Marshall County, Indiana - The whole text, 1908 (part 5 of 12)

Since the organization of the fire department there have been but six chiefs, whose names are as follows: James ]\L Confer, Daniel B. Armstrong, Andrew H. Korp, Adam V'innedge, James Moore and Fred H. Kuhn, the present incumbent, who has been elected ever}- year since his first election, the best endorsement he could possibly have that his work has been well and faithfully done.

The city hall was completed about the first of January, 1876, by Robert McCance and William P. Beaton, contractors, at a cost of $4,200. The construction of the building was under the immediate supervision of Alfred Morrison, Piatt McDonald and William D. Thompson, all at that time members of the city council. The building is 34 feet w-ide by 50 feet in length. The walls are 35 feet high, 18 inches thick to the second story and 12 inches from there to the top. The tower is 9 feet square and 59 feet high. The first story is in one large room, in which are kept the implements of the fire department. The upper story is divided into two rooms - one for the fire department and one for the meetings of the city council, and the use of the clerk and mayor. The building is one of the best of its kind in northern Indiana, and is large enough for the use of the city for many years to come.

Bourbon township, in which the town of Bourbon is situated as the seat of justice, was regularly organized January 6, 1840. The petitioners for the organization of the township were James O., Gravson H., John F. and Edward R. Parks; Thomas R. McKey, Peter Ups'ell, W. H. RockJiill, Israel Beeber, William Taylor, John Greer, William Elder, John Henry, A. H. Buckman, Lyman Foote, Samuel Taylor, John F. Dukes, John Fuller, James Taylor, William Taylor, Jr., George Taylor and Samuel Rockhill.

John Greer and John F. and Edwin R. Parks had, a year or so prior to the organization of the county, come to the region of where Bourbon now is from Bourbon county, Kentucky, and James O. Parks, as the spokesman for the others, suggested to the board of commissioners that the new township be named Bourbon in honor of his native county in Kentucky, and it was accordingly so done.

The town of Bourbon was not regularly laid out as a town until April 23, 1853, thirteen years after the organization of the township, although prior to that time it had grown to be considerable of a village. Naturally enough the town of Bourbon took the name of the township and for the same reason. The original proprietors of the town were Samuel Thomas and J. S. Neidig. Since then the following additions have been made:

Martin's first and second ; J. F. Park's addition and continued addition ; Linn's addition and continued addition ; Boley's first and second addition : Ball's addition ; Davis's addition ; Bailey's addition : Thayer's first, second and third and continued addition ; J. W. Thomas's addition ; Borton's addition, and Staples's addition.

In September, 1865, the town of Bourbon was incorporated under the state law authorizing the incorporation of towns and villages for municipal purposes. The first officers elected after the organization took place were as follows: Trustees, Elias Galentine, James H. Porter and Omar Davis; Caleb Davis, marshal; George Sears, clerk and treasurer; Lewis Gross, assessor.

The first election held in Bourbon township was held at the house of Elizabeth Parks. This occurred in April, 1840. The town of Bourbon had no existence at that time, and for several years afterwards had but few houses. The writer remembers having passed through what is now the town of Bourbon in August, 1849, and his recollection is quite vivid to the effect that there was not what could be called a town there then. The whole country in that region, with few exceptions, was an unbroken wilderness, and to follow the road that led to Tippecanoe town, the place he was trying to find, without missing the way, required a close look-out for the blazes on the trees, the primitive" guide-boards as it were, that enabled the traveler to find his way. Notwithstanding these precautions, on his return in the dusk of the evening he lost his way, and some time during the night found himself the guest of a pioneer who lived in a log cabin in the woods half way between what is now Bourbon and Tippecanoe town.

Some thirty odd years ago a writer gave the following glowing description of Bourbon: "The pleasant and beautiful little city of Bourbon is in the center border of Marshall county, in the midst of one of the finest, richest and most splendidly developed agricultural regions in the entire state. The vicinity of the city is beautiful and diversified by old and magnificent forests of the loftiest aiid largest timber of every variety ; the finest and cosiest country seats, nestled in secluded spots, surrounded by Nature's choicest beauties ; the largest and most productive fanns and horticultural plantations, the peaceful towns and sleepy villages, the schools and churches here and there, o'er hill and vale, all in the midst of health, and abundance of all that makes life desirable and enjoyable."

The following order appears on the records of the board of commissioners of Marshall county at the March term, 1837, and that was the first order of that kind that had been made since the organization of the county :

"Now, at this time, to-wit, on the seventh day of March, 1S37, here comes in open court James Parks and makes application for the privilege of sending a student to the Indiana college at Bloomington, to-wit: John F. Parks, which request is granted for the term of two years."

James Parks was the father of the applicant and of James O. and the other Parkses named above. In a paper prepared by Sinclair D. Parks many years ago, he speaks of the death of James Parks as follows :

'"the first death in the new settlement occurred on the twenty-eighth day of August, 1839, the deceased being James Parks, at the age of sixty-three years. He was buried in the first burying ground laid out in the township, which is now known as the Parks or Ganzhorn burying ground, two miles east of Bourbon. Considerable astonishment was manifested when it was rumored that a gravestone was to be shipped from New York and was to be erected at the head of his grave. It was the first gravestone ever brought to Marshall county."

For several years Bourbon was without adequate fire protection, and during that period several destructive fires occurred, but a detailed record of them has not been kept.

On the twelfth of January, 1854, the storeroom of W. E. Thompson was consumed, together with its entire contents, including his books. The estimated loss on building, goods, etc., was about $2,500, on which there was an insurance of $1,600. The adjoining room, occupied by Robert Cornwall as a drug store, was also consumed, but a portion of the contents was saved.

The most destructive fire of which an account is given occurred October 3, 1872. The second block north of the railroad, on the west side of Main street, was entirely destroyed, resulting in an estimated loss of $10,000 to $15,000. Those who suffered bv the fire were Lerov Manville, William Sear, A. M. Davis, D. Walmer,' Phil Matz, Thomas 'Banks, Matchette & France, W. C. & A. C. Matchette, H. A. Snepp, Mrs. Hess, A. W. Johnson, J. Oldfather, Dr. L. Johnson and Tyrrell & Chamberlain.

January 15, 1878. the residence and ax handle factory of Peter Knisely was destroyed. The loss was estimated at $1,500. The house was one of the first erected in Bourbon.

There were several other fires where the loss was considerable, but no details have been secured. Among them were the Heller and Galentine flour mills, the largest in northern Indiana, and the Odd Fellows building were destroyed in 1863; the church and the public school building in 1864; the Davis mills in 1865; the Sear block in 1873; the old College building in 1884; the east side of I\Iain street, including the Ledas block, the IMatchette block, Brillhart, Bendell & Pickett block, and the Fort Wayne railroad passenger and freight station in 1885.

For thirty years or more Bourbon has had an efficient fire department, which has been the means of saving from burning buildings and property worth many times its cost.

Vigilant Hook and Ladder Company was organized July 5, 1875. The cost of apparatus complete was about $385. It started with twenty-five members. This company participated in a friendly contest at Warsaw during the fair of 1876; also in a friendly contest in Bremen in 1877 and July 4, 1877, won the second prize, $50, at the state tournament at Goshen. They ran 150 yards and sent a man over the top of a twenty- foot ladder in twenty-eight seconds. They also participated in the contest at Fort Wayne, July 6, 1880, running the same distance in twenty-four and one-fourth seconds, and winning the prize of $75. At that time this company had the reputation of being one of the best in the state.

Secret and benevolent societies are well represented in Bourbon. The Odd Fellows were the first to organize a lodge in this place, which was done in 1858. This was followed by the organization of Bourbon Lodge No. 227, F. & A. M., in December, 1865. The Knights of Pythias organized a lodge in Bourbon in 1889 with thirty members and have since added largely to that number. The Improved Order of Red Men organized Pottawattomie Tribe No. 16 in 1868. It has continued from that time to the present and has a membership of about seventy-five. Attached to it is a lodge of the degree of Pocahontas for the benefit of the ladies of the male members. It is No. i and was the first organized in Indiana. There is also here an organization of the Daughters of Rebecca, and also a chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, an appendant to the Masonic order. There is also here a post of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose membership is made up entirely of soldiers of the war of the Rebellion.

Old Uncle Jo Davis, as he was called, father of the older Davises that were prominent in the early days of Bourbon's history, came to Bourbon in the early sixties, and among the first buildings he erected was a small round house that stood on the north side of the railroad near the then passenger and freight depot. It was a curious looking structure, and was the subject of many inquiries as to what it was used for. Uncle Jo had formerly lived in La Porte county, and with Charles W. Cathcart had been converted to Spiritualism, and he erected this building to be used for spiritualistic meetings. For some time it was used for that purpose, but Mr. Davis, growing old and feeble, its use for that purpose was finally abandoned. For two or three years it was used as a passenger station for the railroad, and telegraph and express office. After the railroad company vacated it, it went into a state of "innocuous desuetude" and has finally disappeared.

