History of Grant County, Wisconsin, Part 124

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1044

USA > Wisconsin > Grant County > History of Grant County, Wisconsin > Part 124

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Prior to the war a log cabin stood on the Fair Play road nearly opposite the present store of Louis Reifsteck. At that time, as also to-day, the residents of Jamestown proper refused to permit the sale of liquor within their bailiwick, and to escape the penalty for a violation of this prohibition a grocery was opened in the log house, and the "forbidden fruit " dealt over the counter to all who applied without regard to race, sex or existing condition. Soon after, Decatur Peyton put up a residence on the highway and lived there for a number of years, and during the sixties, James Floyd built the "Jamestown House" on the site of the log dram-shop. In time, Mr. Peyton vacated his residence, which was changed to the " Union Hotel," and swelled the places of entertainment to be found in "Puckerville " by the addition of one. Mr. Reifsteck built a large frame structure in which he opened a store, one or two residences lined the streets, a blacksmith and wagon shop was erected, and South Jamestown, in place of existing on the map only, became an established fact.

North and South Jamestown to-day contain two church edifices and three congregations, one schoolhouse, two general stores, one blacksmith-shop, and a population of one hundred and fifty.

Educational .- There seems to be some dispute as to when the first school was opened, some arguing that it was early in 1840, and others contending that this important event did not come to pass until some years later. All agree, however, that its location was on the White place west of Jamestown, where it was maintained until the convenience of patrons compelled its removal to a more central locality. Thereupon it was drawn over to South Jamestown and set up where it served its purposes until 1875. In that year a new schoolhouse was substituted and is still used. It is of frame, two stories high, furnished with every convenience, and cost $700.

At present one teacher is employed, the average daily attendance of pupils being about thirty, and the annual expense of conducting the institution not less than $350.

The School Board as at present constituted, is Frank Lester, Director ; Peter Bench, Clerk, and Louis Reifsteck, Treasurer.

The Post Office-Was first established in 1838, it is thought, and Centerville designated on the route as the name by which it should be known. After a brief experience it was discon- tinued and for some time citizens were obliged to depend upon other depots for mail facilities.

During the service of Gen. G. W. Jones as Representative in Congress, the office was re- established at his instance, though under the name in now bears. During the interval, " Cen-

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

terville" was donated to another point, and upon the resumption of communication with the outside world it was called "Jamestown " after James Gilmore, then, as under the former regime, Postmaster.

At present the mail facilities are full and complete, and the following gentlemen have served as Postmasters at intervals : James Gilmore, Benjamin Kilbourn, Chauncey Skinner, James Collegan, and Warden Anderson, the present official.

The Congregational Society-Was first organized at Fair Play in 1843, and at one time was prominent and influential in that vicinity. In subsequent years the society built a frame church at Fair Play and remained as occupants until 1858, when the congregation removed to Jamestown, leaving its edifice to the use and occupation of the Methodist Episcopals and Primitives. The same year the handsome frame church near the Jamestown Hotel was built and dedicated and has until within a year been occupied on alternate Sabbaths by the Method- ists. The building is 32x35, with a capacity for seating about 200 auditors, and cost $900.

During the past year, the society has been without a pastor and services have been discon- tinued temporarily.

The society numbers twenty members, the church property is valued at $1,000 and the following pastors have severally served since 1843 : The Rev. J. C. Holbrook, Mr. Dixon, Loran Robbins, William Hassell, Mr. Strong, William Stoddard and Nicholas Mayne.

The Jamestown Lutheran Church .- This society was organized in 1862 and composed of Louis Reifsteck and family ; George Heffner and family ; Anton Weighle and family ; George and John Leben and families ; August and Bernard Eckert and families ; Schultz and family ; John Hoffman and family and some others.

Services at first were held in the residences of members, and so continued until 1868, when the present frame church of the association was erected in South Jamestown, and has since been occupied. It is 20x30, will seat upward of 150 worshipers and cost $1,200.

The congregation now numbers 40 families, and services are conducted by missionaries assigned from the Lutheran College at Dubuque.

The Jamestown Cemetery Association .- A society for the providing of lots for the burial of the dead was organized in 1840, it is thought, and originally owned two acres of land to the south of the village, most of which since that date has been disposed of to purchasers. The grounds are appropriately laid out, handsomely planted with flowers, shrubberies and ornamental trees, and decorated with a number of elaborately sculptured monuments.

The affairs of the association are intrusted to a Board of Directors, at present composed of Frank Lester, Rufus Hannum, Edward Burns, Louis Reifsteck and Benjamin Kilbourn.

