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 9

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 9


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into something greater by reason of gifts and loans of bric-a-brac of historic interest. As they are now constituted they own property and their halls are centers of interest.


"Tourists from all over the United States visit them and the revenues make them self-supporting. The preliminary work dates back may years but at the present time historic houses are occupied and the collections gathered there are interesting and instructive. The typical home of the New England Historical Society is an ancient landmark of historic interest.


"For instance, the homes of Hawthorne, Paul Revere, Longfellow and others known to fame are thus occupied. The House of the Seven Gables, the scene of Hawthorne's novel, is thus occupied. The houses are repaired and preserved but changed as little as possible. They are filled with historic records, bric-a-brac, loaned or donated, and are open to the public. There are the spinning-wheels of the Mayflower party, the flint-locks of the revo- lutionary war and the Indian bibles of John Eliot. The signatures of John Hancock and George Wash- ington are affixed to ancient documents and the courtship of Priscilla and John Alden is recalled by reminders of their early housekeeping. Many of the articles are tagged, showing their ownership and that they are loaned to the Historical Society. An elderly couple are usually given a wing or an annex for dwelling purposes and are made custodians of the property. Additional guards are sometimes employed at night in the same way. In some of these houses a nominal admission fee of ten cents is charged to cover expenses, in others a contribu- tion box is placed in a convenient corner. The rev-


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enues thus derived pay all the expenses of the so- cieties. While this progressive step might not be feasible in Indiana at the present time, it will be so in time and the proper time to look forward to such a culmination is the present.


"In view of the coming centennial of Indiana, Historical societies should be organized in every county and it would not be out of place for the legislature at the present time to make the pre- liminary arrangements for a proper celebration of that event by the establishment of a Centennial Commission."


Afterwards, February 25th, 1907, officers of a Historical Society were elected and a constitution. was adopted as follows :


(Adopted February 25th, 1907.)


Article 1. The name of this society shall be the Cass County, Indiana, Historical Society.


Article 2. The objects of the society shall be the collection and preservation of all materials cal- culated to shed light on the natural, civil and po- litical history of Cass County, Indiana; the publi- cation and circulation of historical documents ; the promotion of useful knowledge; and the friendly and profitable intercourse of such citizens as are disposed to promote these ends.


Article 3. There shall be an annual public meet- ing of the society the first Wednesday in July of each year, at such hour and place as may be desig- nated by the President and Secretary in the notice thereof, which notice shall be given by publication in the daily papers of Logansport. A private meet- ing of the society may be called at any time by the President, or, in case of death or absence of the


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President, by any officer of the society at the re- quest of any three members, and there shall be the like power to call a public meeting, at any time on the request of five members. At any meeting six members shall constitute a quorum to transact business.


Article 4. The officers of the society shall be :


First-A President, who shall preside and pre. serve order at all meetings of the society.


Second-Three Vice Presidents, one of whom, in the order of election, shall preside at all meetings in the absence of the President.


Third-A Secretary, who shall be charged with all correspondence required by the affairs of the society and who shall record and preserve the min- utes of the society.


Fourth-A Treasurer, who shall receive all monies due the society, and hold the same subject to its order, and make an annual report of all receipts and disbursements.


Fifth-An Executive Committee of five mem- bers, any three of whom shall constitute a quorum, whose duty it shall be to meet on the days upon which the society holds its sessions or at such other times as they deem expedient; to select subjects for public lectures and appoint the individuals by whom the same shall be delivered at the annual meetings of the society ; to attend to the publication of such lectures and other documents as they may deem expedient ; to take charge of all books, papers, specimens, models, curiosities, pictures, etc., belong- ing to the society, and to submit reports 'of their proceedings at the meetings of the society. They shall have power to make by-laws not inconsistent with the constitution; to direct and superintend all


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disbursements; and generally to carry into effect all measures not otherwise provided for.


Sixth-An Advisory Board of one from each township who shall meet with the executive com- mittee for conference and who shall report upon historical matters in their respective townships.


Article 5. The President, Vice Presidents, Sec- retary and Treasurer shall have the privilege of sitting with the Executive Committee and voting on all measures that come before it.