In 1866, Web Truslow and Charles Jewel, amateur musicians then residing in Bourbon, succeeded in organizing the Bourbon Cornet Band, comprised of the following members in addition to themselves: Charles Rathburn, John W. Parks, Daniel Hartman, Daniel D. Haines, Jerome H. Chamberlain, William Johnson, Frank Johnson, and Henry Steinbach, leader. The instruments were purchased in Chicago at a cost of $150, of which $25 was contributed by the members, $49 donated by the citizens of Bourbon, and $76 borrowed from Caleb Davis, which was afterwards returned to him. In 1867 some changes took place, George N. Hupp and Gaylord brothers being admitted. Mr. Steinbach resigned his leadership in 1872 and was succeeded by George N. Hupp, who continued as such for several years. During the presidential campaign of 1880 the band made $520.

"Articles of Agreement made and entered into between Mathew Erwin, Howard Barnaby, A. C. Matchette, Newell Minard, David Wilkins and K. Heck-man, of the first part, and Jacob B. Shively, Jesse Calvert and Jacob Beiby, of the second part.

"The party of the first part agrees to make a good and sufficient warranty deed, or cause the same to be made, of the college property in Bourbon, Marshall county, Indiana, to said party of the second part, subject to the following conditions, to-wit: That said college property is to be used perpetually for college purposes, after the order of Burber college in the state of Ohio, except the theological department, and if not so used by the party of the second part, revert back to the persons or legal representatives who' have subscribed, and to pay the sum of $2,500 in a ratable proportion to the amount paid by each person so subscribing. And the party of the first part agrees to pay the party of the second part the sum of $1,000 on or before the 25th day of May, 1871, the party of the second part to assign the above-named subscriptions to the party of the first part for their own use upon the conditions that the party of the first part make deed as aforesaid and become responsible for the $1,000.

The college was incorporated under the laws of the state of Indiana in the name of "Salem College" on the 24th day of February, 1871, prior to the making of the above agreement. The objects for which said institution was established were for the diffusing of useful, religious, moral and scientific knowledge, under the control of the German Baptist Church of the mother Baptist church of Indiana.

The first president of the college was C. W. Miller, and the trustees were Jacob Shively, Jesse Calvert and David Shively. The amount of endowment designed to be reached was $100,000, and that they should connect with the college in land, buildings, donations and property to the value of $12,000. The work progressed for some time; scholarships were sold and the college was opened, and continued for a period of two or three years, when the organization became involved in litigation, finally dissolved and the property reverted to the original owners. The college was also known as the Dunkard College.

In the years 1875 and 1876 J. A. Reubelt tried to re-establish the defunct institution, but failed. He was followed by President Yocum, who tried for two years more without success. This ended Salem College. The building was destroyed by fire in 1880 and the ground sold to the town of Bourbon, on which was erected the present public school building.

In 1900 the Bourbon College and School of Music was started. President Marshall labored for one year, followed by Prof. Bish, and then by Profs. Steele, Newel and Hahn. The life of the college was four years. The building is now vacant, save one room, which is used as a primary room for the south side Bourbon school. To erect this building shares of $100 each were sold to the amount of $10,000 to farmers and men in town who still own the stock. The stockholders have a board of directors, but they have nothing to do.

Bourbon's first public school building was erected in 1865 and 1866 in the south part of town, a short distance west of the residence of Joseph W. Davis, at a cost of about $4,000. It was a commodious building, two stories in height, comfortably seated and furnished, and generally well arranged for the purposes for which it was intended. Reason Shinnebarger was the first teacher who occupied the building after it was completed. He was followed by Mrs. Hoover, Messrs. Bock, Reefy, Chrouse, W. E. Bailey, Prof. Allen, Miss Lou Borton, Mr. James, Mr.- Greenawalt, and Byron McAlpine, who prepared the first course of instruction the school had ever had, in 1877. ^^r. McAlpine was connected as principal of the schools for a period of twelve or more years. Since his death occurred several years ago several have occupied the position, among them Mr. Reubelt, and the present superintendent. Prof. E. H. Rizer. Some twelve or more years ago the old school building was destroyed by fire, whereupon a new building was erected on the old Salem college grounds where the schools are now taught.

Prior to the organization of Walnut township, where is now situated the town of Argos was in Green township. A meeting of those interested in the formation of a new township was held at the schoolhouse near Marquis L. Smith's tavern, then in Green township, May 21, 1859, ^or the purpose of selecting a name for the new township and recommending a suitable person to be appointed trustee. Merrill Williams was president of the meeting and Samuel B. Corbaley secretary. The names of Argos, Richland and Noble were proposed for the new township. Noble was withdrawn, and the vote resulted: Argos 13, Richland 8. For some reason not stated the commissioners ordered the township to be called Walnut. The names of John A. Rhodes and Charles Brown were proposed for trustee. The vote resulted: Rhodes 18, Brown 4. Merrill Williams, John A. Rhodes and N. E. Manville were appointed a committee to attend to the necessary business before the board of commissioners. The township was organized January 9, 1859. Immediately after the organization of the township the following petition was presented to the board :

The petition was granted and the consoHdated towns were ordered to be known as "Argos." Argos was the name of a city in Greece made famous in the Iliad of Homer. This ancient city, according to history, is long since in ruins. Her thirty temples, her costly sepulchers, her gymnasiums, and her numerous and magnificent monuments and statues have disappeared, and the only traces of her former greatness are some remains of her Cyclopean walls, and a ruined theater cut in the rock and of magnificent proportions. The modern Argos, built on the ruins of the ancient city, is nothing more than a straggling village. The plain of the ancient Argos is said to be one of the most beautiful to be found. On every side, except toward the sea, it is bounded by mountains, and the contrast between these mountains and the plain and the sea is strikingly beautiful. The Argus spelled with a "u" was the name of a fabulous being of antiquity, said to have a hundred eyes, and placed by Juno to guard lo, and hence originated the term, "argus-eyed."

The town of Sidney, of which Argos is the successor, was laid out by John Pleak and Marquis L. Smith, January 8, 1851. It was named in honor of Sidney Williams, who settled there probably as early as 1835. Mr. Williams was a prominent citizen and took an active part in the early organization of the county. He served as the first associate judge of the circuit court, from 1836 to 1843. He took the "gold fever" and went to California in the early fifties, and later returned east and settled in Illinois, where he lost the sight of his eyes, and finally died. The town of Sidney was surveyed and platted by Amasa W. Reed, county surveyor, and contained sixty lot's.

Fremont, adjoining Sidney, was. laid out by Joseph H. Rhodes, November 6, 1856, and contained twenty-six lots. It was named in honor of Col. John C. Fremont, who was on that day voted for as the Republican candidate for president. As he was beaten in his race for president, it was an easy matter to get the board of commissioners to change the name to Argos. The town of Argos was incorporated under the state law in December, 1869. The first election was held December 4, 1869, and resulted in the election of the following officers : Trustees, Joseph F. Norton, Jonathan Pickerel and J. S. Leland ; marshal, James Pickerel ; clerk, George W. Krouse ; treasurer, A. Seely ; assessor, W. R. Cook.

The Marshall County Medical Society was organized at Argos May 13, 1878, with the following charter members : Drs. Samuel W. Gould, Reason B. Eaton, J. H. Wilson, J. S. Leland, F. Stevens and J. T. Doke. The objects of the society were stated to be for the purpose of advancing medical knowledge and to elevate professional character.

The cornerstone of the public school building erected in the town of Argos was laid under the auspices of the fraternities of Masons, Odd Fellows and Improved Order of Red IMen, on the sixteenth day of August,

1873. After the ceremonies of laying the stone, addresses were deHvered by Rev. J. L. Boyd, Methodist minister of Plymouth ; Hon. M. A. O. Packard, of Plymouth ; P. S. Hoffman, of Richmond, and Prof. M. B. Hopkins, state superintendent of public instruction. After the close of the services an excellent dinner was served by the ladies of the place, and the occasion was one in every way enjoyable. The building is of brick, forty by sixty feet, and two stories high, well finished and furnished with the latest improved furniture and fixtures.

Abel C. Hickman, whose death occurred in Argos June 11, 1877, waS at the time of his death probably the oldest settler in the county, although that honor was disputed by Robert Schroeder, then living in North township, who claimed to have settled in the county before Mr. Hickman. From his obituary notice the following is taken as being of historical importance : He was born in Harrison county, Virginia, September i, 1805. He chose the profession of a farmer, emigrated to Indiana in 1832 and settled on the Michigan road two miles south of Argos, as the lands belonging to the road were the only lands in market. This was four years prior to the organization of the county. As soon as the government lands were surveyed in 1835 he moved off west of the road and settled on the farm now owned by Adam Bixel. Thus he was the first actual settler on state lands after the survey in the neighborhood. Three years after, in 1838, the first society for religious worship was organized at Mr. Hickman's house by the Rev. Mr. Owens, of the Methodist Episcopal church. Thus was Methodism introduced into Marshall county. His house continued a regular place of worship for several years. In 1844 the first house of worship erected in the county was built on his farm. In 1875 he took up his residence in Argos and engaged in the drug business. As a man he was positive to a fault and was a good neighbor. He had been watching the developments of Marshall county for forty-five years, and with great satisfaction he saw the forest give way to the beautiful fields, and the solitude of the wilderness broken by the bustle of busy homes. He saw the population of the county increase 160 times. In the midst of prosperity, surrounded by friends, like a ripe sheaf he was gathered by the harvesters of eternity.

