USA > Indiana > Fountain County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 29
USA > Indiana > Warren County > Past and present of Fountain and Warren Counties, Indiana, Volume 1 > Part 29
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Independence has the distinction of having the first newspaper in War- ren county ; it was started in 1844 (see newspaper chapter ). With the shifting scenes of time, the building of railroads and extension of the settlements and building up of other towns, Independence lost her former grip on trade and commerce, generally, and settled down in the quietude it enjoys at present. It has a small retail trade, which is the sum and substance of its present activity, aside from its schools and churches, which are mentioned in separate chapters.
FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COPYTHE, INDIANA.
STATE LINF.
This village, which in 19to was reported by census enumerator's as hat- ing a little less than two hundred population, derived much of its cariy growth and importance from the fact of its being a junction point of the two . branches of the Wabash railroad system. It was purely started as a railroad town, for railroad uses and objects. The first six years of its history it seemed to be a healthy rival over Danville, Illinois, near by. Thirteen blocks of town lots were surveyed out in June, 1857. by Robert Casement, who had recently purchased the land. A. P. Andrews and John Brier, who had been running a small country store three miles to the northwest, removed their stores to this new town site and began merchandising. William Van Horn had been living for several years on the land where the place was platted. The railroad had built eating houses and a freight warehouse and the traffic soon became extensive. Freight of every description was transferred, and this all required many strong laboring men. Hotels opened and saloons were thick, almost one against another. The town soon gained ( justly too) a very bad name by reason of the baser lement of railroad and other hands, who drank freely and made the night hours one to be dreaded by law-abiding citi- zens. The grain trade was immense in the early days, when the wheat crop was a wonder to behold, coming as it did from the virgin soil of the new farmed lands. Many seasons in excess of two hundred thousand bushels of grain were handled at this point. One carly writer said: "Teams would stand waiting their turn until the drivers had replenished their stock of patience by frequent potations, during certain intervals, at the dram shops. It seemed casier for them to wait after that-the drivers, not the teams! Care, with heavy wings, flew away, and mirth, with laughing face, touched the heart with delight. The profits of the sales of grain were often left in the possession of ve dram seller, and the grain men made plenty of money."
Each of the two railroads, about 1859, built a roundhouse, where engines and cars were cleaned and repaired. The place grew rapidly and was then and for many years afterwards styled "State Line City." It was the location of many good stores, shops, saloons, passenger and freight business, round- houses, depots and a seminary. This was during the period from 1859 to 1867 when its population reached five hundred and fifty. It was a lively scene at the depot when passenger trains came steaming in and unloaded their bur- den of mixed humanity.
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But with the change of times and different railroad management. the removal of roundhouse and shops to other points, the town began to go mito decline and never reached the sanguine hopes of its founders. 'The word "City" was long since dropped and the place is now listed on maps and known as plain State Line. Its location is on section i; in Kent township, on the line dividing Illinois and Indiana. It was here, in pahiny railroad division days, that President Lincoln frequently stopped for change of cars and to cat at the great dining hall. His tall 6 ;ure was seen walking up and down the long platform by men who still reside there and recall the martyred President well. In September, 1912, the town was nearly wiped out by a conflagration.
PINE VILLAGE.
Pine Village is situated in Adams township, on section 7, township 23, range 7 west, on the line of the Chicago & Eastern Illinois railroad, two miles from the north line of Warren county. It was platted in 1851 by Isaac and John R. Metsker, owners and proprietors. Woods & Fisher soon opened the first general merchandising store, in the old Connell dwelling house. The stock was invoiced at one thousand seven hundred dollars. In 1860 a large grist mill was erected at a cost of five thousand dollars, by Anderson & Hall. It was built on the subscription plan and, after operating about six years, was removed to West Lebanon. It now is a quiet, orderly village, doing its full share of retail trade. Its population is now about three hundred and sixty. It is in a fine farming country and prosperity seems to abound on every hand.
GREENHILL VILLAGE.
Formerly this was known as Milford. It is a beautifully situated hamlet in sections 28 and 29, of township 23, range 6 west. It is only one mile from the eastern line of Warren county and is an inland village of no considerable commercial importance. It is an old place, having been platted in March, 1832, by William B. Bailey, who named it Milford from a town in Delaware. Lorenzo Westgate opened the first general store in 1833. A saloon was opened in 1836 and the same year came in Nathan II. Biddlecome with a good stock of goods of the general merchandise variety. He was also the first post- master. Newton Morgan was one of the central business figures in the north- ern part of the county, and opened his general store with , oods he had traded a drove of cattle for in Chicago. Ile steadily progressed and when he died · was worth sixty thousand dollars, then thought to be an immense fortune.
