USA > Michigan > Van Buren County > A history of Van Buren County, Michigan a narrative account of its historical progress, its people, and its principal interests Volume I > Part 62
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FIRST INSTITUTIONS AND PIONEERS
The first boat trading regularly with the port of South Haven was the "Lapwing," in 1853, the capacity of which was a dozen or so cords of wood or of hemlock bark for the Chicago market, or its equivalent in lumber. Captain Mitchell, a rugged and kindly old Norwegian, was her master and himself and one small boy comprised the entire crew.
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The first merchant was S. B. Morehouse; the first physician was Dr. William B. Hathaway; the first lawyer was A. H. Chandler ; the first settled minister was Rev. Nathaniel Grover, who was or- dained here and whose signature graces the marriage certificate of the compiler of this work, given to him fifty years ago.
The first schoolhouse was on the donated Monroe plat and the first teacher was Ella Barnes.
Outside the city, the school population, according to the school census of 1911, is 354; volumes in district libraries, 868; school- houses, six ; value of school property, $9,700; number of teachers employed, eight ; aggregate number of months school taught, sixty- two; sum paid for teachers' wages, $3,042; apportioned from the primary school fund of the state, $2,812.50.
SOUTH HAVEN'S BUSY FRUIT MERCHANT
The first peaches brought to the South Haven market were small seedlings from Clark Pierce's place in Geneva. Since that date many thousands of bushels of as luscious peaches as were even grown have been shipped from this place, both by steamer and by rail.
The first bank was organized May 1, 1867, by S. R. Boardman and C. J. Monroe. In July, 1871, this bank was reorganized as a National Bank; Silas R. Boardman being its president ; George Hannahs, vice president, and Charles J. Monroe, cashier. Since that date the bank has again been reorganized as a state bank, under the general banking law of the state of Michagan, and is one of the solid financial institutions, not only of the county, but of the state as well.
The first literary society was organized in the winter of 1856-7.
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at the house of Joseph S. Wagner, (afterward, and until it was destroyed by fire, the residence of D. B. Williams), organized, not by the glare of gas light or the glow of an electrolier, but by the dim rays of a single tallow candle, the "light of other days." This society was christened the South Haven Literary Club and was the rallying point for the literati of the place for many years there- after.
John Williams owned the first livery equipment and used to make himself solid with the lads and lasses by driving them to spell- ing schools and lyceums on his "bobs" drawn by a yoke of fast trotting Devonshire cattle.
Rodney Hinckley, one of the first white settlers in the county, here-in-before mentioned in connection with the laying out of the Monroe road, had been stricken with the gold fever that was so prevalent in 1849, and a few subsequent years had been to the Golden State in search of his fortune, returned here in 1853 and located on land just south of the then village of South Haven. Everybody spoke of him familiarly as "Uncle Rodney" and of his wife as "Aunt Rodney." Mrs. Hinckley was a great lover of flowers and had wonderful knowledge of the native flora. She knew the Indians, too, almost as well as she did her "posies" and could speak the Pottawattamie dialect as though she were a born aborigine. Uncle Rodney meandered the first lake shore road south, over and around the hills as far as to what was afterward called St. Paul, subsequently known as Paulville, in which vicinity At- torney John R. Baker of Paw Paw, once owned a considerable tract of hemlock land, afterward sold to R. P. Toms & Company and which was converted into lumber by a steam sawmill erected by the firm at that place. These Baker lands were formerly in the township of South Haven, but when the organization of the county was complete, in 1855, they became a part of the township of Deerfield (now Covert).
Uncle Rodney's son, Isaac, who came within six weeks of be- ing the first white child born in the county north of Decatur, was a fur trader and a mighty "Nimrod" and used to supply the "For- est House" and other boarding houses, with game. The "boys" finally got tired of venison at two cents a pound, and so when Isaac came in with his trophies of the chase, they clubbed together and bought him out and dumped his meat into the river. This worked very well until the landlady found out the cause of the interrupted supplies. Venison at two cents per pound, just think of it !
