USA > Wisconsin > Dodge County > The History of Dodge County, Wisconsin, containing a history of Dodge County, its early settlement, growth, development, resources, etc > Part 75
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" The next cabin I passed was occupied by a man known as Bach Davis, standing near where Mr. Bancroft's residence now is. As I came near where the prison now stands there was a cultivated field on either hand which extended down to where Main street now is. As I came down Prison street, I caught sight of a log house on the south bank of the river, which I found to be a hotel kept by Mr. Wilcox, where the hungry were fed, where the weary found rest and where strangers were taken in.
"Most of what is now the village of Waupun was not as yet broken by the plow of the husbandman. Mr. William McElroy was living in a small house, on the site where Mr. C. J. Bush now resides. Mr. Collins still lived a little farther west, and Col. Lyman Town lived near by. Esq. Ackerman and Esq. Hinkley were then both residing on the Walker place oppo- site and a little farther west from where Mr. Stanton's elevator now stands. These, together with old Elder Smith and a son-in-law by the name of Hooker, constituted the entire popula- tion of what is now the village of Waupun. There were but five families in the town of Wau- pun. A man by the name of White was living on the farm now owned by Mr. Atwood, near Willow Creek. Mr. L. P. Preston then resided where Mr. Gee's house now stands, opposite the old slaughter-house, while Mr. Hawley then owned the farm now owned by Mr. Merriman. Jedediah Amadon had built his cabin on the land now owned by Mr. Ichabod Franklin. A Mr. Gould had built a house on the Corrigan place. The next house on the Fond du Lac road was about three miles beyond the east branch of Rock River, or about eight miles from this place.
" In the town of Chester, Mr. N. J. Newton then owned the farm that now belongs to his heirs, and Mr. Lyman Barrows then lived on the Sumner farm, and there were a few more set- tlers in that town. With these few exceptions, Waupun and the most of Chester presented to the eye an unbroken scene of timber, prairie, openings and meadow lands, which could be bought for $1.25 per acre.
"The nearest physician was at Fox Lake on the west and Fond du Lac on the east. There was no lawyer to stir up .strife and litigation between neighbors. We had but one min- ister, and he was good, for he taught the people to do as they should. The United States mail was then carried on horseback from Fond du Lac to Portage and back once a week, by Mr. Wilcox. His boy would go to Fond du Lac and get it on Tuesday and back home; then take it to Portage Wednesday and back Thursday, then take it to Fond du Lac Friday ; and if we got a letter from friends in the East, it would take from ten to fifteen days, and would cost 25 cents, which was no small sum at that time. Esq. Hinkley was then Postmaster.
" Having given you a sketch of the early white settlement, let us turn for a few moments to the aborigines. It was no uncommon sight to see a band of Indians with their squaws, papooses and ponies traveling through the country, or to see their wigwams at their favorite camp- ing grounds, or to hear the tinkle of the bells on their ponies on a still night. On a beautiful elevation on the west side of the east branch of Rock River, about sixty rods north from where Mr. Zælloner's mill now stands, was the remains of an old French trading-post, known as Scalp Village. A fine spring of pure water issued from the bank and flowed into the river, but is now submerged by the mill-pond. A deep, worn path led from the village to the spring. The ground for some distance around the village was literally covered with bones of deer and other game that had been slain to provide food for the red man. Still further back from the river,
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scattered here and there among the rolling burr-oak openings, were a number of Indian graves, each being protected by a miniature log house, or what more resembled the second floor of a pioneer cabin, covered with shakes as the pioneer covers his, the top being about three feet high. But the plow and the ax of the white man have swept them all away, and naught is left to mark the spot where the red man sleeps his last sleep. About half a mile west from this village, was the Indian planting-ground, or cornfields, on lands owned by Mr. Dean and Mr. Hillebert. And about three-quarters of a mile southwest, on the lands now owned by Mr. Oleson, was the Indian sugar-bush, or sugar-camp, and from the scars the trees bore, it had. evidently been used as such for many a year. From this village an Indian trail ran up the river, crossing at the place where the Fond du Lac road crosses, thence to Fond du Lac. The trails were the Indian roads lead- ing from one trading-post to another, or from one favorite camping-ground to another, and were often worn four or six inches deep. The second trail ran in a northwesterly direction, crossing the river on the rapids above the place known as the Sheldon deep hole, and thence through the grove and near the large oak (that one of our village lawyers in his early practice addressed with great force of eloquence as an imaginary Judge), thence through this village to Fox Lake. The fourth led in a northwesterly direction, near Mr. George Wells' residence, to Green Lake. Near this trail, on lands owned by Mr. Carpenter, on the south bank of what was then a small stream or brook, lay scattered here and there among the tall grass a number of human skele- tons ; who they were, or by what means they came to their death, is not known. Probably they fell in battle."
