USA > Missouri > St Charles County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 113
USA > Missouri > Montgomery County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 113
USA > Missouri > Warren County > History of St. Charles, Montgomery, and Warren counties, Missouri, written and comp. from the most authentic official and private sources, including a history of their townships, towns and villages, together with a condensed history of Missouri > Part 113
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1
CHAPTER XI.
HISTORY OF ELKHORN TOWNSHIP.
Establishment -- Boundary -Physical Features -- Early Settlers -- Warrenton - Loca- tion of County Seat -Situation -- Coal -- Central Wesleyan College - Orphan Asylum -- Removal of the Depot - Miscellaneous -- Truesdale -- Pendleton.
Elkhorn township was established by metes and bounds during the first session of the county court in August, 1833, at which time its boundaries included what is now Hickory Grove township.
BOUNDARY.
It is bounded on the north by Camp Branch township, the southern corner of Montgomery and the south-western corner of Lincoln counties, on the east by Hickory Grove township, on the south by Pinckney and Charrette townships, and on the west by Bridgeport township. Hickory Grove township was set off from Elkhorn in 1839.
PHYSICAL FEATURES.
The greater part of the township is heavily timbered, although there is considerable prairie land in both the north-eastern and north- western sections. Big Creek and its branches, and the Dry fork of Charrette, supply abundance of water, except in a time of protracted drought. The sub strata of the soil is of a peculiar character, it being only necessary to dig a well and wall it up with stone without cement to secure plenty of water. This is the customary manner of building wells and cisterns in the county.
About six miles north-east of Warrenton coal has been discovered, on Big creek. The mine is called " Hine's mine," and considerable quantities of coal have been taken out in years passed. The vein is about 23 feet thick, six feet being left in the bottom of the cut, on account of trouble in draining, ten feet worked out and seven feet left overhead to support the clay and gravel above, some of which has caved in. The coal is very much disturbed, pitching at all angles, and in every direction. According to an analysis made by Mr. Chauvenet, this coal contains 7.44 per cent of sulphur and iron, and 45.75 per cent of fixed carbon, the remainder being ash, volatile matter and water.
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1066
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
EARLY SETTLERS.
The old Boone's Lick road runs east and west through the town- ship, and, in the early days, being the only public road, was exten- sively used by travelers, which fact brought into the country a large number of enterprising pioneers, who settled in the territory along that highway. As in every new section, the early history of these people is full of interest. The details of their privations and troubles is a part of the county history referred to elsewhere, and the fact that many of the best known public men of Warren county first made their homes in Elkhorn, is sufficient to prove their reputation for enter- prise and foresight. Among the settlers who cast their fortunes here in those days may be casually mentioned, Mordecai Morgan, a native of Shelby county, Ky., who settled in Warren county in 1814, on the present town site of Warrenton ; and Newton Howell, who lived about three and a half miles north-east of Warrenton. In this immediate vicinity also lived John Woodlan, Jonathan D. Gordon, afterwards sheriff of the county ; Turner Roundtree and John Preston.
The very early settlers of Elkhorn township also included Vincent Fines, who came to the county in 1817; Isaac Kent, who came from Kentucky in 1819; Lawrence Long settled here in 1821; Lemuel Price, of North Carolina, who settled on the Boone's Lick road in 1815 ; J. A. Pulliam, who was a public-spirited citizen and at one time treasurer of the county ; Thomas Buxton, Wm. Moore, Benoni McClure, who was the second sheriff of the county, and also repre- sented Warren county in the State Legislature.
WARRENTON.
