Horicon City (part 4 of 4)

From the earliest settlement up to twenty-five years ago, the settlers had kept on in the even tenor of their ways ; contentment and thrift, peace and good will, among and with all were kindred associates. Our own beautiful village (now city - mark the change!) was being built up. Men of the different professions found a place where to lay the foundation for reputation and wealth. Most signally have many of them failed to reach the mark aimed at, while others, more successful, are enjoying the fruit of their labors, and wear their honors well.

About that time that memorable enterprise so well remembered by mo§t of you, to wit, the building of a railroad from Milwaukee northwest, to run throush our section, was started.

Many still living have a recollection of the ease with which they could mortgage their homes to aid in that enterprise. Many, who had so mortgaged their farms, will remember the hardships and difficulties encountered in redeeming their homes.

Up to this time there had been no marked distinctions in society, no graded classes. The honest poor man was a peer with the more affluent. Then poverty was no crime, there was that fraternal feeling existing between all the people, which characterized them, and which left an indelible impression upon the mind that can only be eradicated by death.

From twenty-five down to twenty years ago. there had been no very marked change; the industry and frugality that had characterized the lives of very many of the first settlers were then prominent, and I can truthfully say is a marked feature with them to-day. As industry and frugality were with them the cynosure to success, so it will be with any and all people.

Railroads opened into the county, new branches of enterprise started, an influ.x of men who had nothing to lose, but everything to gain, bent upon getting a living and wealth by their wits, and too often at the expense of every moral principle. Teachers of almost every creed known, either social, political or moral, setting forth their peculiar dogmas, teaching a new order of things, the influence of which was then deeply felt, and in some instances to-day lamentably deplored ; all these with many other influences brought to bear, it is not strange that a radical change should have been produced upon society.

From the earliest settlement to twenty-five and even down to twenty years ago, the wants of the settler were few and easily supplied. That which they could not buy and pay for they went without, but now a change was approaching, and, indeed, we may say a change had come.

The county being settled up, the farms better improved, society of a grade said to be more refined introduced ; the children, growing to manhood and womanhood, anxious to adopt the advancing style of the day ; schools of a higher grade established; fine churches built, whose pulpits were occupied by salaried ministers ; the means of communication being supplied ; agricultural and domestic implements of a higher and more costly grade being introduced in place of those now worn out. The consequent attendants of an additional and heavy expense in supporting all these, it is not strange that a change should come. Under the rigid economy of the old settler, with his determination to be free and untrammeled from debt, too many of them were seemingly compelled to succumb to the influences, the demand and seeming necessities of the times, and, as Adam yielded to the importuning of Eve, to eat the apple, and thereby fell from his high estate, so, in some instances, we find the old settler who had a home free and unincumbered, a fireside around which he could rally his family and say, this is my possession, listened to the siren song sung by all these influences, and, listening, fell, a slave to style, a slave to things external and perishable, a slave to his own folly.

The query arises, Are the people to-day more happy, more prosperous ? Is society better? Is the standard of morals higher under the enhanced cost of living and supporting caste and style than were the old settlers in their honest industry and frugality ? In short, are the people more happy ? Are they more contented '! Do they enjoy themselves better with a " plaster " on their farms and homes, though they dress in style and ride in a coach, than did the old settlers with homes free and unincumbered, though they dressed in homespun and rode in lumber wagons ?

One thing is certain, and that is that manual labor and the demand for it is the measure of a people's prosperity. In the earlier days, the farmers' sons were educated for farm work, the noblest of all professions ; to-day they are educated for all other professions, and, in every other kind of business, there is an over-supply of labor. The farms are deserted by the farmers' sons, and machinery takes their place, the result is the country is filled with idlers and tramps.

When, by the introduction of any of the appliances, the demand for labor is cut short ; when we see honest labor go begging for work and none to be had, then we may readily conclude that our country, in its financial condition, is not prosperous.

No country can be prosperous in all its enterprises where the masses have only employment and wages sufficient to enable a man to support his family and educate his children.

That there are errors in our system of living is a foregone conclusion. The question for old settlers to consider is, What is the remedy ? It is suggested that a strict adherence to those habits of a rigid economy, industry and punctuality that so characterized tiie fatlicrs; a strict adherence to honesty and sobriety ; a fraternal regard for all : a stiict observance of these rules will place us on a higher plane, and mark our distinction among our fellow-men.

