Beloit Town (part 1 of 2)

Beloit Town

Introductory - An Early Adventitker - Thiebault - Blodgett - New England Emigrating Company - Land Title Litigation - Origin of the Name Beloit - First Events - A Pioneer's Recollections - Beloit Village in 1845 - Beloit a Quarter of a Century Ago - City Government - City Seal - Police Court - The Arch^an Society - Manufacturing Enterprises - Schools - Post Office - Hotels - Public Halls - The Military - The Old Veterans' Club - Musical Societies- Bands - Beloit Reading Club - Beloit Bible Society- Gas Works - The Bridges - The Cemetery - The Banking Business - The Women's Christian Temperance Union - Secret Societies - Society for Protection Against Horse-Thieves - Beloit Public Libraries - Beloit Water-Potver - Principal Conflagration - The Beloit Churches - Banks - Fire Department.

The early history of Beloit, like that of most of the cities of the great Northwest, is almost entirely devoid of the varied, exciting and romantic incidents which stimulated or dismayed the pioneers in many other portions of the country. There were no lurking ambushments by the stealthy and treacherous Indians, no sudden and terrible awakenings at dead of night to scenes of strife and slaughter, no hair-breadth escapes from savage and brutal captors. After the close of the Black Hawk war there was a transfer to distant reservations of the original lords of the soil, who had once pitched their lodges upon the picturesque bluffs which overhung the stream whence they obtained their food, when too lazy to "hunt" for it among the countless herds of deer and other game which roamed the prairie or sheltered in the timber. All this fertile and beautiful region was one vast solitude, the stillness of which was broken only by the songs of the birds, the murmur of the smoothly flowing streams, the bleat of the deer or the cries of other animals, with now and then, and here and there, at rare intervals, an old " Indian trader," or a small band of Indians, who had evaded the watchfulness of the authorities charged with their removal, and had found themselves irresistibly attracted to the homes and hunting-grounds they had once prized most dearly.

But if there were no desperate struggles for life and liberty with the savage, no weary days of ill-requited toil in felling monsters of the primeval forest, no arduous labor in wresting scant returns from a sterile soil, the early settlers must have been largely endowed with selfreliance, energy, industry, patience, frugality and sobriety - traits which would have developed into unshrinking courage and unfaltering endurance had the heroic virtues been demanded. It is by the exercise of the homely virtues that a people become prosperous, by the heroic that prosperity is defended and maintained, and it is certain that only an exceptional display of those above enumerated could, within the brief period of forty years, have won for Beloit the marked prosperity she now enjoys, and that heroism was not wanting is unmistakably attested by the brilliant record made by her sons during the war of the rebellion.

Ordinarily, the historian who proposes to commit to enduring type an account of the events and incidents attendant upon the early settlement of a place, finds himself embarrassed and his work impeded by a lack of material from which to compile a narrative which shall combine the three indispensable essentials of authenticity or reliability,, chronological sequence and interest. In the case of Beloit, however, the historian's most serious difficulties arise from an abundance of material, all of seemingly equal authenticity and value, but which proves to be conSicting upon some points of interest and importance. These sources of information consist of " histories," "sketches," and the like, heretofore prepared for some special purpose, and personal recollections of "old settlers," which latter constitute the only fountain from which accurate and reliable knowledge of these early days may be obtained.

An Early Adventurer

The first white man who is known to have settled in any part of the country adjacent to the present city of Beloit, was one Mack, a native of Exeter, N. H. This adventurer must have made his home in the "Far West" as early as 1820, as he was found living at Rockton, in Illinois, at the mouth of the Pecatonica (a western tributary of Rock River), in the spring of 1837, with a squaw wife and quite a family, and stated that he had been living with the Indians for more than sixteen years. This man figures as the hero of the only really romantic incident which illuminates these " tales of the grandfathers " of Beloit. According to the story current among the surviving " early settlers," Mack had spent most of his early manhood among the Indians, trading with numerous tribes in the West, and had finally settled down among the Winnebagoes, and had come to be regarded as a kind of advisi3r or confidential prime minister to the chief Contrary to the custom of white men in his position, however, he had never, taken to himself a dusky bride, and for this reason was regarded with suspicion by some of his associates as a treacherous, or, at best, a lukewarm friend. In the progress of time, according to the current tradition, other pale-faces came among the red men for purposes of trade and barter, and the malcontents alleged that Mack used the influence his position gave him to benefit these traders to the prejudice oF his red brothers. This added to the previous distrust, which had been sedulously cultivated, and gave his enemies so decided an advantage that his death was decided on. A daughter of one of the Winnebago chiefs, who had become enamored of the white trader, learned of the design upon his life and warned him of the intentions of his enemies, and he sought safety in flight to Chicago, which place he reached though he was pursued by the Indians for a whole day. Explanations, carried on by messengers from his city of refuge, ensued, and receiving assurances that they were satisfactory, and that no further attempt would be made upon his life. Mack returned to the tribe and re-assumed his former position. This, as events proved, was but a treacherous device of his enemies to get him again in their power, for, shortly after his return, the attempt upon his life was renewed. Again the Indian maiden proved his savior by concealing him in an empty barrel or hogshead when his lodge was surrounded by his persistent, bloodthirsty foes. Moved by these repeated instances of devotion, and, perhaps, as the most effectual means of quieting the suspicions of his enemies, and thereby of securing his personal safety. Mack married his preserver, and was adopted into the tribe; and it was with this squaw wife and her children that he was living when R. P. Crane and 0. P. Bickncll, of the New England Emigrating Company, passed through Rockton, on their way to Beloit, in the spring of 1837.

This may have been a fiction of Mack's own invention, founded upon the historical romance of Capt. John Smith and Pocahontas, or it may have been an actual occurrence ; but whichever it were, it is implicitly believed by the reputable and trustworthy citizens of Beloit, upon whose authority the incident finds a place in this work.

The first white person located at what is now Beloit, was one Thiebault (sometimes spelled Thicbeau, and pronounced Tebo),a French- Canadian trader, who must have made his home here about 1823 or 182J:, as according to his statement, made in 1836, he had gradually worked his way down from Green Bay to this locality some twelve years before, and had remained here trading with the Indians ever since. As the result of this trading, Thiebault, in 1835, claimed to be the owner of a vast tract of land extending for " three looks " in every direction from his cabin.

Upon inquiry, the prospective settlers ascertained that "a look " was the unit of land measurement with the Indians, and embraced all the land between the point where one stood and the farthest point within the range of his vision. The Canadian's vague and indefinite phrase, " three looks," was found, therefore, to mean that the boundaries of his possessions were to be determined by fixing upon some point or object as far distant as he could see, going to that point and fixing upon another, and repeating the process when the second point was reached. This was a ^ primitive mode of measurement certainly, and one open to the objection that it must vary with the range of sight of different individuals, but admirable in its simplicity and adaptability to the requirements of a rude people whose landed possessions were boundless in extent, and who therefore regard it as only nominally valuable, and to whom " corners," "section lines " and all the vocabulary of the surveyor were but useless jargon.

As this trader, Thiebault, is universally recognized as the first white man who actually settled in Beloit, though he disappears from its, history almost immediately after the arrival of his successors, his story and tragic fate may as well be inserted here as at any other point in this history.

When Thiebault was found here, " monarch of all he surveyed," like another Alexander Selkirk, he had two squaw wives, one of whom was " apparently forty years old, the other eighteen, the latter a rather fine-looking half-breed, complexion light and fair, -who was the mother of a babe. He had a son by a former squaw-wife (then dead), a lad of fourteen, very intelligent, who spoke good English, and it was said he could speak French fluently and three different Indian languages. Shortly after the settlement began to fill up, Thiebault moved away, having been employed by the Government as interpreter among the tribes in the northern part of the Territory. He finally settled on Lake Koshkonong, at a place called Thiebault's Point, where he was, it is believed, murdered in the winter of 1837-38, by his son and one of his wives. This crime is attributed by some to the anxiety of his family to follow the Indians west of the Mississippi, while he wished to remain where he was, devoting himself to the peaceful pursuits of agriculture. Others maintain - and the weight of the evidence appears to be on their side - that his death was due to the instinct of self-preservation. From these statements, it appears that Thiebault indulged in "periodical drunks," on which occasions he was monstrously brutal to his family - wives and children. (Mr. Charles M. Messer, one of the earliest settlers, who had lived for many years among the Pottawatomies, and who was about the only white man to whom Thiebault's wife and son could speak in their own language, has frequently known of their being compelled to fly from their hut at the dead of night, to escape his drunken fury.) Whatever the motive which prompted the crime, Thiebault was probably murdered, and his body disposed of by cutting a hole in the ice and throwing it into the lake ; and though the deed was never fixed upon the son and the squaw-wife, suspicion was so strong against them that the citizens warned them to leave, and they went to the Indians beyond the river, where it was reported the son was for many years employed as a Government interpreter.

Caleb Blodgett

Thoiigh Mack and Thiebault were undoubtedly the first white men who located at or near Beloit, it is manifestly improper to call them "settlers " in the proper sense of that term. They were merely roving traders, with no more thought of building up a community and developing the agricultural and industrial resources of fhe land they claimed to own than the savages with whom they lived. With their adoption by the Indians, they in their turn adopted the habits,, manner of living and purposeless existence of their newly-made brothers. They were white men who had become Indians - nothing more. To them, as to their savage associates, the boundless virgin prairie with its wealth of rich grasses and myriads of beautiful wild flowers, of countless hues and refreshing fragrance, was but a desirable "hunting-ground ;" the frequently recurring clumps of timber, dotting the prairies here and there and lining the banks of the water-courses, were but admirable shelters for the game which formed the staple of their food, or convenient.

depots from which to obtain canoes, or the "forks" used in constructing their huts and rude contrivances for drying fish ; the clear and swiftly flowing streams were valuable only as an inexhaustible supply of drinking;water for themselves, their ponies and the game upon which they chiefly lived, and for the fish speared within their depths.

