USA > Indiana > Miami County > History of Miami County, Indiana : a narrative account of its historical progress, its people and its principal interests, Volume I > Part 20
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Following is a list of the club's presidents since the organization, the figures in parentheses after the name indicating the number of years each served: Frank M. Stutesman (2), Hugh McCaffrey (3), A. L. Bodurtha (2), Claude Y. Andrews (2), J. W. Parkhurst (2), J. T. Kaufman (1).
The secretaries, in the order in which they have served, were J. G. Brackinridge, Giles W. Smith and Pliny M. Crume. The officers for 1914 are Hugh McCaffrey, president; J. W. Parkhurst, vice-president ; Guy York, secretary ; Henry Kittner, treasurer.
The club now has an active membership of about 150, though at times in the past, when some campaign of more than ordinary interest was on, the membership has run as high as three hundred or more. This was especially true in the movement to secure a subsidy for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad shops, when the club worked in unison with the city administration and the Improvement and Park Association.
THE CITY PARK
This park was established through the efforts of the Improvement and Park Association in connection with the securing of the Chesa- peake & Ohio Railroad shops in Peru. A full account of the manner in which the land was purchased by the association and leased to the city for park purposes may be found in the chapter on internal improve- ments. The park was formally opened on the evening of August 20,
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1908. The arrangements for the opening were conceived by Henry Meinhardt, who enlisted the cooperation of Frank M. Stutesman and these gentlemen aroused enough enthusiasm in the matter of obtaining supplies, such as seats, wiring for the electric lights, a band stand, etc., that the people responded liberally with donations, so that the park was equipped without expense to the city. Mayor Odum issued a proclamation relating to the opening and on the evening of the 20th "everybody and his wife" went to the park. The Third Regi- ment and the Red Men's bands furnished music, the members donating their services for the occasion, and the Peru Maennerchor rendered a number of vocal selections. Altogether it was an enjoyable evening. The park was subsequently purchased by the city and is now one of Peru's permanent institutions.
MUNICIPAL IMPROVEMENTS
Shortly after the completion of the waterworks the question of sewers came up for consideration by the people and the city council. The first sewer in the city was built on Cass street and the second on Tippecanoe. It is said that these two sewers were constructed through the influence of two members of the council who lived on the two streets, and that they were put in without regard to a general sewer system. A little later a system was planned by Michael Horan, the city civil engineer, and the work of building sewers was commenced according to that plan. At the close of the year 1913 the city had eleven main sewers and thirty-five laterals, and several new lines were under con- templation. The sewer on Broadway is a double sewer, i. e., there is a conduit on each side of the street, so that easy access is afforded to the buildings on either side. The work has proceeded gradually, in order that the burden of expense might be distributed over a number of years. When the system is completed Peru will be as well supplied with sewers as any city of its size in the country.
On July 2, 1901, the city authorities entered into a contract with C. Moellering & Company, of Fort Wayne, Indiana, to pave Broadway with brick from the Wabash river north to the railroad tracks, the cost of the improvement being nearly $50,000. This was the first paved roadway of any kind, except gravel, in the city. The next improvement of this character was the paving of Main street from Wabash street west to Miami with brick, which was made a few years after Broadway was improved. A few years later a bitulithic roadway was laid in the east end of Main street, extending to the city limits, and in 1913 this por- tion of the street was connected with the brick pavement at Wabash
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street by a bitulithic pavement. West Third street is paved with brick from Broadway to Miami street, and in the winter of 1913-14 an order was issued for the pavement of Main street from Miami west to the city limits, the work to be done during the spring and summer of 1914. Other improvements are also in contemplation. Most of the sewers and paved roadways have been built under what is known as the "Barrett Law," which levies the cost of the improvement against the abutting property, but gives the property holders ten years in which to pay their assessments, improvement bonds being issued at the time the work is done and made payable in ten annual installments.
In a few places in the older part of the city there is room for improvement in the sidewalks, but in the main the walks are in good condition. In a number of the new additions concrete sidewalks have been laid and this material is rapidly growing in favor in the construc- tion of new walks wherever ordered.
