USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > A History of Van Buren County, Michigan: A Narrative Account of Its Historical Progress, Its. > Part 60
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Paw Paw has an up-to-date system of electric lights, and mod- ern water works and sewers. The first attempt at lighting the town was made a number of years ago by a private company. This did not prove to be entirely satisfactory and so the municipality purchased one of the water powers (of which there are three in- side the corporation limits and two more just outside), and pro- ceeded to construct an electric plant of its own. This was first put in operation in 1903 and was continued for five years. As the demands for domestic lights increased, the power proved inadequate and it was found necessary to devise some other means of furnish- ing the needed lights, both public and private. While there were, at the time, five good water powers accessible, they were all of them located on a single branch of the river, no attempt ever having been made to build a dam across the stream below their junction. A survey was made and it was found that at a place about half a mile beyond the corporation line a dam could be constructed that would not only afford ample power for lighting the town, but also for operating the water works, which latter had theretofore been operated by steam power. And not only this, but at the same time a handsome lake would be created, which would extend between high banks through the center of the village; and this was the origin of beautiful Maple lake, which is one of the most attractive features of the town. After a full investigation of the matter, the citizens of the place appropriated the sum of $50,000 for the purpose of putting this plan into operation. The work was completed in the summer of 1908 and has proved to be all that was hoped and ex- pected. Not only has the power been ample, but the lake has become so attractive that cottages have been constructed on its banks, and resort grounds bordering on the lake have been platted around it. Water of the purest quality is piped to all parts of the town. It is pumped from wells that, before so large a demand was made upon them, were natural springs or flowing wells.
The public buildings of the town are the fine courthouse and jail,
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a fine and commodious schoolhouse, churches, Opera House and corporation hall.
The schools rank among the very best in the state. The official figures for the last school year are as follows: Number of per- sons of school age in the district, 335; number of non-resident pupils in attendance, seventy-three; average daily attendance, 309 ; number of volumes in school library, 2,000; value of school prop- erty, $25,000; indebtedness, none; teachers employed, thirteen ; amount paid for teachers' salaries, $5,427.25. Since the filing of the above report, the district has purchased the Free Baptist church building and converted it into a gymnasium for the use of the school.
Paw Paw is fairly well supplied with churches for a town of its size, in fact it might well be claimed that it is over-churched.
The first preaching of the Gospel in the town was by Rev. Junia Warner, in 1835. Services were held in Hinckley's blacksmith shop. In the fall of that year a Methodist class was organized. David Thorp was the first class leader and for a time services were held in his log chair-shop, afterward in a house belonging to Myron Hoskins, and then the village schoolhouse. In 1844 a house of worship was erected, which was occupied until 1876, when it was sold to George W. Longwell, removed to another site and converted into an opera house, for which purpose it is yet used. A new and commodious building was erected on the site of the old one and dedicated on the 16th day of December, 1876. The church now has about 200 members and is in charge of Rev. Alex. Luther.
The First Baptist church was organized on the 8th day of August, 1844, with eight members. Meetings were held rather ir- regularly for a number of years thereafter. The corner stone of the present church building was laid in September, 1857, and the building was completed in due time thereafter. A couple of years ago the Free Will Baptists, who had had an organization in the town since 1841, transferred their membership to the First Bap- tist, increasing its numbers until the present membership of the church is 130. At one time the Free Will Baptists were among the most prosperous of any of the churches in the town, but removals, deaths and changes of population had weakened the organization until it was thought wise to consolidate the two churches into one strong organization.
The Christian church, sometimes called the Disciple church, was first organized about the year 1842. The present house of worship of the society was erected in 1861. The frame of the building was raised by the help of the La Fayette Light Guard, the first com- pany from Van Buren county to enter the military service in the
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Civil war and which was subsequently known as Company C, of the Seventieth New York, one of the regiments of the famous Sickles brigade. The church record at the close of 1861 states that the membership was 234; that 101 had been received during the year, and that eleven had "gone to war." The church now has about 150 members.
