Dwight Township

Dwight Township

Dwight is situated on the main line of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, at the junction of its Western Division, and is about seventy miles from Chicago, and twenty miles from Pontiac, the county seat. It is a place of about 2,000 inhabitants, is the third in size, and one of the most important shipping points in the county. The repair shops and the round house of the Western Division of the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad are located here, as well as the headquarters of the bridge builders of the main line. The tank men were stationed here until recently, when they removed their headquarters to Bloomington. A large number of men employed by the two roads live in the village of D wight, and have all their interests centering here.

It was surveyed by Nelson Buck, Deputy County Surveyor, for Amos Edwards, the regular Surveyor of the county, in the Fall of 1853, for R. P. Morgan, Jr., Jas. C. Spencer, John Lathrop and J. and K. W. Fell, who owned the land on which it stands. The original town embraced the southwest quarter of the southeast quarter of Section 4 ; also the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter, and the northeast quarter of the northwest (quarter of Section 9, Township 30 north, Range 7 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and on the 30th day of January, 1854, was dedicated by Mr. Morgan, and the plat admitted to record. The following are his dedicator^/ words : " To be known as the town of Dwight, and the streets and alleys described on the town plat are hereby donated to the public." It was named for Henry Dwight, of New York, who was a capitalist, and furnished the money to build the road from Joliet to Bloomington, known now as the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad. He is said to have lost a fortune in the construction of this road ; and as a compliment to him, and in honor of his noble deeds, his name was given to the new village, which, in spite of efforts to change it, it has ever since borne. A " quill " of the time thus poetized :

" When first this village D. was thought, The friends of D. some others fought, To give a little name, and birth To homes of clay, and joyous mirth. This settled, and a sign they placed To guide the weary wanderer to rest : A hickory pole of twenty-two feet, A rusty pan did gracefully o'erleap.

We are told that the very first indication of a town was the raising of a telegraph pole, with a tin pan nailed on top, which served as a landmark and guide to the surveyors engaged on the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis Railroad, or, as then known, the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad. The history of this great railroad, one of the leading roads in the State of Illinois, is so well known that any notice of it in these pages seems almost superfluous. The enterprise was begun in 1853, under the style of the Chicago & Mississippi Railroad Company, wnth the intention of building a railroad from Joliet to Alton. The road was located by Oliver H, Lee, Chief Engineer of the company, and the work pushed forward under the supervision of Assistant Engineers R. P. Morgan, Jr., H. A. Gardner and James A. Spencer, with such vigor and dispatch that on the 4th day of July, 1854, the first passenger train passed over the new road..

Since that event, its history is so familiar to all as to need no comment here. Suffice it to say, it has made the village of Dwight what it is - a fact of which its citizens are aware, and appreciate accordingly.

In 1869, the Western Division of the C. & A. R. R., which leaves the main line at Dwight, was begun and completed, and trains running over it in 1870. This makes Dwight quite a railroad center.

The first house or cabin in the village of Dwight was built by a man fi-om Morris, whose name is now forgotten. It was a frame building, 16x24 feet, one and a half stories high, erected on Lot 8, Block 18, in 1853. and was built originally for a store or a kind of supply depot for the railroad hands, and finally passed into the possession of Dr. Haggerty, whose family still own it.

The first permanent residence erected in the village was by Augustus West, on Lots 18 and 19, in Block 7, and was completed in June, 1854. He still owns the property, but has built a larger and more commodious house on the original site of his first cabin. Mr. West came to the State in 1853, and early in 1854 came to Dwight, where he has ever since remained, and beheld the sickly village of a quarter of a century ago grow up into a prosperous young city.

In 1854, John Campbell put up a temporary eating house, which was the first place of public entertainment the village knew. The trains stopped at it for dinner and supper, which arrangement was continued until 1855, when it was purchased by Hiram Cornell, who came from New York, and who conducted it as a hotel for some time. The following story is told of hira during his first W^inter as " mine host: " He had a barrel of whisky (without which the Western hotel was never found in those early days), and from some cause, wholly unaccountable, it "froze up" during the first cold snap, nor could he get it near enough to the fire nor the fire hot enough to thaw it out ; and so it remained until Spring came with its warm days. Cornell remained in this little shanty until he built the "Dwight House," the first regular hotel in the village, in 1855. Since the erection of this hostlery, many changes have taken place in the hotel business, as well as in all other lines represented in Dwight. At present, the principal hotel of the place is the " McPherson House," and is rnu by that prince of landlords, Charles Staff"ord.

The first regular store was built by David McWilliams, in 1855. It was painted white, and, like the telegraph pole, surmounted by the tin pan, before alluded to, served as a way mark to all in search of the new village. It is said that the first sale made by Mr. McWilliams, after opening a store here, was a lawn dress pattern, which the workmen presented to the wife of the Station Master of the railroad. The store seems to have been a house of general accommodation, and was used as a place of worship, and also as shelter for the new comers of those early times until they had found a permanent place to lay their heads.

