USA > Wisconsin > Racine County > Racine > Racine, belle city of the lakes, and Racine County, Wisconsin : a record of settlement, organization, progress and achievement, Vol. I > Part 8
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There is a slight error in this account of the campaign, in that the writer overlooked the fact that Milwaukee County was entitled to two couneihnen. Captain Knapp and Alanson Sweet, of Milwaukee, were the nominees of the convention, but the people of Milwaukee wanted both councilmen to come from that part of the county. William See, the proprietor of the saw-mill at the
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Rapids, was induced to run against Knapp, the Milwaukeeites hoping to divide the vote of the southern part of the county, but Knapp was too well intrenched in the esteem of his fellow-citizens and See's defeat was overwhelming. Alanson Sweet was elected as Captain Knapp's colleague.
The convention at which Captain Knapp was nominated was held at the log tavern of Levi Godfrey and during the campaign it was frequently referred to as "God-fry's Convention." In anticipation of a large attendance, Mr. Godfrey went to Skunk Grove and bought an ox for beef with which to feed the delegates. It is said that some of the delegates got lost in the wilderness and failed to find Godfrey's tavern. Dr. Bushnell B. Cary presided over the convention and some of the delegates remained at the tavern for two nights. Judge Dver says they "slept in their blankets on the floor at night, and dreamed over democratic reso- lutions as sweetly as if Potawatomi Indians were not slumbering in an adjoining camp."
The jollification in Racine, that followed Captain Knapp's election, was an event long remembered by old settlers. Sharing the joy of his friends and grateful to them for their support, the successful candidate made copious demands upon the tavern keep- ers of the village and invited all to make merry after the fashion of the day. Racine was alive with excitement. Dignity, staid propriety, and even temperance pledges were forgotten in the rejoicing of the moment. A tar barrel was taken to the foot of Main Street and fired, and in the light of the bonfire a number of citizens, dressed in fantastic costumes, danced an Indian pow- wow. Dinner bells, sleigh bells and even cow bells added to the din: anvils were fired; charges of powder were placed in stumps and exploded with great noise: speeches were made, and the rev- elry was kept up until the "wee sma' hours," by which time many of the merry-makers were so intoxicated that they had to be assisted to their homes. It was a great occasion and was often referred to as a noted event in the history of early days.
The Legislature met at Belmont on October 25, 1836, with Gilbert and Alanson Sweet representing Milwaukee County in the council, and Charles Durkee, Madison W. Cornwall and Wil- liam B. Sheldon in the house. Captain Knapp was interested in the formation of a new county from the southern part of Milwau- kee, and when a bill was introduced providing for the establish-
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ment of fifteen new counties in the territory - one of which was Racine - he gave the measure his undivided support. The bill passed both houses and was approved by Governor Dodge on December 7, 1836. Section 2, which relates to Racine County, was as follows:
THE ORGANIC ACT
"Section 2. Townships numbered 1, 2, 3 and 4 north, of Ranges 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23 east of the fourth principal meridian, shall be and the same are hereby constituted a separate county, and be called Racine, and the seat of justice of said county is hereby established at the Town of Racine. The County of Racine shall be organized from and after the passage of this aet, and the inhabitants thereof be entitled to all the rights and privileges to which by law the inhabitants of the other organized counties of this territory are entitled to; and the said county shall continue to be a part of the Third Judicial District and a District Court shall be held therein, at the seat of justice, at the court-house or such other place as may be provided. Two terms of the District Court shall be held annually after the organization of said county, on the first Monday in July and third Monday in November; and the several acts concerning the District Courts in the Territory of Wisconsin shall be and they are hereby made applicable to the District Court of the County of Racine; and the Counties of Wal- worth and Rock shall be and are hereby attached to the County of Racine for judicial purposes."
By tracing the boundaries as above described on a sectional map of Eastern Wisconsin, the reader will notice that the present county of Kenosha was embraced therein. That county remained a part of Racine until January 30, 1850, when Governor Nelson Dewey approved an act, Section 1 of which reads as follows:
"All that part of the present County of Racine lying within the following boundaries, to wit: Commencing at the southwest corner of said county, and running thence east on the state line to the center of Lake Michigan and the southeast corner of said county; thence northerly through the center of Lake Michigan to the town line between towns two and three; thenee westerly on said town line to the eastern line of the present Town of Bur- lington; thence southerly on said eastern line of the Town of Burlington to the southeast corner thereof; thence westerly on the south line of the said Town of Burlington to the east line of
Photo furnished by Billings
STEPHEN SAGE Pioneer of Racine
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the County of Walworth; thence southerly on said east line of the County of Walworth to the place of beginning, be and the same is hereby set off into a separate county to be called Ke- nosha."