The Presbyterian church was organized in the fall of 1843 at the residence of Capt. Edmund Smith. For a time after its organization worship was held in dancing room of the Exchange hotel. In 1845 a house of worship was erected near the courthouse. This building was burned in 1856 and a couple of years afterward the present church building was built. A few years ago this building was remodeled and is now the finest arranged church building in the town. The society at the present time is under the pastoral charge of Rev. M. L. Marshall and has a membership of about 125.
St. Mark's Protestant Episcopal church was organized in 1851. Its house of worship was erected in 1876. The membership of the church is small and services are held only occasionally.
St. Mary's Church of the Immaculate Conception (Catholic) has a commodious house of worship, which was completed in 1872. As early as 1848 Father Barron, of South Bend, Indiana, used oc- casionally to visit Paw Paw for the benefit of Pe-pe-yah and other Indians and their families. In 1855, there being several Catholic families in the village, Father La Belle, of Kalamazoo, held oc- casional services, generally at the residence of James Bennett. The church now has a membership of about 125 and is under the pastoral care of Rev. Father George Clarson.
There is also a Second Adventists' church in the town. They have a small church building and a limited membership. Reg- ular services are not held at the present time.
The Christian Scientists also hold meetings in one of the pub- . lic halls of the place, having no house of worship.
Of secret orders, Paw Paw has its full complement Paw Paw Lodge, No. 18, Independent Order of Odd Fellows, was instituted November 19, 1846, with the following charter members: John Mckinney, Emory O. Briggs, Frank Taylor, C. R. Moffit and John Smolk. It has had its times of prosperity and of adversity, but is now in a very flourishing condition having 160 members.
Paw Paw Encampment, No. 30, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, was instituted March 26, 1868. The following named gentle- men were the charter members: C. M. O'Dell, B. O'Dell, C. Lich, S. H. Blackman, T. W. Melchor, E. Martin and J. M. Brown. Of these only B. O'Dell survives. He still belongs to the institution, which now numbers forty-four members.
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Fidelity Rebekah Lodge, No. 70, Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, is also a prosperous branch of the order and has a mem- bership of 113 at the present time.
The Odd Fellows own their own hall, which is commodious and well equipped with all the furniture and paraphernalia required for successful work.
Paw Paw Lodge, No. 25, Ancient Free and Accepted Masons, Was instituted under dispensation on the 6th day of May, 1848. On the first day of the next year a charter was issued A. W. Broughton, B. F. Chadwick, D. O. Dodge, Peter Gremps, Hub- bell Warner, Oliver Warner and John Mckinney. The lodge has its own finely equipped lodge room and has a membership of 172.
Paw Paw Chapter, No. 34, Royal Arch Masons, was instituted on the 19th day of January, 1865. It has a membership of 129 at the present time.
Paw Paw Chapter, No. 257, Eastern Star, is also a prosperous factor in the order and has a present membership of about 180.
Paw Paw Grange, No. 10, Patrons of Husbandry, was organized on the 31st day of December, 1872, with a membership of about twenty. It has been in continuous operation ever since its organiza- tion and has had, at some periods in its history, a large membership, but at present it is no greater, numerically, than when it was first instituted.
Of the more modern societies, combining insurance features with the fraternal, there are the Knights and the Ladies of Maccabees, Modern Woodmen and the Royal Neighbors, Mystic Workers, Mod- ern Romans, Fraternal Brotherhood, and possibly some others; if not there probably will be as soon as some promoter can formu- late plans.
The principal club in the village is a ladies' club, called the "Coterie." This is a literary club and has been in existence for - several years. The ladies have a convenient club house of their own which is situated on Kalamazoo street near the center of the town. This club is not a secret society in the usual acceptation of the term, yet its meetings are only for its mem- bers and invited guests, except when public entertainments may be given. The programs are devoted to literature, music, art, science, education, etc. The club, like other similar clubs in dif- ferent localities of the county, is a member of the State Federation of Women's Clubs and derives, as well as confers, benefits from this membership.
The Maple City Club is a gentlemen's club and was organized and exists mainly for amusement. The club meets in its own room in the postoffice block.
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The Fellowship Club is also a gentlemen's club, organized and carried on not only for entertainment, but for instruction and study as well. Its programs are literary, historical, musical, scien- tific, etc. This club holds its meetings at the residence of some one of its members.
