USA > Indiana > Wayne County > Richmond > Memoirs of Wayne County and the city of Richmond, Indiana; from the earliest historical times down to the present, including a genealogical and biographical record of representative families in Wayne County, Volume I Pt. 2 > Part 19
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The cities and villages of Wayne county are engaged in the very laudable effort of endeavoring to attract to their respective municipalities various manufacturing concerns, and the county properly boasts of its factories; but the annual product of the cackling old hen on the farms in Wayne county exceeds in value the entire product of any factory in the county, and the old hen never closes down her industrial plant nor runs short hours on account of industrial depression. She is everlastingly at it, year after year, without intermission. The great farm factory of Wayne county is annually producing millions of dollars' worth of finished product, and at the same time the farmers are not following out a course of farming.that depletes the soil. Prac- tically all of the great cereal productions are fed upon the farm. In the future, every year will see this great farm factory gradually increasing its production. Whether the times are good or poor the factory is run for the full output, and the effect of this large production of wealth by the agricultural interests means great and continued prosperity to the cities and villages of Wayne county.
The Wayne County Agricultural Society was organized in 1850, and conducted a Fair at Richmond on land owned by Jona- than Roberts. At the next session of the State legislature D. P. Holloway prepared and introduced a bill providing for the organ- ization of a State Board of Agriculture. The bill became a law and the State Board arranged for the State fair. D. P. Holloway was the first president of the county society. The first fair was at- tended and addressed by Governor Wright. These fairs were con- tinued annually for a number of years. In 1870 there was organized the Cambridge City District Agricultural Society, with a capital
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stock of $10,000. A Wayne County Joint Stock Agricultural Asso- ciation was organized at Centerville in 1867.
In the early settlement of the Miami valley in Ohio, early in the Nineteenth century, Silas Wharton, of New Jersey, started a nursery near Waynesville, Warren county, Ohio. A little later An- drew Hampton began a nursery about six miles north of Richmond. This was about 1830. Silas Wharton brought scions of the best varieties of fruits from New Jersey, which at that time possessed as good a collection of fruits of many kinds as any State in the Union. From this source of supply, Wayne county started out with as fine a collection of fruits as could be found in the country. Soon after Andrew Hampton's venture in the northern part of the county, Cornelius Ratliff established a nursery about one mile north of Richmond. From these early nurseries the entire county was fairly well supplied with an excellent collection of fruits. There are now on the highlands, between the White Water and Green's Fork streams, and between Green's Fork and Noland's Fork. orchards of apple and pear trees about eighty or ninety years old that are still producing crops of excellent fruit.
It is an interesting fact that nearly all the carlier nurserymen were members of the Society of Friends. Among these were An- drew Hampton, Cornelius Ratliff, Isaac Votaw, Kinley, John Os- born, Gardner and John Mendenhall, Moses Hough, E. Y. Teas, and Thomas B. Morris. Among those not Friends were John J. Conley, John J. Hutton, David Railsback, and Hiram Sulser.
Because of the interest thus early manifested it is not strange that Wayne county early had a horticultural society. There is evidence that the society was organized as early as 1855, and we have records showing an organization in existence in 1858. About three years after this time the State society was formed. Among the first members of the Wayne county society were J. H. Hutton. John J. Conley, John Lynch, David Railsback, Gardner Menden- hall, Daniel L. Downing, Hiram Sulser, John Reed, Lewis Jones, Irvin Reed, John A. Mendenhall, Edward Y. Teas, Benjamin Strat- tan, George W. Barnes, A. N. Newton, John P. Lancaster, William R. Smith, Walter G. Stevens, C. S. Mendenhall, O. J. Hyde, T. J. Ferguson, J. C. Ratliff, W. L. Taylor, Sylvester Johnson, Roland T. Reed, J. M. Hutton, Isaac Votaw, Lewis D. Stubbs, Cornelius Ratliff, E. T. Bash, J. P. Siddall, George W. Iliff, Robert Murphy. Phineas Lamb, Isaac L. Thomas, Timothy Harrison, W. S. Reid. I. P. Evans, John Valentine, Jacob Thomas, Benjamin Hill. S. S. Boyd, D. P. Holloway, R. S. Mitchell, J. M. Bulla. and J. D. Hamp-
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ton. The object of the society was mutual improvement and an education of the people along horticultural lines. Many practical questions were discussed. The society is still in existence.