By that act Racine County was reduced to its present form and dimensions. When first creeted in 1836, the county not only included the present County of Kenosha, but the Counties of Rock and Walworth were attached to Racine for judicial and election purposes.
THE FIRST ELECTION
The first election was held in the district composed of the Counties of Racine, Kenosha, Rock and Walworth on April 4. 1837. The board of elections consisted of the justices of the peace, who had been previously appointed in the different locali- ties. Joel Sage was chairman of the board; Walter Cooley, clerk: and the other members were Sammel Hale, Jr., Eldad Smith, Rich- ard Miller, Hiram Ball and Alfred Cary. William H. Waterman was elected register of deeds; Eugene Gillespie, treasurer; A. W. Doolittle, district surveyor; Alvin Raymond, coroner; Benjamin F. Barker, Isaac Butler and Samuel Hale, Jr., supervisors (com- missioners) ; David D. Wells, tax collector; William Ince, Lemuel Smith, Cephas Weed and Seneca Raymond, assessors; Benjamin C. Perce, Amma Clark and Sidney S. Derbyshire, school commis- sioners; John Coggswell, town clerk; Walter Cooley, Elisha Ray- mond and Austin Kellogg, highway commissioners; Levi Blake, Orrin Jerome and Niles Bentley, fence viewers; Benjamin Felch and Walter Cooley, directors of the poor. In addition to these officers, thirteen constables were elected, viz .: L. R. Darling, Thomas Warner. Silas Peck, S. A. Walker, Henry Miller, William Holmes, Nelson Butler, Franklin Emerson, Daniel Salisbury, David D. Wells, Hiram Bennett, E. S. Blake and E. G. Duncan. The total number of votes cast at this election was 193, and thirty- seven officers were elected, hence nearly 20 per cent of the voting population was elected to office.
INAUGURATION OF GOVERNMENT
A few days after the election, the supervisors, or commission- ers, as they were then called, met for the purpose of completing the organization of the county government. Their first act was to issue certificates of election to the above named officers. At
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this meeting, which was held at Racine, it was voted to hold the next anal town meeting at the house of Benjamin Felch, in the Pike River settlement. "provided the county is not divided into townships prior to the date of said meeting." The officers to whom election certificates were issued immediately entered upon the duties of their respective positions, and Racine County had a goverment of its own. David D. Wells failed for some reason to perform the duties of tax collector, and a special election was called at the house of Charles Leet on October 9, 1837, for the purpose of electing his successor. Albert G. Knight was elected.
During the summer of 1837, the principal business of the board of commissioners was the hearing of petitions for the open- ing of roads, highways being, perhaps, the greatest necessity of the new county. Roads were ordered to be opened from the Town of Racine to the United States Road: from Racine to William See's saw-mill at the Rapids: from the house of William Bull to See's saw-mill, and thence to the north line of the county; be- tween Racine and Pike River, and from Racine to Rochester, as well as several others of less importance.
Although no record of an election in 1837, except the one already mentioned, is in existence, when the board met at the second annual meeting on April 2, 1838, the commissioners were Samuel Hale, Jr., Hammond Marsh and Nathaniel Bell. The first business transacted at the meeting was the acceptance of the bond of Henry Cox, Jr., in the sum of $5,000 as county treasurer. Next rame the division of the county into election precinets, designating the voting places and appointing judges of election. The district so divided consisted of what are now the four Counties of Racine, Kenosha, Rock and Walworth, and it may be interesting to the reader to know just where the voters of each settlement were to hold their elections, and who were the members of the election boards, so the list of voting places and judges is here reproduced:
Pleasant Prairie (in the southeast corner of Kenosha County), election at the house of Daniel Stevens: John Dexter, Abel W. Dimmick and Alvin G. French, judges.
Salem (also in Kenosha County), election at the house of John Bullen; Gilbert R. Lindsay, Asahel Benham and John Bul- len, judges.
