Madison County, Illinois - Chapter 68: Nameoki and Venice Townships, 1912

Floods in Nameoki Township - Famous Prehistoric Mounds - First American Settlers - Meaning of Nameoki - Venice Township - Venice Village - The Village of Madi¬ son - Granite City (Pittsburgh of the West).

Township 3, range 9, is known as Nameoki. It is a full township of thirty-six sections located almost entirely in the great American Bottom. It is bounded on the north by Chou¬ teau, east by Collinsville, south by St. Clair county and west by Venice. Its soil is of un¬ surpassed fertility. It is peculiarly adapted to market gardening, as well as to the produc¬ tion of such staple crops as wheat, corn and potatoes. Horseshoe lake, so-called from its configuration, covers some 2,000 acres in the central part of the township. It is a popular summer resort for fishermen and pleasure seekers. Long Lake lies in the northeastern part of the township in sections 2, 11 and 12. Cahokia creek pursues its winding course through the southeastern sections of the township.

The low surface of Nameoki has, in the past, subjected it to destructive inundations from the Mississippi. In 1844 three fourths of its surface was overflowed. In 1851 it likewise suffered severely. Later floods have done less damage owing to partial levee pro¬ tection, still that of 1903, owing to the vastly increased amount of property exposed, caused the greatest financial loss, the water lacking only two or three feet of being as high as in 1844. With the completion of the great levee system of the East St. Louis Drainage Dis¬ trict, now in progress on the northwestern border of Nameoki and extending through Venice, together with the raising of the rail¬ road embankments, it is believed no farther disastrous overflows will be possible. This drainage system and the diversion canals are spoken more fully in chapter XXXVII.

Nameoki is the most interesting county in Illinois archaelogically. It was the prehis¬ toric home of the Mound Builders of the American Bottom. The Cahokia mounds are most in evidence in sections 34, 35 and 36, and are also found along the course of Long Lake in the northeastern portion of the town¬ ship and extend into Chouteau. The chief of the tumuli of the Cahokia group is known as Monk's Mound, in section 35, the largest mound of artificial origin in the United States. It is so-called from the residence thereon, in the earlier years of the past cen¬ tury, of the Monks of La Trappe. This mys¬ terious tumulus is at once the wonder and des¬ pair of geologists and archaelogists. It is described in chapter XXXIII.

ces, the first American settlers in the town¬ ship were two men named Hanberry and Wig¬ gins who located about 1801 in section 16, near what was afterwards known as the Six Mile House, indicating its distance from St. Louis on the National road. In sections 35 and 36 a settlement was formed in 1804 by a Frenchman named De Lorm, which de¬ veloped into the village of Quentine, or Cantine, which settlement followed the windings of Cantine and Cahokia creeks. In 1894 Nathan Carpenter built a mill in section 16 which was the pioneer industry of the town¬ ship. About the same time Thomas Cum¬ mings opened one of the first farms in section 17. He did not remain long but, some twelve years later, removed to what is now Jersey county where the family prospered and its descendants rank among the wealthy and in¬ fluential citizens of the county. Isaac Gillham came to Nameoki from South Carolina and with his family about 1895. They were the progenitors of the numerous and famous pioneer family of that name referred to more in detail in the sketch of Chouteau township. Amos Squire came from Maryland in 1808 and located on an improvement made by van¬ ished French settlers, where he established a home and where his son, Samuel Squire, suc¬ ceeded him. Amos Squire died in 1825. His name was prominent in both the civil and mil¬ itary annals of the county in the early days. His descendants became equally honored and prominent. According to Brink's History the first school in Nameoki township was taught by Joshua Atwater whose name ap¬ pears in the records of other townships as an instructor. "Among other early settlers were Henry Hayes, Isaac Braden, John Clark, Henry Stallings, and Dr. Smith the last named being the first physician to practice on the Bottom." (This distinction is also claimed for Dr. Cadwell) Hayes developed a fine farm and raised a large family. John G. Lofton was appointed a member of the county court

December 24, 1814, together with George Cad¬ well and Thos. Kirkpatrick. The Kinders, the Hawks, McDows and others were also early residents. The first named family has continued prominent in the history of the county. Among the early settlers who were volunteers in the war of 1812 were John At¬ kins and his son John, Jr., and William; Captain Amos Squire, Isaac Hoadley, Phineas Kitchell, Henry Hayes and John Thompson, who was killed at Rock Island.

