History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 69

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304

USA > Wisconsin > Dane County > History of Dane County, Wisconsin > Part 69

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).

WISCONSIN STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

The Wisconsin State Horticultural Society was, originally, the Wisconsin State Fruit-Grow- ers' Association, which was organized in December, 1853, at Whitewater. Its avowed object was the collecting, arranging and disseminating of facts interesting to those engaged in the culture of fruits, and to embody for their use the results of the practice and experiments of fruit-grow- ers in all parts of the State. Exhibitions and conventions of the Association were held annually

461

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

up to 1859, after which the society was disorganized, owing to the breaking-out of the rebellion. A volume of transactions was published by the Association in 1855. In 1859, its transactions were published with those of the State Agricultural Society. From 1860 to 1865, no State hor- ticultural association was in existence. In September of the latter year, the Wisconsin Fruit- Growers' Association was re-organized as the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society, and elected the following officers : President, B. F. Hopkins, Madison; Secretary, J. C. Plumb, Madison ; Treasurer, F. C. Curtis, Columbia County ; Executive Committee, George J. Kellogg, Rock County, and L. P. Chandler, Dane County. The Legislature had previously provided for the publication of the proceedings of such a society in connection with those of the State Agri- cultural Society.

The new society has held annual exhibitions, usually in connection with those of the State Agricultural Society, and one or more annual conventions for the reading of papers upon, and the discussion of, horticultural subjects. In 1871, an act was passed by the Legislature, incor- porating the society, and providing for the separate printing of 2,000 copies annually of its transactions, of which there are now ten volumes. The most active, intelligent, and persevering horticulturists of the State are members of the association, and to their careful observation, to their enthusiasm and determined persistence in seeking means to overcome great natural difficul- ties, the State is largely indebted for the success already attained in horticulture.

The following-named gentlemen have served as officers of the society :

1865-President, B. F. Hopkins ; Secretary, J. C. Plumb ; Treasurer, F. C. Curtis.

1866-President, Dr. Joseph Hobbins ; Secretary, J. C. Plumb; Treasurer, F. C. Curtis.

1867-President, Joseph Hobbins, M. D .; Recording Secretary, O. S. Willey ; Corre- sponding Secretary, F. S. Lawrence ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1868-President, Joseph Hobbins ; Recording Secretary, J. C. Plumb ; Corresponding Sec- retary, F. S. Lawrence; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1869-President, Joseph Hobbins; Recording Secretary, O. S. Willey ; Corresponding Secretary, F. S. Lawrence ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1870-President, Joseph Hobbins; Recording Secretary, O. S. Willey; Corresponding Secretary, F. S. Lawrence ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1871-President, J. S. Stickney ; Recording Secretary, O. S. Willey ; Corresponding Secretary, George E. Morrow ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1872-President, Dr. Joseph Hobbins ; Recording Secretary, O. S. Willey ; Correspond- ing Secretary, George E. Morrow ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1873-President, J. S. Stickney ; Recording Secretary, G. E. Morrow ; Corresponding Secretary, G. J. Kellogg; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1874-President, J. S. Stickney ; Recording Secretary, G. E. Morrow ; Corresponding Secretary, G. J. Kellogg ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1875-President, A. G. Tuttle; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case ; Corresponding Secre- tary, E. H. Benton ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1876-President, A. G. Tuttle; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case ; Corresponding Secre- tary, J. C. Plumb ; Treasurer, George A. Mason.

1877-President, J. M. Smith ; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case ; Corresponding Secre- tary, M. L. Clark ; Treasurer, M. Anderson.

1878-President, J. M. Smith ; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case; Corresponding Secre- tary, M. L. Clark ; Treasurer, M. Anderson.

1879-President, J. M. Smith ; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case; Corresponding Secre- tary, A. L. Hatch ; Treasurer, M. Anderson.

1880-President, J. M. Smith ; Recording Secretary, F. W. Case; Corresponding Secre- tary, A. L. Hatch ; Treasurer, M. Anderson.

462

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY

WISCONSIN ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS AND LETTERS.