Mr. McWilliams came from Pike County, 111., but was born in Ohio, his parents removing to Illinois when he was a child. He came to Dwight iu

1854, purchased lots and made arrangements for building, but did not settle permanently until the following year. When he settled here, there was then living in the village Simeon Lutz, his father-in-law, John Routzong, a genuine old Pennsylvania Dutchman, Augustus West, James Morgan, an American citizen of Irish descent, Thomas Wilson and James S. Harrison. Morgan was a track-layer on the railroad, and kept a kind of boarding house for the accommodation of the railroad hands. Wilson was the Station Agent, but was of little account, and remained in the business but a short time. Harrison was also a track-layer, and made his home with the Wests, where he died, in 1876. Mr. McWilliams is still a citizen of Dwight, a prosperous merchant and banker,

Hiram Cornell (who bought Campbell's eating-house), George Flagler, William Clarkson, Jeremiah Travis, Wm, H, Ketchum and B. Losee, from the Empire State ; Isaac H. Baker, S. L. D. Ramsey and Dr. J. H. Hagerty, from Pennsylvania. The latter graduated at the University of Pennsylvania in 1852, and was a prominent physician, and practiced his profession here until 1863, from which date until his death, September 1, 1873, he acted as consulting physician only. The others were of the solid citizens of the village.

The first Postmaster at Dwight was John Conant, and the office was established in 1855. He kept it at the house of Mr. Lutz, and surrendered it to Mr, McWilliams when that gentleman opened his store in the village. The office was a small affair in those primitive days compared to it at present. H. A. Kenyon is now Postmaster.

The first wagon maker in the village was Joseph Rockwell, who came here in 1858 from Connecticut, and made the first wagon in Dwight. He also made a loom for weaving cloth, and his wife used it. He was a soldier in the war of 1812, as was also Mr. Conant, and both belonged to the same regiment.

The first religious meeting held in Dwight was in an unfinished building on Lot 17, in Block 6, in 1855, and but few persons were present, as but few lived in the village at the time. The first sermon preached in the village was over McWilliams' store, on the second Sunday in June, 1855, by the Rev. A. D. Field, of the Rock River Conference, who established the first religious society while here ever organized in the township or village. The religious history of Dwight will be again referred to before the close of this chapter.

As a village, Dwight was incorporated about 1868, but as the first record book has been mislaid, we have been unable to get the exact date of its organization under the legislative act, or the names of the first Board of Village Trustees and officers. At present the Board is as follows, viz. : John Thompson, President ; R. C. Adams, W^illiam Walker, W. H. Ketchum, E. R. Stevens, John C. George ; C. M. Baker, Clerk ; James Mclldufi", Police Magistrate ; W. M. Stitt, Town Marshal, and Henry Eldridge, Treasurer.

An important feature of Dwight is the grain and stock business. The shipments from this point annually exceed those from any other place perhaps in the county. The first grain warehouse was built by John C. Spencer in 1857, but as the country was rapidly increasing in agricultural importance, in 1862 David McWilliams commenced a large warehouse, but the war, which was then assuming a fierce aspect, delayed it somewhat, and it was not until 1864 that it was completed by J. McPherson. It is still in operation ; has a capacity of 60,000 bushels, and is at present occupied by S. G. Eldridge. Another, a little north of McPherson's elevator, was built in 1866, by C. S. Newell and John Campbell. It has a capacity of 15,000 bushels, and is operated by Hugh Thompson. In 1868, C. S. Newell and J. G. Strong commenced the grain business, and put up the elevator adjoining the one last mentioned on the north. It is occupied at present by Messrs. Deffenbaugh & Co., and runs by steam, with storage capacity for 15,000 bushels. In 1873, Cadwallader & Rhodes built an elevator on the east side of the track, a little south of the Round House, at a cost of about $4,000, which has a capacity of 17,000 bushels. It is now occupied by Cadwallader alone. Walter Bladen also put up one a little north of Cadwallader's in this year, which stores about 12,000 bushels of grain, and is being operated at present by Hahn & Kine. Several of the elevators of the village are provided with '-grain dumps," and are operated by steam. In addition to its great grain trade, Dwight is one of the largest stock markets in the county, and ships a large amount yearly. The following are the shipments of freight from and to this station for six months to July 1, 1878 :

A large stone steam mill was built in 1859. The funds were subscribed by the citizens. It has three runs of buhrs, cost originally about $16,000, and is owned at present by H. E. Segert.

The first brick house was built by Dr. Hagerty, in 1871-72, and is now occupied by C. M. Baker as a drug store. Mr. Defienbaugh built the first brick residence.

The first school house was a rather diminutive affair, about 16x24 feet, and was put up in the Fall of 1855, at a cost of $275. It was for about three years a school house, church and public hall. The first school was taught in it by Sarah A. Snyder, and was the first in the township, as well as in the village. This was but the commencement of a thorough system of education, and the labors of the best of the citizens have been crowned with success. In 1859, it was found necessary to erect a moi'e commodious school building, and a house was put up on the east side of the village. In 1864, this had to be enlarged, and an addition was made to the original building, making the total cost $3,500. The rapid increase of population, in a few yeai's more, caused another extension of school accommodations, and in 1870, the elegant brick on the west side was erected, at a cost of $5,000. These buildings at present suffice, and will accommodate nearly five hundred pupils. The Principal and teachers for the coming year are as follows, viz. : Jesse Hubbard, Principal ; Teachers - West Side - Grammar Department, Miss Frank McClure ; First Primary, Miss Emma Baker ; Second Primary, Miss Emma Rodman. East Side - Intermediate, Miss Lucy Banks ; First Primary, Miss Jennie Bradbury ; Second Primary, Miss Agnes Mcllduff. Superintendent of East Side, Mrs. T. M. Wright.

