USA > Indiana > Fountain County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 14
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 14
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
de now has the enjoyment of a handsome park, situated a short di. In the center of the city. This is indeed a joy forever to the resident by. It was donated to the city by the company composing the od and Improvement Company, that bought land and laid off two In the city a few years since. After selling all these lots but fifty. they generously gave the city this, which is a natural park and is al'y improved. It is known as Ravine park, and has been the city's wice about 1905. It is a charming place, with virgin woodland trees, grass like velvet, sparkling springs, and babbling brooks, frisk , singing birds and winding foot and carriage drives throughout. Here .1 Chautanquas and camp meetings are held.
muber lesser park is McDonald's, near the heart of the city, which has tand and is shaded by fine trees. It contains one full block and is of « ess to the main streets.
'e chy building constructed of brick, was erected in 1884, and shows Way and disorder at this date. It has within it a two-cell jail with steel
The city is supplied with a modern Carnegie library, which is well kept up.
POSTOFFICE, ETC.
Early in the history of the town it was supplied with mail facilities, as been elsewhere shown. It now has grown to be a second-class office, with delivery of mail in the city, with three city carriers; one star route and · rural free delivery routes. Its business for the year ending July 1. 1912, 0: 2,045.45.
The postmasters who have served since 1878 are as follows: George F. James Martin, George W. McDonald, A. S. Peacock, L. G. Martin, H. chlosser, Albert S. Peacock, H. C. Martin.
The city is the home of numerous lodges, including the Masonic bodies, . Jodependent Order of Odd Fellows and the Knights of N'ythias, with its andlid Uniform Rank division. It has six churches, treated in the chapter marches. Its schools, are also mentioned in the educational chapter.
Atica has three good newspapers, mentioned in the Press chapter and two ranking honses, for which the reader is referred to the banking chapter. The paved streets and brilliant electric lighting, the parks and a score of provement makes Attica one of the prettiest places in which to reside section of Indiana. It is now easily the largest and best city within ot.um county.
CHAPTER NHL
CITY OF VEEDERSBERG
Veedersburg was platted on the west side of Coal creek, at the junction of the Big Four and the Chicago & Eastern Ilinois railroads, as now located. The original plotting was done in 18;1 by P. S. Veeder Christopher Kedling and W. L. D. Cochran. Mr. Veeder, for whom the town was named, was one of Fountain county's best and most energetic citizens. In connection with Marshall Nixon, he started the business of the embryonic city and paid liber- ally for all internal improvements of his namesake. Here it was that these two gentlemen opened up the first warehouse and lumber yard and sold farm implements. In 1872, E. M. and E. B. Osborn erected the first planing mill;
Wesley Gray erected the first storehouse, and Henry Trinkle the pioneer blacksmith's shop. As far back as 1880. nine years after the place was platted, the following were lively business factors in the place: Marshall Nixon, whose business had grown from ten thousand dollars, in 1872, to over one hundred thousand dollars; J. W. Goodkins, dry goods; A. M. Booe & Glass- cock, hardware; Samuel Mclivin, grocer; Dr. McClelland, druggist, James Sullivan, grocer; Harper, Osborn & Sons, furniture dealers; E. B. Osborn, planing inills, and the corporation conducting the old "Trade Palace," made up of many of the best farmers of the county, and other business firms. It also had a grist mill, erected in 1876, by A. Michnes, at a cost of six thousand dollars, which had four run of burrs. A newspaper was established in 1875, known as the Veedersburg Review. Its lodges and churches are mentioned in other chapters.
The population of Veedersburg is given in the late United States census reports as 1,757, but to the stranger it has the appearance of many more, as the business men are alive to every local demand and carry good stocks of merchandise. The country round about is excellent and gives the place a good trade, and in exchange the farmers get good prices for their produce.
This place was first incorporated in 1871, as a town, and in 1900 as a city. The mayors have been : William B. Gray, A. M. Booc, W. IT. McCord, O. W. McGanghey, who resigned and the present mayor, Thomas J. Dotson, was ap- pointed. Clerks : W. L. Butts, I. J. Walker, B. E. Glover, W. 1. Boggs, since January, 1910.
