USA > Ohio > History of the Ohio falls cities and their counties : with illustrations and bibliographical sketches, Vol. II > Part 33
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Upon the second floor are the editorial rooms, completely furnished with furniture, extensive and valuable libraries of books pertaining to the newspaper business. On the same floor the bindery and stock rooms are situated. The bindery is complete in every respect, and is supplied with ruling ma- chine, large power paper-cutter, presses, board-cutters, tools, and in fact everything used in the manufacture of blank books. The stock room contains" a large stock of papers and ready-made records of the various sizes and patterns.
The upper story is occupied as the news-room. It is large, roomy, and probably the lightest in the city, being lighted from both sides and front and rear by large windows, and not obstructed by other buildings. The room contains stands, cases, imposing-stones, type, and other material to run half a dozen ordinary papers. A hoisting apparatus connects with the lower rooms, and the forms are lowered four stories safely and rapidly to the basement.
That the condition of the company may be known, we hereby submit the annual report of the company for the year ending December 31, 1876:
Capital stock authorized. $30,000 00 Amount of capital stock subscribed and paid up
to date (including all engines, presses, materi- al, material and fixtures in said printing office and machinery and fixtures in bindery, and fix- tures, furniture and library in editorial rooms and counting rooms).
25,300 00
Material on hand not included in above 850 00
Bills and accounts receivable. 15,542 36
$41,692 36
LIABILITIES.
Bills and accounts payable.
$ 5,216 08
Total surplus over all liabilities
$36,476 18
THE "LEDGER" AGAIN.
August 15, 1881, the name of the Ledger- Standard was changed to the Ledger. The change called forth the following letter from Mr. John W. McQuiddy, who ran the first power- press and first steam-press in New Albany. The
letter is full of interesting reminiscences of the later days of the Ledger :
EDITORS LEDGER :- The recent change made in the name of your excellent paper calls up some reminiscences which may possess some interest.
During the winter of 1853-54 Mr. John B. Norman, then the proprietor and editor of the Ledger, purchased a power- press of the cylinder pattern, known as the Northrop press- a cheap affair and very difficult to manage. In February, 1854, I was sent by Mr. George Thompson, then foreman of the Louisville Democrat, with a letter of introduction to Mr. Norman, in which I was recommended as a qualified and competent power-pressman. I was received by Mr. Nor- man in his characteristic quiet style. The result of the inter- view was an engagement to run the presses in the office, which at that time consisted of the power-press and a hand- press.
I was then living in Louisville. On Monday morning, February 3, 1854, I came over and went to work. I was an entire stranger in the city, but soon became attached to those with whom I came in daily contact in my duties about the office, and have ever since held them in the highest esteem. Mr. Norman was editor, book-keeper, put up his mails, and made a hand on the paper. Mr. C. W. Cottom was local editor, type-setter, and general utility man. Sam William- son was job workman, D. McIntosh, Henry Heath, William Hardy, and Edward W. Sinex compositors. Of these all are living except Mr. Norman and Mr. Williamson. Mr. Sinex is still with the Ledger, and has been continuously in the service of its various proprietors since the first issue of the paper. In the spring of 1874 Mr. Hugh Gordon, who had during the winter been employed on the steamer Peter Tel- lon, returned to the office and continued to act as foreman of the news and job department until his death in 1868-a faith- ful employe and a true friend.
The office in 1853-54 was located on Main street, on the north side, between Pearl and Bank strects, in the two upper stories of the three-story building on the corner of the alley. The paper was small, had been established but a few years, and was by no means a pronounced success as a daily. The proprietor worked hard, and the result was the establishment of one of the best papers and one of the most flourishing printing-offices in the State. Mr. Norman was a practical printer, and never hesitated to take a case when necessary. Before he died the office had immensely increased in patron- age, and the old power- and hand-press had been superseded by two new and improved power-presses.