The Jamestown Methodist Episcopal Church-Was organized during 1847, through the efforts of the Rev. Mr. Smith, a traveling evangelist, and has steadily though slowly grown in numbers and influence. The class was at first composed of communicants from the surrounding country, including William P. Cline and wife, Jacob Cline and wife, Harrison Cline and wife, Benjamin Peck and wife, Peter Saddler and wife, Milo Higgins and wife, Isaac Williams and wife and some few others, and services were had in what was known as the " Puckerville School- house," where the society remained until 1860. In the meantime, the Congregationalists had erected the handsome frame church, at present belonging to that denomination, and, in the year mentioned, permission was accorded the Methodists to occupy the same on alternate Sabbaths, which privilege was availed of, and is still indulged.

The present membership is said to be about thirty, and the following Pastors have officiated in its pulpit :

The Revs. Mr. Smith, Robert Langley, John Murrish, William Sommersides, John Bean, Mr. Bunce, Stephen Pike, John Trezgedar, William Cook, James Simms, William Howarth, Mr. Jefferson, William Sheppard and T. J. Lewis, at present in charge.

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

VILLAGE OF GEORGETOWN.

This village was, until 1870, known as the village of Smelser, and is located in the southern portion of the township of that name, among the later settled of the townships in Grant County. Who came into the vicinity in advance of all others cannot be correctly stated. Big Patch and Sheet Leads, located in the vicinity, attracted the usual compliment of miners, and, while a limited number still remain, the great majority have gone the way of all miners, i. e., to California and other points, where the pursuit of gold is attended with more remunerative results than delving for lead mineral.

Among those who arrived here at an early day, and settled near the present village, was William Bowmer, who, it is thought, came in 1828; J. M. Smelser, who came in 1833, and settled on Section 22; Lysander Gilmore, who arrived the same year, as also did Hamilton Gilmore, the former securing a claim on Section 34, and the latter on Section 33; D. B. Patter- son, an arrival of 1836 ; Hugh Patterson, who came at an earlier date ; George E. Cabanis, who came in 1838; William and James Brandon and P. J. Neal; Jonas Jones, who made his advent in 1843; George Wineman, who settled on Section 27, in 1845, and some others, whose names cannot be recalled.

Though the arrivals were reasonably numerous, improvements on the present village site were proportionately slow, and the precedent thus established has obtained to the present day ; yet, Georgetown is pleasantly located, handsomely laid out and as handsomely built. In these respects it is surpassed by no village in the county. The houses are homes of comfort and inde- pendence, and give to the village an appearance of elegance and taste seldom witnessed in the make-up of Western villages.

The first house erected was of log, a story and a half high, the main building being 15x20, with an "L " 12x14 of frame attached. This was in 1848, and George Wineman still living, was the architect and builder. In the log house he opened a store the same year, for the sale of notions, varieties, etc., which is now recurred to as the first commercial venture in the village. The log and its frame addition have long since been torn down, and their absence supplied by the tasty frame residence of Mr. Wineman, which occupies their site, on the present corner of Main and Water streets. For upward of a year, this was the solitary house on the prairie; the advance guard as it were, of the improvements which were to follow fast, and follow faster within the ensuing ten years. The "store " gradually became known throughout this portion of the township and as a place of resort so popular that, one year later, a post office was estab- lished there, and Mr. Wineman appointed to take charge of the office.

Soon after, settlers began to leave their distant homes and crowd closer together in the pres- ent village. Late in 1849, Mr. Wineman sold an acre of ground adjoining his store to Jared Todd, who erected a frame house on his purchase, 16x20, and established the pioneer black- smith-shop of the village therein. In time, the vendor became the vendee of the premises, and the improvements, after having been moved uncerimoniously about the village limits, were returned to the spot upon which they originated, and are now occupied by Michael Oakleaf.

The additions to the population, however, were slow, and the buildings put up for residence, mechanical or commercial purposes, proportionately dilatory. In 1850, S. H. Sheffield built opposite the present corner of Main and Church streets, after which, nothing was done until two years later, or in 1852. This year a one story and a half frame house ornamented Lot 2, on Section 28, through the efforts and enterprise of Alfred Bray; the schoolhouse was also built in 1852, and still stands diagonally opposite the Arcade Hotel. It was used as a school- house until 1859, when it was sold at auction to William Peters and John Wilkinson, Jr., but subsequently changed hands, and now does duty as a dwelling. The following year, what is known as the "Nash House," occupied by Capt. Robert Nash, was added to the village improve- ments, George Wineman building the same, and occupied by Peter Walker as a store, the first. after that of Mr. Wineman above mentioned, known in the vicinity. In the same year, John Hopkins built the house now owned and occupied by Hiram Gilmore.

