Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Part 101

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 886

USA > Michigan > Washtenaw County > Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan > Part 101

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In the fall of 1850 the village was platted by Elisha and James Congdon. In the same year a brick blacksmith shop was built on the east side of Main street, north of the railroad, by C. H. Wines, for Aaron Durand and Newton Robinson. That year also Asel Harris built a hotel in which there was a saloon, just south of the depot. In 1851 John C. Winans built a barn in which he lived with his family while constructing his house, and also a store on the corner of Middle and Main streets. In 1852 William Smith and Thomas Hastings each built stores, and in 1854 the Fenn brothers and Mr. Clark erected stores. It will be seen that Chelsea began to grow rap- idly from its very inception. During these years Thomas Godfrey moved to Chelsea from Sylvan Center, and built the Chelsea House. Jacob Berry, who located in 1852 in the village, was a carpen- ter who worked on many of the first buildings of the village, as did Elijah Hammond, who was one of the early settlers. The first death in Chelsea was that of Louis Backus, and the first birth that of Edward Sargent.

As has been stated the building of the Michigan Central was the direct cause of the downfall of Pierceville and the growth of Chelsea; and Chel- sea has proved to be one of the greatest shipping points, for its size, upon the line of the Michigan Central. The first shipment from Chelsea was made on May 2, 1850. by M. P. Hutchins, and consisted of a single barrel of eggs, weighing 130 pounds and consigned to Detroit. The second shipment was made four days later and consisted of two boxes, one shipped by Thomas G. Miller and the other by the first station agent, Finn. The station at Chelsea originally consisted of what might be called a freight house and it was not until 1880 that the village had a passenger depot, when a fine large station was opened to the trav- eling public in December, 1880.

Elisha Congdon was the first president of Chel- sea village and Henry Kempf the second presi- dent. In the big fire of 1870 the village records were destroyed so that a list of the first village officers would be hard to find. The state red

book even leaves the date of the incorporation of the village blank, stating that the records were burned in 1860, leaving no record of the original (late. The first school in Chelsea was in a build- ing near the present Congregational church, and was taught by W. F. Hatch. In 1854 a house was built on the corner of West South and Middle streets, which was used for school purposes until 1860, after which time it was occupied as a resi- dence by Heman Woods. In 1860 a brick union schoolhouse was erected on the corner of East and East South streets, Elisha Congdon contract- ing to build it for $5.000. In 1875 a $3,000 addi- tion was made to the building, and in 1880 a smaller building for the primary department was built adjacent to the union school.

The Congregational Church of Chelsea was or- ganized in the winter of 1849, and for a time serv- ices were held at schoolhouses in the neighbor- hood until a church was built in 1851. This church is the successor to a church organized in the Vermont settlement, March 21, 1835, under the name of the Presbyterian Church of Sylvan, at a meeting over which Rev. Mr. Beech presided. with Mahlon Wines as clerk. Among the mem- bers in 1835 were Ira Spaulding. William D. Davis, John C. Winans, Obed Cravath, Alfred C. Holt, Mrs. Chloe Spaulding, Abigail Davis, Hannah Cravath, Lucy E. Cravath, Adaline L. Holt, Matilda Lawrence, Ann Wines, Lucy Da- vis, Harriet Warner, Sarah Beacon and Mehitable Preston. The first pastor of the Congregational Church of Chelsea was the Rev. Josephus Mor- ton, and the earlier succeeding pastors were Rev. Thomas Jones, Rev. Hiram Elmer, Rev. James F. Taylor. Rev. O. M. Thompson, Rev. Robert Hovington, Rev. Benjamin Franklin, Rev. D. F. Hathaway, Rev. Thomas Holmes. The church building was burned February 18, 1894, and a new church was erected.

