USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > Madison > A history of Madison, the capital of Wisconsin : including the Four Lake country : to July, 1874, with an appendix of notes on Dane County and its towns > Part 17
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36
190
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
teacher, nine months; and nineteen weeks by female teach- ers.
On the 4th of June, the Board of Supervisors made a report of resources and expenditures to April 6, 1847: Whole amount of receipts, $3,200.48; expenditures, $2,510.82.
The Madison Express, of March 23, referring to the growth of the village, says: "From present appearance, building would be, this season, three-fold greater than in any previous year. Among the rest, is the brick academy, which is to cost about $3,000. This building, to which reference has been made as having received aid from the State, was located on lot 4, block 82, corner of Wisconsin avenue and Johnson street. In this building the preparatory department of the State Uni- versity was held soon after its organization. The building was demolished in May, 1873, to make room for the new City High School.
At a meeting of the Grand Lodge of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, held in June, 1847, a petition was received for a charter of a lodge to be located at Madison, to be called "Hope Lodge, No. 17." A dispensation was granted, and the lodge instituted on the 15th. The following persons were the charter members: P. G.'s CHARLES HOLT, C. B. CHAPMAN, J. Y. SMITH, NOAH CLEMENS and WILLIAM WELCH. C. B. CHAP- MAN, N. G .; J. Y. SMITH, V. G .; N. CLEMENS, Secretary, and BENJAMIN HOLT, Treasurer. The first meeting was held in the brick building on Main street, then known as the " Argus Building." Among the early members of this lodge were D. VANDERCOOK, GEO. M. OAKLEY, J. G. KNAPP, JAS. HALPIN.
The telegraph was this year set up between Milwaukee and Madison. A. C. INGHAM and B. F. HOPKINS were the first op- erators at Madison.
The Convention which assembled here December 16, 1847, to form a State Constitution, having completed their work on the first of February, was, by the vote of the people, approved in April, 1848, and Wisconsin was admitted to the Union on an equal footing with the other States, on the 29th of May.
The assessed valuation of the real estate of the village, in
191
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN.
1847, was $39,116, and personal property, $8,600; total, $47,716. Amount of tax, $200. The principal merchants during the year were, E. B. DEAN, Jr., assessed $3,500 personal; SHIELDS & SNEEDEN, $2,500; NICHOLAS SMITH, $1,500; FINCH & BLAN- CHARD, $600; A. BOYLES & Co., $400; R. PRICE, $100.
July 4th celebration was observed as usual. DAVID LAMBERT, orator; D. B. SNEEDEN, reader; and Rev. CHAS. LORD, chap- lain.
The census of the village was taken this year by E. BURDICK, whole number, 1,159, the year previous it was 626. S. MILLS advertised, in December, that he was building a saw mill, and wished to purchase 1,000 logs.
The Argus, of December 14, says: "One hundred Indians are encamped on the north side of Lake Mendota (Fourth Lake), three miles from this place, and have been there some weeks, and have almost annihilated the deer."
J. G. KNAPP, Superintendent of Public Property, in his reminiscences of Madison, 1846-7, says:
" At that time the Park was more than half covered with hazel bushes and oak grubs. The first were destroyed by mow- ing, and the last were dug up. The wild grass was succeeded by the present grasses, partly by sowing the seed, and partly spontaneous or self-sowing. The trees then were the merest bush, were trimmed up to about six feet, that being nearly one-half their entire height. In 1847, I contracted with ALEX. McBRIDE, at fifty cents a tree, for planting out the row of maples and elms next to the Park fence, he agreeing to war- rant their growth. This was done without authority of law, and before any appropriation had been made for that purpose. That legislative body could never have been induced to make such an appropriation, for the reason that there was then the greatest opposition to all appropriations for future benefit; and because there was at that time a determination on the part of many members to remove the seat of government to some other place. It was therefore with the greatest difficulty that the Legislature could be induced to make an appropriation to pay for those trees. I have often asked, what price the State
192
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
would now fix upon those same trees? To these small begin- nings, this assuming of responsibility, I look back and see what our beautiful Park has since become - the ornament of the most handsomely located city in the Union, the brightest. setting of any Capitol on the continent, if not in the world. If it be such now, when less than half finished, what will it be: in a few years, after the hand of the tasteful landscape gardener- shall have brought to light its innate loveliness?
