USA > Indiana > Allen County > Fort Wayne > The pictorial history of Fort Wayne, Indiana : a review of two centuries of occupation of the region about the head of the Maumee River, Vol. I > Part 36
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89
In 1849, the city council established fire limits as follows, within which no wooden structures could be erected : Main, Barr, Harrison
THIS AGREEMENT, Made and concluded the
C une in the year /& 3 & Between Crackchill
4K Milliano day of
party of the first part, and the Canal Commissioners of the State of Indiana, for and on behalf of said State, of the second part, Witnesscth: That the said party of the first part contracts and agrees to construct, In a good, substantial and wejrkmanlike manger, all that part of the line of the Wabash and Erie Canal, which is
section Number Wave the Middle Diversion of the
M. + Eine Casal reference being herein had to the location and map of said line made by Clasefre edy way Engineer, agreeably to the following plan, that is to say: Kirst, in all places where the natural surface of the earth is ebore the bottom of the Caanal and where the line requires cx- Cavation, all the trees, saplings, bushes, stamps aod roots sball be grubbed sod dug up at least sisty feet wide, that is, for
thirty for
fot coins of the sowing path side of the centre, and thirty feet wide Do the opposite side of the centre of
the Cenet, and together with al! logs, brush and wood of every description, sball be removed at least twenty feet beyond the outwant hine of said grubbing on each side; and oo the space of twenty feet on each side of the said grubhing, all the trees. mplings, bushes and stumps shall be cut down close to the ground, so that no part of any of them shall be left owore iban one foot in beight above the natural surface of the earth, and shall also, together with all logs, brush and woud ofevery kind, be remer- od entirely from said space. And the trees, saplings and bushes shah also be cut down fiftecu feet wide on each side of sand space so to be cleared, and also all trees wbich in falling will be liable to break or injure the banks of the Canal, and wherever the situation of the line may require the grubbiog, low chopping and clearing shall be extended in breadth, so far that no uncleared land inay be occupied by the embankment or excavation. And no part of the trees, saplings, brush, stumps, Fullad Inid or deposited on either of the sections adicione thi. ..
and that the party of the first part Shall not permil. any of the workmen in hus employ while they are engaged in constructing this section to drink distilled Spirits of any kind under the lability of for Juting this Contract at the of tion of the party of the Second part In testimony of which we haveto Subscribe our names the day and year full above written (Agnão Inflicates)
HiCham Rockhel a
Deal 8
Sau Lewes 3 ..
Comes 118 6 Canal
A CANAL CONSTRUCTION CONTRACT.
The above is a photographic reproduction of the opening and closing clauses of a contract between William Rockhill and the canal commissioners for the construction of Section No. 2 of the Middle division of the Wabash and Erie canal. Attention is directed to the clause referring to the use of intoxicants.
315
CANAL CONSTRUCTION-FIRST NEWSPAPER
1832 1834
and the Wabash and Erie canal (now the right-of-way of the Nickel Plate railroad).
It was not until 1856 that the city took official recognition of the department as connected with municipal affairs. At this time the city appointed a fire chief-L. T. Bourie-whose supervision ex- tended over such volunteer companies as existed or which might be formed. Assistant fire chiefs were B. Saunders and A. Wiley. The members of these companies were exempted from jury service and the payment of poll tax.
A company called the Alert engine and hose company was organized in 1856, and the new body acquired the equipment of the Hermans volunteer company, which had disbanded. The officers of the new company were L. T. Bourie, foreman; Samuel Pratt and George Messerschmidt, assistant foremen; C. W. Lewis, treasurer, and E. L. Chittenden, secretary.
In this year also was organized the Mechanics engine and hose company, with O. D. Hurd, foreman; Martin Nierman and Eli Cone, assistant foremen; Joseph Price, secretary, and A. Oppenheimer, treasurer.
In 1858, the Wideawake fire company was organized. In 1859, the city council created an organization known as the Fort Wayne Fire association, composed of seven members from each of the then existing fire companies-the Alerts, the Mechanics and the Wide- awakes-with the purpose of adopting uniform and harmonizing rules for fire-fighting.