The Methodist Episcopal church of Chelsea was organized by the Rev. Mr. Hedger, who was then preaching at Lima, in 1853, the men- bers of the first class including Mr. and Mrs. M. M. Boyd, Mr. and Mrs. Fred A. Bolles, and Mr. and Mrs. Jacob Berry. The first regular pas- tor was the Rev. Ebenezer Steele and the earlier pastors who succeeded him were Rev. E. H.

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Brockway, Rev. Stephen C. Stringham, Rev. Mannasseh Hickey, Rev. Orrin Whitmore, Rev. William Anderson, Rev. William Shier, Rev. Mr. May. Rev. George Smith, Rev. George Lowe, Rev. John Levington, Rev. David Caster, Rev. William Holt, Rev. J. W. Campbell and Rev. D. Shier. At first the services of this church were held in the Congregational church building. They began to build a structure of their own in 1858, finishing it in 1859. This was replaced in 189- by the pres- ent large and handsome structure in which they hold services.

The first Catholic church in the vicinity of Chelsea was built four miles northwest of Chel- sea, and was a building surrounded by a cemetery which is still used for burying the dead. It is thought that the church was organized by the Rev. Father Cullen, of Ann Arbor, who organ- ized many of the Catholic churches in the county. The first officiating priest in this section was the Rev. Father Hennessey, of Detroit. Rev. John Van Genip of the Dexter church held services in Chelsea for some time, and in 1869 a church was built in Chelsea, and Rev. Father Patrick Duhig was placed in charge of it. The church cost about $12,000, and a priest's residence was soon erected at a cost of $4,000. Money has been sub- scribed and plans drawn to build a $20,000 paro- chial school to be completed by September 1, 1906.

The Baptist church was organized in Chelsea at the residence of Dr. R. B. Gates on April 28, 1868, with nineteen members. and Frank Everett was made deacon. The first pastor was Rev. H. J. Brown, who was succeeded on October 26, 1868. by the Rev. J. C. Armstrong, during whose pas- torate a church was built on Main street at a cost of $6,000. Rev. Mr. Armstrong was succeeded by Rev. Mr. G. Meseleias, Rev. L. C. Pettengill. Rev. William Bird, Rev. A. A. Hopkins, Rev. E. A. Gay and others. A parsonage was erected in 1876 and in 1880 the church originally built was enlarged.

St. Paul's German Lutheran church was or- ganized February 2, 1868, the original member- ship being G. Wackenhut, G. Heselschwerdt, M. Leliman, J. Bieler, F. Vogel, D. Faist, J. Schaible, G. Mast, I. Vogt. J. Schumacher, J. Morlock, F. Bresemle, J. Fahner, J. Scheffel, J. Schultz, A. Buss and F. Buss.

Vernor lodge, I. O. O. F., was founded March 31, 1861, by James M. Congdon, J. Berry, A. Blackney, E. Hammond, D. Tompkins, A. Natten and Stephen Siegfried. The records of this lodge were burned in the fire of 1876. Olive lodge, No. 156, F. & A. M., has long flourished in Chel- sea, its records like so many other Chelsea records having been consumed in fires. Chelsea to-day be in a flourishing condition.

has many secret societies, all of which seem to

Oak Grove cemetery was established in Sep- tember, 1860, and much pains have been taken to render it beautiful.

The Chelsea Savings Bank is the lineal suc- cessor of the co-partnership of Noyes & Glazier formed in August, 1868, between Michael J. Noyes, of Chelsea, and George P. Glazier who had recently come from Palmer, Jackson county, for the purpose of setting up a bank exchange busi- ness in Chelsea. To this business, three months later, they added a brick store, and in April, 1871, Mr. Glazier purchased Mr. Noyes' interest and continued the business of banking alone for nine years, associating Dr. Armstrong with him in the drug business. In January, 1880, a state bank was formed with S. G. Ives, president ; George P. Glazier, cashier ; and Thomas S. Sears, Luther James, A. T. Gordon and Heman T. Woods, with the president and cashier, directors. This bank now occupies a beautiful memorial building erected to the memory of George P. Glazier at a cost of $60,000 in 1902, and no other village in the state of Michigan possesses as handsome a bank building as the village of Chelsea.