THE POSTOFFICE
When the postoffice was first established at Peru it was called "Mc- Gregor's" and John McGregor was appointed the first postmaster. For about three-quarters of a century the postoffice occupied rented quarters wherever suitable rooms could be obtained, moving from place to place as leases expired and property holders required their buildings for other uses. In 1909 congress appropriated $75,000 for the purchase of a site and erection of a postoffice building. The lot on the north- east corner of Sixth street and Broadway was selected and in March, 1910, the contract for the erection of the building was awarded to P. H. McCormack & Company, the firm that built the Miami county courthouse. On October 17, 1910, the corner-stone was laid. In the stone were deposited, among other things, a little book of Peru views and a list of the postmasters from the time the office was established. An effort was made by the writer to obtain a copy of that list, but one could not be found. Just before the stone was placed in position Mr. McCormack, the contractor, wrote a few lines on a bill of fare of the Bearss hotel and deposited it in the cavity. What he wrote no one knows and it will probably not be ascertained until the corner-stone is removed. Postmaster Loveland says the cost of the site was $15,000 and that of the building about $78,000. The interior woodwork in the postoffice was furnished by the C. H. Brownell Company, of Peru. From the little log cabin of 1835, when only a few letters were sent and received during an entire year, the receipts of the Peru post- office are now approximately $35,000 per annum. The office employs
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twenty-seven people, exclusive of the twelve rural delivery carriers. During the fiscal year ending on June 30, 1913, the office issued 18,655 domestic and 194 international money orders and during the same period paid 10,228 domestic and 17 foreign orders. With the exten- sion of the parcels post the number of money orders is constantly
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U. S. POSTOFFICE, PERU
increasing and the year ending on June 30, 1914, will show a much larger volume of business in this respect than the year preceding.
MUNICIPAL FINANCES
On December 31, 1913, the following report was sent to the state statistician as an abstract of the indebtedness, receipts and disburse- ments of the city for the year ending on that date :
City bonds outstanding, Dec. 31, 1913. $ 41,000.00
Improvement bonds
18,600.00
Floating debt 56,115.76
Warrants outstanding
5,548.70
Total debt $121,264.46
In the item of improvement bonds the amount given in merely the city's share of such bonds. The large floating debt is due to a
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
large extent to the ravages of the great flood of March, 1913, which did immense damage to the water works pumping station, the electric light plant and other public utilities. To place these utilities in work- ing condition temporary loans were necessary.
The receipts for the year were as follows :
Cash on hand, Jan. 1, 1913. . $ 13,523.26
Receipts from city taxes
52,937.13
Receipts from water works 35,516.26
Receipts from electric light plant
56,389.28
Receipts from liquor licenses
7,000.00
Receipts from licenses and franchises. 1,372.50
Receipts from all other sources
2,953.61
Total receipts $169,692.04
In the matter of expenditures the year 1913 was one of the heaviest in the city's history. Two new automobile fire engines were purchased late in the preceding year, but were paid for in 1913; an addition was made to the fire engine house on Miami street to provide a place for the new apparatus, which made the cost of the fire department far above that in normal years; the repairs made necessary by the flood and the natural expenses caused the disbursements to outstrip the receipts, as shown by the following table :
Salaries of city officers $ 6,577.67
Health department 1,606.86
Fire department 28,205.56
Police department 7,334.82
Water works (operation and repairs). 24,788.79
Electric light plant (operation and repairs) .. 60,428.77
Paid on bonds.
2,000.00
All other expenditures in 1913.
48,182.77
Total disbursements $179,125.24
In the health, fire and police departments the amounts above given include the salaries of all persons connected with those departments. While the figures taken from this report show a deficit at the end of the year of $9,433.20, it must be remembered that 1913 was an extraor- dinary year in the destruction of property, which necessitated large expenditures in the way of repairs.
