Stark County, Illinois - Chapter 11: Finance and Industry, 1916

Chapter 11: Finance and Industry

There is a story of an old man wlio once counseled his son tliat "The best way to establish and keep a good credit is never to use it." This seems to have been the ])olicy of Stark County from the time of its organization in 1839. With the exception of the railroad bonds mentioned in the preceding chapter, and a few county warrants to cover a small floating debt at times, the county has never issued promises to pay, but has lived strictly within its income. And it is worthy of comment tiiat during the entire three-quarters of a century of the county's corporate existence there has never been a defalcation on the part of any public othcial, nor any serious charge of unusual or unwonted extravagance in the expenditure of public funds. ^Vith such a record it is not surprising that the county has an uncjuestionable reputation in the matter of public credit. Should the authorities find it necessary to issue bonds, it is an easy matter to predict that they Avould command a good price in the market and find ready purchasers. Few counties in the United States - especially those that have been organized for three-quarters of a century - can say, "We do not owe a single dollar."

In the above table the assessed values of the cities of Toulon and AVyoniing and the villages of Bradford and Lafayette are included in the townships in which they are located. In the State of Illinois the custom prevails of assessing property for taxation at about onethird of its real value. AVhen this fact is taken into consideration it will be seen that the taxables of Stark County are easily worth, in round lunnbers, $24,000,000. And even this estimate is too low. Of the 184,320 acres of land in the county, the average valuation, based upon recent actual sales, would be not far from $200 per acre. This gives a valuation of $36,874,000 for the lands alone. Add to these figures the value of improvements, jiersonal and corporation property, moneys and credits, and the property of the coimty «ould show a valuation of fifty millions or more.

Deducting the total of these four principal items from the entire amount of tax collected leaves a balance of $45,220.83 to be used for all other purposes. The tax rate upon the low valuation of $7,664,621 is less than 3 per cent, and if the property of the county Avere appraised for tax purposes at its actual value, with the same amount of revenue collected, the rate of taxation would jirobably he the lowest in the United States.

Banking Institutions

established in 117"2 and continued in business until 1707. Jewish money-lenders invented "forei<^ii bills of exchange" in the latter part of the thirteenth century, but the Rank of Rarcelona (established in 1401 ) was the first financial institution that made a business of issuing them. The Rank of Cienoa. which commenced business in 1407. was the first to issue notes that passed as currency. They passed by endorsement, however, not being made "payable to bearer." The same bank introduced the system of drawing against deposit accounts by checks. The Rank of Hamburg was opened in 1619 and the Rank of England in 101)4. Each of the above institutions was an iini)rovement upon its predecessors, hence the business of banking as conducted today is the product of nearly eight centuries of evolution since the fii'st organized bank was established in Venice.

The first Iianking house in the Ignited States was formed l)y an association of citizens of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 18. 1780. Four days later Congress passed an act granting the association authority to conduct a general banking business, and two years afterward a "perpetual charter" was granted to the Rank of Xo)'th America, located at Philadelphia. In 1784 the Rank of Massachusetts was chartered. In the same year the Rank of New York commenced operations, but it did not receive its charter until 1791.

The Rank of the United States was established by act of Congress in 1791. At first a majority of the stock was held by the United States Government, but this was gradually dis])osed of and the bank became a private corporation. In 18.'32 a bill to recharter the bank was vetoed by President Andrew Jackson. This caused the bank to lose a great deal of its prestige as a financial institution; the panic of 1837 so seriously affected its affairs that on October 5, 1838, it was forced to suspend specie payments. iVfter a precarious career of about five years more, the bank finally closed its doors in 1843.

Then came the era of state and ])rivate banks which lasted until the beginning of the Civil war. During this period tlie country was flooded l)y what l)ecame known as "wild cat" banks - that is, banks established by individuals or corporations without sufficient capital for successfully conducting a banking Inisiness or adequate means for meeting their obligations. In 1803 an act of Congress established the national banking system, and the first comjitroller of the currency was appointed in 18()4. In March, 1800, another act of Congress levied a 10 ])er cent tax upon the note issues of all state and ])rivate banks and since that time all paper currency in the United States has been issued bv the Government or bv the national l)anks.