The banking house of R. Kempf & Bros. was established in 1876 and was afterwards reor- ganized as the Kempf Commercial Savings Bank and has been doing a safe, conservative and pros- perous business.

Chelsea has been visited by several big fires, the first of which occurred in April, 1870, when the entire row of buildings on the west side of Main street between Middle street and the rail- road was consumed. The fire caught in the tailor shop of George Buel and soon the entire block of wooden buildings was in flames. The block was immediately rebuilt, much better buildings being erected. In February, 1871, the store of James Hudler in the center of the new row of buildings

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

was burned, but the fire was kept from commu- nicating to the adjoining buildings. In Novem- ber, 1876, the east side of Main street between Middle street and the Chelsea House was burned, the fire originating in a saloon in the middle of the block. The burned buildings were wooden structures, and were replaced by brick stores. At II o'clock Tuesday night, February 8. 1887, fire started in J. Bacon's hardware store and burned until 4 o'clock in the morning, when with the aid of the Jackson fire department it was extin- guished, but not until a loss of $23,000 had been inflicted. The hardware store of J. Bacon, E. G. Hoeg & Co.'s bazaar, Drury's meat market and Van Husen's restaurant were burned and adjoin- ing buildings damaged. On Sunday, February 18, 1894, the Glazier stove works office and ware- rooms, part of the Chelsea House, the Congega- tional church and parsonage. Fire raged from 2 to 5 p. m. The village chemical engine was useless and a steamer arrived from Jackson at 4 p. m. Loss $35.000. On March 25, 1895. fire broke out in the tin shop of the Glazier stove works and inflicted a loss of $50,000 with $31,000 insurance.

Chelsea owns its own water works and electric light plants. These were built by a private com- pany, of which Frank P. Glazier was the prin- cipal owner. They were afterwards sold to the village for $40,000.

The principal manufactory of Chelsea is the Chelsea stove works. These employ a large num- ber of men and have proven very prosperous. New buildings have been erected from time to time and the plant extended to mammoth pro- portions. Hitherto they have been making an oil stove, but plans are now on foot to erect several large new buildings and to make gas and coal stoves.

The night of September 10, 1863, John C. Depew, a leading farmer of the township who had several times been its supervisor, and who was a democratic candidate for the legislature, was murdered, but the perpetrators of the mur- der were never discovered. He was at the time engaged in selling agricultural implements in Chelsea and was supposed to have had a con- siderable sum of money upon his person, when

he started from the village in the evening for his home about a mile west of the village. He never reached home; and a search instituted for him found his body three days later near the western limits of Chelsea, concealed in some tal! grass. His head had been crushed by some blunt instrument ; and on an inquest held before Justice W. Turnbull the jury decided that his death had been caused by a slingshot or other blunt instru- ment in the hands of some unknown person. Mr. Depew, who was at the time of his death forty years of age and had been a resident of the town- ship since 1831, left a wife and five children. While the real perpetrators of the murder were never discovered. George Cleveland was tried for the murder, convicted, and sentenced to life im- prisonment. After serving two years he was pardoned by Governor Austin Blair on the ground that he had clearly proven an alibi, being with his regiment at Chicago at the time of the murder.

There have been a number of deaths at Chel- sea caused by railroad accidents. Among them was that of P. Montague, killed by a train while attempting to cross the track west of the station ; Mrs. Margaret McNamara, killed at about the same spot, October 13, 1878: and Gerald Crow- ley, who was killed in 1862. In 1867 Mrs. Wil- liam Wines, wife of the principal of the Chelsea school and a teacher in the school, was crossing the track at noon ahead of a train, when her foot caught in the track and the train killed her. She died in about four hours after the accident. A German baker who wished to stop at Chelsea, finding that the train on which he was did not stop, jumped from the train while it was going at full speed, striking on his head and dashing out his brains. John Corey, aged 21, was killed Feb- ruary 25, 1899, by jumping off a train which did not stop at Chelsea. His arms and legs were mangled and head crushed. William Oesterle was killed a half mile west of Chelsea by being struck by a freight train on the Michigan Central. Leo Wade, aged fourteen, was killed by being struck by an electric car near Chelsea, January 25, 1906.