The first meeting house was built by the Methodists at Six Mile House in 1832. The Baptists built Ebenezer church in 1842, which later passed into the hands of the Methodists.

Among the early preachers were Revs. Chance, Jones and Lemen. The first brick house was built by Robert Whiteside in 1820 on section 21. The first interment was that of a member of the Cummings family. Jacob Job, who came to Madison county in 1834, settled in Chouteau township and engaged in farming. He died in 1841 and was buried in Ebenezer cemetery. He was the father of the late Hon. Z. B. Job.

Following the building of the Indianapolis & St. Louis, in 1858, a station was established on the line between sections 5 and 6 and called Nameoki. The name is said to have been given it by A. A. Talmadge, then of the I. & St. L. and later a distinguished railway official.

Nameoki is an Indian name meaning "smoky," from which the township takes its name. In view of the subsequent develop¬ ment of the township as a great industrial center the name given it seems prophetic. A post office was established there in 1876 with Dr. T. J. Irish as postmaster. Nameoki is a flourishing village and a prominent shipping point on the C. & A. and the I. & St. L. for the products of the Bottom.

1890 was 1,558; in 1900, 2,834; in 1910, 6,050. In last two returns parts of Granite City and Madison are included. The great industrial development of Nameoki in the last twenty years, is considered in treating of Granite City and Madison. The first supervisor of Nameoki, under township organization, was Philip Braden, 1876-7.

Stalling station on the Clover Leaf and on the McKinley Traction line is a small settle¬ ment which perpetuates the name of Henry Stalling, a prominent pioneer. A part of Chouteau Island, lying northwest of Nameoki, in T. 4, R. 10, containing section 36 and a part of 25, is connected with Nameoki politi¬ cally but not geographically, being in reality, a fraction of an unnamed township.

Venice is a fractional township, T. 3, R. 10, lying between Nameoki and the Mississippi river. It contains nine full sections and four fractional section. It includes Cabaret Is¬ land on which was an early French settlement which was extinct when the first Americans settled in the township. There seems to be no record of this early settlement. Cabaret Island (French Tavern) contains about 1,000 acres. It is separated from the mainland by a slough opening into the Mississippi at up¬ per and lower ends.

The topography of the township is low and flat. It has been visited by various destruc¬ tive inundations, those of 1844 and 1851 be¬ ing the most serious. Later floods have cov¬ ered less territory, owing to levee protection, but that of 1903 ranked next to that of 1844 in the height attained by the flood, and owing to the far larger population and the vastly greater extent of property interests, caused more loss and damage than any of its prede¬ cessors. The danger of any future calamitous inundations is now minimized by the immense levee of the East St. Louis Drainage District which is raised above the level of the highest flood known. Venice township was settled as early as 1804 but who the pioneers were is a matter of speculation. Although lying op¬ posite North St. Louis the surface was so low and swampy as to be uninviting to the denizens across the river, and only the later developments of railroads and commerce brought it into its present prominence as the eastern gateway to St. Louis.

Dr. George Cadwell, an enterprising phy¬ sician from the east, settled in Venice at an early date in the century as did George Rich¬ ardson. Dr. Cadwell was appointed a justice of the peace by Gov. Edwards in 1815 and was elected State Senator in the First Gen¬ eral Assembly of the state in 1818 and was also a member of the Second Assembly in 1820. He then removed to Greene county and served as State Senator in 1822 from the district composed of Greene and Pike counties. In the last assembly he voted against the proposed pro-slavery convention and was one of Gov. Coles' most efficient aids in the battle for freedom in Illinois in 1824. One of the first marriages in the township was that of a daughter of George Richardson to Asher Chase. Robert McDow erected a horse mill in section 24, the first in the town¬ ship, and the pioneer of the mammoth in¬ dustries of Granite City on the same site to¬ day. John Atkins was an early settler on sec¬ tion 1 and probably also had interests in Na¬ meoki as he is classed among the volunteers from that township in 1812. Atkins raised five sons, all models of manly strength, who became foremost men in that section of the county. Other early settlers were Daniel Lockhart, John Anthony and a family named Blume. Anthony established a skiff ferry to St. Louis. Abraham Sippy, from Pennsyl¬ vania, settled in Venice in 1818. He became the father of seventeen children who scat¬ tered to various sections, a part of them re¬ maining in this county and becoming with their descendants prominent in the business, political and social life of the county. Ma¬ thew Kerr established a horse ferry between Venice and St. Louis in 1826 which was su¬ perceded by the Wiggins ferry which devel¬ oped into a great monopoly. The National Road terminated at the ferry landing and be¬ came a highway of commerce.