The Argos public schools have ever been dear to the people of the town. Even while Argos was yet a small village, the "little red schoolhouse," which, in point of fact, happened to be the natural color of the weatherboards, put in its appearance.

Specific facts relating to this early period are scarce and have but slight serial relation. Only a few tangled threads of the warp and woof of the history then made now remain, and these are found only in the memories of some of the older citizens. These lead hack to the year 1847, when the first schoolhouse was built in Argos by Walnut township, on what is now the southwest corner of the old cemetery. The land upon which this house was built was purchased of Merrill Williams. As showing something of the progressive and up-to-date spirit of the people who founded the little village, it may be stated that this pioneer schoolhouse supported a bell, a thing almost unknown to district houses until a much later period. Among

The second schoolhouse, built also by the township in the early seventies, was located on West Cemetery street, where now stands the residence of i\lr. Ralph Schlosser. This house, too, was a one-room frame, but, unlike the first, it was painted white. It had a double front entrance, similar, in this respect, to many country and village churches. In fact, it was used as a church by the Christian denomination, which, some years later, when the growth of the town made it necessary to build a larger house for school purposes, purchased it and devoted it to church use exclusively.

Benner. Before the next house was built it became necessary to provide temporarily for an overflow of pupils, and accordingly Mrs. W. J. Benner taught a part of the school in the building on North Michigan street now occupied as a residence by Isaiah Hess. These were the days of the "Old Masters," men and women, who wielded the birch and, along with very valuable lessons in spellin', readin', 'ritin' and 'rithmetic, taught the more valuable lessons of honor, honesty, industry, obedience to law, and, without any fuss about it. "civic righteousness" in general.

The third schoolhouse was built in 1873. It was located on Cemetery street, between Maple street and Michigan avenue. A presumably correct writer has described this house as follows:

"The school then built was almost square. It had a shingle roof, on top of which a belfry, consisting of four posts with cross-pieces, was perched. In this hung a common country dinner-bell, destined to call pupils together for many years. Across the front of the building, which faced Maple street, was a large hall with a cloak-room at each end and a stairway occupying the central portion. The house contained six not very large rooms. Each of these was heated by a stove, lighted by a few small windows and furnished with double seats."

At the time this building was erected Dr. L. L. Barr, Harvey Athinson and William Worthington were trustees. The cost of the building is estimated at $8,000. In the nineteen years of its existence the following named teachers are remembered as having served as principals : W. E. Ashcraft, L. Q. Martin, E. A. Powles, M. L. Teeples and M. L. Smith. Among the grade teachers were A. A. Homes, Goucher, A. C. North, Belle Richards, Nora Littleton, Lida Gordon, Mrs. Geo. D. Stevens, Geo. D. Stevens, Maggie Campbell, Jacob Martin, J. B. Weimer, J. D. Quivey, Etta Harris, S. N. Stevens, Louisa Humphrey, Mrs. L. Alleman, N. E. Barr, Esther Foster, R. C. O'Blennis, A. E. Wickizer and Anna Cathcart.

When the school was established in the new building, but three teachers were employed; later, three were added. In 1883, under the supervision of W. E. Ashcraft, the school was regraded and a three-years' high school course was provided. In 1886, the first class was graduated. It was composed of Ola Wheatfield, nee Gordon ; Minnie Bose, nee Norris ; Flora Huff, Ella Ashcraft, nee Boggs ; Fannie White, nee Bucher. While the school remained in this building, or at least before it passed into the next, twentyseven other pupils were graduated. On March 16, 1892, this house was destroyed by fire. The schools were in session when the fire broke out, but owing to the fact that a systematic fire-drill had been established in the several rooms, there was no trouble in marching the pupils out of the building unhurt. During the remainder of the school year and all of the next the churches of the town gave their auditoriums for school use, and thus the schools were maintained until the next building was completed.

The fourth schoolhouse rapidly arose, Phcenix-like, out of the ashes of the former one. More ground was procured adjoining the old site, and the present commodious nine-room building, standing in the center of as beautiful a campus as can be found in the state, was erected. Built on a beautiful and substantial foundation of boulder granite and constructed by skillful workmen out of the best material obtainable, this elegant edifice promises to give acceptable service until the end of the present century. To Dr. D. C. Knott, A. T. Slayter and B. C. Schoonover were due the conception, beginning, completion and location of the building. They built for the future rather than for the then immediate necessity, and the growth of the town and school has approved their judgment. After the lapse of only fourteen years, the necessity of additional room for the near future is plainly apparent. Since 1893, in addition to the gentlemen just named, Leonard Bock, Lsaac Reed, M. L. Corey, Noah Leland, together with the present board, Jonathan Pickerel, J. J. Thompson and A. T. Slayter, have served as trustees.

The superintendents have been W. B. Swearingen, 1893; E. C. Peterson, 1895; L. O. Martin, 1896; Otis A. Hoskinson, 1900: C. L. Hottell, 1905. The school was commissioned in 1904 to certify its graduates for admission to Indiana University, Purdue University and to the State Normal School.

The present four-years' course of study is in accord with the pedagogy of the day, and from the primary room to the high school, inclusive of both, the teaching is of high order. The more advanced classes have access to a well-selected library and a good working laboratory. Argos high school takes just pride in the fact that it has furnished to the county many successful teachers, to the colleges and universities of the state many good students, and to society many worthy young men and young women, who are performing well the duties of life. Her alumni roster contains 162 names, but these show only a small part of the work she has done. Many hundred young people, who, for various reasons, were unable to complete the prescribed course of study, have entered her classes and have been in a large measure prepared for good citizenship.

German township, until it was regularly organized in 1838, was a part of North township. Some South Bend parties had purchased land in that part of North township, believing that in the course of time a town would be built in that section of the county. Having this object in view, Lathrop M. Taylor and Henry Augustine, of South Bend, located a town plat abovit three miles east of the present town of Bremen to which they gave the name of Clayton. Its form was a diagonal cut up into gorgeous streets and avenues. But when German township was organized by cutting it off from the east end of North township, the center of gravity was too far east. and the project of building a town there was abandoned.

was platted an'd laid out by George Beiler October 21, 1851. The original plat contained forty-eight" lots. Since then the following additions have been made to the original plat: Deitrick's ; Heim's; Ringle's ;- Bauer's, first and second; Foltz's continued; Mast's; L. R. Martin's; D. Ringle's; Koontz's ; Vanner's, and J. P. Huff's. The town was organized under the law authorizing the incorporation of towns, at the March term, 1871, of the board of commissioners. It was divided into six districts. The officers first elected were: Lewis Theobold, clerk and treasurer; David Guyer, marshal; Chris. Seiler, assessor; John Heckaman, Charles Lehr, Chris. Hans, John Koontz, Jacob Walter and Chris. Schilt, trustees. In 1872 the town was redistricted and the number of trustees reduced to three. The officers for that year were: John Heckaman, clerk and treasurer; Robert Montgomery, marshal ; Chris. Seller, Jr., assessor.

The town of Bremen was first called Neiv Bremen, the name being given by George Pomeroy and Joseph Guiselman, who thought the name appropriate, as it was of German origin and a large portion of the early settlers were a German-speaking people. But it was not long until the "New" was omitted, and it soon became known as "Bremen" in "German" township, which indicated the nationality of the people. The first settlement in Bremen was made about 1836, and between that date and 1848 settlement was made by several families, among whom were Hardzog, Heim, Weis, Beyler, Koontz, Yockey, Ringle, and others who pre-empted government lands in the vicinity and here in the wilderness established their home and began the rugged toil of pioneers. Other families soon came in, and it was not long until a village was formed. In 1846 a postoffice was established and named Brothersville, in honor of David Brothers, the first postmaster, and on whose premises the office was held by him two years. In 1848 George Pomeroy and John Bush bought of J\Ir. Brothers one acre of land. Mr. Bush took the east half and on it built a log cabin, where for two years he resided and followed the cooper's trade, and then sold his possessions to John Parker, a Quaker by faith and a shoemaker by trade, and thus it happened that Mr. Parker became the first shoemaker of the new village of Bremen. He was succeeded by Philip Kenager, who from that time until the date of his death in the nineties occupied the old log cabin and worked at his trade. George Pomeroy erected upon his half-acre a crude frame in which he kept the first store, consisting of a miscellaneous stock of notions, dry goods, groceries, etc., and here he held the postoffice, which had been changed from Brothersville to Bremen. Mr. Pomeroy was the first notary public of the town. In 1848 Joseph Geiselman purchased a lot where is now located the dry goods establishment of John R. Deitrich & Co., on which he built a log blacksmith shop, the first in Bremen, and where he followed his trade several years. In 1850 he erected the first frame building in the new town. In 1 85 1 Gotleib Amacher built a log cabin and opened the first tailor shop. Ben Shane had built a log cabin which John Soice, coming from Stark county, Ohio, in the early fifties, purchased and converted into the first harness shop.