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In 1869, the citizens of the village of "Milford" decided to incorporate and changed the name to Greenhill. The United Brethren established a seminary there and had the name of the place changed to Greenhill. For over forty years there was no liquor sold in the place, except for six months, after which period the rum-seller found it better to run than fight the element comprising a majority of the citizens. The population in 1886 was about two hundred; in the last ( 1910) census it is given at one hundred and seventy.
RAINSVILLE.
The village of Rainsville was laid out, as shown by the county records, in April, 1833, by Isaac Rains, on the northwest quarter of section 27, town- ship 23, range 8 west. The original plat was nine blocks of eight lots each. The proprietor, Mr. Rains, had settled there in about 1832 and located his mill site, and erected a rude frame dwelling from board sawed at the saw niill he had just finished. His dam was located above the present bridge and was so imperfect that it was often washed out. On the hill near by was found a great granite bowlder which had been split into two parts. He took these and dressed and nicely fitted the parts into one part of his mill and there made corn meal and a coarse grade of wheat flour, "black as your hat." Both · the saw and grist mill were of good service to all the new comers to that part of the county. A general store was opened in 1835 by Samuel Harris & Company, which firm carried a stock then valued at one thousand dollars. Several business places started up a little later date, carrying the sign, "Wet and Dry Groceries." The whisky was wet and the coffee dry! A good tan- nery was added to the business of the place by a Mr. Cowgill, who supplied the shoemakers for miles around with leather. He also made many service- able horse collars. Rainsville up to 1880 was known as a place where a drink of liquor could be bought, without fail, for forty years. Indians used to go there for "fire water" and it is said they made less trouble and racket than did the white men there residing. It has always been the home of churches and secret society lodges, and today the people are quiet, moral and orderly. It is now on the maps and census reports as a village of about one hundred and twenty people.
MARSHFIELD.
The building of the railroad was the cause of the springing into exist- ence of this village, which now has a population of two hundred and sixty, and is located in Steuben township on section 20. In modern days, villages. towns and cities are not located as in ancient times, on some water course, for
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the steam engine, as utilized in the locomotive, has annihilated space and leaps along over its iron or steel roadway, regarding not the natural water courses, the hills, mountains or plains. In fact the railroads usually when first intro- duced, avoided the river sections and kept as far back as possible, thus gaining more freight than if competing with canal or river transportation. The iron rails had no sooner been laid across Warren county soil than the town of Marshfield was made a station point on the Wabash system, as we now know. It took its name from the home of that mental giant, the "Great Law Ex- pounder." Daniel Webster, Marshfield, Massachusetts. It was platted and re- corded in May, 1857, but by whom it is not now clear, as the plat is silent concerning the proprictor's name. The house of Elijah Cornkite was the only residence near the site of the new town when first located. Kent & Hitchens erected a warehouse and put in a stock of goods in the autumn of 1857, valued at five thousand dollars. Dr. Orin Aborn was the first physi- cian and came to be known as one of the best doctors within Warren county. The chief feature of the business of Marshfield at that carly day was the grain trade. Three hundred thousand bushels of grain were bought and shipped from the place in a single year. Mr. Hitchens, one of these grain buyers, be- came postmaster at Williamsport later, and he is the authority for the state- ment that these grain figures were much too large, but that this traffic was indeed very great for many years after the building of the railroad. Perhaps a hundred teams would frequently be lined up in waiting to be unloaded at these warehouses. As the country settled up and other towns and different market places were established, Marshfield, with other promising villages in this part of Indiana, declined and has never had a large growth in either busi- ness or population.
BALTIMORE.
Baltimore was laid out in the month of November, 1829, on the south- west fraction of section 21, township 20, range 9, by William Willmeth and Samuel Hill. A portion of one square was reserved for market purposes. An addition was soon after laid out to the north of the plat just mentioned. From the last named addition there was reserved a portion of one lot for a public spring of good water, and a square "for a meeting-house." This place was situated on the banks of the Wabash river and has so long been defunct that its history is quite obscure to present-day people and gatherers of local his- tory. One year before the laying out of the town, a store was opened by Will- iam and Charles Willmeth, and their license is recorded in the county records. They carried a stock of about eight hundred dollars. In 1830 Samuel Hill,
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one of the village founders, opened up a stock of merchandise valued at two thousand five hundred dollars. This was the largest and best stock of goods in Warren county at that date. In March, 1832, William Hall commenced to retail liquor in the village. Sammuel Wetzel started a store and sold liquors in 1839. Ile conducted a distillery also. When the highway of water routes ceased to be traveled as in former years, this village began to decline and finally became defunct. It was situated to the northeast of present Foster, in Mound township. Considerable grain and pork were shipped from Baltimore at an carly day, and seventy souls were once inhabitants of the place.