The patient industry which wrests a rich return of golden grain from the generous earth, the enterprise and mechanical skill which make the rushing waters but the slave to serve man's needs, the brain to plan and the energy to successfully conduct the many enterprises which make a country prosperous and powerful, belong to a class of men widely difierent from the Macks and Theibaults, and it is with the advent of a man of this type that the " settlement" of Beloit really began.

In 1835, this type of man appeared in the person of Caleb Blodgett, a native of Vermont, whose adventures and vicissitudes in New York, Ohio and Illinois, before reaching this point, would fill a most entertaining volume. By the accounts of all his cotemporaries who yet survive, Blodgett was a man specially endowed by nature with the gifts and qualities to fit him pre-eminently for a "pioneer." Possessing but the rudiments of an education obtained in boyhood in his New England home, he had a keen, vigorous intelligence, a shrewd insight into character, a quick perception of the possible ultimate results of " a trade," or of any proposed line of action, combined with industry that was literally indefatigable and a resistless energy that carried everything and everybody before him or with him.

The following brief and rapid summary of his career prior to his arrival in Beloit, will be found interesting in this connection, and may be accepted as authentic :

He waa a native of Vermont. !u early manhood, he left for the West. On getting into tlie extreme western part of New York State, he found employment for a time : finally took up land for himself, it being then new. He then returned to Vermont, married his wife, got Selvy Kidder, his wife's brother, and others interested to come with him, and they logether laid the foundation for a village. After a few years, he sold out and located in Kelloggsville, Ohio. There, after several years' of hard eifort, he succeeded in becoming the owner of a large hotel, etc., became an extensive mail contractor, owning a large number of stages and mail routes, which brought a great amount of travel to his house. To this he added meichandiaing and finally distilling. After expending a large amount of capital in Ilia distillery, it took fire and burned down. This last made him bankrupt. Nothing daunted, he resolved to try a new country again. Accordingly, he started for Chicago, arriving there at a time when speculation had been overdone - very little encouragement left for him. He, therefore, went into the interior some twenty-five or thirty miles, selected Government htnd for a farm, at a place known as Meacham's Grove, built him a log house, got his fiimily on. and, with the help of his sons, broke up a large number of acres ready for a crop.

But Meacham's Grove proved a "pent-up Dtica," which contracted the powers of his restless and untiring energies, and, in 1836, in looking for a more expanded field of effort, he came hero. His keen sagacity at once appreciated the immense possibilities of such a location. The broad prairie presented iiruitful fields already cleared, the "burr-oak openings" Avould supply the timber for fuel, fences, and an inferior kind of timber, which might be made to do duty in the construction of temporary houses for the settlers, till more fitting material could be obtained elsewhere, while Turtle Creek and Rock River would furnish the motive power for both grist and saw mills. His sanguine temperament was fired by the boundless opportunities such a place opeiied before him, and he at once determined to secure possession of this northwestern Eden, convinced that he would have little dilficulty in attracting other settlers to a spot promising so many advantages to those seeking to improve their fortunes in new homes in the " Far West."

He found the old Canadian, Thiebault, in his cabin, and learned that he claimed, as has been stated, the ownership of all the land for "three looks " in every direction. This claim he purchased. Blodgett brought with him his sons, Nelson and Daniel, also a " breaking team," and provisions upon which to subsist. He set to work with characteristic energy and industry to fortify his rights to the claim he had bought. John Hackett, who married Blodgett's daughter, in Ohio, and who had been intimately associated with him there - which intimacy became even greater after their arrival at this point - represents that the quantity of land " claimed," or taken up by Blodgett and his family, was about four sections. He constructed a slianty and immediately set to work to get him a house, and, with the assistance of Indians and squaws, built a double log cabin on the bank of the river. This unpretentious and primitive dwelling was divided into two rooms, one of them a comparatively large one, for bis own family, and the other, much smaller, served the various purposes of dining-room, office and sleeping-room for land-hunters, hired hands, etc., etc. This house was finished and occupied in December, 1836. All this improving was done on hind which belonged to the Government. The lands on the west side of the river had been offered bj' the Government at auction, and those adjoining the river had been bought, nearly or quite, all the way up to Janesville, and this will account for the fact that Blodgett's activity was confined to the east bank, though even there ho was but a " squatter." But though a squatter, ho proceeded as if his "claims" were all irapregnably defended by patents from the land ofSce at Washington. life had prior to, or about the time of the completion of his log cabin, sold to Charles F. II. Goodhue,, a native of Massachusetts, though he had long resided in Sherbrooke, Canada, immediately prior to his coming to Beloit, one-fourth of his interest for $2,000, and Goodhue, in turn had sold one-half of his interest to Charles Johnson, a Vermont capitalist, and Joiin Doolittle. Prior to this sale to Goodhue, Blodgott had begun to build a saw-mill, and after the sale the enterprise was carried on by the two jointly, the race being dug and water let into it in the spring of 1837. This was the nucleus of the new settlement, and evidences of material progress were visible on every hand. Farm cultivation had begun ; Blodgett, at least, had one comfortable, if not luxurious house ; and a mill to saw lumber for others' was going forward satisfactorily.

New England Emigrating Company

A sudden impetus was given to the Turtle settlement by the purchase of one-third of Blodgett's claim by the New England Emigrating Company, through its agent, Dr. Horace White. This company was organized in New Hampshire in 183'6, the attendants at the first meeting being Capt. G. W. Bicknell, Dr. Horace White, Horace Hobart, Dr. George W. Bicknell, Edwin Bicknell, A. L. Field, 0. P. Bicknell and 11. P. Crane. D^-. White was appointed agent of the Company to travel through Illinois and the then Territory of Wisconsin, embracing the present State of loAva, and select some desirable location for the Company to take up Government land. The membership was subsequently increased to sixteen male members, some of whom were unmarried. In the discharge of the duties devolving upon him as agent, Dr. White went to Quincy, 111., thence up the Des Moines Valley, and had also, at the solicitation of George Goodhue (son of Charles F. H. Goodhue, above mentioned), who had a store at Ilockford, visited " The Turtle," as Blodgett's settlement was then called. On the 4th of March, 1837, Dr. White was joined at Rockford by R. P. Crane and 0. P. Bicknell, of the New England Company, and, on the 9th, they (Crane and Bicknell) were ferried over Turtle Creek and "found Caleb Blodgett, with a force of men, repairing the race at the bulkhead." The frame of the saw-mill was up, the flume built, and, to try the race, Blodgett had let in the water, the result of which trial is thus described' by a writer: "The banks being light and frosty, as soon as the frost dissolved, the earth washed away * * flooding the low ground between the race and Blodgett's log house, which stood on Rock River bank, back of where A. P. Waterman's store now stands." About April 1, Dr. White and George Goodhue came to "The Turtle," and a bargain was struck with Caleb Blodgett, whereby the New England Emigrating Company acquired " the right to occupy and own one undivided third of all farm improvements (some one hundred acres of prairie and bottom-lands had been broken up the summer before, and were now ready for crops), also a tract of one mile square north of the State line was to be reserved from farm purposes as a village plat. Each member of the several companies was to have an interest in the village in the same proportion as he might own in farm lands, by paying that proportion of Government price in this plat whenever it should bo brought into market (which was some two years later), viz., $1.25 per aci-e." '

The early settlement of Beloit by white men is thus divided into three eras : First, the semisavage occupation of Mack and Thiebault; second, Blodgett's acquisition of Thiebault's somewhat nebulous claim ; third, the New England Emigrating Company's purchase of one-third of

Blodgctt's interest, and with the latter era the place entered upon that tide of rapid development, success and prosperity which has characterized it ever since. Prior to the New England Company's purchase, the settlement consisted only of Caleb Blodgett and his family, John Hackett and wife, Maj. Charles Johnson, the Goodhues, John Doolittle, Z. Jones and brother, James Carter, a millwright, and Mr. Delamater. March 9, 1837, R. P. Crane and 0. P. Bicknell, members of the New England Company, arrived. Shortly after. Dr. White, the Company's Agent, effected the purchase from Blodgett, and the Doctor returned to the East, leaving Crane and Bicknell to look after the interests of the Company. With the advancing year, other members of the Company came on. Deacon Henry Mears, Avith his wife and two of her brothers, came late in the spring. July brought Dr. George W. Bicknell and his brother Edwin, and shortly afterward, A. L. Field arrived with a four-ox team, bringing much-needed supplies of meat and flour. Ira Horsey, from Maine, accompanied him.

The first comers of the New England Company boarded at Caleb Blodgett's log cabin for a short time after their arrival, but they soon bought old Theibault's log hut, and, having no longer any interest in the place, the Frenchman moved away, as previously narrated, and was speedily followed by the few Indians who had remained here. "-

From the time to which this history has now been brought down, the summer. of 1837, the settlement filled up rapidly. The New England Company sent out a number of new settlers, among them, Deacon Horace Hobart, Asahel B. Howe, Capt. Thomas Crosby and wife, with an infant in arms, his mother and brother, Israel C. Cheney, Mrs. R. P. Crane and infant, Mr. James Cass and wife. Other settlers beside those connected with the New England Company also came in among them - Benjamin Cheney, Walter Warner, David Nogglo and others - so that with the opening of the year 1838 there were some sixty or seventy families located here.

Land Title Litigation

In their haste to secure a village as a business and industrial center of the little community, the settlers at what is now Beloit acted in direct and apparently irremediable contravention of the law governing the occupation of public lands. The act of Congress approved May 29, 1830, amended by the act approved June 22, 1838, was specially designed to prevent speculation in village lots, and prohibited in express terms the pre-emption of public lands for any other than farming purposes. The people of Beloit, after deliberation, decided to pursue a way out of their difficulty and secure a legal title to their land, by selecting some settler in whom the entire community had confidence, and quit-claiming to him every foot of ground embraced in the village, and allowing him to pre-empt it in his own name, and, after he had obtained title, receive from him a re-conveyance of their titles.

