What now constitutes the city of Plymouth was laid off and platted as a town by John Sering, James Blair and William Polk, and filed for record in the recorder's office of St. Joseph county on the twentieth day of October, 1834, the records of what is now Marshall county being then kept at South Bend, which was the seat of justice of St. Joseph county at that time, and, as it is a matter of some importance as a starting point for a brief sketch of Plymouth, the county seat, the reference as it appears on the plat is hereby copied in full:

Plymouth is surveyed at right angles with the Michigan road, which runs through the town of Plymouth 5 degrees west, variation 6 degrees 10 seconds, platted by a scale of eight rods to an inch. Michigan street is 100 feet wide; each of the other streets are 66 feet wide and the alleys 12 feet in width; all the lots except fractional ones are 88 feet in front by 126 feet in length, containing one-fourth of an acre. The square marked "Courthouse Square" is donated by the proprietors for public buildings necessary for county purposes. Lot No. 131 on Plum street on the west is given for a county seminary, and one acre and a half adjoining Plum street on the west is given for a public burying ground; end of lots numbered 49, 50 and 51, and 20 feet off of the east end of lots numbered 75, 76 and 77, is added to the width of Center street for a market house.

John Sering,
James Blair,
William Polk,

Proprietors.
October 12, 1834.

In the winter or spring of 1835, Oliver Rose opened the first store in Plymouth. His store room was a log building which stood on the ground immediately east of the building now known as The Plymouth Inn, on La Porte street. Mr. Rose also commenced farming operations on quite an extensive scale for those days on what is known as the Goodsell farm, north of town, opposite the fair grounds. When he came to the county he was accompanied by the late Gilkson S. Cleveland, who assisted him for some time as a clerk, afterwards became a partner, and finally sole proprietor, in which occupation he continued for many years. During the summer of 1835 Uriah Metcalf and Milburn Coe located here. Mr. Coe afterward erected a sawmill which stood a little to the north of the present site of Zehner's mill in the northeast part of town. The race is yet visible, and where the dam stood can also be seen. This was a poor excuse for a mill, but it was better than no mill at all, and was the first sawmill erected in the county. It furnished lumber for doors, and door and window casing and floors, etc.; but it was a long time before it could be made to furnish lumber sufficient to justify the erection of frame buildings. The dam was not very substantially built, and whenever a heavy rain fell there was nearly always a washout, and it was not many years until it was abandoned.

During the same year Grove Pomeroy erected a frame building, the lumber for which was sawed by this mill, on the corner of Michigan and La Porte streets, on the ground now occupied by the Corbin block, which he called the "Yellow River hotel," afterwards the "Plymouth hotel." Mr. Pomeroy was the landlord and carried on an extensive business in entertaining travelers, as the general land sales, which commenced about that time, brought many persons into the county from the different parts of the country. This hotel was considered the half-way house for the stage line from Logansport to Niles, Mich. Ten years later, after the opening of the Michigan road, the stage line through this place from south to north was considered one of the main thoroughfares of the state, and many who read these lines will remember how Old Jake Rhinehart, as he was familiarly called, would blow his tin horn, crack his whip, and come dashing into town on his four-horse rock-a-way coach! The whole town would be out to greet him and to see who the new arrivals were. A hack also made regular trips between*Plymouth and La Porte, and both of these lines furnished the only means of transportation until the railroads came many years later.