One of th(^ first banks in Illinois was the Bank of Sliawneetown, which was chartered by the Territorial Legislature for twenty years, beginnino- on January 1, 1817. The next year Illinois was admitted into the Union as a state. Article 8, section 21, of the constitution adopted in that j^ear j^i-ovided :

"There shall be no other banks or moneyed institutions in this state than those already established by law, except a state bank and its branches, which may be established and regulated by the General Assembly of the state as they may think proper."

From the time the state was admitted to al)out 18;J0, its experience in banking was unpleasant, if not actually disastrous, but in the face of necessity for some form of circulating medium adequate to the demands of business the lesson such an experience should teach was forgotten. The internal improvement scheme was inaugurated and a large amount of state bonds were sold to construct the contemplated improvements authorized. The ninth General Assembly provided for a new state bank with a capital stock of $1.. 500.000 and the state was given the right to subscribe for ,$100,000 of the stock '^\henever in the judgment of the General Assembly the condition of the treasury Avould justify such action." The charter of the state bank thus established was to expire on January 1, 1860. At the same session the charter of the old Bank of Sliawneetown, \\hich had been inactive for ten years, was extended for twenty years beyond the original date of expiration (January 1, 1837) and the bank reorganized under the name of the Bank of Illinois.

At the next session of the Legislature the capital stock of the State Bank of Illinois was increased from $1., 300,000 to^.'J. .500,000, and that of the Bank of Illinois from $300,000 to $1,700,000, the state reserving the riglit to subscribe for all the increase of the former and $1,000,000 of the latter. Then came the panic of 1837, when Imth . banks were forced to suspend specie payment. The State Bank failed in February, 1842, and the Bank of Illinois closed its doors the following June, notwithstanding the most liberal laws had been passed in the hoj^e of keeping their heads above water.

The winter of 1842-43 was a critical j^eriod in the financial history of the state. The failure of the l)anks. in which the state held large interests, had a depressing effect upon the public credit of Illinois. The state debt was over fifteen millions of dollars, with interest past due. and the bonds fell lielow par, selling sometimes as low as 20 cents on the dollar. Without banks there was a scareity of eirculatinii^ iiiediuin and all lines of industry languished. Many people elainied that large sums had been wasted in the inteiiuil iiii])rovenient scheme and in speculation, and advocated the repudiation of the debt.

Stark County, then only abt)ut four years old. was affected by the existing conditions. On March 8. 1843, the board of commissioners ordered: "That ^linott Silliman, treasurer of Stark County, be employed and authorized to exchange the State Bank money now in the treasury of said cdunty, amounting to about sixteen hundred dollars, for the pro rata of s])ecie ]>aid by said bank, and the balance in certificates of State Bank indebtedness, and that he have the same in the treasury' as soon as practicable."

jNIr. Silliman made the exchange, receiving .$4()7.31 in specie and -f 1.147.37 in certificates of indebtedness, or a total of $l.(iM.68. Some of the certificates were paid out to county officials "for services" at the rate of ,50 cents on the dollar, and some time later the state redeemed the pi-oportion represented by stock held in the defunct l)ank.

Before the state fully recovered from the ])amc of 1837 and the de])ression caused by the gigantic internal imi)rovement scheme, the second state constitution was adopted. Article 10, section 3, of the constitution of 1848 provided that "no state bank shall hereafter be created, nor shall the state own or be liable for any stock in any corporation or joint stock association for banking ])urposes, to be hereafter created."

The constitution also provided that individual stock holders in every bank should be liable to the full amount of stock owned by them. It was a case of the "burnt child dreads the fire," and the framers of the new constitution took the precautions to j^revent the state, through its law makers, from again commiting the folly of becoming a stockholder in any banking institution. The provisions of the constitution of 1848 were incorporated in the present constitution when it was adopted in 1870, so far as state ownership of bank stock is concerned.