This plan was carried out to the letter. The various lots in the village were quit-claimed to R. P. Crane, and at the land office in Milwaukee, Crane made the affidavit required by the pre-emption law, and entered under his claim of pre-emption, on the 26th day of November, 1838, Lots 6 and 7 in Section 35, Town 1, Range 12 east, containing seventy-eight and fifty-seven one-hundrcdths acres, according to Government survey. He then, before receiving a. patent from the General Government, deeded to the original owners, in accordance with a private survey made under the direction of Dr. White, for the New England Company and other land owners.

AVhcn the village was laid out, Rock River was navigable, and a piece of land was set apart for a public landing. After Crane pre-empted the above-mentioned lots and re-conveyed to the original owners, title to this piece of land had not been re-conveyed to the city, and it lay presumptively in Crane. In 1845, when the first bridge was built across, the river, it became necessary to lay out a street as an approach. It was found desirable to run this street through a lot belonging to Benjamin Brown, and, in exchange for the land thus to be taken from Mr. Brown, the village authorities proposed to give hira a portion of the "public landing." This proposition Mr. Brown accepted, and the deeds necessary to carry out the exchange were duly executed by Mr. Brown and the village authorities. Subsequently it was discovered that this " public landing" had not been ro-coiiveyed by Crane to the city, and that, in consideration of |50, Crane had quit-claimed the ground to one Gardner. This gave rise to the case of Gardner vs. Tisdale, et al., in which Luther Tisdale and F. A. Tondro, tenants of Benjamin Brown, were made defendants in an action of ejectment brought by Gardner. The case was finally argued before the Supreme Court by Matthew H. Carpenter'for the plaintiff and Joseph A. Sleeper for the defendants. The decision was that Brown's title was invalid, the corporation or village authorities having no power to alienate land dedicated to the use of the public, and that Gardner's claim was valid because the dedication had been irregular and incomplete, and because of the quit-claim deed of Crane. This case was reported in 2 Wis. 153.

While engaged on this case, Mr. Carpenter discovered what was afterward the germ of no inconsiderable litigation. It was, that, after pre-empting Lots 6 and 7 as stated, on the 16th of November, 1838, in conformity to an act of Congress passed June 22, 1838, R. P. Crane had quit-claimed and re-conveyed to the original owners their several lots before patent was issued to him, the 9th of May, 1842. In pursuance of this theory that the presumptive title to Lots 6 and 7 was invalid, a conveyance by Crane to Samuel B. Cooper was procured, on the 22d of January, 1855. Cooper conveyed to Jared L. Demmon, of Waterbury, Vt., a law partner of Gov. Paul Dillingham, the father-in-law of Mr. Carpenter. On the 23d of April, 1855, Demmon conveyed to Paul Dillingham. These conveyances embraced the original Lots 6 and 7 which Crane' pre-empted.

The title to the lots on the corner of Public avenue and Pleasant street, now the residence of E. P. King, and then of L. G. Fisher, was made the subject of the test case, on the fate of which title to a vast amount of property depended. Crane had conveyed the title to these lots to one Kearney before he received the patent, and Kearney had conveyed to Mr. Fisher. A claim was set up by Gov. Dillingham against these lots of Mr. Fisher's, and the case was first tried in the Circuit Court of Rock County, and a verdict given for the defendant. Gov. Dillingham then took the case to the Supreme Court on error. The array of eminent legal talent engaged was such as is rarely gathered together in the argument of a single case. Senator Matt. H. Carpenter and Chief Justice Edward G. Ryan were Gov. Dillingham's attorneys, and Rufus Choate prepared a brief supporting the claim. James R. Doolittle was Mr. Fisher's attorney, and Daniel Cady, of Johnstown, N. Y., for fifty years esteemed the best real-estate lawyer in New York, and Abraham Lincoln, prepared briefs for the defense. The Supreme Court sustained the decision of the court below, and Gov. Dillingham transferred his case to the Supreme Court of the United States. The decision of the Wisconsin Supreme Court is reported in 5 Wis. 475. A case coming up from Louisiana, involving the same questions, had preceded the case of Dillingham vs. Fisher on the docket, and was decided a,dversely to Mr. Carpenter's theory. The Wisconsin case was accordingly withdrawn, to the great satisfaction of the people of Beloit. This litigation made one of the most exciting periods in the history of Beloit. Some of the persons holding titles to lots derived from Crane before he received the United States patent, compromised by paying certain sums to the claimant ; others threatened to shoot Mr. Carpenter for discovering and urging his theory of the title.

Origin Of The Name Beloit

Shortly after Blodgett settled here he named the place New Albany, and it was so called until the fall of 1838, though the name had never been acceptable to the majority of the settlers. It was proposed to change the name to Waterloo, but this was also objected to. Finally, about the time above mentioned, a meeting of the settlers was called for the special purpose of deciding upon a name by which the village should thereafter be known. At this meeting, a good many names were suggested, none of which proved acceptable, and it was finally decided to appoint a committee of three of the oldest residents to report a name or names from which the meeting would make a selection by a majority vote. The committee consisted of Maj. Charles Johnson, Caleb Blodgett and Mr. Allen. After a brief absence the committee returned, and, through its chairman, Maj. Johnson, reported to the meeting that a name had been agreed upon in committee which it was believed would prove acceptable to all present, for the reason that it was peculiar, distinctive and descriptive ; it had been obtained by compounding French words, and its signification in English was beautiful and the junction of two streams, and he presented for the consideration of the meeting the name Beloit. The report of the committee was enthusiastically adopted. A few days after this meeting, John Hackett encountered Maj. Johnson on the street and was asked how he liked the new name of the village. Mr. Hackett replied that he liked it amazingly ; it was just what a village name should be, dilFerent from any other place and singularly and appropriately descriptive, whereupon Maj . Johnson laughed heartily. Being asked the cause of his merriment, he replied that it was because of the good joke they had on the two or three French scholars who were present when the name was proposed and adopted. He (Johnson) knew nothing whatever about French, but he had been thinking over this matter of a name for the settlement for a long time and finally puzzled out the word Beloit, which, so far as his knowledge went, was no more French than it was Hebrew, and was utterly devoid of any meaning whatever, except that it was now the name of a village in Wisconsin.

First Events

After this time (the fall of 1838), the village filled up so rapidly and increased so steadily in prosperity and importance that it may fairly be considered to have passed the period of its nonage. To continue an account of its growth would be to inflict upon the reader a tedious and uninteresting roll of arrivals. Before passing on to the consideration of the more mature stages of the city's history, the reader may find some entertainment and instruction from a record of the " first " events, doings or occurrences.

The first white woman in Beloit was Mrs. Caleb Blodgett, who was accompanied by her two daughters, aged, respectively, thirteen and fifteen years.

The first large building was the old Beloit House, constructed by the New England Company, followed immediately (their erection and completion were, practically, simultaneous) by the Rock River House, built by Caleb Blodgett.

The first school was taught by John Burroughs in the kitchen of the Rock River House, in the fall and winter of 1838. Mrs. Atwood taught a few boys at her own house prior to this date.

The first marriage was that of Harvey Bevedy and Miss Mary J. Moore, both now living in Virginia City, Nev. The ceremony was performed in the winter of 1889, by Squire S. G. Colley, then a Justice of the Peace.

The first store was kept by John Hackett, in the fall of 1837. In 1838, Field & Lusk put up a large store on the corner of State and Race streets, which is generally regarded as the first actual store in the village.

The first male child born in the town was Lucien D. Mears, sou of Deacon Henry Mears, born March 29, 1838. The first male child born in the village proper was the son of Seloy K. Blodgett.

The first postal facilities were provided in 1838, and consisted of a horseback mail once a week between Beloit and Belvidere, 111., distant twenty-four miles, and the first Postmaster was John Hackett.

The first banking business was carried on by A. B. Carpenter, in 1846. This was but a small exchange banking business, consisted in buying drafts of grain-dealers, cashing checks, etc.

The first bank of issue was the Rock River Bank, owned in Pittsburgh, Penn., which had a circulation in notes of about |50,000. John M. Keep was the first President.

The first survey for a railroad was made by Mr. Hugh Lee, in 1849, of the Rock River Valley Union R. R. from Chicago to Fond du Lac ; the first survey being through Beloit, though the route was subsequently changed to a more direct line, running eight miles east of the city through Shopiere and Jefferson Prairie to Janesville and Fond du Lac. This was the first survey for a railroad in Wisconsin.

The first bridge over Rock River was constructed in 1845, where the present bridge now is on Bridge street, by a corporation as a toll-bridge. This bridge was afterward douated to the village upon the condition that it should be kept in good repair and maintained a free bridge at the general expense.

The first election was held in the fall of 1838, for a Justice of the Peace and for Surveyors of Highways, Horace Hobart being elected Justice.