A post office was established at Six Mile in 1837. The postmaster was Joseph Squire, who also kept a large hotel called the West¬ ern. During those days and for a long period thereafter large droves of cattle from the up country were driven to Venice and transferred across the river to the St. Louis market. The first cemetery was established on the Cadwell tract in section 13 and the first in¬ terment, which must have been prior to 1822, was that of a member of that family. Among the first land entries was one by William Gil¬ liam, August 15, 1814, in section 1. There were also many land claims confirmed to the Illinois militia men, some of them dating back to the beginning of the century. Some of these claimants, many of whom were French, probably settled in Venice prior to any Americans but did not remain. The first preaching in the township was by two Bap¬ tist missionaries, Revs. Chance and Jones, in 1812, at the home of Dr. Cadwell.

The town of Newport was laid out in 1858 by J. W. Blackman, adjoining Madison on the east. The station of Kinder lies in section 24, which is understood to prepetuate the name of Calvin Kinder, a prominent citizen of the preceding generation.

The first member of the board of supervisors from Venice was Theodore Selb who served for several consecutive terms. The Venice township of today is gridironed with rail¬ roads and electric lines radiating in all direc¬ tions. It is the eastern terminus of two great bridges spanning the Mississippi, the Merchants' and the McKinley, over which St. Louis people and the traveling public gain easy access to Venice.

The population of Venice township in 1880 was 1,120; in 1890, 1,463; in 1900, 6,335, in 1910, 14,421. Of these 3,178 were in Venice city. The vast increase in the last two de¬ cades is owing to the marvelous growth of the Tri-cities, Granite City, Madison and Venice, which, though separate municipalities have a common destiny.

The village of Venice was platted in 1841 by Dr. Cornelius Campbell and Charles F. Stamps. Its subsequent misfortunes by floods have been detailed. Its recovery was slow but with the advent of the Venice Ele¬ vator in 1871, under the auspices of John J. Mitchell and R. P. Tasey, its industrial de¬ velopment went forward. The settlement was incorporated in 1873, the date in the secretary of state's office being July 7 of that year. The first board of trustees was composed of Henry Robinson, President; Joseph Froehly, Theo¬ dore Selb, Francis McCambridge, William Roberts, and John Kaseberg, Clerk, Thomas W. Kinder, nearly all well known names in the subsequent history of the township. Ven¬ ice was incorporated as a city February 5, 1897. Following are the names of the pres¬ idents of the village board and mayors from 1873 to the present time: Henry Robinson (first president), from June 24, 1873, to April 16, 1884; T. P. McFee (second pres¬ ident), from April 1884, to May, 1890; Theo¬ dore Selb (third president), from May, 1890, to May, 1891 ; T. P. McFee (fourth pres¬ ident), from May, 1891, to May, 1892; J. A. Brammell (fifth president), from May, 1892, to May, 1894; T. P. McFee (sixth president), from May, 1894, to May, 1895; J. A. Bram¬ mell (seventh president), from May, 1895, to May, 1896; William Weyhr (eighth pres¬ ident), from May, 1896, to May, 1897; J. A. Brammell (first mayor), from May, 1897, to May, 1899; J. W. Scott (second mayor), from May, 1899, to May, 1911; J. E. Lee (third

Following the incorporation in 1873 knprovements set in rapidly. The Union Stockyards were established in 1874 and various industrial enterprises were inaugurated. The town started on the great upward trend which still continues. Venice is abreast with the times in matters of education and has a splendid high school building and a spacious modern Catholic parochial school.

