USA > Indiana > Lake County > Reports of the historical secretary of the Old settlers' association of Lake County, Indiana, 1891 - 1895 > Part 3
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In Crown Point some fifteen dwelling houses have been erected, (some not yet quite completed.) good, substantial buildings all, by Messrs. Witheral, Black, Laws, Houk, Sched- dell, Mckay, Patton, Kramer. Wheeler, Muzzall, Monix, Bruce, by Mrs. S. G. Wood, and the Methodist parsonage. Several more streets have been paved with cedar blocks. It is claimed that no other town in Indiana of the same population has as many miles of paved streets as Crown Point.
On Monday afternoon of this week I visited the last of our new cities, Chicago, Indiana, as it was named. It does not be- long to the growth of this year, but has not before found a place in these records. It was built, probably, in 1892. in an- ticipation of the great results that might follow, around the south bend of Lake Michigan, from the Columbus Exposition. But its present condition is evidence that its founders had no prophetic foresight. It is on the Grand Trunk Rail Road, a mile east of that crossing called Maynard. The streets aslaid out, the stakes to mark the lots, the plank walks designed for side walks, and nine buildings, all two stories in height, cou- stitute the present city. No animate life was there, but a de- lightful stillness and quietude reigned. . The large unbroken
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panes of glass testified that no town boys had been there. One building was evidently designed for a hotel. It is forty- five feet or more in width and seventy five in depth. The sec- ond floor is divided into about sixteen rooms. From the grav- al roof, on which for a time I stood, one cau overlook many square miles of that flat region. Thousands of dollars were expended here. Whether these buildings will ever be used, or whether a fire will by and by sweep them away, no man can uow foresee. For once I was the only human being in a, so called, young city.
Many empty houses are in Griffith, but there is still some life there, a good Sunday school, two religious congregations, . and two occupied school houses; but its day for business pros- perity has not yet returned.
The town of Hobart is still prosperous. A new publica- tion has been started there called the American Advocate of Prohibition, Patriotism and Pure Politics. Vol. 1. No. I. July 1, 1894. H. C. Hanson Editor and Publisher.
. At Water Valley, or South Shelby new buildings have been erected, but not in connection with the proper village of Shelby, although the post office and the new dwellings are over the Shelby corporation line.
The Hollander neighborhood, so pleasantly situated on the sandridge road between Lansing and Highland, improves from year to year. It might quite well be called a village of one street for one mile and a half east of the State Line. It has on this one street two stores, a post office, a church, a rail- road stopping place, a school house with two rooms, and very many dwelling houses, nearly all occupied by industrious, prosperous Hollander families. The eastern store where is the post office is kept by Mr. Munster. A mile and a half north and a half mile east of this office is still a post office kept in a saloon. No young lady, no child, can go to this post office without going into the saloon room. So far as I know the other saloon post offices of the county have been slightly separated. Public sentiment has not reached this one.
There have been this year two golden wedding celebrations. Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Hipsley celebrated their fiftieth anniver-
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sary Nov. 23, 1893 in their home near Palmer. About forts guests present, among them their two sons, their one daugh- ter, and eight grandchildren.
Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Clark celebrated their golden wedding Dec. 7, 1893, having been married in Lake county, and having had a home in the county for fifty full years. Very many guests were present, both in the afternoon and evening, and the occasion was one of marked interest to all. A prepared historical paper was read by T. H. Ball.
I had thought it practicable to obtain and so present a full report of the number of children in our county that attend- ed the World's Fair in 1893, and I appealed to the teachers of the county to aid me in collecting the figures. Some respond- ed nobly to my request, but quite a number failed to help in this particular. But the report is worth something as far as it goes. I regret the failure, for it might easily have been per- fect.