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
MAYORS OF PERU
Since the establishment of the city government in 1867, a period of fifty-seven years, Peru had but ten mayors. Orris Blake was elected at the special election in March, 1867, and served until the regular elec- tion in May, when he was succeeded by Josiah Farrar. William A. McGregor was elected in 1869 and served until 1875, when William B. Reyburn was elected. Mr. Reyburn died on March 30, 1882, and John A. Graham was appointed to fill out the unexpired term, at the close of which he was elected. Mr. Graham served by reelections until the election of Jesse S. Zern in 1889. Mayor Zern continued in office until his death, which occurred in May, 1896. At the election a few days prior to his death, he was reelected for another term, but died before taking the oath of office. The council met on the evening of May 9, 1896, passed resolutions of sympathy and respect, and elected Orson Durand mayor for the ensuing term. A few days later a new council came into office and elected Charles A. Parsons mayor, claim- ing that the old council had no authority to elect a mayor except for the few days remaining of the old term. Mr. Durand refused to vacate, however, and the case was taken to the courts. The supreme court of the state finally upheld the old council and Mr. Durand continued to serve as mayor until he was succeeded by William A. Odum in 1902. In 1909 John J. Kreutzer was elected mayor to succeed Mr. Odum and served for four years, being succeeded in 1913 by William A. Hammond, the present mayor.
MISCELLANEOUS FACTS REGARDING THE CITY
The population of Peru in 1840-the first United States census after the town was laid out-cannot be obtained. In 1850 it was 1,266; in 1860 it had increased to 2,506; in 1870 it was 3,617; in 1880 it was 5,280 ; in 1890 it was 7,958; in 1900 it had increased to 10,465, and in 1910 to 12,365. The census reports of 1890, 1900 and 1910 include the population of Ridgeview in the city of Peru. In 1910 the population of the city, exclusive of Ridgeview, was 10,910.
Peru had a police force of eleven men, under the superintendency of J. B. Sollitt, at the beginning of the year 1914. This is one police- man for about each 1,100 of the population, but as the people of the city are generally peaceful, law-abiding citizens, this force is sufficient to maintain order' and protect life and property.
The five public school buildings in the city are valued at more than $200,000; all the leading religious denominations are represented by Vol. 1-12
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
comfortable and commodious houses of worship; there are a number of literary and social clubs; most of the fraternal societies are represented by lodges, and the monthly pay-roll of the various manufactories amounts to about $200,000 in normal times. Full accounts of the schools, societies and manufacturing interests will be found in other chapters of this work. Three steam railroads and three electric lines afford excellent shipping and transportation facilities; the city has three daily and two weekly newspapers; the mercantile establishments and hotels compare favorably with those to be found in cities of similar size elsewhere; the professions are ably represented, and these things, together with the efficient fire department, a bountiful supply of pure water for domestic use, a fine public library, the presence of an indus- trious, order loving population, all combine to make Peru "no mean city."
CHAPTER X TOWNS AND VILLAGES
LIST OF TOWNS THAT ARE OR HAVE BEEN IN MIAMI COUNTY-WHEN FOUNDED AND BY WHOM-THE PIONEER SETTLERS-EARLY INDUS- TRIES AND BUSINESS ENTERPRISES-SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES-WHY SOME TOWNS PERISHED-MISCELLANEOUS EVENTS-POPULATION IN 1910-LIST OF PRESENT POSTOFFICES.
In the settlement of the Middle West there were among the early arrivals a numbers of promoters and speculators, who entertained dreams of becoming the founders of cities. Through the influence and activity of these men, numerous townsites were preempted and towns laid out, a few of which survived and grew, many failed to meet the anticipations of their projectors, some never got beyond the "paper" stage, and still others perished from inanition in their early infancy. Occasionally, some fortunate event, such as the building of a railroad or the location of a county seat, would give permanence and stability to one of these towns, which in time would develop into a city of more or less promi- nence. But in almost every such instance other towns near by would be the sufferers and in time would disappear entirely from the map, the logic of events being too strong for them to overcome.
Miami county was no exception to the rule, though it is quite prob- able that fewer towns within her borders were projected on a purely speculative basis than in some other localities. Examination of old plats and atlases show over forty towns, nearly one-half of which are no longer in existence. The complete list of these towns and villages includes Amboy, Anson, Bennett's Switch, Birmingham, Brownell, Bunker Hill, Busaco, Cary, Chili, Converse, Courter, Deedsville, Denver, Doyle, Five Corners, Florence, Gilead, Grandview, Hooversburg, Leonda, Loree, McGrawsville, Macy, Mexico, Miami, Miamisport, Nead, New Santa Fe, Niconza, North Grove, Paw Paw, Peoria, Perrysburg, Peru, Pettysville, Pierceburg, Ridgeview, Santa Fe, Snow Hill, South Peru, Stockdale, Stringtown, Union City, Urbana, Wagoner, Waupecong, Wheatville and Wooleytown. The history of the city of Peru-the only city in Miami county-is given in the preceding chapter, and below will be found the
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
history of the various towns and villages in the above list, though in the case of some of those that are no longer in existence, it has been found impossible to secure enough information concerning them to give a com- prehensive account of their career.
