USA > Wisconsin > Monroe County > History of Monroe County, Wisconsin, past and present : including an account of the cities, towns and villages of the county [microform] > Part 24
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 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91
"Sugden, one of the pioneers and a first class painter and paper hanger, found this, at that early period a not very inviting field for these pursuits, but few buildings then warranted this class of adornment and he betook himself to brieklaying, in the way of making small chimneys for the roofs of small houses as a means of turning an honest penny, and he became known as the handsome bricklayer, but whether this term was to be applied to the individual himself or to his work has never yet been with certainty known."
Among others. Charles Dickenson and family came this year and was one of the men who at one time conducted the Log Tavern which stood where the Hotel Lewis now is. At the time of his arrival there were about fourteen houses in the village.
Things looked so promising for the future that a Fourth of July celebration was indulged in and every one within twenty or thirty miles of the village participated, making it a grand occurrence. George Flint, of LaCrosse. delivered the address and the day was passed in amusements of various kinds, a dinner. and finished by a dance ; the day was marked by a further event which became historical : the surveyors of the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway passed through the village on that day in running the line from Milwaukee to LaCrosse.
Business advanced and among the stores opened in 1854 was that of Rich & Blake, Mr. Wouldrich, D. Logan. S. D. Jack- son. In August, the first Master-Mason Lodge was organized
257
THE CITY OF SPARTA
through the efforts of Major McMillan; the lodge met in a grove for the first time and afterwards held meetings in the loft of a small building. Among the settlers we also note the name of Benjamin Stevens, a mechanic, and his son, O. D. Stevens. who afterwards kept a meat market ; S. M. Holbrook, an omnibus man, and Charles Goss. This year was marked also by the erection of the Monroe House, a little frame hotel, which stood upon the corner now occupied by the Baptist church, and Andrew Allen also built the Allen House, which subsequently was used as a store.
This year also saw the publication of the first newspaper ever issned, if it may be called a newspaper, being the "Monroe County Citizen," which was published by a man by the name of L. Reising, who came from somewhere in New York and brought a little printing press. He issued a few numbers of this paper and, not meeting with financial success, the publication was discontinued.
The majority of the settlers who came in during the year 1853-54-55 were from Cattaraugus county, in the state of New York, and there were so many of them that they became known as the "Cattaraugus delegation."
We are unable to get the names of all of them, but among them L. S. Fisher appears, who arrived in 1855 and was elected clerk of the county board in 1856, served as deputy postmaster under Casselman and in that year opened the first exclusive grocery store in the village and in 1857 he went into the furniture business. doing well until 1860, when he was elected county treasurer, which position he filled until 1862, when he became commissioner on the board of enrollment for the Sixth Con- gressional Distriet ; subsequently during the latter part of his life served as postmaster a great many years in the city.
Dr. S. P. Angle was also from that county and located land and built a sawmill where Angelo now stands, and his son. Oscar, located at that point on a large farm, Oscar afterwards engaging in the livery business on Water street, subsequently became sheriff of the county.
J. J. MeKay, the second member of assembly of this place, also was a Cattaraugus man and so was Carlton Rice, who took up practice in the county, A. F. Bard, L. Leas. Joseph Powell, Rufus Robinson, L. Moseley, G. Harvey and S. H. Sturns, who served so many years as.clerk of the circuit court, B. S. Winship, proprietor of the Winship House, at that time the eating room for the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, was a Cattaraugus man.
258
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
Holden & Ward, who conducted the grocery store at the corner of Oak and Court street, the MeClure family all came from that county, settled here in 1852. J. J. MeClure built a store south of the Globe Hotel, which was situated on what is now known as the library corner, he carried on a boot and shoe business ; the Rockwell family. S. II. Dalaby came from Cat- taraugus county, C. W. MeMillan, who served several terms as sheriff, was one of the delegation and arrived in 1855. Morton Leonard. Lyman Andrews, William H. Blyton. W. S. Newton. and Henry Foster all came from that county, some as early as 1853.
Iliram and Henry Foster arrived in 1855 and Hiram built the Globe Hotel the same year, but soon afterwards sold it to William Burlingame, who kept it for a number of years. Henry Foster bought out O. C. Poles, who was about to start a harness shop upon the arrival of the Fosters and he kept the business for a good many years afterwards.
Very few of the old residents who came as early as 1855 are still alive, and among them is H. A. Streeter, who now re- sides in the city at a very advanced age. He came in 1855 and his memory is quite clear as to the settlement in the village at that time.
