Jefferson County, Illinois - Chapter 8, 1909

Chapter 8

Still More about Mount Vernon and Better - It's Growth and Development as it Grows Older - Its Business Men - Its Prosperity - Its Present and Future.

Haste not! Rest not! Calmly wait; Meekly bear the storms of fate! Duty be thy polar guide - Do the right, whate'er betide! Haste not! Rest not! Conflicts past, God shall crown the work at last.

Aside from the old Goshen road, there were no roads except bridle paths. No road touched Mount Vernon for a couple of year after it was laid off. The new road from Crenshaw's went to Isaac Casey's on Beal's Hill, but roads soon came and have constantly increased since. Doctor Johnson says the first religious organization in Mount Vernon was at the log court-house, in 1 820, by Jacob Norton, Joseph Jordan, Oliver Morris, and Overton Harlow, and they were Baptists. And not long after a log church was raised near the creek, but it was not much used and the meetings were moved to William Hicks, two miles west of town. But the church at the creek was still used occasionally until Newby bought and converted it into a blacksmith shop, and there George Starner and Jefferson Stephenson, afterwards County Judge of Washington county, hammered iron for many years. The Baptist church was built north of the Fairfield road, where the trail used to run north of the Franklin school. It, too, was near the creek, supposedly because there was much need of water there. Afterwards another house was built which would now be inside the old fair grounds, if standing. Mount Vernon continued to build up. George Pace sold the lot where Strattan's hardware store stands, to John Van Cleve, and moved to Salem in 1836; W. W. Pace built a cabin where the Ham bank stands ; Ed Ridgway built a high-roofed house where Wise is, and S. G. Hicks sold goods in it for a while and then built where Buckham is. Later Hicks built near where the Methodist church stands. Ben Miller bought it and moved it to his lot, where the Summers house stands. S. H. Anderson used to live in a cabin about where Doctor Green's office is, until he traded what was the Green farm to Ed Ridgway for a farm in Elk Prairie, and moved to it. John Bostwick kept a rough house - a doggery, socalled, on the Fergeron lot until one night it fell down and scattered itself all over the street, and then John went to the new town of Rome, and started a grocery there, after he had hired Asa Watson to build the first house in Rome.

In 1 830, Doctor Adams built a house where Grant's store now is. He sold it to H. T. Pace, for twenty dollars, he to Burchett Maxey for twenty-five dollars; he to Oliver Morris for thirty-five dollars. Baugh built a store on the north side, and a two-story frame a little east of it, but sold them and rented Van Cleve's house. Doctor Allen came and bought the Baugh place, and put a glass front in it - known as the old glass house. Noah Johnston and Bullock merchandised on where the Mammoth now stands. Green Daniels built on the corner of Ninth and Jordan streets, and lived there; Samuel Goodrich afterwards lived there. Green Daniels built a cabin northeast of the court-house. Bowman got it and built a house in front of it, and let Rhoelam Allen sell it to Rev. John Johnson, and that was his home until he died - where the Wise

Wall S History Of Jefferson Co., Ill

Clothing Store now stands; James Ross, a hatter, came and buiU a shop where the Economy store stands. A. D. Estes built a grocery store on the Mammoth corner. Absalom Estes built just west of the grocery store, remained on the corner until Castles came and bought it and built on a residence ; there it stood until Crews bought it. W. B. Thorn bought the lot south of Hobbs Mill, Ninth street. He started a blacksmith shop and lived in the rear. In 1837, John Johnson built a log house where the City hotel stands, the Doctors Greetham and T. B. Johnson used it as an office. Thorn sold his blacksmith shop and moved to the red house about where Hawkins bakery stands. Alfred Potee built where E. M. Walker lives. The Lamar boys built a house on what is now the east end of the Mrs. Joel Watson property, and Mrs. Foley Blackhawk, Williams and Decovey lived there. Doctor Greetham built where Hitchcocks' gallery is. Reverend Phelps built on south Casey and Ridgway put up a row of houses on what is now Broadway from Eleventh to the middle of the block, west. Jarvis Pierce built the Mount Vernon Inn, opposite the Methodist church, and sold it to Eli Anderson, and when Grant came in, he bought the school-house that stood near Noah Johnston's, and added to it the east end of the hotel. The Joel Watson house was built, and the Baltzell house, just west of Watson and the Melcher house which stood near the Mount Vernon Inn. D. Baugh built the house which stood on Herrins corner. Thomas Cunningham built the house where Charles Pool now lives. M. Tromley built the house where the mattress factory now stands, and John Livingston the one where Ward's house now stands. The Caesar and Guyler cabins went up where the Carter property now is, and all the travelers stopped and bought ginger cakes and cider, from Aunt Mariah, as she always kept out the sign for the benefit of travelers. W. Prigmore built where Mrs. Klinker lives, Johnny Smith where the Mahaffy house stands. Tom Pace built west of the old Odd Fellows' hall ; McAtee got it and it formed a part of the Johnny Bogan place. Hiram McLaughlin built on Casey street. Doctor Gray got it, then Nelson owned it. So it will be seen that considerable prosperity struck Mount Vernon during the forties. Dealers had to obtain the license in those days, and Joel Pace, Handle and Grant. E. H. Ridgway, W. W. Pace, Harvey T. Pace, Eli Anderson, H. B. Newby, D. Baugh, Noah Johnston, Dr. Adam Sanderson and Eastes, Thompson and Johnson, B. Wells, A. D. Estes, Hickman and Witherspoon, L. C. Moss. A. B. Watson, James Kirby, James Bowman, S. G. Hicks, Van Cleve, and others took out licese and it seemed that business was certainly on the boom. Peltry was the chief money of the county, and the road to St. Louis was kept hot sending in the skins which were swapped for goods or money.

