USA > Michigan > Calhoun County > History of Calhoun county, Michigan, With Illustrations descriptive of its scenery > Part 33
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The old mill has been replaced by a substantial white brick building, thirty- five by sixty feet, and three stories high, with a basement, having four run of stone, which are run by three iron wheels,-two Eclipse and one Leffel. The business for the year 1876 was custom of all kinds, seventy-five thousand bushels, and merchant, three thousand barrels.
There are two other grist-mills now operated in the city, namely, those of J. M. Ward and Thomas Hart, brief notices of which we append, as follows :
WARD'S MILLS.
Among the prominent grain-dealers of this city and county is the firm of J. M. Ward & Son, proprietors of the Ward mills and grain warehouses of Battle Creek, Bellevue, Climax, Brady, Marcellus, and Edwardsburg. Mr. J. M. Ward came here as early as 1845, and embarked in the woolen business in company with Charles Mason. In 1860 the old woolen-factory was repaired and converted into a flouring-mill, which was the nucleus from which their now extensive busi- ness grew. In 1871, Charles A. Ward, son of the original proprietor, was ad- mitted into the concern, and its present title assumed. They now transact a business amounting to one million five hundred thousand bushels per annum, and are among the most extensive buyers in the county, and compare favorably with the largest in the State.
HART'S MILLS.
This mill was erected in 1847, by Messrs. Hart, Ellis & Co., but was destroyed by fire in 1849. In 1850, it was rebuilt by Jonathan Hart, by whom the same was successfully operated until 1857, when his son, Thomas Hart, the present proprietor, became a partner, and the style of the firm was changed to J. Hart & Son, and so continued until the death of the senior partner in 1858, since which time the business has been conducted by ex-mayor Thomas Hart alone. The business of the mills for 1876 was thirty-five thousand barrels. They are exclu- sively devoted to merchant work.
GEORGE E. HOWES
is connected with N. Hellings & Bro., of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the business of storing and preserving fruit on the cold-air plan. For this purpose the firm erected
in 1875 a commodious stone building one hundred and thirty by fifty feet and two stories high. In this building apples and other fruit can be kept for two years; although the aim of the firm is not to carry it over from one season to another. This is a new thing for this part of the country, and is deserving of mention.
Battle Creek has eight hotels, namely, the Potter House, American, Brierly, Bristol, Battle Creek, Waverly, Railroad, and Crane House. Of these, the principal and best hotel is the
POTTER HOUSE,
erected by Henry Potter, the present owner and proprietor, in 1869. It is a fine four-story red brick building, having large and airy rooms, and a cuisine .. unsurpassed by any house on the railroad between Kalamazoo and Jackson. It . enjoys an extensive patronage, and is first-class in every particular. Henry Pot- ter, proprietor ; George Potter, manager; and James North, clerk.
THE BATTLE CREEK HOUSE
is a temperance hotel, and is conducted by J. R. Leavens, a gentleman remarkably well qualified to manage a house of public entertainment.
The rest of the hotels are generally well managed and largely patronized.
RAILROAD FACILITIES.
Perhaps the most important factor in the business development and prosperity of a city is its railroad communication. At least, it is safe to assert that such has become a demonstrated fact with regard to Battle Creek. A retrospection of her history since the advent of railroad facilities will convince the careful observer of the immense benefit resulting from the introduction of this essential adjunct of commercial enterprise.
Theoretically the construction of railroads may meet with opposition on the hypothesis that, by taking the farmer's produce, as it were, from his very door, he can send it to the highest market, and thus deprive a few local buyers of the margin they had been accustomed to make on the same products heretofore. Prac- tically, though, the increase in general trade constitutes a triple recompense for the imaginary deprivation above instanced. We here insert brief historical sketches of the railroads centering in this city.
THE MICHIGAN CENTRAL RAILROAD.