The manufactories of the village, all of which are doing a suc- cessful business, are as follows: The Paw Paw Grape Juice Fac- tory, an institution that crushed 800 tons of grapes during the past season and made 100,000 gallons of grape juice; two large pickle processing establishments ; one basket and fruit package fac- tory, manufacturing fruit baskets by the hundreds of thousands ; two flouring mills, one operated by water power, the other by electric power; one saw and planing mill, one fruit and vegetable cannery ; one steam power heading mill; one cigar factory; one steam laundry ; and one artificial bait factory, called the Moonlight Bait Company. This company makes various kinds of artificial lures for the enticement of the finny tribe, but its specialty is a luminous bait to be used in the night, a patented article invented by the promoter of the company .*
There are four warehouses in the town, principally used for the storage of fruit baskets and other fruit packages. Some idea of the demand for fruit baskets may be formed when it is known that there were shipped from Paw Paw during the fruit season of 1911, 1,122 carloads of grapes, the equivalent of 3,366,000 eight- pound baskets, which is the ordinary size, although some are shipped in larger baskets called "jumbos" and some in four-pound baskets called "ponies." Besides this, there were large quantities of ber- ries of various kinds, cherries, peaches, pears, etc., some of these being packed in crates, some in small baskets and much of the tree fruit in bushel baskets. There are also two very large ice houses containing many hundred of tons of ice used for refrigerating pur- poses in the shipment of fruit.
The Paw Paw Fruit Growers Union is one of the incorporated companies that handle the immense fruit crop that is grown in Paw Paw, Antwerp and some of the adjoining towns. During the past fruit season this company shipped a thousand cars of grapes and other fruit; 479 carloads of grapes were shipped by the man- ager from the station at Paw Paw, and the balance from Lawton, Mattawan, Decatur, Lawrence, Hartford, Kendall and a few cars from other places. W. C. Wildey has been manager since the com- pany was organized.
Many car loads of potatoes and other produce were also shipped
*Since the above was written and put into type, and on Sunday, February 11, 1912, at two o'clock a. m., the cannery mentioned was totally destroyed by fire. It will probably be rebuilt.
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VIEW ON MAPLE LAKE, PAW PAW
LOG CABIN, MAPLE LAKE, PAW PAW
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from this place. It has not been practicable to ascertain the num- ber of cars that have been loaded at the station during the past year, but there are very few towns of its size in the state that have done as great business along this line as has Paw Paw.
There are upwards of thirty mercantile establishments in the village, including general stores, furnishing stores, furniture and undertaking; hardware and drug stores; wholesale and retail bak- ery, merchant tailoring establishment, cigar and tobacco stores, markets, millinery store, feed store, fruit and notion stores, etc. There are two newspapers, two banks, two hotels, two garages, three barbershops, five liveries, one of them an auto livery, an opera house, two restaurants, a moving picture theater, a telephone ex- change-local and long distance-a photograph studio, three physi- cians, three dental surgeons, one osteopathic practitioner and one chiropractic. Besides these there are the usual number of shops of various kinds, soda fountains and soft drink establishments in their season-no intoxicating beverages are dispensed, as Van Buren county has been prohibition territory for more than twenty- one years. Another unique industry has recently been established- the manufacture of "stickum," a preparation intended to put around the bodies of trees and grape vines to prevent cut-worms and other crawling enemies from reaching the buds or fruit. It is a newly invented preparation and is manufactured in large quan- tities and meets a ready sale among the fruit-growers.
Paw Paw was the first village founded in the county, and with the exception of the city of South Haven that had the advantage of being a lake port within less than eighty miles from the great city of Chicago, it has always remained at the head of the list of Van Buren county towns, both in wealth and in population. The census of 1910 gave it 1,643 inhabitants, Decatur being the second in size with 1,268.
It is no exaggeration to say that there is no handsomer town, great or small, in the entire state of Michigan. Lying as it does on either side of beautiful Maple Lake, its highways all bordered on each side with rows of magnificent maples, planted by the first settlers of the place, and which have grown to such size that, in the summer time, they completely arch the streets, so that a birds- eye view of the town, which may be had from the pinnacle of the courthouse, is like looking down upon a forest, with the clear water of the lake sparkling in the rays of sunlight. It has miles of graveled streets and cement walks, a drive around the lake, fine public buildings, modern residences and all the up-to-date con- veniences of twentieth century life. One over-enthusiastic visitor, on viewing the beauties of. the place, exclaimed "Paw Paw! Paw
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Paw! You ought to change the name. You should call it Para- dise !"
