USA > Indiana > Jasper County > Remington > History of the town of Remington and vicinity, Jasper County, Indiana > Part 15
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this place, about January, 1887. In February, 1887, Mr. McDougle became the proprietor of this property, and he then leased it to Thos. J. Lock. Mr. Lock remained in the business near one year, when Mr. McDougle sold the property to Jacob Ochs, who bought the machinery only. Mr. Ochs remained in the mill until Mr. William L. Rich engaged in the wood, coal and feed business, when he, Ochs, sold his mill to Mr. Rich, who moved it on to his property, located on the corner of Indiana and North Rail- way and North streets, where he continued to use it until he sold out his entire interests there, to Mr. James Knight. Mr. Knight soon sickened and died, and his widow then sold out this entire property, including wood, coal, mill and feed interests to Messrs. Snell and Graham, who are the present proprietors. None of the men who have hereto- fore owned and operated this mill, have saved any money from its earnings, although it appears to be a useful institu- tion to Remington and surrounding country.
Telegraph Operators and Station Agents.
N the year 1860, just after the building of the rail- way through this place, the station agency was given to one William Lott, who held the position until during the year 1863. At this early date the agent only received fifteen dollars per month as his salary, which amount was indeed very small, for this class of service. Mr. Lott was succeeded in 1863 by Mr. Samson Sheeks, and the wages or salary he received was twenty dollars per month. This of course was not sufficient to afford himself and family a reasonable support, and accordingly he dealt in flour; a business which added some little to his support. But a short time after he assumed control of the railway office here, his health began to fail, he being afflicted with a cancer on his face, which caused his death in 1867. After losing his health, his nephew, Cornelius McDaniels,
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attended to the business of the station for him, and after his death McDaniels received the appointment from the company, as agent at this place.
During the year 1864, the telegraph line was com- pleted through here, but there was no person here who could operate, and accordingly the company sent a Mr. Hugh Heaton here, an experienced man, who at once took charge of the telegraph office. He was a paper or ribbon operator, and in six weeks after he came here Mr. Cornelius McDaniel had acquired the art of telegraphy, and this office was given him also, and his salary was raised to thirty-five dollars per month, for his service in both offices, and this amount appeared to be sufficient for the support of himself, his mother and sister, with whom he was living. He was quite a young man at the time he assumed control of the office here, but he was an active penman, and had good business qualities, which enabled him to conduct the affairs of both offices to the complete satisfaction of both companies which he represented. He was sent to the State line (now Effner) for a while, and while he was there, the office here was in charge of Albert Nordyke. Whilst Cornelius McDaniels was in the office here, Robert Parker acquired the science of telegraphy under his instructions, and he soon became an excellent operator; about this time also the United States Express company established an agency at Remington, with George W. Hascall as their agent. Mr. Parker succeeded Mr. McDaniels as station agent and telegraph operator, at a salary of fifty dollars per month, the business of the two offices having increased sufficiently to warrant the companies to pay the above amount. Mr. Parker vacated these positions in 1878, as elsewhere herein stated, and since that time, the station agent has had the control of the express business also, and he has also been allowed a telegraph operator, thus there are two men required here at all times, who are in the main kept busy.
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The Parmalee and Streeter Farm.