Foxville (in the Town of Rochester), election at the house of
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Ruel Nims: Origen Perkins, Silas Peck and Stephen J. Bushnell, judges.
Village of Rochester, election at the house of George E. Dun- can: Joseph Call, Levi Godfrey and Martin C. Whitman, judges.
Mount Pleasant, election at the house of Roland Ives; Isaac Butler. Zadock Newman and Chauncey Kellogg, judges.
Town of Racine, election at the Racine House; Lorenzo Janes, Eldad Smith and Alfred Cary, judges.
Southport (now Kenosha), election at the school house in the village: Hiram Ball. Benjamin Felch and William Bullen. judges.
Geneva (in Walworth County). election at the house of Greenleaf S. Warren; Israel Williams, Daniel E. Bradley and Greenleaf S. Warren, judges.
Delavan (in Walworth County), election at the house of Sam- uel F. Phoenix: Luke Taylor, William Hollingshead and William Phoenix, judges.
Elkhorn (in Walworth County), election at the house of Asa Blood: Joseph Bowman, Samuel Miller and Henry Rosecrantz. judges.
Troy (in Walworth County), election at the house of Othney Beardsley: Adolphus Spoor, Jesse Meacham and Robert Hibbard, judges.
Spring Prairie (in Walworth County), election at the house of A. A. Hemenway: Peter Merrick, Isaac Williams and David Pratt, judges.
Beloit (in Rock County). election at the public house in the village: Nathan Hackett, James E. Field and Dr. White, judges.
Janesville (in Rock County), election at the public house kept by Mr. Nevins; Hiram Brown, Daniel Smiley and Henry F. Janes, judges.
EARLY FINANCES
The first financial statement of Racine County available is the report of the county treasurer, Henry F. Cox. Jr., which was filed with the board of commissioners on January 8, 1839, and covered the transactions of the preceding year. It showed the total receipts to have been $2.985.83, which included a balance of $27.71 turned over to him by Eugene Gillespie, and the dis- bursements amounted to $2,914.44, leaving a balance of $71.39 in the treasury. Just think of the four populous and wealthy Coun-
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ties of Southeastern Wisconsin yielding a total revenue of less than three thousand dollars in 1838, and compare the statement of Treasurer Cox with the tax levy of the board of county super- visors of Racine County alone for the year 1915, when the total amounted to $325,191.49, or more than one hundred times as much as was paid by the four counties seventy-eight years ago.
THE LAND SALE
And now comes an event that was of vital importance to the settlers of Racine County. The goverment survey was completed in 1837, and President Van Buren issued an order for a public sale of the lands at Milwaukee in the fall of 1838. In the event the lands were not sold at auction, they were to become subject to personal entry. Many of the settlers, who, it must be remem- bered, were technically trespassers, had made valable improve- ments, and there was danger that many of them would lose all the results of their labor, in consequence of not having the ready cash to bid in their claims. In this emergency a plan was hit upon to raise the necessary funds. A public meeting was held, at which it was resolved that all the settlers of the county should enter into an agreement to mortgage their lands, after procuring the title therefor, and that delegates be sent to the eastern cities with these agreements to negotiate a loan of $50,000. Nearly every settler signed the agreement, a full list of the names, with the value of the improvements each one had made, was prepared, as well as the amount of money each settler required to purchase his claim. These lists and agreements were placed in the hands of Michael Myers and Nathan Joy as the delegates, but after several weeks' absence they returned with the disheartening in- formation that not a single dollar could be borrowed upon any or all the lands in Racine County. Fortunately, the sale was post- poned from November, 1838, to the spring of 1839, which gave the squatters a little more time to make their preparations. The following extract, descriptive of the conditions and incidents attending the land sale, is taken from the pamphlet of 1842, already quoted in the early part of this chapter:
"Many are the ominous indications of its approach among the settlers. Every dollar is sacredly treasured up. The precious 'mint-drops' take to themselves wings and fly away from the merchant's till to the farmer's cupboard. Times are dull in the
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towns, for the settler's home is dearer and sweeter than the mer- chant's sugar and coffee. At length the wished-for day arrives. The suburbs of the town have all the appearances of a military camp. The settlers have flocked from far and near. The hotels are thronged to overflowing. Bar-rooms, dining-rooms and wag- ons are metamorphosed into bed-rooms. Dinners are eaten from a table or a stump, and thirst is quenched from a bar or a brook. The sale being announced from the land office, the township bid- der stands near by with the registry book in his hand, in which each settler's name is attached to his respective half or quarter section, and thus he bids off, in the name of the whole township. for each respective claimant. A thousand settlers are standing by, eagerly listening when their quarter shall be called off. The crier passes the well known numbers; his home is secure. He feels relieved, for the litigation of 'claim jumping' is over forever. He is lord of the soil. With an independent step he walks into the land office, opens the time-worn saddlebags and counts ont $200 or $400, silver and gold, takes his certificate from the Gen- eral Government and goes away rejoicing."