" I came to Beloit in October, 1841 ; the settlement had then about three hundred ; it was all on the east side of the river ; I held through the winter a line of singing-schools at White- Water, Fort Atkinson, Milton, Beloit and Rockford ; the winter was , beautiful, from six to ten inches of snow ; the next winter was the hard winter ; sleighing from the 9th of November, 1842, to the 10th of April, 1843 ; teams crossed Rock River on the ice the 11th of April. I was lost on Roek Prairie the 17th of November, 1842, in a snow-storm ; the snow was two feet deep and increased during the winter to four feet ; cattle, horses, hogs and sheep perished by cold and hunger ; the bridge was built at Beloit that summer; in April, 1844, 1 built and moved to the west side of the river, and from May 10, it rained almost continuously for fifty days. A steamboat came up the river from St. Louis, went up to Jefferson ; in the fall, the river dam was built by Hanchett & Lawrence ; it was begun forty rods higher up the river, in May, by Ira Hersey, John Atchley and myself, who sold to H. & L.; Gaston's scale-factory was built in November ; I built the second, and now the oldest house on the West Side ; it is of stone, on Third street, now owned by Charles Hanson ; winter wheat was the staple product, yielding from twenty to forty bushels per acre ; soon it began to fail and spring wheat took its place ; then followed the noted days of hedge-row - which, with basswood lumber furnished from Watertown by John^ Hackett, was next to legal tender; barter became the rule and cash the exception. Wheat sold at 25 cents ; corn, 10 to 15 cents ; and oats the same. They would buy everything one didn't want and some things that we did want. Work in harvest was from $1.00 to $1.50 according to muscle; grain was cut with cradles ; a good man and team got from $1.25 to $1.50 per day (and board themselves) ; the Beloit & Madison Railroad was graded in 1854, to Footville ; I put on the road 20,000 ties (from Beloit to Afton); Racine & Mississippi (now Western Union) was graded in 1856 : I delivered 20,000 ties from Porter to Roekton. When the city was organized. William S. Yost, G-reen Bennett and D. Merrill were Supervisors of the town, as now organized. I have built twenty-five buildings ; broken up 1,200 acres of land ; made over twenty miles of fence, and had nothing to start with but brain and muscle."

Beloit Village In 1845

" Beloit contains a male and female seminary and three well conducted schools ; three churches, viz., Episcopal, Methodist and Congregational ; five lawyers, five physicians, one botanic physician, two watchmaker's shops^ two good taverns, one clothing store, fifteen drygoods stores, with a fall stock of goods amounting in the aggregate to about $120,000 ; a branch of the American Bible Society, two iron foundries, one scale and pump factory, one good drug store, two saw-mills, two extensive grist-mills, one fanning-mill factory, five milliners and dressmakers, one harness-makers' shop, one hatter's shop, thirty joiners, twenty masons, two millwrights, two wagon-maker's shops, two shoe-making shops, two stone-cutters' shops, five tailors' shops, two tinsmith shops, two groceries, two stove stores, one literary association, one carding mill, one gunsmith, one lime kiln, one brickyard, three paint shops, one oil mill, onebarber's shop, two tinsmiths, one cooper, one cabinet maker.

Population Of Beloit

" Of these, 340 are natives of New York State, 177 of Vermont, 194 of, Wisconsin, 195 of New Hampshire, 75 of Ohio, 68 of England, 40 of Massachusetts, 27 of Lower Canada, 17 of Upper Canada, 24 of Connecticut, 20 of Scotland, 32 of Pennsylvania, 24 of Upper Canada, 21 of Illinois, 15 of Norway, 14 of Ireland, 18 of Michigan, 28 of Maine, 12 of Indiana, 8 of Virginia, 6 of Rhode Island, 6 of New Jersey, 1 of Maryland, 4 of Germany, 2 of Mexico, 1 of Florida and 1 of Missouri.

" A large proportion of the houses in Beloit are substantial stone and brick buildings, and reflect much credit on the taste of their builders.

" The Congregational Church is composed of hammered stone, has a well proportioned portico in front, supported by Ionic columns, and is crowned with a handsome steeple. The Episcopal Church is a modest-looking building, measuring 30x20 feet and capable of containino- 120 persons. It cost about $700. "

" Amongst the other buildings worthy of notice maybe classed the new and beautiful residence of that enterprising citizen, Benjamin Brown, Esq. It stands on the corner of Turtle and Schqol streets, and is the most delightful location in the village. It is built of brick and measures forty-four feet in length, twenty-four feet in width, and is finished in front with a handsome portico supported by four Ionic columns. The whole reflects much credit on the taste of the worthy proprietor, and on the skill of the ingenious architect, Mr. George Golden.

" In the month of August, 1844, Mr. James H. Hanchett commenced the erection of the dam across Rock River, at this place, which is now nearly completed, and will afford an extensive water-power for manufacturing purposes. It is built on the same plan as the dam at Janesville already described. Mr. Hanchett has also erected an extensive saw-mill, which is capable of cutting 4,000 feet of hardwood in twenty-four hours.

" A tri-weekly line of mail stages, between Janesville and Chicago, passes through this village, and there is a semi-weekly mail stage running between this place and Southport.

" The hotels are well conducted. The Rock River House, which is kept by Messrs. CoUey & Gator. Mr. Cator is one of the oldest citizens in Beloit, and one of the most obliging and worthy landlords in the western country. Messrs. Bicknells, the landlords of the Beloit House, are gentlemen who will not let the traveling community suffer at their hands."

Beloit A Quarter Of A Century Ago

The population of the village of Beloit in 1850 was 2,753 ; in 1853, it was 3,017 ; in 1855, it was 4,241. From the census of 1855, taken by James W. Strong, it is shown that there were east of Rock River 1,155 males and 1,080 females ; west of that stream, 1,052 males and 954 females. Of this population, 22 were colored persons, and 899 were of foreign birth. The dwelling-houses numbered 583, and were classified as, built of wood, 400 ; of brick, 55 ; of stone, 108 ; and of cobble-stone, 20. There were 6 churches, 2 college buildings, 5 hotels, 4 banks, 1 female seminary, 3 flouring-mills, 2 foundries, 2 steam planing-mills, 1 steam-engine factory, 1 scale factory, 1 woolen factory, and 1 paper-mill. The value of manufactured wares for one year from June, 1854, to June, 1855, was $418,812.

There were in Beloit in 1856, 1 water-power company, 1 gas company and 1 coal company ; 1 Masonic Lodge, 2 Odd Fellows' Lodges, 1 Lodge of the Sons of Temperalnce. Up to that year, the village had furnished the following county officers : Judges of Probate, Horace White, Israel 0. Cheney, S. B. Cooper; Registers of Deeds, 0. C. Townsend, B. A. Kent; Clerk of the Circuit Court, E. P. King; Sheriffs, L. G. Fisher, H. W. Cator, W. H. Howard; District Attorneys, John M- Keep, W. S. Rockwell and M. H. Carpenter ; Delegates to First Constitutional Convention, David Noggle and John Hackett ; to Second Constitutional Convention, Joseph Colley ; to the Assembly, John Hackett, John Hopkins, Jesse Moore, Jared G. Winslow, Robert T. Cary, Nathaniel Strong, S. G. Colley, John R. Briggs, John Bannister.

Of banking institutions there were: The Rock River Bank, L. G. Fisher, President, and A. L. Field, Cashier ; Beloit Bank, George B. Sanderson, President, and Lewis Hyde, Cashier ; Exchange Bank, Carpenter & Wright; Southern Wisconsin Bank, J. D. Skeene, President, and Isidore Talfair, Cashier. There was one fire company - A. J. Battin, Captain. Presbyterian and Congregational ministers were Dexter Clary, N. H. Brinsmade, A. L. Chapin, William Porter, J. J. Bushnell, H. Lyman, Joseph Emerson, M. Montague, F. W. Fiske, (licentiate) and L. D. Chapin ; Presbyterian ministers, L. Hawes, A. Montgomery, M. P. Squier, D. C. Lansing, R G. Thompson ; Catholic, J. W. Norris ; Congregational, B. E. Hale, B. B. Brown ; Baptist, Henry Billings, Thomas Holman, Jacob Bailey ; Episcopal, J. E. C. Smeads, S. C. Millett, A. Humphrey ; Methodist, John Chamberlain, Stephen Adams, J. Tibbals and Mr. Scott.

"It is interesting to trace," says a writer of 1856, "the relation between the present condition of the village of Beloit and the first acts of its first settlers. It is not more certain that the affluent beauty of our streets in June proceeds from the tastes of our ladies in the airangement of shrubbery than that the general prosperity of Beloit has its seminal principle in the events of the first years of its settlement.

" The voluntary self-assessment of the poor settlers, by which the means to build the old sehoolhouse was realized, was a fit prelude to that zeal for the union school, which has since adorned both banks of the river with these convenient and costly structures within which it is still cherished.'

"The persistence of laymen under diiBculties in maintaining public religious services, was the germ whose ripe fruit now appears in these churches, material and spiritual, which adorn the village, and which has made itself a record upon the public morals and order.

"Maj. Johnson's romantic voyage down Rock River and up the Mississippi, when he obtained of the Territorial Legislature at Burlington a charter for a seminary, had a significance which, when we look upon the .College and upon the Female Seminary, we can appreciate as he could not.

"Who can doubt that these acts, severally and conjoined, have determined the character of the accretions which have since been made to this population? It is not an accident that educated parents, desiring to secure the highest educational advantages for their children, resort to Beloit and make there their homes.

"The moral prominently taught in the history of this village is, that a generous patronage for improvements of real utility, results in the production of material wealth ; and that the maintenance of religion and learning, while it also contributes to the same end, has this higher advantage, that it promotes the thrift and refinement of the population."

City Government

By an act of the Legislature, passed and approved at the general session of the Assembly of th^ State of Wisconsin, in 1856, the village of Beloit was incorporated with municipal powers and privileges. The government of the city is vested in a Mayor and Common Council, consisting of twelve Aldermen, four of whom are elected annually, on the first Tuesday of April, and hold their office for a term of three years. At this charter election are elected also a City Treasurer, one Justice of the Peace for the First and Second Wards, and one Justice of the Peace for the Second and Third Wards, and one Police Justice, having jurisdiction within the city limits. The Justices of the Peace and Police Justice hold their offices for two years. A City Clerk, Marshal and four Constables, one from each ward, are chosen annually by the Council, at the meeting next succeeding the charter election. The municipal powers conferred upon the Council are such as conserve to the orderly government of the city, and it should be said that under the judicious provisions of its charter, Beloit has always been a well-governed city, securing to individuals and property every due protection, and incurring an expense for city government much less than ordinary.