E desire to make a brief mention of this large farm here, although it lies some eight miles south- east of Remington, in the western part of White county, mainly for the reason that the present owner, Mr. S. R. Streeter, does a great portion of his trad- ing in Remington, and for the further reason that Mr. Streeter is a gentleman who stands very high in the esteem of all who have his acquaintance, and who have transacted business with him. What was originally known as the Parmalee, and now known as the Streeter farm, was entered and improved to some extent by a Mr. Sturges, of Chicago, Illinois, in 1868 and 1869. Mr. Sturges sold it to Mr. Z. K. Parmalee in 1870, and Mr. Parmalee sold it to Mr. S. R. Streeter, the present owner in 1886. This is the larg- est farm any where in this section of the State of Indiana. It is of excellent quality of soil, is somewhat low with some streaks of sand on it, but is easily drained. There are six- teen hundred acres in this farm, and it lies nearly four miles south of Wolcott. It is described as the southwest quarter of Section No. one (1), and the northeast quarter of Sec- tion No. two (2), and all of Sections No.'s eleven (11) and twelve (12), in township No. twenty-six (26) north, of range No. five (5) west, in White county, Indiana. The improvements are located on Section No. twelve (12). The barn on this farm is very large, there probably being none larger within a radius of fifty miles. It is one hun- dred and fifty (150) feet long by seventy-five (75) feet in width, and it is forty-two (42) feet high, and is finished with the very best of materials of all kinds. The house used as the residence is quite large, but is of the ordinary style. The other out buildings are scattered all around promiscuously, being twelve or fifteen of them, which are used for various purposes, such as an office, sleeping rooms, laundry rooms, room for hired female help, wood house,
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coal house, buggy house, stables apart from the barn, a carpenter shop, tool house, mule barn, separate from the others, chicken and pork houses, pig sty, double cribs in which are large wagon, or hay or stock scales; on the top of this large double crib is a large geared wind mill used for pumping water for stock, etc. On top of the large barn is also a large geared wind mill which is used for grinding feed by wind power, for the stock. This wheel is seven- teen feet in diameter, and is so arranged that they can attach to it three or four different kinds of machinery. There are also on this farm eight other wind mills used for pumping water. There is also on the place a large sheep barn, annexed to the main large barn on the southeast side, which is 150 feet long and twelve feet wide; this sheep barn connects the double cribs to the large barn. The farm is quite valuable and has many improvements and advantages that we have not the space nor time to enumer- ate here.
The Remington Fair Association.
9 HE Remington Fair Association was organized in the year A. D. 1875, and the society had all the necessary arrangements made in time to give the first exhibition during the last week of August in that year. The association has made a success in their management, since their first organization up to and includ- ing the present time. This association was organized by a number of gentlemen of this town and surrounding locality with James W. Lock as the originator or leader. The articles of association contained the names of such men as Hon. D. H. Patton, Edward W. Culp, George Major, John Y. May, James Gray, Samuel M. Black, William L. Rich, Oliver P. Taber, Albert J. Bellows, Robert Parker, Dexter R. Jones, Oscar M. Vickery, and several other gentlemen, who became stockholders in the association. Hon. George Major was selected as the first president for the association,
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and he was retained and served in this capacity for five years in succession. During his administration as the President of the Fair Association, it built up the enviable reputation of being about the best organization of this character in northern Indiana. This record has been retained to the present time. It was at first thought that it would not prove a success, but those who doubted soon had their fears dispelled. The grounds are most beautifully located, one mile north of Remington, at the south extremity of Carpenter's grove, there being several acres of ground in the south side of this grove, which adds a great deal of beauty to the grounds, and affords an excellent shade and protection from storms. They have an abundance of good water, good stalls for all kinds of stock, a good woman's art building, amphitheatre, judges stand, and above all one of the best half mile race tracks in the State of Indiana. After this institution was first placed on its feet, it has at all time paid its own way. This fair was organized as a stock company, and one man could own and control as many shares of stock as he cared to buy. In the course of a few years this stock was all owned and controlled by twelve or fifteen men. In 1879, Hon. David H. Patton was elected the president, and he served in this capacity for the next two ensuing years. He gave the peo- ple very general satisfaction by his administration of affairs, his motto being that everything went in that was calcu- lated to bring money into the treasury of the society; by this modus operandi, the society was prosperous and soon enabled to build better fences, buildings, and in other ways beautify and improve their grounds.
