Effingham County, Illinois - Chapter with an unread heading (no. 11 of those read), 1883

CITY OF EFFINGHAM - THE OLD TOWN OF BROUGHTON - LAYING OUT OF THE NEW CITY - ITS BOUNDARIES AND ADDITIONS - FIRST HOUSES, STORES AND POST OFFICE.S - HOTELS, MANUFACTORIES, ETC. - THE FIRE DEPARTMENT-CITY ORGANIZATION AND OFFICIALS - RAILROADS AND THE PRESS - LITERARY SOCIETIES, ETC., ETC.

THE city of Effingham, the capital Effingham County, and the metropolis of a fine and flourishing region of country, is beautifully situated on high rolling land at the crossing of the Chicago Branch of the Illinois Central Railroad and the Vandalia line, and at the termini of the Wabash and the Effingham & Southeastern Narrow Gauge roads. The original town was called "Broughton," and was named for Mr. Brough, an " Ohio man," afterward Governor of that commonwealth of statesmen, and who figiu-ed in the first edition of the Vandalia Railroad - a matter still familiar to many of our readers.

Broughton was surveyed and laid out by George Wright, County Surveyor, and the plat recorded May 16, 1853, for David B. Alexander and Samuel W. Little, proprietors. The following was the original survey: "Beginning at the southwest corner of the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Sec- thence north 7 degrees west 1.037 J feot to a stone; thence east at one-eight angle 1,105J feet to a stone; thence soubh 7 degrees east l,037i feet to a stone; thence west 1,105 J feet to the southwest corner of said plat." The streets were sixty-six feet in width, except around the square, which was laid oif ninetynine feet, and Railroad and Section streets were fifty feet. The alleys were all sixteen and one-half feet in width.

The Times, speaking recently of the early history of Broughton, has the following : " In connection with Mr. D. B. Alexander, Mr. Little came to this place in 1853 and supposing tUis would be the crossing of the Illinois Central and the old Brough road, purchased 260 acres of land, 180, at $10 petacre, and 80 at $25, and laid the foundation of our present city by laying out Broughton. The Central was only in course of construction, and had not yet reached this far sou.th, and when the Brough road collapsed, Messrs.

Alexander and Little acknowledged the failure of their investment by abandoning Broughton and going to Kentncky. Before they left, however, they had contracted with George Wright for three buildings, for $1,- 300, two residences and one storeroom, and as a consequence of this contract the th'st three buildings in our city were erected. One occupied the lots now occupied by Funkhoaser's magnificent brick, the storeroom on the northwest corner of the public square which afterward perished in the conflagration that swept the block away, the remaining residence being the house now occupied by Mr. Russell. The Central was completed to this place in 1855-56, and, seeing that the point was a good one, in 1856, Mi-. Little, in company with Mr. Alexander, returned to Broughton and took up his residence. With the exception of a short residence in Virginia, in 1867-68, Mr. Little resided here continuously until 1871, when he removed to Lincoln, Neb., and during that long residence no one was more identified than he with the growth and prosperity of our city. And as a I'ecompense for this public spirit he has, in addition to the consciousness of having performed a jjublic duty, a handsome fortune to sustain him in his declining years."

An addition was made to the town of Broughton by Alexander & Little July 1, 1858, of a part of the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 21, and platted by R. A. Howard, County Surveyor. After this the identity of Broughton seems to be lost, as we find no further reference to it in the records. Effingham having been laid out some years prior to this addition to Broughton, the latter was finally merged into Effingham, and the name of Broughton dropped.

The original plat of Effingham was made by James M. Healey, l)eputy County Surveyor, for Andrew J. Galloway, proprietor, September 12, 1855, and comprised the northeast qiiarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, of Douglas Township. Of the commencement of Effingham, or Broughton, Mr. Hoeny fiu'nishes us the following, in addition to the extract already made f r )m the Times: In the spring of 1854, the first three hoiises in the town of Broughton were built by Alexander & Little, being two residences and one store. In the summer of the same year, George Scoles built the first residence that was put up by an actual settler. Shortly after this, Mr. Hoeny built a small dwelling for himself, on the lot now occupied by his present brick residence, which was the second house built in the place by an actual settler. Following the building of Hoeny' e house, several rude frame structures were built in rapid succession, on the north side of the square, and one rather respectable and substantial two-story frame building was put up by George Schmidt, on the lot now occupied by Mr. Reget's store. All of these lastnamed buildings, in the summer of 1863, were biu'ued to the ground. This was the starting point - the beginning from which the city of Effingham has grown to its present proportions.

