History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, from the earliest times to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, etc., Part 15

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: [Madison, Wis.] : Brant & Fuller
Number of Pages: 714

USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, from the earliest times to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, etc. > Part 15

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In mentioning the period of depression in Evansville, from 1820 to 1828, it was no- ticed that the change from good to bad was not sudden but gradual. So the commence- ment of a better era was not sharply marked, and during the first few years the progress was not easily discernible. As description of the town and its inhabitants in 1831, the words of Hon. John M. Lockwood, of Posey county, are here quoted: "In 1831 I located there (in Evansville), boarding with Robert M. Evans-price of board per week $1.25. The absence of Hugh McGary's name from this list may cause an inquiry as to the whereabouts at that time of the founder of the village. . Up to this time he had remained a citizen of the village, engaged in merchandising and trading, and it was probably not earlier than IS32 that he took His residence was on his farm over the canal outside of the corporation, on the state road. From the Ohio river to Evan's farm up Main street there were five buildings on the west side and seven on the east side, and some other streets were built in about the same proportion. I found the town small | his final departure from this place. This

JOHN SHANKLIN.

119

AN EVENTFUL YEAR.

man, whose energies were spent in founding and fostering a village which has grown to be one of the largest and most magnificent cities of a great state, left the scene of his early struggles and triumph under a cloud. He went away in humiliation and disgrace, - a soldier drummed out of a camp which he had been most instrumental in erecting. About 1832 he was charged before Esquire Jacobs, of Scott township, with stealing a horse from Mark Wheeler. In those days a charge of homicide was perhaps less disgraceful than that of horse stealing. A

warrant was issued for his arrest. The constable, Samuel Hooker, anticipating resistance, took five men. Joshua W. Stephens, Silas Stephens, Wilson Short, John C. Henson and Wm. Linxweiler, to assist him in making the arrest, and proceed- ing with this martial array against the accused culprit, found him astride the stolen horse. Surrendering without a murmur, McGary returned with his captors, and was arraigned at the bar of justice. When called upon to plead he claimed to have purchased the horse from a man named Wasson, and this account of the matter was generally believed by fair-minded men. Wasson had run off and could not be found; the prosecution was not pushed; the horse was returned to its rightful owner, and the matter was dropped except by the enemies of McGary, who with busy tongues kept the evil story fresh in the minds of the people. For awhile he bore up bravely against all taunts, but his rough exterior covered a tender heart, which bled under the piercing blows of slander. He con- tinued apparently attentive to business, but at times was unable to conceal his discom- fort and chagrin. At lengthhe went south, ostensibly on business, and never returned.

Concerning some events of the times under consideration the following extracts | river bank.

are made from the reminiscences of Mr. Lock- wood: " The most pernicious and deleterious events that occurred in 1832 were the cold weather, the great flood, and the cholera. The ice froze to the thickness of twenty inches on the Ohio. There were no ther- mometers in the town, and the degree of coldness was not known, but to say that it was cold, cold, bitter cold, intensely cold, does not fully explain the extreme bitterness of the winter weather. The average cit- izen, thinly clad, suffered intensely: heavy cloaks and wraps were not the fashion: frosted feet, ears, and even noses caused much complaint. Dr. William Trafton crossed over on the ice and married his second wife, a Miss Butler, whose father was then living some distance above town. She was among the first of the Kentucky girls brought over on the ice.

" Finally spring weather came with a rush ; the rain poured down in torrents; the snow and ice melted; the Ohio rose and over- flowed her banks, and Evansville lacked but about six inches of being on an island. The surging waters backed up Pigeon creek, rushed over the banks and up a deep ravine from the mouth of Pigeon and up northeast through the woods to the west side of Evans' farm, advancing until it was checked by a small ridge of land in the east part above town, lacking about six inches of connecting with water that came down through a ravine from the river near the Parrett and Lindsey farms, southeast of town. This great flood caused immense destruction of stock and property. Several farmers living opposite and above town moved over to escape being drowned. Houses, barns, fences, and dead animals floated down. A steamboat passed up through the cut-off above town (the Green river bayou) on the Indiana side, all in plain view of a number of citizens on the

1.20

THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE.