This great railroad thoroughfare was completed at Battle Creek in December, 1845. It remained the terminus of the road for a brief period, when it was completed through to Kalamazoo during the following winter. The first engine that ran over this part of the road was the " Battle Creek," and it was a day of great rejoicing when the "iron horse " came thundering into the depot. This road has proved a great stimulus to the the growth and prosperity of the city. The number of its connections puts Battle Creek in communication with all the important business centres of the east and west. There are stations on the road in this county at the following places, viz. : Marshall, Marengo, Albion, Ceresco, and Battle Creek.
We are indebted to Mr. O. Waters, freight and passenger agent, for the fol- lowing statement of the passenger and freight business for the year ending December 31, 1876: freight forwarded, 55,544,215 pounds; freight received, 22,515,672 pounds ; freight passenger earnings, $40,569.
THE CHICAGO AND LAKE HURON RAILROAD
is organized by the consolidation of the several companies which were instituted under various charters by the Peninsular Railway company; with the old Port Huron and Lake Michigan railroad, which was finally consummated July 30, 1873. In order to follow the various organizations it will be necessary to commence with the original " Peninsular Railway company," which was organized August 30, 1865, with powers to construct a railroad from Battle Creek to Lansing, with the following board of directors : Leonidas D. Dibble, Joseph M. Ward, Elijah W. Pendill, and William Wallace, of Battle Creek; Martin S. Brackett and Reu- ben Fitzgerald, of Bellevue; Joseph Musgrave, D. P. Webber, and Cyrus Cum- mings, of Charlotte; and George N. Potter, of Benton. At a meeting of the board held September 7, 1865, L. D. Dibble was elected president. Subsequently the " Peninsular Railway Extension Company" was organized, with authority to construct a railroad from Battle Creek to the township of Milton, on the Indiana State line, of which, also, L. D. Dibble.was chosen president. Soon afterward the " Peninsular Railroad Company" was organized, in the State of Indiana, leading in the direction of Chicago, of which Hon, S. Stanfield was elected president. Shortly thereafter a charter was granted to the Peninsular Railway company, running from the western line of Indiana into Chicago. The next step in these multitudinous railroad organizations was the consolidation of the two Michigan roads into the Peninsular Railway company. Following this, the roads in Michi-
12
90
HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
gan, Indiana, and Illinois were consolidated into one corporation by the name of the Peninsular Railway company, of which L. D. Dibble was made president. Now the organization was virtually complete, and they ceased organizing and consolidating for a time, and commenced to construct. Ground was first broken in Battle Creek in the fall of 1866, and the first rail was laid near the works of Nichols, Shepard & Co., on the 11th of July, 1869. By the summer of 1873, the road was completed from Lansing to Valparaiso, a distance of one hundred and sixty-six miles. On the 30th of July of the same year, the Peninsular Rail- way company was consolidated with the Port Huron and Lake Michigan railroad, under the title of " The Chicago and Lake Huron Railroad Company," and is now operated under that title. The Port Huron and Lake Michigan railroad above mentioned was built by William L. Bancroft, and was managed by him up to the time of the consolidation, since which time he has been the general mana- ger of the entire road.
The citizens of Battle Creek voted fifty thousand dollars in aid of the road, and invested an additional thirty-five thousand dollars in its bonds ; while private individuals very liberally contributed towards the expenses of its construction. It has been materially beneficial to Battle Creek, inasmuch as it tended to create a competition with the Michigan Central in regard to freights, which resulted in a decline in the freight tariff. There is no doubt but that benefits commensurate with the enterprise of the citizens in its construction will eventually ensue. The road, with its various connections, under an economical and experienced manage- ment, cannot fail to become a paying concern, and a cherished enterprise of Battle Creek.
In 1874, William L. Bancroft was appointed receiver of the road, and its business has since been conducted under his receivership.
THE MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT OF THE CITY.