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

The year 1854 was a year of rest and relaxation, so to speak, as far as building is con- cerned ; there was neither anything completed or projected during that season. In 1855, and until 1858, there was but one building erected, namely, that on North Main street for the occu- pation of the Rev. Charles Levan, a minister of the Christian denomination, who organized the Christian society in Smelser. The house is now owned and occupied by Columbus Hyde. During 1858, another store was provided for the patronage of villagers and and residents of the surrounding country ; it was built by Pearl and Speer Spencer, who subsequently sold out to William Peters. The building occupied by them was afterward sold to Brandon & Jeffrey, and is used by that firm as a warehouse.

Previous to the war, Isaac Dodson erected a blacksmith and wagon shop on North Main street ; Thomas Ulmer built at the corner of Water street and Cabanis avenue, and Andrew Gregg put up the story-and-a-half frame now occupied by the store of J. H. Cabanis. These constituted the improvements made in the village from 1848 to 1860. In 1861, the war broke out, and all operations designed to benefit the corporation and enhance the value of property were practically suspended. The population at this time did not exceed fifty, including men, women and chil- dren, and from this limited capacity to furnish recruits, eight soldiers shouldered their guns and represented the infant town in the armies of the North. When the war closed, the task of im- proving the village was resumed, and, between 1865 and 1880, some of the most prominent and faultlessly constructed buildings were erected. These included the two churches, the Odd Fel- lows' Hall, Cabanis' store, Wilson's Hotel, the residences of John Huntington, Dr. Oettiker and others, etc., etc.

The village was surveyed and laid on the 18th of May, 1870, by Joseph Allen, on Sections 21, 22, 27 and 28, the land therein being owned originally by J. M. Smelser, J. H. Cabanis, George Wineman and Alfred Bary. These sections were divided into four blocks, comprehend- ing a total of forty-one lots, and divided by Main and East streets and Cabanis avenue, running north and south, and Water, Brady and Church streets, running east and west.

The village now contains 1 drug store, 1 millinery store, 1 blacksmith, cooper, wagon, har- ness, and shoe shop, 1 physician, 1 school, 1 hotel, 2 stores, 2 churches, and a population of 125 souls. Within the past fourteen years, or in the fall of 1867, the name was changed to Georgetown, by which it has since been known as a quiet, unpretentious inland village, attract- ive alike to the man of moderate means who is ambitious to secure a home, as also to the more wealthy citizen anxious to retire from the active scenes of life.

The Post Office was established in 1849, in the log cabin of George Wineman with that gentleman as Postmaster. Since that date it has occupied various sites in the village (always prominent), and is now in the store of J. H. Cabanis.

Mail facilities are ample and regular, and the following gentlemen have been the recipients of Executive confidence in addition to Mr. Wineman: Robert Nash, Frank Dirigley, Robert Wilson and James H. Cabanis.

Educational .- The first school taught in Smelser Township was that taught by D. B. Pat- terson, in a log schoolhouse built in the spring of 1836, near the future village of Smelser. The first school taught in the present village site was, in 1848, where George Dirigley officiated as teacher, and the following were among his pupils : J. H. Cabanis, J. N. Cabanis, John, Ellen and Hannah Richards, Henry, Mathew, Maria and Mary Calhoun, Emily Simmons, John and Frank Brandon, Elizabeth and Susan Smelser, Mary and William Forqueran, Sylvester Camp- bell, Preston Bray and others. The same year, the schoolhouse was burned down and the pupils were then taught in private houses. This lasted until 1852, when the schoolhouse, now a resi- dence opposite the Arcade Hotel, was built and taken possession of, remaining in the service un- til 1860. That year the present house was built, and has since been occupied. It is of frame, 28x40, and cost $700.

At present, one teacher is employed ; the average daily attendance is thirty pupils, and the annual expense $400.

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

The Board as now constituted is made up of Isaac Williams, Director ; D. T. Nichols, Treasurer, and H. Gilmore, Clerk.

Georgetown M. E. Church .- The first Methodist services held in the township were in the residence of a Mr. Morgan, the Rev. Mr. Quigley, now an attorney of Galena, officiating as Pastor. The church in Georgetown was organized under the auspices of the Rev. John Mur- rish in 1855, and consisted of but few members, among whom were John Richards and family, John Hopkins and family and Mrs. Hannah Brandon. Services were first held in the school- house, which was so used until 1860, when the congregation removed to the new schoolhouse, where it remained seven years.