It was known as the Bank of Toulon and was conducted by the fii'm of Small & Walley, though the real proprietor was Benjamin Lombard. Bonds of the states of Georgia and South Carolina were used as the basis* of security for the l)ank's circulation. When the

About the close of the Civil war Samuel M. Dewey, a Toulon merchant, began loaning money, and in December, 1865, the bankinghouse of Dewey & Rurge was oi)ened on the north side of Main Street, nearly opposite the northwest corner of the public scjuare. 31r. Dewey died in August, 1806, but the firm of Dewey & Rin-ge continued until 1869, when Samuel Rurge purchased the interest of tlie Dewey estate. In 1875 he erected the building at the northwest corner of ^Slain and Washington streets and removed the bank to new (juarters. Charles P. Dewey, a son of the founder, became a partner in 1870. The business is now conducted imder the firm name of Dewey, Rurge & Gould, the partners being Charles P. Dew^ey, Samuel D. Rurge and ^Villiam E. Gould. The i)aid up capital stock of the bank is 5*^.50.000. and the surplus }f2.5,000, and the deposits $.500,000.

The Exchange Rank of Wyoming was opened in 1869 by A. R. ^liner, with Otis Dyer as resident manager. After a short time the name of Exchange Rank was dropped and the business was continued under the firm name of A. R. ]Miner & Company. In 1876 William Holgate and four others purchased the interests of A. R. ]Miner & Company and changed the name of the institution to the Farmers Rank. The five partners then conducted the bank as a private concern until the fall of 1882, when it was reorganized as the First National Rank of Wyoming, with James Holgate, i)resident: William Holgate, Cyrus Rocock, Levi Silliman, John A. Klock and W. P. Ruswell, vice presidents; Andrew F. Stickney, cashier. It began business as a national bank on jNIarch 15, 1883, and continued as such until early in the year 1885, when it went into voluntary liquidation, the interests being transferred to the banking house of Scott & Wrigley.

The Scott & Wrigley Rank of Wyoming commenced business as a private bank in 1870. A few years later H. A. Hammond was admitted to a partnership and the firm took the name of Scott, Wrigley & Hammond. In 1910 the name was again changed, the firm then becoming Scott, Walters & Rakestraw, under ^\llich it still continues. This is one of the leading banking concerns of the county and maintains branches at Castleton and Duncan, W. II. Hartz being in charge of the Castleton brancli and E. V. Graves at Duncan.

^Villiam Leet opened the Exchange Rank at Rradford in 1872 as a private banking house. It is now known as the Rradford Exchange Rank, with Rosa L. Thompson, president; Robert Thompson, cashier;

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J. E. Harney, assistant cashier. C. W. & Harmon Plienix also liegan the hanking husiness at Bradford ahout the time the Exchange Bank was started. The husiness they estahhshed is now conducted under tlie name of the Phenix Banking Company.

The State Bank of Speer was organized in 19()'2 under the general hanking hiws of the State of llhnois with a capital stock of i{?2.5,()00. It has heen jirosjierous from the heginning and in Septeniher, 191;), reported a surplus fund of $14,000 and deposits of $100,000. At that time the officers of the hank were as follows: John TurnhuU. president; Adam Daxidson, vice president; Benjamin E. 13avis, cashier.

Two hanks were estahlished in Stark County in 1903 - the State Bank of Toulon and the National Bank of Wyoming. The capital stock of the State Bank of Toulon was fixed at $2.11,000 and the first officers were: S. M. xVdams, president; D. K. Fell, vice president; W. W. Fuller, cashier. In Septeniher, 191.), this hank reported a surjjlus of $25,000, undivided profits amounting to $10,711, and deposits of $27.5,000. S. M. Adams was then president; R. E. Taylor, vice ])resident; E. H. Lloyd, cashier, George Nowlan, assistant cashier.

