Pastime sketches : scenes and events at "The Mouth of Eel" on the historic Wabash with papers read before the Cass County Indiana, Historical Society at its spring meetings, 1907, Part 3

Author: Wright, W. Swift (Williamson Swift), 1857-1923; Cass County Historical Society (Ind.)
Publication date: 1907
Publisher: [s.l. : s.n.]
Number of Pages: 236


USA > Indiana > Cass County > Pastime sketches : scenes and events at "The Mouth of Eel" on the historic Wabash with papers read before the Cass County Indiana, Historical Society at its spring meetings, 1907 > Part 3


Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).


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In 1843 the canal was completed to the Wabash at a point below Terre Haute and then was diverted south to the banks of the White river, beside which it ran till it reached the Ohio at Jeffersonville. The canal did not pay, the State was out of funds and the engineers issued interest-bearing notes called


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"red-dog," which would not go. Indiana issued bonds for half the debt, turning over the canal to the creditors for the other half. The canal did not earn enough to discharge its half of the obligation, and the obligations became an object of specu- lation. The canal was sold under a decree of the Federal court in 1876, and the State had the "canal question" off its hands.


It was a great day for Logansport when water was turned in the canal. The entire population gathered on the banks to greet the oncoming tide which was to bring prosperity to Logansport's com- merce. And the first canal boat! No elephant in any circus was ever a greater attraction. There was no use asking any one if he had seen it, for a roll call would have shown no one missing, not even the infant in arms. It was a muddy, trickling stream that found its way first through the forest which crowned the hills above Fifth street. At length it was whispered around at dusk that the canal was filled. But there was not general re- joicing the next day, for the rock through which the canal was blasted was made up of layers with seams between and the entire population was engaged in bailing out the cellars below Fifth street. The supply of canal water was inexhausti- ble, however, and the effort was a dismal failure.


Both the Michigan road and the Wabash and Erie canal were great factors in the development of Northern Indiana, but inside of twenty years the railroads came to Logansport and took possession · of much of the traffic. With the canal came a col- lector of the port, warehouses along its banks and a thriving grain business, wheat and corn being hauled from points thirty miles north and south.


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With the canal also came the boatman, who taught the people many new kinds of oaths. The pioneer canal boatman was a rough and ready frontiersman, who addressed people in the same polite way he spoke to his mules. It was part of the early life and development of a great country, which no doubt has been forgotten.


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CHAPTER VIII.


YE OLDE LOGANSPORT.


The approaching hundredth anniversary of the State has revived interest in Indiana history. Many local celebrations will likely be held by historical societies over the State in commemoration of his- toric events prior thereto. Logansport and Cass county have no centennials to celebrate, as there are not enough Indians left to get up much of a celebration, and there were no white men here one hundred years ago. The organization of Indiana Territory in 1800 might be ground for a 107th an- niversary here, and all over the State. One noted citizen, General John Tipton, came to Indiana Ter- ritory just one hundred years ago, but he did not come to Logansport till later, probably because there was no Logansport to come to. This centen- nial might make a good date for Logansport, as part of Indiana Territory, to celebrate. General John Tipton moved his Indian agency from Ft. Wayne to Logansport, March 28th, 1826, eighty- one years ago. The original plot of Logansport was surveyed April 16th, 1828, and on August 12th, 1829, Logansport was made the county seat and has been the capital of Cass county ever since. This was seventy-eight years ago, and August 12th is a good time for a summer meeting of the historical society. Cass county was organized April 13th, 1829, previously. The first session of the county commissioners was held at the old seminary May


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1st, 1829, and in August Logansport was chosen as the county seat.


Alexander Chamberlain was the first white set- tler, August, 1826, and, strange to say, started a hotel. However, Indian agents and pioneers were coming to this locality, and a hotel was needed. The hotel was on the south bank of the Wabash river, opposite the mouth of Eel river. It was a modest log cabin, without elevators or electric lights. A modest home-made sign read: "Enter- tainment by A. Chamberlain."