In 1867, the present frame church edifice was built at a cost of $1,400 and upward, and has since been occupied. It will seat 300, and is handsomely finished.

The present number of communicants is quoted at 50, and the following pastors, the same who have served at Jamestown, have been assigned to Georgetown : The Revs. William Sommer-> sides, John Bean, Mr. Bunce, Stephen Pike, John Truzadar, William Cook, James Simms, William Howarth, William Sheppard, and T. J. Lews, at present occupying the pulpit.

The value of church property is about $1,200.

The Christian Church-Was organized in 1853 by the Rev. Charles Levan and the follow- ing members: Hugh Calhoun and wife ; Mr. Farqueran and wife ; James Plunkett and wife; C. Y. Otwell and wife and Miss Fanny Pretts.

The congregation worshiped in the schoolhouses until 1867, when the Christian Church on Main street was built and is now in use as it has been from that date. It is of frame, 27x 40, will seat an audience of 250 and cost about $1,500.

The present membership is about twenty-five, and the following ministers have served since the church was organized : The Revs. Charles Levan, Daniel Howe, Henry Exley, George Sweeney, John Henry, Mr. Warmoth, William Sweeney, E. Searls and Mr. Monroe, the present incumbent.

The value of church property is $1,200.

Georgetown Lodge, No. 39, I. O. G. T .- Was first organized in 1868 and re-organized December 17, 1870, with fifteen members and the following officers : J. O. Luce, W. C. T .; Miss Annie Brandon, W. V. T .; George S. Cooper, Chaplain ; Miss Amanda Nichols, W. S .; Miss C. E. Hightshoe, W. C .; and John R. Jones, F. S.

The society meets regularly in Brandon & Jeffreys' Hall and is in a flourishing condition. At present its roster of membership contains forty-three names, officered as follows; Miss Annie Brandon, W. C. T .; Miss Fannie Becket, W. V. T .; Charles F. Wineman, R. S .; Ben- jamin F. Luce; F. S .; Miss Esther Kay, W. T .; Miss Ella Brandon, Chaplain.

Morning Star Lodge, No. 185, I. O. O. F .- Was organized December 8, 1871, under and by the provisions of a charter granted to Thomas Thomas, H. W. Smith, B. F. Saltzman, W. J. H. Newton, J. M. Quick, William Kay and William Lee Valley by the Grand Lodge of Wisconsin.

Meetings were regularly convened in a hall over Brandon & Jeffreys' Hall and continued to be held here until 1873. In that year the craft erected Odd Fellows' Hall, a commodious frame, 26x40, occupied in part by the Odd Fellows and Masons and in part as the town office, at a cost of $1,100, and has since met here.

The present membership is stated at twenty-six, the value of lodge property at $1,000 and the officers as follows : William Kay, N. G .; Edward Lorey, V. G .; B. F. Saltzman, Trea- surer ; and H. Gilmore, Secretary.

Georgetown Lodge, No. 185, A., F. § A. . M-Was chartered June 15, 1872, under a dis- pensation granted to twelve members and the following officers, bearing date October 18, 1871: Peter Heil, W. M .; R. L. Wilson, S. W .; William Thomas, J. W .; James O. Luce, Secretary ; and John Eplett, Treasurer.

Meetings were first held in Brandon & Jeffreys' Hall until the completion of the Masonic building, when the lodge was removed thither and has since convened there.

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

The present membership is thirty, the value of lodge property quoted at $250 and the officers: John M. Quick, W. M .; Dr. James Oettiker, S. W .; Albert Launver, J. W .; John Eplett, Secretary ; and Ernest Bernsheive, Treasurer.

Meetings are held semi-monthly on the first and third Saturday evenings.

Smelser Cemetery was established years ago, before the village of Georgetown had been conceived in the minds of its founders. It consisted of a tract of land lying to the north of the present town less than a mile, donated by J. W. Smelser and Hugh Laird. The first burial within its sacred limits is a question of doubt. Whether it was a man from Elk Grove in the employ of Mr. Smelser, who was frozen to death, or whether it was Col. De Long, father-in-law of Mr. Smelser, cannot be determined at the present day. But since that event many a fore- father of the town has been laid in this narrow cell, a prey to dim forgetfulness and cherished memories.

GEORGETOWN CEMETERY.

The Association was organized April 5, 1877. The cemetery grounds have only recently been regularly laid out and their decoration begun, but in time, from their natural advan- tages and the care bestowed upon their adornment, they will undoubtedly come to compare favorably with those which show the handiwork of years and care.

The present Board of Trustees consists of B. F. Saltzman, Obadiah Smelser, D. T. Nich- ols, Cook Jones, James Ladd and Nadab Eastman.