CHURCHES.
St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church .- The Catholics of Waupun were first attended, as a mission, by Rev. James Roch, from Fox Lake, 1850 to 1853. Then by Rev. R. Dumphy, from Fox Lake, to 1855. Next by Rev. J. Haly, from Fox Lake, to 1856. Afterward by Rev. Louis Daily, from Fond du Lac, to 1858; followed by Rev. J. Morris, who built the present church in 1862, and attended it as a mission from Fox Lake, to 1863. Next attended as a mission by Rev. J. Smith, from Fox Lake, to 1865. Then attended as a mission by Rev. W. Doherty, from Fox Lake, to 1867. Next came Rev. G. T. Willard, first resident Pastor. Father Willard remained until 1869 ; added twenty feet to the old church. Then came, as resident Pastor, Rev. M. Hanna, who left November, 1870. The present Pastor, Rev. J. Smith, has resided here for the last nine years, and built the tower and steeple, making the church 80x30. Father Smith has presented the church with a bell weighing 1,350 pounds. It is now a very nice, convenient church, with a fine pastoral residence, has two lots nicely ornamented with trees and shrubbery, and all paid for. Rev. Joseph Smith, Pastor, is also Catholic Chaplain to the State Penitentiary for the last nine years. The Church numbers fifty-three families.
First Congregational Church .- In July, 1845, a Church of ten members was organized in Waupun, by Rev. Stephen Peet. Of this Church Joel Norton was chosen Deacon, and Barnabas Hinkley, Clerk.
In September following its organization, the services of Rev. E. S. Peck were secured on alternate Sabbaths for one year. Services were held in the schoolhouse.
It would naturally be expected that those who differ only in their answer to the question whether one is more effectually rendered " clean every whit," by the symbolical application of . water to the whole surface of the body than to a part, while agreeing in their views of church government, and on all doctrinal points, as perfectly as do the Baptists and Congregationalists, would co-operate in efforts to advance a common cause ; and we accordingly find these two branches so drawn together that the bonds uniting Baptist and Congregationalist almost equal in strength those binding Baptist to Baptist. At times, Congregationalists have joined with Baptists in sustaining a Baptist preacher, and sometimes the reverse.
After the termination of Mr. Peck's labors, the services of Rev. Mr. Murphy, a Baptist clergyman, were secured.
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HISTORY OF DODGE COUNTY.
In 1850, the Congregational society took measures to secure the erection of a house of worship. A house costing about $1,000 was accordingly built, to which an addition has since been made, not increasing the perfection of its architectural proportions, but increasing its capacity and affording a place of meeting which to those who meet seems homelike.
The pulpit has been occupied for periods of five years or more each by Revs. Mr. Ashman, Mr. Williams and Mr. Darling. The services also of Revs. Mr. Bradford (two years), Mr. Blake (one year), Mr. Benson (two years), and specially of Mr. Marble (two years), will not soon be forgotten.
Believing that " prevention is better than cure ;" that it is better to keep out of the ditch than to wash off its filth ; to start the young in a virtuous course of life, than to reclaim them from a vicious course when fallen, the Congregational Church has given prominence to its Sabbath school. And although other organizations may, perhaps justly, boast of surpassing it in efforts to relieve distress, it is not admitted that it has been surpassed in efforts to prevent dis- tress. The successive Superintendents of the school have been C. C. Bagley, Josiah Drum- mond, L. B. Hills, Abijah Hubbard, Edwin Judd, Martin Short, Edwin Hilyer and John Bryce.
The number connected with the school at present is about one hundred and twenty-five, not differing very much from the number of members of the Church.
Methodist Episcopal Church .- As Methodism has always been progressive in its nature, and always among the first to plant the standard of Gospel liberty in new countries, there has been no exception to this rule in Waupun, but, to give its history, we must go back to the first settle- ment of the country, and trace its working, along down to the present time.
As early as the year 1844, a class was formed in what was then called the Upper Town, consisting of the family of the Rev. Silas Millar, Eunice Miller, Henry L. Hilyar, Malvina Hilyar, Ezekiel T. Miller and Weston Miller (now Dr. Miller), six persons in all. The Doctor says this band consisted of three officers and three privates ; his father was the local preacher, his brother the class-leader, and he the exhorter ; his mother, sister and sister's husband were the members.