Plymouth was selected as the county seat of government by the trustees appointed to organize the county, which was done July 20, 1836. It was several years before it had any organization by which it could be governed. There were but two streets in the town, one the Michigan road, now Michigan street, and the other what was called the "Yellow River" road, which meandered from the Yellow River hotel in a northwesterly direction, along what is now La Porte street. These streets were only passable wagon roads, muddy in rainy weather and dusty in dry weather. There were no sidewalks then, and the few people who resided here at that time traveled the wagon road, leaving the space now occupied by sidewalks to grow up in weeds. Cows and horses, hogs and other animals had the freedom of the town without let or hindrance. Many of the cows were furnished with bells, and after filling themselves with grass during the day from the ranges around the suburbs of the town, they would congregate at some convenient place in the residence part of the village, lie down in the sand and chew their quids, and tinkle, tinkle, tinkle their bells the whole night through, to the disgust of nervous people and those whose sleep w;as easily disturbed. As has been the case ever since the beginning of the world, is now, and ever shall be, there were numerous dogs—yellow dogs and bull dogs, shepherd dogs, bird dogs, average dogs, miscellaneous dogs, good dogs and bad dogs, and every kind of dog that the mind of man could conceive of, yelping dogs and howling dogs—and just—dogs. They ran the streets at night, and the din these dogs raised in these nightly revels has echoed and re-echoed along down the corridors of the past until the present time! To add to this entertainment, the prairie wolves, which were numerous in various places around town, chimed in with a doleful chorus that portended the certain death of any innocent sheep that might be wandering about the village. The killing of sheep, however, was not confined entirely to the hungry wolves that made night hideous with their hungry yelps. Among the numerous dogs that infested the town there were many that were as expert at killing sheep as the worst sheep-killing wolf in the gang. In order to protect the sheep, the sheep-killing dogs had to be killed. Those having guns delegated themselves public executioners and it was not long before the sheep-killing dogs were exterminated and schemes set on foot to capture the wolves, so that in the course of time the sheep were allowed to run at large without much fear of being in danger of being killed.

The writer has heard a great many people in his time wonder why it was that the courthouse was built so far out of town as it is—that is, from the business center. That is easily enough explained. Where Michigan street crosses the river it was low wet ground as far north as the corner of Michigan and La Porte streets, and the proprietors were of the opinion that the business would center around the public square, as is usually the case in new towns. So they selected the courthouse square in the center of a splendid location for business houses in every direction from where the courthouse would be erected. But, as is always the case,

The best laid schemes o' mice and men
Gang aft agley,
An' lea' us naught but grief and pain
For promised joy;

Immediately after the county had been organized and the county seat located at Plymouth, an enterprising individual, whose name has not been handed down for the benefit of present and future posterity, erected a small shanty on the west side of the Michigan road, on the south side of the river, where a temporary log bridge crossed that stream, and opened what was in those days called a "grocery," but now universally known as "saloon." He stocked it with a barrel of whisky which was procured from Kentucky, and other necessary fluids to suit the tastes of the few customers who felt that it was necessary to "take a little something for the stomach's sake." The place came to be known as "Old Kentuck," in honor of the barrel of whisky that came from that state, and to this day the older residents, in speaking of it, call it "Old Kentuck"! The first glass of whisky the writer ever saw drank was in this place, somewhere in the later forties. It was kept by a man at that time well known as one of the prominent men of the town, by the name of Anson Shinnebarger. The writer came with his father to town that day and accompanied him to the various places where he went on business. Joseph Evans was sheriff of the county at that time, and Mr. Shinnebarger, being absent from town, had intrusted the key -to "Old Kentuck" to him. Mr. Evans was a Democratic politician ; so, also, was the writer's father, who was at that time a candidate for county auditor. A. L. Wheeler was the Democratic political boss, and after the political situation had been duly canvassed Mr. Wheeler proposed that the trio adjourn to "Old Kentuck" for further consultation. As a matter of course, the writer, who was then only a "kid," was permitted to accompany them, although very properly was not permitted to participate in the several libations which were indulged in. He remembers distinctly how Mr. Evans walked behind the little counter, took down the old decanter and set it down before them, and how they filled up the little glasses to the brim with the distilled juice of the corn all the way from "Old Kentuck." They sipped it down leisurely, talking the meanwhile about the political conditions in the various townships in the county and what ought to be done in order to elect the whole ticket and increase the Democratic majority in some localities that had of late shown some signs of weakness. It is proper here to say that none of these men were habitual drinkers and none of them ever drank to excess. In fact, in those days nearly every one took a little something for "their oft infirmities." Even the preachers who furnished spiritual food for their parishioners, at least many of them, thought it no harm to keep a well-filled decanter on the mantelpiece, to be used in case of "snake bites" and other maladies! During harvest time "the little brown jug" was considered as necessary as the wooden pail filled with fresh spring water, and generally both of them were placed side by side in the fence corner, in the shade of a spreading bush or tree. When the harvester had gone across the field and back he always took a drink, first sampling the contents of the jug and then washing it down with a gourd full of water. He imagined that the liquor invigorated and strengthened him and better enabled him to perform the work he had to do. But not ma1n- yeara later this was demonstrated to be a fallacy; that instead of assisting nature to do its work, in the long run it had the opposite effect.

