History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 158

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664

USA > Indiana > Randolph County > History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships > Part 158

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Of the rights of the controversy the public generally were not perhaps fully informed. Mrs. Debolt claimed that she had never knowingly signed away her right to the property, and that in jus- tice one third was still hers, while the other party declared, cer- tainly with a strong show of reason, that his title was complete, and that she had not even the shadow of a valid claim. The conrt was certainly on the side of Moorman, and made her to cease her attempts to hold possession of the property by severe threats of greater severity unless she obeyed its mandates; yet the public tranquillity was for a time seriously disturbed by the controversy, since many sided with the woman, and more thonglet it an unwise thing to adopt the contest against Mrs. Debolt. The matter soon quieted down, however, and little or nothing has been heard of it since. Mrs. Debolt, indeed, has undertaken at tunes to gather fruits from the trees upon the lots, and once at least, during the summer of 1881, she was arrested and thrown into the calaboose by the Town Marshal for trespassing thus upon the premises, contrary to the express and strict ordinance of the City Council concerning the property.

The whole case is a curious episode in the dull routine of city life, showing how perplexing are the instances of conflicting claims which arise in the course of business, and how much trouble a single resolute and persistent (not to say stubborn and obstinate) individual may canse to his neighbors and the com- munity.

PARKS, FAIR GROUNDS, ETC.

Besides Moorman Park, which cannot be used for religious or political gatherings, there is a park chiefly covered with nat. ural timber, containing many acres, and besides this the fair grounds. Both these inclosures are well suited for public as- semblies or for privato pleasure parties. Good platforms have been erected, excellent wells have been prepared and the shade is beautiful and abundant, and both locations are used in this way for picnics, conventions, rallies, celebrations, camp meetings, etc., etc.

PIKES,

The roads to Union City during the first years of its existence were horrible enough. In muddy times, they were simply awful. Pikes began to be built, however, and the good work has gone on until now nearly or quite every road leading into town has been made into a pike. The number extending outward from the city as a center are eight in number: 1, the North Pike to Winchester, ten miles; 2. the South Pike to Winchester, ten miles; 3, the South State Line Pike, six and one-fourth miles, connecting at the south end with a pike leading to Greenville, Ohio; 4, the pike to Hill Grove, leading to Greenville, eleven miles; 5, the Teegarden Pike, leading north and east (worn out); 6, the Salem Pike, leading northward nine miles to the line of Jay County; this road has a branch to New Pittsburg, also on the Jay County line; 7, the State line, leading north; 8, a pike lead- ing southeast to Darlington, etc.

Some of these roads become badly cut up during the rain and frost of winter, but they do great good nevertheless. They are a vast improvement on the bottomless sea of mud that tried men's temper and their horses' pulling qualities as well in the days of "auld lang syne." A proper system of road work such as might easily be devised and perfected would vastly improve the common highways and make them all nearly equal to pikes with little additional expense. The system of road working now in vogue with slight modifications would answer every purpose. Much of the road work as now done is only a nuisance rather than an advantage. The gravel obtainable for the construction of pikes in this region is not always of the best quality, and the durabil- ity of the road bed is somewhat lessened thereby. Two new pikes, both of them of considerable advantage to the prosperity of Union City, are in process of construction during the summer of 1882. First. one leading from the Winchester & Deerfield Pike eastward through Saratoga to the toll gate northwest of Union City; second, one commencing at the Wayne Connty line, sontheast of Spartansburg, and running directly north to the toll gate southwest of Union City. Both these roads are being made under the provisions of the free pike law in force in the State of Indiana. The first opens a large scope of fine farming country, and gives the citizens in that locality an excellent avenue of communication both east and west. The second is longer and still more important, reaching out through the extreme southern portions of the county, and affording to some of the oldest and richest portions of our territory a direct and substantial highway to the markets of Union City.

POST OFFICE.

The post office was established at the commencement of the town. It found temporary accommodations in various places. It was kept besides other locations nt one time southwest corner Oak and Columbia; at another in a small building on Pearl street, now occupied by the Young Men's Christain Association, and still again in the Hardy Block, southeast corner Pearl and Columbia. Though for a long time migratory, it has found, it may be hoped, a fixed abode in the northwest corner of the Branham Block, on East Pearl street.

