Arcola Township

Arcola Township

The original city of Areola was laid off by the Illinois Central Railroad on its own lands, about the centre of section 4, 14, S, in November, 1855, in which year the road had been completed through the county. Large tracts were soon after added by Dr. F. B. Henrv, John McCann and others, and later the area of the place was farther enlarged by the additions of Chandler & Bales on the south, Sheldon & Jaques on the east and other smaller tracts, some sixteen in all, until the city now covers the area of an entire section, viz., one square mile. The railroad company chose to lay off the streets of the original town plat square with the track, which runs considerably to the east, thus throwing the streets off the cardinal points in the heart of the citv. In the additions on the south and east the proprietors of the additions have preferred keeping to the north, south, east and west lines, thereby conforming to the original survey of the land, hence the notable deflections in the built up streets of the city toward the south and east.

The original station was called "Okaw" by the railroad company and went by that name for a number of years until a change was made under the following circumstances: Col. John Cofer was post master at Rural Retreat from 1854 to 1S5S and being the nearest post master, as such, the duty devolved upon him to show the necessity of a post office at "Okaw,'1 which had been petitioned for bv Doctor and Judge Henry, John Blackwell and others. The Colonel sent the papers to Washington in due course, and they were returned with the information that there was already in the State a post office called

Col. Cofer represented the county in the State Legislature and is still, though advanced in years, an active business resident of the township. John Blackwell, Esq., who came to the place in 1S57, was the first magistrate in the town. He was, in his day, a leading, man in all that pertained to good citizenship, and died, January 16, 1S69, much lamented. Dr. F. B. and Judge John J. Henry are yet active business citizens of the town, the latter having been elected Associate Justice of the county prior to Township organization in 1S65.

The first City Council, or Board of Trustees of the city, was convened in 1S5S. Mahlon Barnhart was the first President and I. S. Taylor, Clerk. W. T. Sylvester and Judge Henry were of the Board. Mr. Barnhart was from Indiana in 1857, anc^ Wils elected Supervisor of the township in 1873-4-5 and again in 1S76, being the present Supervisor.

August 6, 1S73, the city was organized under the general law for incorporating cities and towns, in force July I, 1872, with Geo. Klink, Mayor. Aldermen - H. M. McCrory, J. E. Morris, J. II. Wagner. Jas. Jones. It is now divided in towards and Geo. Klink is the present Mayor. He had the rank of Sergeant Major in the 25th Illinois in war of 1 86 1.

The citv has lost much by many destructive fires, amongst the more notable cf which was the loss of a fine brick block on First South street, west of the railroad. This was a substantial two-story building of 110 feet front, and had keen erected by .Samuel Blackwell at a cost of $20,000. The fire occurred in January, 1S74, and was supposed to have been incendiary, but the building had been on fire previously in a drug store which occupied part cf it, so the fire may have been spontaneous in its origin. Mr. Blackwell arrived in the place in 1858, before the institution of the county of Douglas. There was also lost by fire in October, 1S75, a two-story frame school house belonging to the district which had cost between $5,000 and $6,000. This was supposed to have been purposely fired. Parties were tried for the crime but acquitted. Some years previously another school house had been designedly burnt by a disreputable painter, who kept a tavern in the city. He was tried and cleared. In the summer of iS6i a large elevator was burnt on Second South street, and at another time Bradbury's mill in the south part of town.' Rust's frame dwell- ing was burnt in 1872, and three hotels have also been lost by fire. A fire limit has been established, within the bounds of which it is unlawful to erect wooden buildings, but no other precaution has been taken to prevent the spread of dangerous fires. In addition to the calamities of fire, the city was visited, on May 14' 1S5S, by a tornado, which also took the village of Bourbon in its course. This storm threw down sixteen buildings in Areola, beside doing other serious damage. It is the most serious storm remembered in this region.