" Two other acts, the responsibility of doing which I assumed, will be briefly noticed. The old Capitol was, by some strange design of the architect, planned without basement rooms, al- though the walls were about seven feet below the base, and had doors and windows at each end. For many years these cellars formed sleeping apartments for the loose hogs of the town, and not unfrequently their music was less enchanting than Æolian harps, or grand old organ tones. It struck me that this por- tion of the building could be better employed, and as the re- moval of some three feet of earth in depth was necessary, I let. a contract for that purpose, at twenty cents a yard square. Into this space the dry wood was transferred, and found mak- ing much less noise than the hogs had made before. Soon after, that portion of the house having new windows cut on the sides, was made into rooms and offices, and was thus used until the lights were darkened by the construction of the new building."
This year, 1847, L. J. FARWELL, * of Milwaukee, attracted
* Hon. Leonard J. Farwell was the son of Capt. James Farwell and Re- becca Cady his wife, and was born at Watertown, New York, January 5, 1819. His father died in 1830 and his mother in 1824. After a short experience as clerk in a dry goods store, he became apprentice to a tin -- smith, and followed that occupation until the age of nineteen. He first re- moved to Lockport, Illinois, with a small stock of hardware and a few tools of his trade, and for the time and place, soon established a thriving busi- ness. In January, 1840, he sold out his stock and store, and removed to. the then new village of Milwaukee, in the Territory of Wisconsin, and em- barked in business on a larger scale, and in a few years was at the head of one of the largest wholesale houses in the west. Ten years later, owing to- impaired health and having secured a large fortune for those days, he with-
.
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN. 193
by the beauty of the location, and foreseeing its advantages as a place of business, made an extensive purchase of real estate, comprising a portion of the village plat and of lands lying ad- jacent, which included the unimproved water power between lakes Monona and Mendota. To the active enterprise, the lib- eral policy and the public spirit of this gentleman, Madison is largely indebted for her present prosperity. During the follow- ing winter, he commenced the improvement of the Madison water power. The fall between the lakes as taken by a number of engineers, varied from three feet ten inches to four feet eleven inches. This variation was unquestionably owing to a variation in the lakes at the several times the levels were taken, lake Monona being much the smaller, would be more affected by a rain storm than the other. Among his first works were the improvements of the water power and the erection of mills to which attention has been before given. His efforts at once infused new life into the settlement. Real estate, hitherto al- most without value, began to be sought for, and to improve in price. Streets were cleared of their forests, roads were laid out
drew from mercantile traffic to engage in other enterprises. In 1847, he visited Madison, and effected a large purchase of village property, includ- ing the unoccupied water power, and soon after made a trip to Europe and Eastern countries, returning in 1849. On his return, he began the im- provement of the water power, the erection of mills, the opening of streets, draining of low lands, and other measures designed to benefit the village. In 1851, he was nominated for Governor by the Whig party, and was elected; the remainder of the state ticket was Democratic.
Gov. Farwell was married September 20, 1853, to Miss Frances A., daughter of Gen. A. N. Corss of Madison, formerly of Watertown, New York; she died at Washington, D. C., April 15, 1868. The financial re- vulsion of 1857, proved very severe on the fortunes of Gov. Farwell, as he was largely interested in railroad enterprises, and their value being de- pressed, he was obliged to suspend and close up his business. In the spring of 1863, he was appointed by President Lincoln, an assistant examiner in the Patent Office, Washington, and three months later, was Principal Exami- ner of Inventions, a position he held for nearly seven years, when he re" signed to re-embark in the same business at Chicago; at the latter place, he suffered by loss at the great fire in October, 1871. He has sincethat time lived at Grant City, Worth county, Mo.
·
194
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
to the surrounding prairies, bridges were built, the low lands drained, road-ways carried through them and lined with shade trees; and buildings and improvements of all kinds begun to rise among the trees, and dot the distant prairies. He matured a comprehensive system of advertising the advantages of the country abroad, and scores of thousands of pamphlets filled with valuable information, were spread all over the eastern states and Europe.