Among the earliest florists in the county was Edward Y. Teas, who had a greenhouse at Chester. In 1864 he came to Richmond and purchased the business of John J. Conley. Under his direction E. G. Hill received his education in floriculture. Other early flor- ists were Benjamin Strattan, John R. Mendenhall, John J. Hutton, and L. B. Case. Edward Y. Teas is still in business at Centerville. The Richmond florists have a world-wide reputation. Among the leading firms are the E. G. Hill Company, George R. Gause & Com- pany, Fred H. Lemon & Company, the Charles Knopf Floral Com- pany, and the Charles Rouch Company.
EARLY FLOURING MILLS.
The great length of time since the first mills were built in this part of the country, and the absence of data by which the time could be fixed, renders it difficult to determine with any degree of cer- tainty the particular time that these mills were put into operation. This is the case in regard to who built the first mill. Young, in his "History of Wayne County," says: "The first mill built in the coun- ty was by Charles Hunt, in 1807, on Elkhorn-a mile above its mouth." The Inter-State Publishing Company in its "History of Wayne County," says: "Jesse Clark, who came from North Caro- lina, built the first flouring mill in the county, two miles north of Richmond." Other evidences go to show that Jeremiah Cox built his mill on the site of the present Starr Piano works in the fall of 1807. It is this mill that we propose now to consider. The build- ing, if such it might be called, was erected by firmly planting in the ground heavy poles with forks at the upper ends. in which other poles were laid to support the roof, which was of split clapboards. "This," says "Jerry" Cox, "sheltered the hopper and the meal trongh pretty well when the wind didn't blow." He who brought his corn and wheat to this mill had to turn the bolt by hand, while the miller fed in the ground wheat or corn as it came from the burrs. These burrs were two and one-half feet in diameter and would grind at the rate of two bushels an hour. This was at a time when the "Indians and wolves were thick." The former would occasionally come to the mill and exchange some trinket for a little corn meal. or try to buy or beg some. The wolves frequently played havoc with the farmers' flocks. "Jerry" Cox run his mill till 1833. when he sold it
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to Joseph P. Plummer, the father of Dr. John T. Plummer, who, in 1835, sold it to Dr. James R. Mendenhall. It changed hands fre- quently till 1847, when Basil Brightwell became the owner and put up an entirely new mill, converting the old one into an oil mill. This old building, it is said, stood immediately on the bank of the river, was nearly square, tall, and had the proverbial hip-roof. It was believed by a great many people to be haunted. It was further said and believed that the imprint of bloody hands and feet could be seen at a certatin time of the day, on the under side of the roof, from a certain place in the dark old garret.
Basil Brightwell also put in a new dam near where the present one is located. It was a very expensive and complete structure. The abutments and parapet walls were of hammer-dressed stone, and was said to have cost him $3,000. It was carried away, so his- tory says, by the January flood of 1848. The old brush dam, just above it, remained almost uninjured, so that it was but a short time till the mill was running again. The banks of the river were so steep and rugged up and down the stream that it was difficult to get into the valley or out of it with a vehicle. The road leading to the mill from the east side commenced at the foot of South A street, near where the jail stands, and angled along the side of the hill for a considerable distance to the bottom, and was so narrow that there was but one place wide enough for wagons to pass, and that was about midway of the slope. If teams met above or below that point there was trouble. A financial crash finally overtook Basil Bright- well, and his life terminated very sadly. The mill was sold at a sheriff's sale and, after passing through different hands, was bought by Jackson, Swain & Dunn, who converted it into a woolen mill.
