Delaware County, Indiana - Chapter 11: Beginning of Centers of Population, 1908

Chapter 11: Beginning of Centers of Population

The grouping of population and tlic formation of village centers, being the result of natural growth, arc more interesting than the organization of townships and the marking of boundary lines, which is an artificial process. Every town has an individual history, like that of Muncic, and so requires a special article to describe it. But it is impossible to indicate in a general way the beginnings of a typical village community, and mention the causes and effects that characterize the history of all such centers. The process may be described thus: A fertile and well situated region receives its share of the immigration then overflowing the country. Assuming that they are pioneers, it will be almost a necessity that most of them till the soil, even though combining that with another occupation! Or, if a timbered region, those engaged in the lumber industry would be subject to the same centralizing influences. If the settlement was on a much traveled thoroughfare, one or perhaps more of the pioneer houses would be opened for the entertainment of the transient public. On the banks of a stream some one constructs a saw mill or a grist mill. At some convenient and central point a settler with commercial instincts will open a stock of goods such as will supply the other settlers and immigrants. A postofnee comes next, the postmaster very likely being the merchant or tavern-keeper. A physician, looking for a location, is pleased with the conditions and occupies a cabin near the store or inn. A carpenter or other mechanic is more accessible to his patronage if he lives near the postofnee or other common gathering point. If the schoolhouse of the district has not already been built, it is probable that it will be placed at the increasingly central site. And the first church is a natural addition. Already this nucleus of settlement is a village in embrvo, and in the natural course of development a variety of enterprises will center there; the mechanical, the manufacturing, the commercial and the professional departments of human labor will be grouped together for the purpose of efficiency and convenience. By such accretions of population, by diversification of industry, by natural advantages of location and the improvement of means of transportation, this community in time becomes organized as a village, and. with continued prosperity, as a city.

Sometimes the development is arrested at a particular stage. The village remains a village, the hamlet ceases to grow, and we have a center of population without special business, industrial or civic development Then there are instances in this county of retrogression. A locality that could once be dignified with name of village has disintegrated under the stress of rivalry from other centers or from other causes, and is now little more than a place and a name.

The centers of Delaware county illustrate all these processes. As a ren. eral observation it may be said that during the early years, when communication was primitive and isolation quite complete even between localities sepa- 1 rated by a few miles, the tendency was toward centralization in numerous hamlets and small villages. But in keeping with the economic development for which the past century was noted, and especially because of the improve, ment of all forms of transportation, the barriers against easy communication with all parts of the county were thrown down, and the best situated centers grew and flourished at the expense of the smaller centers, which gradually dwindled into comparative insignificance. Nothing has done more to accelerate this movement than the establishment of rural free delivery and the extension of telephone service into the country districts. The postoffice was the central point of community life, and remoteness from its privileges was a severe privation. Rural delivery has made every home a postoffice, puts each home in daily contact with the world, and while it is destroying provincialism and isolation, it is effecting a wholesome distribution of population. The telephone has been equally and similarly beneficial. And the introduction into Indiana of the system of public transportation of school children to and from school removes another powerful incentive to villain life. When weak districts may be consolidated and a large, well graded and modern union school be provided convenient and accessible to every child in the enlarged school area, families no longer find it necessary "to move to town in order to educate their children."

Smithfield And Selma

Reference to original land entries of Liberty township shows that William Blunt Sr., Wilder Potter, David Branson and others located along the White river during 1822- 1823. What is said to have been the first mill in the township was constructed on the river in section 22 about 1828 by David Stout, and shortly afterward another mill was located in the same vicinity. In a few years the north bank of the river exhibited a wide clearing, on which were half a dozen or more houses, and already it was distinguished as a "local habitation" with a name. A merchant opened a stock of goods, and on one of the early thoroughfares from the east leading through this locality, it is likelv that one or more houses were regularly opened for the entertainment of travelers. Thus Smithfield became a village, and some years later, when it was platted by the proprietors, David Stout and William Duncan, these men may have had some visions of its growth to a town of size aI,d commercial importance. Smitlificld played its part in the early history of the county, but in the fifties the river and the high road lost their commercial importance as compared with the railroad whose line passed a mile and a half to the north. A railroad station was established, a store was opened by Joseph Babb, and within a short time the activities of the town on the river began to decline, and Selma, fortified along the iron highway, attracted merchants, doctors, churches and schools, and the various interests which have constituted it one of the recognized centers of the county. For many years, however, Smitlificld continued to have a store and blacksmith shop, and a grist mill run with water power.