The first Banking House in the c'ty was instituted by Beggs & Clark in March, 1S6S, which, on December 19, 1S75, became the present First National Bank of Areola. Capital, $50,000. James Beggs, President; A. L. Clark, Cashier. Mr. Beggs arrived in the city in 1S51. The present Banking House of J. C. Justice was instituted July 23, 1S73. Cannon, Wyeth & Co., had a Bank here for a short time.

Amongst the most prominent of the permanent buildings in the city, at present and erected to date, Union Block, 60 x 40, built by Douglas, Louthan & Grant, Duncan's Block, the Bank Block, Lloyd's Block and Willis' Block, west of the railroad, are all substantial bricks. The finest building in the city is Metropolitan Block, on the north side of First South street. If is an imposing large two-story brick edifice, covering seven large stores of great depth, and having an aggregate frontage of 160 feet. The upper floors are principally occupied by the handsome lodge rooms of the benevolent societies of the place, the chief feature, however, being a fine auditorium or City Hall, with a seating capacity of about Soo, with comfortable arm chairs, a sjmcious and roomy stage, drop and other curtains and scenery, and most of the best appliances of the day for the convenience and comfort of exhibitors and audiences. It was built in 1872 by various owners at a cost of $30,000. A new School House is about being erected of brick. It wili be of tasteful design, 35 feet in height and 64 x 74 feet, to cost about $10,000.

In Churches, in the county, Areola takes the lead in numbers, having seven, of which the Methodist, Baptist, Episcopalian, Christian, Presbyterian, Catholic and Lutheran denominations have one each.

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows began business here October n, 1S60, and is therefore the oldest Odd Fellow lodge in the county by about four years. The charter members were, Jas. Ewing, W. T. Sylvester, C. Cooper, L. D. Price and A. G. Wallace, of Tuscola. Jas. Ewing was the first County Judge of Douglas, 1859. This Lodge, No. 2S9, has a present membership of 65.

Of newspapers there are two. The Areola Record was started in 1S65 under John M. Gruelle, the present propiietor. It is independent in politics. The Douglas County Democrat, formerly owned by H. H. Moore, was established in 1870, is Democratic in political creed, and the present editor and proprietor is C. M. Leek. Both are known in newspaper parlance as "co-operative."

In July, 1862, fourteen years ago, a gloom was cast over the community by the accidental death, by drowning, of John Blackwell, a lad of 12, and a son of John Blackwell, sr. In company with Wm. R. Rust, then also a lad, and a German, Peter Henson, they attempted the old "Stoval Ford" on the Okaw, in Bourbon Township, being in a buggy drawn by a fine mare belonging to L. C. Rust. The waters were up and the ford being deeper than they supposed, John Blackwell and Henson were drowned, Rust escaping by a miracle, how, he never knew. The mare having become entangled in the harness, was lost.

L. C. Rust, father of W. R. Rust, was a leading merchant and business man of Areola, having been one of those who removed from Bourbon when the business of that place was transferred to Areola and Tuscola. He died February, 1873. Dr. I. N. Rynerson died in April, 1873. He was a farmer and former practicing physician, of fine education and great talent as a public speaker.

Areola is unfortunately the scene of two of the few murders committed in the county. One of these was the deliberate murder of Joe. Eves, a carpenter, by one Bullock, an agent for Culbertson. Bullock, who was a large heavy young man, had repeatedly joked Eves about his supposed intimacy with women, and after repeated rencontres Eves appears to have been able, on the last occasion, to retaliate in kind and with liberal interest, which so enraged Bullock that, producing a pistol, he shot Eves on the instant. This occurred near the p'-esent Harvey Restaurant. Bullock fled and concealed himself but the people promptly turned out and captured him. He was committed for murder in the first degree, and as there was no jail in the county at the time, August, 1S61, he was imprisoned at Champaign, where by a daring effort, he broke jail and made good bis escape. Eves was a quiet inoffensive man, and it docs not appear that he even expected to provoke Bullock to anger.