City Officers. - The. roster of the various municipal administrations of Beloit, from 1856 to 1879, is as follows : 1856 - Mayor, W. T. Goodhue ; Treasurer, S. 0. Humphrey ; Clerk, W. H. Sherman. 1857 - Mayor, A. P. Waterman ; Treasurer, S. 0. Humphrey ; Clerk, W. H. Sherman. 1858 - Mayor, A. P. Waterman ; Treasurer, Nathaniel Goddard ; Clerk, H. P. Strong. 18.09 - Mayor, S. J. Todd ; Treasurer, H. B. Malone ; Clerk, H. P. Strong. 1860 - Mayor, John Bannister; Treasurer, A. J. Battin : Clerk, C. C. Keeler. 1861 - Mayor, Charles H. Parker ; Treasurer, C. F. Sims ; Clerk, C. C. Keeler. 1862 - Mayor, R. H. Mills ; Treasurer, S. 0. Humphrey; Clerk, C. C. Keeler.* 1863 - Mayor, B. C. Rogers; Treasurer, G. H. Stocking ; Clerk, N. 0. Perkins. 1864 - Mayor, H. P. Strong ; Treasurer, R. W. Rogers ; Clerk, N.

The words Industry, Enterprise and Prosperity form a triangle on the seal, within which stand the outlines of a locomotive, the hopeful emblem, at the time of the incorporation of the city, of a,n industrious, enterprising and therefore prosperous future for the city and the region surrounding it. Around this triangle, the clauses " Cit;^ of Beloit," and " Incorporated March 31, 1856," are placed in a circular disc.

Police Court. - In 1868, by an amendment to the city charter, a Police Court was established, with special criminal jurisdiction and with jurisdiction in civil cases equal to that of Justices of the Peace. At the charter election in the spring of 1868, Alfred Taggart, a graduate of Beloit College and Harvard Law School, and now a prominent lawyer in Rockford, 111., was elected Police Justice, being the first to hold the office. Mr. Taggart received 374 votes, John L. V. Thomas receiving 112, and Benjamin Cheney, 66. In 1870 and 1872, Alfred Taggart was re-elected. Mr. Taggart was again elected in 1874, but resigned soon after his election, to remove to Rockford, and, at a special election held June 16, E. P. King was elected to fill the vacancy. Mr. King was re-elected in 1876. At the charter election of 1878, Mr. B. C. Rogers was elected, and he now holds the office, his term expiring in April, 1880. The jurisdiction of the Police Court in civil cases was limited in 1869, by an act of the Legislature, to -causes, involving less than f 100.

At a meeting held October 18, 1848, in Fisher, Bundy & Co.'s stone block, the Archaean Society of Beloit College was organized. Joseph Collie, G. R. Clark and W. C. Hooker were appointed a committee to frame a constitution for the Society. December 7, the organization was perfected by the election, under the new constitution, of Joseph Collie as President ; G. R. Clark, Vice President ; S. D. Peet, ^Secretary ; W. C. Hooker, Treasurer ; and Strong Wadsworth, Librarian. The preamble of the constitution announces the high purpose of the members, who were principally ,the Class of '51, " to improve ourselves in public speaking and composition, to uphold true principle, and promote the general cause of literary improvement." Among the names of the early members of the Archfean are those of Hon. Lucien B. Caswell, member of Congress from the Second (Wisconsin) District ; Harlan M. Page, for many years editor of the Wisconsin State Journal; Emerson W. Peet, the distinguished President of the "National Life Insurance Company of the United States;" Hon. T. S. Ansley, of Mineral Point. Wis.; M. S. Hinman, Esq., of Beloit; G. A. Houston, of Beloit, inventor of the Houston Water- Wheel ; Edward F. Hobart, of St. Louis, for several years editor of The Western magazine ; E. C. Towne, since distinguished as a Unitarian divine ; Peter Mc Vicar, now President of Washburn University, Topeka, Kan.; Prof. John B. Parkinson, Professor of Political Economy in the Wisconsin State University ; Hon. R. J. Burdge, of Beloit, member of Assembly for the Fii-st (Rock County) District ; 0. A. Willard, late editor of the Chicago Evening Post; Hon. George E. Hoskinson, of the Green Bay G-azette, and now U. S. Consul on the Island of Jamaica, West Indies ; Alexander Kerr, Professor of Greek in Wisconsin State University ; Col. George I. Waterman, of Chicago ; Hon. J. A. Johnson, late member of Congress from California; Hon. Charles W. Buckley, late member of Congress from Alabama; S. Denison Peet, editor of the Antiquarian magazine ; Rev. J. W. Strong, President of Carleton College, Northfield, Minn.; Horace White, recent editor of the Chicago Tribune ; and Jonas M. Bundy, editor of the New York Mail.

Wednesday, May 2, the first number of the Archaean Review was read by Jonas M. Bundy. - Some time later, discussion was had on the subject of establishing a regular monthly magazine, but the project was not undertaken until several years later.

The first question for debate by the Society was : " Resolved, That there is no objection to a man's proposing himself for any public ofiice and using means for obtainiiig it." Strong Wadsworth and Denison Peet conducted the argument on the affirmative of this proposition, and W. C. Hooker maintained the negative. The decision was rendered in favor of the affirmative.

The Society began from the first to establish, and augment by additions from time to time, a valuable library in political, historical, constitutional and general literature. In 1854, this library numbered 407 volumes. At this time, it has increased to about 1,200.

That the members of the Society were alive to the agitating questions of their day is attested by the fact that September 20, 1864, Alexander Kerr, Sterne Rogers, H. A. Sherwin, and Josiah Hinman argued the question: " Resolved, That the formation of the new party under the name Republican will be beneficial to the interests of the nation." The history of the past twenty-five years has gone on in spite of the fact that Messrs. Kerr and Rogers prevailed in argument, and it was decided that the Republican party would not be beneficial to the interests of the nation.

December 19, 1859, an amended constitution was adopted by which the Delian and Alethean Debating Societies were organized, and the Archaean became the Archaean Union, comprising the Delian and Alethean Societies as co-ordinate members of the Union. These Societies continue in a flourishing condition at this time.

In 1862, the first regular lecture-course in Beloit was maintained under the auspices of the Arehffian Union. This course embraced lectures by Prof Joseph Emerson, the late Rev. C. D. Helmer, Rev. T. M. Eddy, Hon. E. G. Ryan, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, and Wendell Phillips. The fee of $50 paid him is in singular contrast to the more considerable sums now received by that' orator for similar services. The Society has managed lecture-courses almost every year since, and with established success.

Manufacturing Enterprises

The industrial or manufacturing interests of a community, as well as of a nation, form, as it were, the bone and sinew of prosperous life, and, like the agricultural interests of a country, are one of the grand principles upon which largely depends the success of all other branches of trade. The benefits arising from industrial enterprises are innumerable. They develop the various resources of a country, build up cities and villages and are alike beneficial to all classes of men. The above truths apply, in no small degree, in the case of Beloit. Though comparatively in its infancy in industrial matters, the manufacturing interests of Beloit already form one of the most prominent and enduring elements of her life and character. It is our purpose to speak but briefly of some of these enterprises, giving facts and figures, so far as we are able.

Rock River Paper Company. - The first paper mill started in Beloit was in 1856, by. Messrs. Wright & Merrill, and was known as the Beloit Paper Mill. The Rock River Company was inaugurated in 1858. In 1868, the two mills were consolidated under the present name. The company are also owners of a large mill in Marshall, Mich. The management is vested as follows : President, S. T. Merrill ; Vice President, A. L. Chapin ; Treasurer, H. F. Evans, of Chicago, 111. ; Secretary and Superintendent, J. M. Cobb. To the last gentleman, much of the success of this establishment is due. The production is chiefly building-paper. The establishment comprises several large buildings and extensive grounds, and furnishes employment to fifty men and thirty boys and women. The company have a paid-up capital of $150,000. The wholesale department and chief distributing point is in Chicago, Nos. 138 and 140 Lake street, where is sold almost everything pertaining to the paper trade. The sales of this Company average $32,000 per month. The mill consumes fifteen to eighteen tons of rye straw per day and six to eight tons of rags.

The Northwest Paper Company. - Though the mill of this company is located at Rockton, this has ever been claimed as a Beloit institution, from the fact that Beloit men and Beloit capital set it in motion. About twenty-five years ago, T. L. Wright and S. T. Merrill erected the nucleus of the present enterprise. The management is as follows : President, T. L. Wright, with office in Beloit; Vice President, W. H. Wells; Secretary and Treasurer, J. C. Newcomb. The two latter are located at 155 Michigan avenue, Chicago, which is the distributing point of the company. About forty hands are required to operate the concern, and from three and one-half to four and one-half tons of paper are made per day. The products of this mill find a market in numerous States and bear a high reputation.

Booth, Hinman "^ Co. - Wholesale Paper. Organized in 1871. Original capital, $10,000 ; present capital, $40,000. Organized a branch in Kansas City, Mo., in 1877. Sales at Beloit, $11,000 per month ; sales at Kansas City, $12,000 per month. Total annual sales, $275,000. Four power presses with a daily aggregate capacity of about 40,000 impressions. Employing 60 hands. These gentlemen have the largest cylinder printing press in the State outside of Milwaukee. The demand for their goods keeps pace with their increasing capacity. Their goods are shipped and sold all over the country. By industry, economy and good judgment, these gentlemen are assured of a meritorious success.

F. N. Davis Manufacturing Company was organized in 1875, and has a capital of $100,000. The wares consist in building-paper, paper carpeting, paper pails and barrels, and heavy water-proof paper boards. Most of these goods are shipped to Barrett, Arnold & Kimball, Chicago, 111. This company has factories in Cologne, Prussia, and London, England, both doing a large and successful business. From thirty to fifty men are employed, and the capacity has been largely increased during the past year. The building now used is 75 feet wide by 200 feet long, and two stories high, situated upon South State street.