Since the laying-out of Effingham, a number of additions have been made to the original town, thus extending its corporate limits and giving it a foundation upon which 10,- 000 people may stand, and havo^ plenty of room without " scrouging" each other. Some of the additions made to the town are as follows: "Central Effingham" Addition, made July 22. 1858, by Alexander & Little, of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 20 of this township; the " Western Addition" to Effingham, by Alesander & Little, made June 6, 1859, of a part of the south half of the southeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 20, by C. F. Jones and James W. Berry, of the north half of the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 29, and by George H. Scoles, proprietor of the east part of the southeast quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 20, of this township; the " Railroad Addition" to Effingham, by J. P. M. Howard and William B. Cooper, August 29, 1859, surveyed by C. A. Van Allen, Deputy County Surveyor; " Gillenwater's Addition," made by Alexander & Little, October 24, 1859, of a part of the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 28; Addition A to "Western Addition, by C.

F. Jones and J. W. Berry, of a part of the west half of the northeast quarter of Section 29, made May 19, 1866; McCoy & Arnold's Addition of four and three-fourths acres, in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, platted March 17, 1868; Alexander & Little's "New Addition" to Effingham, adjoining Central Effingham, and platted by Van Allen May 21, 1868; Addition B to Western Addition, made April 7, 1870, comprising a part of the southeast of the northwest quarter of Section 29; Addition C to Western Additionof a part of the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 29, by Joseph Buessing, proprietor, April 14, 1870; Addition C to the city of Effingham, by C. F. Jones and J. W. Berry, proprietors of a part of the west half of the west part of the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 29, and surveyed by Calvin Mitchell June 10, 1870; M. V. Parks' Addition to Effingham, of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 20 and a part of the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, platted November 9, 1871; Summit Addition to Effingham, Henry the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, platted April 11, 1875; Farr's Central Addition to the city of Effingham, of the northeast quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 21, and platted August 9, 1875. On the 10th of June, 1879, Blocks 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, of this addition, were formerly vacated, by Benson Wood, the owner of the same. If our readers desire further information on the subject of the origin, laying out and additions of their town, they are respectively referred to the records. We have given sufficient to satisfy us, and for our purpose, and will now switch off on other matters.

The first buildings in Effingham have already been noted - their location and by whom erected. In the fall of 1854, William Dorsey, from Princeton, Ind., opened the first store. It comprised a general assortment of dry goods an.l groceries, and was kept in the storehouse built by Alexander & Little, situated on the northwest corner of the square, where Hodebeke's brick residence now stands. Prior to the opening of the store by Dorsey, John Hoeny, then a teacher at Teutopolis, moved to Broughton, and was employed as a salesman and clerk in the establishment, and until he built a residence of his own, he occupied one of the residences- built by Alexander & Little, standing on the site of Funkhouser's " Trade Palace." As the town grew rapidly, other stores were established to satisfy the increasing wants of the people, and shops of different kinds were opened.

The post office, before the appointment of a regular Postmaster, was a kind of an " accommodation " concern, called Wehunka. It was on the petition of the first settlers - Scoles, Dorsey and Hoeny - that the Indian name Wehunka was chanofed to Effingham. A petition, signed by twelve names, was for- warded to Washington, recommending John Hoeny for Postmaster, upon which he was duly commissioned the first Postmaster of Effingham. Mr. Hoeny's official duties were not extremely heavy, and had postal cards been fashionable then, he could have found plenty of time for reading all passing through his office. The mail was semi-weekly, and Mr. Hoeny says he usually sent and received some half dozen letters each mail. Friend Scott, the present obliging Postmaster of Effingham, and his gentlemanly First Assistant, can discount that a thousand (more or less) to one. Our poet-laureate does it up in verse, thus:

Mr. Hoeny continued as Postmaster until he removed to Waterloo, in Monroe County, when he turned over the office and its " emoluments " to George Scoles, his successor. The office has grown and increased wonderfully in these years, and from the one semiweekly mail of twenty-five years ago, there are now some eight or ten mails received daily, and the number ef letters, papers and periodicals passing through it would astonish some of our pioneer fathers. No better proof is required than this of our growth and development and our advancement in civilization and refinement.