He states that the stage station at that time was at George Griffins, a log house with a barn connected which stood upon the Hotel Lewis corner. S. D. Jackson had a store then some- where along in where MeMillan's Furniture Company is now located : the building was of rough boards and he afterwards built a store on what was called the knoll where the barn of D. F. Davis now stands. Mr. Streeter boarded when he first came here. but desired to build a house and makes the remark- able statement that he started the building on Monday, with the help of a man named Andrew Dickenson, and had it completed and moved in by Thursday : it was a frame building. very prim- itive in its construction and he proceeded. after the house was done, to make a bedstead, and he states that he made a "feather bed" out of cotton batten for the mattress.
A table was erected of rough boards. several three-legged stools constructed, and this little home was complete and he and his wife moved in happy in the possession of that much. This building stood where F. Baldwin's blacksmith shop is located.
Mr. Streeter bought the lot there. because he thought the business portion of the village would go that way, as there was a jewelry store located there. He states that William Kerrigan
259
THE CITY OF SPARTA
had a blacksmith shop in the corner where Roberts & Jones' grocery store is located. The shop at first having no covering over it whatever, but consisted of an anvil block and a bellows; at that time a sawmill was located here where the dam now is on Water street bridge and Mr. Streeter found employment with the proprietor of the mill.
In this year Sparta experienced its first serious flood. Mr. Streeter relates that owing to the heavy rains the flood came down the creek in a wave, which he states was at least eight feet high and crushed everything as flat as a floor; the dam was washed out and the mill ruined; this dam was rebuilt, but in its history it was washed out in the earlier days five times.
There was considerable agitation in 1855 with regard to the liquor question, and it appears that a man by the name of Samuel Crosby built a building where Gustad's store now is and opened a grocery and liquor store, and thereby, of course, caused indignation among the temperance people.
C. W. Pott, a harness maker, who arrived in Sparta that year, saw two Cattaract men drinking in the store and had Mr. Crosby arrested for selling liquor without license. This coming up before Justice MeKay, would not allow Mr. Pott's testimony. saying that he had not tasted the liquor and could not swear to what it was and for failure of proof the jury found the.de- fendant not guilty. It got to be a regular thing and it seems that this man, Crosby, was tried six different times in an effort to conviet him of this offense of selling liquor. At last they did find sufficient proof and he was fined $20 by the justice.
But this did not rid the place of the liquor nuisance and the temperance people got up another plan ; the women would take their knitting work and sit in the front part of the store, hoping thus to keep the men away and to break up the business; but that did not do as the men who desired to drink marched boldly in and called for what they wanted. so the ladies were obliged to retire in good order with the reflection that that method of stopping the liquor traffic was a failure. Other incidents of law suits in the earlier days abounded and have naturally connected with them the names of J. M. Morrow and L. W. Graves. It is related that in 1857, G. W. Warring was then justice of the peace and it apears that Mr. Graves and William Wright were the parties in a suit before his honor, and S. F. Holbrook, L. M. Rose, W. S. Newton and W. L. Johnson were chosen as jurors with A. Cross, constable, in charge; after hearing the evidence, the jury would not agree, but the court refused to discharge
260
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
them until they were ready to render a verdict. The jury was quite disgusted at this and they went back in the room, climbed on the table and one of them removed a board from the ceiling and made their escape unknown by the officers, who afterwards searched for them in vain, while the reprobates were enjoying a game of poker in the corner of the Ida House. This is a law suit that never has been finished as the jury never rendered a verdict.
In 1855 and 1856 settlers arrived in such numbers that it is impossible to attempt to give the names of but few; buildings sprang up everywhere and the spot which had so lately been the hunting ground for the Indians became alive with busy people. S. D. Jackson built himself a residence and also a store building which was afterwards occupied by Dodge Brothers; in 1855, Jackson opened up with a large stock of goods; subsequently taking into partnership W. W. Allis, who came from California in 1858.
R. M. Dunlevy was one of the new comers in 1855, and entered into the dry goods business, at first clerking for S. D. Jackson ; he continued for six or seven years, and at the end of that time became a member of the firm, Mr. Allis retiring. Mr. Jackson was acknowledged to be one of the best merchants in Sparta and Mr. Denlevy's experience with him fitted him to enter into the business alone when Jackson removed to a larger field. Dunlevy branched out into the wholesale and retail business in all kinds of fancy dry goods and kept a buyer in New York and Boston markets.