Beloit Straw-Board Co. - B. J. Adams, Secretary. Manufacture building-paper exclusively. Works situated upon west bank of Rock River. The company owns 2,000 inches of water, and employs from fifteen to twenty men. It ships about two car-loads per week, and consumes 1,200 tons of straw each year. These goods are sold all over the Northwest, the company having on the road several traveling men. Most of the goods are sold at wholesale, though retail trade is also supplied.

Merrill ^ Houston Iron Works. - This establishment was inaugurated by Mr. 0. E. Merrill in the year 1860. In 1873, the business was organized and greatly enlarged, and the management changed to a stock company under the above-mentioned name. The present official management is as follows : President, S. T. Merrill ; Vice President. T. C. Chamberlin ; Secretary and Treasurer, C. F. G. Collins ; Superintendent, G. A. Houston. There is a paid-up capital of $150,000. The productions of this establishment are paper-mill and other machinery, consisting of cylinder and Foudrinier machines. Beater engines, Ray cutters and dusters, paper cutters, pumps, calender-rollers, etc. Another important feature is the manufacture of the Houston Turbine Water-Wheel, which has already acquired a national reputation. The buildings of this establishment cover about six acres of ground. The company employs from one hundred to one hundred and twenty-five men, and six hundred to eight hundred tons of pig iron are consumed annually. Sales, from $200,000 to $250,000 per annum. Steam and water furnish the power, the company owning 500 inches of water.

0. U. Merrill ^ Co., general machine manufacturers and repairers. These gentlemen have once built up a large and flourishing establishment, and, though now starting again for themselves, have flattering prospects for the future. Much of the success acquired and possessed by the Merrill & Houston. Iron Works, is due to the mechanical genius and untiring energy of these honorable and enterprising men. These gentlemen have leased the works formerly owned by Parker & Aldrich, and have put in some of the finest machinery in the country. Good work guaranteed and satisfaction insured, we bespeak for this company a fair share of the public patronage.

W. H. Wheeler, machine and repair shops ; manufactures for the Eclipse Wind Mill Company, under special contract ; makes a large line of pumps and cylinders, and does a general foundry and machine business ; employs fifty men, and manufactures into castings about 300 tons of pig iron yearly. The factory is a large, three-story stone building, 40 feet wide by 100 feet long, situated on the west bank of Rock River. Mr. Wheeler controls 700 inches of water.

Eclipse Wind Mill Qo. - Capital, $50,000, with a large surplus ; C. B. Salmon, Treasurer and Manager ; manufactures wind-mills, pumps, water tanks, etc. ; eighteen sizes of mills, from 8^ to 60 feet in diameter, costing from $75 to $3,000 apiece. Has facilities for manufacturing about fifteen hundred mills a year ; employs about eighty men ; operates twelve agencies, employing many more. Fifty-seven of the leading railroads have adopted this mill for use on their lines. This mill was invented in 1866, by L. H. Wheeler, a missionary at an Indian post near Lake Superior. Mr. Wheeler commenced manufacturing without any capital, and the mill soon acquired a high reputation. The present company was organized in 1873. The Eclipse Mill succeeded in capturing the first medals at Philadelphia in 1876, and at Paris in 1878. This company, though still in its infancy, is constantly receiving and filling orders from all over the world. It operates agencies at Moscow, Russia ; Bombay, India ; Breslau, Germany ; Paris, France ; Liverpool, England ; Havana and Rio Janeiro. The factory of this Company is on the west bank of Rock River; its offices and warehouses are situated upon the lower end of South State street.

Parker ^f Stone Reaper Company. - Capital, $150,000 ; commenced manufacturing in 1849, making farming implements and doing jobbing work generally, till 1855, when the Reaper Company was organized. The first year (1855), Messrs. Parker & Stone made twentyfive machines ; they have, some years since, made as high as 1,000 machines, and employed 100 men. They use water-power, owning and controlling 900 inches of water. Their works are situated 'upon Third street, running back to the river. Their capacity is equal to the demands of the seasons. At a great deal of hard work and an enormous outlay, these gentlemen have perfected the Appleby Twine Binder, until now it is a recognized success $35,000 have been put into this Binder.

R. J. Dowd, manufacturer of paper engine roll bars, bed plates, trimming, rag-cutter and straw-cutter knives, veneer, planing, shingle and jointing knives, leather-splitter, tobacco and pattern knives of every description ; also, manufacturer of combination and angular sheet steel plates. Mr. Dowd was formerly of the firm of J. & R. J. Dowd, of Lee, Mass. This is the only establishment of this character west of Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Dowd, though recently established in Beloit, beginning work in 1877, and bitterly opposed by Eastern manufacturers, has already built up a good trade. He controls 300 inches of water, and possesses facilities for supplying all who need his line of goods.

J. Thompson ^ Co., manufacturers of the famous Norwegian plows, riding and walking cultivators, sulky plows, etc. Mr. Thompson started in 1860, making three plows, and running a general blacksmith-shop. These plows, at first regarded with suspicion, were soon eagerly sought for on account of their extreme hardness and excellent scouring qualities. The works of this company were entirely destroyed by fire in July, 1876, involving a loss of some $50,000 or $60,000; but. Phoenix-like, they have arisen from their ashes, and now have finer buildings and better facilities than ever. Their motive-power is steam, having a 50-horse power engine. They employ forty men, and manufactured from 5,000 to 6,000 stirring-plows last year. They have now about $25,000 capital invested. They will turn out about the same amount this year as last. The members of the firm are John Thompson, 0. C. Johnson and J. A. Johnson. The Works cover about one acre of ground.

iV. B. G-aston ^ Son, Beloit Scale Works, platform, hay and counter scales. Mr. Gaston commenced manufacturing in New York, in 1842 ; moved to Beloit and established present works in 1844. This firm employs about fifteen men; has put in about 10,000 scales; runs six teams ; sells largely to farmers, delivering scales at their farms.

W. J. McDonald, successor to James Gray in the wholesale and retail manufacture of doors, blinds, sash, moldings, turning and scroll-sawing. Mr. McDonald succeeded Mr. Gray in November, 1878, since which time he has had all he could do. He uses both steam and water power, and employs about fifty men, using 25,000 feet of lumber per week. Most of these goods are shipped to St. Louis, where they find a ready sale.

John Foster, successor to Foster & Chapman, manufacturer of fine shoes; organized in 1870, and now employs about sixty hands. The factory is a large two-story brick building, 66 feet wide by 135 feet long, and situated upon South State street. Steam is the motive power. Mr. Foster is doing six times the business that he was doing two years ago. He is now making twelve dozen pairs of shoes per day, and is preparing to double his capacity for next year. No second-grade goods are manufactured, and none but skilled workmen are employed ; 120 different styles of men's, women's and misses' fine sewed shoes are made at this factory. No finer goods are manufactured in the country.

Kendall Sj- Purves, manufacturers and wholesale dealers in choice Havana and domestic cigars and fine-cut tobaccos. These gentlemen commenced business in 1872 in one room, employing four hands. Their business has steadily increased until now occupying the whole of a large double two-story building ; they are running about thirty hands and selling, of their own manufacture, about one hundred and twenty thousand cigars per month. They keep two or more men on the road all the- time, and their goods find a ready market in Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota and Michigan.

H. J. Leonard ^ Co., glove and mitten manufactory. Mr. H. K. Leonard started this enterprise in a small way several years ago, but, in 1866, the business was enlarged and placed updn a more prosperous footing. The productions of this concern embrace everything in the line of kid, calf, sheep, buck and fur gloves and mittens, also those made of cloth material. They handle nearly three thousand dozen pairs a year, and there has been a constant increase in the demand from the start. They occupy a large building, three stories and basement, near the North-Western passenger depot. About sixty glove and mitten makers are employed.

Blodgett §- Nelson, manufacturers of flour and feed. Organized in 1867. Own and control 1,500 inches of water, which furnishes ample power for their large three-story stone building, situated upon the Head Race. They supply merchants' trade exclusively ; have four runs of buhr-stone and a capacity of 150 barrels per day. Employ seven men in the mill and six in the cooper-shop, which they run in connection with the mill. The reputation of their goods is deservedly high. This mill was established by Mr. Hackett in 1848.

W. J. McDonald, flour and feed mill. This mill contains five runs of stone and gets its water-power from Turtle Creek, upon which it is situated, at the eastern limits of the city. Large quantities of rye and feed are ground, and constant employment given to four men. This mill is known as the old Brooks Mill and was built about thirty years ago. The building is of stone, 100 feet long by 40 wide, and is four stories high. Capacity from four hundred to five hundred barrels per week.

Charles L. Vale, manufacturer of crackers, snaps and snap machines ; fine goods a speciahy. Mr. Vale is the largest manufacturer in his line in the city. Joseph Vale, father of the present proprietor, invented the Vale Rotating Oven and started the present establishment in 1868. Mr. Charles Vale succeeded to the management in 1871. Mr. Vale employs four men in the works and has several runners for his goods, which are sold all over the county and largely through the State.

- C. F. Rau, manufacturer of and dealer in furniture of all kinds ; upholstering done in all its -departments. Organized in 1867. OflSce, store and factory on State street. Starting on nothing, Mr. Rau has built up a business second to few in the county.

Greorge Smith, manufacturer of and dealer in carriages, buggies, spring wagons, etc. ; light work a specialty. This enterprise was established about ten years ago. The six or eight men are all skilled workmen.

O. W. Munger, manufacturer of wagons, carriages, etc. Mr. M. commenced business in Beloit about thirty years ago and has been in this business ever since. This is the pioneer establishment of its class in Beloit.