And now, after all the labor clearing, grubbing, firing, snagging, planting, pruning and tilling, we, at the present day, are reaping the reward. The city of South Haven facing the grand old lake on the west, and surrounded on the north, west and south by
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magnificent orchards of peaches, plums, apples, cherries and pears, by vineyards and small fruits of all kinds that are indigenous to this latitude, situated in the very heart of the celebrated Michigan Fruit Belt, known from one end of the land to the other-South Haven is indeed "beautiful for a situation," a veritable reminder of that wonderful garden planted by the Lord Himself and where "He made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food."
VILLAGE (NOW CITY ) OF SOUTH HAVEN
The village of South Haven was first platted on the 15th day of November, 1851, by Thomas C. Sheldon and his wife Eleanor, of Detroit, Michigan, and William A. Booth and his wife, Louisa, of the city of New York. As originally laid out, the village was lo- cated entirely on the northwest fractional quarter of section ten. There have since been placed on record twenty-three additions and subdivisions and the city now covers the major part of section ten and also a part of section three. It is a mile and three quarters in length, from north to south, and about a mile in width.
The village was incorporated by an act passed in January, 1869, and an organization was effected, but it was found so imperfect that it was reincorporated in 1871, under the name of the "village of South Haven," with a president, treasurer, three trustees and an assessor. Later the clerk was also made an elective officer.
The first officers were : President, George Hannahs; clerk, Alonzo M. Haynes; treasurer, William H. Andrews; trustees, Daniel How- ard, Albert Thompson, Levi R. Brown, George L. Seaver, William P. Bryan and Barney H. Dyckman.
South Haven was incorporated as a city of the fourth class, under the general laws of the state, in 1902. The first mayor was Evert S. Dyckman, elder son of A. S. Dyckman, who was so actively associated in the development of the fruit industry and the general upbuilding of the community in every way for betterment.
South Haven is the western terminal of two railroads; one, the South Haven division of the Michigan Central Railroad, runs from Kalamazoo through the northern part of Van Buren county; the other, the Kalamazoo, Lake Shore and Chicago, runs from Kala- mazoo through the central part of the county. At the time of writing, the latter system is operated as a steam road under lease by the Michigan United Railways, owning and operating electric lines, throughout central Michigan, and the expectation is that it will soon be converted into an electric railway. By the census of 1910, the city is given a population of 3,767, which is materially augmented during the resort season.
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LIBRARY, SOUTH HAVEN
MICHIGAN AVENUE, SOUTH HAVEN
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Chicago, only seventy-six miles to the southwest, is reached by a fleet of steamers throughout the season of navigation. This readi- ness of access from the great metropolis of the middle west, together with the delightful climate of South Haven and vicinity in summer, resulted in the remarkable development of the summer resort busi- ness in this territory, that business ranking second only to the fruit industry in importance.
THE SUMMER RESORT BUSINESS
Mrs. H. M. Avery was the pioneer of the summer resort busi- ness, and the little group of guests that enjoyed her hospitality a generation ago has expanded into a crowd numbering into the hun-
CONNIEY VA.
AT THE SOUTH HAVEN DOCKS IN SUMMER
dreds of thousands that annually sweeps into the city and over- flows into the surrounding country for a radius of twenty or thirty miles.
Black River, with its branches, furnishes miles of attractive scenery and cozy resorts easily reached either by row boats or launches. and during the resort season, large numbers of people spend their summer vacations in boating, fishing, bathing and other recreation along this stream and on the beach of the lake at the mouth of the river. These visitors come from the middle west, south and southwest, for sojourns from a single day to many months. Many of them have purchased homes in the city or sur- rounding country, and have become valued residents for a sub- stantial part of each year.
The earlier growth of the summer resort business was through
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boarding houses and hotels, the first of the latter having been the "Avery Beach," built by Mr. and Mrs. H. M. Avery. This was gradually enlarged so that it retained the position of the largest and best-known of the summer hotels of South Haven until its de- struction by fire shortly after the close of the summer season a few years ago.
The next stage in the development was by means of cottages, the pioneer in which branch was Lyman S. Monroe who built nearly thirty cottages in "Monroe Park," which is still the most important center of cottages used for summer residences.