During 1855 the Rev. L. C. Herrick, a Baptist clergyman. took up his residence here and built a sawmill on Beaver creek near Allen's grove, and the same year another Baptist preacher. Rev. S. Gustin, came to Sparta and went into the nursery busi- ness. These contended for the pastorate of the Baptist society to such an extent as to become quite unfriendly and unfor- tunately it resulted in the temporary disorganization of the Baptist society.
J. D. Condit arrived in 1855 also, and his brother. A. II. Condit. built a drug store, the first, on the north side of Beaver creek and also became interested with Milton Montgomery in publishing the Watchman, which was published on the second floor of the building owned by Condit. Porter Aylesworth. a blacksmith, arrived in 1856 and became proprietor of the Monroe House which he kept until 1857. when he was burned out. The next year he built the old Warner House, which stood some dis-
261
THE CITY OF SPARTA
tanee south of where the present Warner House now stands. Among others in 1855 were L. M. Newbury, E. J. Campbell, Joseph Kline, who settled in Leon Valley, G. B. Holden, who engaged in the lumber business and became interested in the Sparta Woolen Mill, and J. D. McDowell, who worked for a time for W. S. Post, in the mercantile business. MeDowell went into business for himself in 1857 by opening a boot and shoe store which he continued to carry on for several years.
Business had grown to such an extent by this time that banking conveniences were necessary and in 1858 the Bank of Sparta was started by J. D. Hemphill; seven years later it was organized under the general banking law as the First National Bank of Sparta and subsequently in its history it became the State Bank, now being known as the Bank of Sparta.
Hagaman Palmer arrived with his family in 1856 in company with five other families, among them being S. P. Greenman, the well known hotel keeper, who carried on the Ida House for a number of years, and Francis Brock. Palmer went into partner- ship with J. D. Condit in the dray business and also engaged in land speculation, entering and buying some 6,000 acres mostly in Monroe county. He brought his five sons with him, all of whom afterwards engaged in business in the city ; William Palmer became county clerk : John Palmer in the livery business; Daniel Palmer became a partner in the firm of H. Palmer & Co .; George and Henry carried on a flour and feed store.
II. E. Kelly, who afterwards became collector of internal revenues started in the dry goods business in 1856. L. S. Bing- ham took up his residence here and entered the hardware trade; he built a three story building on Water street near Oak. J. A. Warner came about the same time and elerked for McFarland a number of years, afterwards going into business as a wholesale and retail dealer in Greve's block. M. A. Thayer and A. A. Munn arrived the same year, Mr. Thayer was register of deeds for nine terms and also went into the banking business. J. M. Morrow and L. W. Graves arrived during the same year and so did J. Andrews. In company with Frank Skillman and Captain Fisk, Andrews erected the first foundry in the city, which was located near the Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway depot : J. A. Gillman, who arrived in 1856, subsequently became owner of the foundry and after that several changes in owner- ship followed and passed into the hands of J. J. Owsley in 1865 and a year later was destroyed by fire.
During the year 1856 a court house was erected on a piece
262
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
of land donated by J. D. Damman, the town reserving the square where the present court house is, which was given by William Petit, for a park. Additions to the village were platted by J. D. Damman. Richard Cassehan, R. Hill and E. S. Blake, and at that time there was much rivalry between the two sides of the river as to which should have the court house. The second building, however, was built in Petit's square after some trouble with Damman over his gift. This year a public hall was opened, sitnated on the corner of Oak and Water streets, opposite the Greve's block ; this building was two stories high and com- pleted by R. W. Bowles, the hall receiving the proud name of "Liberty Hall :" and then the village arrived to, the dignity of having theatrical performances for the amusement of its inhabitants : the very first show which appeared was a magician who drew a large crowd, and it is related that the crowd was so large that it was too heavy for the floor and just as the magician was about to perform one of his startling feats the floor gave way and down went the audience and magician with all his slight of hand machinery on top of them, so that a grand , disappearing aet was successfully performed which was not in the program.
The day that the Liberty Hall floor broke seemed to be a day of accidents : it is related that the frame of the Methodist church had just been raised and Benjamin Stevens and Morton Bump, two carpenters, were putting up the frame of the belfry, when one of the ties broke, letting down the timbers and the workmen at the same time ; Stevens was severely hurt. but Bump escaped with slight injury: during the same day a man fell from the top of a building on Oak street. but was not seriously injured.