Perhaps no one person did more to promote the interests of Madison than Mr., since known as Gov. FARWELL. No import- ant interest, structure, or association was inaugurated which he either did not originate or contribute to its success by his means or influence. He not only built mills, to which allusion has been made, but started the first woolen factory, and the first machine shop and foundry. He set the example of first grad- ing and filling streets, and building side and cross-walks, and in the projected railroad enterprises, designed to benefit Madison, he embarked heartily and liberally. In 1857, owing to the great financial difficulties of that year, he became involved like many others, and his fortunes seriously affected. The citizens of Madison will always bear cheerful witness to the greatness of his efforts, which had for their object the promotion of her best interests.
The information relative to Gov. FARWELL's public improve- ments and his private life are taken from a Chicago Magazine.
Some correspondent furnishes for one of the village papers an account of the first bell in Madison :
"The advent of the first bell in Madison marks a kind of epoch in our remembrance. It was, if our memory is not at fault, in July, 1847. The occasion which originated the pur- chase was a political caucus held in the April preceding, when ' hunker' and 'tadpole' did rend and divide over the large vote of seventy-two persons; all comprised, too, within the limits of the present town of Madison. Unlike the modern style of caucus, it was thought respectful and decent to wait until every person had time to attend and be heard, if he desired to be. The 'people' in those days did not see themselves
195
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN.
represented by delegates thrust in at the moment before they could assemble. That practice is more modern. Well, at that April gathering, the first comers waited patiently two hours; and it was found on assembling that watches and clocks disa- greed to just that extent. To avoid another such discrepancy, the writer hereof suggested the purchase of a bell which would signal all alike on every public occasion, and that a subscrip- tion follow the ' scrimmage.' The result was an early appear- ance of Esq. SEYMOUR, who attended to ' those branches,' with the proper paper, which was certainly very generously signed, and the Messrs. N. W. & E. B. DEAN, merchants, took it upon themselves to furnish the ' instrument.'
" Sometime in July aforesaid, about the hour of noon, a solitary team, which had wended its way out from Milwaukee, arrived, bringing the treasure and its hanging arrangements complete - reported at the old Argus office - and the teamster was advised and assisted by the boys, to land his load at the old (then new) Congregational church, as most likely to be the proper place for it - no arrangement having been made or thought of as to where it should be placed. It was scarcely off of the wagon before it was suspended upon its iron frame on the ground, and set to ringing.
"The effect of its first vibrations upon the community - nearly all of whom were at dinner - was in the highest degree sensational. As the loud clear notes vibrated through the adjacent forest, and across the clear spaces, it was as if an electric spark had thrilled through every household. Every one rushed to greet the new-comer, and for an hour or two took turns in keeping it at full swing. By a kind of spon- taneous effort, and without any one's consent, it was hauled up into the little 'dormitory,' with legs pointed skyward, the theory of which was a steeple; and for several days and nights it seemed as if the public would never tire of the ringing. Indeed, Esq. SEYMOUR, who was recognized chief in charge, was, we almost suspected, several times victimized by some of the mischievous boys, after the public ear had got sore with listening, and kept on the trot at unseemly hours, to secure the bell rope, which had a propensity to swing loose.
196
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
"The sound of a bell striking upon the ear when one is away from brick and mortar, or a crowd, is always pleasant. But at that time, many had not heard the sound for years. ' These valleys and rocks never heard' the sound before. Its deep, rich tones broke out suddenly, when none were expect- ing to hear them, like a great wave of music, spreading far and wide, over wood, lakes and prairies - reaching to the very few settlers in the country, some of whom came in five miles to hear it rung, or ring it for themselves. It was a sensation of the time; and though Madison has many good bells now, none have ever thrilled the community as this. Its tones are so sweet and familiar, that we yet pause to listen to it, singling it out from the others, even when all are ringing. It marks an era, and ought to be treasured by some of the churches, if it has not been, as the pioneer of its kind - as it was the first whose tones vibrated over these hills and lakes, and heralded the advent of that advancing multitude who now people the shores, and have marked the country on all sides with visible evidences of civilization and Christianity.
" A few weeks ago a notice was made in some of the papers, that a bell was wanted for an engine house, and a proposition to buy one of the church bells. Was this the old one? I trust not."