Article 6. Applications for membership shall be upon written petition, which application shall be referred to a committee of three, and such com- mittee shall report at the next meeting of the so- ciety. A three-fourths vote of the members of the society present shall be necessary to an election to membership.


Article 7. Officers shall be elected by ballot at the annual meeting of the society and shall continue in office for one year, and until their successors are elected. Vacancies in any office may be filled by the Executive Committee until the next meeting of the society, at which time the vacant office shall be filled by ballot. Any officer may be removed from office for malfeasance or misconduct injurious to the society, under the regulations prescribed for the expulsion of members.


Article 8. Each member shall pay into the hands of the Treasurer one dollar annually as dues.


Article 9. Any member of the society shall at any time have the right of withdrawing, upon filing with the Secretary a notice in writing of such in- tention, accompanied by the Treasurer's receipt in full for all dues.


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Article 10. This constitution shall be subject to amendment at any meeting of the society by a vote of three-fourths of the members present ; Provided, that an amendment offered at any meet- ing shall lay over to the next meeting before being adopted. The following officers were elected :


President, Hon. D. P. Baldwin.


Vice-Presidents, Dr. J. Z. Powell, Wils Berry and Mrs. J. W. Ballard.


Secretary, W. S. Wright.


Treasurer, B. F. Sharts.


Executive Committee, Q. A. Myers, B. F. Long, W. T. Wilson, James H. McMillen, James D. Mc- Nitt.


Advisory Board, Adams Township, Samuel Mc- Lain; Bethlehem, Orlando Powell; Boone, Lewis E. Beckley; Clay, Chauncey Custer ; Clinton, Wil- lard Fitzer; Deer Creek, D. W. E. Lybrook; Eel, A. H. Douglass; Harrison, John T. Walker; Jack- son, F. H. Thomas ; Jefferson, Caleb Banta ; Miami, Cyrus T. Miller ; Noble, Lewis McMillen ; Tipton, George W. Bishop; Washington, John P. Martin.


FIRST PUBLIC MEETING OF THE CASS COUNTY, INDI- ANA HISTORICAL SOCIETY.


The first public program of the Cass County, Indiana, Historical Society was given Friday eve- ning, May 17, 1907, at Library Hall before an audi- ence that filled the room. The meeting was a suc- cess in every way, the papers were interesting and at times spicy and the old time music enjoyable.


Judge D. P. Baldwin, president of the society, opened the meeting with an interesting talk on politics and campaigning in early times. He spoke


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of the old time enthusiasm, torch-light campaigns, and joint debates and of the brilliancy of Inger- soll, Turpie, Colfax, Fitch, Tipton, Pratt and other debaters who lived or had spoken in Logansport. He referred to the old time methods of "blocks of five" when votes were purchasable and of the tact and ability of the editorial writers of the war times, S. A. Hall, of the Pharos, and J. T. Bryer and T. H. Bringhurst of The Journal. Judge Baldwin was followed by E. S. Rice on "Early Business Houses and Methods."


Dr. J. Z. Powell, Vice President, took the chair after Judge Baldwin's remarks and explained the purpose of the society and its aims and objects. Wils Berry responded to one of the subjects by telling a story he had heard his father, who came to Cass county in 1829, tell of some of the early incidents of canal days. The Grand Army Glee club, com- posed of Messrs. Cushman, Crain, Richardson and Watkins, rendered songs from a singing book of 1838. The society adjourned to meet at some fu- ture date on call of the executive committee.


The third address of the evening on "Society and Social Matters, Customs and Habits of the Pioneers of Cass County," was by Mrs. J. W. Bal- lard, daughter of General Milroy of Civil war fame. Mrs. Ballard said :


MRS. J. W. BALLARD'S PAPER.


At an old settlers' meeting held in my native county some years ago an address was made by a comparatively young man, his subject being the ex- periences of the first settlers of this part of Indi- ana. At the conclusion of his remarks one of the


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few remaining pioneers, who was seated on the platform, arose and said: "My young friend has told. his story well, as far as he knew, but my friends, no one but one who was there can tell that story as it ought to be told."