The minimum value fixed by the Government was $1.25 per acre. No bid less than that price would be entertained, and the settlers turned ont in large numbers to see that speculators and land-grabbers did not take advantage of the actual settlers by bidding higher prices. If such a bidder appeared upon the scene, he was quickly made to understand that his competitive bidding would not be tolerated. If he failed to heed the warning and persisted in "running up the price," he was hustled away with more haste than ceremony. Yet, when one takes into considera- tion the fact that more than five thousand inhabitants dwelt within the district sold at Milwaukee in the spring of 1839; that many improvements had been made upon farms; that villages had been founded; that mills and factories had been built, and all without legal title to the lands, it is surprising that so few serions difficulties were encountered.
THE COURT-HOUSE
The first conrt-house in Racine County was built by Captain Gilbert Knapp and his associates, the original claimants to the site of the city as squatters. A few months before the passage of the act creating the county, Captain Knapp, not being fully
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satisfied as to his rights to the lands upon which he had staked his claim, procured from Jacques and Louis Vaux a "float" title, based upon a receipt from the receiver of the land office, dated June 19, 1834, under the pre-emption act of that year. On July 25. 1836, Jacques Vaux assigned his receipt to Gurdon S. Hub- bard, covering that part of the town site north of the Root River, and the same day Louis Vaux assigned to Mr. Hubbard his receipt for that portion south of the river.
In the winter of 1835-36 Racine had been laid ont into blocks and lots. A little later Congress passed an act providing "That no right of pre-emption shall be granted to actual settlers upon lands within the limits of any incorporated town, or to any por- tion of lands which have been actually selected as sites for cities or towns, or specially occupied or reserved for town lots."
Under this act the float title to the village site was declared to be invalid, notwithstanding Louis and Jacques Vaux had ob- tained said title some two years prior to the passage of the act, and some good lawyers maintained that the decision was of an ex post facto character. But the Territorial Legislature of Wis- consin found a way out of the difficulty. By an act of Congress, approved by President Monroe on May 26, 1824, any county in the United States was given the right to select and pre-empt a quarter section for a seat of justice. By the organic act of De- comber 7, 1836, the seat of justice of Racine County was located at Racine, though the county did not exercise its right to pre- empt the site. Pursuant to the provisions of the act of May 26, 1824, he Legislature of the Territory of Wisconsin, on January 2, 1838, enacted a law authorizing the county commissioners of Racine County "to sell and convey the right and title of the county, in and to the east fractional half of Section 9 to Gilbert Knapp, his heirs and assigns, upon his paying to the board, within two years from the date of conveyance, at the rate of ten dollars per acre therefor, with ten per cent interest."
The act further provided that the county commissioners should immediately enter the land and secure the pre-emption to which the county was entitled, and that the money received from Captain Knapp should be expended in the erection of county buildings, according to the act of Congress. .
For some reason not plain, the county authorities failed to carry the law into effect literally, though an arrangement was
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reached in 1839, by which the original proprietors of the town- Knapp. Hubbard and Barker-were to ereet, or cause to be erected, county buildings, "consisting of a court-house, a jail. and a building for county offices," and upon the completion of such buildings, to the satisfaction of the board of county commis- sioners, they were to convey the county's interest in the town site to the original claimants. Immediately after this agreement was entered into, a contract was awarded to William H. Water- man and Roswell Morris to build a court-house, which was com- pleted early in the year 1840.
