USA > Michigan > Lapeer County > History of Lapeer County, Michigan : with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers > Part 18
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LAPEER IN 1872.
· The following article descriptive of Lapeer was written in November, 1872:
"Forty-one years ago the 11th of the present month the founder of this little city, A. N. Hart, pushed his way through the woods, cutting his road as he went, until he pitched his camp beneatli a large elm, still standing and preserved with jealous care by his sons, who, to ward off even the lightning's stroke, have attached to it a lightning rod, that it may long stand as a monument to its early friend and preserver. Discovering that the Flint River and Farmers Creek here made a junction, and that there was a sufficient fall of water to be valuable for manufacturing purposes, he rightly conjectured that the power here so long wasted should not be left to pursue its quiet course unobstructed, and he at once resolved to seize this opportunity to build himself a town. For many long years has he seen his hopes of a speedy communication with the outside world by steam deferred. Lapeer, however, con- tinued to grow on, interrupted by a devastating fire, and again
being rebuilt, until at last, in June, 1871, they were in communi- cation with the East by the Port Huron & Lake Michigan Railroad.
From that time to the present the town has increased in number about 500 inhabitants. Early in the present year the people along the line of the projected Detroit & Bay City Railroad received sufficient encouragement to warrant them in letting the contract for building this road, and in the remarkably short space of seven months' time the road was opened up for traffic to Lapeer, a distance of sixty miles, and with very few exceptions is as smooth as the oldest and best road in the State. But there was no stop- ping to take breath. The work has continued to be pushed on by the contractors, Messrs. Briscoe, Hill & Co., of the main line, and by S. Brownell & Co., of the north branch, until twelve miles of the track toward Bay City is already completed, and the worst cut of the line-the Otter Lake cut-will be completed in twenty-five days, and the track probably will be down to Bay City by January 1st. Messrs. Brownell & Co. have more than half completed the grading from Lapeer to Fish Lake and along the lake, to which the north branch of this road is to run and stop, for the present winter at least. The mills and lumber near the terminus of this branch warrants them in constructing this line, and as a result two mills are already constructed at Fish Lake and three more, with stores, planing-mills, shops, &c., are soon to be built. Hotels are also con- templated, and the town of Stephens is to be laid out, here in the woods.
"But to return to Lapeer. On inquiry it was ascertained that Lapeer contained about three thousand inhabitants. Its main street, extending east and west, is called Nepessing. It is of extreme length proportionally to the size of the place; that is, the buildings are not constructed closely in one close line, but separated often by wide spaces. This rather objectionable feature of an otherwise pleasant little city is due to the rivalry of land specu- lators. This street contains about twenty-one brick stores, and in all about forty business places. The various trades are represented by five clothing stores, twelve dry goods stores, five boot and shoe stores, four harness shops, one cigar and tobacco store, three heavy hardware stores, six groceries, three drug stores and one book and stationery store. The hotel business of the town is very active, and there are two good houses. The first of these, the Abram House, by James Abrams, is well known. He is now preparing to tear away the older part of the house and erect in its place a large brick building, which will be a credit to the place and its pro- prietor. The Marshall House is also a good house. There is any amount of taverns where good accommodations for man or beast may be had, and other places of refreshment are very numerous.
"Nearly every denomination of churches may be found here, and the Baptists are adding another edifice to the list which will be an ornament to the town.
"Among the manufacturing establishments of the place may be enumerated two sash and blind factories, having all the latest improvements, besides two flouring- mills, two foundries, one woolen factory, and several saw-mills just out of town. This being the county seat, lawyers' offices as well as all the various professions are well represented.
"Two weekly papers are issued-the Democrat, being a new paper, and ably conducted, and popular for the attention given to local matters. J. B. Graham is the publisher, and for the short time he has been established has acquired for his journal a wide circulation. The Clarion office is a model of convenience and completeness, even to steam engine and cylinder press, and the wonder is that Mr. Tomlinson has worked up the circulation suffi- cient to sustain so extensive an establishment; but his success is manifest, and is no more than the reward of his energy and talent,
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the paper being in every respect of superior character and in- fluence.
"The Lapeer Driving Park is deserving of special mention, but beyond the fact of its fine half-mile track, delightful location, fine grove of trees and general improvements, space forbids further mention.
