Eminence, Indiana

The early schools were taught first in private dwellings. The early teachers wer6 residents who possessed some little education, enough to furnish rudimentary instruction in reading, writing and arithmetic, and to furnish correction with hickory gads. These old instruments of punishment were always, present, and usually hung on wooden hooks over the old fire-place, so that they became so hardened by seasoning from the heat that they resisted the severest exercise of the teacher in an application on some offending pupil, and even cut the wooden benches as the teacher in his fervor pursued, round and round, the howling culprit. The big whip was indispensable. A " master " who could successfully teach a term of school without using a whip, or could get along perhaps without any such corrective, was a rare object, and when one was found he was looked upon with suspicion, so prevalent was the belief in the efficacy of the rod. The old settlers were firm believers in the oracle of Solomon, "spare the rod and spoil the child," and as they did not care to have their offspring spoiled, they usually employed an Irishman who possessed both the energy and temper to apply the rod to the unlimited satisfaction of parents anxious that their children " should be trained up in the way they should go." It is worthy of note that the earliest professional teachers throughout the West were Irishmen. They were about the only class that appeared to find satisfactory emoluments in continuous teaching. Coming themselves from an humble stock, and trained in the rough school of poverty, they seemed to enjoy the rude fare always obtained by "boarding around," and seemed contented with the meager amounts doled stingily out by parents of the backwoods. It is stated that the first school held in the township was near Eminence, in about the year 1835. A rude log cabin that had been occupied a short time by some early family and had then been vacated, was fitted up, and a school was taught by some stranger, probably an Irishman, who came along. A school was taught soon afterward in the northern part of the township, the Wheelers being the principal patrons. It is said that one of them was the teacher. This school was taught about the year 1836. Another was taught east of it within a year or two afterward. In 1840, there were four established schools, two in the northern part, one near the center, and one near Eminence, or near what afterward became Eminence. The real development of the school system of the township began with the passage of the common school law of 1852. Frame houses were built, and public funds provided better wages for teachers, and thus secured better instructors. Now there are eight or nine schools in the township, and the value of the school property is about $5,500.

Passage source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical, published 1884.

It is likely that the Baptists at Eminence had the first permanent religious organization in the township. The class was established about the year 1837 or 1838, at the house of Thomas Shoemaker, or as others state, at that of Joseph Donaldson. These men and their families were prominent members, and at the organization of the class were about the only ones. Joseph Applegate was an early member. Mr. Shoemaker donated a small tract of ground for a church and cemetery in 1841. This church became widely known, and was called Mount Eden. It had a large membership during the forties, and did great good throughout all that portion of the county. It is yet in a prosperous condition at Eminence. The Methodists organized a class west of Mill Creek about 1840, which met for worship at the house of William Brick. This is not now in Morgan County, but it was then. Among the members were the families of John Clark, Logan Gray, A. J. Bowman, Josiah Graves, Thomas Champion, J. P. Goodwin, Norman Nunn and others. Rev. Isaac Crawford was the pastor of the class early in the forties. The class often met at the residence of John Clark. Another early class was the Lake Valley Methodist Church. It was organized in the forties, among the early members being the families of William Wilhite, Hezekiah Johnson, Coleman Brown, James Pruitt, James McClellan. In 1852, the pastor was Rev. H. S. Talbot. This class is yet in existence. The Oak Grove Christian Church, in the northern part, was organized in the forties, some of the early members being A. M. Delaven, Richard Treat, Bright Pruitt, John Boyd and others. This class is in a flourishing condition at present. Other religious organizations have existed in the township.

Passage source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe, and Brown, Indiana. Historical and Biographical, published 1884.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Adams Township - it names this place 1 more 1 time.