SCHOOLS, CHURCHES AND SOCIETIES
The first school was taught by Miss Ella Barnes, an adopted daughter of Mr. and Mrs. S. B. Morehouse, in a frame schoolhouse, about 18 by 24 feet, built near the lake in the summer of 1852. There were seven pupils,-Joseph Sturgis, Jr., Julia and Harriet Morehouse, three children of Nelson Tubbs, and "Tip" Ormsby.
The schools were graded in 1879, under Professor Burkett, and the first graduates, Miss Maud Loveday and Edward E. Cain, re- ceived their diplomas in 1881. The schools now comprise twelve grades, in which are taught all the usual studies, besides manual training, domestic science and agriculture. Graduates are admitted without examination to the colleges and universities of eighteen states.
The school buildings now comprise a Central building, in which are quarters for the high school and lower grades, and three ward buildings, accommodating grades up to the eighth. Work is soon to commence on a modern high school building to cost about $45,- 000 and to accommodate three hundred students. Bonds to pay for this building were authorized by the taxpayers of the district by overwhelming majority at a special election held in. November. 1911. The schools of the city were apportioned the sum of $6,930 from the primary school fund of the state for the school year of 1910-11, on a basis of 924 persons of school age.
Religious services were first held in April, 1852, by a Baptist minister at the home of Joseph Sturgis, and a few weeks later the Rev. Mr. Doughty, a Methodist clergyman, preached at the More- house home. Notices had been given of these services which were well attended.
Now the following religious organizations hold regular services in their own houses of worship: Baptist, Congregational, Metho- dist Episcopal, Free Methodist, Episcopalian, Roman Catholic, Dutch Reformed, German Lutheran and German-English Luth- eran. The Christian Scientists hold regular services in rented
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quarters, and there are Watch-Tower and Spiritualist societies that meet at irregular intervals.
There is also a hospital supported by the people that renders ex- cellent service. The Masonic fraternity is represented in four of its departments, viz: The Blue Lodge, the Chapter, the Coun- cil and the Eastern Star, all prosperous; the Odd Fellows by Nep- tune Lodge, No. 297, with a membership in the neighborhood of 150, and Jewel Rebekah Lodge, No. 127, with about the same num- ber of members. There is also a prosperous lodge of Knights of Pythias, the largest in the county, numerous other more modern fraternal organizations, and other social, literary and musical so- cieties. Troop "A," a cavalry company of the Michigan National Guard, is also an organization in which the citizens take a just degree of pride.
SCOTT CLUB BUILDING, SOUTH HAVEN
The South Haven Scott Club was organized in April, 1884, when its meetings were held in the parlors of a few progressive ladies. The reading of Scott's works was the first effort of the organiza- tion, thereby suggesting the name of Scott Club which it bears. It was incorporated in April, 1894. Its fine stone building was then in progress.
The object of the club has been a progressive one from its in- ception, and it is now the nucleus of all literary work in the vil- lage. Its programs have included literature, art, science and edu- cation, music and miscellaneous topics, with current events and questions of the day. Its social days and annual banquets are memorable events. Its membership is now over one hundred and
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includes the best of talent. The club has united with the State Federation of Women's Clubs and derives much benefit from its connection with this organization.
The Scott Club has nearly succeeded in paying off the old debt and is justly proud of the beautiful stone building on the corner of Phoenix and Pearl streets. The interior, on the second floor, is furnished with oak with two fine mantels in the parlors. The building is heated with a furnace and lighted with electricity. Two beautiful windows, containing Sir Walter Scott's and Henry Longfellow's portraits, cost nearly $200.00 each, one being a gift from Mr. Bates of New York and the other from the members of the old literary society. The regular meetings are held on Tuesday afternoon from 2 to 4 P. M., opening the first Tuesday of October and closing the last Tuesday of May.
MUNICIPAL AND BUSINESS MATTERS
Following two fires that swept considerabie portions of the busi- ness district in the early nineties, was a period of building activity that resulted in the erection of a number of modern buildings in the business section, and many residences in all parts of the city. Despite the prevailing depression in business over so much of the nation in the early part of that decade, this period was one of the most prosperous in the history of this city and community.
The city is now served by municipal electric lighting and water plants, with ample equipment for producing the current and pump- ing the water located in a power house on the beach. There are more than twelve and one-half miles of water mains, nearly ten miles of sewers, cement walks over the greater part of the city, brick pavements in the business district and macadam pavements on the avenues leading into the city.