CARBONDALE.
At this point John Thompson built the first house in 1854 and Andrew Brier erected a brick house the following year. A church was built in 1867; George A. Shaffer sold the first goods in 1873. The place had been in exist- ence as a postoffice, known as Clark's Cross Roads, from an early day, at least as early as 1846. It was changed in 1874 to Carbondale. It is situated in Liberty township and today contains less than one hundred people.
JOHNSONVILLE.
This is a station point on the Wabash railroad, in Steuben township. It was platted by G. W. Johnson, who owned the land and resided there. It was laid out at the crossing of the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes railroad. Its present population is about eighty.
CHESAPEAKE.
This, a very early village of the county, was two miles east of Marsh- field. There seems to be no record of any town platting here. Several houses were, however, erected. It is thought certain that William Newell and Thomas Washburn conducted each a country store there. There was also a blacksmith's shop, and a few dwellings were in evidence at one time, but who lived in them no one today knows.
POINT PLEASANT.
This village was laid out on section 33, township 23, range 8 west, in July, 1830, by John H. Bartlett. There was never any business aside from what the saw mill, a liquor store, etc., brought.
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
HEDRICK.
This village was made a station point on the old narrow gauge railroad, on the southern boundary of Jordan township. John Hendricks built the first house, while Zarse & Ahrens had the first store. Frank Hartman was an early druggist there. The place was named in honor of an old resident living near by. A school house was erected in 1881. The place dates back to about 1879.
OTHER VILLAGES.
Of other small villages within this county it should be said that they consist of these : Winthrop, in Warren township; Kickapoo, in Warren town- ship, with a small population; Chatterton, in Adams township, with a popula- tion of fifty : Kramer, in Liberty township, having a population of two hundred and twelve; Judyville, in Liberty township, with a population of seventy-five; Locust Grove, in Prairie township, with a population of less than a hundred; Walnut Grove, in Prairie township, with a population of fifty ; Pence, in Jor- dan township, has one hundred and fifty people; Sycamore Corners, a mere collection of houses; and Foster, in Mound township, having less than fifty inhabitants.
CHAPTER XIV.
TOWNSHIP HISTORIES.
November 6, 1827, the second day of the first session of the first justice's court, Warren county was sub-divided into the following civil townships : Mound, bounded on the east by the Wabash river, south by the south line of the county, west by Illinois and north by the north line of town- ship 20. Pike township, bounded east by the Wabash river, south by Mound township, west by Illinois, and north by the north line of township 21. War- ren township, bounded on the south by, Pike township, west by Illinois, north by the north line of township 24, and east by the line dividing sections 4 and 5, township 24 north, range 7 west. Medina township, bounded on the east by Tippecanoe county, south by the Wabash river, west by Warren township and north by the north line of township 24 north. The southern tier of town- ships of present Benton county (township 24 north) was at that time a part of Warren county.
TOWNSHIP BOUNDARY CHANGES.
The board of justices at their March session in 1830 created Washing- ton township, with the following limits : Beginning on the Wabash river at the mouth of Big Pine creek; thence up said creek to the line dividing townships 23 and 22 north; thence west on said line to the state line; thence south to the line dividing townships 21 and 22 north; thence on the north line of township : 21 to Rock creek; thence down said creek to its junction with the Wabash river ; thence up said river to the place of beginning.
At the same time the following territory was attached to Pike township, being taken from Mound township: Beginning on the Wabash, where the line dividing sections 10 and 15, township 20, range 9 west, intersects the same ; thence due west to King's creek ; thence up said creek to the north line of said township 20; thence east with said township line to the river Wabash ; thence down said river to place of beginning. This territory was taken from the northeastern corner of old Mound township.