The First Baptist Church in Madison was organized Decem- ber 23, 1847, composed of twenty constituent members. Rev. H. W. READ became the first pastor; he resigned in March, 1849, when he went out as pioneer minister to New Mexico. In October, 1849, Rev. JOHN WILLIAMS was chosen pastor, but resigned the February ensuing, and in the summer of 1851, Rev. S. S. WHITMAN,* formerly professor in Hamilton Insti- tute, New York, came from Belvidere, Ill., and became pastor of the church; but his labors were of brief duration. He died
*Rev. S. S. Whitman was born at Shaftsbury, Vt., in 1803. He was educated at Hamilton Literary and Theological Institute, New York, and graduated at Hamilton College. After which he was called to the chair of Biblical Interpretation, in the first named institution. He held this po- sition for seven years, and, in 1836, removed to Belvidere, Ill., where he
197
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN.
after a short illness, on the 2d of January, 1852. The history of this church will be hereafter continued.
H. A. TENNEY erected his two-story frame dwelling house on Washington avenue, near Carroll street, on lot 3, block 74, and was, as he says, the first settler southwest of the Capitol square, except HENRY GULLION's house, next to Grace Church. All the lots in that portion of the village were covered with trees or brush.
DANIEL BAXTER, in the fall of this year, laid the foundation of the brick dwelling house on the corner of Main and Carroll streets, which was regarded as one of the most elegant private residences in the village at that time. The building was com- pleted in 1848. This property was subsequently sold to N. W. DEAN, Esq., who occupied it for a number of years, when it was taken down, and the site improved by the erection of the Park Hotel. Mr. BAXTER was then engaged in merchandising on King street. His claim on the State for balance due on building the old Capitol has a State reputation, and was regu- larly brought before the Legislature yearly. The old gentle- man has since died, and his claim is still unsettled.
. Until the year 1848, the growth of the village was slow, and many causes operated to retard its progress. Imme- diately after the location of the capital, all the lands in the vi- cinity were entered by speculators and non-residents, and lots and lands were held at a prospective value - much higher than they have reached at any time since. Many years, and many vicissitudes were to be passed, however, before settlers gained much foothold. It was a hamlet in the midst of a mighty waste of natural fertility, and for a long period all supplies had to be wagoned for a distance of a hundred miles on either hand. It was not, indeed, until about this date, that the ad- vancing settlers from east and west met midway, and com- menced the wonderful change which transferred the country
preached ten years, as pastor of the Baptist Church. In June, 1851, he assumed the charge of the church at Madison, Wis., and continued in that office until his death, January 2, 1852. He was then in the fiftieth year of his age.
198
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
into the garden and granary it has since become. The location being at a central point between the Mississippi and Lake Michigan, the advancing army of immigrants, on either hand, found a wide, fertile and beautiful extent of country, at that time nearer market, and therefore holding out superior attrac- tions to the agriculturist. They did not, consequently, care to indulge the speculator's appetite for fancy prices. In the mean- time, the fertile valley of the Rock river had been filled with settlers, and immigration began to turn into Dane county, which possesses a soil as bountiful, and a surface as attractive as any county in the State, but which, before it was tapped by railroads, was too far from market to render the cultivation of the soil remunerative.
The beginning of the real prosperity and growth of Madison commenced with the admission of the State into the Union in 1848. The Constitutional Convention then permanently lo- cated the capital here. Until this time there had been fears of its removal, and capitalists had hesitated to invest their money in the vicinity.
Since that period, its progress in wealth and population has been rapid and constant. " A great many efforts have been made to depict the beauties of Madison, but no words can con- vey an adequate idea of what is, indeed, indescribable. The reason of this is that every new point of observation creates a shifting panorama - that no two exhibit the same scenery. From any considerable elevation, a circuit of near thirty miles in every direction is visible. Four lakes lie embosomed like gems, shining in the midst of groves of forest trees, while the gen- tle swells of the prairies, dotted over by fields and farms, lend a charm to the view which words cannot depict. From the dome. of the Capitol to the dome of the State University, the whole bearing and aspect of the country is so changed as scarcely to be recognized as identical. On the west, the lofty peak of the West Blue Mound, twenty-five miles away, towers up against the sky, like a grim sentinel guarding the gateway toward the setting sun, while the intermediate setting is filled in with swelling hills, majestic slopes, levels and valleys of rivers and
199
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN.
rivulets. Madison is the center of a circle whose natural beau- ties compass all that is charming to the eye, grateful to the senses, pleasing to the imagination, and which, from its vari- ety and perfection, never grows tedious or tiresome to the spec- tator. The good taste of the citizens has preserved the native forest trees, so that its dwellings are embowered in green, and buried in foliage in the proper season, to . that extent that the whole city cannot be seen from any point of view. It is, in itself, unique, like its surroundings, and the transient traveler gains no conception of the place by barely passing through it."