A large sum of money has been expended on the South Haven harbor within the last year or two and it is expected that the government will make further appropriations and continue the work until the harbor shall be what its importance warrants, one of the best on the east side of Lake Michigan.
Among the private industries are a gas company, two piano fac- tories, a pipe organ factory, wood-carving factory, two planing mills, foundry, canning and preserving factory, plant for prepar- ing spraying materials, two machine shops, one of them also mak- ing spraying machinery, and other manufacturing establishments and shops, besides two state banks and a loan and trust company, and the mercantile establishments needed to serve a community of the population and resources that centers in and about South Haven.
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POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY AND BOARD OF TRADE
The Pomological Society, which was organized in 1870, is an- other institution that has been of invaluable service to the people. Perhaps this ought not to be classed as a city society, although many of its members are residents of the municipality. It reaches out, how- ever, into the adjoining country and embraces in its membership, the fruit growers, not only of South Haven, but of adjoining town- ships, both in Van Buren and Allegan counties.
The South Haven Board of Trade is another organization that has been and still is of great service to the place. It has a large membership and includes practically all the business and profes- sional men of the city. It has done a good deal of very important and efficient work in securing manufacturing plants for the town and in advertising it as a place of summer resort.
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CHAPTER XXV TOWNSHIP OF WAVERLY
PHYSICAL FEATURES-TOWNSHIP NAMED-THE MYERS FAMILY- FIRST WEDDING BETWEEN PIONEERS-COVEY HILL-JOHN SCOTT -OTHER EARLY SETTLERS-FROM THE OFFICIAL RECORDS-VIL- LAGE OF GLENDALE.
Waverly was originally of the ancient township of Clinch, which contained four of the present townships of the county- Waverly, Almena, Pine Grove and Bloomingdale. In 1842, by act of the legislature of the state, Clinch was divided into two equal parts, the eastern half being called Almena and the western half Waverly, thus constituting two townships of seventy-two sections each; and this arrangement continued until 1845, when the legis- lature made another division, setting off the north half of the township under the name of Bloomingdale. As left after this legis- lation, the township comprised thirty-six sections of land, but by action of the board of supervisors of the county at their October session of 1871, section thirty-one and the west half of section thirty-two were set off and attached to the township of Paw Paw.
PHYSICAL FEATURES
Waverly is officially designated as township number two south, of range number fourteen west. Its boundaries are Blooming- dale on the north, Almena on the east, Paw Paw on the south and Arlington on the west. Like the township of Almena, Waverly formerly contained a large tract of swamp lands, but this has been practically all drained and brought under cultivation, so that at the present time there is little waste land in the township. It was originally covered with very dense, heavy forests, but comparatively little timber remains at the present time. The soil is generally a heavy clay loam, very rich and productive, and some of the finest farms in the county are to be found within its limits. It is es- pecially adapted to the growing of hay and grain. Fruit culture also obtains to a considerable extent. The surface of the town-
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ship is generally level, or gently undulating, although there are here and there a few rather deep valleys and abrupt hills.
TOWNSHIP NAMED
The honor of naming the township belongs to the Hon. Fernan- do C. C. Annable, who at the time it was christened was a member of the lower house of the Michigan legislature. He was an ad- mirer of the writings of Sir Walter Scott, author of the Wa- verly novels, and it was in his honor that the name was bestowed upon the newly organized township.
The Paw Paw river flows from east to west across the southern part of the town, the two main branches of the river coming to- gether on section twenty-seven. There are also several small lakes, the principal one being School Section lake, which, as its name in- dicates is situated near the center of the township, on section six- teen. This lake is about three-fourths of a mile in length and has always largely been a fisherman's paradise, abounding in many varieties of the finny tribe, such as pickerel, bass, perch, etc. The other lakes that have been deemed of sufficient importance to the distinguished by name are Simmons, Round, Shaw, Allen, McFarlin and Scott. The latter is much larger than any of those men- tioned, but it lies almost wholly in the township of Arlington.
Waverly is one of the three townships of the county that is not touched by a railroad; neither is there a postoffice or an incor- porated village within its limits. The only approach to a village is the little hamlet of Glendale on section sixteen.