"Real estate is on the point of advancing since the railroads have been completed, and farms that were sold for $50 and $60 an acre a year ago could hardly be bought for $75. Business lots on the main streets are worth $100 per foot, and dwelling lots find ready sale at $200 to $300 each, according to location. Business generally seems to be in a prosperous condition, and the future of Lapeer, with its various railroads centering here, and its fine farming country surrounding, certainly looks bright.
"If any one doubts the strength of pine lands to raise wheat, they can have their incredulity shaken by asking any farmer how much wheat he raised to the acre this season in this immediate vicinity. From twenty to twenty-five bushels was no uncommon yield.
"Little towns and new settlements are springing up in every direction, and the nearest competing towns are Bay City on the north, Flint on the west, and Port Huron on the east, each from twenty-five to thirty-five miles away, and Detroit sixty miles to the south-too great a distance to steal all their best retail trade."
LAPEER CHURCHES.
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN SOCIETY.
In a volume whose leaves have grown yellow during the fifty years of its existence, are gathered the early records of the Congre- gational and Presbyterian Society, which was organized under the former name but subsequently changed to the latter. Upon the first page of the volume is written the following:
" A record of the formation and proceedings of the First Con- gregational Church at Lapeer County site, which was organized July 21, 1833.
" On this day a number of professing Christians assembled at the house of J. B. Morse of said Lapeer, to take into consideration the expediency of forming a church. Present, the Rev. Isaac W. Ruggles and Luther Shaw, missionaries, commissioned by the American Home Missionary Society.
" Joseph B. Morse, Betsey Morse, Alvin McMaster, Martha White, Alvin N. Hart, Charlotte F. Hart, Benjamin W. Ball, Lucia A. Morse and Marcia C. Morse, presented letters from other churches, and after having given publicly the reason for the hope which they entertained, entered into covenant to walk together as a church in all the ordinances of the gospel."
Confession of faith and covenant were adopted, and also the Congregational mode of church government.
It was voted that A. N. Hart be acting clerk of the church.
The ordinance of baptism was performed upon Benjamin E. and Alvin D., sons of A. N. and Charlotte F. Hart.
August 12, another meeting was held at which standing rules were adopted.
May 28, 1834, a conference meeting was held at which Samuel and Thankful Murlin were admitted by letters from the Presbyterian Church at Pontiac. The baptismal ceremony was performed upon Oscar, son of J. B. and Betsey Morse.
The following June, Henry M. Look and wife were admitted by letter from the church in East Avon, N. Y., and at a subsequent meeting, in the same month, John Look was admitted and the Lord's Supper administered by Rev. Isaac Ruggles.
January 12, 1835, the annual meeting was held at the house of
A. N. Hart, and the following officers elected: Moderator, Samuel Murlin; clerk, A. N. Hart; treasurer, A. N. Hart. At this meeting a resolution was adopted requesting admission to the Presbytery of Detroit, and J. B. Morse and A. N. Hart were elected delegates to attend the meeting of the Presbytery at Detroit. At that meeting the request of this church was granted.
Up to the latter part of 1837 the church held meetings at Lapeer and Farmers Creek, but at that time a society was formed in Hadley and the members living in that vicinity withdrew from the Lapeer Church.
The first building erected by the society as a house of worship stood near the site of the present church, and was known as the Session House.
About 1850 the society adopted the Presbyterian mode of church government, and soon after erected a church, which was dedicated in 1852. In 1873, having been greatly improved and enlarged by an expenditure of about $6,000, the church was re-dedi- cated.
The pastors of the church have been Revs. Sly, Woods, Bates, Platt, Smith, Woodruff, Tuttle, Gerrish, Bartelle, Taylor, Foster, Stoutenburgh and Frost.
THE M. E. CHURCH.
Lapeer was first made an appointment as a preaching place in 1834, and was included in the Farmington circuit, then under the pastoral care of Revs. E.H. Pilcher and F. A. Seaborn. The circuit being too large to be manageable, it was divided-Washington Jackson was employed to take charge of Lapeer and the territory lying around it. He preached a few times during the year at Farmers Creek. In 1835 Lapeer was returned as an appointment, and for the first time appears in the conference minutes. No preacher was sent by the conference to labor at Lapeer, and the presiding elder employed Rev. Oscar F. North as its pastor.
Lapeer was then a part of Oakland County. Michigan had a territorial government, and Methodistically the territory was con- nected with Ohio, for all the preachers belonged to the Ohio con- ference.