The National Bank of A\'yoming occupies a neat and well arranged huilding erected expressly for the purpose. The capital stock of the hank is $.)().000; the surplus, $2.5.000 ; and the deposits, $27.5,000. In Octoher, 191.5. James Ilarty was president; Jolin T. Colgan, vice president; A. J. Adams, cashier; D. J. Colgan and Ilazel Sellon, assistant cashiers. This hank enjoys the distinction of heing the only national bank in Stark County.

The first bank in Lafayette was o])ened ])y Bailey &: Beecher as a private banking house, in the building occupied in 191.5 by Aldredge's store. Bailey & Beecher sold out to Dewey & Potter, who conducted the bank but a short time when they in turn sold to A. jM. Janes. Mr. Janes continued the institution as a private bank until early in the s])ring of 191.5. when it was incorjiorated as the State Bank of I^afayette, heginning business under the new name on ]March 9. 191.5, witli a capital stock of $2.5,000 and the following officers: A. M. Janes, })resident; Baxter Fuller and Alexander Inglis, vice presidents; W. N. Nelson, cashier. The hank has its home in a substantial l)uilding erected purposely for its acconniiodation, and on September 30, 191.5, I'eported deposits of $8.5,000.

of ^Vyonling, and tlie two Bradford banks, l)ein<>- private institutit)n.s. cliose to exercise the privilege granted to such hanks of withliokhng information regarding the amount of their deposits. It is probable, however, that they carry deposits that would raise the total for the entire county to nearly or quite two million dollars - approximately two hundred dollars for each man, woman and child residing in the county. If the bank deposits of a community form any index to its prosperity. Stark County certainly has no cause for complaint.

Agriculture

Farming and stock raising have always been the leading occupations of the citizens of Stark County. From the small clearing in the timber or the sod cornfield on the prairie in 1840, the agricultural interests have gradually developed until in ltn.3 practically all the agricultural land of the county was under culti\ation. Originally some of the land was too wet to produce good crops, but, according to a bulletin issued by the State Board of Agriculture on August 1, 1915, there are over one thousand miles (.5,401. .540 feet) of drain tile u2)on the farms of the county, and the total number of acres under cultivation ^vas 180, .570.

progress can often be better told in statistics than in any other way. Adopting that method, then, for the purpose of showing Stark County's agricultural status, the following tables have been compiled from the bulletin of the State Board of Agriculture of December 1. 1914, to show the principal crops, miscellaneous products, and live stock conditions:

The value of the ero])s was determined by the eoncHtion of the market at tlie time the hidletiii was issued by the State Board of Agriculture and would ha\e brought the prices indicated had the products been sold on December 1, 1914«.

Deducting the total acreage, as given in the above table, from 180,.)7i>, the number of acres under cultivation, leaves .),'284 acres for "truck patches" and lawns about the homes of the farmers. In addition to the crops given in the table, the farmers of Stark County s(jld during the year the following miscellaneous products:

Of the cattle enumerated, 1,27-3 were dairy cows. During the year the numbei- of sheep sold was 87.'); the number of hogs, 9,867; the number of cattle, 2,921, the value of the entire product being based upon the jn-iees received for those marketed. It will be noticed that the value of horses is not given. If it were included, together with the value of animals not mentioned in the agricultural l)ulletiii. such as mules, goats, etc., the value of the live stock of Stark County in 1914 would easily reach half a million dollars.

State Board Of Agkiculture

The Illinois State Roard of Agriculture was created by the act of Ai)ril 1.5, 1872. and duriny the forty-three years it has been in existence it has wiehled a wide inHuence upon tiie farming and stock raising interests of the state. The lioard is composed of one member from each Congressional district, who is a vice president of the board. In 191.5 the member from the Sixteenth district was J. P. Code, of Rradford, Stark County. Resides the state fair, which is held under the supervision of the State Roard of Agriculture each year, and which is generally recognized as one of the finest agricultural exhibits in the country, the board collects and publishes every year a statistical report of the crops throughout the state. To accomplish this work in a manner that will insure authenticity in the results, a corps of crop correspondents, representing every county in the state, collects and sends in the necessary information. In 1914 the croj) correspondents for Stark County were: Duncan JNIcKenzie, 31. R. Downend and A. Leroy Hazen.