During the same year, the Rev. Samuel Smith, an aged local preacher, and father of the Rev. Charles Smith, settled with his family in Waupun, and held religious services in private dwellings, whenever convenient. Father Smith and family soon identified themselves with the little class, and became efficient laborers in the Lord's vineyard. At the same time, the class was made stronger by the addition of Dr. Brooks Bowman and wife. Others were added during the year, including S. I. Mattoon and Mr. and Mrs. S. A. L. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. G. W. Sex- mith, and Mrs. F. F. Davis, the class' now numbering twenty-two members. A building had been erected by the contributions of the people in the village and the country adjacent, for the purpose of a chapel and a schoolhouse, in which regular services were held, both morning and evening, and the Lord poured out His Spirit upon the people abundantly. The eldest daugh- ter of Dr. Bowman, as the first trophy of grace, was converted. Other conversions followed, and in a short time the number increased to twenty ; among them were W. G. McElroy and wife, and several others who became leading and influential members of the Church in Waupun, many of whom have gone home to reap their reward in heaven ; but the Master has not left himself without others to take their places.
Thus the work went on for some years, growing in interest, as might have been expected under the able administration of such ministers as the Rev. J. S. Prescott, Rev. S. B. Tharp, Rev. William H. Thompson and Rev. William Shraff, until it became evident that schoolhouses and private dwellings would no longer accommodate the people.
During the winter of 1854, it was decided to build a church. A site was secured, the material was provided, and during the next summer, under the administration of the Rev. James Lawson, a building was erected and dedicated to the service of God. A revival soon fol- lowed, and the interest increased so that, in a short time, it was found necessary to add a num- ber of feet to the length of the building; in addition to the audience-room, it is furnished with two large classrooms.
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In the year 1858, a parsonage was erected on the lot, within a few feet of the church, and is now furnished with a number of articles that are needed to make a minister and his family com- fortable.
In 1877, the Annual Conference was held in this church, presided over by Bishop Peck. Its pulpit has always been supplied by some of the ablest talent in the Conference, such as the Rev. James Lawson, Rev. S. L. Brown, Rev. J. C. Robins, Rev. Nelson Green, Rev. S. W. Ford, Rev. J. M. Walker, Rev. Wesley Lattin, Rev. D. W. Couch, Rev. E. S. Grumley, Rev. J. T. Woodhead, Rev. J. H. Jenne, Rev. E. D. Farnham and Rev. A. P. Mead, the present able and efficient Pastor, who is laboring earnestly for the glory of the Master and the salvation of souls. The Church is out of debt, and peace and harmony reigns within.
Episcopal Church .-- Previous to the year 1867, there were no regular services of the Episcopal Church in Waupun, although the Rev. W. C. Armstrong, the Rector of Grace Church at Oakfield, paid several visits, and encouraged the few faithful members to keep together in faith and hope. In the year 1867, the Church was organized, under the name of Trinity Mission, and the Rev. U. Thorp, Deacon, commenced regular services on September 1. The first lay officers appointed by the Bishop, were Samuel Chamberlain, Warden; J. W. Seeley, Treasurer ; G. E. Jennings, Clerk. The year 1871 saw the resignation of the Rev. C. Thorp, and the appointment of the Rev. Robert B. Wolseley, on the 23d of June. Up to this time, the services were held in the Disciples' Church, and in halls rented for that purpose; but the faithful ones rallied under the active administration of their new missionary, and, on September 11, 1871, the Bishop laid the corner-stone of Trinity Church. One year from that date, the Rev. R. B. Wolseley accepted a call to a parish in Tennessee, when the congre- · gation nominated and the Bishop of the Diocese appointed the Rev. William E. Wright, Rector of Trinity, Berlin, Missionary in charge. At the date of writing, the Rev. Mr. Wright is still at the post, ably assisted by the following lay officers: Samuel Chamberlain, Senior Warden ; A. F. Morse, Junior Warden; R. W. Wells, Treasurer; D. A. Lowbee, Clerk. The Church numbered about eleven communicants in 1867, and, while losing by death and removal very many, has now, in 1880, upward of eighty. One hundred and seventy-six souls have been baptized; ninety-seven received the Apostolic rite of Confirmation; twenty-five couples have been united in the holy bonds of matrimony, and forty persons have been committed to the earth by the Ministers of the Church since its inception.
