Allen Township

Allen Township

Allen was taken from the north end of Brown Township in March, 1839, and contained all of Townships 14 and 15 north, of Range 2 east, except one tier of sections from the east side of each. In 1848, Township 15 was thrown into Mercer County. The general surface of Allen is rolling, and occasional hills are seen along the Wabash and Stillwater streams - the first named enters the township near the extreme northwestern corner, and flows in a general southeast course to the southeast corner of Section 15, two miles north of Rossville, then due northeast to Section 11, where it enters Wabash Township. The second rises on the L. M. Turner place, southwest quarter Section 17, and runs southeast, crosses the pike a half-mile north of Rossville, keeps the same course a distance, reaches, finally, the southern line of the township, and enters Brown. The soil is dark and rich in the lowlands, but the clay predominates in the uplands.

At the present time, about one-third of the eastern portion of the township is timbered, which increases to a half in the western and northwestern parts. There are four saw-mills in almost constant operation. There are Titus' mill, close to the county line, five miles north of Rossville ; Rodehammel's large steam-mill, two and a half miles north of the same place, and Sutherland's mill, one and a half miles east of the steam-mill. These mills are rapidly reducing the quantity of timber suitable for the various kinds of lumber. The township is well supplied with roads. Almost every section line is either a county road or a pike. No railroad touches the township. The houses are now mostly frame buildings, but there are a number of brick dwellings. Many of the better class of residences are seen. Farms are about on an average with those in the northern part of the county, generally.

The Irelands (Ephraim and Aaron) were the first settlers in Allen. They settled on Section 34, just south of where Rossville now is, on what is now known as the John Hagerman place. Others of the pioneers were George Reigel, with his sons John, David, Jacob and Jonathan ; Samuel Zerby, Samuel Aspaugh, Landis Light, John Hagerman, Matthias Barnhart, Francis Jenkinson, Henry Brown ; also James Cochran, who was the first Justice of the Peace in the township.

The first schoolhouse was built, during the year 1840, on land since owned by Joseph Bingham, on Section 30. The pioneer church was erected, in 1854, by the Methodists, on the line between Sections 29 and 32, two miles west of Rossville, on the present road to Lightsville. In 1855. a church was built by the German Lutheran denomination on the farm of Jacob Zerby, a little more than half a mile farther west of Rossville than the other. The first sermons preached in the township were by Evangelical ministers in private houses. The first preacher was Bishop John Seibert. In the Methodist Church, the pioneer was Rev. T. Heistand. The United Brethren have a church five miles northeast of Rossville, near the Meisse property. The plans have been made and the money subscribed for a new brick church at Rossville. It is to be built by the United Brethren, and will cost about $1,200.

There are nine schoolhouses in the township, five are brick, four are frame, and have an average seating capacity of forty-five. Rossville, a village of recent date, was laid out by John G. Ross, in 1868, from a part of eighty acres owned by him and Robert Ross laid off a few lots adjacent to the plat, from his farm. During the year, a village store was started by Solomon Frank, and a post office established. Two years prior to this, a blacksmith named John Clapper had built a shop, and accommodated the farmers with a place where tools could be repaired and horses shod.

The products of the township are those usual to this section. Of these, corn is the staple; in 1879.2,111 acres were planted, and 75,232 bushels produced; 1.170 acres of wheat yielded 18,390 bushels ; 643 in oats produced 18,962 bushels : 91 acres in potatoes yielded 6,086 bushels ; 21,352 pounds of butter were made, 4,738 gallons of sirup. The waste lands number but 45 acres ; the cultivated, 5,454 ; the pasture, 193, and the wood land 6,095 ; the number of acres owned is 11,757. Some few sheep are kept; but, as seen, the grains are heavily raised and much of the profit from farming are derived from the fattening and sale of hogs. The amount of fruit produced is small ; attention has not been directed that way.