The Protection engine and hose company, with Samuel C. Fletter as foreman, Henry Gronuman, secretary, and Thomas Burk, treas- urer, was organized late in the year.
A new fire-fighting organization, the Torrent engine and hose company, was brought into existence in 1860, with H. W. Fry, fore- man ; James Hoagland and James Mahan, assistant foremen ; R. J. Fisher, secretary, and Andrew Kalbacher, treasurer. The Second ward engine house was erected at the northeast corner of Court and Berry streets; two years later the old engine house at the rear was torn down. O. D. Hurd was chosen fire chief, succeeding George Humphrey.
In 1861, the city purchased its first steam fire engine from the Silsby Manufacturing Company for $4.800; it was named the "Frank Randall" in honor of the mayor. In 1863, the Eagle engine com- pany and the Protection engine company were organized as a part of the city's fire-fighting organization. Another steamer. the "Charley Zollinger," was secured in 1865, from the Clapp and Jones Company. In 1867, a third steam fire engine, of the Amoskeag type, was purchased from the city of Pittsburg for $3,000. The first rotary fire engine-the "Anthony Wayne"-was purchased in 1872, at a cost of $4,800. The first hose for use on reels was bought in 1874. In 1874, also, the Vigilants and the Torrents withdrew from the fire department and formed an independent company known as the United Vigilants and Torrents. The Mechanics com- pany was organized as a part of the city department. The National fire alarm system, with fifteen boxes and about eight miles of wire, was installed in 1874, at a cost of $5,000. In the same year Frank
316
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
B. Vogel was chosen chief of the fire department, with Robert Crann and George Strodel, assistants.
Among the men prominently identified with the department in the earlier years were L. T. Bourie, Joseph A. Stillwagon, Hiram Poyser, Henry Monning, J. C. Iten, J. Harrington, Adam Clark, L. Buchwalter, Charles Kiser, H. Stapleford, T. J. Rodabaugh, and
JUDGE HUGH M'CULLOCH.
Hugh McCulloch, who came to the vil- lage of Fort Wayne on horseback in June, 1833, as a young lawyer, has been called "the father of the national bank- ing system of the United States." His brief experience as a lawyer, during which time he was appointed judge of the probate court of Allen county, was followed by his election, in 1835, as cashier of the Fort Wayne branch of the State Bank of Indiana. With the reor- ganization of the central institution at Indianapolis, in 1857. as the Bank of the State of Indiana, Mr. McCulloch was elected its president. In 1863, Salmon P. Chase, secretary of the treasury under President Lincoln, offered Mr. McCulloch the position of the first comptroller of the currency. His appointment by the president followed. Mr. McCulloch as- sumed the organization of the national bank bureau of the treasury department and the management of the national banking system, by means of which all of the state banks were superseded by the national. In the formation of Lin- coln's second cabinet, Mr. McCulloch was chosen secretary of the treasury. In this position, until the close of Johnson's ad- ministration and during a portion of Ar- thur's administration, he handled the fi- nancial problems of years following the war with universal satisfaction. In 1870 Mr. McCulloch went to London as the resident and managing partner of Jay Cooke, McCulloch & Company. Upon his return to the United States Mr. McCul- loch was prevailed upon by President Arthur to again assume the office of secretary of the treasury, to succeed Walter Q. Gresham, resigned. In 1887 and 1888 Mr. McCulloch wrote his inter- esting book, "Men and Measures of Half a Century." During his residence in Fort Wayne he was a leader in the promotion of measures for the welfare of the com- munity. He was born in Kennebunk, Me., December 12, 1808. His death occurred May 24, 1895.
OLIVER P. MORGAN.
AIr. Morgan was a native of Lawrence- burg, Ind., born in 1824. With his father -former Mayor Joseph Morgan-he came to Fort Wayne in 1832. In 1856 he en- gaged in the hardware business and later was a member of the widely known hard- ware house of Morgan & Beach. He served as a member of the city council and city recorder, and was for many years a member of the board of trus- tees of the public schools. He was prom- inent in banking and insurance circles.