Edward W. Culp was elected in 1881, as the president of the association, and under his management the fair con- tinued to prosper. He was succeeded in this office by Mr. Treat Durand in the year 1884. Mr. Durand was a vigorous executive officer, and he managed the affairs of the association in such a manner as to make the greatest amount of money out of it, and in a few years they were enabled to add more
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lands to their grounds, which they purchased from Mrs. Indiana Balthies. The good standing of this organization has been maintained, since its original inception to the present time. This splendid race track is admired by all who have seen it; it is as level as a floor, and is almost a perfect circle one-half mile in length, or circumference, with no sand or other obtacles to interfere; the track touches the grove on the north side, so that the populace have an excellent shade for protection, during the races. This beautiful grove is nature's own production, which has been improved by artificial and scientific trimming, and excellent drive ways and foot roads traverse it in all direc- tions. The grounds are located immediately on the east side of the public highway which angles through this grove, it being the oldest highway in this part of Jasper county, and it forms the southwestern boundary line of the fair grounds. A portion of the ground in the grove has been nicely arranged for huckster stands, and the main highways pass from these stands to the amphitheatre and race tracks, and to the hall. There is plenty of room for all manner of business there, and generally there are probably twenty different stands on the ground when the fair is in opera- tion. One of the greatest attractions for young people, and some of the older ones for that matter, in late years has been a swing, which is complete in all its appointments, and which is run by steam power. As regards the exhibits usually shown here, we have only to add, that the several departments ordinarily show products that it is dif- ficult to find excelled anywhere, even at our State fairs. The stock shows, especially horses, are not to be excelled in Indiana, as our people have taken a great pride and special interest in breeding fine stock in this line, and cat- tle, hogs, sheep and poultry come in for their just share of praise, as well as farm products, textile fabrics, and woman's works generally.
Taking it all together, Remington has a fair associa- tion that can be beaten by none, of equal natural advan-
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tages, and one that her citizens justly take great pride in. The fair is owned and controlled by the following named gentlemen: Mark J. Phelps, Thomas Wilcox, L. Holling- worth, C. Hensler, O. P. Taber, John J. Porter, James Gray, E. E. Rockwood, O. M. Vickery, Hon. D. H. Pat- ton, John Y. May, Ed. W. Culp, E. H. Briggs, and A. J. Bel- lows, which is sufficient guarantee, that the former reputa- tion of the fair will be maintained and improved. The fair has always been able to pay its premiums in full, and it is believed that it always will, and its management has the brightest hopes for its future prosperity and success.
EXCHANGE BLOCK.
HE Exchange block was erected in Remington dur- ing the year 1875. It was built by three different persons, viz .: Oliver B. McIntire, J. O. B. Mc- Dougle and Henry Tribby. The two north rooms were built by Mr. McIntire, one for the use as a Banking House, being on the corner, and the other room was designed for a general merchandise store room, which extends entirely around the banking room, fronting on Ohio street toward the east and fronting north on North street. It was first occupied by David Bates, and occu- pied as a furniture store room, during 1876. The next room to the south of the above was built by Mr. Mc- Dougle, which when he had it completed, he occupied himself as a grocery store. He was not prosperous in this venture, as he did a large credit business, and lost heavily by the failure of his debtors to pay him. The people of the community at this time were in poor financial circum- stances, and this was one of the causes that led to the failure of Mr. McDougle. He was therefore compelled to sell his interests in this building, and also to sell a good brick residence, which he had built for a home, in order to gain another start in business. This dweling he sold to E.
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H. Briggs in 1886. The south room of Exchange block was built by Henry Tribby, who also started a business in it as soon as it was completed, but he too made a failure, and was forced to the wall.
Mr. Tribby was the man that first suggested the con- struction of the Exchange Block. He furnished the money and hired the men to make and burn the brick that were used in the construction of this building. The men he employed were Frederick Bloomer and Henry Hummell, who were experienced brick makers, [who took the contract for furnishing the brick. They were made and burned on the creek bank just east of the town of Remington, near the present residence of Harry Hartley, which was then owned by Mr. Tribby, the brick dwelling being afterward built by Mr. Tribby in 1877, and built from brick made by the same parties, at this brick yard. Our town at this time was lively and full of business, and all kinds of labor were in good demand. There were several houses built at this time. As soon as the Exchange Block was completed Messrs. McIntire and John K. Shaw formed a partnership and engaged in the banking business in the north room on the corner. Mr. John K. Shaw remained in the business only a few years, when he withdrew from the partner- ship and removed to Duluth, Minnesota, where he is at present located. Mr. McIntire continued in the banking business alone some years longer, and finally in the year 1887, he having met with misfortunes, quit the business and turned it over to T. Durand & Co.