The Postmasters have been many, some of whom are here given, somewhat (possibly not quite) in order of their appoint-

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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

ment: Messrs. Miller. J. E. Paxson, John Diehl, Rulon. Thomas Wiley. Richard Barrett, Valentine Thomson. Hedgepeth, J. R. Jackson, A. B. Cooper (present incumbent).

The office, from being at first very small and insignificant, has become a large and important one with a salary of $1,200 per year. There are in connection with it 664 boxes.

There are several side mails branching from this point as fol- lows: 1, Spartansburg, Arby & Richmond Hack Line, daily, supplying Bartonia, Spartansburg, Arba and other places; 2 Union & Recovery Haek Route, supplying Castle. Allensville, Jordan, Salimony and Recovery.

It is also a money order office, doing a large amount of busi- ness in that line. The general income of the office amounts yearly to a large sum. The Postmasters of Union City have for many years, perhaps always, been noted for their kind and ac- commodating disposition, and especially does the present ineum- bent present a fine illustration of the principle that the business of a public servant is to subserve the interests of the public in his department of labor in every reasonable and practicable way.

Mr. Cooper, the present occupant of the office, after a service in the office as deputy and as principal during several years, re- eeived in 1880 a re-appointment and a commission for four years in accordance with a petition numerously signed by the residents of the vicinity asking for his continuance in the position.

Two chief national mail rontes, those by the "Bee-Line" and the "Pan- Handle" Railways, meet and cross at Union City, as also the route from Cincinnati via Dayton. Ohio, comes to this point; besides, there are the hack routes previously mentioned.

PUBLIC HALLS, ETC.

There have been at different times varions halls fitted up for public purposes. Among them have been the following: Paxson's Hall, Seanlan's Hall, Cranor's Hall, Kirschbaum's Hall. Fletcher's Hall, Opera Hall. Temperance Hall, Temperance Tabernacle. These halls have been opened at various times, generally about two having been in use simultaneously. There is now but one. viz .. the Opera Hall. third floor. corner of Oak and Howard. The Temperance Tabernacle, erected for temperance meetings and for other general uses, has been sold and changed into a carriage warehouse.

RAILROADS.

Since Union City is perhaps the most important railroad cen- tor in Randolph County, it will not be thought amiss to connect the account of the various railroadsextending in different direc- tions through the county with our description of that town. There are indeed at present several railroad crossings-Win- chester, Ridgeville, Lynn and Union City are now favored with the possession of that important advantage. The Richmond & Grand Rapids Railroad Prosses in the county three other tracks, all three being eastward bound. At Lynn, it crosses the new road, the Indianapolis, Bloomington & Western (I., B. & W.). At Winchester. the same road (the Grand Rapid-) crosses the Bee Line, and at Ridgeville the Pan Handle. But Union City is a grand center to all roads being the point of conjunction of the two great throughfares, perhaps the greatest and most extensive in the State or even in the country. the Bop Line and the Pan Handle. or, speaking more exactly and more technically. the Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati & Indianapolis and the Pitts- burgh. Cincinnati & St. Louis, and being the point where the Dayton & Union Railroad, a direct line from Cincinnati and the south, joins the two great routes already referred to. While, therefore, at the other railroad crossings within the county a north and south road strikes an east and west road, at Union City the oldest north and south road in the region strikes both the great old and permanent trans-continental routes of travel and commerce. Hence the statements concerning the various railroads crossing the soil of Randolph will be given at this time and in conjunction with the history of Union City.

The track of the Union & Dayton Railroad was laid to the State line in Union City December 25, 1852. Some works elapsed, however. before the track was suitable for general traffic. One gentleman says that the first passenger train through from Day- ton to Indianapolis passed over the road January 24, 1553. The

east part of the Indianapolis & Bellefontaine Railroad was brought here, and the two parts were joined together, in perhaps July. 1853.

That part of the Pan Handle, now the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad, from Columbus to Union City. was complet- ed in about 1856. The other part from Union City to Logans- port was completed in abont 1867. Two other roads were grad- ed to reach this city, viz., the Louisville & ---- Railroad and the Portland Railroad, but as yet they are simply grades and nothing more.