Edwin McCartney soon built a trading house, buying furs of the Indians, further down the river, but he did not find trade good and "went out west." William Newman and wife "moved in" in the spring of 1827 and erected a house on the Wabash, two miles west of the Chamberlain house. The third settler was James Burch, who built still further down the river. He soon sold to Christian Simons, father of Benjamin Simons. On the north bank of the Wabash, Major Daniel Bell, a brother-in-law of General Tipton, settled March 27th, 1827, and built near what is now the corner of Berkley and the Panhandle railroad. Joseph Barron settled in June, 1827. He was the celebrated Indian interpre- ter, and was in the battle of Tippecanoe, where he did valiant service for General Harrison, in com- nrand there. Hugh B. McKain also came in June, 1827. He was the first postmaster. Chauncey Car- ter was appointed surveyor of Indian lands after the treaty with the Miamis and Pottawatomies, and surveyed the lands around Logansport, coming from Ft. Wayne to Logansport. March 28th, 1828, General John Tipton moved his family from Ft. Wayne and occupied the Chamberlain tavern, after-


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wards building near the present Panhandle round- house. April 10th, 1828, Chauncey Carter surveyed the original plat of Logansport. Corner lots at that time were held at $75 and inside lots at $50. Lots were sold on condition that the purchaser build at least a one-story house not less than eighteen feet by twenty feet. Thus Logansport had its first building boom. Some authorities say that the honor of nam- ing the town was settled by a rifle contest, Hugh B. McKain winning. At least he has the credit of nam- ing the town, and it was named after Captain Logan, a noted Shawnee chief, who lost his life fighting for the whites in November, 1812. The "port" was added because the town was thought to be the head of navigation on the Wabash.


Thomas B. Helm says in his history of Cass county that John B. Duret bought the first lot in Logansport, George W. Ewing the second and Cy- rus Taber the third and fourth. It is true that Duret was promised a lot for his work in making the plat, and later received a deed for lot number one, but this is not the first deed. The deed for one was made on Washington's birthday, February 22, 1830. The lot is at the corner of Canal street and Eel river, what is known as "The Point," and on it was erected the first brick house in Cass county. There were, however, earlier deeds.


The honor of purchasing the first lot in the now prosperous city of Logansport belongs to Gillis Mc- Bean, for his deed to lot 30 bears date of August 10th, 1829. This is the Kreuzberger corner, Third and Market, and the consideration was $75. W. G. and G. W. Ewing bought lot 51 on the 5th day of September, 1829. This is the Ward shoe store cor- ner, northeast corner of Market and Third. M. D.


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Grover bought lot 36 the same day. This is on the south side of Market, between Second and Third, and is owned by Father Kroeger. Cyrus Taber bought lot 47 on the 17th day of September, 1829, and on it in 1838 erected the fourth brick house in Cass county, corner Second and Broadway. From best information it seems that the present Broad- way house was the third brick house and the Graf house on Market street the second.


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CHAPTER IX.


YE EARLY SCHOOLS.


There is much historical matter contained in the various histories of the city and county, and these dates are referred to more as a reminder and not in any attempt to reproduce county history. There are, however, interesting stories of Cass' United States Senators, Tipton, Fitch, Pratt and Turpie. Cass had more than any county in the State except Marion (Indianapolis), and there are names distin- guished in military history also. Perhaps no more interesting book could be written than one giving the early tales of the two market houses and the "taverns in our town." Newspaper life in early days has been portrayed in past years by some of the pioneers, but there is much that is unwritten.


The history of Logansport and Cass county schools began as early as 1828. Shortly after the settlement of the town General John Tipton took the lead in the organization of the "Eel River Semi -_ nary Society." The society was incorporated by a special act of the legislature, which was approved January 1st, 1829. This act is interesting by reason of its being the foundation of the present public school system in Cass county. It reads as follows :


Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assem- bly of the State of Indiana, That John Tipton, Hugh B. McKain, Gillis McBean, William Scott, Alexan- der Chamberlain, Joseph Barron, Hiram Todd, Chauncey Carter and John Smith, Sr., shall be and


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hereby are constituted a body corporate and politic, by the name and style of "the president and trus- tees of the Eel river seminary society ;" and in their corporate name and capacity may sue and be sued, plead and be impleaded, in any court of competent jurisdiction, and by that name shall have perpetual succession.