Before, however, this success had been reached, Mr. Nor- man associated with him Messrs. James M. Morrison and L. G. Matthews, and a large share of credit is due those gentlemen, to whom the business affairs of the office were entrusted. The office was moved to Pearl street, to the three-story building in the rear of the New York store, occu- pying the entire building. Soon the business increased so rapidly that the late David Crane was induced to add a third story to his building, and the presses were moved in and steam power introduced to the establishment. The business continued to grow, and soon it became necessary to rent the third story of the corner building and the one next below, and when no more buildings in that locality were to be ob- tained, DePauw's Hall, corner of Pearl and Spring, was fitted up expressly for the Ledger, and the office moved into it. This building was used from the cellar to the garret. Messrs. Norman and Morrison having died, Mr. Matthews became sole proprietor, who shortly after the last removal
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
sold the newspaper to Merrill and Moter. These gentlemen consolidated the Ledger with the Standard, and the paper was called the Ledger-Standard.
During the sixteen years I was connected with the Ledger many fellow-craftsmen were employed on the paper and in the various departments; among them I may mention Aug. Jocelyn, as foreman of the job department; A. M. Jack- son, foreman of the news department, and afterwards assist- ant editor; William Bodenhammer, afterwards editor of the Noblesville Ledger, and Dewees Heneks, all good workmen and men of intelligence. Mr. Heneks was something of a poet. On one occasion the carriers were unable to get a New Year's address written. But one day was left before it was needed. Heneks, ascertaining the trouble, said he would get them up one. He immediately went to his case, and in the course of an hour produced, without copy, one of the best addresses ever published by the paper. All of these are dead.
The best years of my life were devoted to service on the Ledger. My relations with its proprietors were always pleas- ant, and I became closely attached to it; and the restoration of the old name struck a responsive chord, which induced me to write the foregoing. May the paper profitably con- tinue to furnish the news for the good people of Floyd coun- ty and surrounding country for many years to come.
Mr. W. C. Cottom still continues to do faith- ful work on this paper in the editorial depart- ment.
GERMAN PAPERS.
The German element in and around New Albany is a strong one, thus creating a demand for a paper printed in the German language. Several of this kind have been started from time to time, and two are now in existence in the city.
The first German paper was started here about 1850. It was called the Sun, but soon became permanently eclipsed and nobody seems able to tell when or where. In 1861 a second German paper made its appearance, called the New Albany Democrat. It was published by.Messrs. Weiss & Lauber, at the southwest corner of State and Market streets. It closed about six months after the first issue, for the reason, it is stated, that it could not get compositors on account of the war. The office of the Democrat was transferred to Evansville in 1862, and there became the Evansville Democrat, which is still a flourishing paper.
The third German paper to make its appear- ance in New Albany was the Deutsche Zeitung, the present paper. It is a weekly, eight page sheet, and was started June 28, 1875, by Otto Palmer, a wide-awake, active German, who is editor, proprietor, publisher, compositor, etc., and fills all these positions in the front room of his own dwelling on Pearl street, between Elm
and Oak. His paper is Democratic in politics, the Democratic German population in the county being about five thousand, including children. It is a five column quarto, printed in the German language, and has remained in Mr. Palmer's hands since it was established.
About a year after the Zeitung was established another German paper was started by F. W. A. Reidel, of the German Protestant church. It is called the New Albany Das Echo der Gegenwart und der Zeitgeist, and is a liberal Christian, unde- nominational journal, printed in German, and devoted to a record of religious progress and other matters interesting to the German commu- nity. It is semi-monthly. Mr. Reidel, who came here from Cincinnati, where he had been connected with a paper, began his labors in the German church about 1870. He purchased a press and the type, and for the first three years had his paper printed in Louisville; after that it was transferred to his own dwelling in this city, on Bank street, between Elm and Spring, from which place it is yet issued.
OTHER PAPERS.
In 1875 J. H. and W. S. Conner started a job-printing establishment in the rear end of J. H. Conner's drug store, on Spring street. After confining themselves to job printing about two years they issued the Saturday Herald, simply an advertising sheet, which has since been con- tinued. In 1880 the office and material were purchased by J. H. Conner, who is at present sole proprietor.