There are a number of lakes in Sylvan town- ship, including Cavanaugh, Crooked, Mill, Cedar, Doyle. Lehman's, Rudolph, Snake and Goose.

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Around Cavanaugh lake a large cluster of sum- mer cottages has been built.

The hamlet of Sylvan Center was a postoffice until rural free delivery was established. In ter- ritorial days William Dunham had a tavern at this point and in 1838 Elihu Frisbee opened the first store. He was followed in 1839 by George Lord and in 1841 by John C. Winans, who ran a store there for ten years, during which time he was postmaster, moving his store to Chelsea in 1851. About this period Joseph Perry ran a grocery and saloon, and in the years following Thomas H. Godfrey ran a store at this point. In 1853 a grist mill was established, the money to build it with being raised by subscription. It was run for a number of years by Orlando Boyd.

But the tavern at Sylvan Center was probably not the first in the township, for in 1832 Hugh Davidson had a hotel east of the short hills and Andrew Murray had one a mile west of Sylvan Center.

The first cemetery in Sylvan township was started on section 24 at the time of the death of Mrs. Jesse C. Smith, in 1835. her death being the first death in the township. As there was no cemetery at the time, Aaron Lawrence donated ground for a cemetery, and the body of Mrs. Smith was the first one buried in it. This ceme- tery has since been enlarged to two acres and many of the pioneers of the township are buried in it.

The first schoolhouse in the township was built just south of the residence of Stephen J. Chase, and Miss Harriet Wines, afterwards Mrs. Dennis Warner, of Dexter, was the first teacher.

In 1833 the First Baptist Church of Christ was organized, the meeting for this purpose being held on July 5th, and the sermon being preached by Elder C. Twiss. The fourteen original mem- bers who were present at this meeting and pre- sented letters were Benjamin Danielson, T. C. P. Fenn, Orlo H. Fenn, Luther Chipman, Calvin Chipman, Mrs. Eunice Danielson, Mrs. Huldah Fenn, Mrs. Sallie Gage, Mrs. Fannie Hammond, Mrs. Euseba Chipman, Mrs. Celinda Chipman, Mrs. Ruth Eastman, and Mrs. Betsey Ann Fenn. Elder Benjamin Danielson was the first pastor and the first meetings were held in the log school-

house at Bingham's Mills, the meetings afterward being held in a frame schoolhouse; and in 1851 it was decided to locate the church at Sylvan Cen- ter, where meetings were held in the Sylvan Cen- ter schoolhouse until in a few months a church building was erected. The first pastor of the newly built church was Rev. Mr. Hosford. In 1871 the Baptist church at Sylvan Center joined the Chelsea Baptist church.

In 1837 Sylvan township had a population of 480, 62 horses, 98 sheep, 660 hogs and 576 head of neat stock ; and during the years its farmers had raised 6.893 bushels of wheat, 2.530 bushels of corn, 8,280 bushels of. oats, 1,409 bushels of buckwheat and 101 pounds of flax. At this time there was a grist mill and one merchant within its limits.

The supervisors of Sylvan since 1849 have been :

Joel B. Boyington 1849-51

Stephen J. Chase 1852-3

Azel Backus 1854

Hiram Pierce. 1855

John C. Depew 1856-7

Thos. H. Godfrey 1858

Hiram Pierce. 1859-60

Horace A. Smith 1861

John C. Depew 1862

Hiram Pierce. 1863

Horace A. Smith 1864-7

Orrin Thatcher 1868-72

M. J. Noyes.

1873-4

Wm. F. Hatch.