THE MYERS FAMILY
Settlements were made within the present boundaries of Wa- verly at about the time the county of Van Buren was organized. In the fall of 1836 four brothers, Mallory H., Merlin M., Reuben J. and William H. H. Myers, with their mother and two sisters, came from Genesee county, New York, to White Pigeon, Michi- gan. The next spring three of the brothers came to Van Buren county on a prospecting tour. They found lands in the township of Clinch that suited them and determined to make that their future home. Reuben selected a tract on section two in the pres- ent township of Waverly, while the other brothers located north of him in what subsequently became the township of Blooming- dale. The entire family came on from White Pigeon and for a time lived together in a cabin erected by Mallory on his new loca- tion. Reuben immediately began clearing up his place, and in 1838 built a substantial log house and moved into it with Ruth Ann, one of his sisters, as his house keeper. This arrangement,
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however, was short lived, for Miss Myers, in 1839, married James Scott, a "shingle weaver" who had been employed in the vicinity.
This marriage, which was solemnized by Ashbel Herron, a justice of the peace, was the first marriage of a resident of the township, and in this case, only the bride lived in Waverly, the groom being a resident of Decatur. While Reuben and his sister were living together, they were the only white persons in the township, and when Miss Myers became Mrs. Scott and removed into another locality, Reuben was left solitary and alone, although he had neighbors in the adjoining townships of Almena and Bloom- ingdale, both being at that time part of the township of Clinch.
Soon afterward, Merlin Myers changed his residence from Bloomingdale to Waverly. He located on section one, not far from Reuben, where he lived until 1857, when he removed to Illinois. Reuben remained an inhabitant of Waverly until his death, which occurred November 14, 1890, in his seventy-second year.
In the same year settlements were made in the southern part of the township by Loring Hurlbut and Jacob Finch, both of whom selected locations on section thirty-five. Hurlbut died in Paw Paw in 1877 and Finch removed to the far west after a limited stay in Michigan.
Isaac Brown settled on section thirteen, in 1839. He came from Washtenaw county, Michigan, and at the time of his settlement his nearest neighbor was two and a half miles distant. In the early sixties Mr. Brown removed to Paw Paw, where he died in 1865. His son, John D. Brown, was the first white child born in Wa- verly.
In the same year Zell Taylor located on the same section with Brown, so that he was not long entirely neighborless. Taylor did not remain a resident of the township for any great length of time.
Rezin Bell was another of the early settlers. He first came to Michigan in 1833, and was a resident of Adrian until 1837, when he came to Van Buren county and selected a location on section two in the township of Waverly, but he did not immediately oc- cupy the premises, being a resident of the adjoining township of Almena for two years before he took up his residence in Waverly. He removed to the township of Bloomingdale in 1854, where he died in 1865.
FIRST WEDDING BETWEEN PIONEERS
Another of the early settlers was William Murch, a young man who came from the Empire state. He made an entry on section two in 1839, but did not become a resident of Waverly until the fol- lowing year, when he married Miss Sarah, the other of the Myers
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sisters. This was the first wedding in which the contracting parties were both numbered among the pioneers of the township: It took place at the residence of Mallory H. Myers in the adjoin- ing township of Bloomingdale (although it was all Clinch at the time ) and Elder Junia Warner was the officiating clergyman.
The first death in the township was that of Josiah, a six years old son of Rezin Bell. He died in 1840 and, there being no public place of burial at that time, the child was buried in Almena, near the residence of Elder Warner.
Philo Herron, a New Yorker, settled on section three in 1841, but afterward removed to Pine Grove and died there. Two broth- ers, Almon and Amon Covey, first coming to Almena, located in Waverly in 1841 on section twelve.
COVEY HILL
"Covey Hill," on the line between these two townships, which is now occupied by a Free Baptist church building and a grange hall, both on the Almena side, takes its name from the Covey family. Amon married and removed to Almena; Almon became a resident of Arlington where he died in 1878.
Jonah Austin, who had been a resident of Oakland county, Michigan, had purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land on section twenty-four and became a resident of Waverly about 1842. He resided there until his death in 1869, when the place passed into the possession of his two sons, Alexander and Jasper. The latter died in 1904. Alexander is still in the occupaney of a por- tion of the old homestead.