At the same date as above, Pine township was formed with limits as follows: Bounded on the east by the line dividing ranges 7 and 8, south by
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDLIN 1.
the north line of township 22 north, west by the state line and north by the north line of the county. The township then included the present Prairie and Pine townships and the southwestern portion of Newton county. All of old Warren township remaining, lying cast of the line dividing ranges 7 and 8 west in township 23 north; was attached to Medina township; and all of old Medina, in township 22, was attached to Warren county by an act approved January 30. 1830, and lying west of Big Pine creek, should be attached to Pine township; and also all that portion of such territory cast of Big Pine creek should be attached to Medina township. A little later, in March, 1830, all of Warren east of the line dividing sections 2 and 3. range 7 west, was at- tached to Medina township.
RE-ARRANGEMENTS OF BOUNDARIES.
The above and original bounds of the civil townships did not remain in force long, for in May, 1830, the following changes took place: Mound, be- ginning on the Wabash river, at the Vermillion county line; thence west to the Illinois line ; thence north to the line dividing townships 20 and 21 north ; thence east to King's creek; thence down the same to the line between sections 7 and 8, township 20, range 9; thence east to the Wabash; thence down the same to the place of beginning.
Pike, beginning at the northeast corner of Mound township; thence west to King's creek; thence up the same to the line dividing townships 20 and 21 ; thence west to the state line; thence north to the line dividing townships 21 and 22; thence east to Rock creek; thence down the same to the Wabash; thence down the same to the place of beginning.
Washington township, beginning on the Wabash, at the month of Rock creek; thence up said creek to the line dividing townships 21 and 22; thence west to the state line; thence north to the line between townships 22 and 23; thence east to Pine creek; then down the same to the Wabash river; thence down that stream to place of beginning.
Warren township, beginning at the mouth of Pine creek ; thence up said creek to the line between townships 22 and 23; thence east to the line between sections 2 and 3, range 7 : thence south to the Wabash; thence to the place of beginning.
Medina township, beginning on the Wabash where the eastern boundary of Warren township intersects the same; thence north to the line dividing townships 22 and 23 : thence west to the line dividing ranges 7 and 8; thence north to the county line; thence east to the northeast corner of the county; thence south to the Wabash; thence to place of beginning.
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA,
Pine township, beginning at the northwest corner of Medina township; thence south to the line between townships 22 and 23; thence west to the state line; thence north to the northwest corner of Warren county; thence cast to the place of beginning. All the attached territory on the north, west of Big Pine creek, was attached to Pine township, and all of such territory east of such creek was attached to Medina township. A few months later all of Medina township in township 22, range 7. was attached to Warren town- ship, and the eastern boundary of Warren was made the line dividing ranges 6 and 7, and its northern boundary was made the line dividing townships 22 and 23, from the east side of range 7 to Pine creek.
The other changes in township boundaries were made in March, 1834, when all of Pine township south and west of Redwood creek was created as Steuben township. In January, 1835, all of the county in township 22, range 6, was attached to Warren township, and in May all the attached territory on the north of Warren county (Benton county, etc. ) was created as Madison township, and the election of a justice of the peace was ordered. In March, 1843, Liberty township was created as follows: Beginning on Big Pine creek, where the line between townships 22 and 23 crosses the same; thence west to the state line; thence south to the line between townships 21 and 22: thence east to the southeast corner of congressional township 22, range 8 west; thence north to Big Pine creek; thence up the same to the place of be- ginning.
In December, 1843, all of township 22, range 8, cast of Big Pine creek was severed from Warren and attached to Liberty. In 1848 Adams township (originally known as "J. Q. Adams") was created, with about the same limits it now possesses. In March, 1850, Jordan township was created in its present form from the western part of Liberty. Many lesser changes have taken place, but not to materially change the territory of the present townships. The last township to be formed in Warren county was Kent, in September, 1864, from the northern part of Mound township, the act to take effect April I, 1865.
At the presidential election in 1836, when the candidates were Martin Van Buren, William Henry Harrison, Hugh L. White, Daniel Webster and Willie P. Mangum, the six original townships in Warren county gave the following vote: Mound township, 119 total; Pike township, 70 total; Wash- ington township, 296 total; Warren township, 90 total; Pine township, 155 total; Medina township, 125 total. These added made a grand total in War- ren county, at that election, of eight hundred and fifty-five votes.
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FOUNTAIN AND WARREN COUNTIES, INDIANA.
The total vote at the presidential election of William Howard Taft in the autunin of 1908 was as follows : Adams township, 144; Jordan township, 222; Kent township, 159; Liberty township, 429; Medina township. 151; Mound township, 129; Pike township, 289; Pine township, 208; Prairie township, 232; Steuben township, 240; Warren township, 322; Washington township, 519.