Mr. McIntire remained for a time however. Two or three years later Mr. Durand became ill and died and this circumstance caused the bank to be permanently closed, so far as any former management had aught to do with it. But later, in 1892, there was a bank organized, and locat- ed therein, known as the Citizens Bank of Remington, which has Henry O'Harris of Rensselaer as its president and O. B. McIntire cashier, with Geo. A. Chappell as assistant cashier. Mr. McIntire for many years controlled
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the bulk of the grain trade here, previous to his later bank- ing experiences. He was engaged in the grain trade here in 1867 and for the accomodation of his trade in this line he built a small banking house on the corner of South Indiana and Railway streets. This place was used for a bank until the building of the Exchange block in 1875, and this old bank building was then sold to Mr. Esau Hart, the hotel man, who used it for a sample room for runners until the fall or winter of 1888-'89, when he removed it across the street to the site of the old Henry Babb hotel, which had been recently burned, and Joseph Vogel then took pos- session of it as a boot and shoe store room.
On the site of this Exchange block had been previously built a frame structure which was used as a hotel by a Mr. Joseph White, which had been used for this purpose for about fifteen years prior to the year 1875. Mr. White sold this building to Mr. Henry Hastings in 1863, and he immediately sold it to Mr. John Southard, who run it as a hotel for about two years, when in the fall of 1865 Mr. Southard sold it to James A. May, who was a son-in-law of Mr. Southard. Mr. May soon traded the property to Joseph Stewart for a farm, upon which he moved in 1867, on " black oak," and Mr. Stewart took charge of the hotel property. Mr. Stewart soon sold to a Mr. John Nevada, who in turn in a few years sold out to Mr. O. B. McIntire. Mr. McIntire sold the building to J. W. Lock, who removed it from the premises in 1875, to the south side of Railway street, just east of the Hart hotel. This left the premises free from encumbrances, and the erection of the Exchange block was soon an accomplished fact. It is the most expensive building in the town of Remington, and has a fine large hall in the second story, besides numerous offices up stairs. The hall occupies one-half of the entire upper story of this building, and it is used for all public meetings of a local character, and for traveling theaters, concerts, etc. The room or part that Mr. McDougle had built, was bought by Mr. Treat Durand. The south room,
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or the one that had been built by Mr. Tribby, had been sold to the Solomon Brothers, who sold it to. Michael J. Costello, who kept it only a short time, when he in turn sold this room to Mr. Treat Durand.
In 1887 Mr. McIntire having failed, sold his interest in this building to Treat Durand, and this purchase made Mr. Durand the sole owner of the entire building, which he retained until his death, which occurred in July, or there- abouts, in the year 1888. At the death of Treat Durand the property fell into the hands of his son, Harvey Durand, of New York City, by descent. In the course of a year or two, Harvey Durand sold this entire block to Mr. E. H. Briggs, who is the present owner of it. This build- ing cost more money than any other building in the town of Remington, and being advantageously located, it is a very suitable place for any kind of mercantile or other business. It commands the highest rental rates of any other like property in the town, and in this way pays a large interest on the money invested in the building proper. The value of the building is estimated at about eight thousand dollars; there are four business rooms on the first floor, each of which rents for twenty-five to thirty dollars per month, beside the hall and offices, which bring no very small rental revenue, so that in all, the rents pay the owner in the neighborhood of five dollars per day, or about sixteen hundred dollars per year. The ground floors are at present occupied by a bank, general mer- chandise store, drug store and millinery and dress making.