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OUNTAIN AND WARRI COINTRE, INDIANA.
lis present city officers are: Mayer, Thomas Dobson; derl., William Boggs : treasurer, Henry Sullivan ; attori 0. A. F Livengood.
A system of water works and an electric lighting plant was installed soon after the bond issue for twenty five thousand dollars was made by the council'. order, after the place was incorporated A system of deep, pure water well affords plenty of the best water, while the electric plant illuminates the streets and homes, as well as business houses of the little city. This is ad owned by the city and cheap rates obtain. \ high stand-pipe gives a pressure sufficient to protect from fire any of the buildings within the place. The city now hay almost three miles of excellent paved streets, the material being the home-made paving brick, mention of which appears elsewhere in this chapter. A high school building, second to none, was erected in 1907, which with its grounds has a beautiful appearance to the passerby.
The lodges of Veedersburg include these: Masonic and Eastern > : Odd Fellows and Rebekah; and the Knights of Pythias and Pythian Sis s. All three of the orders lease separate lodge rooms.
The chief industries of Veedersburg are these: The Wabash Clay Com- pany's paving brick plant, one of the largest in this country, and which makes nothing but superior paving brick. Many men are there employed and the product finds sale in all sections of the country. It was established in the nineties. The Adams Building Brick is another plant utilizing the fine grade of clay for manufacturing building brick. The foundry and machine shop of the city is a flourishing plant, as is also the J. WV. Martin Milling Company and planing works. The steam flouring-mill is the final evolution of old mills started in the early days of Veedersburg, and is now run as both mill and grain warehouse, by the Farmers' Association (co-operative). The newspaper, the churches and schools will be mentioned in chapters on such topics.
Just to the east, across Coal creek, is the village of Sterling, which has a New Light church, a fine school building for the graded school. two stores with general merchandise and other small business interests. It is really known as a suburb of Vcedersburg, and has a common interest in all that tends to make a community.
KINGMAN. By B. O. Hudler.
Prior to the building of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad such a town as Kingman was practically unknown, in fact the very ground that the beautiful little town now occupies was covered with growing grain and huge timber.
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
About the year 1870 the Chicago & Eastern Illinois was Built as Far wody as Yeddo and for six years it operated only as far south at this point. 1.1. ually a promoter landed at the the southern terminal of the road and legal preparation for extending the road south to Brazil, which point they went seeking as a southern terminal.
Harvey sburg was then the most flourishing trading point in this section and being located only thout a mile west of the proposed line was naturally interested and made strenuous efforts to induce the 1 onoter to swing west to their town, but these efforts were fruitless as it seemed that a more direct route was preferable. In due time the present line was surveyed and (. Christmas day. 1885, the ties and rails were laid through what is now called the town of Kingman.
David J. Ratcliff then owned an eighty-acre fa 'm lying just north of what is now called State street. and through which the new road passed in an angling direction, completely ruining the farm for tilling purposes. His only hope then was to plat the tract of land and start a town with a view of disposing of the real estate in the form of town lots. Having received the assurance of a depot from the railroad company Mr. Ratcliff surveyed and platted his land and gave the new town the name of Kingman. This was done on January 1. 1886.
A little later this same year another town came into evidence on the oppe site side of the road. John Russell, who then owned that land, platted and laid out a town and christened it Fountainville. The two names continued to exist until the town was incorporated, when the name of Kingman was permanently adopted. In the meantime, however, an effort was made to have the town located one mile north of its present site, also another faction pleaded for the new village to be placed on the county line one mile south, but all these efforts were in vain.
Immediately Kingman began to grow and Harveysburg began to retro- grade, the latter contributing material for the new town because of a desire to get near the new railroad. As a result Kingman grew very rapidly and her rival town, which then had a population of probably three hundred in- habitants, including a number of business houses, has almost passed into history and scarcely receives more than a passing glance by the daily traveler, except by those who are acquainted with its history. Business houses began to move from the old location to the new and residents moved their homes to the new station in vast numbers in the hope of securing the best location. C. M. Spencer, a prosperous furniture dealer, cabinet maker and undertaker, was among the first to move and with his coming a peculiar coincidence is con-
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANS.
nected. It was in January, 1887, and there was a heavy snow on what Mi Spencer decided to change locations. Locking the door, he placed mme under the two-story frame building and four mules and four hor as well hitched to it. A gentle "gide a" chains and timbers shocked and the big buikling moved off down the road, the rubbers leaving a glasy trail which was followed by a dozen or more of the town's spectators. In just thirty min- utes from the time they left the old town the building sat on its present Iva- tion at the southeast corner of State and First street, without a single article broken.