As it is, five tracks converge at this point from so many dif- ferent directions, furnishing sure and speedy connections with the whole country, and making Union City an important rail- road center.

A vast amount of business, both local and transfer, is done at this place. The express office also does a very large business.

There is one extensive roundhouse belonging to the Bee- Line Railroad. The Pan Handle has a passenger and freight depot combined. The Bee Line and the Dayton & Union Rail- roads are united in management, and have a passenger and a freight depot used by both. Each passenger depot has a tele- graph office: only the Bee Line does general business.

The Branham House is the grand railroad hotel of the town. established in 1856, and still owned and managed by Simeon Branham, Esq., in connection with one of his sons. It is an excellent hotel; its worthy proprietor is an upright, Christian gentleman, and his discreet and liberal management of the public honse under his control has done much to give character abroad to our ambitious and enterprising littie eity.

The number of railroad employes in Union City is 150 er more. The business transacted by the different roads is aimost beyond belief. Sixteen passenger trains and twenty-two freight trains arrive or depart or both from Union City every twenty-four hours as follows: D. &. W. R. R., passenger, four. freight, two; Pan Handle, passenger, six, freight, ten; Bee Line, passenger, six, freight, ten.

The freight trains are very large. and often run in sections, two and sometimes three sections in one train. Counting the sections as single trains, there are sometimes (including all the roads) tifty or more trains in a single day.

It is wonderful, and yet it is said to be the truth, that during ahnost thirty years of constant and ceaseless traffic not an inju- rious accident of any kind has ever happened at the grand rail- road crossing at Columbia street by a collision at that point. It makes one think of the movements of the stars in their course, and of the "music of the spheres."

Several sad injuries resulting in death have indeed occurred in and near the town. It is reasonably thought, however, that in most of the eases and possibly in all the employes of the road have not been in fault. The railroad management is, in truth, an immense business, wonderful for its extent and its complica- tions and for its endlessness of detail, and requires for its safe and successful handling a care, a skill, a patience and an attention close, persistent, uninterrupted both night and day, almost, one would think. beyond the power of man to accomplish; yet the work is done here and throughout the whole land with a perfection, a thoroughness and a comparative safety and freedom from casualty agreeable to contemplate and wonderful to behold. True, indeed. that, taken in the aggregate, many great and terrible casualties have taken place; yet, compared with the immense and incon- ceivable amount of trathic transacted upon the railways of the land, the natural and unavoidable liabilities to accidents of every conceivable sort, the comparative freedom from injury to life and limb is indeed wonderful. is little short of miraculous, and shows a power in the human mind to develop, regulate and control the forces of nature to the needs of the great family of man well nigh inconceivable. And all this business has grown up in the country and world within the last half century, and for the West most of the whole vast traffic, comprising scores of thousands of miles of track, tens of thousands of cars. thousands of huge loco- motives. besides the towns, the depots. the engine works. the car works, the iron and steel factories and all and sundry the places and appliances for the carrying on of this incredible mass

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WAYNE TOWNSHIP.

of human activity within thirty years. Great is commerce! Great has she always been, and greater still and ever greater, and daily and yearly more indescribably and inconceivable great in extent, in richness and in capability for the use and comfort of human kind.

DAYTON & UNION RAILROAD.

The Dayton & Union Railroad was the first road completed to Union City, December 25, 1852. Great activity was at that time shown in the construction of railroads. A track had been laid from Dayton to Greenville, and a route was projected and work done thereou from the latter point to Winchester, Ind., and the early completion of the track on that route was supposed to be a fixed fact. However, by the efforts of the Messrs. Smith, in behalf of their embryo town, Union City, the route was changed to that place. The track was laid to Union City December 25, 1852, and shortly afterward business began upon the road. For a time, the amount of traffic done upon that road was very large, but, as direct lines to the eastern seaboard developed their capacity for business, its importance as a thronghfaro of trade and travel grew less. Still, a large traffic is carried on over ths ronte, and the Dayton & Union line adds greatly to the businese facilities of the place and the region. It is said by railroad ex- perts that it makes the best financial showing of any road in the United States, 42 per cent of its gross earnings being net profit.

Three trains daily each way .pass over its track -- two passen- ger and one freight train. During some eight years past, the management of the Dayton & Union Railroad has been in joint connection with the Bee Line and the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton (C., H. & D.) Railroads.