1875-7

Timothy McKone 1878

W. E. Depew 1879-80

Erastus S. Cooper 1881

James L. Gilbert. 1882-93

Hiram Lighthall 1894-8

William Bacon 1899-02

Frank Sweetland 1903

Jacob Hummel. 1904

WEBSTER.

Hon. Jeremiah D. Williams, a member of the legislature of 1855, and an old settler of Webster, has left us the following well written history of the township, which was published in the

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

Michigan Pioneer Collections of 1889, Vol. XIII, pages 546 to 567.

"When the leading men who first settled the township began to cast about for a name, their deliberations resulted in adopting the name of Webster, after Daniel Webster, who was, at that time, in the zenith of his political fame, the leader of the whig party, the model statesman, and the great expounder of the constitution. Munnis Kenny has the credit of suggesting the name, and Luther Boyden endorsed it. Both of these gentlemen were ardent admirers of Webster.

"The territorial legislative act organizing the township, is as follows :

"'An act to organize the township of Webster, in the county of Washtenaw.' Approved March, 1833.

".Be it enacted by the legislature council of the Territory of Michigan,-

"'That, the township No. I south, range 5 east, is hereby erected into a separate township to be called "Webster." and the same shall be or- ganized, and hrst town meeting held on the first Monday in April, 1833, at the house of John Williams.'

"Pursuant to the above act the electors of the township of Webster met at the house of John Williams on the first Monday it being the first day of April, 1833. Calvin Smith, justice of the peace, was moderator, Pierpont L. Smith and Theodore Foster were inspectors of election. and Moses Kingsley clerk.

"The balloting for supervisor resulted in the election of John Williams over Theophilus Craw- ford. Williams receiving 26 votes and Crawford 25. And here you will notice a peculiarity of proceedings at these early township meetings. Each officer was elected separately, supervisor first, then township clerk, and so on until all the offices were filled. Moses Kingsley was chosen clerk unanimously, he receiving 51 votes, the whole number of votes cast. Pierpont L. Smith, Sal- mon H. Matthews and Israel Arms were chosen assessors. Frederick B. Parsons was chosen con- stable and collector. Sterns Kimberly, Russel Cooley and Charles Starks were chosen highway commissioners. Thomas Barber was elected poor director : Charles G. Clark, Peter Sears and

Moses Kingsley school inspectors. Ira Seymour, Thomas Barber and Palmer Force were chosen commissioners of schools.

"The township of Webster is bounded on the south by Hamburg, in Livingston county; east by Northfield ; south by Scio, and west by the township of Dexter.

"The surface of the country is generally undu- lating. Boyden's plain, which is about one mile in length, and about three-quarters of a mile in width, is nearly level. There are no high hills and no large swamps.

"The soil is variable. Boyden's plain is a good burr oak soil, generally gravelly loam. Clayey loam prevails generally throughout the southern and middle portions of the town; while in the northern, where more marsh land is found, there is considerable sandy land.

"The timber, also, is variable, being what is commonly called timbered openings, with some exceptions. Southwest from Boyden's plain is a belt of timbered land consisting of the various kinds of oak, with hickory, some oak, and some bass. And on the south side of section 27 and the north side of 34, there is a belt of timber which may with considerable propriety be called timbered land. Another small patch of timber is found north of the center of the town. The tim- ber consists of the several varieties of oak of this country, ash, elm, some beech, and so much ma- ple that the Indians made sugar for many years previous to the settlement of the town, and the men who located most of this timbered land made sugar semi-occasionally subsequently.