The second court-house was built and prosperity spread herself. The academy was also built about this time, and new citizens came along in a hurry. During this business period Mount Vernon's population was increased by such good citizens as Jonas Eddy, Castles, Baltzel, Doctor Short, Schank, Phelps, Hinman, Thomas, Clement, Nelson, Doctor Caldwell, Doctor Roe, Doctor Gray, Kahn, Stephenson, Palmer, Barrett, Tromly, Barnes, Seimer, and soon after came Green, Mills, Preston, McAtee, Bogan, Condit. A few years later, Stratton, Pavey and Fergerson came to town, and then business commenced in earnest. Stratton bought the Jacky Johnson farm, swapped it for a big stock of goods, took in James Fergerson as a partner, took under their wings J. D. Johnson, Westbrook and others, and got down to trading, milling, and almost anything that would bring the people and their money to town. Varnell came and added largely to the business hubbub, and Mount Vernon was the center of all creation so far as we knew.

for we had no telegraphy, telephones, railroads or daily papers to tell us what other folks were doing. And it was "get there," and don't forget it. Varnell built the Continental Hotel, the New York store, and many other buildings. The Methodist church, the Johnson House were built, the Supreme court-house, the Presbyterian church and many other houses were going up like rockets and there were good times galore. But along came the war and stopped everything, and not until the coming of the first railroad, in 1869. did the prosperity resume operations. Then the coming of the road and the spreading of the town gave an impetus to the work that has almost constantly gone on since. But our remarks as to the town must be general, for it has become too large for little fellows like us to handle in detail. The railroad built shops here, and people came flocking in from everywhere to help boom the town, and like Mr. Finney's turnip behind the barn, it grew and it grew and it still keeps growing. After the coming of the roads, three trunk lines, and one cut-off. Mount Vernon has never seriously suffered for trade, because she has had first class dealers, always ready to serve all comers. With such business men as we have had during the past fifty years - the Varnells, the Stratton-Fergerson's, the Ham-Taylor's, the Nugents (for be it remembered that the great Nugent firm of St. Louis, got their start in Mount Vernon) , the Johnsons, the Wards, the CuUis, McAttees, the Hobbs and Paveys, and many others that have held forth along the years. Mount Vernon could not fail to please and succeed. All this refers to the general trade, to say nothing of the special lines represented by hundreds of equally as good men as those named above. We allude to this now, so that special lines may fall into their proper places, and that we may show that Mount Vernon is up-to-date in all departments. The lawyers, doctors and others will have the benefit of another chapter. It is now two miles across Mount Vernon's corporate limits in either diwall's history of JEFFERSON CO., ILL. 75 rection, whereas, it first only embraced twenty acres. It has a population of ten thousand people, and still growing to "beat the band. It has four railroads, telegraphs and telephones galore, electric lights, inexhaustible water works, gas plant, heating plant, many miles of improved streets, perhaps ten miles of good sidewalks, and all the modern improvements, and a city council that is wide-awake for the city's best interests. It contains the Mount Vernon car and manufacturing shops, employing about seven hundred men, due notice of which plant will be given elsewhere, a preserving factory, a knitting factory, and many smaller factories - all up to date. Brick streets and granitoid pavements were inaugurated under Mayor S. H. Watson in 1892, and are still going on with vigor. There is hardly a block that cannot be reached dry shod, and the end is not in sight. As soon as township organization was adopted, the county ordered a new court-house, with G. W. Evans, W. A. Wilbank, Samuel Johnson, D. H. Warren and John McConnell, as building committee. It was built, but blown down by the cyclone in 1888, and was rebuilt larger and better. It shows for itself in the public square. It is too late now to particularize about these things. Suffice it to say that the public spirited citizens have demanded these improvements, and their many fine homes in the city show that while they demand public improvements, they begin at home in the matter of showing what ought to be done. So with these broad and truthful statements, we will give Mount Vernon a rest, at least for a season, while we turn our attention to other departments of Jefferson county history. Mount Vernon now has free mail delivery, requiring six carriers to cover the territory which is a great convenience, especially for the people in the outlying sections of the city. The system was inaugurated when Captain S. H. Watson was postmaster and the writer was his assistant. Many other improvements are in contemplation. One which strikes all the people favorably is the erection of a union depot, which will be an honor to the city and a great convenience to the traveling public, obviating the neccesity of having to walk or be carted from one part of the city to another, in order to make the transfer from one road to the other, and also hire the baggage transferred. This is one of the pressing needs of the city, and it is to be hoped that the roads will see the importance of getting together and building this union depot, as no improvement is more sorely needed. Other important improvements are coming, but we leave them to be recorded by the next historian.