Waupdn Schools

District Number 1. - The first school opened in Waupun was taught in 1844, by Charles Cleveland, in a small wooden building, situated on the line between Fond du Lac and Dodge Counties, near where the railway crosses Washington street. The schoolhouse was large enough to seat tliirty scholars, but there were by no means thirty school children in Waupun at that time. The district was No. 1, and composed the territory of the present city of Waupun, a portion of the town of Waupun in Fond du Lac, and a portion of the town of Ciiester, in Dodge County.

In 1847, the original school building having become inadequate to satisfy the demands made upon it by the rapidly increasing numbers of school children, a new frame building was erected on the corner of Madison and Jefferson streets, where the Episcopal Church edifice now stands, in the South Ward. This served for District No. 1 until 1853, when the building now used by Utter as a warehouse, on Washington street, was built. On the 23d of September, 1853, $1,000 was pledged for the erection of a schoolhouse, and A. K. Starkweather, E. Munger, John Ware, Charles Smith and B. B. Baldwin, were appointed a building committee, with instructions to purchase not less than one acre of land for a site. They purchased the land on which the present South Ward building now stands, and erected the building now owned by Mr. Utter.

On the 22d of October. 1860, by a resolution off"ered by Eli Hooker, District No. 1 was divided into two districts, the line between Dodge and Fond du Lac Counties separating them.

The Clerks of District No. 1 were W. H. Taylor, Eli Hooker, S. K. Vaughn, B. Hinkley, B. B. Baldwin, A. K. Starkweather, Jesse Hooker, Charles Smith, Cromwell Laithe and William Euen.

The South Ward School. - After the division, in 1860, of District No. 1, that portion lying in Dodge County was called the South Ward School and continued to use the school building that had served the undivided district. The number of school children continued to increase, and, in 1872, $10,000 was voted for a new building of brick and stone. Thomas H. Green, of Fond du Lac, furnished the plans, and the contract for constructing the edifice was let to A. Wisnom, of the same city. The building is a handsome two-story structure of brick, with basement and cupola, and contains four commodious schoolrooms, capable to accommodate 400 scholars. It was finished in 1872, and the old school building was sold to Graves & Norton. In 1877, a high school department was organized, and money for its support is obtained annually from the State. The average in the South Ward is 220, divided in four departments - the high school, grammar, intermediate and primary, requiring five teachers. In the high school department, all the higher branches and languages are taught. The average wages paid to male teachers is $80 per month, and to female teachers $31.25 per month.

The North Ward School. - The North Ward, after being set oif as a separate district in October, 1860, had no schoolhouse. A lot on Franklin street containing three-fourths of an acre of land was therefore purchased of Seymour Wilcox for $450, and early in 1861, the erection of the present plain but substantial brick and stone structure began. The plan was furnished by Mr. Whiting, who also had the contract for the wood- work. Eli Hooker was overseer of the work of construction. The building cost something over $6,000, and was finished for occupancy in the fall of 1861. It contains four large rooms, which accommodate 250 pupils. The school is divided into four graded departments, the same as the South Ward

In 1868, all the records and papers of the North Ward School were burned. The clerks have been Eli Hooker, M. J. Althouse, A. Nudd, W. J. Oliver and Emil Hainsman.

The Post Office

The first Postmaster to serve the inhabitants of Waupun and vicinity was Seymour Wilcox, who was appointed in the winter of 1840 and 18-41, and kept the office in his log house near where the old family residence now is. He received no stated salary, and the revenue of the office at first was very little, indeed, only a few letters coming into his hands during the first year. There were neither envelopes nor postage-stamps in use then, and the Postmaster collected 25 cents for an ordinary letter from the person to whom it was directed. Even at that exorbitant rate the settlers were thankful enough to get a letter, and whenever one arrived the whole neighborhood knew it, and sooner or later learned the contents of the precious missive. Mr. Wilcox was succeeded as Postmaster by B. Hinkley.