Along the course of White river and the old State road are to be found some of the oldest towns of the county. After Smithfield and Muncic, the next deserving attention is Yorktown. Samuel Casman, the Delaware halfbreed, entered the land on which most of this village is situated, and when he disposed of it to Oliver H. Smith, the latter platted a village. The site selected was on the west side of the river, along the State road. Another advantage at the time was the proposed canal which was planned to pass through this locality. The first house is said to have been built about 1834, by Joshua Turner. In the third house erected, John Longley opened a stock of groceries, and on his removal O. H. Smith and T. J. Sample put up a store, about 1839, and were the principal merchants for some years. On the west side of the village were two taverns, one being known as the "Blue Ball Tavern," from the sign that hung suspended before it. Joseph Van Matre kept this place, which he built about 1830, and conducted it in a manner to make it famous among travelers. He and his wife lived there until they passed away, and then after standing half a century the house was torn down. The second house erected on the village site was used at various times for residence, church and schoolhouse. Thus the principal interests needful to make a village community were soon supplied. Dr. John C. Helm located there soon after the platting of the town, and Dr. Godwin was another early physician. Before Mr. Smith platted the site, a postoffice was kept by William Jones a mile and a half west, but soon afterward it was moved to Yorktown. As early as 1830 the waters of Buck creek near its junction with White river had been tapped by a race, and a saw mill built. This, the first industrial enterprise, was established by William Hardwick, who about 1832 added machinery for grinding corn, and continued to operate the mill until his death. O. H. Smith got control of it and converted it into a woolen mill. A. and D. M. Yingling finally secured the property, and before the boom days of Yorktown the Yingling Woolen Mill was the principal manufacturing enterprise.

The vicinity about the White river in the extreme west side of the county has been known as a center of settlement for about seventy years. In the early thirties what was known as "the hydraulic" was begun by the state at this point. This was intended as a feeder to the Wabash canal. A dam ten feet high was constructed across the river at this point, and some of the stones and timbers were to be seen in the bed of the river as late as ten years ago. The canal was cut on the north bank of the river, extending along low hills in many places nearly a mile from the river. At the head of this canal, on the opposite side of the river from where Daleville now stands, a town said to have had two or three hundred inhabitants and known as Mount Summit grew up. The canal enterprise failed, however, and the village disintegrated. Some of the old buildings stood for over half a century, but the owner of the land, John Bronncnberg, had long since plowed across the streets that had been laid out when the village was started. In the early sixties some private capitalists proposed to make use of the disused channel by completing a canal to Anderson, using the water to run mills and factories. About sixty thousand dollars was expended, but constant breaks in the masonry near Chesterfield caused a final abandonment of the enterprise. Some of the masonry still stands, though the old cut is well nigh obliterated and when observed often becomes a matter of curious speculation to account for its origin.

The village of Daleville takes its name from the Dale family. Campbell Dale had entered land in that locality in 1827, and his sons platted the village. Where the principal north and south street of the village crosses the Muncie road, a two story frame building had been erected about 1845 and used for a tavern by Abraham Pugsley. One or two mercantile enterprises had been started here at an earlier date, but the town had no real permanence until the railroad was built in the early fifties.

It is said that the land on which the village of Albany was later built was first located by Andrew Kennedy, in 1827. After making some improvements he sold to William Vcnard, who bought the land of the government, the date of his entry being October 3, 1832. In the following year he subdivided the land into town lots and founded the village of Albany, which has since grown and extended its limits over a considerable part of two sections. So far as known, Albany was a site without any business enterprise for several years. Granville Hastings had opened a stock of goods in section 16 at the locality variously known as Clifton, Sharon and Zehner Mill, in 1834, and it was two years later before Uriah Pace started a little store in Albany.