J. M. Cory followed soon with his stock of drugs and located in a new building at the southwest corner of State and First streets. Then came the Methodist church and a number of dwellings until Kingman took on the ap- pearance of a real live town.
The first new building to be erected in Kingman were the Woody hotel and a saloon, the latter being occupied at present by J. Myrtle Harvey's milli- nery store. These were built by George Patterson. The first store building erected in the town was built by Campbell Ward at the northwest comer of State and First streets. The first dwelling was erected by Charles Bodine at the southwest corner of First and Walnut streets, and his daughter, May, was the first baby ever born in the town. The first death that occurred inside the incorporation was that of Henry Cummins on July 25, 1887. Kingman's first school building was erected about the year 1889 by Charles Hadley, who was then trustee of Millcreek township. It was a two-story frame building and occupied a lot in the northeast part of town, later being moved to its present location on the school grounds where it still stands, but is very much dilapidated. The second school building was a four-room brick building ected in 1896 by Trustee Anderson Ratcliff.
Kingman was incorporated in June, 1900, the election being held on June 20th of that year upon a petition filed by Charles L. Cartwright. The result of the election was, according to records, sixty-three ballots for incorporation and twenty-eight against. The first village election was held on July 20, 1900, and resulted in the election of H. P. MeCrary, R. A. Booe and L. A. Bowsher as town trustees and William McCommis as town marshal. The town was then, as it is now, divided into three wards, first ward being from Odd street west, second ward from Odd street east to Second street and third ward from Second street east. The corporation is one inile square, the center of which is located at a point about thirty-six links west of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois track in the center of State street.
Kingman is situated in the southern part of Millcreek township, Fountain
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDI VI.
county, in the center of a fine stock raising and agriculture territory, with mich coal fields in every direction. It is nineteen miles southeast of Covington. ten miles south of Veedersburg, twenty-five miles west of Crawfordsville and si . - teen miles north of Rockville. As a result there are no trading points of my consequence in any direction for several miles. thus affording Kingman ast territory from which to draw trade. Naturally, then, it is one of the and most prosperous towns in western Indiana.
Int 1912 Kingman enjoyed a splendid growth, among the improvements being her first stretch of brick street, reaching from the west line of the Chi- cago & Eastern Illinois right of way on State street to Residence street on the east, a distance of approximately four and one-half blocks. Also a four-room addition to the school building, making a modern eight-room house with all the necessary accessories for conducting a first class school, besides several new wellings of modern styles.
The once famous Kingman interurban, which has been under promotion since 1904 and which has gained a state-wide reputation, is still a lingering hope and bids fair to become a reality in the near future. In igro four miles of this road was built from Kingman east, equipped with a power station and one trolley car and for several weeks it was in actual operation, running daily pleasure trips to the end of the line, thus giving Kingman the undisputed dis- tinction of having the first interurban in the county. The line if completed, will be the connecting line between Indiana and Illinois traction systems. run- ning from Crawfordsville on the east to Danville, Illinois, on the west, a dis- tance of about fifty miles. Recently there has been organized a holding com- pany which has succeeded in getting a contract with John A. Shaffer, a suc- cessful promoter of Indianapolis, who has agreed to interest capital to build the road, and ere this article is in your hands Kingman will probably have an east and west interurban railroad.
The population of Kingman is six hundred and of this number there is not a dependent family. It has a saw and planing mill, elevator and flour mill, tile factory, a machine shop, two banks, two hotels, one newspaper, and twenty or more other business houses of almost every description. There are four churches, the Methodist Episcopal, Christian, United Brethren and Friends. The secret societies are Masons and Eastern Stars, Knights of Pythias. Odd Fellows and Rebekahs, and Modern Woodman.