Early in 1870. this institution was organized, and, by an act of March 16 of that year, was incorporated, having, among its specific objects, researches and investigations in the various departments of the material, metaphysical, ethical, ethnological and social sciences ; a progres- sive and thorough scientific survey of the State, with a view of determining its mineral, agricult- ural and other resources; the advancement of the useful arts through the application of science, and by the encouragement of original invention ; the encouragement of the fine arts, by means of honors, and prizes awarded to artists of original works of superior merit the formation of scientific, economical and art museums ; the encouragement of philological and his- torical research ; the collection and preservation of historic records, and the formation of a gen- eral library ; and the diffusion of knowledge by the publication of original contributions to science, literature and the arts. The academy has already published four volumes of transac- tions, under authority of the State.

Its officers have been as follows :

1870-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, Dr. I. A. Lapham ; Treasurer, George

P. Delaplaine:

1871-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, Dr. I. A. Lapham ; Treasurer, George

P. Delaplaine.

1872-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, Dr. I. A. Lapham ; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine.

1873-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, J. E. Davies; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine. 1874-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, J. E. Davies; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine.

1875-President, J. W. Hoyt; General Secretary, J. E. Davies ; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine. 1876-President, P. R. Hoy ; General Secretary, J. E. Davies; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine. 1877-President, P. R. Hoy ; General Secretary, J. E. Davies; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine. 1878-President, P. R. Hoy ; General Secretary, J. E. Davies ; Treasurer, George P. Delaplaine. 1879-President, A. L. Chapin ; General Secretary, J. E. Davies ; Treasurer, S. D. Hastings. 1880-President, A. L. Chapin ; General Secretary, J. E. Davies ; Treasurer, S. D. Hastings.

By the constitution of the Academy, the association is located at the city of Madison.

THE OLD AND NEW CAPITOL.

The First State House .- By the act establishing the seat of government, the sum of $20,000 was appropriated for building the capitol, and three Commissioners were required to be chosen by joint ballot ; to canse necessary public buildings to be erected at Madison ; to agree upon a plan for these buildings, and contract for their erection; one of their number to be Treasurer, another Acting Commissioner to superintend the erection of the buildings. In pursu- ance of this act, on the 7th of December, Augustus A. Bird, James Duane Doty and John F. O'Neill were elected Commissioners, and, at their first meeting, Bird was chosen Acting Com- missioner, and Doty, Treasurer. A plan for a capitol, estimated to cost from $40,000 to $45,000, was adopted. The Commissioners did not advertise for proposals for the erection of the build- ing, agreeably to the provisions of the act by which they were appointed, because they were of the opinion that it could be built much cheaper than any one would be willing to contract to do

463

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

it; they, therefore, in the exercise of their discretionary powers, concluded to commence and continue the work themselves until they were able to ascertain how it could be done with the least expense and best advantage to the Territory.

On the 10th day of June, 1837, A. A. Bird, the Acting Commissioner for constructing the capitol, accompanied by a party of thirty-six workmen, arrived at Madison. There was no road at that time from Milwaukee to the capital, and the party were compelled to make one for their teams and wagons as they came along. They left Milwaukee on the 1st of June with four teams. It rained incessantly, the ground was drenched with water, and was so soft that even with an ordinary road their progress would have been slow ; but when to this are added the obstruc- tions of fallen trees, unbridged streams, hills whose steepness labor had not yet mitigated, and the devious course which they necessarily pursued, it is not surprising that ten days were spent in accomplishing a journey, which, since the advent of the railroad through the Four Lakes country, can be performed in a little more than three hours. They forded Rock River near the site of the present city of Watertown, and the Crawfish at Milford. The first glimpse they had of the sun during their journey, was on the prairie, in this county, now known as Sun Prairie-a name given it at that time as a compliment to the luminary which beamed forth so auspiciously and cheerfully on that occasion.

The workmen, on their arrival, immediately proceeded to erect temporary houses and cabins for their own use, the most of which were put up near the foot of King street, near Lake Monona. The buildings were not of the highest order of architecture, since little or no lumber could be procured except such as was cut with a whip-saw. The excavation for the foundation walls of the capitol was soon made, and the workmen proceeded at once to get out stone and timber. It was intended to have the building erected on the corners of Sections 13, 14, 23 and 24, of Township 7 north, of Range 9 east, of the Government survey, or the exact center of the park in Madison; but as the post of the section corners was found standing on the west edge of the level of the square, or where the ground begins to descend to the west, the ground for the foundation was so staked off that the corner was under the west door, and not in the center of the building. Moreover, the west wall was not placed on the section lines ; consequently both these causes operated to throw the walls away from a coincidence with all the streets of the village.