BEE-LINE RAILROAD -- NOW C., C., C. & 1.

The Bee Line from Indianapolis to Bellefontaine is the pio- neer road of this region, having been projected in 1847 and com- pleted in 1853, though the Dayton & Union Railroad was com- pleted before the Bee Line. The charter was granted by the Legislature of Indiana during the winter of 1847-48. Work was begun upon the route in 1849, and the Indiana portion was joined to the Dayton & Union Railroad in Jannary. 1853, and the Ohio portion was completed in the summer of 1853. At first the route from Indianapolis and Bellefontaine belonged to two companies. In 1859, a consolidation occurred, and in 1868 a further union took place, forming the Cleveland, Columbus & Cincinnati Railroad, under the name of the Cleveland, Colum- bns, Cincinnati & Indianapolis Railroad, or familiarly the Bee Line. It transacts an immense amount of business, general and local, the statistics in detail. of which, however, cannot readily be obtained. Its trains are three passenger trains each way daily and five regular freight trains, often increased to ten or even more than that, making a grand total of from sixteen to twenty or thirty or even more trains daily. Counting the five radiating tracks as separate roads and reckoning the trains running on each as being distinct from seventy to one hundred trains daily reach or leave this city as a grand center of railway traffic and travel. The con- trast between the new and the old in this respect is amazing. Imagine for a moment the business now handled by means of 100 daily trains to and from a single point to be transacted by horse power! The thought itself is preposterous; to make it a reality would be utterly impracticable.

The company have a passenger depot, a coiffnodious freight warehouse and an extensive roundhouse. They maintain also a telegraph office, operated both for the company's business and also for the general public. The agents have been these: R. A. Willson, S. C. Weddington, C. Williamson, Anthony Cost, O. E. Tiffany, George W. Kendrick, H. S. Watson, R. T. Johnson, J. Q. Van Winkle, F. E. Vestal, R. T. Johnson.

[ ] R. A. Willson says that he began the office work for all the roads in 1853. The repair shops of the company are at Bright. wood, near Indianapolis.

The Bee Line have in Randolph Connty five stations-Union City, Harrisville, Winchester, Farmland and Morristown or Parker. And in the order of business they would be Union City. Winchester, Farmland, Morristown, Harrisville. The passenger depot and roundhouse are in Indiana; the freight house is in Ohio.

"Reminiscences of the Bee Line Railroad," given in substance by Thomas Neely, Esq., then and now of Muncie, Ind., in Del- aware County History: Kingman Bros., Chicago; page thirty- nine: " I thought we ought to have a railroad connection, but did not know where. I carried round a paper, but excited no special interest. Dr. Anthony laughed at the idea, and called it foolish- ness. A meeting was called, a large crowd attended and speeches were made, but no one had any idea to what point the road should run. Some said, ' to the canal at Fort Wayne,' I said no, for that will freeze up. Various points were suggested, Indianapolis. Connorsville, Fort Wayne, Bellefontaine. The two latter places made special overtures, The question was de- cided in a novel way. At a meeting held in the woods where Union City uow stands, after several speeches had been made from a box, the matter was put to vote. Bellefontaine was di- rected to take one side and all others the other side. Bellefon- taine carried by two-thirds over all other points. Thus the Bee Line was born, O. H. Smith was made President, and the grand system of railroads for the great Northwest was begun." One track, indeed, then existed in the State, viz., from Indianapolis to Madison, on the Ohio River, but it was isolated and compara- tively unimportant. But after the Bellefontaine had been ex- tended to the lakes at Cleveland, the Great West began to wake to the mighty possibilities of continental travel and commerce.

PAN HANDLE RAILROAD-P., C. & ST. L.

That part of the system of railway called the Pan Handle road which was first completed to Union City was the track from Columbus to this point, which was put into operation about 1856. The next part was the road from Union City to Logans- port. Both these divisions together amount to 197 miles. At the present time, in these days of consolidation of railways, it belongs to the system of roads owned by the Pennsylvania Rail. way. This immense corporation now controls about one-twelfth of all the ronds in the United States. The track from Pittsburgh to St. Louis with connecting branches is entitled the P., C. & St. L. (Pittsburgh, Chicago & St. Lonis) Railroad, and the Colum- bus & Logansport track is a part of the P., C. & St. L. road, being the second division of the C., C., C. & I. road, this sec- ond division extending from Bradford to Chicago.

