USA > Indiana > Vanderburgh County > Evansville > History of the city of Evansville and Vanderburg County, Indiana, Volume I > Part 46
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German township was very thinly settled; there were only a few spots where a hunter would come across a place that bore the marks of civilization. To the eastward, in the wild and dense woodland, there was not a trail of human being until the Parker neighborhood was reached, a little southwest of the site of the village of St. Joseph. Here the families of Richard Wells, the Parkers and Mr. McKinnis formed a settlement. In the extreme northern part of the township there were a few homes such as that of James Kirkpatrick and Beriah B. Short, simple backwoodsmen. Here also lived George B. Wagnon, whose father was the first associate judge in the county.
Besides these men named, there were many other squatters and early settlers who, with what may be called the second settlement beginning about 1830, almost flew before the hordes of industrious immigrants who came from across the sea to possess themselves of homes in the land of liberty, folded their tents like the Arab, and as silently stole away. Most of the population of German township today are Germans, who are thrifty and valuable citizens. The only town of any importance in this township is St. Joseph. Nicholas Long settled here in the early days and became quite wealthy. He built a storehouse, a postoffice, a smithy, a school building and a church. Around these few buildings clustered a few pioneer log cabins. There were a few towns attempted, but they have all gone back to corn fields and meadows.
The only church was the one in the Henson neighborhood. This was a church free to all denominations, but soon passed out of existence. Soon after the Germans came here they established a German Lutheran church and the first meetings were held at the homestead of the Farquhars in the northeast part of the township. It was founded about the year 1838 and soon afterwards a log church was erected. The log church was soon replaced by a spacious and comfortable edifice.
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The first Catholic church was St. Joseph's Catholic church, which was a two-story log house, the upper story of which was used for the services and the lower story for a school and home for the pastor. The congre- gation soon became too large for the old log church and a new one was built of brick, at the cost of $2,200. It was dedicated April 27, 1857, by Bishop de St. Palais.
ARMSTRONG TOWNSHIP.
This was the first township formed in the County of Vanderburg. It was organized March 9th, 1818, and took in about half of the county. It is bounded on the west and north by Posey and Gibson Counties, on the east by Scott and on the south by German Township. The soil is produc- tive and the farms are kept by well-to-do farmers. The principal stream is Big creek, flowing from the east to the west across the township, but its waters have never been of much use for mill purposes, except along its broader parts.
The first settlements were made along the northern line by the squat- ters. They accumulated no property and thought more of hunting than of farming. When the game grew scarce they moved farther on. Among the earliest to settle in Armstrong township were James Martin with his two sons, Thomas and Charles, who came from Carolina. Charles Mar- tin built a horsepower mill in the township, which was in operation for many a long year. John Armstrong, Sr., for whom the township was named, was another of the early settlers. He had been a sailor and came with some ready money, unlike most of the early settlers, and entered con- siderable land. It seemed strange that one, so much of whose life had been spent on the ocean, should at last settle in the wilds of the interior where he could not even hear the dashing of the waves upon the coast. He was a veritable "salt," full of stories, and was never happier than when surrounded by attentive listeners. The monotonous life of the forecastle had prepared him for the monotony of pioneer life in the woods of Armstrong township. Here he found a people who were glad to hear his constant talking about the sea. They had not heard his stories a thousand times, as had the shipmates, no doubt. In the lonely cabins of the pioneers, with the great backlog filling every recess with its glory, he was wont to become an attractive figure to all, from the boy whose life was just beginning to the old man whose source of greatest joy was retrospec- tion. Mr. Armstrong was industrious and pushing, though not particularly prominent. He was respected by all and died when about ninety years of age, in the township bearing his name. Judge John McGrary held the place as associate judge. He was a man of sterling worth and was very prom- inent in Armstrong township.
The public lands were soon taken and the entire township became a garden, where a short time before it had been a wilderness, and soon good roads were provided, instead of the trails leading through the woods. The
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newcomers were principally from Germany, though many came from Penn- sylvania and the other states in the country. As a class they are econom- ical, industrious and good citizens and to their efforts in the past is due much of the prosperity of the present.