The court-house built by Waterman & Morris continued in use until the present structure was erected, though in 1842 a supplementary building was constructed for the offices of clerk and register of deeds. In the fall of 1875 the board of supervisors took the first steps toward the erection of a new court-house. The board at that time was composed of W. W. Vanghan (chair- man). James Hay, M. T. Hayes, W. B. Stetson, J. T. Rice, L. C. Klein, H. T. Taylor, Michael Savage, II. W. Wright, T. Powers, Adam Apple, John Boustow, W. C. Smith, JJ. R. Brown and J. O. Bartlett. H. C. Koch, an architect of Milwaukee, was employed to make plans and the contractors were John Bentley & Son. The cornerstone was laid with appropriate ceremonies on July 4, 1876, and the building was completed in February, 1877. Its cost was $39.450 and about five thousand dollars wore expended for furni- ture and fixtures for the various offices.
A movement for a new court-bonse was started in 1911, and Bell. Tyrie & Chapman, a firm of architects in Minneapolis, Min- nesota, submitted plans for a building to cost $165,000. The plans were accepted by the board. but the proposition to build was afterward reconsidered and the old court-house was remodeled so that it will accommodate the business of the county for several years before a new one will be actually necessary.
THE COUNTY JAIL
The first jail in Racine County was a rough but substantial log building, which was erected on the west side of the public square in 1837. Four years later Captain Knapp and his asso- ciates built a new jail, in connection with the old log jail, which served the county for several years, when a brick jail was erected on the square, northwest of the court-house. The great increase
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in population, with a corresponding increase in the number of prisoners confined in the jail at various times, made it apparent to the board of supervisors in 1890 that some other and better arrangements would have to be made for caring for prisoners. A committee was appointed on November 24, 1890, "to examine the structure known as the Racine County jail, to see if it was practicable to remodel it, so as to conform with the requirements of the state law, also to secure options on two or more convenient sites to build a new jail, and report at the November session in 1891."
The committee made a thorough examination and advertised for proposals for a site for a new jail. On October 22, 1891, the State Board of Control visited the jail and practically condemned it as unfit for the purposes for which it was being used. On November 11, 1891, the board's committee reported that it was "neither practical nor expedient to expend money on the present structure, with a view of trying to conform with the state require- ments." Six sites had in the meantime been offered for a new jail. The board visited the various proposed sites and on No- vember 25, 1891, voted to accept the offer of J. W. Spence for the lot on the southeast corner of Fifth Street and College Ave- nue for $4,000.
Nothing further toward the erection of a new jail was done until November 27, 1892, when Mr. Phillips offered a resolution to appropriate $25,000 for that purpose. Three days later a com- mittee reported a visit to the old jail, which they found "pure and sweet," and recommended "improvements to be made which may seem necessary to maintain our present state of cleanliness and purity." The report was adopted, but at the afternoon ses- sion of the special committee, to whom had been referred the matter of issuing bonds in the sum of $25,000 for a new jail, reported favorably and the board ordered the bonds to be issued. On January 11, 1893, the plans for the new jail were submitted to the state board of control and were approved. Bids were then advertised for and on February 21, 1893, the contract for the erection of the jail and sheriff's residence, "according to the plans and specifications of J. G. Chandler," was awarded to Josiah Hocking for $20,889. On December 15, 1893, the architect, J. G. Chandler, reported that Mr. Hocking had completed the building "according to the plans, specifications and contract." Some
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extras were allowed, which brought the total cost of the jail and sheriff's residence up to $21,349,06.
A history of the poor farm and the county insane asylum will be found in the chapter on Charitable Institutions, and events connected with political history and financial matters will be found in other chapters. In this chapter the object has been to give an account of the conditions immediately preceding the organization of the county, the introduction of civil government, the erection of public buildings, etc. How well that object has been carried out the reader must determine.
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CHAPTER VI TOWNSHIP HISTORY
TOWNSHIPS OF TWO CLASSES-ORIGIN OF THE CIVIL TOWNSHIP -ITS PLACE IN IIISTORY -THE NINE CIVIL TOWNSHIPS OF RACINE COUNTY - BURLINGTON - CALEDONIA - DOVER - MOUNT PLEAS- ANT - NORWAY - RAYMOND - ROCHESTER - WATERFORD - YORK- VILLE - HISTORICAL SKETCH OF EACHI-EARLY SETTLEMENTS - PERSONAL MENTION OF PIONEERS-DATE OF ORGANIZATION - MISCELLANEOUS INCIDENTS - POPULATION AND WEALTH - A RETROSPECT.
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