" The beautiful Ohio river had no sand-bars visible at any season of the year. Its deli- cions water was drawn up and stored in whiskey barrels at most of the dwelling houses and cabins in town. The probable cause of the cholera in September, 1832, which was accepted as joyful news by the that proved so fatal, may be charged to the daily use for drinking and culinary purposes of water standing in whiskey barrels. About twenty-five or thirty died, which was a large fatality considering the population, which was only about 225. This great calamity had a depressing tendency -so much so that no sales of real estate were reported, except lot number 60, old plan, for $200.

" The United States mail arrived once each week from Vincennes in a small two-horse stage, or on horseback when the roads were bad. Coal and cook-stoves were unheard of. Cooking on the hearth by the fire-place was the order of the day, using "Dutch ovens," skillets and lids, frying pans, etc. Not a newspaper was published nearer than Vin- cennes. Steamboats seldom passed or stopped. Once in a while a high pressure plying be- tween Cincinnati and New Orleans passed up or down.

"In 1833 times began to improve. A slight advance was made in the price of lots, but few sales were reported. A small increase was also made in population. Dr. Lane, Dr. A. P. Hutchinson and a few others came in. In the month of November in this year, on the morning of the 13th, before daylight, the citizens were aroused to see the rain of me- teors that were falling thick as hail. It looked as if the stars had all broken loose and were descending to the earth. The sight was sublime."

was heard of at that time. Evidences of prosperity became clearly visible in 1834. In the spring of that year William Town settled in the village and immediately made known his purpose of establishing a newspaper, citizens of the place. His means were lim- ited, and while teaching school, he set up a printing press in the old Mansel House, a frame on Main street, and commenced the publication of the Evansville Journal. In the same year upon the establishment of the first state bank, Evansville was designated as a point for the organization of one of its branches. These two institutions gave the town a metropolitan air and attracted toward it the favorable notice of other communities. The bank especially, by enlarging the finan- cial facilities of the town gave an impetus to all departments of business. New energy and high hopes for the future sprang up in the village and encouraged the citizens to more than ordinary effort. The news that Evansville was of sufficient importance to have a branch of the state bank and a news- paper, went abroad, and immigration was measurably increased. A steady demand for real estate grew up, and improvement and development were observable on all sides.

About this time the spirit of progress was thoroughly aroused throughout the state. It clamored for the development of Indiana's natural resources. The construc- tion of railroads and canals became the all- absorbing theme, not only among legislators but also among the people, who, acting under the frenzy of excitement, asked for legislation authorizing a gigantic scheme of

From 1831 to 1835 quite a number of internal improvements far beyond the actual deaths were reported in the village and vi- needs of the country and impossible of cinity from a disease called milk-sickness. There were shaking ague, chills and fever, but no disease called " snakes in the boots " |

realization. In 1835-6 a bill providing for a general system of improvements throughout the state became a law. It might have been

121

WABASH & ERIE CANAL.

salutary and beneficial if prudence and com- mon sense had confined it to proper limits, but instead of this it brought suffering to the state's character and resources, and in the general crash that followed destroyed many private fortunes. The completion of the various works authorized would have cost thirty millions of dollars, and in the expenditure of this vast sum many individuals hoped for, and expected, large personal benefits of a legitimate character. The citizens of Evansville were to be favored with a railroad, but their brightest hopes were based upon the construction of the Wabash & Erie canal, for which liberal provisions had been made in the bill This great thoroughfare, commencing at Toledo, Ohio, was to strike the head waters of the Wabash river and, following the fertile · valleys of that and White river, was to ter- minate on the Ohio at Evansville. The Central canal was to form a part of the same great system, pouring the surplus wealth of a large territory into the world's markets through the town of Evansville. This canal was intended to pass from Muncie-town through Indianapolis to Point Commerce, on White river, where it would be united to the Wabash & Erie canal. Thus Evansville was to be placed in the most favorable position that could then be conceived of for a commercial center, com- manding the outlet of two of the richest and most productive valleys on the hemisphere.