In July, 1835, Rev. E. H. Pilcher held a two days' meeting in Lapeer, which was the first love feast and sacrament season ever held in Lapeer County.
In 1836 the general conference organized an annual conference in Michigan and severed us from Ohio. In the fall of that year the first session of the Michigan annual conference was held, when Philip Wareham was appointed to Lapeer. As both Messrs. North and Jackson were supplies sent by the presiding elder, Mr. Ware- ham was the first man appointed here by a bishop.
In 1837 Flavel Brittain was pastor, and in 1838 Oran Mitchell succeeded him. In 1839 Ebenezer Steele was pastor. In 1840 Duncan McGregor was appointed pastor and remained two years. In 1842 Rev. Joseph Jennings was appointed pastor.
In 1843 George F. Hemingway was pastor. In 1844 Stephen C. Woodard was preacher in charge, with Nelson Barnum for assist- ant. In 1845 William Mothersill was pastor. In 1846 John Gray was pastor. In 1847 and 1848 Israel Cogshall.
Since then the pastors have been as follows: Revs. Brown, Cawthorne, Whitemore, Allen, Borden, Stonax, Evener, Taylor, Storker, Fox, Bartlette, Armstrong, A. J. Bigelow, W. E. Bigelow, Potter, J. Venning.
At a very early day services were held in the court-house on the hill and afterward in the session house.
In 1843 and 1844 a house of worship was built, which is still standing and used as a furniture store. That was used until 1862, when the present church was built at a cost of about $4,000. The building has since been considerably improved. Prior to the build-
Y
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ing of the new church, this society embraced Hunters Creek, but at that time a division took place, and Hunters Creek became a sepa- rate charge.
The society numbers at the present time 216 members, and the Sunday-school about 150 members.
THE BAPTIST SOCIETY.
From the records it is learned that a meeting of the Baptist brethren of Lapeer was held at the house of Caleb S. Hicks, Satur- day, May 30, 1858. There were present Hervey Roberts, Colum- bus Tuttle, Edwin M. Roberts, Caleb S. Hicks, Cyrus Petingal, H. Loomis and sisters, Eunice Tuttle, Sarah A. Davis, P. Watson. It was unanimously resolved that in their opinion the time had fully come when it was their duty as Christians of the Baptist faith and order to maintain public worship in the village.
H. Loomis was chosen church clerk, and it was voted to invite Rev. W. H. Fuller of Oxford, Genesee County, to become their pas- tor for the ensuing year. Mr. Fuller consented to preach each alternate Sabbath for the sum of $100.
At a meeting held the following month, the following persons were admitted into the church: Harry Griswold, D. A. C. Hunger- ford, Eliza Griswold, -- - Evans. Columbus Tuttle was chosen deacon.
Meetings were held for a time in the old Masonic Hall and also in the court-house.
In 1859 steps were taken toward building a house of worship and subsequently a frame church was erected.
In 1864 a formal organization was perfected with the following persons as trustees: Harry Griswold, Hubbel Loomis, Jonathan H. Hicks, Caleb S. Hicks, Lester E. Waterbury and Columbus Tuttle.
The pastors since Rev. W. H. Fuller have been Revs. Bump, Johnson, Waldron, Little, Titus, Brooks, Curtis, Lawley and the present pastor, Rev. J. C. Rooney.
During the pastorate of Rev. E. L. Little, the church enjoyed a marked degree of prosperity, and in 1872 the society decided to meet a demand for a new and more commodious church edifice. Ample and desirable lots were obtained on the corner of Law and Cedar Streets, having a frontage of 110 feet on the first and of 180 on the latter, which afforded ample room for the new building and for a grove and grass plat on the east, and sufficient space on the lot at the rear for sheds.
The corner stone was laid with appropriate exercises, May 29, 1873. The following articles were deposited in a box and placed in the corner stone: The Early history of Lapeer; history of the Baptist Church of Lapeer; history of the present enterprise; a copy of the subscriptions toward the building; a business directory of Lapeer; county and city officers as already read; a United States coin, a copy of the last number of the Standard, Chicago; a copy of the last number of the Examiner and Chronicle, New York; a copy of the Watchman and Reflector, Boston; a copy of the Herald and Torchlight, Kalamazoo; a copy of the Lapeer Democrat, of May 26; a copy of the Weekly Clarion, of May 29; a copy of the Detroit Tribune, of May 29; a copy of the New Testament; cards of our citizens in business; programme of the Michigan State Union Sunday-School convention, to be held this week in Kalamazoo; minutes of the Michigan Baptist State convention of 1872; minutes of the Michigan Baptist Sunday-school convention of 1872; min- utes of the Flint River Baptist Association, 1872. After these arti- cles had been deposited by the pastor in the box, it was hermetic- ally soldered by Mr. Jenkins, foreman for Messrs. Loder & Sutton. It was then deposited in the corner stone, which was laid in its place by the pastor, assisted by the stone mason, Michael McNa- mara, and the brick mason, Patrick Marr. The box was cemented in the stone.