Before Richmond had an existence, and while Indiana was yet a Territory, when Indians and wild beasts inhabited the surround- ing country, Charles Moffitt emigrated from North Carolina and located here in the year 1811. Four years later he built a mill, which was located just outside the city limits, on the New Paris and Mid- dleboro pike, on the east fork of Whitewater. The Inter-State Pub- lishing Company's "History of Wayne County" says of this mill : "It is one of the oldest mill sites in the state, a land mark of olden times, well known to the pioneers who came from far and near to secure its services in turning their corn into meal and their wheat into flour-'Moffitt's Mill,' for it was known as such as far west as Indianapolis, and as far north as Fort Wayne." The first building erected by Charles Moffitt for a mill was similar to the one built by Jerry Cox-a temporary structure. Subsequent additions and
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improvements were added, as means were afforded and business seemed to increase, until a large four-story building had to take the place of the temporary ones. The timbers of this were solid hewn oak logs, which did service for more than seventy years. This was the only mill in this part of the country that was run by an under- shot wheel; the difference between this and the overshot is that in the latter the water strikes the wheel from above, while the former receives its power from under the wheel. The water, flowing rap- idly down an incline, strikes the float boards of the wheel with such momentum as to give motion and power to the machinery, its move- ment being in the opposite direction from the overshot. Owing to the great waste of water and other objections, this wheel was soon superseded by "the old stand-by," the overshot .. This mill had two run of burrs beside a corn mill and for many years did a large amount of business-more than was done by any other mill in this locality. The flour was hauled to Cincinnati on wagons to market ; the bran frequently accumulated to such an extent that it was piled up outside of the mill to get it out of the way.
The first dam that was built was a brush dam, which, after a few years, was replaced by a frame dam. This stood the floods and freshets when every other dam on the three streams heretofore spoken of was swept away. After standing for half a century it was replaced by a new one, in 1873. This mill, like the others here mentioned, had many changes in its ownership. Charles Mof- fitt, after running it for many years, sold it to his son, Hugh. Ben- jamin Fulghum next bought a half interest in it. The next firm was Kenworthy & Fulghum, then Kenworthy & Son. Ezra Hill and Henry Wetherald bought out the Kenworthys; Ezra Hill in turn bought out his partner, then Hill & Stafford were the owners till 1879, when F. H. Stafford became its owner. It was destroyed by fire in 1883, but soon a substantial brick building was erected on the site of the old one, at a cost of $6,000, and was furnished with the latest and most approved machinery. The expense of the new dam, above alluded to, the cost of the new building with its ex- pensive outfit, and the financial depression which followed, proved too great a load for Freeling Stafford to carry. He failed in 1884. In 1890, D. W. Marmon, a grandson of Charles Moffitt, bought the property, took out all the machinery for making flour and replaced it with a full roller system for making corn meal and its different preparations for food, such as pearl meal, cream meal, cerolene, etc. Whole wheat flour was also a specialty. It is said that sixty-six car loads of meal of 750 bushels each were shipped to Liverpool
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during the winter of 1897-98, which shows something of the amount of business done by this mill at that time.
SILK CULTURE IN RICHMOND.
Seventy years ago no town in the State, and but few anywhere, could boast of more manufactories in proportion to its population than the little town of Richmond. The three streams of White- water coming together here were utilized as a motive power to their fullest extent-in fact, the tail race of one mill or factory discharged its water into the dam of another in the vicinity of the town. Busi- ness men stood ready to engage in any enterprise and especially that of manufacturing something which promised success. An Englishman, residing here at the time, by the name of Fox, who seemed to be acquainted with the business, suggested the manufac- ture of silk. His proposition met with favor, so much so that Isaac E. Jones, Warner M. Leeds, and Charles W. Starr formed a com- pany, furnished the money, and the business was commenced, and the first step in silk culture in Richmond was taken. Machinery for reeling, spinning and weaving silk was ordered from the East and set up in a building erected by Charles W. Starr, located above the paper-mill bridge on the bank of the river. Interest in the new en- terprise increased from day to day. Orders were sent to Newport, Ky., for silk worm eggs-that being the nearest point where they could be obtained. Men and women, old and young, seemed anx- ious to engage in the new business, and ordered eggs in various quantities at the rate of twenty cents per hundred. The work con- nected with the business in regard to the management of the worms. their diseases and enemies, was largely studied and willingly im- parted, and everything seemed to be moving forward with a fine prospect for an extensive business. On the return of warm weather the eggs hatched, especially those that had been kept in a room warmed by artificial heat, before the mulberry leaves, their natural food, were large enough to gather, consequently thousands of worms died from starvation. Those who were more fortunate in the management and care of their worms found that rats, mice and ants were enemies that required constant watchfulness and care, but the most serious loss was from disease, which attacked the worms when nearly grown and seemed to be contagious. Cold drafts of air and thunderstorms caused many of the worms to leave their trays or feeding places, and when placed back again they did but little good afterwards.