L
CHRISTIAN PARKER.
Christian Parker settled in St. Joseph township, Allen county, in 1833. Mr. Parker was elected a justice of the peace in 1834, a county commissioner in 1839 and 1844, and a representative in the state legislature for
four successive terms.
317
CANAL CONSTRUCTION-FIRST NEWSPAPER
1832 1834
William Schiefer. The Mechanics, the Alerts, the Vigilants, the Ed Slocum and the Eagle organizations were rivals for the highest honors of the times.
The first paid fire department came into existence in 1881, with Henry Hilbrecht, Jr., as chief. Since then the department has grown in equipment and efficiency, and is now very thoroughly motorized.
THE EARLY WATER SUPPLY.
For many years the fire department secured water by the laying of long lines of hose, connecting with the canal. Later, as the build- ing area spread, it was found necessary to construct cisterns at points distant from the canal. These increased in number to thirty- four and they were employed until the coming of the municipal water system, at which time they were abandoned and filled with earth.
THE FIRST NIGHTWATCH.
The town trustees in June, 1834, passed an ordinance to the effect that "there shall be a watch established to consist of at least four judicious men, to be continued as long as may be considered necessary, to guard the town from the ravages of fire and to prevent disorderly conduct within said corporation, one half to be posted at 10 o'clock p. m., and to stand until 1 o'clock a. m., and to be relieved by the marshal or some other person authorized by the trustees, and the other half, or the remaining two, to stand from thence to 4 o'clock a. m., and be discharged accordingly." Among these first watchmen were William H. Wallace, William Brown and William Cushman. The watchmen were required to stop all persons found on the streets after 10 o'clock, and, in the absence of a reason- able excuse, to place them in the "lockup." A fine of $3 awaited the appearance of the culprit in the morning.
In December, 1853, the council appointed John Hardendorff, Patrick McGee, John D. McGrady, and Alexander Wiley (succeeded by Henry Klinger) to serve as policemen, each to receive $1.50 per night for his service. All were discharged in the following year, and a reorganization brought to the force James Wall, John Harden- dorff, Patrick McGee and Jacob Lewis, the latter serving as cap- tain. Others who served during this period were William Mckinley (captain of the watch), Barney Hutker and Milton Henry.
The first regularly-organized police force was formed in 1863.
ACTIVITIES OF 1832.
Among the prominent men who came to Fort Wayne in 1832, were Reuben J. Dawson (born in Dearborn county in 1811), who became Allen county's first surveyor, and rose to a place of distinc- tion as judge of the circuit court; Lucien P. Ferry, an attorney of marked ability; Joseph Morgan, from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, who served as Fort Wayne's second mayor; Oliver P. Morgan, son of Joseph Morgan, a leading hardware merchant, city recorder and school trustee ; Lott S. Bayless, prominent in many lines of activity ; Philo Rumsey, merchant, and later landlord of the Rockhill house, and John M. Wilt, from Cumberland county, Pennsylvania, who entered the land office under Colonel John Spencer and served as
318
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
county surveyor and engineer. The vote of Allen county which sent Judge Samuel Hanna to the state senate and David H. Colerick and William Rockhill to the house of representatives totaled 224.
ACTIVITIES OF 1833.
Early in the spring of 1833 a large, handsomely fitted steamboat, called the "Phenomenon," commanded by Captain Daniels, with Isaac Woodcock, of Antwerp, Ohio, as pilot, came up the Maumee to Fort Wayne. The town gave the craft a glad reception, expressed an address by David H. Colerick. A gay party was given on board
-
VOL. I.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY, RY TIGAR & HOEL.
TER.MS .- Two dollars per annum, if paid in advance; $2 50 at the end of six months ; and $3 at the end of the year.
Advertisements inserted three weeks at the rate of $1 for every 16 lioes, and 25 cents for each subsequent insertion.