The building was so far completed that the basement story was dedicated February 3, 1874.
There are, in 1883, 152 members of the church. Columbus Tuttle is superintendent of the Sunday-school, and Henry Vincent, church clerk.
The church edifice is built of brick, and is the finest in the county, costing, at the time of its construction, about $17,000.
THE CATHOLIC SOCIETY.
The Church of the Immaculate Conception was organized in 1866, with about forty families. A church building had been erected about eight years prior to the organization of the society, and visits were made by priests from Flint. The society at the present time numbers about seventy families. Rev. John Busche has been pastor since 1866.
UNIVERSALIST SOCIETY.
The first Universalist parish of Lapeer was organized March 13, 1873, with the following officers: Moderator, V. Rich; clerk, Stewart Gorton; treasurer, A. H. Toedt. A few meetings had been held prior to that time. The society was organized by Rev. Mr. Knickerbocker, of Wayne. The first pastor was Rev. J. H. Palmer, now an attorney at Lapeer, who began his labors in April following the organization, and continued as pastor until April, 1877. In 1875 a house of worship was built, costing about $5,000. Mr. Palmer was succeeded by Rev. L. J. Dinsmore, who was succeeded by Rev. J. N. Pardee who remained a short time as a supply. He was succeeded by Rev. W. A. Pratt. After Mr. Pratt were several sup- plies, and in March, 1883, Rev. J. M. Getchell became pastor. There are at present about fifty families belonging to the parish.
METHODIST PROTESTANT CHURCH.
The Methodist Protestant Church, of Lapeer circuit, was or- ganized Aug. 7, 1877, as shown by records in the office of the county clerk. The existence of this society as a religious body, dates back to about the year 1848. Meetings used to be held in the old court-house on the hill and afterward in a room once a store. About the time the Baptist society built their new church, the frame church was purchased by this society. The present pastor is Rev. Kellogg.
GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The first attempt at organizing an Episcopal society was in June of 1873, when a mission was organized under the name of St. John's Mission. The various auxiliary organizations were per- fected, and the erection of a house of worship was attempted. Rev .. Charles Thorp was in charge. This organization lasted about a year and then ceased to exist.
September 19, 1878, Rev. Dr. Stocking, of Detroit, delivered a lecture in the Universalist Church, after which a meeting was held at the instance of the reverend gentleman for the purpose of church organization, and thus bring the residents of the Protestant Episco- pal faith as a body before the diocesan authorities in order to ob- tain the aid of the missionary board to secure the services of a resi- dent clergyman. After a brief preliminary statement of the pur- poses to be effected and the course it is necessary to pursue, the reverend gentleman submitted a paper (a draft of an application it is necessary to make to the standing committee of the diocese to se- cure this aid), which reads as follows:
"To the Standing Committee of the Diocese of Michigan:
"GENTLEMEN :- At a meeting of sundry communicants of the Protestant Episcopal Church, and of other persons attached to the doctrine, discipline and worship, held in Lapeer, Lapeer County, Mich., on Thursday, September 19, 1878, it was resolved to organ- ize for the purpose of bringing the church people and this proposed work into some immediate and responsible relation with the consti-
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tuted diocesan authorities, and by such means to secure the appoint- ment of a resident missionary. About thirty families and parts of families are pledged to assist in supporting the services of the church, and from a subscription list which will be forthcoming, it will appear that at least $400 has been pledged in a good and responsible subscription toward such service. Messrs. Fortune, Emmet and Gillispie were appointed a committee to provide a suit- able place for holding diocesan service, and such furniture as may be necessary to the reverent performance of the same."
September 30th the committees convened and took into consid- eration the subject of a fit place for holding service together with that of finance, all members being present excepting Messrs. Will- iams and McLennan. After some deliberation it was decided unan- imously that the several rooms in Mr. Phineas White's block, over H. Cummings' store, with little expense could be made suited to the purpose.