Bremen has an excellent fire department, which was organized September 8, 1874, at which time there were issued bonds of $2,100 for the purpose of purchasing the necessary apparatus and the erection of suitable buildings. In the beginning there were eighty-five members of the depart- ment, divided into four divisions : An engine compan)-, a hook and ladder company, and two hose companies. Hoosier Hook and Ladder Company No. I was organized June 5, 1874, and participated in the firemen's tournament at Bourbon in September, 1877, taking first prize, running 300 yards, stacking ladder and putting man over top in thirty-four and a half seconds. September 6, 1877, the engine and hose companies attended the firemen's tournament at Goshen, Indiana, where they made the best time, running 100 yards, laying fifty feet of hose, and throwing water fifty feet in thirtyfour and one-fourth seconds, receiving the first prize, amounting to $80. Hose Company No. 4, in September, 1885, at a tournament at Michigan City, won. first prize, receiving $100 and a water service. In August, 1887, at Plymouth, they received $50 and the championship of Indiana. Union Engine Company No. i in 1882 won the state championship as an engine company; and it was in 1885, at South Bend, that Ed. Hickeman and Theo. Walter, as couplers from the Bremen department, won the world's championship in that particular line of firemen's duties.

Among the most prominent citizens that resided in Bremen in the early days was Jacob Knoblock, who was born in Alsace, Germany, in 1803. He emigrated to America in 1823, settling in Ohio, and moved from there to Bremen in 1850. He was a stone and brick mason and plasterer by trade, and in 1865 built a hotel in Bremen, which he kept until his death, in 1869. He was a zealous member of the Masonic fraternity, and was a member of and the first senior deacon of Plymouth Lodge No. 149, which was organized in 1853. Many times during his life he had been known to ride horseback from his farm east of Bremen to Plymouth to attend the meetings of the lodge. Being a stone mason, he cut the headstone that marks his last resting place in the Bremen cemetery, and on it he carved the square and compasses, the emblems of the Masonic order, to which he belonged. He was a worthy and well-respected citizen ; in politics a staunch democrat, and held in life several positions of honor and trust in the county.

Bremen had an excellent cornet band organized in 1861, Peter Vogli leader. It was reorganized in 1866 with Mr. Vogli still retained as leader. The members became very skillful on their instruments and the band was at one time the best in the county.

The present town of Culver has had considerable of a struggle in its original survey and in keeping the names that have been given it from time to time. Union Town was originally laid out and platted by Bayless L. Dickson, who owned a farm bordering on the lake, a part of which embraced the territory now covered by the town of Culver. This was on the 8th of June, 1844. The following is a copy of the statement made and the certificate attached to the original plat of Union Town :

Union Town is pleasantly situated in the southwest quarter of section 16, town 32, range 1 east. It is laid out in such a manner that it presents to the eye a view of Lake Maxinkuekee, and is surrounded with as good a countiy as can be found in northern Indiana. It has the advantage of three state and two county roads running through it. The streets are all 66 feet in width and the alleys are 161/2, feet.

In 1857 Thomas K. Houghton became the owner of the town, and on the 9th daV of June. 1857, filed the following certificate attached to what purported to be an amended plat of Union Town :

"Union Town is situated in the southeast corner of section 16, town 32, north range i east, Marshall count)-, Indiana. The southeast of said section is the commencing point of this town plat; the streets are all of a width, being 66 feet; the alleys are i6>4 feet; the lots are 66 feet in front and 99 feet back ; so planned by the original survey. All lines running north and south bare no degrees and ten seconds east, and those that run east and west bare south eighty-nine degrees east. The magnetic variation at this date is 5° 10' east. I, J. B. N. KHnger, Surveyor of Marshall County, certify the above to be correct."

Prior to this date, to-wit: May 6, 1857, Thomas K. Houghton appeared before M. W. Smith, a justice of the peace in Plymouth, and acknowledged that the above survey locating and laying off said town of Union Tovvn was done by his order and direction for the purpose of locating a town by that name and as therein specified by the surveyor thereof. That said survey and plat is intended to supply the place of the old survey made by Henry B. Pershing, that being inaccurate.

"I, J. B. N. Klinger, ex-surveyor in and for Marshall county, state of Indiana, swear that, upon the request of Thomas K. Houghton, then owner and proprietor of the town of Union Town, in said county, he employed me as surveyor of said county, April 24, 185 1, to resurvey and plat said Union Town. In setting out the location I made a clerical error, locating it in the southeast corner of section 16, township 32, north, range i east, when it should read southwest corner of said section No. 16, township 32, north range i east, and the same was part of record, the error being overlooked, and further deponent sayeth not."

February 13, 1884, Peter Allerding filed what he called the "Vandalia Addition to said Union Town." The addition is in the west half of the south forty acres of section 16, 32, I, except Thomas K. Houghton's corrected addition ; also except three acres known as Bowles lot, and three acres immediately south of the same. Said addition being divided into 24 lots, and numbered from i to 24 inclusive ; also 5 outlots and numbered from I to 5 inclusive. The length and breadth of said lots being indicated by figures on said plat; also the width of all the streets and alleys.

On the 5th day of August, 1886, Albert D. Toner made an addition to the Vandalia addition, said addition being laid out of lots Nos. 3, 4 and 5 of school subdivision of Section 16, 32, i, commencing at the northwest corner of said lot No. 3 ; said additions being divided as shown on plat in 13 lots and numbered from i to 13 inclusive; and also eleven outlots, numbered from i to 1 1 inclusive. The length and breadth of said lots being indicated by figures on said plat ; also the width of all streets and alleys are so indicated, except from this plat outlots 2, 7, 8, 10 and 11.

Marmont - The name of Union Town was changed to Marmont when a resurvey was made in 1851. Dr. G. A. Durr was a resident of Union Town at that time. He was of French descent and succeeded in having the name changed to ^Marmont in honor of a French general of that name.

It was many years after the village took the name of Marmont before it was incorporated under the law as a town. The first election was held under the corporation July 5, 1894; the election board being composed of J. H. Koontz, D. G. Walter and E. M. Scates. The following was the result of the election :

Trustees: S. E. Medburn, Marcus F. Mosher and John W. Souder; clerk, Fred L. Carl; treasurer, Henry M. Speyer ; marshal, John F. Crumley. Crumley did not qualify, and the board appointed Ozias Duddleson, who did not furnish bond. The board then appointed Nathaniel Gandy, who qualified and served. On October 4, 1895, the board of commissioners changed the name from Marmont to Culver City, on petition of O. A. Rea and ninety-nine others, being a majority of the qualified electors of said Culver City.

The first election after the name was changed to Culver City was held May 6, 1896, resulted as follows : Trustees : J. H. Castleman, E. W. Guiselman, F. B. Harris, of whom Mr. Harris was subsequently chosen president of the board ; clerk, Charles Zekiel ; treasurer, Henry Speyer ; marshal, Nathaniel Gandy. The proposition to change the name of Marmont to Culver City met with the unanimous approval of the citizens of the town ; but when the matter was presented to the postoffice department at Washington it declined to change the name of the postoflice to Culver City for the reason there was already a postoffice in Indiana by the name of Culver, a village by that name in Tippecanoe county on the line of the Big Four railroad, and for the further reason the word "City" had been eliminated from all towns bearing that annex to the regular name. Henry H. Culver, after whom the town had been named, went to the village of Culver in Tippecanoe county and at once entered into negotiations with the authorities of the town of Culver to change the name so that the name of Culver in Marshall county could be recognized by the postoflice department and thus secure the naming of the postoffice. Culver, the same as the town. In the prosecution of his negotiations Mr. Culver found that the town of Culver in Tippecanoe county had been named in honor of a man by the name of Crane Culver, and the citizens were much opposed to making any change. Mr. Henry H. Culver was one of those sort of men that never gave up any laudable undertaking, and having for his motto, "Where there is a will there is a way," he concluded to use a little financial diplomacy and proposed to pay the town authorities all expenses of the change for the name of Culver, and suggested that they could honor the name of the Culver for whom the town had been named by giving it Mr. Culver's first name - -"Crane." These suggestions were agreed upon and the contract fully carried out. The papers were properly made out and forwarded to the postoffice department at Washington, which recognized the name of Crane instead of Culver, and changed the name of Marmont to Culver, omitting the word "city," and so Marmont and Culver City became Culver, and will probably so remain for all time to come.

The government census of 1900 gave the population of Culver at 505. A census taken January i, 1908, by the editor of the Culver Citizen shows the population to be at that date 661.