The work had so far advanced that measures were taken to lay the corner-stone, with appropriate ceremonies, on the ensuing July 4. Large preparations were made for the occasion, and on that day quite a number of persons were assembled. Among them were J. D. Doty, M. L. Martin, A. Nichols, Benjamin Salter, Dr. Ilsley and John Messersmith. The corner-stone -in the "northeast " corner, of course-was laid by A. A. Bird, Acting Commissioner, and the ceremony formed the principal part of the " national celebration."

The construction of the work was continued by Mr. Bird until the month of September following, when notices for proposals were issued for the first time, and a number of bids were presented. None of them were accepted, and the work was continued as before until April 25, 1838.

On the 20th of February, 1838, the Commissioners advertised that they would receive pro- posals for the erection of the edifice.

In reply to the proposals for the work, bids were received ranging from $24,450 to $125,000, and the contract was awarded to James Morrison for $26,200, April 17, 1838. By an act of Congress, approved June 18, 1838, the further sum of $20,000 was appropriated for finishing the work. By November, the walls of the building were up, the roof on, and the two chambers plastered; but they were not sufficiently dry for the sitting of the Legislature, and the sessions were held in the American Hotel building.

At the session of the Legislature, in 1839, a joint convention of the two houses was held on March 8, and N. C. Prentiss, James L. Thayer and L. H. Cotton were duly chosen Com- missioners of Public Buildings to succeed those in office. The work on the capitol was con- tinued by Mr. Morrison until April, 1841, at which time the work was unfinished. Mr. Pren-

464

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY. 1

tiss, as Building Commissioner, for and on the part of the Territory of Wisconsin, entered into a written contract with Daniel Baxter, by the terms of which he was required to finish the work for the sum of $7,000, to be completed on or before December 1, 1845.

On the 18th of February, 1842, the two houses of the Legislature elected John Y. Smith Commissioner of Public Buildings. The work on the capitol was finished by Mr. Baxter the year following.

" The old capitol," says J. G. Knapp, who, in 1846, was Superintendent of Public Property, "was, by some strange design of the architect, planned without basement rooms, although 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 AEolian harps or grand old organ tones. It struck me that this portion of the building could be better employed, and, as the removal of some three feet of earth in depth was necessary, I let a contract for that purpose at 20 cents .a yard. Into this space the dry wood was transferred and found making much less noise than the hogs had made before. Soon after, that portion of the house having new win- dows cut in the sides, was made into rooms and offices, and was thus used until the lights were darkened by the construction of the new building."

Speaking of the Representatives' Hall, of the old capitol, Ebenezer Childs says: "The floors were laid with green-oak boards, full of ice; the walls of the room were iced over ; green- oak seats, and desks made of rough boards ; one fire-place and one small stove. In a few days, the flooring near the stove and fire-place so shrunk, on account of the heat, that a person could run his hands between the boards. The basement story was all open, and James Morrison's large drove of hogs had taken possession. The weather was cold, the halls were cold, our ink would freeze-so that, when we could stand it no longer, we passed a joint resolution to adjourn for twenty days, and I was appointed by the two houses to procure carpeting for both halls dur- ing the recess. I bought all I could find in the Territory and brought it to Madison and put it down, after covering the floor with a thick coating of hay. After this, we were more comfortable. Heavy weights of lead were found in the window frames, in demolishing the old capitol, which in the aggregate were worth $300. Lead was used in the early time, as it was cheaper than iron. The building was a somewhat 'imposing' specimen of architecture, and the imposition became the more apparent as the new capitol began to rise around and above it. It was the scene of many interesting incidents, some of them historical. It was in this building that were held the first Legislatures after the separate organization of Wisconsin as a Territory; here were held the first political conventions; here the two constitutional conventions assembled ; here Vineyard shot Arndt, and here he was indicted ; here the Dodge and Doty controversies were figured and worked out; here was enacted the legislation which -made some and unmade others. The old building witnessed many changes ; stood through good and much evil report; and, finally, passed away, to the gratification of the people of Madison, who then considered the 'capitol question ' settled."