But to return to the subject: Those business men who early came here to engage in traffic and trade were not long in determining that the business of the new town should not be too far removed from the center, and as lot No. 1 was on the east side of Michigan street on the north side of the river and opposite the Yellow River house on the west side of the street, that was thought to be the proper place to begin the erection of shanties and small and cheap buildings for the sale of such dry goods, groceries, hardware, etc., as the pioneer population needed; and as the first buildings were erected on the north bank of the river, across from the "grocery," and as those who came later could not draw the trade with them by building around the courthouse square, they decided to join with the others and assist in building up the commercial center down town not far from the "grocery." The town plat at that time was an untouched wilderness, covered with trees and bushes, the only vacant space being the blazed La Porte road and the partially cleared Michigan road, which had not then been opened more than twenty-five feet in width. The courthouse square was covered with trees and bushes, and there was not even an Indian trail leading to it, and no one could tell where it was without the aid of a surveyor. The little courthouse, which the proprietors of the town erected for temporary purposes, was located on the west side of Michigan road, third block north from the little "grocery." This courthouse they knew was only temporary, and, as they did not know whether they would remain permanently, they concluded to build in the vicinity of the others. And that is why the business part of Plymouth was not built around the courthouse square. .

Among the first who came here in 1835-6, and for several years later, the writer remembers James Bannon, who kept a boot and shoe shop and the post office in a small wooden building on the east side of Michigan street, on the space now occupied by the Humrickhouser brick building. He went to California during the gold excitement of 1849, and as he was in middle life then, he is probably dead long ago. He was a Democrat in politics, and held the post office for some time under President Tyler.

John Cougle kept a "grocery," or saloon, as they are now known, in an adjoining building, but later erected a large frame building on the corner of Garro and Michigan streets, now the handsome two-story brick building owned by C. T. Mattingly, and occupied by the post office, which he occupied as a dry goods and notion store until his death occurred many years ago. He kept liquors for sale and drank heavily, which may have had something to do with his untimely taking off. He was strictly honest and straightforward in his business transactions, but entertained some very peculiar notions. Before his death he purchased' a coffin which he stored in his place of business so that it might be on hand when wanted. He was the owner of a fine bass drum and almost every pleasant evening gave an exhibition of his skill on that detestable misnamed musical instrument in front of his place of business. Later he was reinforced by Lorenzo D. Matteson, a carpenter and builder, with his snare drum. He was an artist on his instrument, and the two made a full band with some to spare. Nearly all the people of the little town turned out to hear them, and it was a pleasure and recognition to them equal to the musical concerts given by more pretentious bands in later days.