In Hobart township, in the graded school, whole number 293, 250 visited Jackson Park. In the other schools 11 only were reported by two teachers. In North the Hessville teach - er reported 14, and in Calumet the teacher at Ridge, 10. In Ross 3 schools reported 47, and in St. Johns from one school were reported 10. In Hanover from Brunswick 19 and from Paisley 5. In Center, from Crown Point, 403 whole number. 375 visited the Fair. Two other schools, 12. From Eag'e Creek township a quite full report. Number that attended, 83. Cedar Creek, 4 schools, 53. West Creek, 5 schools, 84. Whole number reported 973. There must have been in all more than 2,000 of our children that saw the Columbus Exposition. thank these teachers who so promptly sent me reports.
The record to be placed here, according to our custom. of those who have left the activities of earth, is the following: 1. James Clingan, born Nov. 2, 1815, an early resident in the county, from 1857 to 1861, promment merchant in Crown Point, as late as 1884 engaged in brick and tile making. but who had for the last few years retired from business life, died Nov. 11, 1893, 78 years of age. For many years he was a mem- ber of the Presbyterian church. He was a good citizen, a de-
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voted Christian man. 2. Dr. A. J. Pratt, for so many years a physician here, died Nov. 22, 1893, 68 years of age. He had been in many families in their days and nights of sickness and suffering, had brought relief to many through his knowledge of the healing art, was very kindly in his ministrations in the homes of the sick; but his own time came at length to die. He had been for some years a member of the Presbyterian church, and was one of those, so useful in any community, known as true Christian physicians. 3. James Henry Luther, another well known citizen among us, who was born Dec. 13, 1814, for many years in public and official life, a very earnest member of this Association, for some years its treasurer, a kindly heart- ed and noble man, having passed a few days beyond the 79th anniversary of his birthday, passed into the experience of an- other life Dec. 18, 1893. 4. Mrs. Elizabeth Gragg, born July 28. 1823, in Monroe, New York, who was married to John Gragg at Naples, N. Y., Sept. 15, 1841, who came to Lake coun- ty in 1851, a member of the Baptist church at Lowell, died Feb. 20, 1894, not quite 71 years of age. 5. Henry Woodruff, father of Mrs. Kenney, an early settler at Orchard Grove, died in his daughter's home Feb. 25, 1894. He would have been, . May 5, 86 years of age. 6. Martin Vincent, born in Schohar- rir county, New York, Sept. 3, 1816, Married to Miss Mercy Pierce March 4, 1837, becoming a resident of Lake county in 1841, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal church in 1870, died at 3 o'clock Monday morning, March 5, 1894, being 77 years of age. 7. I insert here the name of one of our true pioneer women, who for fome years had been a resident of Ar- kansas, Mrs. C. Holton. She was born in East Tennessee in 1812, was married to J. W. Holton Dec. 17, 1829, became a res- ident here in 1835, in 1874 removed to White county, Arkansas, and died at Steven's Creek, at her daughter's home, March 29, 1894, 82 years of age, her husband, J. W. Holton having died Dec. 29, 1879. An Arkansas paper says that they made the whole trip from Jennings county to Lake county in 1835 on horseback, and that when they settled here "there was probab- ly not a civilized white man between them and the Pacific Ocean." Wild as it truly was here then it was not equal to
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that. 8. Elias Ferguson, born Feb. 18, 1828, a citizen of Lowell and of Crown Point for many years, died in the spring of this year, I think in April, 66 years of age. 9. Mrs. Mary Garrison, born in New Jersey, a resident in this county about thirty years, died at Creston May 18, 1891. 82 years of age. 10. Mrs. Julia Ann Taylor was born Nov. 29, 1828, and in the spring of 1836, when seven and a half years of age her father, Ado- nijah Taylor, made his claim on the east side of Cedar Lake and built his cabin where is now the Binyon hotel. She was there- fore one of the true and real pioneer children of Cedar Lake, and of all the once joyous and happy girls around that sheet of water she remained as the last one to have a home in this county.