VOTING RESIDENTS OF 1836.
According to the election returns for the fall of 1836 the following cast votes in Warren county in the six townships then organized :
WARREN TOWNSHIP .- The election was held at the house of Matthew Sriver, and those who had settled in the township prior to that date, some earlier and some later, were William Benson, Benjamin Pike, Moses Clifton, Burnet Frost. Michael Coffett, David Begertow, Peter Mosmore, Isaac Jones, Andrew Davis, Philander Thomas, Jonathan Case, James Jacobs, Isaac Hin- shaw, Jeremiah Canaw, John Hall, William Faremer, Moses Michels, Peter Mason, Zimri Holmes, John Carey, John Cox, John Campbell, Ephraim Pike, John Stephenson, Henry Rittenhouse, John Tweed, Samuel Thomas, Samuel Murphy, Joseph Little, James Farrell, John Jackson, John McCord, Edward Hemp, John Mitchell, Henry Jackson, Edward Mace, John B. J. Mace, Sylvanus Cox, William Young, Henry Jacobs, Adam Sriver, Joseph Talbert, Peter Sriver, Jacob Haines, Robert Brady, D. R. Parker, Frederick Waymire, Abraham Haines, Samuel Hanson, Thomas Dunn, Nathan Jackson, Z. Cicott. Thomas Spray, William Farrell, Daniel Clifton, Robert Campbell, John Cas- sell, Rufus Wells, Hiram Farmer, Samuel Benefel, Stephen Cook, William Fincher, Thomas Kearns, Enoch Farmer, John W. Knapp, David Moffitt, Daniel McCord, Levi Doutsil, James Smith, Ezra Gaskell, Louis Collier, John Newell, David Wymire, Edward Hemphill, Joshua P. Smith, Lemuel B. Pierce, Andrew Franklin, Leonard Eller, Job Carrell, Zedekiah Herley, John Sriver, Valentine Bone, William Railsback; total ninety.
MOUND TOWNSHIP .- John Foster, John Wilcox, Camron Rosshand, Edmund McGinnis, Silas Hall, Joseph Steeley, Hiram Hoagland, Charles W. Loney, Harry Johnston, G. W. Dickson, Daniel Hoover, Henry Henderson, J. D. Loney, Stephen Osborn, Abraham Henderson, Mark Kinninson, J. D. Gammon, William Taylor, Sr., Jesse Wright, W. HI. Taylor, G. W. Alexan- der, Tarpley Taylor, Shelby Ballot, William Carey, Aaron Woods, George W. Hobbs, George Dickson, James Parrin, Thomas Johnston, William Law- rence, Peter Dickson, James Parrin, Stephen Ames, Lewis Evans, Solomon Long, Nelson DeMoss, Barnabus Dawson, J. R. Clark, James Rose, G. W.
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Moore, John Sheets, Henry Dickson, William Lee, Thomas Kitchen, Thomas Lewis, William Wilmeth, Jesse Dickson, Henry Garrish, W. Y. Taylor, John Starr, Sylvester Stone, Joel Rose, J. D. Taylor, Daniel Starry, Jr., John Mc- Connell, Z. Stery, Joseph Story, William Henderson, Joseph Stingley, Will- iamı Henderson, Samuel Osborn, Isaac Stutzer, Thomas Cunningham, Sam- uel Rosebaugh, T. D. Taylor, Sanford Payne. John Taylor, John Killer, S. H. Garrison, Daniel Beck, John Henderson, Alexander Stewart. B. H. Becket, J. C. Taylor, Daniel Henepin, James Black, Nicholas Hizer, George Murphy. Daniel Riner, David Lockwood, Joshua Lawrence, John Clem, James M. Clarke, David Atridge, J. M. Clem, Thomas Miser, William H. Dill, Squire Lee, David White, Jonathan Bart, John Hummer, Daniel Story, Daniel Mil- ler, Michael Clem, Lawrence Kinninson, Samuel Starry, Jeffry Wilson. James Bullington, Alfred Becket. William Scroggins, G. P. Saunders, Levi Murdock, J. B. King, John Black, John Osborn, Egbert Beckett, George Mosier, Robert Crawford, James Kitchen, David Clem, G. W. Beckett, Amos Clark, James Johnson, John Benjamin, Jacob Rush, Jesse Houchin, Enoch Ballot, James M. Oren, Hezekiah Ballot ; total, 119.
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