The village of Battle Creek was first surveyed in 1835, by General Ezra Convis, assisted by John Meachem, Esq., although no regular plat was made from that survey. During this year Messrs. Joseph, Abraham, and Isaac Merritt, and Jonathan Hart purchased the interest of General Convis, and the year following, in conjunction with Sands McCamly, engaged the services of Samuel D. Moore, a practical civil engineer, to re-survey the village, and to draft a plat of the same, which was accordingly done. Two years afterwards the village contained a popu- lation of about four hundred. It had six stores, two taverns, two saw-mills, two flouring-mills, two machine-shops, one cabinet-manufactory, two blacksmiths, and several other representatives of a mechanical and business character. In fact, appearances went to show that the citizens had done what they could, if not to vie with, at least not to disparage the natural advantages the place enjoyed; all and everything, in short, of their handiwork betokened the activity and ingenuity, the thrift and enterprise, of a richly-endowed class of people.
The village remained without a charter until 1850, when it was organized and legally incorporated as a village. The subjoined are the names of the presidents and clerks who served under the village charter :
Presidents .- William Brooks, Charles Mason (two years), Edward Cox, M.D., R. T. Merrill (two years), Chester Buckley (two years), Jonathan Hart, Leander Etheridge (appointed the same year, to fill the vacancy occasioned by the death of Mr. Hart).
Clerks .- Isaac C. Mott, Dwight May, Leonard H. Stewart (two years), Charles S. Gray (resigned July 13, 1854), Eli L. Stillson (appointed to fill vacancy), Joseph Dodge, William F. Neale, Cornelius Byington, Wm. F. Neale.
In the winter of 1859 the citizens felt as though the size, enterprise, and im- portance of Battle Creek deserved higher corporate honors, and therefore called a public meeting to consider the expediency of procuring a charter and city gov- ernment. At this meeting a committee was appointed to draft a charter for the city, consisting of Leonidas D. Dibble, Myron H. Joy, and Walter W. Wool- nough. The act incorporating the city was passed by the legislature, and approved February 3, 1859, and in April of the same year the first election for city officers ensued. We annex a list of the mayors and recorders, from the first city election to that of April, 1877, inclusive :
Mayors .- E. W. Pendill (three years), Alonzo Noble, Chester Buckley, E. W. Pendill, Tolman W. Hall, Theron H. Tracy, Erastus Hussey, William Wallace, Thomas Hart (two years), Nelson Eldred, George N. Wakefield, Edward Cox, M.D. (two years), Victory P. Collier, Charles Austin (two years), present incumbent ..
Recorders .*- William F. Neale (two years), Paul Geddes, H. H. Hubbard (two years), Paul Geddes, H. H. Hubbard (four years), Paul Geddes, Charles H. Hadskin, Charles S. Gray (three years), Maurice H. Neale, Charles S. Gray (two. years), L. C. Kellogg, present incumbent.
The city contains four sections of land, two of which-1 and 2-were formerly included in the village and township of Battle Creek, and two-6 and 7-in the township of Emmett. It is divided into four wards, and is governed by a mayor, recorder, and eight aldermen-two from each ward.
The present city officers are : Mayor, Charles Austin ; Recorder, L. C. Kellogg; Aldermen : First ward, C. R. Thompson and Parley Upton ; second ward, Zeno Gould and Henry H. Brown ; third ward, Charles F. Bock and Charles F. Wal- ters ; fourth ward, Clement Wakelee and Thomas Jennings; Treasurer, Maurice H. Neale ; Supervisor, F. H. Rathbun ; Marshal, Allen Morse; Justices of the Peace, Tolman W. Hall, Moses B. Russell, and Charles Rowe; Constables, Mon- roe T. Bartlett, James H. Kraft, Alexander H. Briggs, Erastus Clark ; Night Police, Jerome Angell.
CITY HALL.