As already noted, the first sermon preached in Dwight, was by Rev. A. D. Field, of the Methodist Episcopal Church, in 1855. His circuit, known as the '' Mazon Circuit," embraced all that tractof country south of the Illinois River, and extending from Morris to Avoca Township. The society was organized with six members, viz. : Simeon Lutz, John Routzong, Isaac Baker, Isabella Baker, David McWilliams and Jeremiah Travis. John Routzong was appointed leader of the class. The Rev. Mr. Field preached a few times during the summer, and at the next meeting of the Conference, two ministers were appointed to the "Mazon Circuit," and Dwight became one of the regular preaching places. From this time forward, there was preaching every alternate Sunday in the school house, then just built. In 1862, the society was struck off from the Mazon Circuit, and Rev. 0. W. Pollard appointed to the charges of Dwight, Odell and Pontiac. The society erected their first building in 1858, which was dedicated in July of that year by the Rev. Dr. Kidder, of Evanston. About 1862-63, the society had so increased in numbers, as to necessitate the enlargement of their building, and it was lengthened twenty feet. For nine years they worshiped in this building, when their present elegant church was erected, at a cost of about $16,000, under the pastorate of Rev. E. D. Hall, and dedicated in October, 1867, by Rev. Dr. Eddy, then of Chicago. It is a handsomely finished edifice, is capable of seating about 500 persons, and the society numbers 260 members, with Rev. E. P. Hall as Pastor. The Sunday school of this society was organized at an early period, and is in a flourishing condition. Mr. McWilliams was the first Superintendent, a position he held for thirteen years in succession. The present Superintendent is W. Rhodes.

The Presbyterian Church society was organized in Dwight in 1856, the next year after the Methodist. Their original members were three males and five females, and their first place of worship was the school house, in which they continued to hold their meetings until the next year, when their present church building was erected, on lots donated by James C. Spencer and R. P. Morgan. This was the first church built in Dwight, and cost originally $2,620. The pulpit was filled by various ministers irregularly, until 1869, when Rev. L. F. AValker was called to the charge. In the Fall of 1871, he was succeeded by Rev. W. L. Boyd, who filled the pulpit until 1873. There is no regular Pastor at present. The Elders of the church are Hugh Thompson, Robert Thompson, James George, James Paul and John C. George. The Sunday school is in a flourishing condition, and well attended.

Union Tp History Of Livingston Countv

The next society organized was the Congregational. December 1, 1865, the first sermon was preached in this faith, by Rev. J. A. Montgomery, a student from the Congregational Seminary of Chicago. Their meetings were held in "Gerson's Hall." On the 12th of January, 1866, a "council of delegates" from the neighboring churches was convened, and invited to give advice regarding the permanent organization of a church, and eleven persons identified themselves with the congregation. In 1867, an effort was made to build a church, the lots procured, and the building commenced. In January, 1868. their present elegant church was dedicated, free of debt. The total cost of the building, grounds, etc., was $5,425. Rev. J. A. Montgomery was Pastor from the first organization of the church until 1873, when he accepted a call to Morris, and the pulpit is at present filled by Rev. W. C. Rogers, with about one hundred and fifteen members. It has also a flourishing Sabbath sohool, with an attendance of about one hundred and fifty, of which A. Brubaker is Superintendent.

The Baptists made the next efforts, but have not, from some cause or other, flourished as some of the other denominations have done. They own a building, we believe, on the West Side, but have no settled Pastor. The German Lutheran Church was built in 1867, and cost $1,400 ; has about fifty members, and a flourishing Sunday school. Rev. Mr. Schleitweig, of Cayuga, is the Pastor. The German Evangelical Association, or Albright Methodists, have a handsome little frame church edifice, 22x30 feet, which cost about fifteen hundred dollars. The ministers are Revs. Willman and Shaflfle, and the society has twenty-six members. A Sunday school, with an attendance of forty children, is carried on by Dr. H. G. Thole, Superintendent. The Danish Lutherans have a pretty little frame church, built a few years ago, which has a large and flourishing membership. The Pastor is Rev. Jacob Holm. There is also a Roman Catholic Church in the village, and with a membership of about fifty families. Their church is a neat and tasty little building, put up at a cost of about fifteen hundred dollars. The present Pastor is Father James Halpin, who is also Superintendent of the Sunday school, which is in a flourishino' condition.

The Masonic fraternity was organized here March 1, 1862, when Livingston Lodge, U. D., was formed, with the following officers, viz. : E. N. Jencks, Worshipful Master ; W. L. Gross, Senior Warden ; J, W. Rockwell, Junior Warden ; C. S. Newell, Secretary. October 8, 1862, the Lodge received a charter, issued by F. M. Blair, Grand Master of Masons in Illinois, and countersigned by H. G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. It has a large and increasing membership, and the present officers are : Curtis J. Judd. Master ; W. S. Sims, Senior Warden, and W. S. Wilson, Junior Warden.

Dwight Lodge, No. 513, I. 0. 0. F., was instituted in Dwight by J. S. Hunter, of Odell, D. G. M., May 22, 1873. The first Noble Grand was C. C. Gilbert, and M. W. Tambling, Secretary. In October of the same year, a charter was issued by G. M. Bross, Grand Master, to the following charter members : C. C. Gilbert, W. S. Sims, M. W. Tambling, John L. Clarke, Thomas Weldon, Hugh A. Stevens and E. P. Utley. At present, John Thompson is Noble Grand, and W, H. Bobbins, Secretary.