Wedding bells rang for the first time in 1855 when Edward Walrath and Miss Blake were married, and in the following year Henry Talmadge and Anna Bradshaw.
The hard times of 1857 seriously effected the business and settlement of the village, and during that year Sparta was nearly at a stand still : very few new comers arrived and little occurred which was of interest. The settlers, however, continued their efforts in building up the place and during that year K. and O. P. MeClure built the first grist mill which was erected on the site of the old saw mill on Beaver creek. Subsequently T. B. Tyler erected a woolen mill on the same site at a cost of $30.000. This old building is still standing and is known as the Sparta Woolen Mill property.
On May 11, 1857. under provisions of chapter 52 of the
26:
THE CITY OF SPARTA
statutes of Wisconsin, the village of Sparta, Monroe county, was incorporated and arrived at the dignity of a full fledged municipality.
The first board of trustees was elected on July 1, 1857, and was as follows: R. J. Casselman, president ; H. Palmer, Joseph Carmichael, R. W. Bowles, S. F. Holbrook, C. Rich and J. A. Gillman, trustees: L. S. Fisher, clerk; L. Andrews, treasurer, and Chester McClure, marshal.
Among the settlers in 1857 were Dennis Lawrence and wife, the later a fashionable dressmaker. William Potter. a meat market man, who afterwards getting the gold fever, went to Pike's Peak and was given up for dead, but soon afterwards returned to Sparta and resumed his old vocation. Thomas B. Tyler arrived in 1857 from Pennsylvania, though a native of the east. he loved his new location and was one of the men who did much to build up the village.
A good story is related of Mr. Tyler which is as follows: Previous to his coming to Sparta, he had been engaged in the drug business at Coudersport, Pa., and there was ac- quainted with several men who afterwards came to the west. So it was no unusual thing for a Coudersport man to call on Mr. Tyler's place of business when he came to Sparta. One day J. D. Condit happened in at Mr. Tyler's place of business when the latter was out, and a few minutes later a deaf and dumb man entered. Like all unfortunates of this class, this individual began to stare at everything, without making his business known. Condit thought he saw a chance to play a joke on Mr. Tyler, so stepped to the door to look for him, and met him coming. "There is a man waiting for you. Perhaps he is from Couders- port, " said .J. D. The individual was now looking at some pic- tures, and had his back turned to the pair. Mr. Tyler was a quiet, unassuming man ; so he brushed back his hair, straightened up his collar and coughed. The stranger did not seem to hear him. Mr. Tyler again arranged his collar and hair, and stepping a little nearer. said : "You wished to see me, sir?" No answer. no backward glance. The gentleman reddened perceptibly, but again jerked at his collar and brushed baek his hair, with the question now put in louder tones, "Did you want to see me, sir?" The stranger still continued his examination of the pie- tures. Redder and redder Mr. Tyler grew, and when he next asked the question he bawled it at the top of his voice. The man, however, took no notice whatever of him, and a look of blank amazement was spreading Tyler's face, when Mr. Condit,
26-
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
who had stepped outside of the door. peeped in and said in a hoarse whisper: "You eternal fool. he's deaf and dumb."
The opening of the Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad to this place in 1858, gave a new impetus to business and to immigra- tion. The track was laid as far as the tunnel from the cast, and also westward from the tunnel to LaCrosse. But the tunnel itself was something that required months to complete. An engine and some cars were drawn over the bluffs for use on the western part of the line: and for some six months the trains ran to and from the tunnel on both sides, passengers having to foot it across the bluff from one train to the other. During this time Sparta had no railway depot,-a freight car, switched off of the main track, answering the purpose. as it was of ample dimensions to hold the waiting passengers and their baggage at that time. Later, a neat depot was erected with other necessary buildings; and later still,, a dining hall and hotel known as the Winship House.
The Letson Brothers. in 1858. put up a sash, door and blind factory. L. HI. Mather came to Sparta the same year, built a block of buildings on Water street, and opened a drug store which he kept for several years. Mr. Mather's enterprise is to be seen all over the city. He erected more handsome buildings here than any one man in this place. J. W. Smith and family made their advent this year. Mr. Smith engaged at that time in the hardware business. His son, J. E. Smith, kept a variety and auction store on Oak street. J. J. French. a dealer in guns and ammunition, with H. Palmer & Co. D. B. Howe, of the firm of Aylesworth & Co. D. McBride and family were among the new comers of 1858. D. McBride was the editor of the "Herald." which has been conducted since that time to the present with only a slight interruption. Mr. McBride was postmaster at Sparta for eight years, commencing with President Lincoln's administration.