Along toward the close of the Nineteenth Century the custom of holding farmers' institutes was adopted in most of the states of the 3Iiddle ^Vest. The Illinois State Farmers" Institute was created i)y the act of June 2-i, 189.5. The act provided for an ex-officio board of directors to be composed of the superintendent of public instruction, the dean of the College of Agriculture, and the presidents of the State Roard of Agriculture, the State Horticultural Society and the State Dairymen's Association. In addition to this there is a board of twenty-five directors, elective by Congressional districts. This state institute undertook the work of directing the county institutes, the state making a small appropriation to such counties as would hold farmers' institutes under certain conditions.

An act of the Legislature, approved on June 5, 1911, authorized the boards of county su])ervisors in comities having township organization, or the commissioners in counties without township organization, "to appro})riate from the county treasury, for the use of the county farmers' institutes in their efforts to promote the adoption of the latest approved methods of crop production, the conservation of soil fertility, and the improvement of agricultural conditions generally; ])rovided, that in no case shall it be lawful for a county board to ap])ropriate more than $300 in any one year for the above purj^oses."

For a miiiiber of years the farmers of Stark County held institutes at some time during the winter months. On a number of these occasions the hoard of supervisors made appropriations under tlie al)ove mentioned aet to assist in defraying the expenses. Instructors from the State College of xVgrieidture gave lectures on various subjects in which the farmers are interested; corn contests were conducted under the auspices of the institute otficials and prizes awarded to the winners; boys and young men were taught to judge the "jioints" of various kinds of live stock; the best methods of preparing ground, selecting seed, and many otlier subjects of hve interest to the farmer were discussed. The attendance was generally good and those who came went away feeling well repaid for their time and tiouble.

The last institute held in the co\uity was in 1913. M. B. Downend was then pi'esident: W. W. Wi'ight, secretary; Fred Winans. treasurer. These three men and their associates spared no effort to make the institute a success and their efforts were rewarded by the largest attendance ever witnessed at an institute in Stark County, about five hundred people being present. Much of the work formerly done through the county institutes is now l)eing done by the ])ublic schools. In the township high school at Toulon, and some of the other schools of the county, instruction is given and experimental work done in various branches of agriculture.

With the annual products of the farms, in crops and live stock, running over three millions of dollars; with more than a thousand miles of drain tile in the wet land districts; with a soil unsurjjassed in i'ertility, and with the influence of the College of Agi-iculture permeating every nook and corner, the business of farming in Stark County is constantly rising to a higher ])lane and being conducted upon a more scientific basis. Other industries may be establistied and may ])rosper, but it is quite certain that for years to come "corn is king" in the little County of Stark.

Coal Mining

In the first chai)ter of this work some account is given of the coal dejjosits, in their relation to the geology of the county. Probably the fii'st attention to the coal l)eds of Stark County was attracted through the report of Professor Wilbur, who made some investigations in this part of the state and gave the product the name of "Spoon River" coal. Professor Wilbur predicted a profitable business in mining coal. Says he: "The fortunate position of the Spoon River coal field gives lis oceasioii to make a few remarks as regards its future value. It is situated near the Mississippi River, whose eoal trade in barges northward will soon equal its lumber trade southward, distributing these mining products at the depots of 15,000 miles of shore, on either side. It is bounded on the north l)y the Silliman district, which occupies 17,000 scjuare miles of Northern Illinois, all of ^Visconsin and ^Minnesota, and Xorthern Iowa. This vast area is entirely void of coal, depending solely upon transportation from the nearest coal deposits.

"The limit of workable coal may be safely put at eighty miles northwest and southeast by thirty miles northeast and southwest, giving an area of 2,400 square miles. In this field there are two veins of coal, having a combined thickness of nine feet. To measure the amoimt in tons we must take one cubic yard for every ton as a measuring vmit. A stratum of coal three feet thick would therefore give a cubic yard for every square yard of surface. Hence, an acre of threefoot coal would contain 4,840 tons; but in this field we have a thickness of nine feet, and an acre here must therefore contain 14, .520 tons. The aG'oreoate of tons contained in the field, whose limit we have assumed as eighty by thirty miles, is 22,302,720.000 tons. Now, if we distribute 1,000 tons per day, it will require 75,000 years to exhaust the supply, allowing 300 working days per year."