Among the historic landmarks about Kingman is the old state road which at one time passed through this section of the country in a southeasterly direc tion. About three miles southeast of Kingman is a stretch of about a mile of this once famous old road, that is still in use, but is hardly recognized as
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FOUNTAIN AND WAREN GRATIS, IN.
such by the present populace since the road has not been known as the late road for many years.
The cry organization consist of the president of the lord of .00-de clerk and treasurer, marshal and health oficer. C. E. Lowrey is pade 1 the board of trustees, M. L. Cory is clerk and treasurer, I. D. Shvat is cite marshal, Dr. J T. Redmon is health officer, atat J. H. Ephlin an ! Dr. F. S. Cuthberth are the other two trustees. There are no saloons, no calab one. no disreputable characters, and no pauper. There is a connaissance school with an eight months term maintained by the township, of which Henry Lawson is trustee, employing eight teachers, four doing high school work. In brief, Kingmar is a clean little town with a welcome to any and all who repre- sent clean American citizenship.
CHAPTER 1\
TROY TOWNSHIP.
Hard hend the sword, and almost within sound of the aggres the ore ket, pressed the feet of the hardy pioneer settler. Virginia sont here her Sage, and Ohio pushed them still farther to the West and to the front of a land as yet all undiscovered and less developed. Kemucky perpetuated the Boone character; North Carolina, who would not pay "tribute to Caesar," sought freer homes and New York sent out her learned sons to seek a fortune in the vast, illimitable and everchanging West. Such a combination was the band of hardy settlers who first located for home-building in this goodly township. which lies in the central western portion of Fountain county, in townships sy and 20, of ranges 8 and g west. The whole western border is washed by the waters of the Wabash river, which stream divides this from Vermillion and Warren counties, Indiana. This stream strikes the township forty rods cast of the northeast corner of section 5. township 20, range 8. The township contains thirty-six full sections. The surface is generally undulating, yet there are many level tracts of excellent farming land. The soil is of a black loam to a light colored clay formation. Underneath lies a bed. of coal, but this is not so good a quality as that found farther to the south. The northern por- tion is a prairie land, while that of the southern half is where originally flourished an immense timbered section. Osborn's prairie (named from pio- neer Jesse Osborn) lies in the north portion of this township. The Wabash river in its meanderings through the township forms an immense bend as though having at some distant day been forced from its natural channel to its present one. Within this great bend the soil is very rich and productive, hence caught the eyes of the early pioneers who settled there in goodly num- bers. Andrew Lopp, in 1822, entered by patent the east half of the northeast quarter of section 7, township 20, range 8; also the west half of the southeast quarter of section 27. Other early settlers recalled were Thomas Pation, on section 27 ; William Alexander, on the same section ; in 1823 came John Hawk- ins to section 34; Enoch Woodbridge also located a large tract. Archibald Johnson secured land the last named year in section 7, township 19, range 8. Ile became a permanent settler in 1824, at latest.
From 1822 10 1825 cante Rezin Shelby, David Rawles, William Saxon,
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDLIA ).
William Miller, Frederick C. Paine, Joseph Shelley, Latte Shells. George Stedley and Lucius Nebeker; the last name, going back to his family, in turned the following year to become a permanent setther John and W .h.n. Bilsland came in with Nobeker. he 1825 large tracts of government land were taken up by settlers and at that date Lucius Nekcker also added more to his landed holdings within the township. Tre became one of the first and most promment men in the organization of the new county. The was also prominent in early church affairs. Others who effected settlement in 1824 were Joseph McCune, in section 23, and Ignatius Morris, of section 12, while George Steeley and David Rawles claimed other valuable tracts within what is Troy township. It is related of Joshua Walker that he erected a log cabin, the first on the site of the present city of Indianapolis. Others who made settlement in this section of Fountain county have already been named in the general chap- ter on early settlement.