In the early times there was preaching at the schoolhouses and at the cabins of the settlers. The regular Baptists were the most prominent at first but they later gave way for the Cumberland Presbyterians. A union church was built in the extreme northwest corner of the township, which was free to all Christian denominations, though it was used chiefly by the Cumberland Presbyterians and the Christian order. The community took the matter of churches up and soon had an edifice erected. It was named "Calvert Chapel" in honor of Mr. Leroy Calvert, who did much toward having the church erected.
The largest town in Armstrong township is St. Wendell's, which has a flouring mill, a store, a blacksmith shop and other little conveniences such as are usually demanded for a farming neighborhood. In the village are centered the religious and educational facilities for the Catholic church in this part of the county.
The accompanying is a picture of what was known for many years and is still known as "the old stone house." It is just above the little town of Newburg, and when I first hunted back of it, many years ago, was in fine condition. The stone slabs under the porch were as perfect as the rest.
When built, it was the best specimen of old-time architecture in this section. It was built in 1845 by James H. Roberts. The stone is sand- stone and was hauled on sleds by oxen from a quarry on the river above. It will be remembered that Newburg is older than this city and was first called the Sprinklesburg.
There was a fine spring just under the river bank, in front of this house, and it had been used by the Indians for many years, as there were old camp signs all around it. Above it was an old Indian mound, which exists to this day. Most of the relics have been taken from it, but many can still be had by digging. By noting the great chimneys on this house, one can have an idea of the esteem in which they were held.
Following is an extract from the Evansville Courier :
"Around the Old Stone House hangs an atmosphere of dread. It is more than seventy years old. For nearly a quarter of a century it was the home of only rats and mice. The storms of winters swept through the bare rooms and halls. Broken shutters slapped and banged. The windows rattled. Rains poured through the roof onto the stained and rotted floor.
"The winds whistled and moaned through the trees in the family ceme- tery near by. In the summers rabbits scurried into the underbrush. Snakes glided through the rank grass and weeds. On Indian Hill was seen phos- phorescent glows of fire flies and decayed wood.
"Strange tales were told of the things seen there, and heard. Indians, tall and gaunt of form, stalked over the hill. Forms clad in misty white
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appeared and disappeared. Mysterious lights showed pale and ghastly around the house and in the garden. Weird sounds broke the stillness of the nights and passersby could hear the shades of dead men rapping for a medium.
"A few years ago the house was reclaimed. The roof was rebuilt. New floors were put in. The lawn was mowed and the underbrush cut away. There is an air of prosperity about the place now and flowers bloom in the garden.
"The Old Stone House, as it is known, was built in 1839 by Gaines Hardy Roberts, grandfather of Mrs. Sarah McGill, 9 Emmet street. It stands on an elevation overlooking the Ohio, two miles above Newburg. It commands a view of the river for twenty-five miles, the longest straight stretch of rover between Cincinnati and Cairo.
"It stands on Indian Hill, the site of an Indian stockade built in 1810. The stockade harbored eight families of pioneers. 'Twas during the years of Indian uprisings, and all around are indications of battles fought. Arrow heads are plowed up in the fields. Stone hatchets are occasionally found, and many trees are said to be marked with Indian signs.
"The house was built ten years after Newburg was founded in 1829 by A. M. Phelps. The contractor was John Meinhardt, a German just over from the Fatherland.
"It is of sandstone, hand chiseled. The stone was hauled in ox-carts from two miles up the river, and three years were consumed before thie completion.
"At that time it was the most magnificent home in southern Indiana. Families came for miles around to see it.
"At the death of Rufus Roberts, the son of Gaines H. Roberts, the house was sold to Union Bethed, father of Union Bethed, president of the American Bell Telephone company. At his death the house was left vacant for more than twenty years. Twelve years ago it was bought by Dr. Wesley Wilson who now occupies it.