The tub and pail factory of W. H.* Conrad is quite an institution. The work is all done by machinery, which is run by steam. In connection is a planing-mill and turning lathe. Works a number of hands, and does quite a business in his way. Another is the sash and blind factory, and steam planingmill of W. H. Walker. He was burned out, some six months ago, and lost everything, amounting to about eight thousand dollars, on which there was no insurance. His indomitable energy w^ould not allow him to remain idle, and he immediately rebuilt, and is running again to his full capacity.

The first bank, devoted exclusively to that business, established in Dwight, was by J. G. Strong, in 1866, and continued as such for a number of years ; but at present is being wound up, preparatory to engaging in some other business. D. McWilliams & Co. gradually drifted into banking from doing that kind of business in connection with their store. They now have as handsome a bank building, adjoining their store house, and with which it communicates through the rear, as is to be found in any country town.

It has been said that no "town is a town without a newspaper." In 1868» the first newspaper was established in Dv/ight, and a Star appeared in its firmament which still shines in undiminished brilliance. On the 5th of May, 1868, C. L. Palmer issued the first copy of the Dwight Star. Says Hargreave's History of Dwight : " The Editor, C. L. Palmer, issued this paper more for amusement than profit, but in a short time it was evident that the Star occupied a place which could not be filled by any other claimant to popular favor." Since its commencement, the Star has been enlarged nine times, is a large quarto sheet, and is in the tenth year of its existence, and the only steam printing establishment in Livingston County. It is Republican in politics, and is still owned by C. L. Palmer, its original founder. On the 5th June, 1868, the Dwight Weekly Courier made its appearance, but, after a fitful and brief existence, it quietly passed away. The Dwight Commercial was established in December, 1877, by a stock company, composed chiefly of the business men of the town. It is Independent in politics, and is edited by C. M. Cyrus ; is a very handsome eight-page six-column paper. The Western Postal Review is edited by H. A. Kenyon, Postmaster, and published at the Star office, devoted chiefly to post office matters. We have thus taken a brief glance of the little prairie city, and traced its history from the first laying out of the village through the different stages of its progress and growth to its present standing as a commercial point. A local bard, imbued with prophetic wisdom, lifts^ the veil of Dwight's

Dwight Ix 1928

Oaklawn grounds were green and sweet, OfiFering a calm and cool retreat. Distance a mile from the city limits, Time by the air-car. just three minutes. Here, midst the fragrance of flowers rare. Slabs and obelisks pierced the air. Former inhabitants all were there, Sleeping beneath the solemn trees. Till God shall show them His mysteries ! Town Boards, School Boards, Supervisors, Profligates and stingy misers. Lazy folks and early risers ; Mother and daughter, father and son, Gathered together, one by one ! Epitaphs gave of the dead below Lists of virtues set up for show. Phonographs treasured the precious tones Of old John Smith and young Bill Jones. Photographs shone on the top of each tomb, Glowing with faces of life-like bloom. Said the guest, quoting against his will, "The dead, the dead are living still ! "

He saw his relations scattered around In every part of the burial ground. Sabbath-school teachers of goodness and truth, And Pollard, the faithful old friend of youth. Playmates of childhood, all dead long ago - Lay under the grass where the roses blow. He thought of them and of by-gone years. And his heart dissolved in a flood of tears.

A very important part of the history of the village of Dwight is the litigation concerning what is popularly known as "The Strips." These are two narrow strips of ground, 1,004 feet in length and each 50 feet in width, lying, one between East street and the railroad and the other between West street and the railroad. The first suit brought to test the question of title to these lands was a suit brought by D. McWilliams and James H. Hagerty, to enjoin R. P. Morgan, Jr. (who claimed the title), from erecting an office at the corner of East and Morgan streets, the complainants claiming that the lands had been "dedicated to the public." The case went to the Supreme Court of Illinois, and was decided adversely to the complainants.

In 1873, one R. P. Tansey, who had purchased the undivided interest of one of the original proprietors of the village, in and to all such property as had not been sold and the proceeds divided, and which belonged to the original enterprise, commenced suit for partition ; and, being a non-resident of the State, the suit was brought in the United States Circuit Court, in Chicago. R. P. Morgan, Jr., the Chicago & Alton Railroad Company and others were made parties defendant, and Morgan and the Railroad Company filed cross bills, each claiming absolute title to the premises. This suit was decided in favor of the Railroad Company, but was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States, Avhere, after an able review of the facts in the case, by Justice Swayne, the decision of the United States Circuit Court was affirmed. The opinion of the Supreme Court is an able document, and we would be glad to give it in this histor}?^ as an item of interest to the legal fraternity of the county, but its great length forbids it. Pending this litigation, Morgan had leased and sold difi"erent portions of the two " Strips," and a row of wooden buildings had sprung up thereon, fronting on both East and West streets ; but when the opinion of the Supreme Court was rendered, the Railroad Company, having been declared the owners, as above stated, notified all parties who held titles under Morgan to vacate ; and the result is, the buildings are rapidly being removed, thereby adding greatly to the appearance of the village, as well as to its safety.