The Culver fire department was organized January 22, 1903, in accordance with a resolution of the town board. The charter members were: O. M. Byrd, Ed Zekiel, Charles Medburn, F. W. Cook, Al Mawhorter, Walter Byrd, Will Cook, M. H. Foss, G. W. Smith, Thomas E. Slattery, Arthur Morris, T. O. Saine and J. R. Saine.

First Officers : Chief, T. O. Saine ; assistant chief, Arthur Morris ; secretary, J. R. Saine ; treasurer, Thomas E. Slattery. T. O. Saine held the position of chief until he resigned August 9, 1906, when O. A. Gandy was elected to fill the vacancy, and was reelected January 10, 1907. March 16, 1905, the company purchased a building, where it has a permanent home.

At the time of its organization the company had no equipment save a few rubber buckets and three ladders purchased by the town, which were so heavy it required the combined efforts of a dozen men to erect them. With the installation of waterworks in the fall of 1907 a hose cart and hose was provided and the company had some real practice in the art of firefighting, developing a degree of proficiency surprising in view of their unfamiliarity with fire apparatus. In November, 1907, through the generosity of Chief Fred H. Kuhn, of the Plymouth fire department, the company was presented with a hook and ladder truck, which has been thoroughly overhauled and repaired and proves to be ideal for their requirements.

The following notice appeared in the Marshall County Republican of February 15, 1858, and indicates that the people of that part of the county, even at that early day, were alive to the importance of preserving for future generations the early history of the county :

"Notice - ist. That a meeting will be held at the schoolhouse in Union Town on the evening of March 4, 1858, to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society to be known as the 'Antiquarian and Historical Society,' for the purpose of collecting as many of the circumstances and incidents relative to the settlement of this region of country from the first settlement to the present time, that it may be read by posterity, which we believe will be of great interest.

Who the movers in the matter were, or whether the organization was effected, nothing can be ascertained. Bayless L. Dickson, who was the founder of Union Town, and one of the earliest settlers in that region, was probably the head of it. Isaac N. Morris, who was something of a historian and a great reader, and who lived near by, was undoubtedly one of those who were interested in preserving the history of that locality, but these early pioneers and many others who resided th'ere then have passed away, leaving no record to perpetuate the history they helped to make.

accounts between 250 and 300. The bank recently purchased an ehgible corner lot in the center of the town, on which it erected and is now settled in a permanent home amid surroundings luxurious enough to place it in the front rank with similar institutions anywhere in the northern part of the state. The building is the finest in the town of Culver, and in addition to the bank, it houses that other leading business factor, the postoffice, besides giving space to the Masonic lodge on the second floor, and also three professional men. Not only the owners of the bank are proud of the institution, but the community at large are equally gratified that they have in their midst so important a factor in the building up of the business of their fast-growing town.

The village of Walnut is situated in Walnut township, about four miles south of Argos on the Lake Erie & Western railroad. It was laid out and platted by Frederick Stair April 16, 1866, and contained eighty-three lots. It was named Fredericksburg, in honor of the proprietor, and that is still the legal name of the village. When the railroad was completed through that place in 1868, two years after it had been organized, the railroad changed the name of the village to Walnut, after Walnut township, and by that name it has been known ever since. In the early years of its organization it was given the nickname of "Possum Trot," because of the number of opossums that were found in that section of the county. Mr. Stair was an early settler and one of the prominent men of the county. He was a congenial gentleman, a man of more than ordinary ability, and acted well his part in whatever he had to do. He died in the nineties respected by all who knew him.

This place was platted and laid out by Isaac P. Shively September 6, iS54|t It is situated on the south side of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section_4, town 33, range 4 east, on the Plymouth and Warsaw state road, about five miles northeast of Bourbon. It did not grow as a town as was expected, and a few years later Jacob Pritch and Adam Moneysmith purchased timber land there, erected a saw-mill in the later fifties and after the completion of the railroad through Bourbon in 1856, furnishing them an outlet for their lumber, they carried on an extensive business, and with the families connected with the mills the little village for a time had quite a boom. For some years there was quite a settlement there, and both political parties during exciting campaigns always held one or more meetings in that place during the year. But with the sawing up of the timber into lumber, the village disappeared, and now it is only the center of one of the best farming regions in the county.

This village is situated about five miles northeast of the county seat, in' the southeastern part of North township. The proprietors were Simon Stough, M. J. Link and E. J. Mosholder. It was laid out June 9, 1866, and contains twelve lots. It is a neighborhood village, conveniently situated

Fairmount Was situated five miles north of Plymouth on the Michigan road. In an early day Silas Higby erected a building and opened a tavern, and called his place Fairmount. It was too close to Plymouth for a tavern to do much business, and as there was nothing there to attract people it soon disappeared and is now a thing of the past.

This is the name of a place situated in West township at the outlet of Twin lakes, where was situated the first grist-mill built in the county about the time it was organized in 1836 by Timothy Barber; and also the old iron forge, a description of which will be found elsewhere in this history. It had stores and shops and other conveniences of a neighborhood village, but it did not have sufficient business attractions to make it grow to be a town of any size. It is in the center of a good community of farmers, and will always probably remain about as it is at present.

At the time of the organization of the county this place was known as "Onondaga." It had a postoffice of that name, and there was a mail route from Plymouth to that point until it was discontinued a few years later. It probably got its name from Onondaga county. New York, from which place the original proprietors came.

This was the name of a place on the creek of that name about five miles southwest of Plymouth. A dam was made across the creek and a water sawmill erected prior to 1840, and about that time a grist-mill was built. Clark Bliven was the original proprietor and during high water a few years later was carried over the dam and was drowned. He had named the place "Bermingham" for some reason unknown, as is shown in a petition for a road filed with the board of commissioners from Samuel D. Taber's on the Alichigan road west to Bemiingham across Wolf creek and then west three or four miles to Mis-sin-ne-co-quah on Yellow river, etc. Missinnecoqnali was a Pottawattomie Indian chieftainess to whom in one of the treaties was assigned a section or two of land. When the whites first settled in that part of the county she was very old - well on toward one hundred years old. She went with those who were driven away in 1838 and was never heard of afterwards.

This village, situated seven miles east of Plymouth on the Pennsylvania railroad, was, before the railroad was built, called Pearsonville in honor of Ezra G. Pearson, who platted and laid out the town December 29, 1854. Mr. Pearson had located there and built a sawmill. At that place and for miles all around it was even difficult for men used to the "thick woods" to get through it in places. When the railroad was built through that place two years later, the company, looking for a shorter name than

"Pearsonville," and finding themselves "in the woods," the name of Inwood easily suggested itself and from that day to this it has been called Inwood.

For many years, until the timber was mostly cut otif, it was a fine lumber region, and those who purchased land for the timber alone made enough out of the timber to pay for both the timber and land and had the land left, and much of it is now among the best farming land in the county. The following additions have been made to the original plat: Pierson's first and second; A. W. Hendrick's ; Croup & Core's first and second; Frederickson's, and Lee & Dickinson's.

This village has a two-story brick schoolhouse, in which is taught a graded school. The Methodists have a church building here; there is a telegraph office, an express office, and stores and shops of various kinds where such articles as the inhabitants need can be purchased.

Tyner (it was originally called Tyner City), the seat of justice of Polk township, was laid ofi" and platted June i8, 1855, by Jacob H. Miller, Maynard French and Thomas Tyner. It took its name from the last named proprietor. It is located in the west half of section 10, town 34, range i east, on the Lake Erie & Western railroad, at that time known as the Plymouth & La Porte railroad, about seven miles northwest of Plymouth. It is laid off into twelve blocks 315 feet square, including alleys, each lot containing twelve lots each 50 by 100 feet. The streets are named Race, Vine, Main, Walnut, May, Miller French, Allen and Boyce. The four first were named after streets in Cincinnati, where some of the proprietors at one time resided, and the remainder were named in honor of railroad men who were engaged in building the new railroad which was completed the following year, 1856.

Tyner was incorporated under the state laws for this purpose. A feud had sprung up between the people of the town and those who resided outside of its limits. It was carried to such an extent that no resident of the village could be elected to a township office, and as it was desirable to have a justice of the peace a resident of the town, the only way to accomplish it was to organize under a corporation government, tlie law providing that where there was such a form of government one of the justices should reside within the limits of the corporation. The organization had the desired effect. A justice who resided in town was elected and in course of time the warring elements having subsided, and there being no apparent necessity for a town government, an election was called to vote upon the proposition to disband the organization.

I, George E. Leroy, lio hereby certify that at an election held in the town of Tyner City on the 29th day of November, 1879, for the purpose of dissolving the incorporation, the whole number of votes cast were 33, and that the number of voters in the town are 47, and that there were 22 votes cast to dissolve and 11 cast to maintain the incorporation.

The incorporation was accordingly dissolved. The people of the town were law-abiding and had very little need of a corporation government, and during the thirty years that have elapsed since then they have maintained order among themselves without being required to pay the expenses of a town organization.