In 1833, when Warren county was organized, the question of the location of a permanent seat of justice became at once a matter of intense public interest. Property owners throughout the entire county began the usual mode of procedure to secure the coveted prize. As is usually the case under like circumstances, feeling ran very high, and it eventually became necessary to take definite steps to make a selection, in order to put a stop to the agitation which was daily growing more bitter. At the next session of the Legislature a board of commissioners was selected to locate a county seat. The task was no light one, in view of the factional excitement attending the selection. At length the commissioners reported in favor of New Boston, a small hamlet near the present site of Hopewell, but their decision was not unanimous, and again the people were distracted by
1067
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
the acrimony aroused by their failure to agree. However, the judges of the county court had ordered that the county seat be removed to the house of John Wyatt, near New Boston, but the clerk of the court refused to remove his records from the house of Mordecai Morgan, in Warrenton, where the court had up to this time held its sessions. Dr. John Jones, who resided on the Charrette, thereupon came into court and demanded that Carty Wells, the clerk, be called upon to show cause why he should not be compelled to remove the records to New Boston. The Doctor was not successful in his efforts to get the records removed, and shortly afterwards the Legislature appointed another set of commissioners, who proceeded to again hunt up a suit- able location. The matter remained unsettled for two years, until on June 11, 1835, Commissioners James Finley, Benjamin Emmons and John Smith, to whom had descended the thankless duty of making the final selection, reported that they had accepted the donation of Henry Walton, of St. Louis, and Mordecai Morgan, of Warren county, who proposed to deed to the county a plat of land in town- ship 47, range 2 west, in sections 28 and 29, which is the present court house site. At the May term of the county court, in 1837, it was ordered that proposals be received for the erection of a court house, and in February, 1838, the proposition of Solomon Jenkins was accepted, $2,600 being appropriated for the purpose. Mr. Jenkins was appointed superintendent of construction, and the exca- vation for the building at once began. Pending the completion of the first court house, the sessions were held at the house of Joseph B. Wells, part of which building is now the rear portion of Middelkamp's hardware store in Warrenton.
Among the prominent persons who took part in this interesting struggle were Dr. John Jones, John McKinney, John Wyatt, Sr., John King, Jesse Cain, Harvey and Frederick Griswold, James Bland, John L. Wyatt, Douglas Wyatt, Dr. Andrew Fourt, William James and David Howard, all of whom resided in and about the Charrette valley and fought nobly in the interests of New Boston. Those who favored Warrenton and finally won the long-contested struggle were Norman Pringle, Abram James, Pleasant and Royal J. Kennedy, Moses and Lewis Edwards, Nimrod Darnell, Dr. H. C. Wright, Parker Dudley, Richard Wright, Rodger Taylor, James Graves, Grief Stewart, Edward Pleasant, John Pleasant, John Preston, Turner Roundtree, James Pendleton, Benjamin Hutchinson, Thos. Chambers, Newton Howell, Thos. Bowen, Benoni McClure, Jonathan D. Gordon, John Welch, V. R. Pringle and William Logan. The matter was
1068
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
submitted to a vote of the people on January 15 and 16, 1836, and Warrenton (thanks to the efforts of those who had worked so hard and faithfully in her interests ) won by a handsome majority.
Having secured the permanent seat of justice, the town at once en- tered upon a career of prosperity. Its growth was marked by the advent of a class of business and professional men, whose well directed energy soon brought the new county seat into prominence. It soon became evident that the selection of Warrenton as the county town was a wise one, as the natural and geographical advantages of the vil- lage made it easy of access, being near the center of the county, and therefore readily reached from all points.
The first store opened in Warrenton was that of Ford & Munson. Mr. Harvey Ford, of this firm, was the commissioner who disposed of the town lots authorized by the Legislature to be sold for the purpose of building the first court house, and he also located and platted the village.
The following is a list of those who purchased town lots at this sale : - James G. Smith, Thos. Buxton, Caleb Williams, R. C. Hendricks, W. P. Anderson, Jas. B. Graves, Hiram Camp, Solomon Jenkins, Sandy Pratt, Henry Mckinney, P. S. Roundtree, Miranda Morgan, Thomas Keely, Wm. F. McClinney, Alexander Skinner, John Over- street, Harvey Ford, Newton Howell, Carty and Jos. B. Wells, Mary Munson, Eli Carter, Andrew McConnell, Turner Roundtree, Grief Stewart, Benjamin Brown, Hedgman Anderson, Andrew J. Long, Abiha A. Williams, Thomas Archer, Wm. B. Price, John Preston, Thomas Kent, Lawrence Long, Horace Buxton, John Woodlan, Vin- cent Taylor.
John M. Faulconer, father of John H. Faulconer, afterwards treas- urer of the county, and mayor of Warrenton, was the first school teacher. Church services were held in the court house until about 1854, when an effort was made to erect a Union Church, for the ac- commodation of the various denominations. This movement was not successful, however. In 1855 the Methodists erected a wooden church, which is still standing, and was called " Marvin Chapel," after the famous bishop of that name, who was a native of Warren county. The same year a Baptist Church was built.