Other early merchants of the village were John Mitchell, William Krohn, Jacob Powers and the Bergdolls. Dr. Isaiah Templin was the first physician to locate there. As late as 1880 Albany had but six mercantile firms, besides the various trades and four or five physicians. The history of Albany as the progressive town next in size to Muncie in the county is contained within the last twenty-five years, for previous to that period the interests were few and no important industries had yet been established.

Eaton, whose chief claim to fame outside its own county lies in its being the pioneer gas town of Indiana, had its origin as a center of population in a milling enterprise that was located on the river in what is now the south edge of town. This mill, the first in the township and one of the first in the county, was built by Francis Harris in the early thirties ; some eight or nine years later was sold to the firm of Carter and Johnson, who discarded some of the primitive features of the grist machinery and put up a combination saw and grtst mill. The Carter brothers, Charles and George, later owned and controlled the property, and in time a new flouring mill and saw mill succeeded the earlier plants, the Carter mill becoming one of the industrial landmarks of Eaton and the north side of the county.

In the vicinity of this mill, previous to 1870, some four or five families had grouped their homes. The Younts, Young and Carmichael families were the principal ones thus distinguished as pioneer residents of the community which has since grown into the town of Eaton. In 1870 the Fort Wayne, Muncie and Cincinnati Railroad was completed through this point, and almost immediately population and the general village interests .began to increase. A census was taken in May, 1873, at which time 158 persons lived in the locality, and as a result of this census and the expressed desires of the people a petition was presented to the county commissioners asking that this community be incorporated as a town. July 5, 1873, 'be vote taken in accordance with the instructions from the commissioners showed that 28 were in favor of incorporation and none against it. Eaton was incorporated September 10, 1873, tne first town in the county beside the county seat to acquire this form of local government. The first officers chosen to administer the allairs of the town corporation, at an election September 20, 1873, were: Adam Foorman, Wilson Martin, Nathan Baisinger, trustees ; John Foorman, clerk, treasurer and assessor.

Granville

Granville, in section 31 of Niles township and on the south bank of the Mississincwa, is one of the oldest villages in the county. It is the successor of Georgetown, which was located a short distance further up the river, Price Thomas having hewed the logs for the first house on that site in 1833.

This village enterprise failed, however, and a more vigorous community grew up where John Gregory divided a part of his land into town lots in 1836 and founded Granville. To this point it is said the inhabitants of Georgetown floated their houses down the river and erected them again on the new village site. James A. Maddy was the first merchant at the place, though he sold goods for Wilson Stanley, the owner. This store was opened in 1836, and was located in a log house on the banks of the river. David Shideler was also a merchant here. For many years Granville kept pretty well on a par with its neighbors, Eaton and Albany, but the railroad changed conditions and gave the latter insuperable advantages that the quiet river village could never overcome.,

Wheeling And New Corner

Washington township contains several sites of population centers that have undergone many fluctuations in the course of history. Outside of the recorder's office, very few people have any practical knowledge of the site once known as Elizabethtown, which was situated on the north bank of the Mississinewa river in section 12. Joseph Wilson, the original proprietor of the town, platted the site because it was believed to be the central location and the natural selection for the county seat of a county which was to be formed from part of Delaware and the land situated to the north. The name was given in honor of Elizabeth Wilson, whose grandson is Mark Powers, of Gaston. A village was started, merchants and blacksmiths and other mechanics located there, town lots brought fancy prices, and during the thirties Elizabethtown had more importance than some of the presentday towns that were not then on the map. But the boundaries of Blackford countv, when formed in 1839, did not even include Elizabethtown. This humiliation was more than the natural vigor of the town could endure, and in a few years little remained to mark the site of this ambitious enterprise.

William McCormick, one of the pioneer settlers of the township, about 1833 purchased land in the northeast corner of section 14 and later laid out a village there. One of the oldest roads in the county is Wheeling avenue, as it is now called, leading from Muncie to this point, and this highway was the first regular mail route to this part of the county. The mail was carried by horseback as far as Logansport, and later a hack service was installed and continued in use until the railroad was built a few years ago. William McCormick's house was the first postoffice, which went by the name of Cranberry postoffice until it was changed to Wheeling.