The next year (1881) was a propitious one for the establishment of newspapers in New Albany, two entirely new ones having made their appear- ance. The first of these is the Weekly Review, the first number of which was issued February 19, 1881. It is a six-column folio, and devoted to the interests of the colored people. It is is- sued by the Review Publishing company, a stock association composed entirely of col- ored people. The Rev. Richard Bassett is the business manager, and W. O. Vance the editor. It is Republican, but makes neither politics nor religion prominent specialities. It is compar- atively prosperous, having a circulation of about eleven hundred.
The Public Press was established June 22, 1881, by Messrs. Josiah Gwin & Sons. It is a
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
weekly eight column folio, and Democratic in politics. It is published at No. 61 Pearl street. Mr. Gwin has long been connected with the press of New Albany, and it will be remembered started the Standard in 1871, which was sub- sequently consolidated with the Ledger. Mr. Gwin retained his interest in the Ledger-Stand- ard until February 14, 1881, when he sold it to Captain John B. Mitchell, now clerk of the county. Mr. Gwin was county recorder nine years and has been prominent in the affairs of New Albany.
Mr. Thomas Collins started an agricultural paper here in 1858, called the Review of the Markets and Farmers' Journal; which however, he only published about six months. No doubt other efforts were made from time to time to es- tablish papers in New Albany, but the above re- view includes all the publications that amounted to anything.
CHAPTER X. NEW ALBANY-THE CHURCHES.
There are at present in the city twenty-three churches, viz: nine Methodist, four Presbyterian, two Baptist, two Christian, two Catholic, one Episcopal, one United Brethren, one German Evangelical, and one Universalist. As intro- ductory to the history of these churches, it may be well to give the following extract from Mr. C. W. Cottom's Material Interests of New Al- bany, published in 1873:
New Albany may justly be termed the city of churches. Ever since the city was founded it has been distinguished for the religious character of its citizens and its church privileges. The first religious meeting held in the city was under the auspices of the Methodists. It was held in a little log cabin in which spruce beer and ginger cakes were sold by a widow woman named Reynolds, and the meeting was brought about in a very singular manner. A gentleman named Elam Genung started out one moonlit evening, after the day's labor had ended, to take a walk in the forest, in the midst of which the few cabins then constituting the town were built. He heard the widow lady who kept the cake and beer shop sing- ing a (to him) familiar religious hymn. He was attracted by her sweet voice to the cabin, and as he entered it she ceased singing. He requested her to repeat the hymn, and as she did so joined with her in singing it. At its close he asked her if she was a church member. She replied she had been
in the East, before she came to Indiana Territory, a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
"I, too, was a Methodist before I came here," replied Genung, "let us pray."
The singing had drawn a dozen or more of the settlers to the cabin, and had touched every heart by its sweet tender- ness, waking memories of homes far away in the East, and religious privileges that were held dear and sacred, and when prayer was proposed all entered the cabin, and there, under the giant trees, the silver moon pouring down a flood of mellow light over the scene, the first public prayer was offered in New Albany. One who was present at that meet- ing says of it : " It was an occasion to be remembered for a long lifetime, for God came down among us in his first temples, the trees, and all were blessed."
There is but one survivor of that first religious meeting in New Albany, and her feet are still traveling the "straight and narrow pathway" she that night, now more than fifty- five years ago, found it so pleasant to walk in. At the close of this meeting another was announced for the night of the same day the following week. At that meeting a Methodist class was formed, and this continued to meet until June, 20, 1817, when the Methodist Episcopal church was regularly organized in New Albany by Rev. John Shrader, and the first sacrament of the Lord's Supper administered by him in a hotel kept by a widow lady named Hannah Ruff. On No- vember 25, 1817, the first Methodist church in the town was dedicated by Rev. John Shrader. There are now in the city ten Methodist church buildings, two of them Methodist mis- sions.