event in 1835 in Evansville was the establish- ment here of the southern terminus of the thoroughfare. What was known as the canal dinner was one of the most interesting events of the important occasion. Strong drinks were freely indulged in, as was cus- tomary at that time, and as a result, so remarkable was the occasion, nearly every man in town, it has been asserted, was reel- ing, staggering, whooping drunk in the streets. The senators, representatives, and other invited guests, with reckless abandon, gave themselves up to the most unbecoming indulgences. The event exceeded any dem- onstration of popular joy that up to that time had been witnessed in the town. When the internal improvement bill had become a law, business received an impetus such as it had never known before. The vast plan of pub- lic work attracted the attention of the adven- turous spirit of the east, and immigrants from beyond the seas. A tide of immigration swept into the state such as always follows the announcement of facts that appeal to man's cupidity. The public lands of Van- derburgh county had for a few years been passing into the possession of industrious and frugal settlers from Germany and other parts of the old world. About this time the influx of settlers was at its height. The town of Evansville was rapidly growing in size and commercial importance. The im- mediate and large success of the place seemed assured.

An incident illustrating the customs of the But within a year the gigantic scheme of development began to crumble and fall. Some capitalists in the east had purchased the state bonds on terms that placed but little money in the hands of the authorities for immediate use. It became evident at once that the times were not ripe for the progressive steps that had been contemp- lated and authorized by legislative enact- times occurred in connection with the loca- tion of the southern terminus of the proposed canal, in the summer before the passage of the bill. The construction of its northern portion, based on the land grants of 1827, by the general government, was authorized by the legislature in 1830-1, and during the following year its actual construction with pick and shovel was commenced. The great | ments. The state's credit failed, and this

1.2.2

THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE.

Not content with using the boats that were brought here from other docks the same en- terprising spirit that was visible in other branches of business led to the construction of a steamer here. An account of the build- ing of the first boat in the town of Evans- ville has been given to the public by Dr. Floyd Stinson, and is here quoted: "The Otsego was probably built in 1834.

occurred fortunately before the immense debt at first intended to be incurred was fastened on the people. However, even when it was evident that the work could not be carried to completion, vast sums of money were expended in pushing forward the plan, the indecision of the public officials permitting a great waste of money. Rail- roads in various parts of the state were left in an incomplete condition and were soon " The hull of the steamer was built on the bank of the Ohio river, near the mouth of Pigeon creek. The lumber used in building its hull was principally procured in the woods within 600 yards of the site of building, and was hewed and sawed out by hand. She was built by Joseph Lane, Frederick E. Goodsell, and John M. Ham jointly. Mr. Sampson was the boss ship carpenter, and Joseph Lane, F. E. Goodsell, John M. Ham, W. Kirby Ham, John M. Stinson, W. H. Stinson, Thomas J. Stinson, James McCorkle and others were carpenters who assisted in the building. When the hull was finished it was launched into Pigeon creek. Thomas Scantlin says that he was at the launching, and saw the bottle of wine broken on the hull as she went down, that being the cus- launched upon the waters and there allowed tom on such occasions in those days. abandoned altogether. The system of ca- nals terminating at Evansville formed a part of this extensive and ill-advised plan of im- provement. As soon as practicable ground was broken at this end of the great highway, and the work was pushed forward suffi- ciently to provide an excellent skating place for the boys of the town in the winter of 1837, but no better results were achieved before the "state system" broke down. With aggressive zeal, commendable and characteristic of the enterprising citizens of that day, in order to be ready for business as soon as the canal was opened, a passenger boat, of good appearance, substantial and commodious, was built, named in honor of that manly pioneer, Nathan Rowley, to float until she became a useless, rotten " The boilers and engine of the Otsego were out of the steamer Delaware which had been wrecked on the Scuffletown bar. They were used in a saw-mill in Evansville prior to being put into the Otsego. There were three boilers each twenty-four inches in diameter, single flued, sixteen feet long. The engine had three feet stroke. The wheels were fourteen feet in diameter. When she was finished she was named Of- sego for the town of Otsego, New York, Mr. Goodsell's native town. Her officers and crew were as follows: Captain, Joseph Lane for a time, and John M. Ham perma- nently; clerk, William Lockhart; engineers, hulk. At this time, when the system had collapsed, the state in general and this city were in a far worse condition than they could possibly have been had the work com- menced never been thought of. All hope of improvement from this source was aban- doned. The rapid filling of the country with industrious people was supporting the growth of the town, independently of the canal. A large surplus of produce was an- nually brought to Evansville for shipment. Steamers began to ply regularly between Pittsburg and St. Louis, or Cincinnati and New Orleans, and Evansville was the ship- ping point for a large area of fertile country. James Brown and Dow Talbott; pilots, Sam-

123

A PROSPEROUS ERA.

uel Lun and James Terry; carpenter, Wm. H. Stinson.