These predictions are certainly optimistic enough, >iut subsetp-.ent developments demonstrated that Professor Wilbur was somewhat mistaken in his calculations, both as to the area of the field and the thickness of the deposits.

So far as can be learned, the first coal mined in the county was about 18.)4 or 185.5. when a few of the early settlers commenced taking coal in small quantities from the outcrops along Jack Creek and Jug Rim. A little later David and William Howard opened a mine in section 23, Toulon Township, about two miles and a half north of Wyoming and not far from the Spoon River. About the same time the Howards opened their mine, John Robinson and Richard Howarth (commonly called "Shanty Dick" by his neighbors) did some mining on section 25. about a mile and a half southeast of the Howard mine. A shaft was sunk in this locality some years later and a considerable quantity of coal was taken out. The passenger on the Chicago, Rurlington & Quiney Railroad can still see the I'uins of the abantloned mine from the car windows.

Xewcastle collieries in his native land, lie I'ornied a partnership with Thomas Tunsall, another Knglishnian, and the two leased a part of section 14, Toulon Township, from Elisha Dixon. Their mine was worked systematically, the slack and sulphur heinff taken from the coal, and the product of the Fraser & Tunsall mine found a ready sale. In IS.jS this firm purchased a part of Section 23, near the Howard mine, opened a mine tliere and that year sold about one thousand tons. About the beyinm'nn' of the Civil wai' in 18(n, John Mcl^au<>hlin was earryiiii)- on a successful mininfj- business at what was called the Foster coal bank, two and a half miles west of Bradford, near the Fast L'ork of the Spoon River. North of that about two miles was the S. C. Francis mine, mentioned by H. A. Green in his geological report of the county for 1870, and between the JMcLoughlin and Francis mines was the Bradford shaft, in section 21, also mentioned by Green in his report.

Shortly alter the close of the Civil war the Lathrop Coal Com])any began mining on a more extensive scale than had up to that time been attemjjted in the county. The mines of this company were constructed on the most a])proved plans known to that period, being provided with steam hoisting aj)paratus, jjumjjs for keeping the mines clear of water, escape shafts for the miners, side tracks, screens, chutes, etc., and tenements and boarding houses for the miners. It was operated in the vicimty of Wyoming and the products of its mines were shipped to distant cities, so the local miners had no opposition from the big concern. In IBTl' the output of the Lathi-op mines was about three hundred and tifty tons daily. At the same time the local miners, who were operating on a smaller scale and supjjlying the local market, were turning out about 7.000 bushels of coal every week.

Among these local operators were Fred Charleston, Peter Iler- ])erger, William and Hemy Newton and John Cununings, whose mines were situated at different points in Toulon Township. William Newton's nu"ne, known as the "Coe coal bank," was opened about 18(>r> and at one time employed about fifteen men. Around Modena Avas also a favorite field for the operator with small capital.

In Elmira Township the outcrops along the West Fork of the Spoon River were worked at an early date by some of the settlers, who thiis obtained a su])ply of coal for their own use. So far as can be learned, the first shaft sunk in this township was that of Thomas Oliver, which was opened late in the year 188.3. It was located about a mile north of the village of Elmira and turned out a large block coal e(|ual in ([uality to any produced in the countv.

When Green made his geological survey of tlie county in 180!)-70, he found a number of workings around Modena, in Osceola Township, along Jack Creek and near Cox's mill in Essex Township. But in recent years many of the mines have become "worked out" and have been abandoned, the great piles of shale and the ramshackle buildings standing as mute monuments to a bygone industry. Some mining is still carried on in the county, the largest single working prol)ably being the "Big Hit" mine, which is situated directly east of the Chicago, Bm'lington & Quincy Railroad, between Wyoming and Castleton.