Robert Rusk early opened a tin shop in a small frame building on the east side of Michigan street. His was the first establishment of that kind in Plymouth. His building was burned by the disastrous conflagration that destroyed nearly all the business buildings on both sides of Michigan street March 22, 1857. He died many long years ago. Joseph Griffith was another early settler well known in his day. He was prosecuting attorney at one time, also postmaster. He met death by the accidental discharge of his gun, while out hunting, more than half a century ago. He was always ready to offer himself .as a living sacrifice for the amusement of the people. At a circus, once on a time, the clown was going to perform the difficult act of balancing a chair containing a man in it, on his chin. Joseph offered himself as the victim. The clown turned the chair upside down, and Joseph inserted his legs between the rounds in good shape, and after being adjusted in front of the audience, the clown left him to his fate. The uproar was terrific, and became greater when the victim had to throw himself down on the ground, backward, to extricate himself. At another time a sleight-of-hand performer came along and one of his tricks was that he could break a half-dozen eggs in a silk hat, which was fashionable in those days, without soiling it. He asked the loan of one to perform the trick. Mr. Griffith promptly handed him the one he wore. The performer broke in the hat a half-dozen eggs and with a stick stirred them up "good and plenty." When he went to show that the hat was not injured he found that the eggs were in reality broken, and the fine silk hat ruined! The performer handed the hat back to Mr. Griffith, remarking that he had made a mistake in performing the trick, and that he was very sorry indeed that he had spoiled his hat. Of course the boys who had quietly got the performer to play the trick on him took up a collection and bought Mr. Griffith a new "beaver." It was not long after this that he was accidentally killed as stated.


Plymouth was organized as a town corporation under a charter granted by the legislature under an act approved February 11, 1851. Prior to the adoption of the new constitution the legislature passed special acts for almost every conceivable kind of purpose, among which was the incorporation of towns. After the taking effect of the new constitution the legislature passed a general act which enabled towns of a certain number of inhabitants to incorporate under it, thereby saving the legislature the unnecessary trouble of passing special acts.

In 1851 an act was passed by the legislature permitting Plymouth to organize as an incorporated town, which was done some time during that year, but precisely the date, or who the first officers were is not known, as all the records were destroyed in the disastrous fire of 1857. From the Plymouth Pilot, which was started here about that time, the following information is obtained. The town council, which had just then been created by a special act of the legislature, passed an ordinance providing that sidewalks be built on each side of Michigan, La Porte and Center streets, four feet wide, of white oak or yellow poplar plank. These were the first sidewalks built on these streets. They extended from La Porte street north to Garro street. Ordinances were also passed—

Prohibiting ball playing within the limits of the town.
Prohibiting the shooting or firing of guns upon the original plat of said town, also
Prohibiting horse racing in the streets.

Prior to this there was no town organization whatever and every one did as he pleased without let or hindrance. Town ball was a favorite game on Michigan street between La Porte and Garro streets, every day when enough of idle men and boys were around to make the game interesting. For a time horse racing was a favorite amusement. Old Jack Smith came here as a shoemaker. He was an all-around sport and was the owner of a swift little runner which he exercised up and down Michigan street almost every day, and occasionally another horse was pitted against his horse. The track was on Michigan street from Jefferson to La Porte streets, and when the horses got fairly started the way they made the dirt and dust fly was a sight to behold. The passage of the ordinances stopped all this, and the streets were ever after used for the purposes for which they were intended.

The editor of the Pilot in the issue of his paper containing this information had this item: "We notice that one of our citizens has been mending his ways by putting down a good, substantial pavement opposite his residence."

In 1853 the population of Plymouth was 670. In the disastrous fire of 1857, which swept away nearly the entire business portion of the little town, all the books and records in relation to the corporation organization were destroyed, and therefore the particulars in regard thereto cannot be obtained; nor does the oldest inhabitant remember who were the officers at the time of the organization. It seems from the report of the board of corporation trustees, held January 30, 1855, that a proposition to surrender the charter had been presented. After considerable discussion the following resolution was adopted:

Resolved, That surrendering the charter granted by the legislature of this state on the 11th of February, 1S51, incorporating the town of Plymouth, this corporation will and does hereby become incorporated under the general law of the state of Indiana for the incorporation of towns, defining their powers, etc., approved June 11, 1852, as provided by the fifty-fifth section of said act.