The other murder was that of Mr. Abram Houghtelling, a lumber merchant, by bis nephew, Desang, which occurred January 21, 1S72. Mr. H. was sitting in his office writing when Desang entered, and within ten or twelve feet, discharged the contents of g doublebarrelled shot gun, which, having been loaded with large buckshot, killed him instantly. The murderer was tried and the defence having sufficiently established insanity, he was committed to the Asylum at Elgin, whence he at one time made his escape and returning to Areola made many threats of violence. He was re-arrested and returned to the Asylum by Sheriff Cunningham. Douglas county has had six insane persons committed to the various Asylums of the State.

The Illinois Central Railroad

Bourbon Switch is a point on the I. C. R. R.,in the north part of this township, between sections 15 and 22, township 15, range So It had been made a point for the reception of cross-ties, during the construction of the road, and locally known ;is the "Tie Switch." It has a side track for the accommodation of the neighborhood, called the Ohio Settlement, which is comparatively thickly settled, for prairie, and rapidly becoming the" best improved section of the country.

The township of Areola contains 56 sections of land, equal to 54 square miles, containing 34,604 acres. Previous to township organization this division, then called "precinct, extended one mile farther east and also contained all of range 1 1, 7, which now belongs to Bourbon It then had seventy-seven sections of land. The population, per the 9th Census, 1S70, was set down at 2,332, being the second in ooint of population, or about 41 persons to the square mile; 1,900 of them, however, live in the city.

Citizens of this township have figured largely in the public busi- , ness of the county. Col. John Cofer, W. T. Sylvester and Joseph H. Ewing have represented the people in the State Legislature, las, Ewing was the first County Judge, being elected in iS=;a, and after township organization Asa T. Whitnev was the first Supervisor, 1S6S; D. Hitchcock served in the same capacity, 1S69-70; Wm. Luce, 1871-72; succeeded by Mahlon Barnhart, who was elected in 1S73-74-75, and again in 1876, being the present Supervisor. W. W. Monroe was made .Superintendent of Schools in 1S65, Jas. M. Cox, County Treasurer in 1 S 7 3 , serving until the fall of 1S75. Edmund Fish was elected County Surveyor in 1S69, and served two years. He is now County Surveyor of Montgomery county. F. G. Cunningham was elected Sheriff in 1S72 and, removing to Tuscola, was re-elected in 1S74. N. Rice Gruelle was elected to the same office in 1S6S. John J. Henry was Associate Justice of the county in 1S65 and resigned. He was succeeded by Calvin Jones in 1S67.

Source changes here: from Historical and Biographical Record of Douglas County, Illinois, by Gresham, John M, published 1900; 1,786 words in this source stream.

Arcola Township

Areola City occupies all of section 4, west half of southwest quarter of section 3, and the north half of the northeast quarter of section 9, all in township No.

Biographical And Historical

14. north of range 8. east of the third principal meridian. '"Okaw." tlie original town, was laid ofT by the Illinois Central Railroad Com- ])an\\ wpt'U its own lands in section .\o. 4, and occupied a tract of land lying on the west side of the southeast quarter of the section, about one-half mile long by about one-quarter mile wide, on either side of the railn)ad track; it was surveyed Iw John Meadows, Coles county surveyor, October 22, 1855, so that Areola antedates the county by about four years. The plat and survey were indorsed by J. N. A. Griswold. president of the company, and they reserved a strip of land one hundred feet wide on either side of the centre line of the track. North and south, across the whole of said plat, they also reserved the right to lay side tracks on both Chestnut and Oak streets, outside tht two hundred f(jot limit, and for warehouses, and it was specially stated, that "no right of crossing that part marked as reserve for Illinois Central railroad, at any ]xjint between Second South and Second North streets is granted to the public."

'i'he tirsl town was laid off ])arallel witli anil at right angles to the r.ailroad track, and consists of twenty blocks, the lots next to the railroail ha\ing a front of forty feet, the back lots being eighty; they all have a uniform tleptb of one hundred and sixty feet; the east and west streets are of ;i width of sc\enty feet ; those running parallel with the railroad alternate with widths of seveiUy and forty feet.