"When the house had been repaired and Dr. Wilson went to live in it, it was more than a hundred nights before he could get any one to sleep there with him. There were plenty of servants to be got during the day, but when the shadows of night began to fall he was left alone. Even now it is hard to get negro farm hands to work about the place. Memories of the haunts of years ago are still with them. .
"The only man living in or near Newburg now who can remember the house during the life time of G. H. Roberts, the man who built it, is Joseph Snyder."
It is not giving credit to this grand and fruitful county to leave the matter without saying more of the wonderful fertility of its soil and the height of production to which intelligent farming has brought it. Back in the old days farmers were content to raise simply one crop. Whatever was the most easy to raise seemed best to them and with the wonderful
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rich soil it seemed at that time that there would never be any need of caring for it. I can well remember shooting quail years ago in fields where the soil beneath my feet was perfectly black and the corn was so high that if a quail rose and did not go down a cornrow, I lowered my gun, for there was no use of taking a crossshot through corn that averaged from 8 to 12 feet high. This is still the case with the soil in parts of Vander- burg County, but in other parts the soil has been carefully cared for and we do not see any of the waste or "thrown out" fields that are so common in many places in this country. This is due to what is known as intelli- gent farming. In the olden days there were many hillside farms that were not worked at all. Good ground was so plentiful and so rich and produc- tive, that no one thought of using what were known as side hills. But a class of Germans came into these sections, who had been used to the rugged worn-out hills of their own lands, and to them these wooded hills seemed wonderful. The timber was soon cut down and then they began to fertilize and it used to be a common remark in former years that no German farmer ever came into town with a wagon without taking back to his farm a load of fertilizer. In fact, on almost any day in the year. these wagons could be seen going in every direction and their contents were dumped where they would do the most good. In Germany the greatest care is taken of everything which can be possibly utilized as a fer- tilizer and there is a story that a man's worth is judged by the amount of fertilizer that he can keep on hand while still making his little fields pro- ductive. In those days everyone in the town was only too glad to get rid of everything of this kind and the Germans soon got into the way of agreeing to clean up all premises if they might be allowed to take away the result. On the vacant lots on Division street between First and Second streets, there used to be enormous lots of fertilizer from the va- rious stables in the vicinity and this was all taken away by these Ger- mans at no cost to them. Afterwards when the American farmers began to see the result of this constant use of the material, they followed in the footsteps of the Germans and made contracts buying at so much a load and at present every portion of the city is kept clean by this process. There is no land that will stand a continuous crop of one kind and hence these Vanderburg County farmers of whom I have spoken, have adopted the plan of changing their crops from time to time as necessity demanded. They saw where the people of the south had made a great mistake in cul- tivating cotton year after year until their land was literally worn out. They profited by the lesson, so that one who goes through Vanderburg County in these days, can see almost every kind of grain being raised, while fields that are "resting" as the saying is, are turned into rich pas- ture lands. The old rail fences have all disappeared and nothing remains save a few old landmarks.
Another thing might be said, that these same farmers have not been con- tent to live as their forefathers did but they do their work with the most
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perfect machinery of the day, which is carefully put away when not in use in their large barns. In the old days if a man bought a threshing ma- chine, he simply left it under a tree uncovered all through the winter and then wondered why it needed so much fixing when again needed. The same might be said of even the plow which was often left at the end of a furrow until spring and the plowing began. They have done away with all these lax methods of farming. They have good stock and it is well cared for. Many of them have cattle as highly bred as can be found anywhere, while the old razor-back hog, which was always skin and bones and about as much head as body, has given place to the plump Poland China, the Berkshire and other breeds of hogs with very small heads and very short legs and splendid bodies; hogs, in fact, every portion of which produced good meat. They have built good houses with all modern im- provements. Some of them are beautifully and tastefully furnished and while in the long ago the accordian was about the only musical instrument which could be heard in the evening, there are now fine pianos in the great majority of these farm homes. In fact, a leading music dealer of this city told me not long ago, that it was surprising to figure up the number of fine pianos that had gone into the farming community back of this city. He added that they were not half as captious and hard to please as the average city purchaser. They also have the most modern sewing machines and even the most modern churns so that the life of the farmer's wife is not the long career of drudgery that it used to be. Even in their poultry they have realized that a finely bred fowl eats no more and is far superior to the barnyard dominecker which held sway when the woman of the house generally relied on the eggs and chickens for her entire pin money for the year. The old idea of haphazard farming is completely ex- ploded. It used to be the case that a great number of the farms were covered with mortgages on which exhorbitant rates of interest were charged and the farmer plodded along year after year, satisfied if he could keep his family with plenty to eat, clothe himself comfortably and still keep the interest on his mortgage paid up. As it is now, mortgages are a very rare thing and the farmer has money in the bank. In fact, he is more firmly fixed on "easy street" than the average city man.