A liberal discount to those who advertise by the year.
Notice.
Canal Letting.
EALED PROPOSALS for the construction of EIGHTEEN to TWENTY Miles of the WABASH & ERIE CANAL Will be received ot Miamisport, Miami county, Indiana, on the 28th day of July next. 'The work to be let extends from the town of Wabash, westward to a point about 15 miles a. buve Logansport, und vibraces
Five or Six LOCKS, a number of CULVERTS, and a D.A.M a. cross the Wabash, below the mouth of the Mississinewa, 8 feet high, and near 500 feet long.
He broke jail in company with a young man, named Jacob Marsh or Boyer, with whom he may probably be found.
The above reward, and all reasonable expenses will be given for said M'Coy if brought to Fort Wayne, or delivered to the United States Mar- shall at Indianapolis, or secured in sny jail with- in 150 miles of Fort Wayne.
H. RUDISILL, P. M.
Fort Wayne, May 21, 1834.
41
Commission Business.
& H. HANNA & Co. will receive in Storage and tell on Commission all kinds of Pro- duoe, and attend to the Storage and Forwarding business generally. t-tf Fort Wayne, July 3, 1833.
Bidders not personally known to the Commis- sioners or Engineer will be expected to produce satisfactory testimonials of character and qualifi- cations as Contractors. D. BURR, Commissioners SAML. LEWIS, of the Wabash JAS. B. JOHNSON ) & Erie Canal. TREATY GROUND, 24th. May, 1834. 42
-
An Ordinance
Of the Fort Wayne Corporation, appointing a watch and regulaling their duties.
SECTION 1. Be it ordained by the President and Trustees of the town of Fort Wayne, That there shall be a watch established, to consist of at least four judicious men to be continued as long as tony be considered necessary, to guard the towh from the ravages of fire and to prevent dis orderly comalurt within said corporation ; one hals to be posted at 10 o'clock, P. M. and to stand und til one o'clock A. Meand be relieved by the Mar- shal or some other person nuthorized by the Trus- iees, and the offer half of remaining two to stand Som ther ce unt.I four o'clock A. M. and be dis. charged accordingly.
SEC. 2. It shall be the duty of the guard to stop all persons who may be found out after 10 o'clock P. M. and take them to the guard house to be dealt with according to hiw, anless such person or persons can give a satisfactory excuse. And any person or persons so offending shall be ined in any suin not exceeding three dollars.
ROBERT BRACKENRIDGE, Pres't ATTEST, THOMAS JOHNSON, CIL pro lem.
Twenty Dollars Reward.
ROKE JAIL, at Fort Wayne, on Friday last, the 16th inst. WILLIAM M'COY, charged with robbing the United States Mail .- Said M'Coy is about 17 years of age, five feet high, light complexion, blue eyes, und when spo- ken to has a down look ; he bad on when be went away a blue jeans coat and pantaloons very much worn, and a roram hat about half worn.
Plans and Specifications of the work will be ex- hibited for four or five days previous to the letting and all necessary explanations in relation to the work will be given by the Engineer superintend- ing the same.
L
AN EARLY COPY OF FORT WAYNE'S FIRST NEWSPAPER.
A copy of the Fort Wayne Sentinel, bearing the date of June 14, 1834, from which the above photographic reproductions were made, is probably the oldest local newspaper in existence. It was the forty-fourth issue of the paper. The earlier files of The Sentinel, which first appeared in July, 1833, were destroyed.