Dr. Rufus Brown was president of the board at that time, and Milo W. Smith clerk. Dr. Brown was one among the first practicing physicians who settled here in an early day, and was also one of the best. He was one of the most genial and agreeable men there was at that time in the town. He was a public spirited citizen and was always one of the leaders in every enterprise looking to the advancement and well-being of the town. In politics he was a whig, later a republican, and at one time was elected and served in the Indiana state senate. He was of a military turn of mind and during his term of office as senator directed his efforts principally to perfecting the military laws of the state. He was authorized and made an effort to organize a regiment of state militia for the ninth congressional district, but failed to enthuse the people with the military spirit, and after meeting with indifferent success he abandoned the effort. He was a member of the Presbyterian church, sang in the choir, belonged to about all the temperance organizations, and about all the other societies and associations in existence here at that time; was prompt and zealous in the discharge of all duties imposed upon him, and was, take him all in all, a man whose like we shall never look upon again. He died, before his senatorial term expired, at his home in Plymouth, July 4, 1859.

Milo W. Smith was town clerk and was an educated and cultured gentleman. He was not a man of great force, but was methodical and competent in the work he had to do, a good citizen, who passed away many years ago regretted by all who knew him.

April 7, 1857, the following resolution appears of record:

Resolved, That whereas on the 22d day of March. 1S57, the law office of A. C. Capron, the clerk of this corporation, was destroyed by fire, and also the books, records, tax duplicates, assessment rolls, maps, orders, vouchers, etc., of the corporation were entirely destroyed, the clerk is ordered to replace the same as far as possible.

The law creating incorporated towns was loose and unsatisfactory in its workings, and the population being then sufficient to organize under the city law, in April, 1873, the writer of this history drafted a petition, and he and James W. Maxey secured the requisite number of petitioners, which was presented to the board of corporation trustees requesting them to order an election of the voters of the town to be held for the purpose of taking the sense of the people as to the expediency of changing the government of the town from a corporation to a city. The board of town trustees acted favorably upon the petition, and ordered an election to be held on the 25th day of April. 1873. The election resulted nearly three to one in favor of "city," there being 327 votes cast, of which 24.4 were in favor and eighty three against a city form of government. The proper steps were then taken, the old corporation dissolved, and the city government set in motion. In May, 1873, an election was held for city officers. Prior to the election 3 conference of the leading citizens of both political parties was held, in which' it was agreed that in the new organization politics should be left out of the question so far as possible. The politics of the town at that time being democratic, the republicans consented that the Democrats should be entitled to the candidate for mayor, and the remainder of the officers be alternated between the two parties. In this way the two parties were equally represented in the new organization, Horace Corbin being the first mayor elect. The following is the ticket agreed upon and elected:

First Office and Name. Ward.

Mayor—Horace Corbin 68

Treasurer—D. B. Armstrong 69

Clerk—A. L. Thomson 69

Assessor—H. R. Pershing 69

Marshal—James W. Logan 69

Council—A. Johnson, First Ward 65

C. Bergman, First Ward 55

A. Morrison, Second Ward

S. Mayer. Second Ward

J. Brownlee. Third Ward

A. O. Borton, Third Ward

The Fourth Ward Embroglio.

The most exciting political fight which ever occurred in Plymouth, or even in the county for that matter, took place in the city council by the introduction of an ordinance August 27, 1894, by Councilman Reynolds to redistrict the city into four wards instead of three as it had been from the organization of the city. The particular reason given for this action was that the southwestern portion of the city had always been neglected in its representation in the city council; that there was street and other work in that territory that needed attending to and that it would not be done unless the people down there were given a separate ward and two councilmen to look after their interests. There was behind it, however, a little bit of political maneuvering that did not appear on the surface. During the past year the council had been composed of three democrats and three republicans—George R. Reynolds, Charles R. Hughes and Charles B. Tibbitts, democrats, and W. E. Bailey, Z. M. Tanner and Samuel Gretzinger, republicans, which made the vote on all political questions a tie. Charles P. Drummond, democrat, was mayor, and on all questions of a tie voted with the democrats. At the spring election Mr. Drummond was defeated by Joseph Swindell, republican, who was to enter upon the duties of his office the first meeting in September of that year. In order to relieve Mr. Swindell of the responsibility of casting his vote to decide a tie, the democrats conceived the idea of creating another ward, and appointing by resolution two democratic councilmen from that ward, which would make the total number of councilmen eight, five of whom would be democrats. So it came to pass at the last meeting before Mayor Drummond's time expired, an ordinance looking to that end was introduced as above stated. The ordinance was passed, James W. Maxey and William O'Keefe appointed and sworn as councilmen from the Fourth ward, entered upon the discharge of their duties and were recognized by Mayor Drummond during the remainder of his term, which expired on the first of September, when Joseph Swindell, the republican mayor, entered upon the discharge of his duties. Among his first acts was his refusal to recognize Messrs. Maxey and O'Keefe as members of the council, alleging as a reason that the ordinance under which they were appointed was not legally passed. Legal proceedings were then instituted and the matter went into court and finally to the supreme court.