In 1848, John N. Ackerman secured the appointment of Postmaster, and moved its office to his residence in " Upper Town," or the western portion of the village. As there had been a spirited rivalry between Upper and Lower Towns for some time, the inhabitants of the latter naturally rebelled at having the office moved a half-mile to the west. They could do but little, however, but complain, until the ingenuity of William Euen brought both revenge and a return of the post office. He di-afted a general order demanding that the Postmaster deliver to him whatever mail might be in the office for persons whose names were signed to the document. As all the people of " Lower Town " signed this order, Mr. Ackerman was obliged to deliver the mail to Mr. Euen, who thereafter was compelled to take a horse to transport the large quantities of letters and papers directed to people living in "Lower Town." Finally, early in 1849, L. B. Hills received a commission as Postmaster, and the post office was moved back to "Lower Town." Mr. Hills served nearly four years.

In 1853, Artimadorus Ingersoll was appointed Postmaster by Franklin Pierce to succeed Mr. Hills, but was removed before the end of the year for refusing to obey the orders of the politicians in appointing a deputy, and Cromwell Laithe was appointed to take his place. Mr. Laithe served the balance of the term, and soon after Buchanan took his seat as President in 1857, Thomas Stoddart was appointed Postmaster. He served four years, until June, 1861, when S. H. Brinkerhoff, the present incumbent, was appointed by Abraham Lincoln. The Waupun post office became a money-order office in August, 1866.

During several years after the office was first established, mail was sent and received only once each week, and when the mail carrier arrived twice a week, the inhabitants thought there could be nothing like modern mail facilities. Now, mail is received and sent out six times each twenty-four hours, and the revenue of the office amounts to nearly $1,000 per quarter. When the Dodge County Mutual Insurance Company was doing business, the Waupun post office paid out through its money-order department as much as any office in the State, with two or three exceptions.

When Mr. Hinkley was Postmaster, he carried the letters remaining in the office to all great occasions in the crown of his hat. When, therefore, any one asked whether there was any mail in the office, he took the office from his head and looked over the little package of begrimmed missives in short order, handing out whitever he found for parties present. The inhabitants regarded this as a great convenience, and were not backward in praising Mr. Hinkley for establishing the post office on the top of his head.

Waupun Agricultural And Mechanical Association

This society was organized in 1868, holding its first fair in the fall of that year, at Waupun. There were seven annual exhibitions by the society. The organization wound up its affairs in 1875. Except financially, its fairs were always a success; tliey had a material influence for good upon the agricultural interests of the vicinity.

The First Burial Place. - A knoll of dry land near the railroad store where the C, M. & St. P. Railroad crosses Washington street, was first used as a burial place by the inhabitants of Waupun. When the railroad was built, the graves were all defaced and dug over, and no one knows now precisely where the first graves were located.

Wavpun Cemetery. - In 1853, a tract of one and one-half acres of land was purchased of John N. Ackerman, on the west side of the Beaver Dam road in Dodge County, in Section 5, and named Waupun Cemetery. This was used mostly by the people of Upper Town and vicinity during several years, but in 1862, when Forest Mound Cemetery was opened, it nearly fell into desuetude.

Forest Mound Cemetery. - In 1860, Thomas Stoddart made a visit to the cemetery at Alton, 111., and was then impressed with the idea that Waupun had no such burial place as the inhabitants and the beautiful surroundings entitled her to. " Go back to Waupun," said Mrs. Brown to Mr. Stoddart, " and open a beautiful cemetery, and do make it large enough, for there is plenty of room in this country for the dead to have eternal sleep undisturbed." Mrs. Brown was a Scotch lady, and made such a remark because in Scotland the want of room is so great in cemeteries that corpses are buried one upon another, and seven years is about as long as the dead can be allowed to rest without being dug up to make room for others. The subject was thereafter agitated in Waupun, and resulted in a meeting at the office of W. H. Taylor, when the statutes concerning cemeteries were consulted. On the 16th of November, 1862, W. H. Taylor, George W. Bly, Thomas Oliver. Thomas Stoddart, Charles Jones, T. W. Markle, H. L. Butterfield, A. W. McNaughton and William Ilobkirk were chosen Directors or Trustees of Forest Mound Cemetery, and these nine, with Edwin Hillyer, subscribed $75 each for twelve acres of shaded, hilly, dry land, on Section 32, in Fond du Lac County. Thomas Stoddart platted the grounds into lots and laid out the carriage ways. The lots are all of uniform size, each lot and walk being one rod in width. The grounds had many oak shade trees, just as nature planted them, and evergreens and maples have been added since, until Forest Mound Cemetery is an attractive spot.