Many industrial interests have already taken advantage of the excellent advantages offered by Venice city and include the Pitts¬ burg Plate Glass Company, the Gibson As¬ phalt Company, the Inter-State Cooperage Company and others. The car barns of the Alton, Granite & St. Louis and The Illinois Traction Companies are located here. Also the terminal yards of a large number of roads, while the net work of railroad tracks give facilities for industrial development that are unsurpassed.

The flood of 1844 almsot swept the infant village of Venice off the map. Only two or three brick buildings remained standing. It revived after the flood but in 1851 was again overwhelmed by the raging waters of the Mississippi, but one building being left stand¬ ing. The original village was named Venice by Dr. Cornelius Campbell, a gentleman in¬ terested in the ferry. No one disputed the aptness of the name, even when it was ex¬ tended to include the township in 1876.

The village of Madison, lying mainly in Venice but partly in Nameoki township, claims a somewhat greater antiquity than its neighbor Granite City, but is an infant com¬ pared with its other competitor, Venice. It was incorporated Nov. 2, 1891, when its pop¬ ulation was 1,979. In 1910 it boasted 5,046, the third village of that name located in Madi¬ son county. The first was laid out in 1820 in Marine settlement by Curtis Blakeman, R. P. Allen, George C. Allen and others. A sale of 100 lots was advertised to take place there on November 20, of that year, but the new town either died of inanition or was ab¬ sorbed by Marine. The second Madison was located on the Mississippi in Chouteau town¬ ship. For a time it was a flourishing village. Steamboats landed there to receive and dis¬ charge freight, and it did a thriving business. Hon. Z. B. Job once conducted a store there and carried a thirty thousand dollar stock of goods. But the remorseless encroachments of the river long since swept it away and the land where it stood now reposes in the Gulf of Mexico.

The third Madison is the outgrowth of in¬ dustrial advantages and rare transportation facilities and is therefore founded on a solid basis. The beginning of Madison as a manu¬ facturing center dates back to the establish¬ ment there of the Missouri Car and Foundry Company, followed by the Helmbacher Forge and Rolling Mill Company. These two gi¬ gantic plants employ an immense force, of workmen and disburse a pay roll of $2,500,000 annually. The incorporation of the village having been completed the election of a vil¬ lage board of trustees followed in November, 1891, and Charles C. Skeen was elected the first president. He was followed by Charles F. Youree, Patrick Coyle and Warren Cham¬ pion. The records of the village from 1891 to 1903 were lost in the flood of the last named year, when the water rose to the height of the ceiling of the office in which they were kept. Patrick Coyle was president at the time of the flood and also in 1904 and 1905. He was followed by F. A. Garesche, who filled out Coyle's unexpired term and has been regularly re-elected ever since and now holds the position. He is an enterprising citizen and is one of the Democratic nominees

Madison has made rapid strides in mu¬ nicipal improvement of late years. Its main streets are paved with brick and it has some ten miles of granitoid sidewalks. It has a complete water and fire protection system, sewerage, electric lights, street car service and all the public utilities of a modern city. It has many handsome business blocks and fine private residences. The city hall is an impos¬ ing structure erected at a cost of $35,000. It facilities afforded by the trunk lines passing through the place and direct connection with all lines centering in East St. Louis cannot be excelled. It is linked with St. Louis by the Merchants' bridge and also by the new bridge of the McKinley electric lines. The street car service rendered by the latter com¬ pany and the East St. Louis & Suburban brings all parts of the city in close contact.

contains the village offices and also the head¬ quarters of the police and fire departments. An illuminating fact in connection with it is that it was built without special taxation out of the surplus funds of the village, a fact which speaks highly of the efficient financial administration of the municipality.

Madison is not only a busy industrial city but does a thriving mercantile business and has a flourishing trade with the fertile sur¬ rounding country. It boasts many fine busi¬ ness blocks built by men who have faith in the future of the city. The transportation

There is a large foreign element in Madi¬ son drawn there by the Car Works and the Forge and Rolling Mill Company, and the citizens have serious social and civic prob¬ lems to solve in the way of amalgamating the heterogeneous population. It is an alembic of nations and the outcome will be watched with interest by sociologists.