VILLAGE OF BIG PATCH,

a village of about sixty inhabitants is situated partly in Section 3 and partly in Section 4 in the northern part of Smelser Township. At one time it was known as Kaysville, but was subsequently changed to " Big Patch," after a prominent mine in the vicinity, discovered by Fitz & Javrow it is supposed, and worked by the flock of miners who came into the country at a very early period of the county's settlement, or about 1832.

The first settlements made in the vicinity of the present village were those of John Harnes, who, it is believed, made his appearance there in 1835, and his brother Diederick, who followed John the succeeding spring. Soon after, William Cormack and Hardin Butler kept them com- pany, as also did Thomas Row, the latter opening up the first farm in this portion of the county, and to him and William Kay is the present village indebted for whatever of prosperity or devel- opment lias since attended its history.

In 1836, Thomas Robinson, Stephen Lloyd, James Gillis, Henry French and George E. Cabanis passed through this section en route to the Blue River, and were entertained at the cabin of Hardin Butler. Upon their arrival at Blue River, they succeeded in securing a lease of lands upon which to prospect, and sunk a shaft. After laboring diligently for weeks in the pursuit of treasure without results, one by one gave up the undertaking and returned whence they came. Mr. Cabanis reached Big Patch, mentally confident that he had thrown away the oppor- tunity of his life for the acquisition of wealth, and while moodily reflecting upon the uncertain- ties of the future and the eccentricities of fortune, was nearly paralyzed at the announcement made by an arrival that " some Dutchmen had struck the biggest lead of the year at Blue River, in a shaft sunk by four - fools who had quit when they were within eight inches of a 2,000- pound nugget." Mr. Cabanis relates that he knew to whom the stranger referred in his remarks, and although he said nothing at the time, he has never since eeased condemning his hasty action of forty-seven years ago.

William Spencer settled near the village in 1847, Stephen Dinsdale in 1840, and many others whose nomadic instincts and unsettled ways of life led them to wander elsewhere instead of remaining to take the tide of fortune at its flood. In 1841, William Kay opened a store, the first in the neighborhood, built a mill, and engaged in smelting. Previous to this, however, the number of inhabitants had been increased by the arrivals of Dr. J. C. Campbell, John Spink, John Clayton, and some others, whose numbers had the effect of resolving the widely separated

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HISTORY OF GRANT COUNTY.

neighbors into an ambitious corporation, as it were. In 1843, John Walker, T. M. Robinson, probably Thomas Booth, etc., settled near the village. In 1845, George E. Cabanis, who had immigrated into the vicinity ten years previous, and had returned to Illinois, came back with his family. John Wilkinson, too, settled in the present village, also William Fortney, and others. This year Thomas Brooks died, the first death in this portion of the township of which there is any authentic record.

The following years were not marked by the arrival of prominent citizens or large dele- gations, neither were improvements of a character to encourage the hope that a town would ever be built on the banks of the Branch. In 1846, Kay's store, mill and farmhouse, Row's farm- house, and Joshua Yeadon's blacksmith-shop, were the only buildings for miles around ; and it was not until 1849 that the first overture toward establishing a village on the present site was made. This was done by James Rawson and Charles Butler, who built a grocery and house of entertainment on the Platteville and Dubuque road. The honse still stands, devoted to its original uses, upon the very spot of its origin.

Years before this a school had been established, churches had been organized, and some efforts to create a community of feeling if not of acquets and gams, had succeeded in manifesting their existence. These influences had a tendency to concentrate the number of inhabitants who desired to avail themselves of the advantages offered by the agencies cited, and as a consequence, houses were built up nearer together than upon farms separated by sections of land. Resi- dences attracted manufacturers to some extent, and shops of mechanics went up in the neighbor- hood, while a store was established to supply families with commodities it would otherwise have been impossible to procure nearer than Platteville. It should also be observed that a mill had been established at an early day by William Kay and added its influence to the surroundings. In short, a village was established almost before its residents became aware of this distinguished fact, but being without the mining district after its location, and the competition of surrounding villages more favorably situated, Big Patch has failed to improve with age, either in its personal appearance, if one may borrow a term, or in the number of its inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated, however, surrounded by a rich agricultural region, and as a quiet, unpretentious, cheerful place, for a quiet, unpretentious, cheerful citizen to locate, it offers superior induce- ments.

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History of Grant County, Wisconsin, Part 124

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899 Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co. Number of Pages: 1044

Author: Butterfield, Consul Willshire, 1824-1899
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Chicago : Western Historical Co.
Number of Pages: 1044