The First Baptist Church of Waupun .- This Church was organized September 16, 1845, with a membership of eleven persons. The first business meeting was held February 14, 1846, when Rev. J. Murphy was engaged as Pastor. In 1879, active measures were taken for obtain- ing the means to build a house of worship. A lot was secured on Main street, and $700 were subscribed. A. K. Starkweather and N. B. Cleveland were elected Deacons of the Church. On the 1st of May, 1879, Rev. W. Look was called to the pastorate, with a salary of $250. In the winter of 1851, as the result of revival efforts, thirty-five persons were added to the Church. In the spring of 1853, Rev. G. W. Freeman accepted a call to the pastorate. In May, of this year, the house was dedicated, it being the first church edifice erected in Waupun. Mr. Freeman's successor was Rev. John Williams, a man of sterling worth, who served the Church, as Pastor, for three years. In 1862, Rev. W. W. Ames, the Chaplain at the State Prison, accepted the pastorate of the Church, in connection with his chaplaincy-remaining for two years. His successor was Rev. H. S. Fish, who remained two years. Rev. J. O. M. Hewitt served the Church in a pastorate of four years. During this time long-needed improve- ments were made in the Church property, in which generous assistance was received from the citizens of the place. Rev. A. Whitman was the next Pastor, who also remained four years. Mrs. Whitman was an efficient helper to her husband in his pastoral labors, and a worker in every good cause. During Mr. Whitman's pastorate, the Church suffered an irreparable loss in the death of Deacon Starkweather, a man who possessed the esteem and confidence of the community in an unusual degree, adorning his Christian profession by a godly life and a well- ordered conversation. Rev. G. W. Lincoln remained with the Church less than two years, and
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was immediately followed by Rev. Victor Kutchin, the present Pastor. Mr. Kutchin has the esteem and confidence of the Church and community. His pastorate has been marked in an unusual degree by peace and harmony. He has lately received the appointment of Chaplain of the State Prison ; but he will still continue to serve the Church, as their Pastor. The present membership of the Church is one hundred. Value of church property, $5,000.
Disciple Church .- One of the first religious societies to obtain an organization in the growing village was the Christian or Disciple society, which was established in 1848. Its first Elder was Noah Wirt, whose untiring zeal and religious fervor was at first its chief support. It was not until 1863 that the society was sufficiently numerous or wealthy to attempt the build- ing of a house of worship. In that year, a commodious and substantial church building was erected, the society, at that time, numbering about nincty members, which has since been reduced, by various causes, to a membership of about forty. The society is entirely free from debt.
Free- Will Baptist Church .- The Free-Will Baptists had a church organization in Waupun as early as 1852, and erected their present building alout the year 1855, in " Upper Town," on the Fond du Lac County side. Its cost was about $5,000. In 1868, the structure was moved to its present site, corner of Prison and Madison streets, and a comfortable parsonage, near by, purchased. The first Pastor was Rev. Charles Smith, and the last, Rev. A. G. Brand. At present, the society is without a permanent Pastor.
WAUPUN A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO.
"Our village," says a writer of 1857, "like other Western settlements, is made up of all kinds of materials, and its society is exceedingly miscellaneous. We have the inquisitive Yankee, pushing forward his new inventions; the industrious Pennsylvanian, amassing wealth by the aid of his iron sinews ; the shrewd Irishman, digging out trenches and looking as cheer- ful as the blue smoke that curls up from his woodland cabin ; the deliberate Englishman, boast- ing the superiority of his country and its laws; the canny Scotchman, making his few acres blossom like the rose ; and the ruddy-looking German, singing his songs of 'Faderland' and hoarding up every little ' shiner' that gets between his fingers. Each has brought along with him his early habits and associations ; his own views of business, laws and religion ; and, as a natural consequence, when brought together on public questions, they are apt to boil up like a mixture of salt and soda.