But to go back a little, it will be interesting to give the facts as established by the evidence in the record: April 25, 1873, Plymouth was organized as a city under the general law, and was immediately districted into three wards with two members each, or six in all, and this status remained until August 27, 1904, when the Fourth ward was added and the council made to consist of four wards and eight members. A fine little parliamentary battle in the council then ensued as is shown by the record as follows:

"Councilman Reynolds moved that the rules be suspended and that the ordinance be placed upon its passage by one reading. The motion was seconded by Councilman Hughes, and thereupon Councilman Bailey moved to refer the ordinance to the committee on ordinances and police. The vote resulted in a tie. The mayor cast his vote in favor of the negative and declared the motion lost. Councilman Reynolds then, with the consent of his second, withdrew his motion to suspend the rules. Councilman Tibbitts then moved that the rules heretofore governing the proceedings of the council as printed in the ordinance book be annulled and repealed. (This rule provided as follows: 'All ordinances shall be read three times before being passed. No ordinance shall pass or be read at the same meeting in which it was introduced.') The yeas and nays were taken on this motion to repeal the rules and the result was a tie—three for and three against. The mayor cast his vote in the affirmative and declared the rules repealed. Councilman Reynolds then moved that the ordinance as read be placed upon its passage. This vote was a tie and was declared carried by the mayor casting his vote for it. Councilman Tibbitts then moved that the ordinance as read be passed and adopted upon one reading, and upon the passage of the ordinance the ayes and nays were taken with the following result: Messrs. Hughes, Reynolds and Tibbitts voted for the ordinance and Gretzinger against it, and Bailey and Tanner were recorded as present and not voting. The mayor thereupon declared the ordinance passed and adopted.

"Councilman Bailey presented a protest against the action of the council and moved that the same be placed upon record. Upon this motion Bailey, Gretzinger and Tanner voted in the affirmative and Reynolds, Hughes and Tibbitts against it, and the vote being a tie, the mayor voted in the negative and declared the motion lost. A resolution was then introduced appointing James W. Maxey and William O'Keefe councilmen from the new ward. Those who voted in favor of the resolution were Hughes, Reynolds and Tibbitts. those against it Bailey, Gretzinger and Tanner. The vote being a tie, the mayor voted in favor of it and declared it adopted. The new councilmen were thereupon sworn and entered upon the discharge of their duties."

At the first meeting in September Joseph Swindell entered upon his duties as mayor, and among his first acts was to refuse to recognize Messrs. Maxey and O'Keefe as members of the council, or allow the clerk to call their names on roll call. This resulted in the new councilmen bringing mandamus proceedings in the circuit court to compel the mayor to recognize them, which it did, but on appeal to the supreme court of the state, that court decided adversely to the claimants to represent the Fourth ward, on the ground that the ordinance under which they held their appointment had been passed contrary to the rules governing the introduction and passage of ordinances through the council of Plymouth, which it decided the council had no right to repeal in the manner in which they declared it done. This case created a good deal of ill feeling in the community at the time, but as the supreme court has settled it forever, and the three councilmen instrumental in its passage are now all dead, it will only be remembered by our people as an episode in our local history.