The post-office was at the grocery store of Caleb Williams, who was a very early settler, and for many years filled the office of justice of the peace. The office was in a log cabin which stood at the foot of the hill about a quarter of a mile north of the present court house.
The first mill erected was a combined steam grist and saw mill,
1069
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
built by an association comprising the leading men of the vicinity. R. J. Huston, Warren B. Stewart, Grief Stewart, William Harper, Estlan Woodlan, and others, originally controlled the property, which, after a few years, passed into the hands of Warren B. Stewart as sole proprie- tor. Mr. Stewart at that time, and for many years subsequent, was rec- ognized as a man of influence in the community, and as the most energetic and enterprising business man of the county. He managed the mill, kept a large general store, and was the proprietor of a tobacco factory, the first one built in Warrenton. The manufacture of tobacco was, until just previous to the Civil War, the chief industry of the town. Several factories were built, and at one time about 300 men were employed in the various establishments. Among those who erected and successfully managed these factories in Warrenton, were Grief Stewart, William Harper, W. B. Stewart, Lewis Kennedy, James Howell, and Charles Hill.
Warrenton does not take rank with the larger cities of the State, yet occupies an enviable position among Missouri's county seats. The location of the town is excellent, It is built, principally, upon high ground, in the midst of picturesque surroundings. Its people have always enjoyed the reputation of a hospitable, energetic and enterprising community. Her early history is full of the incon- veniencies of frontier life, and it was not until the North Missouri Railroad reached the town that it enjoyed a very wide acquaintance with the outside world. Previous to that time it was necessary to haul everything by wagon to St. Charles or Marthasville, for ship- ment up or down the Missouri river. On the 4th of July, 1857, the first train arrived at Truesdale, which was for a time the ter- minus of the road. The day was indeed a memorable one for Warren county, whose people turned out in great numbers to cel- ebrate the event.
COAL EXCITEMENT.
Soon after the county was organized, the existence of coal was surmised. Shortly after the North Missouri Railroad reached War- renton, a vein of good coal was discovered on Big creek, but the location was inaccessible except for teams. Considerable agitation followed this discovery, but it was not until 1868 that any con- certed effort was made to develop what was considered might be- come the leading industry of the county. In 1868 a company was formed in Warrenton for the purpose of prospecting for the im- mense coal beds which were thought to underlie the vicinity.
1070
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
The directors of the association were Rudolph Ritter, Judge Henry Parker, L. J. Dryden, W. C. Christy, of St. Louis, and John C. Orrick. Arrangements were made with farmers living along the track of the railway, by which the company secured the right to bore for coal, the understanding being that if the coal was dis- covered, and shafts sunk, the owners of the property were to be paid one cent a bushel for all coal taken out.
After several holes had been sunk in Warren and Lincoln counties, without success, the organization disbanded.
CENTRAL WESLEYAN COLLEGE.
[Contributed.]
The Central Wesleyan College is located at Warrenton, a pleasant and healthy part of the State, on the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific Railway, 60 miles from St. Louis. It is under the control of a board of trustees, appointed by the St. Louis and Western German Con- ferences of the Methodist Episcopal Church. The school is open to both sexes, and during last year had an attendance of 245 students.
The college is a growth. It owes its birth to the necessities of the church in supplying ministers for the German work. There was at that time, 30 years ago, no school where young men, wishing to enter the university of the M. E. Church, could receive special training for the German work. To supply this want a plan was proposed to have Dr. William Nast, the father of German Methodism, appointed to a professorship in Asbury University, Greencastle, Ind., to whom this special work should be assigned. But Dr. Nast preferred to continue his editorial labors, and this plan was abandoned. The needs of the church were pressing, however, and the then South-Western German Conference decided to start a school in connection with the seminary of the church, at Quincy, Ill.
Rev. H. A. Koch, D. D., was, in 1855, appointed agent to secure the financial requisites for the undertaking, and Rev. John Walther, pastor in charge of the church at Quincy, was appointed to take charge of the school. After teaching one year he was succeeded by Prof. J. M. Enl, who taught one year. In the year 1857, the agent, Rev. H. A. Koch, was placed in charge of the German department of the English-German Seminary, as it was then called. The name was afterwards changed to Quincy College, and the school had an average attendance of about 25 students in the German Department, all of whom were preparing for the German ministry, and many of whom have since become eminent in their calling.