And yet there are persons still living who were born years be- fore a white man ever saw the place, before there was any such place as Paw Paw, before there was any Van Buren county ; yes, before the soil of the county was ever trod by the foot of a white man, when the Indian and the wild beasts of the primeval forest that covered the land were its only inhabitants. The changes that have been wrought are simply wonderful. And it is all owing to those indomitable old pioneers whose labors insured to us, their descendants, this beautiful heritage.
"Brave men of old, we'll surely own The greatness of your fame, We know, to you and you alone, We owe the joys we claim."
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CHAPTER XXXII
TOWNSHIP OF PINE GROVE
TOWNSHIP ORGANIZED-SHINGLES AS LEGAL TENDERS-MARITAL AND LEGAL-KALAMAZOO AND SOUTH HAVEN RAILROAD-GENERAL PROGRESS-GOBLEVILLE-PINE GROVE -- KENDALL-MENTHA.
When the ancient township of Clinch was first organized, seventy- five years ago, the territory embraced by the present township of Pine Grove was an unbroken wilderness without a single civilized inhabitant. At that time Van Buren county consisted of but seven townships, Clinch, situated in the northwest corner of the county, being twelve miles square and embracing the present town- ships of Pine Grove, Almena, Bloomingdale and Waverly. In 1842 the township was divided, the name "Clinch" passing into oblivion. The west half, after such division, was called Almena and the east half Waverly. These two newly formed townships were each six miles in width and twelve miles in length. There was quite a number of settlers in the south end of these two town- ships at the time of such division, and the non-resident owners of lands in the north part were taxed to help build schoolhouses and cut out roads in the south-end settlements. This matter of taxation came near leading to serious difficulty a few years later, when people began rapidly to settle in the territory that now comprises the township of Pine Grove. In 1849 the land owners and pioneer settlers of the "north woods," as the country was then designated, came to the conclusion that it would be preferable for them to have a township of their own so that the taxes paid by them might be expended in their own vicinity. The feeling over this question of taxation was very bitter and became so intense, just after the township of Pine Grove was organized, that a suit was threatened to be instituted against the township of Almena to recover a pro rata portion of the taxes that had been previously paid. This liti- gation was averted only because the township records of Almena mysteriously disappeared, leaving no basis upon which such action might be founded.
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TOWNSHIP ORGANIZED
By act of the legislature of 1849 township number one south of range number thirteen west was set off from Almena and or- ganized into the township of Pine Grove. The first town-meeting was directed to be held at the house of Henry F. Bowen, in said township, at which election the following named officers were chosen ; Supervisor, .Charles M. Morrill; township treasurer, Aaron S. Dyckman; township clerk, DeWitt C. Loekman; justices of the peace, Henry F. Bowen, De Witt C. Lockman, Thomas Southard and Horace H. Hadley ; highway commissioners, Evart B. D. Hicks, Peter Valleau and Uriah Stevens; school inspectors, Chauncey B. Palmer and Ephraim Taylor ; constables, John Pettibone, Benjamin P. Walcott, Robert Love and James Clark. The voters evinced their public spirit by making an appropriation of $400, one half for general purposes and the other half for the improvement of the highways. This was a very generous provision for the few voters embraced within the township at that time.
SHINGLES AS LEGAL TENDER
The first settlement within the limits of the township was made in 1836 by William Stone, the first white man who ever lived within its boundaries. Harrison Stevens visited the locality in 1837 and found Mr. Stone with his wife occupying a log house in the center of a little clearing where the village of Pine Grove is now situated. At that date there were several shingle camps in the vicinity, the manufacture of shingles being one of the in- dustries of that day. These so-called "shaved shingles" were made in the most primitive manner, the pine timber that abounded in the vicinity being split into bolts which were again split into the proper thickness with a frow and afterwards shaved to an edge with a drawing knife; a saw, an axe, a frow, a drawing knife and a shaving bench being all the tools or implements re- quired by these "shingle weavers" as they were called. The manufacture was not quite as rapid a process as by modern methods, but the finished product was of much better quality than could be turned out in any other way.