During the year 1890, the citizens of Remington and vicinity, knowing the great need of gravel roads in this locality, commenced discussing the feasibility of building such a road on the range line, between ranges six (6) and seven (7), commencing at the county line between the counties of Benton and Jasper, where it would intersect a gravel road already built on this line several miles south through the county of Benton. This contemplated line of gravel road to run directly north on said range line, through
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the town of Remington, and thence on north to the civil township line dividing Jordan and Carpenter townships, it being the Congressional township line, dividing town- ship twenty-eight (28) and twenty-seven (27) north, a distance of six miles. Accordingly they held a meeting in Exchange Block Hall, during the month of September, 1890, for the purpose of putting the project into a tangible form. There was considerable opposition to the plan, which was to tax all property within a distance of two miles from the proposed road, and as a result the meeting was anything but harmonious, some of the parties becom- ing so turbulant and unruly as to come to blows. But the disturbance was soon quelled, and the business of the meeting was proceeded with. At this meeting the project took definite shape and it was fairly placed upon its feet. The necessary legal course having been strictly pursued through the Commissioners' Court under the provision of our gravel road laws. Actual work was commenced on the road by Levi Hawkins, who had been awarded the contract to make this road. He had the gravel shipped into Rem- ington on the railway, and employed men with teams, to distribute it on the line of road as follows: Charles Elmore, Charles Fisher, George Daffer, Samuel Huggins, G. G. Plummer, Moses Connell, William A. Phillips, Pink Sheets, A. M. Vice, Moses Sigo, L. Brandice, O. M. Vickery, August Walters, Richard Turpin, John Mitchell and several others we cannot now recall. Mr. Hawkins was a resident of Remington, and was a very suitable per- son to do this work. He employed Elias Hollingsworth to superintend the grading. Mr. Hollingsworth was an ex- pert in grading, as he had done a great deal of this character of work in his ten or twelve years of service as Marshall of the town of Remington. Mr. Jacob Thomas superintended the unloading and measuring the gravel from the cars, which required efficiency, as Mr. Hawkins had purchased this gravel from the railway company, and it became necessary for Mr. Hawkins to have it measured.
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The county was bonded to the amount of $12,000 for the payment for this work and was reimbursed by a tax levy on all lands and other property within two miles of the gravel road, the tax assessment being graded in proportion to the proximity of the property assessed to the road, the nearest property to the road being taxed the highest. This tax assessment of course took in the entire town of Remington as well as the farms and other property within the limits specified above outside of the town. The proportion each man was required to pay was ascertained by a board of appraisers, or rather assessors, who were appointed by the Board of County Commissioners to do this work. Their assessment generally proved satisfactory, yet some claimed that a discrimination had been made in favor of some of the most valuable town property, but this was obviated by those parties who gave the project a sufficient amount outside of their tax to equalize matters. The town of Remington also had some gravel road work done on Indi- ana and Illinois streets, and also on first North street. It gave the contract for this work to James W. Lock. The material for this work was obtained from near the sand pit in Carpenter's grove, and was hauled into town on wagons. It has proven to have made very good streets. Ohio street was also graded with the same material, which makes it a very nice street upon which to drive under all circumstances and in all kinds of weather. This work was extended from North Ohio street west on First South street, to the gravel road on Range Line street. This town work was all done on subscriptions, the cost being about thirty-two dollars for each fifty lineal feet. The Ohio street work was done by Mr. J. Simmons on a contract with the town, or more practically with the property owners affected on Ohio street. The grade north of First North street was only ten feet wide, while through the business part of the town the gravel which was underlaid with rocks, covered the entire street. This town graveling work was done during the years 1889 and 1890, and finally completed November
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6, 1891. Within the past three years, or since the year 1890, there has been three excellent stone arches or bridges made at the expense of the Town, which entirely span Main or Range Line, Ohio and Indiana street, all of which are across the creek that traverses Virginia street. These are all excellent pieces of mechanical skill, and were done at a cost to the town of about three hundred dollars each.
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