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The next church organized here was the First Presbyter- ian. The organization was effected on the 7th of December, 1817, with nine members. The first meeting was held in Mrs. Scribner's residence, being now a portion of what is the Commercial hotel-formerly High Street house. The first communion of the Presbyterian church of New Albany was solemnized on the day of the organization, Rev. D. C. Banks officiating at the ceremony. The first baptism solemnized in New Albany was that of the infant daughter of Dr. Asaheland Elizabeth Clapp, Lucinda Ann, yet living in this city, and the wife of Mr. W. C. Shipman. There are now in New Albany three Presbyterian churches and two Presbyterian Mission churches. The next religious society organized in the city was the Baptist church, the organiza- tion taking place, as near as we can learn, in the autumn of 182r. From this brief sketch it will be seen that the pioneers of New Albany were scarce installed in their log cabins when they commenced the organization of churches. This early religious work gave a moral and Christian tone to society in the then village, which has " grown with its growth and strengthened with its strength." Now New Albany can boast nearly thirty churches, and in the superior cultivation and moral and religious character of her society is not sur- passed by any city in America.
THE RELIGIOUS DENOMINATIONS.
The following embraces a full list of the several religious denominations of the city, and the number of church edifices: Presbyterian, three regular and two mission churches, valued at $125,000; Methodist (white), seven regular, one German, two mission, colored two; property of all valued at $140,- 000; Baptist (white), one ; colored, two; value of property, $30,000; Protestant Episcopal, one regular and one mission church, valued at $25,000; Lutheran German Evangelical, and German Evangelical (Salem), with property valued at $50,000; Catholic, two large churches, one German, the
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
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other Irish, and with property valued at $135,000; Christian church, valued at $30,000; United Brethren church, valued al $3.000; Universalist church, valued at $20,000. The Southern Methodist church worship in the Universalist church. There is a society of Spiritualists in the city that meets in one of the public halls. There is also a small society of Second Adventists.
WESLEY CHAPEL.
This proves to have been the first church in the city, of any denomination, though it did not receive its present name for more than twenty years after it was established, or until after the separation which took place when the Centenary church came into existence. During all the first years of its life it was simply known as the Methodist church of New Albany, the Method- ists of this place worshiping in one building for nearly a quarter of a century. Aaron McDaniels, the father of Rev. William McDaniels, at present residing in New Albany, came to the town in December, 1817. There was, says the son, no Methodist church here at that time, but within a few months, that is during the year 1818, a church was organized. He says that Widow Ruff then occupied a large frame dwelling, the best house in the town at that time, and in her house, she being a devoted Methodist, the first Method- ist class was organized. This statement differs somewhat from that in the extract above quoted, but is probably correct, as Mr. Daniels has all his life been a devoted Methodist, the greater part of it being spent in preaching, and probably understands the history of the Methodist church in this city better than any other person now living. The year was probably 1818 instead of 1817, as stated in the above extract. Mr. Daniels' father was one of the members of this organization; he was a ship-carpenter and came from Philadelphia to Maysville, Kentucky, thence to New Albany where he found employ- ment in the ship-yards. Peter Stoy, Henry Pitcher, Edward Brown, and Obediah Childs were also members of this class. Stoy and Pitcher were also from Philadelphia, and carpen- ters too, and worked at ship and house building. Mr. Brown was from Baltimore and was engaged in buying and selling cattle and other stock for many years. Their place of meeting was usually at Widow Ruff's house, but was sometimes at the house of Obediah Childs, and it was here, says Mr. Daniels, that the first Methodist prayer
meeting in New Albany was held, being led by Aaron Daniels.
Among the first ministers of the Methodist church through this region were Revs. John Schrader, John Strange, Peter Cartwright, Charles Holliday, George Locke and William Shanks. These were all pioneer Methodist preachers, and during the greater portion of their lives were found in the front rank of advancing pioneer settlers. Their labors were in the wilderness among wild beasts and savages, encountering always great danger, hardship, and suffering for the purpose of advancing their religious views and establishing churches. The name of Peter Cartwright is especially well known in Ohio and Kentucky, and indeed throughout the Ohio val- ley, and his character and power as a preacher are well known. He was "a diamond in the rough," a natural orator, a man without educa- tion or polish, but a giant in intellect as well as physical strength. Indeed, the same may be said of most of these early preachers, of other denominations as well as Methodist, but Cart- wright was probably superior to most of them, and so fearfully in earnest in his religious labors that he left an imperishable memory behind.
Rev. John Schrader, as above stated, organ- ized the first Methodist class in New Albany. He was perhaps one of the best known of the pioneer Methodist preachers in this county, as he spent most of his life here. He subsequently organized a church in Greenville township in this county, which built a log church known as Schra- der's chapel, one of the oldest in the county.