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The disappointments and failures connected with the first year's experience were indeed discouraging. Not enough silk was manufactured to keep. the machinery bright. At first the worms were fed on the leaves of our common mulberry. Boys were paid twelve and one-half cents a sack for gathering and bringing in the leaves. Then came the Morris Multicaulis, the very name of which was the keynote to success in silk culture. Its introduction caused great excitement among the citizens of Richmond. A small tree was valued, not by its size, but by the number of buds it contained. A scion could be cut from a tree and easily rooted by placing it in wet soil or damp sand. These buds were sold for four cents apiece. The demand for this mulberry and its propagation was so rapid that the following year after its introduction at least three acres in Happy Hollow and eight acres on Jonathan Roberts' farm were de- voted to raising and cultivating the young trees. Yards and gar- dens also had their share of those highly prized trees. Like the out- lot speculation in some of our cities, a depression followed these extravagant prices and proved disastrous to the future prospect of speculation in the Morris Multicaulis.
After two years of disappointment and costly experience, a de- termined effort was made to put new life into the business and make it a success. A large cocoonery was built in Happy Hollow and an- other larger one on the corner where Smith's coffin works were later located. This was in 1844, and the crop of cocoons was better that year than in the two preceding ones. Morgan Jones was em- ployed as foreman in the factory and the business bid fair to become a permanent one. Goods were manufactured-such as thread, twist, pocket and neck handkerchiefs, vestings and dress goods. So high an estimate was held on some of these goods that they went into market, or rather in trade, the same as money. Many of them were beautiful. Henry Clay, while visiting Richmond at one time, was presented with a finely wrought white handkerchief by a daughter of Isaac E. Jones, which was to indicate to him the skill and enter- prise of the people of Richmond. It is said that Nathan Morgan bought a pocket handkerchief for $1.50 of James E. Reeves while he was a merchant here, and, placing the opposite corners together, cut it so as to make two of equal size and sold one of them for what he gave for the handkerchief. The time for the worms to develop and spin their cocoons being so short-from six weeks to two months-and the limited number engaged in the business of furn- ishing the raw material, the factory stood idle the greater part of the year, and as the machinery was light and required but little
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power to run it, the company decided to move it into the second story of the present building on the northwest corner of Twelfth and Main streets, where it was operated by the old gentleman and his two sons, who were designated as the gray, black and red Foxes, according to the color of their hair. The following year, 1845, the company found the enterprise an unprofitable one, sold the machinery to Isaac E. Jones, who moved it to Newport, Ky., and the manufacture of silk in Richmond was at an end.
CHAPTER XXV.
THE GERMAN BAPTIST SOCIETY.
THE BEGINNING-AN IMPORTANT ACTION-110USES OF WORSHIP- SPECIAL SERVICES - TIIE MISSION FIELD - MEMBERSHIP AND OFFICERS.
THE BEGINNING.