There are few cities of the size of Effingham on the face of the globe probably as well siipplied as she with hotels. A stranger would almost conclude that the entire population - men, women and children - take their meals at the different hotels and eatinghouses. It is claimed by many, though by way of burlesque, perhaps, that Effingham has more fir.st-class hotels than Chicago. Be this as it may. there are a great many - " more than any man can number " - and vary, doubtless, in quality as much as in outside appearances. The first tavern or public house - or, more properly speaking, boardinghouse - was kept by John Hoeny. Scoles also kept a similar establishment in a house which stood where Ledrick now lives. John Woods and Holdzcolm also kept boardinghouses.

The fu-st regular hotel was the Central House, which stood west of the Illinois Central Railroad, and was kept by Dr. Bishop, about 1855-56. He ran it about three months and then sold it to John Woods. Samuel Fleming afterward took possession, and kept it for a number of year.s. His widow is the present owner of the Fleming House, one of the best hotels in the city. Other hotels now flourishing are the " Pacific," "Western," "St. Louis," "Cincinnati," " California," " Buckeye " and a number more of lesser caliber, and too tedious to mention.

The first practicing physician in Effingham was Dr. George Scoles, a very talented man. He commenced practice about 1856 to 1858, and continued for many years. Dr. Farley was also an early jshysician, perhaps the next to Scoles. The medical brethren of the city at this time are as follows: John Le Crone, J. B. Walker (no relation to Dr. Mary), W. L. and F. W. Goodell, W. H. Davis, J. N. Groves, L. W. Smith, L. J. Schifferstein and G. S. Sehuricht. In conclusion of this brief notice of the medical fraternity, we give a few lines regarding the shooting and somewhat remarkable recoveiy of George Holliday. Be was a barber in Effingham and well known, and was shot early in the year 1882, with a 32-calibre cartridge pistol. He was attended by Dr. Frank Goodell, who worked with him faithfully, notwithstanding other physicians pronounced his case hopeless and his wound mortal, and, after six months of patient and faithful care and attendance, dismissed him, on the 3d of July, 1882, as ciU'eJ. No one believed it possible for Holliday to recover, not even the physicians, and for hours after the wound was inflicted, many pronounced him dead, but amid all discouragements, Dr. Goodell persevered, and now enjoys the satisfaction of knowing that his efforts were crowned with success. The case of Holliday was pronounced by competent judges more dangerous than that of President Garfield.

The banking business is represented in Effingham by two good solid banks. The first institution of this kind was started in the city in 1866, by Craddock & Habing, in the Little building. Two years later, it was moved to the Eepley building. The business Was continued by these gentlemen until 1873, when the firm dissolved, Craddock retiring. Habing continued until 1876, when he ceased business. The Effingham Bank was established in 1879 by F. A. Von Gassy, who is sole owner of the institution, F. H. Euers, Cashier. Eversman, Wood & Engbring organized a bank September 1, 1881, with a capital of $25,000, H. Eversman, Cashier; William Engbring, Assistant Cashier. Preparations are now being made for the erection of a new bank building These two establishments afford ample banking facilities to the city and surrounding country.

Effingham has never been an extensive manufacturing town. The largest thing of the kind ever in the place is the Division shops of the Vandalia Railroad, which are located here. They employ a great number of men, whose wages are mostly spent in town, thus affording quite a little item of inconae.

the building of these. Swingle & Little had a saw-mill, which they started about 1857, and ran for two years. A grist-mill was added then by Mette & Little. In 1860, a mill was built opposite of where the Pacific House stands, and, after running for some nine years, was moved from the city. ,

The City Mills were built in 1869 by Christan Alt & Co., and cost about .$10,000, now owned by John Alt & Co. The building is two and a half stories high, containing three run of buhrs, also rollers, and has a capacity of about three barrels per hour. It has been recently improved and refitted, and is now worth about §12,000. The Excelsior Mills were also built in 1869, in a two and a half story bnilding, and when the repairs now being made are completed, they will be worth near $18,000. Gammon, Riekelman & Co. are the proprietors.

A woolen factory was built in 1863 by M. V. & George Parks, which did quite an extensive business until 1880, when it was burned. A brewery was erected in the north - ern part of the city by Freepartner, and ran some ten years, when it also was burned. A brewery was built in the eastern part of the city in lb60 by Valentine Jakle. It was a large brick building, and cost about $6, 000, and it was run some fifteen years, but is now standing idle.