W. H. Taylor was Secretary until 1867, and Thomas Stoddart has occupied that position ever since. There has been no change in the Board of Trustees, although some of them are dead and others permanently absent.

Public Halls

Dodge's Hall. - The first public hall in Waupun was called Dodge's Hall. It is now owned by Thomas Stoddart, and known as Grange Hall. It was finished in 1856, and was the pride of the village in those days.

Opera Hall. - The principal hall of Waupun is Opera Hall, built by Thomas Oliver, in 1868. It is light and high, capable of accommodating 500 persons, and well appointed as to stage property and scenery. It is owned by Luther Butts, and situated in the second story of the large brick block on the corner of Mill and Washington streets.

Other Halls. - Utter 's Hall, in the second story of the old South Ward School-house, is a large room frequently used for balls and other public entertainments and meetings. It is on Washington street, opposite the Simpson House. Donovan's Hall, in the fine brick block belonging to the Donovan Brothers, is used mostly for dances, balls and festivals. The Good Templars' and Odd Fellows' Societies have halls, but they are little used except for lodge meetings.

Simpson House. - This hotel, of which Mrs. M. A. Simpson is proprietor, is a well-kept house, and consists of two buildings situated on the north side of Washington street, east of the railroad. Mrs. Simpson makes a success of hotel keeping.

Fisher House. - This hotel, by the Fisher Brothers, is on the site of the old Exchange, built by Seymour Wilcox, now the corner of Fond du Lac and Washington streets. It is well patronized.

Fun In Te Olden Time

Along in the forties, Waupun was notorious for practical jokes, lively social gatherings, Avide-awake old folks and tricky young ones. A few illustrations will be given to convey an idea of what was constantly kept up by the fun-lovers for nearly twenty years.

By invitations, and other modes of advertising, David Bruce once gathered a large crowd at his place for a dance, but the fiddlers failed to appear. Dennis Morse and a companion were present, and being a good whistler, Dennis was requested to whistle for the dance while Mr. Bruce drove five miles for a fiddler. Dennis complied, and his friend thumped a sonorous dishpan, to enable the dancers to keep time. Bruce found no musician, and, on returning, requested Dennis to keep on with the whistle and dishpan while he went for yet another fiddler. Both journeys were unsuccessful, but the dance went oft' merry enough, and Mr. Bruce collected the usual fee to "pay the fiddlers.'' When the crowd had gone, Mr. Morse inquired of Mr. Bruce if he was still agent for the Moline plows - if so, he would take one, provided credit could be extended until spring. Credit was offered, and Mr. Morse took the plow. When spring came, Mr. Bruce dunned Mr. Morse for pay for the plow. "Pay!" exclaimed Dennis; "I paid you well enough when I whistled for your dance." Mr. Bruce was indignant, and sued for the value of the plow. Mr. Morse, as a good joke, put in a counterclaim for whistling and pounding on the dishpan, and won the suit! From that day, David Bruce never engaged a whistler until he had agreed upon terms.

When Dr. H. L. Butterfield first came to Waupun, he had neither money nor clothes, and as people were very backward about getting sick enough to require a physician's services, his condition grew worse instead of better. Finally, the wife of Mr. N., one of their prominent citizens, fell ill, and the husband sent for Dr. Butterfield. The Doctor did not appear as ordered, and a few hours later, Mr. N. called at his ofiice and personally requested Dr. Butterfield to go and attend to his wife. Mr. N. returned home, but no Doctor appeared that day. Next morning, he called at the Doctor's ofiSce, and again demanded " why in Christendom his wife was not attended to?" "I'll tell you," meekly replied Dr. Butterfield, who now smokes rich Ilavanas in a luxurious home ; " I am too ragged to go anywhere - I can't even leave my chair when anybody is around." " I can fix you out," said Mr. N.; "you just put on my pantaloons and visit the woman. I can stay here till you return." The Doctor pulled ofl' his dilapidated trousers, consisting of nothing but short legs and a weak waistband, donned his customer's suit and left. He paid a visit to the patient, and spent a half-day in making other visits and calls, and attending to business that he had neglected a fortnight for want of pantaloons. When he returned to his oiEce, he found Mr. N. nearly insane. People had called on him in numbers, and as he couldn't possibly get into the ragged, short-legged unmentionables left by the Doctor, he had to receive in his bare legs or shin down the streets in the same ludicrous condition. No little merriment has been had over this laughable circumstance.