New Corner, which is now the enterprising Gaston, but which at an even earlier date was .known as Snagtown, dates back to February, 1855, when David L. Jones laid the first plat on part of the northeast quarter of section 33. This village necessarily had little prosperity beyond the rural

New Burlington

The road between Muncic and Richmond, one of the earliest and most traveled highways of the county, passed through Perry township, along the line of the New Burlington pike. Houses of entertainment, taverns or inns as they were called, were numerous along this route, and occasionally a village grew up around such a house. Also, merchants found the traffic of the highway to their advantage, and country stores offered their wares to the passing public at short intervals. Where the road crosses section 8 of Perry township, George Ribble had platted a village in the thirties, and at that point was located the first postoffice of the township, John Newcomb offered the first stock of goods for sale in 1838, and a year or so later Charles Mansfield opened a tavern that became popular and much frequented by travelers along the road. Mansfield soon succeeded to the merchandise stock, and some time later sold all to John Kyger. Benjamin Pugh was the first postmaster, Dr. S. V. Jump and George W. Shroyer being his successors, the latter having been the principal merchant for many years. These sum up the chief interests of New Burlington during its early history.

With the building of the railroad through Perry township, New Burlington lost most of its prestige. About two miles west was located a little station known as Medford, the postoffice being called Phillips.

Another center of Perry township is Mount Pleasant, in the southwest comer, which consisted largely of a group of homes about the United Brethren church, and made no pretensions to commercial or industrial enterprise.

After the building of the railroad through the center of this township a station was established about the center of the township and named Mc- Cowan's, which has come to be known best as Cowan. Charles McCowan, after whom it was named, was one of the early settlers of the township, and a man of remarkable industry, as a result of which he accumulated a competence, and at his death gave six thousand dollars for the building of a church and graded school building at McCowan's station. Around these institutions a village community was formed, a postoffice was established, and within a few years there were two stores, two saw mills, a tile factory, and the usual interests of such a place.

For a number of years a postoffice called Macedonia was kept at a store in the southeast corner of section 14, but in November, 1890, it was discontinued because no one would perform the duties of the office. Afterward the people of this vicinity got their mail at Luray, and Macedonia practically ceased to exist

Richwood postoffice on the west side of the township belongs in the list of those little communities that existed chiefly because of the postoffice and have ceased to be since the rural route superseded the postoffice.

Royerton dates back to about' 1870, when John Royer divided forty acres of land into town lots, reserving sites for schoolhouse and church. He already had a store and postoffice at that point, and with the impetus of the railroad the commercial interests and one or two mills were maintained.

About the same time Isaac Shideler, who had been active in promoting the first railroad from Fort Wayne and had then given land for depot site at the north edge of Hamilton township, revived the town of Shideler, and with the building of a depot the village may be said to have begun. Mr. Shideler was proprietor of the store and the postmaster at this point.

Before the days of the rural free delivery a great many centers, named and located on the map, had little else to distinguish them or give them importance except the postoffice. As long as there was reason for the existence of a postoffice, to which the people of the surrounding neighborhood would regularly come for their mail, the same place would offer attractions for a country store and blacksmith shop and perhaps thus become the nucleus of a larger center. With the discontinuance of postoffices of this class by the rural free delivery, a great many of these centers are disappearing, and deserve mention largely because they existed in the past. A list of such places follows :

In Salem township are Tabor, once a postoffice and site of a church and school community (a familiar name was "Sockum"). Crossroads, near the south line of the township, had some commercial distinction in early years, a store having been opened there about 1832, though it failed of success, and in 1838 the Moffett brothers opened another.

In Harrison township is the little place called Bethel, or, more recently, Stout, from the name of the merchant for a long time located at that point, Isaac Stout. This is on the south side of section 20, and not far away was the placed named Harrison, designed as a village by Job Garner, who conducted the first merchandising enterprise of the township at that point.