The village of Dwight is distinguished for the honor of being the military headquarters of the Tenth Battalion of Illinois National Guards, Lieut. Col. J. B. Parsons, commanding. The battalion was organized August 15, 1876, composed of companies from Dwight, Odell, Pontiac, Streator, Joliet and Marseilles.

The field officers elected then were J. B. Parsons, of Dwight, Lieutenant Colonel; L. C. Miles, of Streator, Major. Staff appointed : L. C. Mitchell, of Joliet, Surgeon ; Rev. J. F. Culver, of Pontiac, Chaplain ; J. B. Fithian, of Joliet Adjutant, and C. J. Judd, of Dwiglit, Quartermaster. The battalion has since been reorganized and some of the compaYiies attached to other commands, while two new companies have been added to the Tenth, whose headquarters still remain at Dwight. Under reorganization, it is composed of the following companies, viz. : Parsons Guards, Co. E ;* Pontiac Guards, Company A ; Wenona Guards, Co. B: Odell Guards, Co. D; Fairbury Guards, Co. C. The battalion officers at present are : J. B. Parsons, Dwight, Lieutenant Colonel, commanding; J. K. Howard, Odell, Major; H. E. W. Barnes, Fairbury, Surgeon ; Rev. J. F. Culver, Pontiac, Chaplain ; C. J. Judd, Dwight, Adjutant ; Cadet Taylor, Wenona, Quartermaster. The entire command, except the Wenona Guai'ds, is of Livingston County. They are armed with the uniform breech-loading Springfield rifles, of the Prussian pattern. The companies are well drilled and ready to meet a foe at a moment's warning. A complete roster of the Tenth Battalion will be found in the War Record of this work.

The Dwight Guards, a company of the Tenth Battalion, was organized June 20, 1874, and its first officers were : J. B. Parsons, Captain ; S. H. Kenny, First Lieutenant ; S. M. Witt, Second Lieutenant. Upon the organization of the battalion, Capt. Parsons was promoted to its command, and his old company, the Dwight Guards, by a company vote and as a token of esteem for their late Captain, changed the name of the company to " Parsons Guards," which name they still retain. Their officers at present are as follows, viz. : S. H. Kenny, Captain ; S. M. Witt, First Lieutenant ; J. H. Lloyd, Second Lieutenant.

The bar is represented in Dwight by the following gentlemen learned in the law : L. G. Pearre, R. S. Mcllduff, J. I. Dunlap, W. H. Bradbury, F. B. Hargreaves, Lewis Kenyon, J. G. Strong and F. E. Peck. Of this array of native talent, Hon. J. G. Strong has represented his district in both branches of the State Legislature, while the others are all lawyers of ability. The health of the village and country is looked after by Drs. L. E. Keeley and C. D. Chalfant, of the Allopathic school, and Dr. H. G. Thole, of the Homeopathic profession.

One of the loveliest spots around Dwight is Oaklawn Cemetery, which has been laid out and improved in the most beautiful manner. A few years ago, they had a landscape artist from Chicago to lay it off and divide it into lots and plats of the most approved style of art. In 1877, they had 1,300 young trees planted, which are growing finely. On the 15th of August of this year, it was incorporated under act by H. A. Kenyon, President ; C. M. Baker, Secretary ; J. H. Hetzel, Treasurer ; H. T. Newell, J. B. Parsons and A. E. Gould, Directors. The first party buried in this cemetery was Miss Margaret Speers,

Like the majority of Western towns and villages which spring up in a few and are usually built almost exclusively of wood, Dwight has but few brick buildings, and these few are t)f recent erection. Naturally, with so much combustible material and light wood buildings, it has not escaped fires. The most destructive, perhaps, occurred in 1869. The following account is from the Dwight Star, of that date : " About fifteen minutes past 1 o'clock A. M., on the 24th of March, the alarm was given that a fire had broken out in the rear of Gerson's Hall. It rapidly spread to Harris' store, and, in a brief space of time, Hagerty k Baker's drug store, Monahan's building and Newell & Co.'s hardware store were wrapped in flames. The buildings of Mrs. Marsh, A. Wait, Dr. Morgan and M. Rearick were torn down in order to arrest the progress of the fire." After giving some further particulars, the editor summed up the loss at about ^40,000, and the insurance at $25,000. In December of this same year, another fire occurred. It commenced in Mrs. Henry's millinery store, which, together with McWilliams' bank building (a wooden structure), was consumed. The loss, oAving to the exertions of the citizens, was trifling, amounting to only about §1,000.

The war history of Dwight is flattering, and presents a noble record of the loyalty of the citizens of both township and village. When the tocsin of war sounded over the land, and President Lincoln called for soldiers to defend the Union, the young men, and the old ones, too, rose up together and offered themselves for duty. Company B, of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment of Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was recruited almost entirely in Dwight. The first Colonel of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth (Smith) was from Dwight. When Company B was mustered into the service on the 8th of September, 1862, the officers were: Samuel T. Walker, Captain; George W. Gilchrist, First Lieutenant ; Elihu Chilcott, Second Lieutenant ; Homer A. Kenyon, Orderly Sergeant. These were all from Dwight, as well as most of the rank and file. The history of this company and of the One Hundred and Twenty-ninth Regiment is important and of much interest from its first organization until mustered out of the service, and will, together with all the soldiers who went from Livingston County, be found recorded in the War History of this work.