JOHN SCOTT
John Scott came from New York in 1843 and settled on section six. He became a man of prominence and of wide acquaintance. While getting his own place ready for a habitation, he and his family made their home at Ashbel Herron's. Mr. Scott soon had a substantial log cabin, eighteen by twenty-four feet, into which he moved as soon as it was ready. His pioneer experience is in- teresting, but not materially different from that of all the early settlers of the county. He said that when he had his primitive cabin completed he had just eighteen cents in ready cash left at his command. "But," said he, "I never borrowed any trouble, never went hungry, and had no complaint to make. I always kept up a stout heart and so prospered." His nearest neighbor was Philo Herron, three and a half miles away.
In that heavily timbered region roads were not easily made. Journeys on foot, through the unbroken forests, with nothing to
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guide the pedestrian except the woodman's sense of direction, or perhaps following some Indian trail, was the ordinary means of travel, and if it became indispensable that a wagon should be used a road must be cut out, which was a slow and tedious operation.
At that time Paw Paw, nearly ten miles distant, was the market place and milling point-as it is yet for a large proportion of the inhabitants of the township-and it was no unusual thing for Mr. Scott, who was a very athletic, muscular man, to take his grist on his back, tramp to the mill and return with his flour, meal or other supplies in the same manner. The Paw Paw river had to be crossed and the only bridge was a fallen tree, so great caution had to be exercised to save his supplies and himself from an untimely dip in the stream.
OTHER EARLY SETTLERS
Joseph Cox, of Monroe county, New York, came to Waverly the same year as Mr. Scott, settling on section twenty-two. He was taken with the California gold fever in 1849 and undertook the journey to the then new El Dorado, but died en route leaving his bones to bleach on the western plains.
Isaac Spaulding became a settler of the town in 1844. The deer were so plenty at that time that they did grievous injury to the growing crops and so Mr. Spaulding built a rail fence around his wheat field, eight feet in height. Tradition is silent as to whether or not it served the purpose for which it was designed.
Peter T. Valleau, a kindly old gentleman, as is evidenced by the fact that people usually called him "Uncle Peter," settled on section twenty-two in 1844. He passed the later years of his life with his son, Theodore, who located in Waverly in 1858 and who now resides on section thirty-one, township of Pine Grove, and whom his numerous friends and acquaintances familiarly call "Dora."
Hubbard Westcott and T. W. Thayer came to the township in 1845 and Reuben Mather a few years later. During the fifties there was a considerable increase in the number of the inhabitants; among whom were George Carr, Orson A. Breck, O. M. Alger, Joseph and William Rogers, Benjamin Smith, Zeri Skinner, B. G. Stanley and John McKnight.
The first township officers elected after the township of Bloom- ingdale had been set off in 1845 were as follows: Supervisor, Reu- ben J. Myers; township clerk, Elisha Marble; township treasurer, Rezin Bell; assessors, William Murch and Joseph Cox; commis- sioners of highways, William Murch, Loring Hurlbut and Joseph
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Cox; school inspectors, Isaac R. Brown and Joseph Cox; justices of the peace, Isaac Brown, Loring Hurlbut and Philo Herron; constables, Ebenezer Armstrong and Henry Whelpley; overseers of the poor, William Murch and Almon B. Covey.
FROM THE OFFICIAL RECORDS
The following is a list of the names of the several gentlemen who have served the township in the capacity of supervisor : Mallory H. Myers, William H. H. Myers, Rezin Bell, Joseph Cox, Reuben J. Myers, Isaac Brown, William Murch, E. Armstrong, George P. Smith, HI. Caldwell, David H. Smith, Chauncey W. Butterfield, Prenett T. Streator, M. J. Blakeman, Luther C. Balch, William H. Adriance, William R. Sirrine, Edwin A. Chase, Reuben E. Al- len, David E. Rich and John Gault. Those of the above named supervisors who served more than two years are: George P. Smith, three years; William Murch, four; M. J. Blakeman, six ; Reuben J. Myers, nine; Edwin A. Chase, eleven; Prenett T. Strea- tor, fifteen, and John Gault (present incumbent), now serving his fifth year.