Thomas Tyner, the founder of Tyner City, and from whom it took its name, died in that place on the i8th of October, 1880. He was born in Kentucky in 1800. He was a worthy and highly respected citizen, and during his long life filled many important* positions of trust and honor, always in a satisfactory manner to all parties concerned. In the earlier portion of his manhood he assisted in moving the archives of the state from Corydon to Indianapolis, after the capitol was established there. He was one of the old landmarks, not only in Marshall county, but of the state, and was well acquainted with many of the prominent citizens of Indiana. He was generous, kind and charitable, almost to a fault, and was honored and esteemed while living, and died sincerely regretted by all who knew him.

A good many years ago there was a huckleberry marsh two or three miles west of Tyner which attained considerable notoriety as a frontier village, with all that the name implies, during the huckleberry season. Hundreds of people from far and near located there during the time of gathering berries, giving it more the appearance of a mining camp than a temporary village for peaceful pursuits. Huckleberries were gathered there by the carload, and the products in favorable seasons were a source of considerable revenue to those who engaged in the business. Buyers were there every afternoon and evening to buy the day's pickings and the road between Tyner and the huckleberry marsh, with the wagons coming and going, had the appearance of a Fourth of July procession. The village was laid out in systematic order, and the tents and temporary shanties were built so as to leave plenty of room for streets and alleys. When the season was at its height amusements of every description and kind known to temporary places of that kind were indulged in by most of the inhabitants, and hundreds of visitors who gathered there out of curiosity, and to see what they could see. If one was thirsty and wanted a little "something for the stomach's sake," he could find it at the "Alhambra," which could be found on a convenient corner in the center of the village. If he wanted to indulge in a game of "old sledge" or the more interesting game of "poker," the appliances were at hand, and besides these there was roulette and all kinds of games of chance ; and it was a rule of the inhabitants of the village who conducted that part of it, when a visitor arrived to "take him in." And there was a large dancing hall where the "Arkansaw Traveler" made music and

A great many good citizens of the county went there and camped during the season that took no part in the frivolities there indulged in. Very little disturbance occurred there. The inhabitants agreed that all would unite in maintaining peace and good order, and having all the fun in a legitimate way they could get out of it during their short stay. The campers united in appointing watchmen who patrolled the village during the night, and during the years it flourished no disturbance of any serious nature ever occurred. During the past dozen years the drainage of the marshes and the fires that have swept over them have destroyed the huckleberry bushes to such an extent that there are not enough berries grown there to justify the continuance of the village.

Teegarden. The following is the description of the location of Teegarden, as filed by Eli Taylor and Calvin J. Wright, the proprietors, November i8, 1873: "Teegarden is located in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 23, township 35, north of range i east, in Marshall county, Indiana. The south line of said town is the section line, and the west line is the center line of said section 23 ; there is fifteen feet left on the north side of the section line for half of a street ; also twenty feet on the east side of the center section line for half a street, and forty feet on the south of the right of way, of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad for a street, called Wright street. The south line of Taylor street commenced on the center section line - fifty feet north of the center of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and runs east at right angles to the north and south center section line of said section 23," etc. The plat contains thirty-three lots, and they are 100 feet wide by 144 feet in length. The streets are 60, and the alleys 20 feet wide. The Baltimore & Ohio railroad runs through the southern portion of the original town. On the 20th day of June, 1874, Lewis Lemert laid out and caused to be platted and recorded an addition to Teegarden, joining the original plat on the west. The addition comprises fifteen lots of the same size as those in the original town. There are two good dry goods, grocery and notion stores, a saw-mill, a tile manufactory, coal kiln, blacksmith shop, etc. The town is surrounded by a good farming country that is being improved by drainage.

This was a town on paper, located on the La Porte road, twelve miles from Plymouth and eighteen miles from La Porte. It was elegantly laid out in the shape of a cross. There were twelve blocks, each containing twelve lots. It was laid out May 23, 1837, by G. A. Cone. At a time it was considered to be an eligible location for the building of a town, being about half-way between Plymouth and La Porte. But some way it failed to attract any settlers within its limits, and, except the record in the recorder's office, from which the foregoing information is derived, nothing remains to mark its untimely demise.

Blissville was a place near the west line of the township, on the La Porte road, that attained some celebrity in the early days. It was owned and managed by Justice T. F. Stevens, an old gentleman of commanding presence, who supplied the weary traveler that passed that way with all the necessaries, comforts and conveniences of life. Upon the completion of the I., P. & C. R. R. in 1856, the current of trade centered at Tyner, and Air. Stevens found his occupation gone. He has since died.

This town was located on section 5, Michigan road lands, six miles north of Plymouth, and was laid out and platted by Achilles Hunt, August 5, 1873. and contained 121 lots. Three years later J\Ir. Hunt was killed by the kick of a horse he had been leading to water.

September 23, 1875, Edson Spencer laid out an addition to the town called Spencer's Addition to La Paz, containing eighteen lots which are 40x120 feet. The streets are forty and the alleys fourteen feet wide.

December 27, 1881, Moses Thayer laid oif an addition to La Paz containing thirty-five lots, besides blocks 2, 4 and 5, that were not subdivided. The sheets are forty feet wide. This addition is called "Moses Thayer's addition to La Paz." On June 10, 1884, Mr. Thayer made another addition, containing eleven lots and lying west of his first addition.

April I, 1885, Leonard Logan and Gideon Logan laid out "Logan's addition to La Paz," which contains sixty-four lots of varied length and breadth. The addition lies in the southeast part of the town.

East La Paz. - East La Paz is about three-fourths of a mile east of the original La Paz at the junction of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad and the Logansport & Terre Haute railroad, and is described as follows by Walter Kimble, the proprietor, his plat being filed for record February 14, 1855 : "East La Paz is situated in .southeast quarter of northeast quarter of section twenty-eight (28), township thirty-five (35) north, range two (2) east, at the crossing of the Baltimore & Ohio & Vandalia railroad, is bounded on the east by Vandalia railroad, on the south, west and north by the boundary line of said southeast quarter of the northeast quarter."

On the 15th day of December, 1882, the following description of the situation of Burr Oak, together with the plat thereof, was filed in the office of the recorder of Marshall county :

"Burr Oak station is situated on the east line of the northwest quarter of section 4, township 32, north of range i east, commencing 1,255 ^^^^ south of the north quarter-section corner of section 4, township 32, north of range i east, the north line of the right of way of the New York, Oiicago & St. Louis railroad; thence north with the center section line 517 feet, thence west at right angles with center section line 332 feet, thence south with the center section line 422 feet, thence east parallel with north line 302 feet, thence south 93 feet to north line of right of way of said railroad, thence southeastwardly with said line 30 feet to place of beginning. ^Tovember i, 1882. Michael Bur.n'S. Proprietor."

The above named plat contains eighteen lots, numbered from i to 18 consecutively. The streets are fifty feet, the alleys twelve feet wide, and the lots are forty feet wide bv 120 feet in length.

On the '8th day of October, 1885, Franklin Overmyer filed the plat of Overmyer's addition to Burr Oak station, properly described and acknowledged. This addition lies immediately east of the original plat of Burr Oak station and contains lots from i to 8 inclusive, the lots being the same size as those in the original plat. This village is nearly in the center of what is known as the "Burr Oak Flats," which is as beautiful and productive a region as can be found anywhere.

A short distance south and west of Burr Oak station were in the early days several mounds which were supposed to have been the work of the Mound Builders. Excavations were made into them at different times by different persons to see if anything could be found in them that would enable the prospectors to determine what they were built for. In one or two of them what appeared to be human bones were found, which indicated that they might have been used by the Indians for burial places, although this was not the usual Indian mode of burial. Those who have studied the history of the Mound Builders are inclined to the belief that these mounds were the work of these dwellers in the ground as they made their way from the frozen north to the tropical regions of the sunny south.

Maxinkuckee. The village of Maxinkuckee is situated half a mile east of Maxinkuckee lake, from which it derives its name. From this village on the high bluff on which it is built is obtained the finest view of the beautiful lake anywhere around the twelve miles of its charming shore line. It has never been regularly platted and laid out as a town. It has two streets. The one that divides the place, running east and west, is called Lake street, and the one running north and south is called Washington street. On the north side of Lake street, about half-way from the village to the lake, was the wigwam of the good Indian chief Neeswaugee, about opposite the residence of Peter Spangler. The street should have been called "Nees-wau-gee avenue," to perpetuate the memory of the first owner of all the land east and north of the street. The village contains a store, blacksmith shop, a church, a lodge of Odd Fellows, and contains a population of perhaps 150. For many years it had a postoffice, but with the coming of the rural free delivery system it was discontinued and the people now receive their mail by free deliver}'.

North S.-vlem. North Salem, according to the plat, consisted of twelve lots laid out in the year 185 1 by Barrack Plummer, Basil Roberts and A. G. Pumphrey. It was situated some distance southwest of Inwood. Shortly after it was platted a very large and elegant church building for those days was built, but a few years later it caught fire and was consumed and has not since been rebuilt. There being no prospect that a town would ever be built there, the plat has been vacated.