When quite young she was married to O. G. Taylor, has lived south of Cedar Lake and at Creston, living long enough to see some twenty grandchildren and a few great grandchild- ren. She was a pleasant, winsome child, an attractive girl, an active, useful, motherly woman, a member of the Methodist church. She died May 24, 1894, only sixty-five and a half years of age, having lived in this county fifty-eight years. Six generations in her line have lived and died, or are living still, in these fifty-eight years around the Red Cedar Lake. 11. Herman C. Beckman, born June 3, 1822, coming to this conn- try from Europe in September, 1846, married in 1852, coming into this county and beginning business life as a merchant at Hanover Center in 1855, removing his home and store after- wards to Brunswick, elected county commissioner in 1867, post- master at Brunswick for twenty-nine years, died at his home Thursday morning, July 5, 1891, being 72 years of age. Of him it may well be said, as of Mr. J. H. Luther, that he was a kindly hearted and noble man, and the Lake County Star well says that "By his death Lake county Joses one of her best, law-abiding citizens." Of these two whose names are placed together here it may truly be said, that he who had these, the one a spiritualist, the other an agnostic, as his personal and business friends, an did the Historical Secretary of this Asso- ciation, had two as good and reliable friends as any man need hope to have. What men are in character does not depend up-
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on what they may call themselves or what they may be called by others.
12. The last record to be placed here is the name and death of Mrs. M. J. Pearce of Eagle Creek township. Mrs. Pearce, Margaret J. Dinwiddie, was born in Ohio, June 5, 1818, and as one of the sisters of J. W. Dinwiddie, was one of the young pioneer women of our county, scarcely out of girlhood indeed when the incidents in her life took place connected with the Indians at Indian-town, as recorded in "Lake Coun- ty, 1872," page 75. In 1840 she was married to Michael Pearce and became mistress of the home east of Plum Grove where she lived until Aug. 8, 1893, when quite unexpectedly to her children she quietly passed away from earth in the 77th year of her age. As might be expected from the incidents of her early womanhood, she has been a courageous, cheerful, spright- ly woman, a good and faithful mother and friend. She was a member of the United Presbyterian church at Hebron.
Of these twelve whose death has now been placed upon our record I repeat as an item of interest their ages: 78, 68, 79, . 70, 85, 77, 82, 66, 82, 65, 73,76. The sum of these is 900 thus making the average.75 years.
Of the further history which we have this year made and are still making there is not much more for this record.
The season has been characterized as was last year by freedom from severe summer storms. It has been in the cen- ter of the county quite dry, no rain, except some little sprinkles, from the last of June to the eleventh of August. The gardens and potatoes and corn and pastures have therefore suffered for the want of moisture. But over all the south part of the coun- ty rain in July was quite abundant. The oat crop of the county has been good, the hay crop quite fair, and in the south part of the county the corn is promising. More fruit has been raised this year than there was last, yet the apple crop is not abundant.
But compared with the many suffering and needy millions of the land we of Lake county have cause for abundant grati- tude to God. '
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WEATHER RECORD. 1893 -- 1894.