At the general election, held on the fourth day of November, 1845, twelve votes were cast-three Democratic, three Whig and six for the Liberty party.
The first presidential election thereafter was held on the seventh day of November, 1848. At this election there were twenty-five votes polled, eleven for Zachary Taylor, Whig; nine for Lewis Cass, Democrat, and five for Martin Van Buren, Free Soil.
At the presidential election held on the third day of November, 1908, 224 electors registered their choice at the ballot box, as fol- lows : 140 for Taft, Republican ; eighty for Bryan, Democrat ; three for Chafin, Prohibitionist, and one for Debs, Socialist.
The assessed valuation of the township in 1845 was $33,109, the resident real estate being valued at $2,846 and the non-resident realty at $29,520. Personal estate was assessed at $743. Philo Herron was assessed $105 on his personal estate, being the only person who reached the hundred-dollar mark, which clearly indi- cates that the pioneers were not rolling in wealth. Practically all the land in the township was assessed at $1.50 per acre. The amount of taxes levied for all purposes was $598.
The names of the resident tax-payers appearing on the roll were as follows: Loring Hurlbut, Jacob Young, Joseph Cox, Jr., E. Graves, Jonah Austin, William Markillie, Isaac Brown, E. Arm- strong, Almon B. Covey, E. Marble, Merlin M. Myers, William Murch. Reuben J. Myers, Rezin Bell, Henry Whelpley, Philo Her- ron and John Scott.
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At the last assessment, made in the spring of 1911, the valua- tion of the township was $649,250, showing that the township ranks twelfth among the eighteen townships of the county in point of wealth. The taxes levied for the current year were $10,716.
In point of numbers, Waverly ranks fourteenth among her sister townships, the census of 1910 giving the population as 1,095.
The first school accessible to the inhabitants of Waverly was taught in the town line schoolhouse, located in the present town- ship of Bloomingdale just north of the dividing line between the two towns. This was in 1838 and the first school was taught by William H. H. Myers, who had an enrollment of eight pupils. The second teacher was his sister, Miss Sarah Myers.
From the official educational reports of the township for the school year of 1910-11, we find that there were at the last enumera- tion 322 pupils of school age; 640 volumes in the school libraries ; nine schoolhouses, no district indebtedness; value of school prop- erty $7,000; nine teachers employed during the school year; sev- enty-three and one-half months of school taught; and $2,905 paid for teachers' salaries. During the current year the sum of $2,520 was apportioned to the several districts of the township from the primary school fund of the state, very nearly sufficient to meet the entire expenditure for teachers' wages.
VILLAGE OF GLENDALE
Glendale is a thriving, unincorporated little village situated near the center of the township. It was originally called Lemont and that was the name of the postoffice first established there, which was subsequently changed to Glendale. Rural free delivery did away with the office several years ago.
There is one house of worship in the village, the Methodist Episcopal, which is the only church building in the township. This church has a membership of about seventy-five and is pre- sided over by Rev. Kitzmiller.
The following secret societies are represented: The Independ- ent Order of Odd Fellows has a prosperous lodge of sixty-five mem- bers; the Modern Woodmen, with a membership of one hundred ; have paid for a hall, lodge room above and an opera house below, with a seating capacity of 350; the Mystic Workers are also re- presented with a lodge of forty members.
There is one mercantile establishment in the village, the general store of Allen Brothers. There is also a blacksmith and wood re- pairing shop; the Smith crate factory which manufactures about 10,000 potato crates per year, and the Glendale Creamery which
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HISTORY OF VAN BUREN COUNTY
makes about 177,000 pounds of choice butter per year, its output selling for about $52,000.
The public buildings of the place consist of a modern school- house, a town hall, the church and Woodmen's building above men- tioned.
Glendale is surrounded by as fine an agricultural region as there is in the county; the farmers around the little town are pro- gressive; the farm buildings are up-to-date and clearly show the prosperity of their occupants.
A drive through the township of Waverly in the season of grow- ing crops forcibly reminds one of the changes that time and the hand of man have wrought since. Reuben Myers, its first settler, selected his wilderness home therein seventy-five years ago.
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