Stark has never been a manufacturing county to any considerable extent. The first factories of any kind were grist mills, to supply the ])ioneers with material for making the "staff of life," and saw mills, for the purpose of providing them with lumber that they might have shelter for themselves and families. Perhaps the first mill in the county was the one built by Harmon Leek on the Simoon River, not far from where the Wyoming and Toulon road crosses the sti'eam. Mrs. Shallenberger says: "It was built as early as 1833 or 183-1, had one run of stone, and there was a saw mill attached to it. The dam was made of brush, hay and gravel, and the whole thing was poorly constructed. In the winter of 183.5 or 183(5 Minott Silliman rented the entire concern for the coming year for thirty dollars. But the high waters of the opening spring swept dam and mill away, to the dead loss of JNIr. Silliman of the thirty dollars ])aid in advance, and an equal amoimt of prospective profits."

Sylvanus ^loore built a mill at an early date a short distance above liCek's, on the farm afterward known as the "General Thomas Homestead," and Lemuel S. Dorrance had a mill on the river not far from the jjresent village of JNIodena. The latter was afterward known as Fuller's mill. Shortly after the Dorrance mill was completed he took Samuel G. Brcese into partnership and the Dorrance and Breese mill was one of the landmarks of Stark County for years. One of the l)uhrs used in this old mill was kept by Mr. Breese as a relic for fully half a century.

In 1837 Enoch Cox came from Ohio, where he had followed the milling business, and built a mill on Indian Creek a short distance from its mouth. It was not long until he found the supply of water insufficient for the purpose of furnishing the power, and removed to the mouth of Camping Run. about three and a half miles south of

Andrew Dray, one of the early settlers, built a mill on Indian Creek, Parker & Bradford had one on Jack Creek, and Amsey Newman's mill was on Cooper's Defeat, near the northern boundary of Penn Township. Newman also had a chair factory, where he made the old-fashioned split bottom chairs and spinning wheels, which found a ready sale among the early families of the county. Asher Smith had a tanyard near Newman's mill and made a good cjuality of leather. John Prior, of Toulon, also made chairs and a few other articles of furniture of the primitive type.

Probably the first steam mill in the county was the one built by Dexter Wall at the oUl village of Waldron, in the northwestern part of Penn Township. After running the mill there for a while he removed it to ^Vyoming, where it became widely known as the Viola ]\lills. having three run of buhrs. In 188() the mill was remodeled and the roller process introduced, after which, it was operated for some time by Charles C. Priester. The machinery was then moved away and the building in 191.5 was used by Frank S. Foster as a feather .sorting and renovating estal)lishment.

The Valley Mills at Wyoming stood about one block w^est of the Rock Island Railroad station and were conducted for several years by C. S. Payne. This mill had three run of buhrs and did a successful business, a considerable <iuantity of flour being shipped to Peoria and otliei- markets. The ruins of the old mill can still be seen. There were a few other mills in the county at various periods of its history, but the ones above mentioned were the best known.

One of the most ])retentious manufacturing establishments of early days was the Hour and woolen mills of John Culbertson at Toulon. Says ]\Irs. Shallenberger: "While he never expected to reap great profits himself from this investment, he did hope to make these mills a public l)enefit and link his name with home enterprises and industries." The mills were operated under his personal sui)ervision and employed a number of people, some of whom were skilled workmen, but after JNIr. Culbertson's death in 1869 the industry was allowed to languish and finally Avent down.

Another ]iioneer carding mill was located on Walnut Creek, in West Jersey Township, or as it was then known "Massillon Precinct." It was owned by Charles Yocum and \Vashing1;on Trickle and did a thriving business at a time when the good women of the county spun

In the history of Goshen Township mention is made of \Villiaui Dunbar, the "Old Hatter" of Lafayette. It is said that he would take a large number of hats fastened together, throw them over his shoulders, mount a horse and start out on a peddling expedition, remaining away until his stock was disposed of, when he would return home and begin the manufacture of another supply. In this Avay he carried on a successfvd trade for a number of years, or until the "factory" hats, which sold for lower prices, forced him out of the market.