-- HE record for the autumn commences with Aug. 28. In the evening a cold N. wind, becoming quite strong. (The papers give accounts of a fearful hurricane at this time on the Atlantic coast, causing great destruction, and of a fierce storm on Lake Michigan.) We felt but little of this storm. Wednesday, Aug. 30, a light frost in parts of the coun- ty this morning. In September cool days, then hot, smoke and red sun sets, a sultry night, everything very dry, till Sept. 12. Then, at noon, showers commenced, extending over the county which had had no general rain since June 10. The highland pastures had become completely dry. Cows requir- ed feeding as in November. September 13, 14, hot. At 2 P. M. 96º F. Sept. 22. A heavy cloud bank wasseen in the morning in the west and N. W. It rose up slowly with lightning flashing in its dark folds. It gave us some rain, but its force passed north of us, over Jackson Park, and was there the worst storm since April, one of the worst the World's Fair buildings ex- perienced. Here the storm was not severe, but the clouds looked very "angry." Sept. 26. A white frost. Ice. 29. A white frost. Sept. closed rainy. First part of October show- erý, rainy, grass growing. October 29. Ground frozen slightly. November was rather wet. Some rain, some snow, some Indi- an summer days. 24, mercury 4º F. 29, 40 degrees. Dec. 1, 5 degrees below zero at sunrise. Snow. Sleighs running. Dec. 3. Snow a foot deep. Mercury going down. 4. At 5 A. M., IS degrees below zero at Mrs. Marvin's. At 7 A. M., 10 degrees below at Lowell. At Crown Point 5 degrees below after sunrise. December 5. 30 degrees. At noon 35 degrees. The weather variable through the month. Dec. 21, roads mud- dy. December 22, 9:20 A. M. a shower, bright sunshine, a bright rainbow with its eastern end on the horizon due north. An uncommon sight. At noon 52 degrees F. Dec. 23, roads muddy. Evening meeting at Shelby withont fire in the school room. Mild. December 24, 25, 26, 27, pleasant, mild. 28,
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farmers plowing. 29, a sail boat out on Cedar Lake. The ice had been seven inches thick. Jan 1, 1894. A delightful, spring- like morning, Plowing continued till January 7. Then frost again going into the ground. January 17, plowing again. Roads good. 23, ground again frozen. 25, mercury 10 degrees below zero. Jan. 31, ice harvest again. Six inches. Feb. 7, a thaw. Snow melting. 8, heavy fog. Rain came. Mud. 9, a thunder shower. Feb. 12, a snow storm. Wind N. E. Quite a blizzard. At noon, 24 degrees. Snow very penetrating. Sifting in everywhere. Drifting badly. So severe the storm that of 73 pupils in the high school room at Crown Point only abont 20 met the teacher in the afternoon. The wind very strong. At sunset about 24 degrees, Had the mercury been much lower the storm would have been terrible. Feb. 13, at noon 32 degrees. The wind has ceased. The storm is over. The drifts are very deep. The railroads are blockaded. Feb. 16. Bright sunshine. 5 degrees. At noon 24 degrees. Feb. 17. A strong S. wind. The snow seems all turning into wat-
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er. Light showers JS, snow still melting. 20, thaw over.
21, 5° below zero. 22, in the early morning, zero. 25, the same, but a thaw began. 26, at noon 40 degrees. 27, 33 de- grees, noon 47 degrees. A caterpiller out on the sidewalk. March 1, suown nearly gone except in the deep drifts. 6 & 7. rainy. March 8, robins here. March mostly a mild, spring month. April variable as usual, but a mild month. April 16, mercury reached 67 degrees. Spring flowers in abundance at Cedar Lake. Showers along and mnd. 21, grass growing. 24, dandelion blossoms in abundance. 27, strawberry blos- soms. 28, pear, cherry, and plum trees in quite full bloom, and some peach blossoms open. 29, things are growing rap- idly. May opened with showery weather. Vegetation grow- ing rapidly. May 18. a light thunder storm. At noon a cold, very severe wind storm came from the north, blowing off much fruit, blowing down trees, breaking down pea vines, cansing some destruction to fruits and vegetables. The Chicago pa- pers said a hurricane swept down on Chicago from Manitoba. The storm lasted with us, but not so severe, four days: No such storm for several years. It swept over a large area of
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country, in the far north giving sleighing. June quite a show - ery, warm month, 10 & 15, 96 degrees, and from 7 to 14 very smoky air. July quite a hot nionth, 18, at 1 P. M., 102 degrees F., some showers. some dry weather. July 31, around Crown Point very dry. Aug. 8, 99 degrees. No rain yet. Aug. 11, rain. It falls quietly, delightfully. The earth and the vege- tatlon seem to drink the moisture with gladness. Note. The record for the year was a daily record which is here condens- ed.
- REPORT. AUGUST 28, 1895.