If this society had been organized, say, twenty years ago, what valuable information might have been obtained from some of the early settlers them- selves. However, if it had been organized that long ago I would have only stood about one chance in ten thousand of having been honored with an office, so it is just as well.


As my early life was spent in the adjoining county of Carroll, where my grandfather, Gen. Mil- roy, settled in the early part of the year 1826, my father living on the same farm 75 years, my know- ledge of pioneer ways comes mostly from the peo- ple whom I knew in my youth. But in early times the counties of Cass and Carroll were more neigh- borly, perhaps, from their mutual need, than now.


The country was so sparsely settled that a man living twenty miles away was a tolerably close neighbor. Then, too, from '27 to '29 Cass county was under the jurisdiction of Carroll, so that the habits, customs and social diversions of the two counties were practically the same.


When Alexander Chamberlain, the first perman- ent white resident of Cass county, built his double log house, all the able-bodied white men of the "Deer Creek settlement," twenty miles away, were bidden to the raising, and they responded to a man. And these friendly offices were not performed for pay. In fact, it was considered an insult to offer a man money for any neighborly service.


Quite different a little incident which came


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under my observation one day last winter. I was coming down the street after a slight snow storm. Two little fellows had cleared the sidewalk in front of their own house and were busily working away in front of the house next door, when they spied their father coming, dropping their shovels, they ran to meet him, crying out "Oh papa, see what we have done !" "Yes," said the father, "But what are you getting for it?" Thus early implanting in those childish minds the idea that no service, how- ever trivial, should be performed without pay.


The pioneers from necessity, as do some moderns from choice, lived the genuine simple life. Log houses, home made furniture and simple fare were the rule. The men cleared, tilled and culti- vated the soil, planted and gathered the crops.


The spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing and other innumerable household duties were performed by the women of the family. And this was no light task when you remember that small families were the exception in those days.


Then, when a woman married, she hoped and expected to have something infinitely sweeter and dearer to hold in her arms than a poodle dog, or a Teddy bear-and large families were not then an object of curiosity.


Brawn and muscle were a valuable asset in the days when bodily strength and vigor were so ne- cessary to transform the pathless forests into fertile fields, and the man who could fell the most trees, split the greatest number of fence rails in a given time, lift the heaviest weight, throw the hammer the fartherest, shoot the truest and come out best in a wrestling bout was a man to be looked up. to.


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They didn't rush into law at every slight pro- vocation, but men frequently settled disputes them- selves by using the weapons with which nature had provided them.


For recreation the women had their quilting bees, comfort knottings, carpet-rag sewings, wool pickings and when the opportunity came they would take their sewing or knitting along and go out to spend the day.


A dear old lady used to come to our house in my early childhood. How I admired her as she walked up through the yard, her work in one hand, the voluminous dress skirt held up in front by the thumb and forefinger of the other, the back of her dress floating out behind her like a small balloon. Oh, I did wish that the time would come when I could wear long dresses and look like that. But alas! as in so many cases, realization fell short of anticipation, for when I did finally attain to the dignity of long dresses the skirts were made so tight one could scarcely step and they held them up in the back.


Education and religion were not neglected but received early attention. The first educational or- ganization was effected under Gen. John Tipton and in the year 1829, the first school, known as the Eel River Seminary was opened. Churches were organ- ized in 1828 and '29, and now Logansport might al- most as well be spoken of as the "City of Churches" or the City of Schools" as the "City of Bridges."


Letters were a luxury in that time as it cost from six to twenty-five cents to send a letter any dis- tance. And from the specimens of old letters which I have been privileged to read, more care was taken in their writing and composition than now. They


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sound somewhat stilted and formal to those of us more accustomed to the off-hand, careless manner of modern letter writers. For instance a common form of closing a letter was: "Believe me to be Sir with great respect your most obedient and humble servant."


I have a letter written in 1832. The writer had started from Delphi to Washington City on some political business, making most of the journey on horseback.


At his stopping place he wrote to his wife of nearly a quarter of a century and the mother of his ten children, as follows, after telling her of his safe arrival so far on his journey, and of his continued good health, he says: "I have not forgotten the tear that trembled in your eye when I bade you farewell, nor the effort you made to replace it with a smile. May I never give you cause for a tear, and I shall anxiously await the moment that shall again restore me to your smiles."