It must have been soon after the first Method- ist class was organized that the church was erect- ed. It was a small frame building and stood on the lot where the Wesley Methodist church par- sonage now stands. It was probably built in 1818, for it was standing there in 1819, accord- ing to McMurtrie's Sketches of Louisville, pub- lished in that year. Speaking of New Albany he says: "The inhabitants are all either Meth- odists or Presbyterians, the former having a meet- ing house, and the latter have contracted for a church, which is to be built immediately."
The native forest trees had to be cleared away for the erection of this first Methodist church, which cost, perhaps, five hundred dollars, though most of the labor upon it was voluntary. This building was in use by all the Methodists of the
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HISTORY OF THE OHIO FALLS COUNTIES.
town and country around for a dozen years or more, when they erected a brick church on the corner of First and Market streets, which is yet standing. A frame addition has been placed in front of it and it is used for mercantile purposes by Dr. August Knæfel. In this building the Methodists worshiped for twenty years or more. During the years between 1830 and 1840 it in- · creased so in numbers, and the town grew away from it to the eastward so rapidly that it was thought best to have another church building. The town became a city in 1839, and those liv- ing in the upper part of the city desired the new church to be erected in that direction for their accommodation. This was accomplished in 1839, when the Centenary church was erected. Both congregations continued under one charge, however. Two years later, when they separated, two churches were organized, and the old church was thereafter known as Wesley chapel. They continued worshiping in the old brick church on the corner of First and Market until 1854, when the congregation had grown so large that it was necessary to ercct a new building, and the pres- ent beautiful and substantial brick structure was put up on the north side of Market street, be- tween Lower Second and Washington streets.
From the forty-ninth annual report of the In- diana conference, which held its session in New Albany commencing September 8, 1880, the fol- lowing facts regarding Wesley chapel are gleaned: Total number of members, 482; value of church, $20,000; value of parsonage, $1,500; improvements during the year on church and parsonage, $1,306. The church gave for mis- sion work $80.25, and the Sunday school gave for the same $19.89. The church gave for other benevolent purposes $59.20. The current ex- penses of the church-sexton, gas, fuel, etc .--- were $366. Rev. Joseph S. Woods is pastor.
The Sunday-school was one of the first es- tablished in the city and is yet in a flourishing condition.
CENTENARY METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH.
The origin of this church appears in the his- tory of Wesley chapel above given. In 1875 this church had printed in a little paper called the Centenary Advocate such items in her his- tory as it was desirable to have preserved. These items are here given in part as follows:
One hundred years after the opening of the Old Foundry in London, 1739, Centenary church was built. Methodism had extended herself, in the mean time, over England, Scotland, Ireland, and the whole of the United States and Canada.
The old society, since called Wesley chapel, then worshiped in the quaint old building now occupied by Dr. Aug. Knæfel as a warehouse for drugs.
Both churches united in the building of the new house, the division not taking place till two years after it was com- pleted. The original construction of Centenary differed somewhat from the present appearance. There was then no recess in the rear, and no vestibule in front. The stairways to the main audience room ran up on the outside with no pro- tection from the weather.
A wide gallery ran across the front end inside. As first built the church had no spire and no bell, there then being a strong prejudice on the parl of many persons against such things.
The stand, the altar-railing, the seats and even the windows and doors were of quite a different style of architecture from what they now are. The pulpit was quite high, and minis- ters ascended to it by a considerable flight of steps.
All this seems quite curious and out of taste to the youth of this day (1875), but, at that time, Centenary was con- considered to be, and really was a great improvement on the church buildings that preceded it. Our Puritan fathers, in the reaction against the fripperies and fopperies of the Eu- ropean churches, had gone to an absurd extreme of plainness and severity. Their houses of worship were unadorned within and unpainted without; even a stove or a fire-place was not allowed to invade their sacred precincts, it being supposed that the fire of God's love would keep truly pious worshipers warm, and all others deserved to freeze. A re- action against this unreasonable plainness has taken place; but, at the time of which we speak, it was in the first stages of the transition.
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