Source changes here: from Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Livingston County, Vol. 2 by Strawn, Johnson, and Franzen (1909)., by Dale C. Maley, published 1909; 3,204 words in this source stream.

Dwight Township

and material wealth, It was during these times that James C. Spencer, now of Wisconsin, and T. C. Meyer, formerly of New York, drove through this county surveying the present railroad from Chicago to St. Louis. For seven days they had to camp out in this immediate neighborhood, and during the journey Mr. Spencer had his legs so severely frosted that at one time it was feared amputation would be necessary. But their efforts were ultimately crowned with success and, in the summer of 1854, the first engine passed over the road. The winter was one easily rememberd on account of its intense cold and protracted length. A great storm burst over the country and snow fell till it covered the land two feet deep; the thermometer for a period of six weeks averaged from 25 to 30 degrees below freezing point, and the few residents in this locality felt the bitter weather in all its severity. The trains were snowed in for several weeks and the passengers were furnished food by the settlers. It became necessary to smash up the car seats to keep fires burning in the cars. It was during this great storm that quite a large delegation of Ilinois legislators had been on a visit to Joliet to inspect the site for the removal of the state penitentiary from Alton, and when returning were blockaded by snow about three miles southwest of Dwight for several days, and were finally taken to the farm house of Major C. McDowell, and from there to Morris in sleighs, reaching Springfield via La Salle, Bloomington and Decatur, and for six weeks no trains were run from Bloomington to Joliet. Many farmers in the surrounding neighborhood lost their cattle, and thus they were cramped and hindered at the very commencement of their pioneer life. The snow was on the ground till May when the farmers went to planting corn; but by this time other families were moving into the settlement, and it soon became evident that a village was about to be formed here. At this period, the prairie was infested more or less with wolves. and when the settler looked out of his door in the clear bright morning light, he could often see large herds of deer pasturing not far from his little homestead. The locality now known as the town of Dwight was then a precinct, and it was not till the 21st day of January, 1854, that the plats were laid out and the town began to grow. ; elevation of a telegraph pole with an inverted tin pail nailed on the top. This served as a fandmark and a guide to surveyors engaged In surveying the Chicago Mississippi railroad, (now the C. & A. road). When the first few houses were built here, the neighboring farmers and residents styled the incipient village "Western New York;" but that name was soon destined to pass out of sight and give place to a better one. We have never been able to ascertain why tbe town was not named after its founder and original proprietor of the land, R. P. Morgan, Jr., unless it was that Mr. Morgan was too modest and too generous to name it after himself, Henry Dwight, Jr., of New York, was a brother engineer of R. P. Morgan. He came out West and embarked and lost his then large fortune in the construction of the railroad. He was a man of enterprise and great public spirit, and it was in his honor and to commemorate his deeds that R. P. Morgan gave his name to the town in which we live. It was on the 6th of August, 1853, that Mr. Morgan deeded the right of way to the Chicago and Mississippi Railroad Company through the present site of Dwight, and other lands; reserving by covenant that "should he lay off the former tract, the present site of the town, into town lots, to make safe and suitable crossings whereever the line of said road intersects the streets that may be laid out on said road." And in consideration of the right of way granted, the company covenanted to "erect and keep up station houses and other necessary depot buildings." where they now stand, on the northeast quarter of section nine, town thirty, north, range seven, east of third principal meridian. In the fall of 1858, Mr. Morgan caused the original town plat to be surveyed, and on the 30th of January, 1854, formally dedicated and recorded it in the following words; "To be known as the town of Dwight, and the streets and alleys described on the plat are hereby donated to the public."

In 1853, a man named Morris erected the first house in the village. It was a frame building, 16x24 feet, one and one-half stories high, and was built originally for a supply depot for the railroad hands. Augustus West erected the tirst residence in June, 1854. West was employed in "wooding up" the engines on the Chicago and Alton road, when it stopped here, At that time the village consisted of two small 'shanties and a water tank. One of these shan- ties had been occupied by a man named Stevens, who butchered for the men working on the railroad, and the other by James Morgan, who boarded them. In September, 1854, John Campbell built a temporary building just south of the present depot, as a railroad dining station, The trains stopped there for dinner and supper. It was purchased the following year by Hiram Cornell, who conducted a hotel in it for some time.

Early in March, 1855, David McWilliams began the erection of a building for a store, 20x- 2 feet, two stories high. A few loads of lumber were hauled on the vacant lot (opposite the Methodist church on Mazon avenue), but it seemed so far away from the depot that he was prevailed upon to change his location to the place where his bank building now stands. His first sale was a shilling lawn dress. The store served as a place of worship and a shelter for the new comers. Those in business in 1858 were David McWilliams and Henry Eldredge, grocers; C. H: and H. T. Newell, hardware; S. Hoke, furniture; E. B. Coleman, harness; John C. Spencer, flour, feed and provisions; E. Chilcott and Simon Lutz, blacksmiths; Joseph Rockwell, wagon maker; Dr. J. H. Hagerty, drugs; E. Jones, hotel; E. Vosburg and S. Hoke, painters; L. Armstrong, wheelwright. Among those who soon afterward engaged in business or professions were Dr. J. B. Baker, drugs; A. E. Gould, general merchandise; J. @ Hetzel, drygoods; G. M. Hahn, proprietor Dwight flouring mill; H. A. Kenyon, book store; W. S. Sims, sumber and coal; H. E. Siegert, miller; Hugh Thompson, grain merchant; J. M. Baker, grocer; William Estes, hardware; F. W. Ford, bakery; C. Koehnlein, furniture; John Leach, harness; J. C. Lewis, jeweler; E. Merrill, merchant; Alexander McKay, harness; O. W. Pollard and Company, merchants; S. W. Strong, insurance agent; W. L. Rabe, physician; G. A. Seymour, druggist; Zopher Tuttle, hanker; Philip Weicker, bakery. `