" Her trial trip was up to Joseph Lane's landing and back. In a short time after- ward she was run to Henderson on an ex- cursion trip. Among the passengers on board were Miss Mary McNitt, (afterward Mrs. James Steele), Miss Amanda Miller (afterward Mrs. Groves), Thomas Scantlin and Thomas J. Stinson. The boat was put into the trade from Louisville to St. Louis, making the round trip in a week. She was running in this trade in 1836. Some persons say that she was run up the Wabash but her power was such that she had to be cordelled over the rapids. She was bought by Capt. Crochan and put in the Yazoo river trade, Vicksburg being her objective point. The next we hear of her, is that she was tied up at St. Louis for debt. From there she was ' sneaked out' and run to Evansville where she was again tied up for debt. She lay at this place for some months, part of the time sunk upon the sand-bar just above the city. She was raised and again sold. Mr. Henry B. Oldham says that she was, in the year 1839, run up the Wabash river, commanded by Capt. Alf. Bellwood, and at that Point Coupee or Nine Points, she struck a snag, sunk and was wrecked."

With the departure of the prosperous times of 1834-36 this enterprise, like many others of less magnitude, was entirely checked. However, in later years boat building and repairing assumed some prominence. Some of the boats built here compared favorably in material and work- manship with any boats of like dimensions built on the western waters.

Before passing from this fortunate era, whose general prosperity was evidenced by the fact that in 1834, of the net revenue of the state - $45,945 - less than one per

cent, was unpaid at the treasury when it became due, to that which followed the financial crisis of 1837, of national propor- tions. Some reminiscences illustrating the condition of the town and the char- acteristics of its people at that time, con- tributed in 1881 by William Brown Butler, a distinguished citizen of early times, who represented the county in the state legisla- ture and occupied other places of trust and honor in the community, are here inserted: " In the autumn of 1835 I left New York to visit different places in Indiana on the Ohio river with a view of locating and doing a wholesale or jobbing dry goods business. After visiting Madison and New Albany, I arrived in Evansville in November, and re- mained until the last of December. I was most favorably impressed after my first visit there, and became satisfied that Evansville at no distant period must become a business place of note, with no rival in the state on the Ohio river below New Albany. It be- ing the natural landing point on the river of the great Wabash region, must make it a prominent business place independent of the advantages which would accrue to it in con- sequence of being the terminus of the grand artery of the internal improvement system. "My great trouble, after deciding to lo- cate in Evansville, was to secure a suitable store. The only one vacant that would an- swer my purpose was on the northwest corner of Main and Water streets belonging to the Messrs. Lewis. I had much difficulty in getting a lease of it. Mr. James Lewis' course in the matter grew out of the impres- sion that I did not mean business. When I proposed good security, Horace Dunham was instructed to write out a lease at once. As soon as it became known what my object in coming to Evansville was, I was most kindly received by all and promptly furnished with desired information and proffers of

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THE CITY OF EVANSVILLE.

assistance in getting established. First among the citizens of Evansville who paid me par- ticular attention was the late Hon. James Lockhart. For several of my first days there he was much with me, inducing me to believe I had made a favorable impression on him. When the fact leaked out I ascer- tained that I was indebted for his kindness to a rather singular mistake on his part. He mistook me for a Mr. Barlow, an absconding cashier of the Commercial Bank in Albany, N. Y., for whose arrest a reward of $3,000 was offered.