1071
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
About the year 1863 Quincy College went down under a sea of financial troubles, but the German Department was continued with Dr. Koch as sole teacher until the summer of 1864. The German M. E. Church at this time recognized the need of an asylum for the orphans of fallen soldiers, and it was proposed to purchase the estate of Mr. William Truesdail, near Warrenton, and to establish here both the school and an orphan asylum. A convention of the church was called to meet at Quincy, Ill. The removal of the school was strenuously . opposed by some, but the influence of Rev. Phillip Kuhl, Rev. Henry Pfaff and Dr. Koch prevailed ; the Truesdale farm was purchased, and both school and orphan asylum were located here at Warrenton, Mo.
Rev. George Boeshenz was appointed superintendent of the orphan asylum and farm, and the school was opened in the fall of 1864, with Dr. Koch as principal. A charter was obtained from the General Assembly of the State in February, 1865, incorporating the asylum and school under the name and title of the
WESTERN ORPHAN ASYLUM AND EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTE.
The objects, as set forth in the charter, are: "1st, To found and support a home for orphan children, especially the orphans of deceased soldiers ; * to take care of them bodily and mentally ; to clothe, feed, instruct and educate them. 2nd, To provide for the instruction and education of the youths of our country, preparing them for the different positions and situations in life, and enabling them to become useful and honorable members of society."
The charter further states : " In the reception of orphans no regard shall be had to the religious denominations of parents and children, neither shall the reception of scholars depend upon their religious profession, but the school shall be open to all students possessing a good moral character." Thus were both school and asylum estab- lished upon this broad basis of Christian philanthropy, and they have had a generous growth during a 20 years' administration in accord- ance with those principles. Rev. Phillip Kuhl was the first president of the corporation, and Rev. G. Boeshenz, secretary. Dr. Koch, who was connected with the school from its incipiency, now received the aid of three assistant teachers. On the 3d of October, 1864, the school opened with the following courses of study : Primary, classical, scientific, commercial and normal. During the first school year there was an attendance of about 190 pupils, including orphans. At one
1072
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
time during the year a troop of United States soldiers made a descent upon the community. When informed by Prof. Van Duzer that this was not a " big nigger plantation," but an orphan asylum, he was un- ceremoniously cuffed and ordered to get them something to eat, as they were hungry and likewise orphans. Curious to relate, a few days ago after a lapse of 20 years, Rev. C. F. Schlinger, superintend- ent of the orphan asylum, received an answer to a claim against the government, filed by Papa Kuhl, on account of losses caused by United States soldiers at that time. The answer stated that an agent of the government would be here in August in order to examine Phillip Kuhl and George Boeshenz in regard to the losses. A few times the students were required to do military duty in guarding the town.
In March, 1870, the charter was amended by the General Assembly of the State, and the name changed to
" CENTRAL WESLEYAN COLLEGE AND ORPHAN ASYLUM."
The course of study had also been extended, and in June, 1870, the first class graduated in the classical course, consisting of Wm. Balcke, Davenport, Ia., and John H. Frick, Liberty, Mo. In September, 1872, President Kuhl resigned, and Rev. H. A. Koch, D. D., was chosen president. Besides his school duties the president was now also superintendent of the orphan asylum, and continued in charge of the same until relieved by the appointment of Rev. Chas. Heidel, in 1878, as superintendent of the orphan asylum.
The school has been self-sustaining from the beginning, and the in- creased number of students soon demanded more ample accommoda- tions. Strong efforts were made by some members of the South- western German Conference to have the college removed from Warrenton. The first subscriptions taken by Papa Kuhl for the erec- tion of a new building were rejected by a committee of the Confer- ence in March, 1872 ; the offers from Quincy, Ill., and Mt. Pleasant, Ia., were likewise not accepted, and the whole matter was laid over until the meeting of the Conference in the autumn. Meanwhile new subscriptions were taken in Warren county by Papa Kuhl and Rev. J. P. Wilhelmi. The conditions of the first subscriptions called for the erection of a $40,000 building, and this was the principal ground of rejection. The conditions of the second subscriptions called for the erection of a brick building about 60x90 feet, three stories high. The sum of $10,500 in subscriptions was secured before the meeting of the Conference at Quincy, Ill., September, 1872. These subscriptions were accepted, and the trustees authorized to proceed with the erection of
1073
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
the building as soon as they could do so, without incurring debt. In case any debts were made the trustees were to be held personally re- sponsible for the same. The new enterprise was pushed ahead and subscriptions taken outside of Warren county by Dr. Koch, the pres- ident. When the Conference met at St. Louis, September, 1873, Rev. M. Roeder was appointed financial agent of the college. His efforts proved very successful. The new building was erected at a cost of $20,000. It was dedicated November 14, 1875. The build- ing is of brick, 90x55 feet, and three stories high.