Sec. 2. The trustees shall be elected annually, on the first Friday in October, by the subscribers to said society, under such regulations as a majority of them shall from time to time adopt, and shall elect a president, secretary and treasurer from their own members. The said president and trustees shall be competent, in law and equity, to take to themselves and their successors, in their said cor- porate name, any estate, real or personal, by the gift, grant, bargain, sale or bequest of any person or persons whomsoever, and the same estate, wheth- er real or personal, to grant, bargain, sell or convey, or otherwise dispose of, as shall by them be deemed most beneficial to the interest and prosperity of said seminary.


Sec. 3. The said trustees shall cause to be made for their own use one common seal, with such de- vices and inscriptions thereon as they may think proper, by which all deeds and acts of the corpora- tion shall be authenticated.


Sec. 4. The said trustees shall meet at the dwelling house of Chauncey Carter, Esq., in Lo- gansport in the county of Cass, on the first Monday of April next, 'or on any day that a majority of the trustees may agree upon, and, after severally taking an oath or affirmation, faithfully and impartially to discharge the duties by this act enjoined, proceed to


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elect their president, secretary and treasurer, as aforesaid.


Sec. 5. The trustees, after being organized in manner aforesaid, shall have power to determine the time of their future meetings, and the manner of notifying the same; act on their own adjourn- ments; to employ such instructors as they may think proper, and the same discharge at their pleas- ure ; to regulate and direct the mode of instruction ; and to make and ordain such by-laws and regula- tions as may be necessary for the well-being of said society, not repugnant to the laws and constitution of this State.


Sec. 6. The trustees shall cause a record of their proceedings to be kept in a book to be procured by them for that purpose, which record shall be open for the inspection of all persons concerned. The treasurer shall receive all monies belonging to said seminary society, and pay them out by the order of the trustees, and not otherwise.


Sec. 7. The trustees shall have power to ap- point such agents and attorneys for said corpora- tion as they may think necessary; which shall be in writing, and all appointments and orders of the trustees, shall be signed by their President, under the seal of said corporation, and attested by their secretary.


Sec. 8. This act to take effect, and be in force from and after the first Monday in March, next.


By an act of the legislature, approved February 4th, 1831, the name of the corporation was changed to the "Cass County, Eel River Seminary Society."


The old seminary was erected in 1828. The first school was opened in February, 1829, with John Mckinney, of Detroit, as teacher. He was em-


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ployed at $100 per quarter and the charges for tuition were $3 and $4 per term. Mckinney re- mained but one term and at the winter session of six months, beginning Dec. 8th, George Lyon was principal and Mrs. John B. Turner assistant teacher. The building was a one-story brick with two rooms. A hall across the center separated the rooms. It stood on lot 55, original plat, a gift from the owner, Chauncey Carter. It was a low building, 20 by 40 feet, and faced Market street. Lot 55 is the west half of the quarter of the square at the northeast corner of Market and Fourth streets. The building was back in the lot almost to the alley, now Wall street.


The building cost about $300. When the pro- ject was agitated by Gen. Tipton, he subscribed $150 and almost $500 was raised. In June, 1830, the year was divided into two sessions of five months each, and summer and winter sessions were held. Rev. Hiram A. Hunter was elected principal at $500 per year and a residence. George Lyon was teacher at the winter session and the summer session of 1831 was in charge of Selby Harney. In April, 1832, this society and the Cass County Sem- inary Society were united under the name of the "Cass County, Eel River Seminary Society" by which it was later known.


The "Old Seminary" was an important building n the early history of the city and county. Here the first county commissioners met, the first courts were held and the first courtships took place. Churches were organized here and the elections for the entire county were held within its portals. Marriages were sometimes solemnized and often


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within its walls were gathered almost the entire population, less than three hundred in 1829.