AMBOY
The Pan Handle Railroad was completed through Miami county in 1867. In August of that year John Ptomey, Bennett Fellows, John A. Lamb and Abijah Ridgeway laid out the town of Amboy on section 23, four miles west of Converse, as a station on the new railroad. About the time the town was laid out, Elisha Clark established a large steam saw- mill there and a little later the firm of Lowder & Smith put up a second sawmill. Both these mills did a good business while the timber lasted, and large quantities of lumber were shipped from Amboy during the early years of its existence. About the mills a village soon grew up and other lines of business were introduced. The first merchant was Ben- jamin Bond, who opened a store in the late summer of 1867, at the corner of Main and Pennsylvania streets. A little later a two-story building was erected on the opposite corner and there J. F. Overman opened his store, but two years later removed to the town of Miami. The third mer- chant was William Patterson. Lowder & Smith erected a grist mill in connection with their lumber business, and William Reynolds built a planing mill before the end of the year 1867.
The first physician to locate in the town was Dr. J. A. Baldwin, who began practice there in the fall of 1868. After him came Dr. H. D. Hat- tery, Dr. John Wright and Dr. E. K. Friermood. Some of these doctors remained but a short time. Dr. Isaac Carey was also one of the early practitioners at Amboy.
In November, 1871, B. B. Lamb laid out an addition to the original plat and not long afterward a second addition was platted by E. C. Fel- lows. Reynolds' addition to the town was made in August, 1875. These additions were soon settled upon and improved and in 1881 the town of Amboy was incorporated.
The first schoolhouse was a two-story building, with two large school rooms, which was erected in 1872 by public donations at a cost of $3,300 and was known as the Academy. Subsequently it was leased to the authorities of Jackson township for a graded school. A few years later the township erected a second school building, in the same section of the town, at a cost of $1,500. It was not long until the demand for better school accommodations resulted in the sale of both the old buildings and the erection of a new one, at a cost of over $25,000. During the school
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
year of 1912-13 seven teachers were employed in the Amboy schools, three of them in the commissioned high school department, and the amount paid in salaries was $4,100.
Amboy has two banks with a combined capital of $23,500 and deposits of about $150,000. The town also has a local or Home Telephone Com- pany, a large canning factory, a creamery, a flour mill, a lumber yard and a score or more of well stocked mercantile establishments. In 1910 the population was 521, an increase of 119 since the census of 1900. It is one of the live towns of Miami county and is the principal trading center and shipping point for a large and rich agricultural district in the western part of Jackson and the eastern part of Harrison townships.
ANSON
In May, 1853, Thomas Jameson, Eli Freestone, Michael Taylor and Benjamin Griffith laid out the town of Anson at the junction of sec- tions 14, 15, 22 and 23, about a mile east of the present town of Denver, in the western part of Richland township. At that time the Cincinnati Peru & Chicago Railroad was being surveyed through the northern part of the county, and the founders of this town hoped that it would be on the line of the new railroad. When the Indianapolis, Peru & Chicago Railroad passed farther to the west the plat of Anson was vacated, hence it never got beyond the paper stage.
BENNETT'S SWITCH
Shortly after the completion of the Lake Erie & Western Railroad, the people living in the southern part of Deer Creek township asked that a station be established for their accommodation. Accordingly Bennett's Switch was laid out on a tract of land belonging to Baldwin M. Bennett, of New York, after whom the village was named. A few years ago the Indiana Union Traction Company extended its line from Indianapolis to Peru, passing through the village of Bennett's Switch, which was made a station on that line also. The town has never grown to very large proportions, the last United States census giving the population as 133. It has two general stores, a grain elevator operated by James M. Coucher, and some other business concerns, and does considerable ship- ping.