Can any of you imagine a husband of today tak- ing the time to put all of that on paper? Especially after twenty-five years of married life. Not that their affection is any the less sincere. They simply haven't time to tell it and expect it to be taken for granted.


You have doubtless heard of the woman who tried to elicit some expression of regard from her husband who was busy with the evening paper. "Do you love me, dearie," she cooed. "Yes," came from behind the paper. "How much?" No answer. "How much do you love me?" she persisted. "Oh, I love you better than my life. Now shut up and go and sit down."


As the hamlets grew into towns and the country


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became more thickly settled the forms of entertain- ment grew more elaborate. Parties, balls and boun- tiful spreads were in order. But for many years it remained the custom in serving any number of guests to place the food all on the table at once, let- ting each one help themselves, a most comfortable and informal way.


A daughter of one of the prominent old resi- dents of Logansport related to me a little incident which occurred in her father's time. A number of gentlemen were being entertained and as was usual, when it came time to serve refreshments, every- thing was placed on the table. After the guests were seated the host said, "Now boys, just help yourselves," which they proceeded to do. One of the party, a judge said : "Well, you fellows can have all the knicknacks, I'll take mashed potatoes," and he helped himself liberally to ice cream.


One of the most common and pleasant forms of amusement for young people was the good old time country dance. Now there is dancing and dancing. I am not any more in favor of promiscious embrac- ing to slow music than are many of you. But I never could see the harm in the right kind of dancing, in the right way, in good company and to good music. Bringing into play as it does almost every muscle in the human body, induring a cheerful, happy frame of mind, it certainly ought not be condemned.


Did any of you ever go to a country dance, the real thing? Well, I have. In many things my father clung to pioneer ways. He would never al- low kissing games or round dancing in his house, but he always dearly loved to see young people dancing the country dances of which he was so fond in his youth. Besides if his children wanted to


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dance, he believed in allowing them to dance at home. So sometimes in winter evenings the boys and girls from the neighboring farms would come in, the big old farm house kitchen would be cleared, the logs pushed back in the fire-place, the candles put up on the mantle and father would begin to tune up his fiddle. Now he had brought that fiddle from Mex- ico at the close of the Mexican war where he was in the cavalry. At the close of the war he traded his horse, saddle and bridle to a Mexican for the fiddle, and the music he could draw from those strings would send the blood fairly tingling to the tips of your fingers and the ends of your toes. You couldn't sit still if you wanted to and you didn't want to sit still if you could. Some one would say "Partners for a quadrille" the girls would sit around trying to look as if they didn't care whether any one asked them to dance or not, but when some dear, innocent-faced country boy would step up to one of them and say, bashfully, "Will you please assist me in this quadrille," she would answer "With pleasure," and she meant it, too. They would take their places in the set, the music would start and with "Honors to your partners, and balance all" the dance was on. Those old times as they come echoing down to me through all the inter- vening years have lost none of their charm.


PAPER OF MR. E. S. RICE READ BEFORE THE HIS- TORICAL SOCIETY, MAY 17, 1907.


In 1835 B. O. Spencer, my half brother, came here from Cincinnati, and went into the grocery and commission business. In 1837 he was joined by my brother, G. Jay Rice, and the firm of Spencer & Rice


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was established. They were so well pleased with the city, its location and future prospects, and the profitable business they were doing, that they per- suaded our mother to dispose of her home in Pa- vilian, Genessee county, New York, and move here, which she did in the month of October, 1838. The family at removal consisted of our mother, three sisters, brother R. D. Rice, and myself.


The distance to Buffalo was forty miles. What is now the New York Central Railroad was then completed only between Albany and Rochester, and there was no other railroad leading farther west at that time. We procured teams to transport us and our baggage to Buffalo, where we took passage on a steamer on Lake Erie for Toledo. At Toledo we were transferred to a small steamer on the Maumee river which conveyed us about fourteen miles to the town of Maumee which was the head of navigation on that river. At Maumee we procured teams to transport us to Ft. Wayne.