As early as 1836 the growing population render- ed the building too small for the purposes for which it was erected and steps were taken toward the construction of a new school house. In November of that year it was determined to sell the property, then more valuable for business purposes, and to erect a building of larger capacity. This resulted in the construction of the new seminary building, a three-story stone on Thirteenth street, between Market and Broadway, where the Central building now stands. The building was not completed until September, 1849, and cost $6,465.11. Rev. M. M. Post, an early Presbyterian minister of 1828, was elected principal and a corps of teachers was em- ployed. Irwin W. Gates was the next principal and Rev. H. W. Shaw succeeded him. This building was torn down in 1874, when the present Central building was erected. One or two of the pupils of the "Old Seminary" are still living in the city and county and recall their early school days in the little brick. Many more are living who attended · the stone seminary on Thirteenth street. During the later "thirties" many township schools were organized in Cass county which are fully described in Helm's History of Cass County and need no mention here. The lot on 13th street-It was then Tipton street-appears as "Seminary Square" in the John Tipton's administrator's addition to Logans- port laid out in 1843. The consideration named in the deed is $56.


There were several private schools where the present older generation received instruction and these will furnish another chapter. Many of those


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living today learned their alphabet at one of these schools. Mrs. Cowan taught school in the log cabin, afterwards the home of William Davis, cor- ner of Seventh and Broadway streets. There was a school on the southeast corner of Third and Broadway, upstairs in 1857. George Palmer and Walter McCrea are two of the sole survivors of this school. James Jackson was a teacher and he also taught in the Methodist church on Sixth street and on the Westside, where Castle's grocery is. There was a school in the Nash house, corner Sixth and North streets. Mrs. Phebe Egbert taught school for several years in the basement of the Episcopal church, corner of Market and Seventh streets. She taught there as early as 1859 and later in the house where the Johnston Hotel now stands. The Tenth street public school was established in 1857 or 1858, corner Tenth and Market. The Lo- gansport Presbyterian Academy, Smithson College and the Business Colleges were institutions which deserve further notice. All helped to lead up to the present admirable public school system. Schools were also taught where Shideler & Grace's store is and at the corner of of Broadway and Fourth, where the H. Wiler & Co. store is located.


Both the Lutherans and the Catholics established excellent schools early in the history of the city and these have increased in numbers and in efficiency as the city grew. The Holy Angels Academy has long been one of the leading educational institu- tions.


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CHAPTER X.


' SOME HISTORY SUGGESTION.


A sketch of the early days is hardly complete without mention of the churches, yet most of the organizations have published historical pamphlets, the history written by Thomas B. Helm goes fully into details and there is little new to record. The fraternal orders have gathered together much inter- esting history also.


The vigorous early times were productive of some church dissensions. The separation of the Presbyterian church by reason of which there was a "New School" and an "Old School," was not ac- complished without some bitterness. The original Presbyterian building, still standing on the alley running from Fifth to Sixth streets between Market and Broadway, shows that. The doors still bear the marks of the axe with which one faction broke into the church to hold services.


The differences, which existed for so many years, were at length happily adjusted and the branches were reunited. The growth of the various church denominations has been steady, and hand- some edifices have taken the place of the modest frame buildings, whose bells pealed out each Sun- day morning to call the pioneers to worship.


And so, too, the fraternal organizations have built, or are building homes of their own, of im- posing architecture to add to the city's beauty and permanency. The school buildings, the churches,


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the temples and the homes are all neat and endur- ing and go to make up a city of handsome details. The Library, The post office, the hotels and busi- ness houses add to the general good effect as do some of the railroad stations.


There are several interesting sketches of the early newspapers in print. One of the first duties of the Historical Society should be to make a complete bound collection of the early files. The newspapers of the present generation have com- plete files of their own, and as they are available for reference, there is no necessity, perhaps for duplicates, although there is some advantage in owning files. The eastern papers now keep a com- plete index of their files, and this is printed an- nually, so that by a reference to the index of each year it is possible to trace events of news.