In 1867 the common council of the city of Battle Creek voted twelve thousand dollars, in bonds of the city, to be used for the purpose of erecting a city hall. The building, which is of brick, and three stories high, was completed in 1868. The first floor is occupied as a fire-engine house ; the second floor contains the council chamber, police office, and recorder's court-room, and other rooms of minor importance, while the third story consists of a large hall used for caucuses and other public meetings. The building is surmounted by a tower, in which a bell is to be placed at no distant day.
In the rear of this building is the city jail, which is not a very handsome struc- ture, but doubtless good enough for the present requirements of the city. Mis- demeanors are rare in Battle Creek, and criminal offenses still more so.
THE FIRE DEPARTMENT.
Among the institutions that have redounded to the honor of the city have been its fire-companies. The original Tempest, No. 2, hand-engine company, was or- ganized August 2, 1856. On that day a public meeting of citizens was held to organize a fire-company. Chester Buckley presided, and L. H. Stewart acted as secretary. A temporary organization was perfected by the election of N. Fillio as foreman ; V. P. Collier, assistant ; and L. H. Stewart, secretary. At a meeting of the company, held August 12, the following gentlemen were elected permanent officers, and "Tempest" selected as the name of the new company : Foreman, John Nichols ; First Assistant, John J. Wheeler; Second Assistant, George Hyatt; Third Assistant, W. G. Morehouse; Secretary, N. Fillio ; Treasurer, V. P. Collier.
From that time until the outbreak of the war of the Rebellion this company maintained a leading position among the volunteer fire-companies of Michigan. The company took part and won victories in the old-time State tournaments. Among the names on the old roll are many who are now prominent business men of the city : V. P. Collier, John Nichols, E. C. Nichols, L. H. Stewart, W. W. Woolnough, William H. Neale, David Shepard, W. G. Morehouse, George W. Hyatt, S. S. French, M.D., James B. Rue, C. Wakelee, Thomas Hart, Peter L. Conine, James C. Halladay, M. Adams, John W. Smith, P. H. Barnes, B. P. Gardner, W. H. Green, C. C. Beach, W. E. Wicks, Theo. Wakelee, J. G. Hoyt, H. Frensdorf, G. P. Burrall, and others.
The first to enlist from this city in the war were many of the most active mem- bers of the company. Among those of " Old No. 2" who distinguished themselves in the rebellion, and lost their lives in the battle-field, were Colonel L. H. Rhines, Major George C. Barnes, Major C. Boyington, Captain George C. Knight, Lieu- tenants Charles Galpin, George Hicks, M. Fish, and Sergeants Martin Wager and Richard H. Freeleigh.
This company has had two hand-engines destroyed by fire by the burning of their engine-houses. The machine " run" by the present company was purchased by the common council, second-hand, of the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and was known in that department as " J. S. Fillmore, No. 6." It is much superior to either of the preceding ones, and is unsurpassed by any hand-engine in Michi- gan. During the war the company disbanded, and the present company was or- ganized March 1, 1872, a meeting having been held at the city hall for that purpose. John G. Bohnett was chairman, and Andrew H. Phelps secretary. The following persons were elected officers of the company : Foreman, Charles H. Jeffers ; First Assistant, James Finley ; Second Assistant, Lewis Williams ; Secre- tary, H. Phelps; Treasurer, A. A. Ellsworth. The company has gradually in- creased in strength and efficiency until now it is the model volunteer fire-company of the State. At the State tournament held at Kalamazoo in 1874 it won the first prize and the State championship. At the State tournament held at Jackson in 1875, the company again won the first prize and State championship. They. still hold the champion banner of Michigan. At the Jackson tournament they made the remarkable throw of two hundred and twenty-nine feet six and a half inches, the best horizontal throw ever made by a hand-engine.
The session rooms of the company are the handsomest and best furnished fire-
# Also ex-officio school inspectors and city clerks.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL.
PHOTO. BY CRISPELL. R. Crawford
Lemay Gasse Crawforde
E.A. SUMNER, DEL.
RESIDENCE OF R. CRAWFORD, BATTLE CREEK TP, CALHOUN CO., MICH.