On October 4, 1849, S. R. Humphrey, Town Superintendent of Schools, issued a notice to the legal voters of Beloit, which was to the eifect that he had annulled the former organizations - School Districts -Nos. 1 and 2 - and from them formed a new district in said town to be -called Union District No. 1, Beloit, consisting of the following territory, viz.: All of Sections 22, 27, 34 and 36, and all of those parts of Sections 23, 26 and 35, situated west of Rock River, and invited their attendance at a meeting to be held on Friday, October 19, for the purpose of organizing said district.

They met according to notice on the day specified, but failed to transact any business, so -an adjournment was taken until the 23d. On that date, they met again, and, after the transaction of the usual preliminaries, proceeded to elect officers, which resulted in the election of J. M. Keep, Director; S. E. Barker, Treasurer, and S. Drake, Clerk. This arrangement, however, was not satisfactory to the residents west of the river, as on October 30, at a meeting of Union District No. 1, it was agreed to instruct the Town Superintendent to grant the petition -of the citizens west of the river, praying that they might be formed into a district by themselves. Accordingly, on November 30, I. W. Thayer, Town Superintendent, gave notice of the organization of School District No. 2, which included Sections 22 and 27, and all those parts of Sections 23, 26 and 35, situated west of Rock River. On November 2, at a meeting held, Messrs. T. L. Wright, S. T. Merrill and H. Hobart were appointed a committee to make estimates and plans for a school building, and on December 31, following, they made a report recommending the district to raise $4,000 in five equal installments of $800 each, one of which was to be raised by the levying of a tax the following year, and the rest, $3,200, borrowed at a reasonable rate of interest, payment of the principal and interest to be made by the levying of a tax sufficient to pay the other installments in the following four years. This report was adopted, and, at a subsequent meeting held on December 31, 1849, Messrs. A. Poole, T. C. Manchester and Mr. Hurd were appointed a committee to draw up and circulate a petition praying the Legislature to loan the district money for the purpose of building schoolhouses instead of constructing railroads. On January 29, the matter again came up for discussion, and it was decided to dispose of the old school building and site for not less than $350, which was subsequently done, the purchasers being Messrs. L. G. Fisher and Hazen Cheney, who paid for it $355. The matter of the erection of a new building was the source of many debates and suggestions until the beginning of 1851, when on March 10, of that year, the Board, through the Clerk, Mr. T. L. Wright, entered into a contract with Herman Belden for excavating the cellar at 9 cents per cubic yard, and with Gates & Co. for erecting the basement walls of the new school building at $9 per cord, and, on July 4, with Stephen Downer, to lay up the walls of the schoolhouse at the rate of $1.80 per yard. This work was at once proceeded with, and, on August 19; 1851, a loan of $1,500 at 10 per cent was obtained from Milton Harvey, of Colebrook, N. H., and a note of W. H. Gage, with which the work was completed, and on October 29,

1852, at a meeting of the Board, a resolution was passed complimenting the late Board of Union District No. 1, upon their judicious management, by the exercise of which they had been enabled to erect a school building with a loan less than one-half of the amount which they had been authorized to effect. The cost of that building and the sources from which the money was obtained were as follows:

On August 27, 1856, an order made by James W. Strong, Superintendent of Schools for the city of Beloit, Stephen C. Millett, Superintendent of Schools for the town of Beloit, and CM. Treat, Superintendent of Schools for the town of Turtle, went into effect, embracing within the limits of School District No. 1 Sections 24, 25 and 36, all of Sections 23, 26 and 35, on the east side of Rock River, in the town and city of Beloit, and the west half of Section 30, the west half of Section 31, and that part of the east half of Section 31 then owned by Joseph B. Colley and James Coleman, in the town of Turtle.

On October 5, 1857, Messrs. Hale, Chapin, Parker, Mills and J. P. Fisk were appointed a committee to report on such parts of the system of graded schools as could be adapted to the condition of the schools of Beloit; and on October 20, 1858, a resolution, drawn by the Revs. Dr. Brinsmade, Mr. Holman and Mr. S. T. Merrill, was introduced and subsequently passed, t() the effect that it was expedient to establish a graded system, pupils to be promoted by a board appointed for that purpose.

Presumably, some action was taken in regard to the matter, but no record of it appears, the only thing bearing upon the subject being a motion made by the Rev. Mr. Chapin, President of the Board, on t^eptember 26, 1864, that "it is the sentiment of the meeting that the High Schools of Districts No. 1 and 2 should be united in one, and that measures to this end be adopted."

At the annual meeting of School District No. 1, held on September 30, 1867, Messrs. T. L. Wright, A. P. Waterman, J. C. Converse, Prof. J. J. Blaisdell and S. T. Merrill were appointed a committee to consider the subject of the erection of a new schoolhouse ; and on October 28, 1867, the School Board was instructed to enter into a contract with the owners for the purchase of Lots No. 7, 8, 9 and 10, Block 20, in Beloit, as a site for a schoolhouse, at a price not to exceed $1,000, such sum to be raised that year by the levying of a tax.

At the same meeting, the oft- considered and much-discussed subject of a union of Districts No. 1 and 2 was brought up, and Messrs. T. L. Wright, S. J. Todd, Prof. J. J. Blaisdell, Rev. George Bushnell and Alfred Taggart were chosen a committee to confer with a committee of School District No. 2. This conference was held, and at the next m'eeting of the Board the committee reported that the two committees had agreed, upon behalf of their respective Boards, to a consolidation of the two districts, upon condition that the district organizations then in vogue should be perpetuated, for the purpose of building and keeping in repair school- - houses for all grades below the High School ; that the management of public schools of every grade should be vested in an Educational Board, to consist of the two District Boards ; that a high-school building should be erected, at a distance from the upper bridge not exceeding sixty rods, and at a cost not exceeding $10,000, to be paid for by a tax upon the property of the consolidated district, and that such consolidation and consequent erection of a building be entered upon at the commencement of the next school year.

This agreement was ratified by vote of both districts, and in order to secure the necessary leg-- islation, Messrs. T. L. Wright, S. J. Todd and A. P. Waterman were appointed a committee, to meet a like committee from the other district, and draft a bill for presentation to the Legislature.

These committees met, in pursuance of the I'esolution, and drafted a bill, which was approved by the Legislature on February 19, of the following year (1868), by which Districts No. 1 and 2 were declared united, and which, in addition to making provision for the raising of a tax, the choice of a site, etc., gave power to the School Board to issue bonds to the amount of $16,000.

After the passage of that act, notwithstanding the fact that one of the conditions upon which the people of District No. 2 agreed to the consolidation was the location of the building on the West Side, the people of District No. 1 would not consent to its erection there ; so the matter was referred to Dr. Park, ex-President of Racine College, and Mr. 0. Dearborn, who finally decided in favor of the West Side.

In the mean time, there being no building. Messrs. T. L. Wright and J. Brittan were appointed a committee to confer with persons having buildings, and the result of their search was a choice by the Board of a building formerly used as a high-school department, in District No. 1, which was rented for $300 per annum for one year, or until the new building should be completed.

On October 9, 1868, twelve bonds of the denomination of $500 each were issued, two payable each year ; and on March 8, 1869, the Building Committee reported that they had consulted with several eminent architects of Chicago, and procured plans for a high-school building, which were then submitted.

At the next meeting, held On the following day, the plans of Messrs. Cochran & Co., of Chicago, were accepted, the material to be of brick. On April 5, 1869, bids were opened for the construction of the building, but no portion of the work was let until June 25, 1869, the delay being caused through a fear on the part of the Board that the funds necessary could not be secured by the sale of bonds, but that fear was dispelled by the ready sale of $5,000 worth of bonds issued from May 4 to June 14. It was then decided to proceed with the erection of the building, and accordingly, contracts were entered into with William Fitzgerald, for the construction of the foundation, and with Messrs. Vail & Folant for the erection of the superstructure, the aggregate amount of which was $22,500. The work was at once entered upon, and in March, 1870, the building was completed and accepted by the architect, Mr. Cochran, who reported that the work had been performed in a very satisfactory manner, and expressed himself as being much pleased with it.

In July, the school was opened with Prof. A. Kerr as Principal, and Mrs. D. E. Carson, Preceptress ; Miss Maria S. Hill, First Assis1;ant, and Miss Martha A. Terry, Second Assistant, the other departments being under an efficient corps of teachers.

On January 9, 1871, the Board being in debt about $3,000, the President was authorized to procure the passage of an act of the Legislature authorizing the issue by the Board of bonds to the amount of the indebtedness. In this he was successful, and, on March 14, an act was approved giving the Board power to issue bonds as desired.

The following are the names of the graduating class of 1871 - the first to graduate from the new building : Miss Hattie P. Fiske, Miss Ionia W. Hutchinson, Miss Clara Chapman, Miss Ella A. Holmes, Miss Mary S. Holman, Miss Carrie S. Cutler, Miss Mary C. Patton, Miss Ella A. Winn, Messrs. Charles M. Packard, Charles D. Merrill, Charles Lee, Franklin L. Fiske, Julius A. Truesdell.

On July 27, 1874, the old building still in use in District No. 1 having become badly demoralized, it was deemed advisable to erect a new one. Accordingly, that year a levy of $1,000 was made, which was followed next year by one for $5,000. On August 9, 1875, it was resolved to build a schoolhouse upon the lots purchased some years before, near the public square, provided that a loan of $10,000 could be effected with the State. That application was successful, and next year (1876), a tax of $6,000 was raised, which enabled the Board to finish the handsome building opposite the public park, which is at once a source of pride and honor to the citizens of Beloit. The cost of the building and ground in round numbers was $23,900.