The original plat of Donelson was laid out Octob.er 25, 1871, by D. W. Taft, Cornelius Tuttle and W. J. Richardson. It is located in the corners of sections 29, 30, 31 and 32, township 34, north of range i east, on the line of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroad, and is one mile east of the Starke county line. It contains twenty-two lots, their size being 66 feet wide by 132 feet in length. On the 14th day of September, 1875, D. W'. Taft laid out "Taft's addition to the town of Donelson," con- taining twentv-oiie lots of the same size as the lots in the original plat and lyin^ north and west of the original town, and on the 14th day of September, 1875, Cornelius Tuttle laid off "Tuttle's addition to Donelson," comprising twenty-two lots, being of the same size as the original lots. It is a quiet little village and probably will always remain so, as most of the farm products raised "in its vicinity are marketed elsewhere. It has two stores, a drug store, a grain elevator, a blacksmith shop, one doctor, a good schoolhouse, church and all the conveniences and evidences of civilization common to villages of its size.

Robert J. Evans ("Jons" Evans, as he is familiarly called), who lives near Donelson, is the oldest settler in West township, having settled there in 1835, the year before the county was organized, and has lived there almost continually ever since. The Pottawattomie Indians were numerous there when he came. Of them he says : "Their relations with the settlers were of the friendliest character."

The original proprietors of this town were Joseph Hall, Daniel C. Martin and Joseph Serls. It was platted and surveyed December 12, 1850. It is located on the Tippecanoe river, in Tippecanoe township, in section 18, town 32, range 4 east, and contains thirty lots. For thirty years this place was the only town in Tippecanoe township and during that time it became quite a business center for that part of the country. Tippecanoe river, which meanders through this township, entering it on the eastern, boundary about the center, passing through Tippecanoe Town and veering ofif to the south, furnished an excellent waterpower at Tippecanoe Town for milling purposes. An excellent flouring mill was erected by N. B. and P. S. Alleman, who operated it for many years. During the war of the Rebellion they also erected a woolen factory close by the mill, which they also operated until 1878, when they sold it to J. F. Van Valkenburg, of Plymouth. On the night of October 25, 1878, the woolen mills were fired by' an incendiary, and before assistance could reach them were entirely destroyed. An attempt was made to set fire to the grist mill the same night, but a watchman being in the mill, the attempt was unsuccessful. Detectives were put upon the track of the "fire fiends" and in course of time a young man in the neighborhood was arrested on suspicion of having committed the deed. He was incarcerated in the county jail and soon after gave intimation of an intention to confess his guilt and turn state's evidence against other parties who he said were implicated. Before the meeting of the grand jury, however, he succeeded in making his escape from the jail. He concealed himself for some time, but finally concluded to return and confess that he fired the property, describing minutely how the act was accomplished. He also implicated a large number of old and respectable citizens of the neighborhood as being particcps criininis in the transaction. He alleged that the object sought to be attained was the removal of the mill dam, which it was averred overflowed a large section of country, produced stagnant water, causing malaria, resulting in sickness and death. He stated that meetings of those in the neighborhood affected by the dam had been held at various times, at which the question was discussed as to the most expeditious and safest way to get rid of what they termed an "intolerable nuisance." According to his statement it was finally determined that if the mills were out of the way the dam would soon follow. He was selected, he stated, to do the work, the others agreeing to save him from arrest and punishment. Several of the parties implicated were jointly indicted with him, and after many vexatious delays the cases came on for trial. As to all the parties but one a nollc-proscqui was entered, and the case went to trial as to the remaining party, mainly on the evidence of the party who had confessed that he had been guilty of the burning. The trial lasted several days, creating much excitement and ill-feeling among neighbors and parties interested, and finally resulted in the jury failing to agree. The case was then transferred to another county on a change of venue, but the party implicated left the country and has not been heard of since, and so the case never came to trial again.

Tippecanoe Town Station. The Nickel Plate railroad having been completed through this township from east to west, a town was laid out on the line of that road about threequarters of a mile south of Tippecanoe Town by W. W. Burkett, John Kramer, John T. Hardesty, Elizaljeth Lewallen and E. J. Martindale, February 8, 1882. It contained sixty-two lots, and on the first of November, 1882, Kramer, Hardesty and Lewallen laid out an addition, the lots numbering from 62 to 90 inclusive. The town was called "Tippecanoe Town Station." At the December term, 1886, of the board of commissioners on the petition of G. W. Roberts and others the name of Tippecanoe Town Station was changed to Ilion, by which name it was known until the summer of 1905 or 1906, when "Tippecanoe" was substituted for Ilion, and by that name it is now recognized by the railroad and also the postofifice department. The old Tippecanoe Town, with the coming of the railroad and the building up of a station there, lost all its vitality and the halo of the business glory that formerly hovered over it is a thing of the past. Sic trmisit gloria initndi!

Xxii. Pioneer Log Cabins

The first real emigration to Marshall county began in the early spring of 1836. Many of those who came early, following the customs of the Indians, built temporary domiciles of poles and bark, similar to wigwams, into which they moved their household effects, and lived after a fashion, until log cabins of more pretentious designs could be erected.

In a discussion on the subject a number of years ago between two of the "oldest inhabitants," it was quite satisfactorily settled that the first log cabin built in the county was erected by Abel C. Hickman on the Michigan road, two and a half miles south of Argos. It was built of rough, unhewn logs, covered with clapboards, had an outside chimney made of sticks and "daubed" with mud.

It wasn't a very palatial residence, but it was fitted and furnished so as to keep out the wet and cold, and was considerable of an improvement over the Indian wigwams in the neighborhood.

only coinmeiiced opening the road and only in patches could it be traveled over, and there was little or no travel in either direction here at that time. Mr. Hickman cleared off a small patch of ground near his cabin, on which he raised vegetables in sufficient quantities to supply the wants of his little family.

There wasn't a great deal of comfort living there at that time. For weeks at a time no human being would be seen. Wild animals of almost every kind were numerous, and it was no trick at all for Mr. Hickman to take his trusty rifle down out of the pegs from over the door and kill a deer, turkey or other animal in an hour or two sufficient to supply food for days at a time.

At night, from the time the sun went down over the treetops until it came up again in the morning, the wolves made the night hideous with their barking and yelping. When morning came they secreted themselves in their dens and hiding places, and during daytime seldom was one seen. In that region and for a few miles northwest all along down Wolf creek, which took its rise not far from here in Tippecanoe township, wolves were as thick as fleas on a dog's back. It passes through a portion of Walnut and Green townships and empties into Yellow river near the northeast corner of Union township. It is skirted for some distance with broken lowlands, marshes, cat swamps, etc., and was a safe and sure retreat for wild animals of all kinds. Black wolves were numerous from one end of the creek to the other, and from this fact it took its name. The Indians called it Mack-kah-tahmo-may, the Indian name for black wolf.

In 1835, when the lands were made subject to entry, Mr. Hickman secured a piece of land and moved off west of the road to the farm owned by Adam Bixel. Here he erected another log cabin of a more pretentious order of architecture, taking the trouble to hew the logs and otherwise adorn it in more modern style.

Here, according to the best authority, the first society for religious worship was organized by an itinerant preacher of the Methodist Episcopal church by the name of Owens. Here the society continued to meet for several years, until 1844: it is stated by the same authority, a house of worship, or a "meeting house," as it was called, was built on this farm, being the first building exclusively for church purposes erected in the county.

During the year 1835-6 there was quite an addition to the population. The first thing the newcomer had to do was to select and enter a piece of land, decide on a building location, and without unnecessary delay erect a cabin in which to live. There was no lumber or brick here at that time, and the only material out of which these dwellings could be built was logs chopped from the trees. Axes, adzes, cross-cut saws, hatchets, augers and drawing knives were the implements used in their construction. In the earlier cabins such articles as nails, door hinges and ironlatches or window glass were not known. Everything was made out of wood.

He who had decided to build a cabin ground his ax, went to the woods and, having selected trees of the proper size, proceeded to chop them down. He measured off the length of the logs according to the size the house was to be, and cut an equal number for the sides and ends. Of course, a yoke of oxen was necessary to haul the logs in place, and men enough to assist in raising them into the building, so the neighbors were invited, and one of them brought along Broad and Berry, and in a few hours a cabin in the wilderness had been erected. The rafters on which the roof was to be placed were made of small poles fastened to the top logs and the gable center rafter by means of wooden pins driven into holes bored with an auger. The roof was of clapboards. These were generally "rived" out of red oak logs sawed the proper length with a cross-cut saw. A maul and wedge were used to split it into small blocks, after which a "froe" and mallet properl\- applied by the "horny-handed son of toil" produced a fair substitute for shingles that came into use later. These clapboards were fastened on by binding them down with heavy poles laid on them along the ends where they were joined together.

Four or five feet in length of as many logs at one end were cut out for a fireplace, which was walled up outside with niggerhead stone and plastered over with mud. The chimney built of small sticks was continued a foot or two above the top of the house. At one side a door was cut out, in tiie same way, and a door made out of hewn poplar timber, fastened together with oak pins was hung on wooden pegs with rawhid'e straps. The latch was of wood which was fastened in the inside in a slot. A leather string attached to the latch on the inside hung through a hole on the outside. To unlatch the door from without all that was necessary was to pull the string, the latch would be raised out of its socket, and the door swung open. Locks had not reached this part of the countr)- at that time. There was no need of them, anyhow. There were no housebreakers then, probably because there wasn't anything in the houses worth carrying off.