Much attention has been paid of late to scientific farming and the de- partment of agriculture has not only sent the very best of reading matter but it has sent hundreds and hundreds of well-posted men in every direc- tion to teach the farmers how to get the best resuls out of their soil. The grand success of the recent corn school in this city and the fact that it was attended by ten times as many interested pupils as had been expected, go to show that intelligent farming now holds the day. It is pretty well understood that these corn schools and matters of like character, will be kept up in Evansville from this time on. Things have greatly changed since Blackstone wrote his parable. He said that, virtually, that in every other occupation in life, in art, in science or anything of that kind, some
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method of instruction was looked on as a necessity and a requisite but that every man considered himself a born farmer. This has been demonstrated over and over again, when men, tired of city life, bought small farms hoping to do well and lead a life free from cares, only to find that it needed some education to be a farmer. For a long time farmers were apt to look down on every step in the direction of progress. They were con- tent to go along in the same lines as their forefathers, making about so much of a crop each year, but this idea is all exploded and he is now anxious to learn anything and everything that will teach him how to make two blades of grass grow where one grew before. Harris Dixon says, "He who plants a seed in hope, who watches in faith, for it to bear fruit, makes of himself-I speak reverently-a partner of Almighty God, but he must not sit down and depend entirely upon his partner. Nature may be the best farmer, but brains make the most profitable fertilizer and a little elbow grease helps out. There are riches in the soil, there was water in the rock, but Moses had to smite intelligently before it would come out. Every day men are smiting the barren plains and drawing streams of water and oil. The miracle of yesterday may be the applied science of today. 'Applied science,' that is the thing which the awakened farmer is fitting to his farm."
The first attempt towards scientific farming was made as far back as 1836 but it failed for lack of support. In 1842 the first endowment for agri- cultural education was provided in Harvard by the will of Ben Bussey. The first state to take hold of the advanced farming was Michigan in 1850 and under the Morrill act in 1862 the United States government gave to each state, a territory, with liberal grants of land, to encourage colleges but the simple farmers laughed at their plans and made all manner of jokes about scientific farming. To be truthful, the first professors were far above the heads of the farmers and the latter used to make fun of them. In the first days, to speak, about leguminous plants, phosphoric acid, pot- ash, etc., was like talking Greek to the farmers and they could hardly be blamed for calling these agricultural professors "jaw smiths," which they did and they would have called them "hot air artists" only the term was not known in those days.
