuscripts, letters, journals, field-books, family records and other matter on local history." The meetings of the society were first held on the third Friday of each month in the lecture room of the Kirkwood Ave- nue Christian church.
The society has continued to the present date, and a lively interest is still maintained, despite irregularities of meeting. A room in the Monroe county court house is set aside for the society, and therein are kept the records and valuable possessions of the body. Prof. James A. Woodburn is the presi- dent now: Frank Duncan, the secretary; L. D. Rogers, the treasurer; and Amzi Atwater, the curator, or keeper of the society property.
ARTESIAN WELL AT BLOOMINGTON.
In October, 1883, the citizens of Bloomington were interested in the boring of an artesian well on the city square. The bore disclosed the follow- ing strata : Depth of
Strata.
strata in feet.
Total.
Surface
6
6
Limestone (grayish )
119
125
Shale (blue)
630
755
Shale (dark red)
20
775
Limestone (blue)
5
780
Shale (brown)
IO
790
Slate (dark)
I'20
910
Limestone (grayish)
15
925
Limestone (brown)
2.40
1165
Shaley limestone (blue)
15
1180
Limestone (light)
130
1310
Flint limestone 30
I340
Limestone (light. latter part brown streaks) _170
1510
Shale (blue)
40
1550
Limestone (blue)
40
I590
Shale (blue streaks line)
60
1650
Shale (blue)
1835
Limestone (light brown)
1835
I 1
I
1
1 1
I
1
1 I
I
1
1
1
1
443
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
At 125 feet crude coal oil was struck, and at 775 feet inflammable gas. at end of dark red shale.
EARLY STAGES AND RAILROADS.
The following, on the New Albany & Salem Railroad, was written by Thomas Carter Perring, and was obtained for this work through the kindness of Prof. Atwater, an officer of the Monroe County Historical Society, and may be relied upon as authentic :
The old Virginia covered wagon and the Concord stage coaches were the first public conveyances for freight, mail and passengers into and out of Monroe county, Indiana. They were much in evidence in the late thirties and the early forties of the last century. Anyone who owned a four-horse team and a strong wagon could do freighting. The masters of prairie schooners in Hoosier dialect were called "wagoners." Their occupation was spoken of as "going to the river." signifying Louisville, Kentucky, on the Ohio river, at that time the only city market recognized in this western country. These wagons going were loaded with fruit, grain and produce. Return load was merchandise for our store keepers and townspeople. It was sort of a gypsy life, camping out at night and traveling by day. In fair weather it was an easy, pleasant and profitable business. These wagoners usually managed for purpose of company and assistance to travel in bunches of from four to six wagons. It took from six to ten days to make the round trip, dependent on condition of the roads.
The first roads in this country were nothing better than a narrow trail, chopped out through the dense forests, dug down from the hill sides, follow- ing crooked streams, meandering through level valleys, and going around hills by every easiest way. These roads were scripturally made, just as our first parent, Adam, of dirt, but not like his make, pronounced good by the maker. Their names were "Mud" and sometimes "Knee Deep in June."
The New Albany & Salem railroad did not digress very much from the dirt road line, and it was first as fearfully and wonderfully made.
In the high thirties of eighteen hundred. J. O. and S. M. Orchard, enter- prising hotel owners of Bloomington, secured a United States mail contract, and acquired a stage coach line for transportation of mail and passengers from Louisville, Kentucky, to Indianapolis, Indiana, and return, passing through Bloomington and all intermediate towns north and south on what at that date had become known as the state road.
The Orchards were pioneers. They owned the first and only hotel in
444
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
Bloomington, the "Temperance Inn," a well known hostelry and a noted land- mark for sixty-five years. The hotel stood on the lots now occupied by the George Bankert stores. This hotel, with the stables attached, on the lots west of the railroad station and tracks, was the headquarters or the Orchard mail and stage coach line. The Orchard stage coaches were of latest Concord pattern, the best make manufactured. The bodies swung on great double thongs of heavy leather on strong, freight-like wagon wheels built for service and durability. The mails were taken on in locked sacks and placed in a strong locked box under the driver's seat, for safety and protection. Pass- engers were crowded into cross-seats inside, alternately facing each other, one-half of them riding backwards. "Always room for one more," they were crowded in sometimes, pressed together like dried apples in a packing box. The baggage was lashed onto a drop contraption out behind called the "stage boot," because it looked like anything but a boot, except it was made of water- proof leather. And such a mixed lot of curious baggage it did sometimes hold,-small hair-bristling, horse-hide trunks, stuffed bags of coarse carpet make, and emigrant junk of any old thing, all under the name of "luggage." The motive power of these stages was four to six dapple gray horses, necks bowed up like fish-hooks, and the largest and the strongest that were obtain- able. Owing to hard driving and fatigue, the horses had to be changed at intervals of about twelve miles. There were three regular changes or relays of horses in Monroe county in either direction traveled. South at the lot of John McRea's stables, one mile south of Harrodsburg. In Bloomington, at Temperance Inn stables, where every passing team and stage from either direction put up over night. South relay was at widow Sara Corr's, Hindo- stan postoffice. Ed Corr's grandmother. The time made by these stages was contingent on the condition of the dirt roads. A day's run was about sixty miles, and usually made in daylight.
One of Orchard's stages left Louisville, Kentucky, and another left Indi- anapolis, every Monday morning, each making one round trip per week, three days in each direction, loaded with mail and passengers. On this schedule Bloomington had our through mails and conveyances for travel each week, which was the limit until the arrival of the New Albany & Salem railroad. The stage drivers on the high seat on top were the "whole thing"-mail carrier, baggage master, engineer, conductor, collector, and sometimes quite active artillerymen, for this country was not a land of sucking doves. "The man behind the gun" was in evidence, or was at least prepared for hostile emergencies. All readers of Dickens' stories know the standing of "Ye coach- man," and all American pioneers know of the skill and the daring of the
445
LAWRENCE AND MONROE COUNTIES, INDIANA.
stage drivers on the western trails. Those drivers of the Orchard stage coaches, in their rough homespun suits, stuck around with crude firearms, were ever looked up to as a favored class, holding exalted positions. In the words of Fitzhue, of Georgia, doorkeeper of the United States Senate, they were considered "bigger men than old Grant," and there was nothing too good for them.
My father was the respected and honored driver on one stage of this line. He was in the bloom of manhood, just over from Axminster. England, and having a marked accent, became familiarly known all along the "drive" by the name of "Little Englishman." On the opposite run the driver was Robert McPheeters, the father of our Dory and John Arthur. McPheeters was known along the line as "Windy Bob," because he was a spinner of some wonderful stories. Bob was a story faker chief. said to be the biggest that ever struck the trail or the town, before the arrival of good old Dr. Oregon Smith, the prince of story romancers.
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