Previous to the spring of 1855, the only actual settlers in the village were August West, John Routzong, Simon Lutz, James Morgan, Thomas Wilson, E. C. Stevens and James Harrison and their families. During the same year, Hiram Cornell, William Clarkson, George Z. Flagler, Jeremiah Travis, W. H. Ketcham, Isaac H. Baker, S. L. Ramsey, James Smith, Northrup Riggs, B. Losee and Dr. J. H. Hagerty arrived.

The latter was a physician. In 1859 he was elected school commissioner. Among those to arrive within the next three years were: Charles H. Crandall, Isaac C, Mott, L. C. Pearre, J. F. Schumm, Homer Kenyon, Henry Eldridge, Joseph Rockwell. Rockwell made the first wagon in the village,

A large stone mill was built in 1859, the funds being subscribed by the citizens, and originally cost about $16,000. The first grain warehouse was built by John C. Spencer in 1857. The first postmaster was John Conant, receiving his appointment in 1855. He turned the office over to David McWilliams when the latter opened his store. The first birth in the township was a child of Thomas Wilson, the station agent, in 1854. It died a few months later. The second death was the wife of Alexander Gourley. The first marriage was that of Elon G. Ragan and Miss Maria West, on February 19, 1856. The first birth in the village was a child born unto Mr. and Mrs. Northrup Riggs. The first school house was built in the fall of 1855 at a cost of $275 and served three years as a school house, church and public hall. It was 16x24 feet, and stood about fifteen rods east of the residence of David McWilliams. In after years it was part of Col. J. B. Parsons' residence. The school directors were David McWilliams, Jeremiah Travis and Nelson Cornell. In 1857 it was found necessary to build a larger school building. All agreed that the house must be built, but the location cost many heated discussions. At the election, the "east side" party gained the day by three votes. A person going from the main part of town to the site of the new house was obliged to wade through slough grass as high as a man's head. In 1864 an addition was made to the building. It was 26x28 feet and cost $1,500. In 1870 the two story brick on the west side was erected at a cost of about $5,000. Notwithstanding the fact that it seated 150 pupils, the board of directors was obliged to rent a room in the Methodist church which served as a school room for one primary grade up to the fall of 1886, when the Presbyterian church was secured. Some ten years ago, a large brick schoo] house was erected on the east side of the village, used for the higher branches. The first teacher was Miss Sarah Snyder, who taught six years. Among the early teachers were Mrs. Edwin Lathrop, Clara Collister, Amerila Crowell, L. P. Wilmot, ©. S.

Glenn, D. S. Eylar, O. F. Pearre, O. S. Wescott, Miss Bennett, Miss Crist, Miss Hattle Newell, Mrs, F. J. Ketcham, Miss Jessie Wright, Miss Mary J. Paul, Mrs. C. M. Baker was the first woman elected on the board of education. The first graduation exercises were held in 1880, the graduates being Miss Alice Eldridge and Charles Fallis.

The first appointment for a religious meeting in Dwight was in the house of Nelson Cornell. It was just before the great snow storm in 1855. A few people gathered, but no preacher put in an appearance. Those who attended meeting at that time did so either at the log school house on Mazon creek or at Eber Stevens' barn. The first public religious services were held in a building afterwards occupied by J. J. Core, on lot 17, block 6. It was used before the building was finished, and thirty-seven persons attended the first Sunday school service on May 15, 1855. Among those whose names we can now ascertain were David McWilliams, N. E. Lyman, Simeon Lutz, John Routzong, Mr. and Mrs. John Conant, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Cutler, Henry Conant, Henry and George Cutler, Miss Meltina Earl, Jeremiah Travis, Augustus West, Ashley Bentley and Robert Thompson and family. The first sermon actually preached was over David McWilliams' store, on the second Sunday in June, 1855, by the Rev, A. D. Fields, of the Methodist Episcopal church. His circult, known the "Mazon circuit," embraced all that tract of country south of the Illinois river, and extending from Morris to Avoca Township. The society was organized with six members, viz: Simeon Lutz, John Routzong, Isaac Baker, Isabella Baker, David McWilliams and Jeremiah Travis. John Routzong was appointed leader of the class. The Rev. Mr. Field preached a few times during the summer, and at the next meeting of the conference, two ministers were appointed to the Mazon circuit, and Dwight became one of the regular preaching places. From this time forward there was preaching every alternate Sunday in the school house, then just built. In 1862, the society was struck off from the Mazon circuit, and Rey. C. W. Pollard appointed to the charges of Dwight, Odell and Pontiac. The society erected their first building in 1858; it was dedicated in July of that year by the Rev. Dr. Kidder, of Evanston. About 1862-63, the society had so increased in numbers as to necessitate the enlargement of their building, and it was lengthened twenty feet. For nine years they worshipped in this building, when their present elegant church was erected at a cost of $16,000, under the pastorate of Rev. E. D. Hall, and dedicated in October, 1867, by Rey. Dr. Eddy, then of Chicago. It is a handsomely finished edifice, is capable of seat- Ing about 500 persons, and the society numbers 260 members, The Sunday school of this society was organized at an early period, and is in a flourishing condition. David McWilliams was the first superintendent, a position he held for thirteen years in succession.