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S this Association was organized July 24, 1875 and a meeting, our first annual meeting, was held September 25, 1875, this is our twenty-first annual meeting al- though only the twentieth anniversary of our organization.
Our twenty fifth will therefore come in the year 1900, the year in which there is expected to be a world's fair at Paris.
Dates and past and coming events indicate to us how rap- idly time is flying. Well has TIME been represented as having a scythe, an hour glass, and wings.
The year that closes with us now, as did the years that have passed, calls upon us for gratitude and praise to our great and good Father in the heavens for the protection grant- ed to us and the blessings bestowed upon us. While some are absent, many of ns yet remain to interchange our greet- ings and review our lengthening past. Asour anniversary was held last year Ang. 18th, the first event to be reported, in the order of time, is the following account of exercises at Plum Grove. "On Saturday evening, August 25, 1894, the new school building at Plum Grove was opened to the citizens of that neighborhood. The house is quite large for an ungraded school, is well constructed, and is without question a more than ordinarily fine looking building. It is neatly furnished with single desks for forty-five scholars.
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Across the street from the new building, on the grounds of Hon. Jerome Dinwiddie, our late representative and candi- date for re-election, was held a lawn ice-cream and cake social. The tables were spread under an awning forty feet long, beau- tifully decorated and lighted with Japanese lanterns, reflec- tors and common lanterns furnishing the light for the grounds; while a World's Fair camping tent furnished the needed shel- ter for those freezing the cream and supplying the tables. The view from the street was beautiful. The lawn was ample in size, and on it, to the credit of the young men of Plum Grove it is here recorded, there was no cigar, there was breath- ed with the pure, though smoky air no tobacco smoke. About eighty persons were present. The recreations were quiet and pleasant, as might be expected in a neighborhood of so much cultivation.
The proceeds were to procure chandeliers for the school room, and soon the young people propose to secure an organ.
Ou Sunday evening the first religious services were held in that very pleasant and commodious audience room, where the public school is soon to open, fifty persons attending this opening service. Connected with the old school house are many pleasant memories of school life, of social, literary, and religions gatherings. The associations to be linked with the new one are yet in the future."
New, large, nice school houses were built this summer at Shelby also and at Creston, which were occupied early in the fall, the first religious services having been held in the one at Creston October 7, 1894.
The next record is concerning the Sunday-school organ- ization of the county. On Wednesday Ang. 29, 1894, the Lake County Sabbath School Convention, organized September 16, 1865, was changed to the Lake County Sunday School Union, with a new constitution, a new object, and a new time of hold- ing anniversary meetings. "The Awakener," the State S. S. periodical, says: "a new constitution was adopted and allegi- ance to the State Association was pledged. This action" the Awakener adds, "marks an epoch in the Sunday School history of Lake county." And of course, with these four changes
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made, a new name, a new constitution, a new object, a new time for the annual meeting,-one only of the original mem- bers of the Convention remaining,-the historian is authorized to date from this Awakener "epoch",-Ang. 29, 1894 -- the be- ginning of a new organization and therefore the closing up of the old. The "Convention" had done its work and it was a fitting time for its close to come. The "Union" has its work yet to do. It is true of many things, "The old order chang- eth." On Sunday July 1, 1894, there was closed up, (with children's day exercises in which Miss Minnie Barron of Mich- igan City, Miss Georgia E. Ball and T. H. Ball of Crown Point, took part,) without any recognition of the fact at the time, the Cedar Lake Union Sunday School, after an existence of more than, fifty years, one only of the original members being pres- ent.
The change in the county organization has left this day, the last Wednesday in August, so long in our county an anni- versary day, open for the meeting of our Association to day.
Golden Wedding Anniversaries.
HE following list gives the names of those found living in the county up to December 25th. 1894, who had been married more than fifty years.
1. James Hildreth born in Virginia, May 19, 1810, and Rhoda Griffin, born in Hamilton, New York, April 16, 1815, were married Ootober 24, 1830.