May 1, 1882, the mission was organized into a parish. Sep- tember, 1881, the corner stone of the new church building was laid with appropriate ceremonies. In April, 1882, the church was for- mally opened. The building is of brick, and with the lot costs about $3,000.
The rectors have been as follows :- In 1879, Rev. John S. Sei- bold; 1880, Rev. Albert E. George; 1881-'82, Rev. Frederick N. Luson; 1883, Rev. Isaac Barr. The parish numbers about 125 members, and has two out stations, one at North Branch and one at Otter Lake.
GERMAN EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN.
The German Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Lapeer was legally organized August 20, 1873. The trustees were C. Simon, H. Steinhart, A. Whittstock. A church was built and used a short distance out of the city.
There are also Second and Seventh Day Adventist societies, both of which have houses of worship.
THE LAPEER SCHOOLS.
The following history of the Lapeer schools is taken from an article prepared by Oliver G. Owen :
"The oldest pioneers came to Lapeer about 1831, and the first schools among them were private enterprises. Of the places where these schools were taught, and of the teachers employed, little is now known; but in a very early day a school was kept in a build- ing which stood near the site of the Marshall House. A building which stood on the property now owned by Benjamin Ball and an- other situated on the ground now occupied by White's Opera House Block, were also used as school-houses. In the latter in the fall of 1833, Captain N. H. Hart taught a school which was attended by about thirty pupils.
"With the admission of Michigan into the Union in 1837, the schools of the village came to have a more definite relation to the general law, which continued to be about the same as in territorial times. The distinctive feature of this law was the rate bill, by which the cost of tuition was equitably assessed upon the parents of the children in attendance. In this way for nineteen years, down to 1856, the schools were maintained. By the enterprise of Phineas White, the first building specially devoted to school purposes was erected. This was put up during the summer of 1837, upon the now vacant high school lot, but was soon afterward removed to the southeast corner of the adjoining block on the east; and in this house for the next seven years, schools were kept by teachers whose names are now almost forgotten, except notably that of E. J. White.
"But the first school-house built at the public expense was the
north part of the Second Ward school building. In the summer of 1843 the contract for the building was let to Miron B. Smith, and the structure was completed in time for a winter school, which was taught by Thomas Hanchett. After him, winter schools in this build- ing, which was the only public school-house in Lapeer down to 1861, were successively taught by John McKean, Myron C. Kenney, Carl- ton Peck, Hubbel Loomis, and Myron C. Kenney a second time. Two of these teachers still reside here, Dr. Kenney and Mr. Peck, and each has taken an active part in the school matters of this county, the former serving upon the board of school inspectors from 1848 till the establishment of the county superintendency in 1866, the latter also serving on the same board from 1856 onward. To this board, which the county superintendency superseded, was intrusted the responsibility of determining the qualifications of teachers, and the province of its authority was a large part of this county.
"In the fall of 1845 the interest in the schools received a marked impetus. The State superintendent of public instruction, Mr. Mayhew, made a visit to the village, which was long remem- bered, and many are even now heard to speak of it as forming an era in the school history of the village. But the influence to help on the schools, notwithstanding the significance of Mr. Mayhew's visit, came not so much from within the State system as from without it. Rev. E. W. True, an excellent scholar, and a man of ripe experi- ence, came to Lapeer about the same time to engage in teaching a select school; and in the three years of his residence in the town, he made an impression which has not yet been effaced. The be- ginnings of our upper or high school instruction are to be found the work which he did, and not, as usually has been the case in the State, in the growing functions of the district school, whose pecul- iar environment at that time made large room for private schools and academies. In 1849 he closed his work here, during the last year of which he was assisted by his accomplished wife, and, hav- ing removed to Macomb County, he died there a few years since. For twelve years after his leaving Lapeer, instruction in higher branches was somewhat distinct from the common school, and was for the most part confined to the private schools which suc- ceeded Mr. True's academy. These schools, with that of Mr. True were nearly all taught in the old court-house, a building which afterward became the property of the trustees of the Lapeer Semi- nary, then of the board of education, and lastly of E. J. White. It at first stood upon the site of the present high school building, but after an occupancy of thirty years as a school-house, it was re- moved to the block on the northeast, where it burned down in 1876. A grateful memory clings to this building, which is remembered with affection by many in Lapeer, whose school days were passed within its walls.
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