The city has at different times been visited by rather destructive fires. The severest, perhaps, occurred in 1863, and broke out in the cabinet shop of H. A; Rebels, on the north side of the square. From the shop the fire spread to a saloon, which was quickly consumed, the contents not having yet been sufficiently watered to prevent being combustible. Sjieck's dwelling and shoe shop, two-story dwelling of Henry Dutton, George H. Smith's dwelling and grocery store, were among some of the buildings de- stroyed. Several other fires have occurred, but none quite so destructive as this. The city enjoys the reputation of having an excellent fire department and of being well organized. It was established in 1865, some two years after the tire above alluded to. An engine, the " Old Vigo," was purchased at Terre Haute in 1867, at a cost of §1,350, and has since been refitted. An engine-house was built in 1876, on land donated the city by the Illinois Central Railroad. The first stej) toward a fire department was ihe oganization of a hook and ladder company of thirty-seven members, of which J. J. Funkhouser was Captain; George Parks, First Lieutenant; H. J. Lacy, Second Lieutenant, and Gilbert Bushor, Chief Engineer. The department now consists of a hook and ladder company and Deluge Fire Company, Albert Gravenhorst, Chief Engineer; Jacob Schneider, Foreman of Deluge Company, and Charles Schmidt, Foreman of hook and ladder company.

The village of Effingham was incorporated under the law governing such matters, but as the record book of the proceedings has been lost, nothing definite can be given in regard to this period of its local government, It was incorporated as a city in 1867, and the first Mayor elected was B. F. Kagay; E. H. Bishop, first Clerk; first Aldermen, "Wesley Spitler, R. E. Moore, W. H. St. Clair and Fred Mindrup. Henry Eversman was the second Mayor, and served from 1867 to 1869; Thomas A. Brown for 1870; C. F. Lilly for 1871; John LeCrone, 1872 to 1874; H. G. Habing, 1874 to 1876; John LeCrone (again) for 1877; J. N. Gwin, 1877 to 1879; John Hoeny, 1879 to 1881, and Benson Wood, 1881 and 1882, the present incumbent. Additional to the Mayor, the present city government is composed of the following: John C. Eversman, City Clerk; John J. Loar, Treasurer; Aldermen in First Ward, John Morhinners and Conrad Boos; Aldermen in Second Wai-d, J. H. I. Lacy and George M LeCrone; Aldermen in Third Ward, Charles Beulor and Thomas Powell. B. F. Kagay, Police Magistrate, and J. C. White, City Attorney.

Effingham is quite a railroad center, as well as a hotel town. It has the benefit of foiu- railroads, with trains, almost hoiu'ly, to all points of the compass. A man can go from Effingham to any place - except the moon - by rail. As the roads have been so fully written in preceding chapters by Mr. Bradsby, nothing more can be said, without recapitulation.

The press also receives full justice in another chapter, on the county at large, and, like the railroads, nothing remains to be said in this connection.

Effingham takes a literary fit semi-periodically, and indulges the most intense interest and gets excited in the highest degree over such matters. But as it becomes older, the disciples of literature grow somewhat lukewarm and finally dormant, until another fit comes on. These fits and spells have been represented by the " Lyceum, " the " Forum " and the " N. L." societie.s, which have sprung up at times in the history of the city, swept over the scene like untamed meteors, flashed, darted and fizzled - then went out in darkness. The first of these literary feasts was inaugurated in 1877, the prime movers in the affair being John C. White and H. C. Bradsby. They determined to make the greatest efforts of their lives, and called a meeting of a few of their friends, viz., S. F. Gilmore, H. B. Kepley, Miss Emma Cooper, Virgil W^ood, George M. LeCi'one and a few others. White bossed the organization, with Bradsby as a "looker on in Venice. " He (White) wrote the constitution and the bylaws, put the thing on its feet, named it the " Lyceum," and if there had been anything else to do, he would have done it. Bradsby was elected the first President, and served one year. White, Miss Emma Cooper and G. M. LeCrone comprised the Programme committee - the most important and responsible place in the society, in fact; its success or failure depended on this committee. Prom the very first meeting it was a complete success. They met in the Baptist Church every two weeks, and on each night crowds were turned away from the door for the want of room. During the first winter, the winter of its most successful existence - for, like all other organizations, it had its time to die, Mr^. A.nn Eliza Young, nineteenth wife of Brigham Young, Gov. William Cumback, of Indiana, and George R. Wendling, lectured before the society. Brilliant success attended, and the society more than paid expenses on each lecture.