A meeting of the citizens of the town was held, March 11, 1848, of which GEO. H. SLAUGHTER was President; W. A. WHEELER, GEO. THOMPSON and J. K. PORTER of Rock county, were Vice-Presidents, and R. L. REAM, Secretary. A resolu- tion was adopted, " that it is expedient to build a railroad from Madison to Janesville to intersect the Galena and Chicago Rail- road." In the month of April, 1848, an exciting trial took place before Judge D. IRWIN of the United States District Court, the case of the United States vs. JACOB GROSS for the murder of CHARLES KOHLMAN, in which CHAUNCEY ABBOTT and GEO. B. SMITH were counsel for the government, and A. L. COL- LINS and THOS. W. SUTHERLAND for the defense. The jury brought in a verdict of " not guilty."
Assessed valuation of village property, 1848, was- Real, $48,803; Personal, $12,850 - Total, $61,653; Tax, $308.26. The corporation officers for this year were: A. L. COLLINS, President; J. C. FAIRCHILD, J. P. MANN, C. ABBOTT, WM. PYNCHEON, H. C. PARKER, D. MALLO, Trustees; J. R. BRIGHAM, Clerk; ALFRED MAIN, Assessor, and I. W. BIRD, Treasurer. Mr. BRIGHAM served as clerk of the Board from April 1846, to June, 1851.
In pursuance of a requirement of the new State Constitution, the first State Legislature held on the summer of 1848, vested the government of the " University of Wisconsin " in a Board of Regents, to consist of a President and twelve members to be elected by the Legislature, and hold office for the term of six years. This legislature also located the University in Dane
200
HISTORY OF MADISON AND THE
county, and appointed a commission for the sale of the Univers- ity lands, and the investment of the proceeds.
The first meeting of the Board of Regents was held October 7, 1848, at which time it was decided to open a Preparatory Department for the reception of pupils, in February, 1849. JOHN W. STERLING was elected Professor of Mathematics, and appointed to take charge of the Preparatory Department at the time designated. The present site was selected and the purchase consummated the following year. The tract which was pur- chased of A. VANDERPOEL, was the N. W. 1-4 of section 23, town 7, range 9, except block 9 of the village of Madison. The price stipulated was $5 per acre, and the taxes of 1849. At the same meeting of the Board of Regents, JOHN. H. LATH- ROP, LL. D., was elected Chancellor, and his salary fixed at $2,000.
The Madison Express, which had been published by W. W. WYMAN, was purchased October 9, 1848, by DAVID ATWOOD and ROYAL BUCK, and its publication resumed under the title of " Wisconsin Express," and was published until June 1, 1852, during a portion of which time, ALVIN E. BOVAY was associated with the publishers. During the session of the Legislature in 1852 it was issued as a daily.
Proposals were advertised to be received for the erection of the Methodist church, to be built of brick, 36 by 50 feet, on the corner of Mifflin and Pinckney streets, to be left with BENJ. HOLT.
There was no celebration on the 4th of July at this place; one was held at the village of Cambridge, and many of the residents of Madison participated in it.
The annual town meeting of 1848, was held April 4. WM. C. WELLS was elected Chairman of Board of Supervisors, C. M. ROUSE and N. S. EMMONS, Supervisors; R. L. REAM, Town Clerk; A. TREDWAY, ALFRED MAIN and S. M. VAN BER- GEN, Assessors; D. B. SNEEDEN, Treasurer; B. F. LAR- KIN, Collector; A. E. BROOKS, D. A. BARNARD and D. LAR- KIN, Highway Commissioners; B. HOLT, J. NELSON, and D. H. WRIGHT, School Commissioners; A. BISHOP, ALFRED MAIN and
201
FOUR LAKE COUNTRY OF WISCONSIN.
J. D. WELCH, Constables; J. Y. SMITH, Sealer, W. N. SEYMOUR and ABRAM OGDEN, Justices of the Peace. The total amount of expenditures for the year ending April 2, was $1,941.59, and the receipts, $1,371.10. Total indebtedness, $570.40.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.