BIRMINGHAM
This town was once a small station on the Lake Erie & Western Rail- road in the southern part of Allen township. It was laid out by Isaac Caulk and Solomon Jones in November, 1868, the original plat embrac-
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
ing 122 lots. Soon after the town was laid out a steam sawmill was built and for several years lumber was the chief article of export. At one time Birmingham boasted a flour mill, a blacksmith shop and a general store, in addition to the saw-mill, but these concerns have all moved to more favorable localities. The town was projected solely for speculative purposes and it failed to come up to the expectations of its founders. With the general decline of business, trains quit stopping there, and all that is left are a few residences and the schoolhouse. The reason given for the abandonment of Birmingham by the railroad com- pany is a tribute to the strong convictions of Mr. Caulk, who was the railroad agent at that time. He refused to sell tickets for Sunday excur- sions or to post bills advertising such excursions, and inasmuch as the station did not supply the company with a great deal of business, it was decided to close it-not only on Sunday, but for all the time.
BROWNELL
A recent map of Miami county, published by Rand, McNally & Com- pany, shows a small hamlet called Brownell in the southern part of Sec- tion 1, in the northeast corner of Peru township. The same authority gives the population as 12, accompanied by the statement that these few people receive mail by rural delivery from Peru. Brownell is a stopping point on the Winona Interurban railway that runs from Peru to War- saw, but it has no business interests of any consequence.
BUNKER HILL
Just south of Pipe Creek, in the southeast corner of Pipe Creek township, lies the town of Bunker Hill. It was platted 1851 by Alex- - ander Galbraith, James Myers and John Duckwall. The original plat included 46 lots and in June, 1852, Mr. Duckwall platted an addition of 24 lots. James Myers, one of the proprietors, built the first house in the town in 1851 and the second was probably the dwelling of Andrew Bache, which was built later in the same year. For a time the growth of the town was rather slow, only ten or a dozen houses having been erected in 1858. In 1859 the postoffice was established at Bunker Hill and about the same time, perhaps a little earlier, Dr. Hubbard opened the first store. The store of Ewing & Howard was opened in 1861, at the corner of Fourth and Main streets. In January, 1868, the Pan Handle railroad was completed. As this line crosses the Lake Erie & Western at Bunker Hill, the coming of the new railroad added to the growth and prosperity of the town. New additions were laid out south of the Pan Handle, the first house in that part of the town having been built
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HISTORY OF MIAMI COUNTY
by Dr. J. A. Meek, in 1866. Since that time at least ten additions have been made to Bunker Hill.
The first physician was Dr. Hubbard, who also was the first mer- chant. It is related to him that he carried his medicines in a small tin pail and that he was never in "too big a hurry," on his way to visit a patient, to stop long enough to trade horses. The second physician was Dr. J. A. Meek, who located there in the spring of 1858 and con- tinued in practice for many years.
About the close of the Civil war Samuel Valentine started a tin shop, and a little later a man named Lane began business as a cabinetmaker. The first hotel was opened in 1868 by George Larimer, near the junction of the Lake Erie and Pan Handle railroads. William Hendricks' saw- mill was built about the same time. In 1870 Jasper H. Keyes started a newspaper called the Village News, and in 1871 the first hardware store was opened by C. T. Miller. During the next five years a number of new business houses were established in Bunker Hill. An election was held on October 21, 1882, to vote on the question of incorporating the town. At that election eighty-four voted in favor of the incorporation and thirty seven against it. The county commissioners canvassed the result of the election on November 6, 1882, and the same day ordered the incorporation of Bunker Hill.
The town was divided into three election districts and the first election of town officers occurred on November 15, 1882. Robert C. Foor, H. P. McDowell and Cyrus Baker were chosen trustees; J. A. Meek, clerk and treasurer; William Jones, marshal; and John Bazner was appointed the first street commissioner.
A Baptist church was organized here some years before the town was laid out; a Methodist church was also organized at an early date; the Evaneglical church had its beginning about 1859, the Catholic church was organized in 1874. All these denominations have comfortable houses of worship, except the Catholics, which parish has been discontinued.
A two-story brick school house was built in 1868, and subsequently an addition of two rooms was added. This building remained in use until about 1895, when the school board decided to erect a new one. Bonds to the amount of $7,000 were issued by the board and the new building-a two-story brick, 55 feet square-was erected by the con- tractors, Baker & Davis, for $6,740. During the school years of 1912-13 six teachers were employed in the public schools, three of whom were in the high school department, and the amount received by the teachers in salaries was $3,364.
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