The present generation would scarcely believe what toils and self-denials this band of first settlers in Troy township had to undergo before the locality was really suitable to enjoy life in, at least as life is understood today. Wit- ness the pioneer's fare : "Corn was eaten in various ways. The earliest mode of preparation was to bake the dough on a smooth board about two feet long and from six to eight inches wide, placed on the hearth, slanting toward the fire. When one side was baked the bread was turned over for baking on the other side. When lard was to be spared, the dough was shortened, then it was called 'johnny-cake.' Sometimes the meal w's made into Jumps, then called corn dodger. Before mills for grinding were built, green corn was boiled and roasted and frequently made the object of the entire meal for the large family. Hominy, known as 'lye hominy, was prepared by soaking corn in lye till the husk would readily leave the grain, when it was pounded in a mortar and thoroughly broken. The mortar was fashioned by hollowing a dry, solid stump or log, with axe or fire. The cracked corn was usually of two grades, large and small hominy. Then, to large hominy and small hominy, large pone and small pone, johnny-cake, hoe-cake and dodgers, we may add boiled dumplings and fried cakes, all made from corn. The table was bountifully supplied with meats, venison, opossum, raccoon, squirrel, rabbit and pork, wild turkey, pheasants, pigeons, ducks, quai's, etc., all cooked in divers ways or times of the season. For drink the pioneer supped his bread coffee, sassa- fras tea, spice-wood tea, and sometimes resorted to crust coffee, meal coffee. potato coffee, wheat flour coffee and burnt bran coffee, but all went under the one name of 'coffee." For delicacies, at weddings and when 'company' came in,. custards were frequently made and eaten with a relish. Did woman fare well
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FOUNTAIN AND WARRES COUNTRY, INDIVIA.
in those early days? Well not so well as might be imagined be these nice quainted with her daily round of toil. Water ber three time - cach In. fr- ing to get something different for her family to eat. And watch her roling on a fire place eight ft in the clear. The pots and kettle were hing over a long pole, raised high enough over the flames to not burn off. The kettle- were suspended on trummels, which were pieces of iron rods with a look it each end. Wooden hooks were first used, then came the improved from bork .. A long handled frying-pan was held in her hands while the meat fried. Ther there was a 'spider,' or three-legged cast-iron skillet, which set on a bed o coals of the hearth. Turkeys and other wild game were sometimes roasted before the fire. suspended by a string, a dish being placed beneath to receive the drippings. But these faithful housewives all suffered, more or less, by having singed hair and burnt hands and dresses scorched. But this was not the woman's only work and really one wonders today that their grandmothers ever survived to such a good old age as they usually did. Flax was raised, and woinen pulled it, rolled it, broke it, scutched it, swingled it, and hetcheled it, after which came the spinning. The spinning-wheel was a stringed instru- ment, which furnished the principal inusic of the household, as operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill. The loom, too, had its place in almost every house, making it a miniature wollen factory While all was in- dustry within, so it was also ithout. The wooden mould-board plow was busy, and the cast iron plow came later and while the busy house wife was engaged in her duties inside, the 'men folks' were all busy outside." This picture, not overdrawn, may serve to encourage some farm boy who today thinks his lot is hard, or possibly his sister may take encouragement and not complain at helping her mother about her household cares a little more.
Troy township had a population of 3,986 in 1880, and at present contains, according to the last census returns, 3,050, including the city of Covington. For its educational history, see Educational chapter. Within this township is the county seat, Covington, a history of which appears elsewhere.
CHAPTERAN
LOGAN TOWNSHIP.
This subdivision of Fountain county is in the estre: re nordromera 10. tion of the county, and is bounded on the worth by Warren county and the Wabash river, on the cast by Davis township, on the south by Shawnee tean- ship and on the west by Warren county, the Wabash being the dividing fue. Por to 1833 the territory constituting Logan township belonged to Shawnee and Davis townships. On account of its being so unkandy for the citizens to go to Rob Roy to cast heir votes at election, they petitioned for a separation and in March, 1833, the board of county commissioners organized Logan town- ship. It contains an area of 13,799 acres and in 1880 had a population of 2.600. Its present (1910) population is placed at 3,871. Attica is the chief trading point in the township and has come to be known a . one of Indiana's best small cities, full of thrift, wealth and enterprise. Its history occurs cise- where in this work.
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