" There are, in Waupun, no church steeples with bells in, that tolled our great-grandfathers to the tomb ; no long lines of graves, in which are buried the virtues of those ancestors only known from tradition ; there is no gray-headed Pastor, rising up like a sacred statue in the memory ; no aged deacon, with his head resting on the side of the pew and enjoying a brief sleep as he listens to the sermon ; no old sexton, limping away to the burying-ground with his spade upon his shoulder for the purpose of making an unceremonious rattle. among the dry bones. No; Waupun has scarcely any past upon which the historian can dwell. Nature's mighty cathedral still stands, with its lofty dome of sun, moon and stars ; but its oaken pillars are overgrown with the moss of centuries. The great High Priests that worshiped at the altars and burnt incense to the Great Spirit-where are they ? The temple still stands, but the wor- shipers are gone. Here and there, we meet with melancholy fragments of some tribe that has wandered back from its place of exile; but the mass are buried in yonder mounds, with their weapons of war, crumbling to dust, and their history has died with them. -
" Waupun is the center of new associations. It borrows no propelling power from vener- ated antiquarianism, since the spot where it stands was but yesterday wrapt in solitary grandeur. Some Western settlements are filled up with bankrupts who have fled from Eastern creditors, anxious only to obtain peace of mind and bread enough to eat; they are decayed and tempest- tossed vessels, stripped of spars and rigging. Waupun, however, may claim a large exemption from these. Its first settlers were iron-souled and true-hearted men. They came to the banks of the west branch of Rock River determined to cut their way through the wilderness and make
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unto themselves pleasant homes-and they succeeded. They had a mission, and they nobly per- formed it. They did their work roughly, yet they did it for all time. There is a sort of romance in their history that fascinates ; there is a kind of rustic simplicity connected with them that is truly poetic. Behind them were the homes they had left, the waterfalls that danced to their childish music, and the hills that echoed back their playful shouts. Before them was the wilder- ness, dark and gloomy, standing in all its solemnity.
"Look at the little village now," continues the writer, "and see what a contrast it presents. It is set off with beautiful dwellings, cultivated gardens and shaded streets. True to the pro- gressive spirit of the age, its people have devoted themselves to the decoration of their homes. There are five dry-gcods stores, fifteen grocery stores, three clothing stores, four hotels, three drug stores, five physicians, two lawyers, two hardware and tinning establishments, two grist- mills, one planing-mill, one pump-factory, two printing houses, three wagon-shops, several lum- ber merchants, cabinet-makers, stonemasons and painters. There are two banks -- the Waupun and Exchange-two schoolhouses and four churches. A few years ago, produce had to be drawn to Milwaukee, a distance of seventy-five miles, and disposed of for a trifle as compared with present prices. Now the Milwaukee & Horicon Railroad runs through the village. It is already completed to Berlin, a distance of forty-two miles, where it connects with the navigation of the Fox and Wolf Rivers. It is soon to extend to Stevens Point, on the Wisconsin. It was opened to Waupun on the 15th of February, 1856, to Brandon on the 15th of October, and to Ripon November 15 of the same year.
" Up to the 1st of January, 1857, the passengers going east were over 13,000 ; going west, over 14,000. The freight east was over 11,000 tons ; west, over 14,000 tons. There is in Waupun a depot building, a water-station and a turn-table. The wheat shipped from Waupun from February 18, 1856, to January 1, 1857, was 275,692 bushels."
SECRET SOCIETIES.
I. O. of G. T .- The first Lodge of this Order in Waupun, was instituted September 25, 1858, and was named Waupun Lodge. The first meeting was held at the residence of William Enen, and was called to order by G. W. C. T. Dr. T. J. Patchen, of Fond du Lac. Mr. P. B. Moore, of Brandon Lodge, No. 81, was chosen Recording Secretary pro tem. The following charter members were then instructed in the work of the Order : William Enen, Mrs. C. M. Enen, Miss M. A. Baldwin, Mr. J. H. Barker, Mr. C. H. Whitney, Mr. G. G. B. McGraw, Mr. E. Y. Ridout, Mr. S. Griffith, Rev. R. W. Bryant, William Ware and Eli Hooker.
The Lodge then proceeded to the election of the following officers for the quarter ending October 31, 1858: W. C. T., William Euen ; W. V. T., Caroline M. Euen; W. R. S., Charles H. Whitney ; Assistant W. R. S., Susan Moore ; W. F. S., John H. Barker ; W. Treas., Melissa A. Baldwin ; W. Marshal, Byron McGraw ; Dept. Marshal, Edith Bunce; W. I. G., Ezra T. Ridout; W. O. G., Seth Griffith ; W. Chap., Rev. R. W. Bryant; R. H. S., Mary A. Jarvis ; L. H. S. Ellen M. Grandy ; P. W. C. T., B. B. Baldwin.
After the election of officers, the Lodge adjourned to meet Monday evening, September 27, at the Odd Fellows' Hall, Main street, just west from the railroad. November 1, the name of the Lodge was changed to Prison City, No. 96. February 1, 1859, some difficulty having occurred, a portion of the membership withdrew, and with the consent of the Lodge, formed a new one, Welcome Lodge, No. 112. During the following summer, both Lodges were very prosperous, working harmoniously together. The membership of the two societies was about three hundred, Prison City having a majority.
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