319
CANAL CONSTRUCTION-FIRST NEWSPAPER
1832 1834
the boat and several hours were spent in dancing. . Nelson Clark and wife and little daughter, and Miss Susan Clark, a sister from Dayton, Ohio, located in Fort Wayne. Susan Clark taught the first private school for young children, in 1836, in a remodeled tin shop on Columbia street. Miss Clark became the wife of Samuel S. Morss; her death, at the age of ninety-one years, occurred in Fort Wayne in 1905. Edward Stapleford came to Fort Wayne and opened an auction store in 1833. The associate judges of the Allen county court, to 1836, were William N. Hood, Lewis G. Thompson, William G. Ewing, David Rankin and Peter Huling. Upon the resignation of Mr. Ewing, Governor Noble appointed Hugh McCulloch to the vacancy. Joseph McMaken bought Washington Hall, corner of Barr and Columbia streets, from Robert Hood and Abner Gerard. Dr. Philip G. Jones, later county clerk and mayor and a surgeon during the Mexican war, came from Manchester, Maryland. Dr. Merchant W. Huxford, of St. Mary's, Ohio, later mayor, settled at Fort Wayne; he was the town's first druggist. Mail service in 1833 was confined to Chicago twice a week, via Niles, Michigan; to the east via the Maumee river once a week; to the west via Logansport, twice a week, and south- west via Winchester, once a week.
ACTIVITIES OF 1834.
Michael Hedekin, a native of County Westmeath, Ireland, who built the Hedekin house in 1843 and 1844, located in Fort Wayne in 1834, and opened a store. Maurice Cody, also a native of Ireland, with an uncle, Patrick Cody, and two brothers, Patrick and Garrett, located in Fort Wayne in the latter part of the year. Maurice Cody later associated himself with Mr. Hedekin. For twenty years he was engaged in the milling business. John Monahan and family also came to Fort Wayne from Ireland in this year. . Jacob Fry, of Pennsylvania, on reaching Fort Wayne, established a tannery and conducted the business in partnership with Henry, David and Robert Work. James Humphrey established marble works on a site near the canal route at the corner of the present Fulton and
Main streets. County officers elected were : Auditor-re- corder, Allen Hamilton; treasurer, Thomas W. Swinney; sheriff, Joseph L. Swinney; commissioners, David Archer, Joseph Berkey and Nathan Coleman. John T. Barr, having become sole owner of all of the unsold Barr and McCorkle lands, transferred the same to Stephen Gerard, of Philadelphia. William Rockhill was appointed superintendent of the poor farm; the farm was leased to Jeremiah Bowers for a term of six years. Dr. L. G. Thompson was employed "to attend the poor house for one year from date, at two shillings per mile for visits, and one shilling for each dose of medicine prescribed." Captain Asa Fairfield and his brother, Oliver, settled at Fort Wayne. Both were sea- faring men, sons of Captain William Fairfield, a Revolutionary officer who served as an aide to Lafayette. Captain Asa Fairfield was born in Kennebunk Port, Maine, in 1797. He became a sailor in his father's vessel and followed the life of a seaman for several years before coming to Fort Wayne. Here Captain Fairchild purchased 240 acres of land in what is now South Wayne, a large residence
320
THE PICTORIAL HISTORY OF FORT WAYNE
section, for $12 per acre. The present boundary lines of the farm are Taylor street, Broadway, and Hoagland and Organ avenues. The Fairfields returned to Maine and brought their families west in 1835, accompanied by another brother, Charles, and his family. Two months were required for the trip. Carriages were bought at Pittsburg; these were loaded into the boat which brought the families to Fort Wayne over the Maumee, and are said to have been the first vehicles of the kind seen at Fort Wayne. One of the carriages shortly afterward was sold to Marshall S. Wines. Captain Asa Fairfield built the first frame house in South Wayne. Oliver Fairfield engaged in the bakery business; Asa and Charles became farmers. Asa Fairfield operated the first canal boat, "The Indiana," on the Wabash and Erie canal. Said Cyrus Fairfield, in
JESSE L. WILLIAMS.
For a period of forty years Jesse L. Williams held a position of prominence in the history of public works in Ohio and Indiana which concerned the develop- ment of the entire west.
THOMAS TIGAR.
Mr. Tigar, who, with S. V. B. Noel, founded the Fort Wayne Sentinel in 1833, was the first editor of a local newspaper.