Late in December of the same year another newspaperman. Capt. D. W. C. Wilson, took up his residence here. He did not at that time, however, enter a printing office. During 1860 and 1861 he served as justice of the peace. In the summer and fall of 1861. he held war-meetings, and in November of that year was made lieutenant of Company D of the Eighteenth Wisconsin Regiment. going into service January, 1862. He was taken prisoner at the battle of Pittsburg Landing. April 6. 1862, and was in various prisons in Alabama and Georgia, until paroled at Richmond, Virginia, which occurred in October of the same
265
THE CITY OF SPARTA
year. Re-entering service, he remained there until 1864, when he returned to Wisconsin. IIe was elected to the assembly in 1865, and to the senate in 1866. During 1868, he was traveling correspondent of the "Milwaukee Sentinel," and two years later he took a half interest in the "Sparta Eagle." In 1872 he bought the whole "Eagle" office and changed the name of the paper to the "Monroe County Republican." A. W. Wilson, a brother of Captain Wilson, also settled in Sparta in 1858. Dr. M. R. Gage was another of the new comers of 1858, practicing his profession here many long years except the two years that he was surgeon of the Twenty-fifth Wisconsin Regiment. At one time after the war, Dr. Gage was connected with Il. Palmer in the drug business.
The next year, 1859,. T. B. Tyler built a grist mill near the Milwaukee & St. Paul railroad depot. This mill has passed through many hands since its building. D. D. Cheney, who settled in this place in 1861, and H. Greve owned it at one time. It is now owned by Bergman Brothers. The mill had a capacity of three hundred barrels per week, and employed six men. HI. C. Brooks, was head miller, T. D. French, a brother of J. J. French, came from the south this year, and settled in Sparta, going into business with J. M. Sugden, a partnership which lasted about four years.
Among the settlers of 1861 and 1862 we find A. Saxe. a fur- niture manufacturer on Oak street; J. J. Owsley, who bought out Tyler's mill and run it some five years, during the first year of which time the dam went out seven times. S. M. Owsley, a son of J. J. Owsley, now a grocer on Oak street ; R. S. Wells, surgeon dentist, and W. H. White, a dealer in agricultural im- plements. James Francis became a resident in Sparta in 1861, and a little later went into the grocery business at Johnson's old stand, corner of Oak and Court streets, which Mr. Johnson, deceased. had left vacant. Subsequently he moved into a brick block further east on Oak street, and then added dry goods to his stock of groceries. Dr. Bennett, a well-known physician of Sparta, located in 1861.
George Dunn came in 1861 and in connection with M. Erick- son and W. H. Blyton, erected a large block of brick buildings between Main and Oak streets on Water; Dunn opened a whole- sale and retail dry goods business there and still continues in the same store building with the retail business. Chauncey Blakeslee came from Neilsville and commenced business with a large stock of dry goods in the Dunn building.
266
HISTORY OF MONROE COUNTY
The beginning of the War of the Rebellion affected the growth and business interests of the village to a marked degree ; prices went up and the poorer classes had a hard time to get the bare necessities of life.
The citizens of Sparta and vicinity exhibited true patriotism and furnished a large portion of the several companies that went from the county. At the receipt of the news of the fall of Fort Sumpter the indignation and war-like spirit of our modern Spartans were fully aroused, and at no place in the United States was the President's call for troops more promptly responded to than in this village. As soon as it was known that a call had been formally made for volunteers. enlistments commenced, and continued so briskly that only a small portion of those who ten- dered their service were accepted. The first company organized in Sparta was known as Captain Lynn's, and its members were first enlisted for a period of three months, but as soon as it was known that troops were required for a longer period of service the company was reorganized and nearly every man who had enlisted for the short term reenlisted for three years, or during the war. The company was ordered about the 6th of June, 1861, to proceed to Camp Utley. Racine. Wis .. where it was assigned to the Fourth Regiment. Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry. under Col. Halbert E. Paine. and became Company I of that regiment. It left Sparta with the following named commissioned officers: Captain, John W. Lynn : first lieutenant. Levi R. Blake : second lieutenant, Ansyl A. West.
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.