Cass County, Illinois - Chapter 26: Ashland Precinct, 1915

Chapter 26: Ashland Precinct

SITUATION - TOWN OF LANCASTER LAID OUT IN 1837 BY JOHN DUTCH - THE HALFWAY HOUSE - EARLY REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS - WHOLE DUTCH PLAT VACATED IN 1S843 - PRECINCT CALLED LANCASTER UNTIL 187G - PETERSBURG & TONICA RAILROAD - TOWN OF ASHLAND LAID OUT - NAMED FOR HENRY CLAY'S KENTUCKY HOME - NEW RAILROAD BROUGHT PROSPERITY - BOUNDARIES - TOWN INCORPORATED - VILLAGE CHARTER GRANTED IN 1869 - FIRST VILLAGE OFFICERS - BALTIMORE & OHIO SOUTHWESTERN RAILROAD - VILLAGE INCORPORATED IN JUNE, 1897 - BY POPULATION ENTITLED TO ORGANIZE AS A CITY - ARISES FROM FIRE RUINS - RAPID STRIDES FORWARD - UNSURPASSED TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES.

Situation

Ashland Precinct occupies the southeast corner of the county, and is wholly within the prairie district of the county. It was formerly included in the old Lancaster Precinct, wherein was the town of Lancaster, laid out by John Dutch, in May, 1887. He built there the tavern known as the "Halfway House," as it was about half way between Beardstown and Springfield. Dutch sold half of his town to Erastus W. Palmer, who, in a year, sold one of the lots for a dollar and turned the rest back to Mr. Dutch and disappeared. Some say the entire plat of land or lots was conveyed to Palmer for $400. However as that may be, he received the full value of the one lot for business or town purposes. The plat covered the greater portion of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 25, township 17, range 9, west. Mr. Dutch built a few other houses, besides his own residence, in which he kept the tavern, but there was so little to attract anyone to that bleak spot in the open prairie that the place Was soon abandoned, so far as any attempt to make a town of it was concerned. In 1843 the plat was vacated. The precinct bore the name of Lancaster, however, until 1876. The Duling house on the north side of the public highway near the flag station Guerney, is on the site of the old Halfway House. It is said that John Dutch went back to the east from which he had emigrated after having been a sea captain, and there took up a collection to build a church. He really did build a church at Lancaster. but it was later moved away and used as a barn.

Ashland Village Named

The village of Ashland is the youngest born of all the towns and villages in Cass County. In 1857 the Petersburg and Tonica Railroad was survered through that part of Cass County, and the same year a land company composed of James L. Beggs, Elmore Crow, William G. Spears, Richard Yates, the famous war governor, and others, laid out the town of Ashland upon lands owned by Beggs and Crowe. As they were all Whigs and worshipped in greater or less degree the idol of that party, Henry Clay. who had a home in Kentueky which he called Ashland, these promoters gave their new town the name of Ashland in honor of the great compromiser. Ashland proved a suecess to an extent that surpassed the best wishes of its friends. It did not suffer the fate of some of the other early towns. The railroad actually was built as proposed, and lots were soon disposed of in great numbers; people came to it for permanent settlement. They could get to Jacksonville, or Bloomington, and even to Chicago by the new railroad, and it was also on the state road or public highway to Springfield, with a first class stage line running every day.

The boundaries of the village as given on the plat are as follows: Commencing at a point one-fourth of a mile due west of the southeast corner of section 29, township 17, range 8, west, in the county of Cass, running thence due north one-half mile, thence due east one mile, thence due south one mile, thence due west one wile, thence due north one-half mile to the point of starting. It contained 144 blocks besides the public squares and commons. There was but one house on the lands platted, it being the residence of Mr. Crowe, who was a farmer and had a splendid crop of corn that year. The house is still standing and it is used as a residence. although for many years it was the Douglas Tavern, or boarding house. About forty buildings were erected in the town the first year, and the sale of lots amounted to over $100,000. W. R. Hunter became the first merchant and built a store on Main street. About the same time William Goble and Alexander Mansfield opened a store, but after a few years became embarrassed and retired in favor of the sheriff, who kindly disposed of their stock of goods. Crowe, Beggs and Spears, three of the original town proprietors, built the Brick Hotel which is still used for hotel purposes. Blacksmith and Wagon and repair shops were built soon after the organization of the town. Schools and churches were organized, as previously related in separate chapter:, and the village continued to grow. It only had one general store, howeyer, from 1863 to 1865. A post office had been established, and Mr. Hunter, the merchant, was appointed postinaster.

By 1869 the place had reached such a stage of population and business that the people thought best to have it incorporated. On January 18 of that year a meeting was called and a vote taken on the question of incorporation, which resulted in thirty-five votes for and four against. Pursuant thereto application was made and on April 19, 1869, a village charter was granted from the state. The first village officers were Stephen Barnes, president; W. R. Hunter, clerk; J. G. Smith, police magistrate, and James L. Beggs, A. L. Corson and J. G. Smith, trustees.

In 1871. the railroad which is now tbe Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern, was built from Beardstown to Springfield through Ashland, and this gave the village additional opportunity for progress. In the meantime the new state constitution had taken effect, and the legislature had, pursuant to its authority, provided for general incorporation of cities and villages. No provision was made for incorporating towns, so there are no towns in the state under the gen- eral law. Ashland soon saw the advantages of being under the general law, and on December 28, 1872, took a vote upon the proposition whether it should incorporate under the new law, or not. The result of the vote was forty for the proposition, and fourteen against, and the village was incorporated as of that date, but did not see fit to have its charter granted. The legislature by an amended act in 1895, authorized the secretary of state to issue certificates of incorporation upon the filing of transcripts of organization proceedings, and a certificate was issued to Ashland, June 1, 1897. By the census of 1880 Ashland had a population of only 609. It now has over 1,200, and is entitled to organize as a city any time it sees fit to do so.

Arises From Fire Ruins

In 1877 a fire visited the village and swept away the larger portion of the business houses, the common fate sooner or later of all cities and Villages that do not have an adequate water supply and fire protection. Ashland, like all other places where there are courageous citizens, soon had buildings of a better character above the ashes of the old ones.

Ashland has made rapid strides in a business way and now has four churches, two banks, graded and high schools, one weekly newspaper, three dry goods stores, two drug stores, four groceries, two furniture stores, one hardware store. three grain elevators, three barber shops, two harness shops, two butcher shops, three restaurants, two hotels, two millinery stores, one book and stationery store, one lumber yard, a telephone exchange, one undertaker, several notaries public, one livery and feed barn, one garage, four physicians, and one dentist. It has Odd Fellow, Masonic and Woodmen lodges, while its private residences are away above the average of village and small city property. The village is but twelve miles from Virginia. the county seat, twenty-one wiles from Springfield, the state capital, and sixteen miles from Jacksonville, and 200 miles from Chicago, and whenever the people desire to visit any of these places, they find excellent accommodations at the Union depot in the northeast corner of the village, where twelve passenger trains stop daily.