The Presbyterian church society was organized in Dwight in 1856, the next year after the Methodist. The original members were three males and five females, and their first place of worship was the school house, in which they continued to hold their meetings until the next year, when the church now occupied by the Danish Methodists was erected on lots donated by James C. Spencer and R. P. Morgan. This was the first church built in Dwight, and cost originally $2,620. The pulpit was filled by various ministers irregularly, until 1869, when Rev. L. F. Walker was called to the charge. In the fall of 1871, he was succeeded by Rev. W. L. Lloyd, who filled the pulpit until 1873, The elders of the church were Hugh Thompson, Robert Thompson, James George, James Paul and John C. George. The property was sold by the association to the Danish Methodist society.

The next society organized was the Congregational, December 1, 1865, The first sermon was preached in this faith by Rev. J. A. Montgomery, a student from the Congregational Semlnary of Chicago. The meetings were held in Gerson's hall. On the 12th of January, 1866, a "council of delegates' from the neighboring churches was convened, and invited to give advice regarding the permanent organization of a church, and eleven persons identified themselves with the congregation. In 1867 an effort was made to build a church, the lots procured, and the building commenced. In January, 1868, their present elegant church was dedicated, free from debt. The total cost of the building, grounds, etc., was $5,425. Rev. J. A, Montgomery was pastor from the first organization of the church until 1873, when he accepted a call to Morris, and the pulpit was afterwards filled by Rev. W. C. Rogers and several others, with

The Baptists made the next effort, but have not, from some cause or other, flourished as some of the other denominations haye done. The German Lutheran church was built in 1867, and cost $1,400; has about fifty members, and a flourishing Sunday school. The German Evangelical Association, or Albright Methodists, have 2 handsome little frame church edifice, 22x30 feet, which cost about $1,500. The Danish Lutherans haye a pretty little frame church, built a few years ago, which has a large and fiourishing membership. There is also a Roman Catholie church in the village, with a membership of about fifty families. Their church is a neat and tasty little building, put up at a cost of about $1,500.

The first bank was established by J. G. Strong in 1866. It suspended in 1884. David' Mc- Williams and Zopher Tuttle each afterward engaged in the banking business. There are at the present time two banks in the village, The first newspaper was established May 5, 1868, by Charles Palmer, called the Dwight Star. Isaac G. Mott was the first supervisor and first chairman of that body, W. H. Ketcham the first collector, and Barum Losee the first constable. The latter was killed in 1872 by a runaway team while sitting in front of McWilliams and Judd's bank.

The early members of the bar were: L. G. Pearre, J. G. Strong, Fred B. Hargreaves, R. S. McelIlduff, Joseph I. Dunlop, W. H. Bradbury, Lewis Kenyon and F. E. Peck.

Oaklawn cemetery was laid out in 1877. The remains of Samuel V. Vickery were brought from Kansas and buried, his body being the first interred there. In 1879, sixty bodies were removed from the old cemetery to Oaklawn. This cemetery is, without doubt, the finest in the county. It is located two miles west of the village. When the cemetery was divided into lots and plats, several thousand trees were set out. These bave since grown to large proportions. The late L. E. Keeley in his will left $10,000 toward its improvement. The Catholic cemetery is located one and one-half miles south of the village.

A census was taken of the village in 1870. This report possesses some interest, as it indicates the size to which the village had attained, the number of buildings and inhabitants. It Is as follows: Number of inhabitants, 1,044; dwellings, 212; families, 120; white males, 537; white females, 501; colored males, 4; colored females, 2; males foreign born, 109; females, foreign born, 75; number attending school, 225; number that cannot read, 11; number that cannot write, 37; number of electors 243. According to the census of 1900, the population of the village had increased to 2,015.

During the winter of 1883, eleven deaths resulted from the scarlet fever scourge. Miss Laura Thompson, a graduate of the high school, Miss Nellie Gallup, and four of the family of T. J. Johnson were of the number. The Methodists held a memorial service in memory of the scholars of that church who died as a result of the epidemic.

The village has been visited with several destructive fires, occurring on March 24, 1869, December 9, 1869, June 8, 1879, August, 1882, and October 10, 1891.

From 1869 to 1881, there were on an average of ten saloons in the village. Since 1881, with the exception of the years 1905-06. saloons have been voted out.

The repair shops and the round house of the western division (Peoria branch) of the Chicago and Alton road are located here. Within the past five years several blocks of the principal thoroughfares have been paved with brick, and many miles of cement sidewalks have been laid. This village is noted as being the parent home of the Keeley Institute. Two weekly newspapers - the Star and Herald and the Sun - are published here. The Livingston Hotel is the finest building of its kind in the county. It was -erected by the proprietors of the Keeley Institute. Nearly all of the business houses are built of brick. The principal manufacturing industry is the Spencer hay-press factory plant, which employs several people. One of the finest residences in the county is that of John R. Oughton, surrounded by a park in which are twenty deer.