The two papers of Madison have lately combined their establishments and are now laboring for the upbuilding of Madison under a hyphenated head.

Granite City, which is rightly termed the "Pittsburg of the West" and whose marvelous growth has amazed the country, did not go through the preliminary organization of a vil¬ lage, but was born a city full fledged. It was incorporated March 9, 1896, and its charter issued by the Secretary of State June 8th of the same year. The city lies partly in Venice and partly in Nameoki townships. Its first Mayor was John G. Roberts, 1896-7; its sec¬ ond, Mark Henson, 1897-8; Julius Rosenberg, 1899-1902; John Edwards was elected in 1903. After serving a few weeks he met death in an accident. John B. Judd succeeded to vacan¬ cy, 1903-4; Morgan LeMasters, 1905-8; Char¬ les A. Uzzell, 1909-10; Geo. W. Kennedy, elected by council to fill vacancy ; Marshall E. Kirkpatrick, 1911-12.

The city was laid out by two industrial mag¬ nates of St. Louis, Messrs. F. G. and Wm. F. Neidringhaus. These far-sighted gentlemen, recognizing the advantages of the location for manufacturing purposes, established thereon two of the largest plants of their specialties in the world, the National Enameling and Stamp¬ ing Co. and the Granite City Steel Works, which employ an army of nearly 3,000 men and they were instrumental in building the large casting plants of the American Steel Fdys. Co. and Commonwealth Steel Co. In the management of their large properties they were aided by their sons Thos. K. and George W. Neidringhaus who were associated with them in the trusteeship by which the land is held and managed. Where only a decade ago was heard only the rustling of the wind through the corn blades now resounds the clangor of steel manipulated by the sons of Vulcan. Where lately were fields of grain and green pastures are now well-paved streets and boulevards, public buildings, schools and churches; a tribute to the wonderful executive genius of the founders.

Among the railroads entering Granite City are the Wabash, Chicago & Alton, Big Four, Illinois Central, Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, Clover Leaf, St. Louis, Troy and Eastern, Chicago, Peoria & St. Louis, St. Louis Merchants Bridge Terminal Ry. and Terminal Railway Association. In addition to the above the Granite City Belt R. R. or St. Louis Bridge Terminal Ry. and Terminal Railroad Associa¬ tion connect with the railroad systems of St. Louis via the Merchants' and Eads bridges. In addition the electric lines of the Illinois Traction Co. and the East St. Louis & Subur¬ ban systems connect the city not only with St. Louis and East St. Louis, but with Collinsville, Edwardsville, and Alton within the county. In addition to these splendid transportation facili¬ ties Granite City is in close proximity to the coal fields and, consequently, secures low rates of fuel. In addition it has a complete water works and sewerage system, electric lights and power and a reasonable rate of taxation. The electric light is furnished by the huge plant of the McKinley Syndicate at Venice and the gas from a local company, whose plant has a capacity of 75,000,000 cubic feet a year. The municipal water supply is derived from the Mississippi river which runs just west of the city, and aggregates 10,000,000 gallons a day. Granite City has more than five miles of brick paving, four miles of macadam streets and ten miles of granitoid sidewalks, and its avenues are well shaded or will be, as 14,000 young trees have been planted along its sidewalks. One of the main thoroughfares is Neidringhaus Boulevard so-named in honor of the founders of the city. As an illustration of the city's marvelous growth we have but to compare the present population of 14,000 with that of 1900 when it was only 3,122. There is not a negro on the census roll. Other mem¬ bers of the Neidringhaus connection, other than those named above, are Albert \Y. Neid¬ ringhaus, Superintendent of the Granite City Steel Works; Oliver B. Neidringhaus, Asst. Superintendent of the National Enameling and Stamping Co., and Lee I. Neidringhaus, Asst. Superintendent of the Steel W orks. This family certainly presents a remarkable galaxy of captains of industry.