"I found Evansville without a schoolmaster and no settled minister. Fathers Wheeler and Parrett, and the Rev. Benoni Stinson preached occasionally, I was told. The first religious service I attended there was when Bishop Kemper preached in the little school- house on the public square. The mud was terrible. Mr. A. B. Carpenter, who had at- tended the morning service, proffered with his lantern to pilot all who wanted to attend in the evening. Quite a number accepted. On our arrival at the school-house the con- dition of our pants and boots was lament- able. I said to a young stranger, one of the party, 'Mr. Carpenter is a first rate pilot, is he not ?' 'First rate," he responded. 'Ile struck the channel all the way.'

"The seating accommodations of the school-house were simply loose boards on blocks of wood. It had a fire-place, however, which neither the court-house nor the church had. The old Presbyterian church on Sec- ond street, between Main and Locust streets, was the only church in Evansville at the time, and it was in an unfinished condition. Bishop Kemper's visit suggested the pro- priety of making the church more comfort- able. On mentioning the subject to Gen. Evans, he approved of it, and proffered to contribute as much toward it as I would, and said that his son would do the same. I at

once wrote a brief heading to a sheet of foolscap, stating the object 'desired, and my subscription to the fund. Gen. Evans' and his son's names followed, with others who were present. In two or three days an amount sufficient was subscribed to procure comfortable benches with backs, in place of boards on blocks, for the audience, and a plain, respectable looking pulpit in place of the dry goods box with John Shanklin & Co. on it in bold letters facing the audience. On my way to the east a few days afterward, I purchased in Cincinnati a large stove with pipe for the church, which arrived and was put in its place the following week, when the carpenters had completed their part of the improvements.

"The court-house was in a more unfin- ished state than the church. The floor was brick paved. There were wooden shutters, but no sash or glass in the windows. It was all open to the roof. Nothing had been done toward finishing or flooring the second story. Benches with backs, for the jurors, one large and one small plain table for the use of the clerks, lawyers and court, with sundry split-bottom chairs, comprised the furniture of the room.

"The jail, to me, was a great curiosity, the first and only one I ever saw built of logs. While Mr. William H. Walker was sheriff, a notorious Texas counterfeiter was arrested and lodged in the strong room of the jail, to await the sitting of the court. To insure his forthcoming when wanted, Mr. James T. Walker, supported with a well charged double-barrelled shot-gun, slept in the room over the prisoner. All went well for awhile, until one night, after locking the outside door and proceeding to his room, Mr. Walker found himself confronted by his prisoner, shot-gun in hand, calling on him to quietly surrender the fort, which he, know- ing the desperate character of the culprit,

1.2.5

THE TOWN IN 1886.

did without a murmur. Mr. Walker. soon found himself the prisoner, and the man en route for Texas, taking the gun, and, I be- lieve, the key of the jail with him. It re- quired some nerve to occupy lodgings over so desperate a scoundrel."

Mr. Boyd Bullock, a well-known old-time resident of the city gives this general des- cription of the town as it appeared in 1836, showing but little improvement in its appearance in sixteen years: "My first sight of Evansville, was in 1836. There was a ragged bluff bank prob- ably forty feet high, with a winding track along the river front wide enough for two carts or drays to pass. There were but two persons in the village who followed the business of draying. On reaching the top of the bank I found a few scattering buildings, most of which were small frames. There were two hotels, or taverns, as they were called in those days, one an old frame building kept by Mr. Thomas Johnson, and the other a two-story brick kept Maj. Alan- son Warner. The latter was a pretentious edifice, in fact, extra fine for those days. There were about fifteen buildings of all kinds on Water street, log and frame for the most part, with two or three of brick. On First street there were more houses than on any other thoroughfare - twenty-six in number. Main street at that time was very poorly built up. On the upper corner of Main and Water streets was John Mitchell's store and residence. On the opposite corner was an old establishment belonging to the Lewis Brothers, with the old warehouse in the rear, in which was held the first court. In this building the fashionable balls were held, it being the only suitable place for a pastime of that character. Here apple- toddy was wont to be served to the company in an indescribable style, with gingerbread as an accompaniment. Across Main street

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History of Vanderburgh County, Indiana, from the earliest times to the present, with biographical sketches, reminiscences, etc., Part 15

Author: Publication date: 1889 Publisher: [Madison, Wis.] : Brant & Fuller Number of Pages: 714

Author:
Publication date: 1889
Publisher: [Madison, Wis.] : Brant & Fuller
Number of Pages: 714