The New Capitol .- The old capitol proving inadequate to the growing wants of the State, the Legislature of 1857 provided for its enlargement ; that is to say, for the erection, in reality, of a new building. By this act, the Commissioners of School and University Lands were directed to sell the ten sections of land appropriated by Congress " for the completion of public build- ings," and apply the proceeds toward enlarging and improving the State House. The State also appropriated $30,000 for the same object, and $50,000 were given by the city of Madison. The Governor and Secretary of State were made commissioners for conducting the work, which was begun in the fall of 1857, and continued from year to year until 1869, when the dome was completed. The total appropriations for the building were $533,519.67. The cost of the fix- tures was $21,994.24.

The height of the new building from the basement to the top of the flag-staff is 225} feet, while the total length of its north and south wings, exclusive of steps and porticoes, is 228 feet, and of the east and west wings, 226 feet. The completeness of the arrangements on the inside

465

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY.

fully correspond with the external appearance of the capitol. On the first floor are the State departments. In the east wing, on opposite sides of the hall, are the Executive office and the office of the Secretary of State. The north wing is arranged in a similar manner, and contains the offices of the State Treasurer and Commissioners of Public Lands. In the south wing, on one side of the hall, are the offices of the Attorney General and Superintendent of Public Property, and on the other, that of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. The rooms of the State Agricult- ural Society occupy one-half of the west wing, while opposite them are the offices of Railroad Commissioners, Adjutant General, State Treasury Agent, State Board of Charities and Reform, and Commissioner of Insurance. On the second floor, the Senate Chamber occupies the east wing and the Assembly Chamber the west, while on the north wing are the State library and Supreme Court rooms, and in the south the rooms of the State Historical Society. In the base- ment are carpenter-shops, water-closets, store-rooms and committee rooms. The third floor is also divided up into committee rooms, which are occupied only during the session of the Legis- lature. Iron stairways lead from story to story from the basement to the tholus, from which a fine view of the surrounding country is afforded.

THE CAPITOL GROUNDS.

The grounds belonging to Wisconsin, in the center of which stands the State House, are usually known as The Park.

On the 6th day of April, 1836, James D. Doty and Stevens T. Mason entered the lands upon which was afterward located " the town of Madison," they receiving a patent of the same on the 10th day of August, 1837. On the 1st day of May, 1836, Doty sold to Mason his in- terest in the land. Mason, on the 28th of that month, executed to Doty a power of attorney to sell the land, and he did so sell it, on the 1st day of June following, to the Four Lake Company, of which company he was a member and trustee and active manager. He afterward caused to be laid out on the land thus conveyed, " the town of Madison," he acknowledging the plat to be a correct one, on the 27th of October, 1836. This plat is generally known as " the Doty Plat." He afterward had another plat executed similar in most respects to the first one, which was acknowledged by "James Duane Doty as Agent, Trustee and Attorney of the Four Lake Company, and of the stockholders thereof," on 2d day of January, 1837. This is known as " the Doty Trustee Plat." Evidently, the object of the execution and acknowledgment of the second plat was to " cure " any defect in the acknowledgment of the first plat by Doty, which he did "in his own proper person " and not as trustee.

In both plats a "public square " appears, dedicated to the public, to be used for county and Territorial purposes, which square, including streets, is declared to be 914 feet square. What was meant by the donation " for Territorial purposes," was easy to be understood when it transpired that " the town of Madison " was to be a competitor in the race for the Territorial capital; if successful, of course, on the square would be built the building to be used by the Legislature for their meetings, and by all the Territorial offices ; the structure to become, with- out doubt, when the Territory was admitted into the Union, Wisconsin's Capitol.