A cheese manufactui-ing company was organized at Toulon in December, 1874, with a capital stock of $5,000, and began operations in May, 187o. Its first year's product amovmted to 4.1,800 pounds of cheese. After running for a few years the business was discontinued, and in January, 1885, the old cheese factory was converted into a skating rink. A bulletin of the State Board of Agriculture issued on December 1, 1914, shows that during the preceding year there were 1,24'4. jjounds of cheese manufactured in the county.

^Muchmore & Phenix engaged in the manufacture of wagons at Bradford at a comparatively early date. W. AMiite cV Company conducted a wagon and carriage factory at Toulon, and J. B. Robinson was engaged in the same line of business at Wyoming. John B. Maxfield began making brick near Toulon about the close of the Civil war; James P. Headley operated a brick yard at Toulon along in the '80s; Higbee & Damon were engaged in the mamifacture of brick and tile at Wyoming at the same time, and among the other manufactured products of the county may be mentioned cigars, harnesti, sorghum molasses and a few other minor articles. In 1915 a large bakery at Wyoming shipped bread to a number of the surrounding towns.

Telephone Companies

Although the telephone company is not an "industry,"" in the sense that it mamifactures or produces any commodity, it is one of the greatest aids to business of all kinds in modern times. Before the inti'oduction of the telephone and the free rural delivery of mail, the farmer de])ended largely upon his weekly newspaper and the information bi-ought by his neighbors when they "went to town" for his market reports. Now many of the farmers have telephones in their houses and the rural carriers bring the daily jjapers to nearly every household in Stark County.

granted right of way for their hues along certain liighways in the county by the board of .supervisors, and soon afterward the work of construction was commenced. Just a inontii hiter (April 1, 1902) the Castleton Telephone Company, which was organized by A. U. Hoff' and A. L. Johnson, was granted right of way over some of the roads in the eastern part of the county. About five years later the interests of these two companies Avere consolidated in the Stark County Telephone Company, which was duly incorporated under the laws of the State of Illinois, with a capital stock of $2(),()()0. In October, 191.), the com])any was o])erating exchanges at Toulon, W'voming, Castleton, Camp (irove, Duncan and Elmira, with about two thousand telephones comiected with its lines. The building at Toulon, ill which are the exchange and general otfices of the company, was erected expressly for the purpose in 191-1, and tlie exchange building at Camj) Grove is also owned by the company, the other exchanges occupying leased quarters. The officers of the company in 1915 were: W. F. Price, president and general manager; A. B. Hoft', manager of the eastern division; W. R. Sandham, secretary; C. P. Dewey, treasurer. The boai'd of directors was com])osed of the above officers, J. W. Walters, Arthur Walters, .Tames T. Rogers, Jehiel Fuller, William Jackson and J. H. Duncan.

On June 2, 1900, the Osceola-Neponset Telephone Com])any and the Buda-Rradford Telephone Com])anv were both granted the ])rivilege of setting poles and running wires along highways mentioned in their respective petitions. Of the former company Frank ^V. Bates was then president and A. E. Stetson, secretary; and of the latter com])any Frank Kopp was president and Hollis Blauvelt, secretary.

The Lafayette Telephone Company - C. A. Buffum, president; F. \Y. Kltzroth, secretary - was granted a right of way on iVpril 17, 1901. The Milo-Bradford Telej^hone Company, of which Festus Bently was president and Cyrus Bocock, secretary, was granted similar concessions on ]March 11. 1902; the Duncan Telephone Com])any, through its secretary, J. W. McXay, filed a petition with the board of supervisors on April 1.), 1902, which was granted the same day; and on June 10, 1902. right of way was granted to the West Jersey Tcle])hone Com])any, of which Watson Egbert was president, and Thomas J. Dryden, secretary.

By an arrangement with the Stark County Telephone Company, all the lines of these local companies are connected through the exchanges of the former, giving long distance senice to all parts of the county. The advantages resulting from this service can hardly be estimated.