To give an adequate idea of the extent of the industrial establishments of Granite City is difficult in our limited space, and the following condensed enumeration must suffice: National Enameling and Stamping Co., 25 acres ; Ameri¬ can Steel Foundries Co., 20 acres ; Granite City Steel Works, 40 acres; Commonwealth Steel Co., 20 acres; Hoyt Metal Co., 31 acres; The Corn Products Refining Co., 32 acres. To this establishment the company has recently added a can factory. Another new enterprise is the Metal Keg Factory, a branch of the Hoyt Metal Co. Other leading industries are the Wagner Brewing Co., the Granite City Grain Elevator ; Granite City Box Co. ; the Morris- Halton Building Block Co.; the Western Fire Brick Co. ; the Granite City Lime and Cement Co.

The value of the product of these immense industrial enterprises runs far into the mil¬ lions annually. That such great plants have been located in Granite City, by far-sighted men, at an expense of many millions, is all the recommendation Granite City needs as an in¬ ducement for other industries to follow.

Among the prominent business buildings may be noted the Neidringhaus block; the Priest block, the Henson block and others. The Priest building was erected by Mrs. Lucia I. Priest of Alton, at an expense of $50,000. She also built a row of six modern flats which are an ornament to the city. Her brother, H. S. Bishop, is also largely interested in Granite City real estate. The Neidringhaus family have also shown their confidence in the city's future by the erection of hundreds of modern dwellings.

Granite City's banking facilities are ample. She has three substantial financial institutions, as below: The First National Bank, M. Hen¬ son, president ; W. J. Biel, cashier ; paid up capital, $60,000.

Granite City Trust and Savings Bank, Fred. Kohl, president; Chas. F. Stelzel, cashier ; capi¬ tal $100,000. Air. Stelzel is also asst, manager of the Granite City Realty Co., of which Geo. W. Neidringhaus is manager ; and F. G., Geo. W., W. F., and T. K. Neidringhaus, trustees. All these great financial institutions are located in spacious modern buildings provided with substantial equipments of steel and burglar proof vaults.

Granite has many handsome church build¬ ings among which the Neidringhaus Alemorial Church is one of the most imposing. It also has a complete system of graded public schools. There are four spacious modern school build¬ ings with an enrollment of 2,000 pupils. When Granite City was incorporated, in 1896, it had one small school house with an attendance of 20 pupils. When the project of the town was under way Messrs. Neidringhaus were as quick to provide a school as other facilities. They had known Prof. L. P. Frohardt in Warrenton, Missouri, and deemed him the right man to organize the schools of the town. They sent for him, he took charge and has been head of the schools ever since, a period of eighteen years, a most remarkable record. The High School building is a splendid edifice, probably the largest in the county. The Cath¬ olics and Lutherans also maintain large schools located in spacious edifices.

The Granite City Hospital is another public institution worthy of note. The building cost $60,000 and is finely equipped for the care and relief of suffering humanity. It was founded by the Lutherans but is now operated by Cath¬ olic Sisters under the management of Rev. Peter Kaenders of Venice. Of course in this review the writer has dwelt mainly on the public and industrial features of the city as they are what have made all other things possible, but its wide-awake enterprising mer¬ chants, doing business in spacious store build¬ ings, must not be overlooked as important fac¬ tors in the City's onward march.

Granite City's hotels and restaurants are ample to accommodate the traveling public. The city, although so young in years, has a corps of professional men unexcelled in their several callings. It has reason to be proud of its skilled physicians, its eloquent lawyers and its devoted and faithful educators and clergy¬ men all of whom reflect honor on their pro¬ fessions. The marvelous advance of Granite City is well shown in the fact that its postal business has so increased that the government has found it necessary to erect a public build¬ ing for its accommodation, the building and grounds costing $93,000. Postmaster Thomp¬ son is in charge. Journalism in Granite City is most prominently represented by the Press and Record, a semi-weekly paper, which is profoundly influential in moulding public opinion. It is published by a stock company, of which W. J. Lynch is president, and is edited by J. W. Cassidy.

Granite City has no long record of history behind it. There is nothing mildewed or musty about it, but it is making history with won¬ derful rapidity which, perhaps, is more desir¬ able, as Tennyson says :