The West Side Schools

On November 9, 1849, notice was given to the legal voters that the Town Superintendent had.formed a new district, consisting of Sections 22, 27 and 34, and those parts of Sections 23, 26 and 35 situated west of Rock River, to be known as School District No 2, and on February 4, 1850, it was resolved at a meeting of the Board to build a new schoolhouse which would be more in keeping with the increased importance of the district. Measures were at once taken to secure the erection of the building, and during that year it was completed, at a cost qf about $2,000. This building gave ample scope for the bringing up of the rising generation in the way they should go, until 1855, when it was found to be too small for the rapidly increasing population of "young ones " who were beginning to develop sufficient acuteness to render them fit subjects for the training process. Accordingly, on Ja-nuary 4, 1855, at a meeting of the Board, the district ofiicers, on motion of John Hackett, were instructed to purchase Lots No. 3, 4, 9 and 10 in Block 40, Walker's Addition, for |1,000, and it was resolved to raise $6,0()0 by instituting a tax for the purpose of building a schoolhouse. During that year, the money was raised, and the present handsome stone building erected upon the lots purchased as described, on the west side of the river.

The whole amount of principal of bonds of the Beloit City School District heretofore issued is $34,000 ; $25,000 of the principal sum of this bonded indebtedness, with all the interest to February 1, 1879, has been paid, and there are now outstanding and unpaid eighteen bpnds of $500 each, amounting to $9,000, with interest at 10 per cent from February 1, 1879 ; $3,000 of the principal sum, with one year's interest at 10 per cent on the whole sum, becomes payable on the 1st, day of February, 1880, and it will be necessary to levy $3,900 to pay off this amount of indebtedness when it becomes due. Prior to the year 1877, the money in the treasury at the commencement of the school year was insufiScient to pay the necessary expenses of the schools until the following January, when funds would come to the Treasurer's hands from the tax levy. Consequently the Board were compelled to borrow more or less money to pay current expenses during the first term of the school year. For the last eleven years, the Board have levied for the payment of ordinary current expenses of the schools sums varying from $9,000 to 11,500, the average amount of such levy being $9,936.63. There is now in the hands of the Treasurer the sum of $6,888.78, being $1,094.64 in excess of the amount in the Treasurer's hands at the commencement of the last school year. This large difference, however, is apparent rather than real, as $647.27 of the money charged in the Treasurer's debit account for the last year should have come to his hands and been charged to his account for the year previous, consequently there should have been in his hands at the close of the year ending August 1, 1878, the sum of $5,941.49; leaving an actual difference belonging to the treasury at the beginning of the present year, over and above the amount at the commencement of the last school year of $447.29.

The money received by the Treasurer last year for the payment of ordinary school expenses of the year, and which belonged to the revenue of the year, was

During the last year, the incidental expenses, exclusive of the coat of fuel, was but $540.70, a sum much smaller than during any one of the ten previous years.

Post Office

When the residents of Beloit and vicinity first began to enjoy postal facilities, the office was located at Chicago, ninety miles distant, their means of communication being any person who was going that way by whom an order signed by the settlers was sent. Next, an ofliice was established at Belvidere, 111., a distance of twenty miles ; and then a paternal Government instituted one at Roscoe, 111., a distance of six miles, communication with which was had through the medium of a boy and a horse, who were sent there once a week for letters. In 1839, a post route from Belvidere to Janesville, via Beloit, was established, Mr. John Hackett being the gentleman in charge of the post office which it then became necessary to institute.

As the returns of a post ofiice are generally conceded to be the best index of the advancement of any locality, it may be stated that the total receipts for the first quarter after the establishment of the office amounted to $60, while the receipts for the quarter of the current year ending June 30 amounted to $2,260.48, and expenses $918.20, leaving a balance due the Government of about $1,345.66. There is also a great difference between the number of mails received and dispatched now, and formerly. Then there was but one mail a week each way ; there are now eight per day received and sent out, all of which, with one exception, are received via the North- Westernand Western Union Railroads - the exception being a daily mail received by stage from Janesville.

Following is a list of the gentlemen who have, at various times, fulfilled the onerous duties of Postmaster : 1839, John Hackett ; 1840, Selvy Kidder ; 1841, Alfred L. Field ; 1845, David Noggle ; 1847, W. C. Spaulding ; 1849, Washington Bastian ; 1853, Allen Warden ; 1856, M. Pascoe; 1858, L. G. Fisher; 1866, F. W. Oakley; 1870, H. P. Strong, the present incumbent.

The Hotels

The old saying, " Show me your company, and I'll tell you what you are," may be changed, in the case of cities and towns, to " Show me your hotels, and I'll tell you what manner of people you are;" for the goodness or badness of the hotels serves, in the case of a visitor, to demonstrate, without fail, the character of the people for general thrift in business, it being considered that the village or city which cannot support a good hotel, or number of hotels, must be lacking in those qualities which are characteristic of prosperity. The people of Beloit are veryfortunate in this respect, for the weary traveler alighting at the portals of the Goodwin House, located on the corner of School and State streets, feels assured that it must, perforce, be a good town which can boast of the possession of such a good hotel.

It was commenced in 1853, and completed the next year, by Jackson J. Bushnell, who opened it under the name of the Bushnell House, the total cost, by that time, being $27,000. He retained possession of it until 1868, when it was purchased by the present owner, Samuel J. Goodwin, who, in company with his son, now "runs" it. It is four stories above the basement, with rear walls of stone, the front being filled in with Milwaukee brick.

Shortly after Mr. Goodwin's acquisition of it, he added a kitchen and a billiard-room, and thoroughly renovated the interior, at a cost of $7,000, making it, what it purports to be, a firstclass hotel. From the roof, a magnificent view of the surrounding country is obtained.

Public Halls

The " wily " politician, to whom such a thing as a hall, wherein he can gratify his ambition by the display of his oratorical powers, or the gentleman with a "grievance," to whom the advice is often given by irreverent people " to go and hire a hall," have not far to seek in Beloit before reaching the object of their desires. Principal among these is Goodwin's Opera House, which was built by Samuel J. Goodwin, early in 1869, and opened by Parepa Rosa's English Opera Company, December 27, of that year. That night was a gala night in Beloit. Every one "turned out" to hear the magnificent prima donna, and the result was a most unlooked-for success financially and musically. Since then it has been tenanted by some of the best combinations "on the road," and a number of very superior lecturers, all of whom have united in speaking of the house and its management in terms indicative of the highest satisfaction.

It has a seating capacity of 1,000 ; stage, 28x56 feet, with dressing-rooms, 16x12, underneath, and four private boxes, each with seating capacity for two couples. The interior is very handsomely frescoed in a style not generally seen in country theaters, which fact, coupled with its general appearance, its handsome appointments, and its many conveniences, has led many competent persons to pronounce it the most perfect gem of a house in the Northwest.

The total cost of the structure was $15,300, and, judging by the manner in which it has been patronized in the past, it has not been a losing investment. It is owned by S. J. Goodwin & Son.

Hanchett's Hall, the Republican rallying point in the years j'ust preceding the war, was erected by Mr. James H. Hanchett, in October, 1856, in whose possession it remained until 1863, when it was purchased by the McKay Bros., of Janesville, together with the stores above which it is located, for $14,000. After the Douglas campaign, its walls echoed and re-echoed the voice of Abraham Lincoln, as it rose and fell in bitter denunciation and stern arraignment of the Democratic party.

Other speakers, not unknown to fame, have lifted up their voices within its four walls, prominent among whom may be mentioned the genial and gifted Senator Matt Carpenter, Senator Doolittle and Schuyler Colfax. Poor old hall ! you too, like everything else on this mundane sphere, are growing old and cranky. When you were new and in the heyday of your youth and excellence, many a time and oft have your walls resounded to the voices of music and mirth. And, in the troublous times preceding the firing of the first gun on Sumter, often have your beams creaked and groaned beneath the weight of the hundreds who assembled there, anxious for the news of the commencement of hostilities, in order that they might show their patriotism by the offer of themselves and' their kindred upon the altar of devotion. But since the angel of peace has been the dominant power in this fair land, nothing more exciting has occurred to disturb your day-dreams than the sharp word of command, as it is uttered by the ruling spirit of the guards, whose arms and accouterments are left within your care - fit service for one whose ears were saluted, almost at birth, with stories of rapine and bloodshed, and who, but for the memories which surround you, would, doubtless ere this, have succumbed to the wants and needs of a growing community. But enough. The voices who once gave utterance to sentiments with which your walls re-echoed, are, many of them, hushed in death, and so it is but meet that you be allowed to dream your dreams and cherish your memories of events long past, undisturbed by aught save the occasional rattle of a drum, or the merry laughter of some heedless boy, whose cares sit as lightly upon him as did youth upon you when you were first ushered into the world, resplendent in paint and gilding. The other halls in the city are as " sand upon the sea-shore," and comprise halls of learning, beer halls and secret society halls, but, as these latter are simply used by the societies to which they belong, and therefore have no historical interest, it is needless to notice them at length.

The only other hall which ever attained to any prominence was Union Hall, which was built by Mr. Edward Murray in 1855. It stood on the corner of Race and State streets, but Was destroyed by fire in 1871. It was a fine hall, 44x60 feet, and was considered a good deal of a loss when its destruction occurred.

The Military

Prominent among the military organizations of the State stands the Beloit City Guards, o the Wisconsin National Guards, which was organized on August 11, 1877, with seventy-six rank and file, and three commissioned officers. These latter were Capt. John M. Hoyt, First Lieut. J. I. Cometock, Second Lieut. C. H. Parmely. The arms and accouterments, the former Springfield rifles of the breech-loading pattern, were supplied by the State, the company giving bonds in $3,000 for their preservation. The uniforms, of a regulation blue, with light blue facings, and fatigue uniforms of the regulation color and pattern, were purchased by the members of the company, whose somewhat slender finances were generously supplemented for that purpose by a number of citizens.

In the fall of 1878, the former officers, with one exception, having resigned, another election was held, which resulted in the return of the following gentlemen, who still retain the positions awarded them on that occasion, viz. : Captain, H. H. McLenegan ; First Lieutenant, C. H. Parmely ; Second Lieutenant, E. J. Bending.