Joseph Hobkirk was at one time Justice of the Peace. As such, a certain young man was brought before him to be tried for stealing a turkey. The prosecution had a shrewd lawyer ; the case was well presented and the evidence of guilt was overwhelming. However, to the great astonishment of all - even the prisoner - and the disgust of the plaintiff and his attorney, Justice Hobkirk decided "Not guilty." Shortly afterward, he was taken to task by the angry plaintiff for rendering such an unjust verdict. " You see," replied the sly Justice, " I couldn't find the boy guilty, for he didn't steal the turkey, and knew nothing about it. You just come along with me to dinner, for my wife is an expert at roasting turkeys, and then tell me if you don't think the old bird was worth catching.'' Thus the joke leaked out.

Thirty years ago, or more, heavy merchandise was very costly in Waupun, owing to heavy freight rates. Salt, in particular, was regarded by the farmers as a most burdensome necessity on this account. Wlien, therefore, on one bright winter's morning it w;is announced that a salt well of great strength had been struck on Dr. Butterfield's lot, a perfect furor of e.xcitement ensued. The glorious news spread far and wide, and the usually quiet little village was soon crowded with an e.xcited populace, who had come in from miles ai'ound. Salt water from the rich bonanza well was handed freely around ; was sipped by every one and pronounced by many who professed themselves judges, to be equal to water from the famous Syracuse wells. It was found in every store; was carried home in bottles; boiled down by many to test its strength; and analyzed by a village expert, and found to contain soda, magnesia and other inirredients, and a very large percentage of pure salt. Property rose at a bound two or three hundred per cent, and, as the location of the State Prison was still an unsettled matter, a meeting of the citizens was called and a committee appointed to draw up and forward to Madison a full statement of the rich discovery, which was thought would be a powerful lever to use with the prison locating Committee in favor of Waupun. But, on account of a private dispatch, this letter was not sent, and, when the citizens found out that fact, a howl of indignation went up against the Postmaster, who was denounced as a traitor. Immediately, steps were taken to oust him from his oiBce. and the excitement grew more intense than ever. Matters finally began to look serious, as property was advancing, leases were being made and various improvements planned, and the secret was let out that a young Scotch clerk, who is now an old Scotch hardware merchant, had poured half a barrel of rock-salt into the fimous well. Next day, not a man could be found who would acknowledge that he had been sold, but a peep into several woodsheds would have disclosed dozens of tin pans spoiled in boiling down water from the salt well.

Richard Graham, the clothier, was very bashful in his earlier days. He, therefore, was made the butt of numerous practical jokes. On one occasion he invited a friend to a New Year's dinner. The wags of the villaaje issued between one hundred and two hundred invitations to the best people in the vicinity to appear at his house to dine on New Year's Day, signing Mr. Graham's name. Enough of them came to fill the house, much to the chagrin and consternation of all, as there was not food enough in the house to feed one-quarter of those present. However, necks had not begun to grow stiff in those days, and the joke was taken goodnaturedly.

John Carhart came to Waupun unmarried, and soon after began to pay marked attention to one of the village belles. Occasionally, he prolonged his visits well into the night. Two fun-loving Scotchmen, who afterward became prominent business men, stretched a rope across the street on which John would return, and attached to it a man of straw. This straw man was placed in the path, and the boys posted themselves on house-tops on either side of the street, each grasping one end of the rope. Just as Mr. Carhart reached the spot, the rope was jerked and the straw man shot into the air past his head. The sight of a man springing from the ground into the air like a rocket was so unusual that the fri^ihtened lover took to his heels and was never seen to pass that spot alone after dark.

Other tricks without number Were perpetrated by a certain mischievous clique, whose members are now the principal citizens of Waupun, such as temporarily stealing horses, cows, fowls, carriages and anything come-at-able ; sending out bogus wedding cards, frightening excitable individuals by arresting and trying them on bogus processes for various crimes ; sending the iloctors post haste where they were not wanted : causing prominent men to be sued for bogus bills of indebtedness ; using young ladies' names to invite Tom, Dick and Harry to call : charging losses by theft upon innocent but nervous parties, and keeping the vicinity in an uproar generally, and everybody on nettles lest they .should be ma le the butts of practical jokes. There was only now and then one who would not take these pranks in good part, and all such were reserved for further tantalization.