The passenger house at Union City was erected in 1866 or 1867. since which time its agents at this point have been David H. Reeder, E. H. Jndgo, N. Hamlin and P. A. Taylor. Six passenger trains and ten freight trains run daily on its tracks. The freight trains are often double or even treble, making prob- ably a number equal to twenty freight trains per day, or, in all twenty-six trains besides frequent excursion trains to different points at various times. The amount of business done upon this road, general aud local, is thus seen to be immense -- almost in- credible. We have no data at hand for determining the gross in- como of the road, either in the whole or at this point. The com- pany has a telegraph office in its depot, the business of which, how- ever, is confined to the affairs of the company itself. The employes of the Pan Handle Road resident at Union City amount to a large number, though jast how many it is not easy to tell. Though doing a very large business, yet, strange to say, it has no separ- ate freight house, its necessities in that respect being supplied by a comparatively small room in one end of the passenger house. The agent for some years past has been P. A. Taylor, and the freight agent Mr. Etmire, who, though possessing some rather striking pecularities, is, nevertheless, an energetic and valuable public servant.

NOTE .- Some of the roads mentioned do not reach Union City.

RICHMOND & GRAND RAPIDS RAILROAD.

Abont 1869-70, a railroad was built through Randolph County north and south from Richmond into Michigan, via Winchester, Portland, Decatur and Fort Wayne. It passes through Wash- ington, White River and Franklin Townships. The points in the county are Johnson's Station, Lynn, Rural, Winchester, Stone Station and Ridgeville. Considerable business is done upon the road, though by far less than upon the great east and west throughfares.

As it is now, all the townships have railroads but Green,

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HISTORY OF RANDOLPH COUNTY.

West River, Nettle Creek. Stony Creek and Greensfork. The railroad in progress through the southern part of the county will cross Nettle Creek, West River, Washington and Greensfork.

The projected road from Union City to Bluffton will cross Jackson, but Green and Stony Creek seem to be doomed to be without iron tracks across their surface.

UNION & BLUFFTON RAILROAD.

Abont 1855, a railroad was projected from Union to Portland, Jay County, and the track was mostly graded, but the road was not completed. About 1866, the project was revived, new stock was obtained, considerable work was done and it was thought the route would be opened for travel in a few months. The matter failed again, however, and it remains a failure to the present day. About the same time, a route was projected connecting Camden, Jay County, with Bluffton, Wells County, and after the grade was nearly completed the work was suspended for lack of funds, and the whole thing has lain in statu quo, lo these many years!

The proposal is now made to build a road from Bluffton to Union City, by way of Camden, Antioch, Boundary City and New Pittsburgh, uniting the two grades above mentioned. This road if built will be an excellent thing for the region traversed thereby, and especially for the towns through which it will pass, and will make an additional road for the thriving town at the terminus.

Aid to the amount of $100,000 is asked from the region through which it passes. Wayne and Jackson Townships, Ran- dolph County, have voted their share; what the votes of the townships concerned in Jay County will do is yet to be told.

RAILROAD CONNECTING UNION AND CAMBRIDGE CITY.

Many years ago, another road also was chartered and much work laid out upon its track extending southwestwardly, making Cambridge City, Wayne County, a point in its route. Those were the days of mighty endeavor and costly failure. So, after getting to about the same point, the grading of the track, the funds were exhausted and the project stopped Every now and then an attempt is made to revive the enterprise, but thus far without success. There has been perhaps more thought expend- ed upon the northeastern extension of the route from Union City through Darke and Mercer Counties, Ohio, but still noth- ing has come of the talking and thinking, and probably the fuct of the completion of the L., E. & W. road, via Recovery and Portland to Muncie, will injure the prospects of the route at the head of this article.

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History of Randolph County, Indiana with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers : to which are appended maps of its several townships, Part 158

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer Publication date: 1882 Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman Number of Pages: 664

Author: Tucker, Ebenezer
Publication date: 1882
Publisher: Chicago : A.L. Klingman
Number of Pages: 664