McCdint's first addilimt. - In .\pril, 1858, John McCann made the lirst addition, consisting of varied sizes of lots and blocks. It was surveyed by Ste])hen B. Moore, of Coles county. Mr. Moore al.so surveyed by Dr. F. B. Henry, August 2, 1858. It consists of ten blocks of fifty feet front, lieing one hundred and sixty feet deep. Dr. 1 Icnry caused the streets t() be contimied as lirst ])lanncd by the railroad.

Chandler & Bales' additions. - In Julv, 1X64, Messrs. John Chandler and Caleb liales laid out their addition on the south, and followed in June, 1865. with the second addition, all surveyed l)y K. C. Siler. These two additions occupy the ncjrth half of the northeast quarter of section 9, township 14 north, range 8 east, eighty acres.

Sheldon & Jaeque's addition, being the west half of the southwest quarter of section 3. township 14, range 8, was siu'veyed by Is.sachar Davis, August 6, 1868.

Council proceedings. - The first city council or board of trustees was convened in May, 1858; Mahlon Earnhardt was the ])resiilent. The city clerk was 1. S. Taylor. W. T. Sylvester and John J. Henry were of the board. City records ])rior to 1872 do not seem to be available. June 3, 187 J, a meeting was held. Mayor D. Tibbott, presiding, and the comicil consisted of James Matters, P. D. Ray, Byron Willis and J. M. Righter. George Klink was clerk.

October. 1872, ;i minute a])])ears which recites that "no huckster be allowed to sell produce t'or less that one dollar or more than i\\e dollars." (ieorge Klink, Democrat, was elected mayor in .\pril, 1S73, and re-elected .April 17. 1S77. In 1873 the first council consisted of James Jones, J. II. Magner, James E. Morris and H. M. McCrory. W. J. Calhoun was city clerk.

Incorporation. - A petition for incorporation was circulated in June, 1873, signed by one lumdred and twenty citizens. The election was held June 16, same year, and resulted for incorporation under the general law, two hundred and forty-four votes; contra, eleven; total, two hundred and sixty-five, and August 6, 1873, the city was incorporated under the general law for incorporating cities and villages, which was in force July i, 1872. W. H. Spencer, at or about this time, was made citv attorney, the salary being fixed at three hundred and seventy-five dollars per annum. Mr. Spencer was a member of the Douglas county bar, and later removed to Terre Haute. The city clerk's wage was one hundred and fifty dollars a year. Mr. Spencer was authorized to proceed to Springfield to endeavor to procure an amendment to the general incorporation law with reference to minority representation.

The press. - The Areola Record, the first newspaper to a])pear in the city, was inaugurated under the auspices of the Sellars Brothers of Tuscola in 1866 - the enterprise having been instituted by the subscription of liberalminded citizens, without regard to political affinities; it was an in<lependent paper until the plant was bought l)y John M. Gruelle, which occurred soon after it was fairly started. For about seventeen years Mr. Gruelle conducted it as an ad\ocate of Republican principles, during which time, by close attention to the business interests of the office, and a due regard for those of his adopted county and city, he merited and received a fair share of success. .He died in .Areola on the 2y\ of October, 1883, in the prime of life, after nearly a year's illness. The paper is continued under the management of Collins & Son.

Early business enterprises. - The first house ])ut up in the city was the Illinois Central station and depot, in the upper part of which E. Hewitt, the first railroad agent, had his residence and the post office; a very short distance northwest Barney Cunningham erected the first dwelling. Mr. Cunningham was the father of Frank Cunningham, who became sheriff of the county in 1872, removing to Tuscola, where he died. The freight house was burned in the great fire of 1881.

John Weber, a little, keen, wiry German, kept store here in 1857. first situated in a little shanty south of the southwest corner of First South street and Chestnut street, and afterward at the corner at Ewald's present location. This corner was twice burned, as a hotel first, and again in the great fire of 1881.