KESSLER-PROFESSORSHIP OF GERMAN LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE. In the same year Louis Kessler, Esq., of Ballwin, St. Louis county, Mo., donated $10,000 to endow a professorship of German language and literature, provided the Conference would raise the further sum of $15,000 for endowment purposes.
Rev. M. Roeder continued his labors as financial agent, collecting the money subscribed for erecting the college building, and besides secured $13,000 for the endowment of a theological department, $6,000 of which were donated in cash by W. Schrader, Esq., of St. Louis. In September, 1877, he was succeeded by Rev. Chas. Heidel, who continued the labors so successfully begun, and secured more than the balance of the $15,000 required for the theological endow- ment fund. The chair thus established was called the
SCHRADER-PROFESSORSHIP OF THEOLOGY.
In 1878 the college boarding department was separated from the orphan asylum, and Rev. C. Heidel was appointed superintendent of the orphan asylum and farm. In 1879 Prof. J. L. Kessler, A. M., was appointed professor of German language and literature, and in 1881, having been elected to the chair of theology, he was succeeded by Rev. J. M. Rinkel, A. M. For some years the attendance had been increasing and the affairs of the college had been growing more prosperous, and yet the college had to meet and overcome a great calamity. At about midnight on May 8, 1882, one of those dreadful foes of humanity, a tornado, swooped down upon the town and al- most laid the college building in ruins. The roof of the main college building was carried away and the whole east wall torn down. Prof. Sauer and family and four students were in the building at the time, but escaped unhurt. The roof was also partly taken off the " red building," and chimneys of the orphan asylum and other buildings were blown down; the fences were swept away, and the beautiful
1074
HISTORY OF WARREN COUNTY.
grove and campus presented a sad sight of devastation. Two hours after the calamity had happened the faculty met for consultation. They at once decided that school must go on, and with brave hearts set to work to devise plans for carrying on the work. Rev. C. F. Schlinger, orphan superintendent, was called in, and kindly placed some of his rooms at their disposal. So well were the arrangements made that the recitations were continued next day and not a student left on account of the calamity. In a few days the board of trustees were called together, and, having viewed the ruins, they resolved to rebuild and repair all damages at once. The professors and the pas- tor, Rev. Wm. Schuetz, were appointed agents to travel throughout the bounds of the patronizing conferences, collect money and secure new students. The tornado was a blessing in disguise. It aroused the sympathies of the people, and so nobly did they respond that the $6,000 necessary to repair damages were soon secured, and the new school year opened in September following with the damages all re- paired and with happy auguries for the future.
The endowment fund had now increased, through the liberality of Mrs. Mary Wehner, John Niebuhr, the Niedringhaus Bros. and other friends, to something over $33,000. The good financial condition of the college was in a great degree secured by the wise and able man- agement of Dr. Koch. A considerable fund was accumulated by an economical administration of the boarding department, under the con- trol of Dr. and Mrs. Koch. In the year 1881 they resigned control of the department, after which Mrs. Sippel served two years, and in 1883 Prof. J. N. Rinkel took charge of the same.
SEPARATION.
Steps were taken in 1883 to effect a complete separation of college and orphan asylum, and were carried into effect at the spring term of the circuit court, 1884. The Central Wesleyan College and Cen- tral Wesleyan Orphan Asylum were each incorporated under separate charters, and now have two separate boards of trustees, appointed by the St. Louis and the Western German Conferences of the M. E. Church. These two conferences were formed by dividing the South-west Ger- man Conference. The college now stands upon a new and independent existence with prosperity in all its departments. Increased accom- modations are demanded by the large number of students, and the trustees authorized the building of a new ladies' hall, with dining- room, the latter large enough for seating 125 guests. The contract for building the same has been let (July, 1884), and it will cost $11,-
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