On our way up the river we fell in company with other passengers westward bound, and all stopped for the night at a large double log tavern. There were beds enough fortunately for the women, but the men and boys had to sleep on the floor. There was a very large fire place in the office, bar room and sitting room combined, and the morning being quite cold, the landlord had made up a rousing big fire. While the travelers, nearly a score of them, were sitting around waiting breakfast, in came one of the native Buckeyes, thinly clad, and very bilious looking, and walked up in front of the fire, turned his back to it, and gave us the worst specimen of shaking ague I have ever seen. It so happened that not a traveler present had ever seen a case of the


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kind before, and it was very amusing the way they gathered around and plied him with questions. They wondered why he could not stop shaking. The Maumee Valley at that time and for years after- ward was notorious for its ague and bilious dis- eases. The Miami Valley ranked next, and the Wa- bash Valley was a good third.


Work in the construction of the Wabash and Erie Canal had been progressing about two years, but the only part completed and in operation was between Ft. Wayne and Logansport. Captain Sam Mahon was running a line of boats between these two points carrying both freight and passengers.


At Ft. Wayne we took passage on one of these boats for Logansport. We landed just west of Berkley street, where a basin had been con- structed for boats to turn just south of Parker & Johnson's Planing Mill. At that time the Tipton farm was cultivated down to Berkley street, and a large field of corn was standing. There was a high bridge over the canal at Berkley street, requiring a very long embankment extending over half way to the Wabash river to reach it from the south. Work was progressing on the lock just west of Berkley. street, the aqueduct over Eel river, and the first lock west of the city. These were completed and the water was turned in to this acqueduct level in the spring of 1840. The bridges over the canal at Mar- ket, Broadway, North and High streets were all high, necessitating long embankments at each end.


The business houses at this time were all located on Market street between Second and Fourth. Com- mencing at Second street, a three-story brick build- ing occupied the corner where the Barnett Hotel now stands. This building contained two store


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rooms. The corner one was occupied by the firm of Taber & Chase, successors of Ewing Walker & Taber, and the other by Philip Pollard, both being dealers in general merchandise. A short distance east on the north side of the street there was a small one-story building occupied by James H. Kintner, a manufacturer of saddles and harness. On the oppo- site side of the street Gen. N. D. Grover was en- gaged in the same business, in a frame building ad- joining his brick residence on the alley now owned by Mrs. Kraut. Gen. Grover was succeeded a few years afterward by Fuller & Clendening, who came from Troy, Ohio. Next to Kintner on the north side of the street there was a one-story building occupied by John M. Ewing as a tailor shop. Then came an- other one-story building, occupied by J. L. Miller, merchant and postmaster. At the southwest cor- ner of Market and Third streets stood Washington Hall, a two-story frame hotel, owned by Cyrus Vi- gus, but conducted at that time by Jacob Humbert. It fronted on Market street, but extended back, oc- cupying the most ground on Third street. From this hotel extending down Market street to the alley was a row of two-story frame buildings all built solidly together, and divided into store rooms about 18 to 20 feet wide, and this was called "Commercial Row." It was a very plain building, weather- boarded, and with doors and windows very much like a dwelling house. In addition to the store rooms, there were doors to the stairways leading to the rooms above which were used for offices and shops of different kinds. The occupants were as follows: Gen. Hyacinth Lasselle, merchant, using the room above for a printing office, from which the Logansport Telegraph was issued weekly, of which


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publication he was proprietor and John B. Dillon editor. Smead Kendall & Co., clothing, boots and shoes, etc. ; Anderson & Atwell, dry goods ; Eldridge & Cummings, general merchandise; Underhill & Co., hardware. The brick buildings opposite this block were erected a year or two afterward. The firm of Ewing & Walker, Indian traders, occupied a two-story frame building, painted yellow, which stood on the northeast corner of Market and Third where Harry. N. Ward's shoe store is now located. The Bringhurst store building recently torn down and rebuilt, was occupied by the firm of Hanna, Mc- Clary & Dart, dealers in general merchandise. This building and a hotel on the southwest corner of Mar- ket and Fourth streets called the "Mansion House," where the Golden Rule store now stands, were the only brick buildings on Market street east of Third street.




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