2. John Binyon born in Tennessee August 16. 1816, and Nancy Hughes, born in Kentucky June 8, 1822, were married June 14; 1837. They came into Porter county in 1810, and in- to Lake, to Plum Grove, in 1847.
3. Dr. James A. Wood and wife of Lowell have lived in this county for some fifty four years and were married as early as 1837, settling then in Porter county.
4. M. A. Halsted and wife of Lowell, who have lived in this county nearly fifty years, were married May 11, 1912.
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5. Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus M. Mason were married in Lake county, July 25, 1843, both pioneers, Mr. Mason being at Christmas time about 84 years old.
6. Dr. Wilkinson and wife of Crown Point, married more than fifty one years ago, but residents of this county ouly about 10 years.
7. Mr. J. L. Hipsley and wife married Nov. 23. 1843.
8. Mr. Hugh Boyd and wife married Nov. 29, 1843. They have three children and thirteen grandchildren, and in all these fifty-one years death has never come into their, now three, family homes. The Boyd family came into this county in September 1855.
9. Mr. W. A. Clark and wife, married in this county Dec. 7, 1843.
10. Mr. Jacob Wise and wife were married December 21, 1843.
11. Mr. Amos Brannon and wife married Sept. 18, 1844.
12. Rev. H. Wason and wife, married Oct. 29, 1844.
13. Mr. Daniel H. Strong and wife married Oct. 30, 1844.
NOTABLE BIRTHDAY PARTIES.
August 27, 1894, about sixty neighbors and friends cele- brated the 70th anniversary of the birth of Mrs. Strong, wife of Daniel H. Strong, of West Creek township. Mrs. Strong received from her friends many presents. Afters the dinner and the recreations short addresses were given by Messrs. G. F. Sutton and W. H. Pixley and Mrs. Wm. Edgerton.
June 8, 1895, at the home of her daughter Mrs. Charles Sigler, was celebrated the 73d birth day anniversary of Mrs. Binyon, wife of Mr John Binyon. Some forty elderly ladies were invited to this festival, twenty five of them from Lowell and its vicinity.
There was a birthday party at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Surprise July 12, 1895, this being. the fifty-fourth anni- versary of the birth-day of Mrs. Surprise a sister of Dr. Hill of Creston. About eighty relatives and friends were present and
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made the day memorable for the Surprise family where Mrs. Hill now makes her home.
VARIOUS IMPROVEMENTS.
Some iron bridges have been put in this year on roads in the south part of the county. A new school house has been built at the Bilacombe corner, and a large, five school build- ing, similar to the one at Phim Grove has been built at Egypt.
Lowell has been making great improvements within the past year. Street grading and improving with cinders and gravel have changed very much in two years the main thor- oughfare. In the calendar year of 1894 thirty-one dwelling houses were erected in Lowell and four business houses. One of these, called the Hack block, has been reported, and to this an addition quite large is this year being built. The Spindler block was built in one month, in December, 1994. It is 80 feet by 65, with a hall or auditorium 80 feet by 40. The buikl- ing was opened for business Feb. 1, 1895, and the opening ex- ercises of the auditorium were held a few days afterwards. New buildings are still going up this summer, quite a num- ber, among them a large brick dwelling house for Mr. Edward Belshaw. While Hobart bas its clay beds for brick and terra cotta, Whiting its oil, and Hammond its slaughter house, Lowell has around it a very rich agricultural region, and as the business center of nearly three townships of yet large un- developed resources, with its water-power also, its prospect . for a healthy and permanent and large growth is very bright. The immense fields of corn this summer, where but a few years ago were the trappers' claims, one alone covering two hundred and fifty acres of area, show what may soon be expected, of immense agricultural productions, upon the many thousands of acres where the musk-rats and mink can no longer make their homes, nor even the thousands of wild ducks ford. Un- told agricultural wealth lies in that broad marsh region, and Lowell is its proper business center.
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