The question as to the location of the capital of the Territory was soon settled in favor of Madison, and Doty made haste to " stake off" the public square therein-the fact being that the Surveyor, John V. Suydam, had only run the exterior lines of the plat. In midwinter, the square was surveyed by Moses M. Strong, of Mineral Point, and its boundaries indicated by stakes. Then followed the commencement of a building thereon for "Territorial purposes ;" but the interests of Dane County-"county purposes"-in the grounds, were lost sight of.

But the question was soon agitated as to whether the Territory had a legal title to the grounds-a very important question, and one to be settled before much public money should be expended thereon.

The question was referred to Moses M. Strong, the District Attorney of the United States, for the Territory, by the Legislature, who reported on the 23d of January, 1839, that the dedi- cation by Doty, in his two plats, of the public square to the Territory, conveyed no title to the

466

HISTORY OF DANE COUNTY. -

, same, but that Mason was the sole owner of the land ; but that the latter, on the 21st of March, 1837, conveyed an individual half of it to Kintzing Prichette. "Whether," said Mr. Strong, " this deed vests in Mr. Prichette, the half or the quarter of these lands, is a question about which there might well be two opinions, and which it is unnecessary for the purposes of the present inquiry to decide."

"Considering," continues Mr. Strong, " that the interests of the Territory imperatively required that the title to the ground on which the capitol stands, together with such ground adjacent thereto as might be convenient, should be speedily secured to them, or that it should be known with certainty, at an early day, that it would not be, I lost no time in writing to Messrs. Mason & Prichette, and, on the 7th of January instant, I received from them a power of attorney authorizing me to convey the title to the Territory, accompanied by a request that I would exe- cute a conveyance agreeably to the authority given in the letter of attorney. Accordingly, on the 16th day of January, instant, I executed to the Territory of Wisconsin a deed of the tract known and described as upon the plat acknowledged by Mr. Doty as the public square, to be held by the Territory until the organization of a State government, with reversion to the State when. organized ; which secures to the Territory 'a title to the ground on which the cap- itol thereof stands.' "

The power of attorney and deed, which were duly acknowledged and recorded, are deposited with the Secretary of State, and read as follows :

Know all men by these presents, That Stevens T. Mason and Julia E. Mason his wife, and Kintzing Pritchette, all of the city of Detroit and State of Michigan, have made, constituted and appointed, and we do by these presents make, constitute and appoint, Moses M. Strong, United States Attorney for the Territory of Wisconsin, our suffic ent and lawful Attorney for us and in our names to grant, bargain, sell, remise, release and forever quit claim or to convey io fes simple or in any names [manner] whatsoever, which may seem to him proper, all that certain plot and piece of land, together with all and singular the hereditamenta and appurtenances thereunto belonging, lying and situate in the city of Madison and Territory of Wisconsin, upon which the capitol of the said Territory is located and built, together with such landa contiguous and adjacent thereto as is now or has been in the possession of the said Territory, or has been heretofore in any manner or by any other person or persons conveyed to the said Territory unto the said Terri- tory of Wisconsin, [sic] or to such person or persons, hisor their anccessora or assigna, as may be designated by the proper authorities of said Territory, or may be considered fit and proper by our said Attorney, for the sole use and behoof of the said Territory of Wisconsin, and also for us and in our names, places and stead, and as our proper act and deed to execute, seal and deliver and acknowledge such conveyances and assurances of the said premises unto the said Territory, or to such person or persons, his or their successors or assigns designated as aforesaid to the sole use and behoof of the said Territory as shall be needful and necessary for doing thereof, and as shall ba to the good liking and approbation of the counsel learned in the law of the said Territory of Wisconsin, giving and granting unto our said Attorney, full and absolute authority to do, execute and perform any act or acts, thing or things whatsoever, as shall be needful and necessary to be done, touching or concerning in any wise the premises aforesaid or conveying or assuring thereof to the Territory of Wisconsin in aa full and ample a manner as we might do if personally present, hereby ratifying and confirming all lawtul acts done by our aaid Attorney by virtue hereof. In testimony whereof, we have hereunto severally set our hands and affixed our seals this twenty-sixth day of December in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and thirty-eight. .

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.

History of Dane County, Wisconsin, Part 69

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub Publication date: 1880 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company Number of Pages: 1304

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899; Western Historical Co., Chicago, pub
Publication date: 1880
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Company
Number of Pages: 1304