DETROIT->
CANADA
MICHIGAN
MONROE
LAKE ERIE
FORT WAYNE
IOFORT MEIGS
DEFIANCE
WABASH
NA
RIVER
TRYS RIVER
OHIO
1
MISSISSININNEMA
VER
ORICHMOND
1
OBROOKVILLE
KENTUCKY
ROUTE OF THE "UNDERGROUND RAILROAD."
The map shows the route taken by the rescuers of the slaves in 1829, as described in the interesting Hoover man- uscript. In the state of Ohio many es- tablished lines extended between the Ohio river and the Canadian border. The "conductors" of these lines were usually farmers who lived about sixteen to twenty miles apart and who conveyed the fugitive slaves by night from one farm to the next. "I have more than ar passing interest in the subject of 'under- ground railroads,'" observes Judge Rob- ert S. Taylor. "At Salem, Ohio, the house of my grandfather, William Tay- lor, was a station on one of the slave routes between the Ohio river and Can- ada. From this house for several years the sons of my grandfather, working at night to elude the pursuers who often sought the runaways, conveyed the ne- groes in wagons to the next station, the farm of Robert Stewart, about twenty miles farther north. Arriving usually about 3 o'clock in the morning, the young ladies of the household arose and pre- pared coffee and other comforts for the night travelers. The friendship between one of these young men, Isaac N. Taylor, and one of these girls, Margaretta Stew- art, resulted in their marriage. I am their son." The narrative of the passage of the slaves is given in Chapter XXIV of this work.
321
CANAL CONSTRUCTION-FIRST NEWSPAPER
1832 1834
1916, referring to Asa Fairfield: "My father brought more money to Fort Wayne than any man who had preceded him. He was an old sea captain and had with him $30,000. Mrs. Thompson (formerly Ann R. Scott), the wife of Dr. L. G. Thompson, told him several times he ought to be careful about the money, so he gave it to her for safe keeping. She sewed the money in one of her mattresses, where she kept it until my father could look around to see where
he could best invest it." · Ochmig Bird, prominent in canal engineering, surveying and the holder of many important places of public trust, came from Pennsylvania, in 1834. Jackson Valentine, from Ohio, became a permanent resident. Chris- tian Parker, who was elected justice of the peace of St. Joseph township in 1834, county commissioner in 1836 and 1844 and a member of the legislature for four terms, located at Fort Wayne. Township trustees elected in 1834 were: Dr. Lewis G. Thompson, John B. Bourie, James Barnett, John B. DuBois and
L. B. Wilson. In 1834, the town trustees divided the cor- poration into five wards. The First ward was composed of all the land west of Calhoun street north from Berry; the Second ward included the strip between Calhoun and Clinton streets north from Berry; the Third ward was made up of the land between Clinton and Barr streets north from Berry; the Fourth ward was the por- tion south of Berry street west of Calhoun; the Fifth ward was the portion south of Berry street, east of Calhoun.
CHAPTER XXVI-1835-1837.
Canal Celebration of 1835-The "Irish War"-The First Bank.
The canal is opened between Fort Wayne and "Flint Springs" (Huntington) -A gay Fourth of July celebration-Oratory at the "feeder" dam at the St. Joseph river-The feud of the factions of Irish workmen on the canal-David Burr summons militia and averts a bloody clash between the "Corkonians" and the "Fardowns"-A hastily organized military company -- The voyage by night to the scene of trouble-The belligerents disperse-Establishment of the first bank-"Four kegs of specie"-Charles McCulloch's story of the bank-A woman's description of a pirogue journey over the Maumee-Hard times in the valley-The first church structures-Early taverns-The first cookstove-How the pioneer rats came to town.
T HE YEAR 1835 passed into history with two great events to the credit of the enterprise of the people of Fort Wayne --- the opening of the Wabash and Erie canal from Fort Wayne to Huntington, Indiana (then known as Flint Springs), and the establishment of the Fort Wayne branch of the State Bank of Indiana. The opening of traffic over the Fort Wayne section of the canal was made the object of a glorious celebration of the Fourth of July. Among the features of the day was a spectacular parade in which thirty-three young ladies participated, each representing a state of the Union as composed at that time.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.