By the earnest efforts of ministers from the earlier organiza- tions, mainly in Montgomery and Preble counties, Ohio, from about the year 1804 until 1808, quite an interest was created among the settlers in favor of the church, chiefly in the locality of the south boundary line of Wayne county. The membership gradually in- creased, partly by conversions and partly by immigrations, until about 1810, when an organization was effected, having its center about four miles south of the locality of said boundary line-now Union county-and about one mile west of the State line. This was the first organization of the German Baptist Brethern Church in the State of Indiana. It was named "Four-Mile," after a small stream nearby, and is yet known as "The Four-Mile Congregation." This being a good farming district, it was soon occupied by an in- dustrious class of citizens: The simplicity of the church doctrine; its strict harmony with Gospel principles; its recognition of the humble life-the one easiest lived-as the highest Christian ideal; it commenced itself to turn favorably, and was accepted by many as a safe religious basis and well adapted to their environments. In the meantime others immigrated from Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vir- ginia, and other States, and settled in the adjacent parts of Wayne county, extending westward and northward, approaching. the vi- cinity of Centerville and Richmond. Gradually, the territory still farther west and northwest became dotted with settlements. In some of them lived members of the church. A demand was made for preaching in those settlements. They were freely responded to by the nearest ministers, principally from the "Four Mile" congre- gation, but often by ministers from more distant churches. The
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work continued to spread to the northwest, over most of the terri- tory now embraced in Jefferson and Jackson townships, and adja- cent parts of Henry county. In about 1825, a church nucleus was apparently forming in the vicinity of Hagerstown. An organization was effected, making its center in the neighborhood of the large church edifice one mile west of Hagerstown, and naming it the Nettle Creek Congregation. The new congregation was placed in charge of Eld. David Miller, one of the ministers who had previous- ly been preaching in its territory. At this stage church houses had not yet been built, but public preaching services were held at members' homes, in their dwellings, or barns, or at suitable times in groves. These meetings were so distributed as to accommodate all the members. It was understood also that a sufficient dinner would be served for all who would attend, whether members or others, and feed for all their teams. Their great communion meet- ings were generally held in the warmer seasons, on the threshing floors of commodious barns. At these meetings the entire congre- gation was given, free, a dinner, supper and breakfast, and sufficient horse feed. Many attended these meetings, taking their entire fam- ilies in their large farm wagons, drawn by at least two horses.
At times, however, the roads became impassable for teams, when they would go on horse-back or walk from eight to ten miles or more along blazed paths, through dense forests. After the meet- ing hour and dinner, the return-trip was begun, arriving home full late to adjust evening chores. Especially was this the experience of the preachers, who were expected at all the meetings. After this manner were the public services held up and down the Nettle Creek and West River valleys, from a few miles north of Cambridge City to about five miles north of Hagerstown, and extending a few miles into Henry county. During these humble efforts there was a steady increase of the membership, both by conversions and im- migrations.
AN IMPORTANT ACTION.
In about the year 1840 private distilleries became quite com- mon. Some of the members owned and ran such distilleries on their farms. The question as to how long those members might be allowed to indulge in whisky manufacture, arose. General Conference had passed a decision, in 1781, prohibiting any mem- ber from engaging in such business.
The Nettle Creek Church took up the case and appointed a committee to visit and, if possible, persuade all its members hav-
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ing distilleries to abandon the business. Some yielded and some did not. One brother claimed that he was in debt, and that if he should close down it would bring ruin upon him financially, as he depended upon it as his chief source of income. He was disowned from the church. He took what, to him, appeared the safe course. But, contrary to his expectations, he failed and died a poor man. Another, also in debt, said, "I will let go of my dis- tillery and stick to the church." He did so and prospered re- markably and died a wealthy man. Thus, it is true that "all that glitters is not gold."
HOUSES OF WORSHIP.
Many of the members were now getting on well financially, the country in general was improved, and the need of a house of worship was pressing. As a consequence, in the years 1844 and 1845, a large brick structure was built, 90x50 feet, centrally located, its site being about thirty rods south of the present build- ing. now included in the cemetery. This house was well finished and furnished and became a very acceptable general church home. In about 1859 it was thought expedient to build a few chapels, about equally distant from the large center house, one north and the other south of it, to accommodate the members living far- thest from the center house. Those chapels were built. One was located about three miles southwest and named Locust Grove; the other, about four and a half miles northwest, and named White Branch; both being just in the edge of Henry county.
A permanent arrangement was now made for services at both chapels, at the same hour, on the first and third Sundays of each month, while services were held at the center house on the second and fourth Sundays of each month. The large cen- ter house had stood about twenty-nine years, when its founda- tion was found defective, so injuring the wall that it was taken down in the spring of 1874. A new brick house was built the same year, 90x52 feet, with stone foundation and full basement, about thirty rods north of the old site. It is still in good condi- tion. In 1894 another house, known as "The Olive Branch," lo- cated about four and a half miles northeast of the center house, was bought, repaired, and dedicated as a chapel, where services are held also on the first and third Sundays of each month, at the same hour as at the other chapels previously mentioned. A Sun- day School is conducted at each of the four above mentioned houses, under the supervision of the church.
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