The first dry goods store was instituted by F. B. & J. J. Henry, and was afterward under the name of the latter. The building was located on the south side of First South street, east of the railroad, and was destroyed in the tornado of 1858. Mr. J. J. Henry was associate justice of the cuuntv in 1865. He died March 11, 1865, and was the father of Joseph P. Henry.

The drug business was started l)y W. T. Sylvester and Joseph P. Henry, the latter succeeding to the Inisiness at the southeast corner of First South and Oak streets, where he had maintained a profitable trade since 1858. His close attention to the requirements of the case and his popularity resulted eventualh- in amijle means. Mr. Henry died July 19, 1883, in the [>rime of his life and usefulness.

lished in 1867. By the way. tlie first officially rtcorcled survey made in Douglas county was for liis father. Mr. \\ . 1'. i'.Mvd, It was May ^1, 1859 - west half nf scctinn 5. townsiiip 14, range 8. half-mile west of city limits. W'ih son B. Boyd came to Douglas in 1859, and resided here until the time of his death, March 10, 1867.

The first banking house was instituted in March. 1868, by Messrs. Beggs & Clark, which bank, December <), 1875, became merged into the First Xatiun.-d Bank of Areola: ad inlcriin W'veth. Cannon \- Co.. of Tuscola, bought the business, and in August, 1870, Mr. Wickes, their Tuscola bookkeeper, removed to Areola, taking charge of their interests until they were relin(|uislK'd. 'i'lic bank had a capital of fifty thousantl dollars. James Beggs. president; G. L. Wickes. cashier.

.\t the first bank of W'yeth, Cannon & Co.. at Tuscola, a Pennsyl\ani;i Dutchman bought a draft for sixty-nine dollars from Cannon, and taking it home pasted it in with his receipts, and sat down at the sto\c with llic happy consciousness of having done his whole duty. In the course of time he was further pressed by his creditor for a .settlement, and jjitcbed into the bank for keeping his money.

St. John's Roman Catholic chm-ch w;is built on lot 8. block 7. Henry's addition, in 1874. the deed for the lot being dated January 13, 1871. and tirst made to the Archbishop of St. Louis, by him to Bishop Alton, and then to St. John's Roman Catholic churcli. The members of this church, though not generally oi the wealthier classes, show a devotion to their lessons and modes well worthy of imitation.

The Methodist church ;iC(|uired lot 4. block 16. in original town, April 13, 18O4. The church was built in 1865. This denomination in Areola was a little late in building. The Methodists generally build ;ihout the time the proposed city is laid out. riiey ;ue now' constructing a fine brick edifice at a cost of se\eral thousand dollars.

The Episcopalians. .\t a cost of aliont one thousand dollars an Episcopal church was erected on lots i, 2, 3 and 4. on the northeast corner of lilock 3, in the origin.al town. Rev. Wells was the first pastor. Among tho.se who are supporters of the church, through natural aftinity and education, .are the descendants of John Blackwell and the f.amilies of J. R. .Smith, L. C. Rust, J. C. Justice, X'ellum and others. The society has ttnly been able to secure occasional services.

Tlir f^(i.\ini(isfrrs. - Iv Hewitt, the r.ailroad agent, w;is the first ])ostmaster ( 1858), .and the office was in the first freight house, where he lived with his family. He afterward remcned to Tuscola, and was agent there for many years. Once upon ;i time a jjetition w:is circulated in

Galtoii ami Filsoii stations. - Galton is a point on the Illinois Central Railroad, three and a half miles north of the railroad crossing in Areola, and is situated in the southeast corner of section 16, township 15 north, range 8 east. It had been known as the Bourbon switch, or Tie switch, and was originally located as a point for the reception of cross ties during the construction of the road. It was made a flag station in 1882. Mr. J. P. Woolford is the only merchant and grain buyer here (see sketch).

Filson is a station and postoffice situated in the northwest part of section 5, township 14, range 9 east, on the line of the Illinois Midland Railway. It has a side track, and is a receiving point for considerable agricultural productions.