The pioneer newspapers are full of interesting historical data. In recent years several of these files were destroyed thoughtlessly and the Charles B. Laselle collection, probably more nearly com- plete than any, is neglected in a room in the court house with no one to care for it while he himself is an inmate of the hospital. The Biddle collection is stored in the basement of the high school build- ing, unclassified and inaccessable. There are some odd numbers scattered about but there are no other large collections. The Thomas B. Helm collection was sold for old paper when he died and the Wil- liamson Wright collection was destroyed by fire. Steps should be taken at once to sort and bind the Biddle collection and to prevent the loss of the La- selle collection.


There are several other subjects that might be written about, the courts, and the stories of the


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early bar, politics and elections, and so on. It was not until 1840 that precincts were inaugurated. Be- fore that the voters of the entire county voted at the court house, in town, coming many miles over very bad roads, some of them. The early fire de- partment history was compiled by Harry W. Bring- hurst, now chief of the fire department at Seattle, Washington, some years ago.


A sketch of Logansport men in the United States Senate, and their public work, involves research which it would take days to make. Such a sketch ought to be written. The Historical Society may take this up at some future time. In any event the ground-work is laid for the work of the Society.


The Historical Society should early in its career secure quarters and begin the collection of the valuable data being lost from time to time. Until it has a central home of its own it will not be pos- sible to gather a great deal of material. I sug- gested the Biddle home as the most suitable and available place. A State law authorizes county commissioners to expend not to exceed five thous- and dollars for the purchase of a home for a His- torical Society after such society has been in active existence for five years. A resort to this law would not likely be necessary. In New England the rev- enues derived from the contributions of daily visitors provide a fund sufficient to cover current expenses and to establish a sinking fund with which to pay for the property. Thus these institutions are self-supporting.


Could the Biddle home be rented for five years, with an option on it at the end of that time, I have no doubt it would be self-supporting and also pay for itself. The revenues would certainly pay cur- rent expenses which would be nominal. Should


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they not, however, the annual dues of one dollar would be sufficient for the purpose, as there are practically no expenses, the caretaker, as in New England, getting the rent of part of the house as pay for keeping the house open a few hours each day.


This is merely a suggestion to the Historical Society as to what is possible in this direction, at no expense, practically. The time is ripe for such a movement, and failure to enter earestly into the work at the present time will result in the loss of much more historical data. The Logansport So- ciety has a good start, and a good organization. There is an abundance of material and no doubt the work will go on smoothly, whatever plan is adopted. The suggestions here made, as a result of of observations in New England, are offered be- cause they are the result of some study of the sub- ject and may be of some value on that account.


In the early settlement of this territory money was unknown. The Indians had a medium of ex- change they called wampum which consisted of pieces of bone, metal or stone. Among the whites values were determined by coon skins, muskrat skins and furs of other animals. These furs would purchase so much of this or that from the fur traders and so had a given value. Besides this they were transportable easily and so became the basis of exchange. Naturally, in a new country, sparsely settled, there was little to exchange, each family providing for its own wants as best it could. The farms and the forests supplied the necessities of life and it was only under a more advanced civili- zation that the shop became an important factor in a community.


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CHAPTER XI.


EARLY BANKING IN LOGANSPORT.


The war with Great Britain caused the general government to disburse large sums of money for troops and supplies and thus in 1812 money became more plentiful. In 1814 the territorial legislature chartered two banks, one at Vincennes, with a capital stock of a half million dollars, and one at Madison capitalized at seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars. When the war ended the banks had issued more currency than they could redeem and a crash followed. The members of the first Indiana constitutional convention incorporated a clause providing for a State bank with branches, not exceeding one branch for every three counties. The banks at Madison and Vincennes were also to retain their charters. The bank at Vincennes was . adopted by the legislature as a State bank and entered an era of missmanagement. Its notes be- came worthless and steps were taken to cancel its charter. The bank at Madison was more success- ful and its notes were all, after some time, redeem- ed


In 1832 the State entered upon an era of internal improvements, spending several million dollars. Michigan had established a system of banking with no safeguards and this bank money was seized upon by contractors for use in paying for labor. Soon nothing else was in circulation. The merchants




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