91
HISTORY OF CALHOUN COUNTY, MICHIGAN.
men's rooms in the State. Pictures of fire views adorn the halls, and the room is filled with firemen's relics and trophies of the palmy days of hand-engines. The company now numbers fifty members, all volunteers, is well organized, and in good financial condition. The present officers are : Foreman, J. B. Dolliver ; First Assistant, U. S. Moore; Second Assistant, Peter W. Diamond; Recording Secretary, Edgar M. Hidsman ; Financial Secretary, William H. Rowe ; Treasurer, William H. Bordine.
Union, No. 1 .- On the 11th of May, 1863, the common council appointed a committee with authority to purchase a Button & Blake steam fire-engine. The committee consisted of Aldermen Chandler Ford, T. Wakelee, J. G. Hoyt, T. W. Hall, and C. S. Gray. They reported that they had selected a Button & Blake engine, weighing four thousand four hundred pounds, which, with a hose-cart and eight hundred feet of hose, the city could purchase for five thousand dollars. The committee were authorized to buy the same. An informal ballot was then taken as to the name to be given to the engine, and " Union," suggested by Alderman Hall, was chosen out of half a dozen. The present Chief Engineer is William H. Mason ; Assistant Chief Engineer, A. B. Powell ; Engineer, George Eldridge ; Foreman, Charles S. Mason.
The Goguac Hook and Ladder Company was organized in December, 1874, by electing N. A. Osgood, foreman; James Caldwell, first assistant; V. C. Wattles, second assistant; and B. T. Skinner, secretary and treasurer. The company is equipped with one thirty-foot practice ladder, one scaling and two extension ladders, and eight Babcock extinguishers. On the 4th of July, 1876, they won the Centennial prize of fifty dollars in a tournament with the Rescue Hook and Ladder Company, of Marshall. The present membership of the company is thirty. Present officers: N. A. Osgood, foreman; A. M. Phillips, first assist- ant; Gren. Macard, second assistant, and T. B. Skinner, secretary and treas- urer.
Altogether, the city is well supplied with fire-companies and the necessary facilities for extinguishing conflagrations.
BANKS AND BANKING.
Banking is a system established for the security of business and commercial transactions. It is the recognized agent between borrower and lender, and for convenience and safety is indispensable. The finances of a community are repre- sented to a great extent by their respective banking establishments; hence, any data pertaining to the banks and banking of a particular community form an in- teresting item in its history.
We annex a brief historical sketch of the three banking establishments of the city, together with a statement of their financial condition at the close of business on the 1st of May, 1877.
THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK
was organized March 28, 1865, and commenced business on the 1st of April fol- lowing. The first officers were Loyal C. Kellogg, president; Charles M. Leon, cashier; Henry S. Brooks, teller. The first board of directors was composed of David Miller, William Andrus, Thomas Hart, Loyal C. Kellogg, Henry D. Hall, William Wallace, and William Brooks. The present officers are V. P. Collier, president; C. Wakelee, vice-president; Wm. H. Skinner, cashier; Scott Field, teller; James Boughton, book-keeper. The directors elected at the last annual meeting are V. P. Collier, Clement Wakelee, E. C. Nichols, W. H. Skinner, William Merritt, Samuel Convis, and Henry McNary.
The financial status is shown by the subjoined statement, which we here take occasion to remark is first-class: capital, $100,000; surplus, $45,000; independent department, $111,353; national circulation, $90,000; loans, $188,156; govern- ment securities, $100,000.
THE CITY BANK OF BATTLE CREEK
was organized and incorporated under the State banking law, in March, 1871. The first officers were-President, R. Kingman; Vice-President, Nelson Eldred; Cashier, R. P. Kingman. The first board of directors consisted of R. Kingman, Nelson Eldred, C. Wakelee, J. F. Moulton, R. P. Kingman, E. W. Pendill, and Alonzo Noble. The present management is as follows: President, Nelson Eldred; Vice-President, R. P. Kingman; Cashier, B. F. Skinner.