A window was cut out near the door, and, prior to the advent of glass, greased paper or white muslin served to admit all the light that was deemed necessary. The floor was made of pvmcheons hewn out of small poplar logs. As a general thing they were a little rough, but they served to keep the pioneer feet off of the ground. There were no brussels carpets in the market then, and so a split broom made out of a small hickory sapling and some soft soap and water vigorously applied served to keep it reasonably clean.

The furniture was scanty and was of the most primitive kind. Bedsteads, tables, stands, benches, chairs, shelves, etc., were made by hand "on the spot," by the man of the house. Bed clothing, cooking utensils and dishes had mostly been brought with the emigrants. In cafee of a young married couple, the parents of the bride and groom usually set them up in housekeeping by dividing with them their household goods.

A few years later, after the boys and girls grew up, and the "courting" had been gone through with and the marriage ceremony had been performed, the young people moved into and began housekeeping in apartments very similar to the one above described.

The household furniture and equipments, except such as the pioneers had brought with them, were primitive and rude in the extreme. The following is one among many plans for constructing beds which was common in those days : "Holes were bored in a log of the wall at the proper height from the floor, and into these sticks were driven horizontally, the other ends being supported by upright stakes or posts. Upon the framework thus provided was woven a bottom of withes or bark or deerskin thongs, which formed a support for the bedding. Privacy was sometimes secured

Hooks on which to liang clothes or other articles were fashioned from the forked or crooked branches of trees, and forked sticks with the addition of pins inserted in the longer arm made pothooks which were caught over a pole or crosstree that was fixed in the fireplace a safe distance above the fire, the pots being hung on the pins. An improvement on these was the "trammel hook," formed of a f^at bar of iron hooked at one end, while at the other an adjustable hook could be raised or lowered as desired and seaired by means of an iron pin inserted in the holes that were drilled along the bar. With the advent of brick chimneys came swinging cranes of iron. These set in iron eyes imbedded in the masonry, could be turned freely, the long arm carrying the pots out over the hearth when desired.

The common cooking utensils were first of all the rotund, bulbous iron pot constructed with a flare at the top so the lid would sit in safely. And then there was the iron oven for baking pone, not forgetting tlie longhandled frying pan. The baking oven was a vessel of perhaps three or four inches deep set on legs and provided with an iron lid turned up around the edge. In it the thick loaf of corn bread was baked by setting it on a bed of coals with more coals piled upon the lid. Many who read this will call to mind the long thin slices of corn pone, heavy and clammy, and the bowl of sweet milk which was frequently all one had for the "frugal meal."

In this same iron kettle was also stirred up and cooked the pot of cornmeal mush, which with the fresh milk from the family cow was made to satisfy the evening repast.

The "jonnycake" board was also one of the most important cooking utensils belonging to the kitchen department of the old log cabin. It was usually made out of an oak clapboard, the sides dressed smooth with a drawing knife and the ends rounded. Cornmeal was made into dough and spread on one side of the board and smoothed along the sides and ends. It was then set up before the log fire close enough so the heat would gradually bake but not burn it. It was allowed to remain there until it was browned and cooked through. Sometimes it was turned over and both sides browned. When eaten warm with nice fresh butter and sweet milk it was a dish that a king might relish.

As time wore on other devices were invented, among which the "reflector" oven was considered among the greatest. This utensil consisted of a light iron frame, two or three feet in length, mounted upon short legs, to hold the baking and roasting pans. To the back part of this frame a flaring top was attached by hinges, so that it might be turned back when the cooking needed attention. The sides were also enclosed. This flaring top and sides, made of bright tin, presented a large opening toward the open fire which was supplemented by a bed of live coals drawn out upon the hearth and from the hood, sides and back of tin the heat was reflected down upon the cooking. It served its purpose well, and surely no better light biscuits, bread, cakes or pies have ever been eaten anywhere than those our mothers used to bake in the old "reflectors" upon the hearth of the old log cabin.

When the cook stove made its way into the early homes of the pioneers it was hailed with delight by a majority of the housewives because it afforded such great relief to their faces, hands and arms, that had been so continually blistered by the great open fires, but some adhered to the fireplace, the old utensils and the old cooking methods as long as they lived.

A good many of the more prosperous families used what was called the "Dutch ovens." These were made of small boulders or bricks and mortar, or else of tough clay, wrought and beaten into shape and burned by slow fires built within. They were usually set upon wooden platforms away from the house by reason of danger from fire, and were protected by a shed. They were principally used in the summertime. In appearance they were rounded domes, not unlike the old-fashioned beehive. The fire was built in them and then raked out, and the baking set upon the floor, the body of the oven retaining enough heat to do the cooking.

The woodenware of the household was often made by the pioneer himself. Trays, large and small, were made from the soft poplar, buckeye and basswood, and these took the place of most of the present-day tin and crockery ware. The churn was sometimes a mere trough and paddle.

The hominy pestle was a solid beech or maple stump with a bowl-shaped cavity burned in the top to hold the grain while being pounded, and a similar stump cut as smooth as possible made the chopping block for meat. The rude trough hollowed out from a short log split in half, that was used to catch sap from the sugar trees, is still a familiar relic from the olden time.

"For drinking and dipping vessels," it has been well said, "the common article was the gourd - one of the most adaptable and convenient gifts of nature to man. In an age when manufactured conveniences were hard to get the gourd was a boon, and in every cabin home it played a conspicuous part. Of many sizes and shapes, it served, when properly scraped out and cleaned, a variety of purposes. It hung as a dipper beside the spring or the well with its long sweep, and in the same capacity it was a companion to the cider barrel and whisky jug ; it was used at the table, at the lye kettle or at the sugar camp, for soup, soap or sap ; a large one properly halved made a wash pan or a milk pan, or, cut with an opening, it became a receptacle for the storing of divers things ; a small one was used by the grandmother to darn the family socks over ; the boy used one to carry his bait in when he went fishing, and the baby used another for a rattle. A veritable treasure was the gourd, and it should be celebrated in song."

There were various curious articles used in the pioneer homes that are now quite obsolete. Among these we find metal warming pans which, filled with live embers, were used to warm the sheets of a cold night : lanterns of perforated tin ; tinder boxes with their contents of flint, steel, little powder horns and "punk" from rotten logs used to start the fires; candle molds with balls of cotton wicking; long tin horns and conch shells to call the men to dinner, and many other conveniences now considered quaint and sought for relics.

One important piece of pioneer furniture, if so it might be called, unknown to the modern house, was the loom, which in the days of homemade fabrics was almost indispensable. The space this ponderous machine occupied in the small cabin made it a serious incumbrance, and hence a period would be devoted to the family weaving, after which the loom could be taken apart and stowed awav, unless, as sometimes happened, one had a separate loom room. The excellence of the work done upon these rude, homemade implements is a matter of wonder now, as one examines preserved specimens.

Not only have those blankets, jeans and various cloths a surpassing durability, but some fabrics, such as coverlets and curtains, exhibit a remarkable artistic taste and skill, both in the dyeing of the yarns and the weaving of complicated figures.

Complimentary to the loom were the spinning wheels - a big one for the wool and the familiar little one for the flax. The skillful use of these was a part of the education of every girl and some of the boys, and in the ears of many an old man and woman the resonant hum of it still lingers as the sweet music of a day that is past.

In connection with household duties there were things to do that would not now be considered in keeping with the way we manage our home affairs nowadays.

A great deal of the clothing worn by the heads of families and the children was manufactured by and under the supervision of the wife and mother. Almost every family owned a few sheep, and the wool, after it had been sheared in the spring, was thoroughly washed and dried, and picked and carded, and woven, and the cloth cut and made up into garments for the various members of the family by the good wife and mother. It was a long, tedious, laborious road from the wool on the sheep's back to the completion of the "homespun" garment on the person of the wearer. At that time the "the tariff on wool" had not begun to cut any figure, and it did not matter whether there was a high protective tariff on wool or not, as there was no wool imported into the western country at that time, and nobody had any use for imported wool anyhow. All the wool was used at home, and it was many years after the first settlement before there was a surplus to dispose of.

The fleece of wool was sorted, the fine from the coarse, and carded by means of hand cards made of short bent wire thickly fastened into leather, which was in turn fastened to a small board about 3 by 4>4 inches thick, to which were fastened handles. Two of these cards were used. A small amount of wool was placed on one of the cards, and then the carder would hold one in his left hand and pull with the other in his right hand until the wool had been thoroughly torn to pieces, when it was made into a small roll, say, about half or three-quarters of an inch in diameter and five or six inches in length.

Carding was hard work, but after one got used to it, it became easier, and in time many became experts and could "roll" off a considerable quantity in the course of a day.