The entertainments and performances of the society were very popular, and the people of the city - men, women and school children contributed - and the variety of music, recitations, readings, papers upon various subjects and discussions were highly intei'esting. For the first time, perhaps, in the history of the city, the people were united, and little jealousies and bickerings and such things as 80 often kill oif similar efforts in other cities, and had often done so in this, were unheard. The flattering success and prosperity of the first year gave evidence of permanency and of the good the society would accomplish. Owen Scott was elected the second President, afterward Prof. Page, then Prof. Mann, and lastly, Mrs. H. C. Painter. Its first year was its best, for, like all new things, it flourished until the novelty wore off, when, to some extent, it waned in prosperity.

the Forum. Chief among the pillars of this new institution were White, Buckner, Bailey, Dr. Thompson, Charles Kelly, John Webb, Virgil Wood, Caldwell, the Drs. Goodell and a few other kindred spirits. A short time after it got under way, they roped in Bradsby, and in his introduction to the society, some of the members, especially Buckner, Bailey and W^ebb, had oceans of fun at his expense, and thus paid off old scores with interest. The society developed into an old fashioned debating club, but it was mostly a kind of running fight on parliamentary questions. John C. White was the first President, then Bailey, Webb and Buckner in succession, and in this exalted position they probably got angrier at Bradsby and White than they ever will at their future unfortunate mothers-in-law. Yet they somehow managed to learn more about parliamentary law than they had ever dreamed or imagined there existed. Bradsby says the Forum was a mighty success, even if it did make Buckner and Bailey eat nails and fire coals all winter.

Last winter (1881), the literary fever came on again, and Bradsby, aided by G. M. Le Crone, Caldwell, the Drs. Goodell, Virgil Wood, in short, all the old Forumers, Organized the " N. L." society, the greatest, j^erhaps, of all its predecessors. It was a purely literary club. The President was autocrat and Programme Committee in one. Bradsby, Wood and Caldwell drew up the constitution and by-laws. The performances at each meeting consisted of a paper read by some member designated by the President. A discussion of the paper then followed, each man to discuss that phase of it which suited him best. At the first meeting, Bradsby had been designated to read a paper on " Who is the greatest living man ? " In answer to this huge conundrum, he chose for his subject

The pith of the joke was that half of the people in town thought it was " Uncle Billy" Green, the di-ayman, that Brad meant But when he read his paper, and said all that he could say in behalf of Seth Green, the noted father of fish culture, all who heard him were more astonished than was ever Byron when he awoke to his fame. They all had to agree with Brabsby that to develop this immense thing of filling all the waters that are now the waste places of three- foui-ths of the globe with good, cheap, nutritious food was a project full of promise to cheapen food, reduce the hours of labor, lift all mankind up and do more for the cause of civilization than all else since recorded time.

Bradsby, in the conclusion of his paper, referred to the fact that each individual, if asked the question as to who the greatest man was, would naturally think of his kind - the plug ugly, of the prize fighter; the son of Mammon, of Vanderbilt, Rothschild or Gould; the fledgling politician, of Jim Blaine or Conkling, and the young Esculapius of Dr. Gross, etc., etc. Soon after the reading of the paper was finished. Dr. Frank Goodell came in. He soon had a finger in the pie, and, true to the prediction ventured by the sage author of the ponderous paper.

he was oq his feet proclaiming the veritable Dr. Gross, the truest, only, ownest, greatest of all the great moguls of the land. Audible grins were perceptible in all parts of the room, and the re-reading of that portion of the paper (which Goodell had not before heard) produced great fun and efi"ectually squelched the Doctor, for that time at least.

The society flourished immensely under the fostering care of Gwin, Caldwell and others. One of the most interesting and highly entertaining meetings perhaps held while the society existed, was when the subject of female suffrage was the theme of the evening. The speeches delivered upon the occasion, particularly by Caldwell, who " spake as never man spake, " on female suffrage at least, are deserving of perpetual record. Mr. Caldwell advanced arguments upon that rather vexed problem, new, perhaps, to most of his hearers. Our space, however, will not allow us to follow the pro ceedings of this society further, and the reader is referred to the book of the records.

Several efforts have been made to establish a library in Eflingham, but a few patent ofl5ce reports and Legislative proceedings have been about as far as the matter has ever gone, and prove the extent of the collection of literature for the public use of the city.