The financial status of the establishment is shown by the following legally authenticated statement, published January 1, 1877 :
Resources .- Loans and discounts and accrued interest, $152,260; overdrafts, $3675 ; due from banks and bankers, $59,124; furniture and fixtures, $2800; fractional currency, $430; legal tender and bank notes, $25,714; total, $244,003.
Liabilities .- Capital, $50,000 ; surplus, $28,348; deposits, $163,155; dividend account, $2500; total, $244,003.
A. C. HAMBLIN, BANKER,
established himself in the private banking business in 1859. Good for one hun- dred cents in the dollar.
BATTLE CREEK POST-OFFICE.
The post-office at Battle Creek was established in 1832, and Polydore Hudson was appointed the first postmaster, under Andrew Jackson's administration. The office was kept in Mr. Hudson's log house, and the rate of letter postage was twenty-five cents. The following table gives a list of all the postmasters from 1832 to 1877, inclusive, together with the administration under which they were appointed :
Postmaster.
Year.
Administration.
Polydore Hudson.
1832
Andrew Jackson.
Nathaniel Barney.
1834
Andrew Jackson.
Sands McCamly
1835
Andrew Jackson.
John L. Bolcomb
184]
Martin Van Buren.
Alonzo Noble.
1845
.James K. Polk.
Leon H. Stewart
1849
Zachariah Taylor.
Alonzo Noble ..
1853
Franklin Pierce.
William S. Pease.
1858
.James Buchanan.
William M. Campbell
.1858
James Buchanan.
George Mead
.1860
James Buchanan.
Tolman W. Hall.
1861
Abraham Lincoln. Andrew Johnson.
Chandler Ford
1867
U. S. Grant.
James S. Upton
1869
U. S. Grant.
D. V. Bell.
.1871
U. S. Grant.
Capt. William Wallace
1871
U. S. Grant.
The gross amount of business transacted at this office for the year ending April
1, 1877, is represented by the following figures :
Receipts on postage, etc., $13,880.51; expenses, including postmaster's salary, $6453.97; net income, $7426.54; number of money-orders, 3760; amount, $42,212.43; fees on same, $436.05; drafts on postmaster at New York, $11,800; total receipts, $54,048.48.
Disbursements : 3416 money-orders paid, $50,130.09; 26 orders repaid, $240.85; money-order expense account, $275.54; amount remitted to Detroit, $3150; bal- ance on hand, $252; total, $54,048.48.
Number of registered letters originally mailed, 525 ; number of registered letters delivered, 1558; registered packages distributed, 1568; registered packages re- ceived, 3126; letters received and delivered, 219,848; letters mailed, 265,655 ; postal cards, 50,794 ; newspapers, 443,014; second-class matter mailed, 37,646 pounds ; postage on the same, $885.15.
Officers: William Wallace, postmaster; James Ferguson, assistant postmaster; John K. Lotridge, mailing-clerk ; Miss Alice Wallace and Philo D. Ferguson, clerks.
THE OPERA-HOUSE.
One of the chief attractions of Battle Creek is its commodious opera-house. Up to 1868 the city possessed no regular place of amusement of sufficient size to in- duce large first-class theatrical troops to visit the city. In that year, however, Mr. A. C. Hamblin, with his characteristic enterprise, erected a handsome and substantial building, which he fitted up in elegant style, and introduced in it all of the modern improvements and stage effects. The ceiling is beautifully frescoed, and the general arrangement of the seats is made with a design to the comfort of the audience. The auditorium is seventy-two by one hundred feet, and, with the gallery which surrounds it, has a seating capacity for twelve hundred. The house was erected at a cost of forty thousand dollars, and is used for any legitimate amuse- ments. In addition to the opera-house, Mr. Hamblin erected the " Peninsula block," and several private houses, and has done much towards the development of the city.
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