But common sense finally triumphed. The professors came down from their high horses and began to speak in terms that the farmers could understand and the farmers were more than willing to meet them half way. They began to understand each other and to pull together and the results are seen today in these great fruitful farms where hardly an inch of ground is allowed to go to waste. During recent rides through Van- derburg County it has pleased me very much to notice the great change in the cattle especially. Years ago one saw the long gaunt cow with spread- ing horns and a long tail, completely clogged with cockleberries. Now he sees cows with beautiful heads, Herefords, Durhams and Ayrshires, and all of the beautiful milk-producing cattle. As this city grows, it will al-
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ways be a great milk and butter market for Vanderburg County. The same may be said of poultry. Happy should be the farmer who has a market right at his door and while vats sums of money have been thrown away, he should be thankful to the county commissioners for the beauti- ful roads. He should also congratulate himself on the fact that these roads have cost him very little, but there is now no time of the year dur- ing which a farmer cannot bring a full load of anything he chooses into the city. Compare this to the old days when the roads were simply impassable from fall until late spring, except with the very heaviest teams of oxen and see what changes Father Time makes,
Reverting again to these agricultural schools, it must not be assumed that they are attended only by the younger generation. Old gray-haired farmers whose lives are nearly run, are eager to learn in their old age and sit side by side with young farmers' sons, drinking in the instruction which is so willingly given to them by this great government.
A humorous writer in speaking of the old men says, "There are white- haired men and bald-headed men who have been hopping clods, renewing mortgages and trying to scratch a living out of the dirt, for ages. They are tired of chasing razor-back hogs, herding cows and coming out deeper in debt at the end of every year. They may not be men of much educa- tion as it is measured by books, but they are men of sense who come to the college for information. This information goes straight back to the farmer and goes into the ground with the other seed."
I have been speaking, of course, of the country which lies almost di- rectly back of Evansville, for in the low lands which are overflowed by the river in the bottoms, above and below the city, it is hardly possible to raise anything but corn and fertilization is unnecessary for each high water leaves its deposit which fertilizes the land. The corn which is raised on it is the best to be found anywhere in the country. Just as Evansville and the lots within the city limits increase in value, so do the acres on the farms near Evansville. There is a vast difference between the value of a farm near a prosperous and growing city and one far off from the mar- ket. In this respect the farming element of Vanderburg County can well consider themselves blessed. The following short squib will show what corn crops can be raised in this wonderful fertile section.
"Colonel Alfred Ribeyre, the "corn king" of Indiana, was in the city yesterday. Mr. Ribeyre has 3,700 acres of corn in this year on his farm near New Harmony. He says the prospects look good for a big crop. Forty-five bushels to the acre is a good average, which will bring his crop to 168,000 bushels. Colonel Ribeyre is easily the largest individual corn raiser in Indiana."
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE GREATER EVANSVILLE-"THE CITY OF OPPORTUNITIES"-HOW SHE HAS PASSED THE DIVIDING LINE-WE HAVE ONLY TO WAIT-HOW EARLY IN- DUSTRIES HAVE GROWN-INFLUX OF NEW ONES-THE CHEAPEST FUEL ON EARTH-THE GREAT GATEWAY TO THE SOUTH-WHAT THE LOCKS AND DAMS WILL DO-THE PANAMA CANAL-EXTRACTS FROM SPEECHES OF VARIOUS WELL-POSTED MEN.
THE GREATER EVANSVILLE.
It is fortunate, in one sense of the word, that this work is being written just at the time that the people of Evansville seem to be waking up to the fact that they have before them the promise of one of the greatest cities in the West. This would not come naturally under the head of a history of Evansville of the past, but the intent of the publishers is that this book shall be picked up from time to time in years to come and carefully read by those who wish to know not only all of this city's very early trials and successes, but of those of future years after it had really become a large city. The natural advantages of Evansville have been dealt with in this work, but of late it would seem that the general prosperity of the country and the neces- sity of removing on the part of a great many large manufacturing estab- lishments have turned many eyes to this city and so completely do the ad- vantages point themselves out to every one interested that it seems that no good business man could fail to take advantage of the opportunity now presented in this year of 1910. Just now the citizens are trying to decide on a motto for Evansville and among the list are the following: "Greater Evansville, the gateway to the South," "The Tri-State Metropolis," "Evans- ville, the great Gateway between the North and the South," "The Gateway to the New South," "Nature's Favorite City," "The City of Opportunities," "Evansville, the City of Northern Vitality, Southern Hospitality and Ger- man Frugality," "The City of Opportunities," "The Crescent Queen of Industry."
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