"In this belt of timber considerable black wal- nut was found. One tree in particular we think deserves a passing notice. It stood on land lo- cated by John Williams, and subsequently deed by him to his son, Spencer Williams, now owned by Osbert Williams. This tree was cut down and sawed into twelve foot logs by Salmon H. Matthews and Ezra Fish, some time during the winter of '27 and '28. They loaded one of the smallest of the logs on an ox sled and drew it about ten rods. There the sled broke and the log was abandoned. The others were not removed from the place where the tree fell for a long time afterward. This tree was seven feet in diameter

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PAST AND PRESENT OF WASHTENAW COUNTY.

at the base. Some of the branches made fair sized saw logs, some of them being a little over two feet in diameter. This big black walnut tree stood in a ravine through which runs a creek made by the rain and melting snows of spring. The for- mation of the ground where the tree stood is such that the sediment carried down by the water has covered the remaining limbs, and they are thereby kept in a state of preservation. The stump is still standing, but is much decayed. It has been vis- ited by many persons, and is known as the big black walnut stump.

"The productions are wheat, corn, oats, barley, hay, wool, pork, etc. Fruit of all varieties is found in this latitude. In the early history of the town, peaches and plums were abundant.

"Broom corn has been cultivated to some ex- tent at different times. Moses Kingsley and Henry Montague raised the first broom corn in the town, on the farm of John Williams, in the summer of 1835. Their plant was twelve acres. Subsequently Capt. J. B. Arms, Oramel Arms, S. H. Ball, Caleb Thurber, and I think some others, raised broom corn and manufactured brooms quite extensively for several years.

"Sorghum also received considerable atten- tion, and at one time the establishment of Amos Ball, Esq., for the manufacture of sorghum syrup, was a place of interest and notoriety.

"The deer and wolf were the largest animals, and they were numerous for a few years subse- quent to the year 1826; occasionally there was also a stray bear. Several beaver dams were found, but it is believed that no beaver were seen later than '28 and '29. Red and gray foxes were quite common ; also raccoon, and occasionally they are seen at the present time. Wild turkeys were often seen by the score by the early settlers, and some few have been seen till quite recently.

"The largest number of deer your historian remembers of having seen and counted at any one time, was eleven. Less numbers were seen often, and sometimes they passed within a few rods of where he was.

"The wolf was a formidable animal, and it was no uncommon occurrence to hear them howl at night. In the vicinity of where is now the Web- ster Congregational church, any one in the fall

of 1828 could get up a wolf howl in the night by making a howling noise in imitation of the wolf ; and often was Henry Scadin's old dog Burr driven into the dwelling under the blanket which constituted the door of the habitation.

"Soon after the organization of the township the inconvenience of the mail facilities became a subject of discussion, Dexter and Ann Arbor be- ing from four to ten miles distant from many of the newcomers whose association with the friends they left in the east was only through the postoffice. An application numerously signed was addressed to the postoffice department at Wash- ington, asking for the establishment of a post route and postoffice, and the appointment of a postmaster and mail carrier. The application was promptly responded to and the appointment of postmaster was conferred upon Moses Kingsley, then residing a short distance southeast of the Webster Presbyterian church. The commission was given under the administration of Andrew Jackson, Amos Kendall being postmaster gen- eral. This was in the year 1834. Henry Montague and Chester W. Kingsley were the mail carriers by turns. But often Moses Kingsley, with the mail bag on his back, made his weekly trips to Ann Arbor to carry and receive the mail, taking the mail key along and stopping to deliver the mail to Peter Sears, Mr. Barber, and Luther Boy- den, and partaking of their hospitality in the way of dinner, if it chanced to be meal time, on re- turn. Stephen Stowell succeeded Moses Kings- ley in the postoffice. He lived with Spencer Wil- liams, his son-in-law, and thence the office was re- moved. After keeping the office about two years, Mr. Stowell resigned in favor of J. D. Williams, whose commission bears the date, February I, 1839, signed, Amos Kendall.

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Past and present of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Part 101

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 886

Author: Beakes, Samuel W. (Samuel Willard), 1861-; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 886