A road had been "blazed" through from Paw Paw to Allegan and each year a portion was being chopped out on the Paw Paw end of it, so that by 1844 a considerable part was cut out for the first seven miles; and that year there was a strip chopped and logged from Brandywine corners to within a mile south of the present village of Gobleville. At that time there were not more than a half a dozen clearings from Paw Paw along the entire route.
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As an illustration of the manner of life in those pioneer days, there was not a stove in the township previous to 1844 and some of the early settlers occupied their cabins for years without other floor than the surface of "mother earth."
Several families having come into the township during the year 1844, it was decided that a schoolhouse had become a necessity. Schoolhouses were about the first things considered by the pioneers after they had secured shelter for themselves and cleared a little spot of ground sufficient to produce bread and vegetables for family use. A site was selected within the boundaries of what is now the village of Gobleville, a well was dug by Henry Whelpley and Daniel G. Robinson; the next year a "bee" was made and a log schoolhouse, sixteen by twenty feet, was built near the well, and that year a two months' term of school was taught in the new house, by Miss Elizabeth Hoffman, who was paid the sum of one dollar and twenty-five cents per week for "teaching the young idea how to shoot." She also taught the winter term of 1846-7, her immediate pedagogical successors being Hiram Houghton and Julia Barber. The residents of the school district when the first school was opened were Peter T. Valleau, William Story, John Coffinger, Henry Moore, Samuel Robinson and Al. Greaves.
The first writing-school ever held in the township was held in this schoolhouse and was taught by Mr. Gale of Paw Paw. His charge was half a thousand shingles per pupil for the term, shingles at that time being practically a legal tender.
The first Sunday school was held in this same schoolhouse in 1854. It was called the "North Woods Sunday School" and was instituted by Elder Barney of Kalamazoo. Mr. Barber was the superintendent.
A saw mill was started in 1848 by Messrs. Morrill & Dyckman on section thirty-two, since known as "Old Pine Grove," and a store was opened at the same time, the first store in the township. The settlers had been doing their trading at different places, and although they needed but comparatively few supplies, it was not easy to obtain them, as shingles were practically the only circulat- ing medium. On occasion the whole neighborhood would unite in the purchase of a barrel of salt, which they could buy at St. Joseph at that time for six dollars, and a barrel of pork for forty dollars, and it required a week to drive to that town and return.
A second schoolhouse was built at "Old Pine Grove," the first school being taught there in 1849, with Miss Selina Downing as the teacher.
Vol. 1-38
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MARITAL AND LEGAL
The first marriage in the township was on the 29th day of July, 1849, the contracting parties being David Barrington and Emily Gray. The ceremony was performed by Thomas Southard, justice of the peace. The boys from far and near gathered and, as was the custom of those days, gave the newly wedded pair a rousing charivari, or as it was then popularly called, a "horning." The occasion was marred by a most unfortunate accident, James Clark being wounded in the breast by a shot from a gun in the hands of Bob Ivey. The gun was heavily loaded with powder and wad and the matter was very serious. Mr. Clark, however, recovered from his wound, which was probably a good thing for the boys, as well as a great satisfaction to them. They were so frightened over the matter that they omitted the customary ceremony when De Witt C. Lockman and Miss Jane Y. Stevens were married only four days afterward.
The first law suit in the township was when Jim Hall was ar- rested on a charge of misusing his wife. He had pulled her bon- net off her head and added insult to injury by actually kicking it. Just think of a man daring to kick a woman's head gear! The case was tried before Justice Newel Nash, A. P. Conant and G. R. Palmer acted as prosecuting attorneys, while Mr. Condlin appeared for the defense. This matter was the occasion of a good deal of excitement and a large part of the community were sworn as witnesses on the trial. The magistrate found the re- spondent guilty and imposed a fine of ten dollars, but as he did not know what disposition to make of the money, he gave it to the woman in the case thus keeping the cash in the family.
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