For several years after Plymouth was legally chosen as the county seat there was no street lighting of any kind, and those who had occasion to go about at night had to feel their way, as there were no sidewalks and darkness prevailed everywhere, except when the fickle moon shed its pale and solemn light over the little town with unimproved dirt streets. In these days the little stores and shops were lighted with tallow candles, and lard and tallow lamps, until time to close for the night. Then but little business was done after sundown, and seldom 9 o'clock at night found many people out of bed. There were no street lights of any kind for more than twenty years after the place had grown sufficiently to be known as really and truly a town, and when the sun went down preparations were begun for the closing up of business for the day. After a while, glass standing and hanging lamps with cotton wicks and a burning fluid made of alcohol and other dangerous explosives, came into use, and proved to be a great improvement over the old system of lighting. Later still coal oil was discovered, and was brought to Plymouth for lighting purposes by H. B. Pershing, then in the drug business. He kept one of the lamps filled with coal oil burning in his store to show the superiority of this oil pumped out of the earth over all other lighting fluids that had previously been discovered. The writer remembers distinctly of his father procuring one of these lamps and a can of oil and taking it home with him and trying it as an experiment. It made a beautiful, clean light, far superior to anything the family had ever seen; but for some time there was a feeling of insecurity pervading the household, that some day an explosion would take place that would knock things into smithereens. But the expected did not take place, and coal oil rapidly found its way into favor until its use became almost universal.

The use of coal oil having been fully established, the town council determined to devise a way by which the streets could be lighted, and about 1876 or 1877, some twelve or thirteen posts were put up at places where lights were needed the most, on top of which were fastened lamps that would hold about a quart of coal oil. These lamps were lighted by contract, Ezra Barnhill having the job the first two or three years. He sublet the work to John S. Harsh, who attended to the lamps about three years, when Dickson Thompson took the job off his hands and attended to it about three years, when he resigned, and was succeeded by Jonathan Brown, who remained in charge of the "plant" until it was discontinued to give place to electricity.

This old-time system of lamp-lighting the streets was the first effort in this direction Plymouth had had, and it seems exceeding strange that the streets of the town had been in darkness about forty years from the date of its organization before the edict had gone forth from the town board, "Let there be light," and "there was light!" The people of the town, "without regard to race, color, or previous condition of servitude," hailed with joy and gladness this new process of bringing them "from darkness to light." Of course it was better than no lighting at all, but as compared with the present splendid electric lighting system it would be considered very little better than no light at all.

In 1888, an electric light plant having been established in Plymouth, the city decided to enter into a contract with the company looking to the lighting of the principal streets with electric arc lights, and this was done without much delay. The streets are now lighted with about thirty arc lights, and with the electric signs, and lights in the plate glass windows on the business streets, it is as pleasant and easy getting about town in the night time as it is in daylight.

During the summer of 1907 a gas plant was established in Plymouth, the output of which is mostly used for cooking and heating purposes, but when added to the electric light, will add greatly in dispelling what little darkness there may be left.

In 1888, after long and patient investigation, the city council determined to put in a system of waterworks for use by the citizens of the town and especially for fire protection, and that year put in about 18,000 feet of pipe, built an engine house, put in the necessary engines and fixtures, etc., at a total cost of about $17,000. Since that time several thousand feet of pipe have been laid, so that almost every part of the city can easily be reached by the fire hose, and since the organization of the fire department to conform to the waterworks system, the fires that have occurred have been extinguished with very little loss, whereas those that occurred prior to that time were in every case disastrous, so that in every fire in the main business part of town since that time enough property has been saved in each fire to pay for the entire waterworks system, as is shown by the losses in the great fires of 1851, 1857, 1866, 1872, before the waterworks fire department was organized.

The editor of the Plymouth Pilot in his issue of July 18, 1851, paid the following glowing tribute to the beauty of the town of Plymouth:

"Plymouth was always a beautiful town. It never looked so beautiful to our eyes as at the present time. Just bathed in refreshing showers, she blooms like a garden of roses in the desert. Silvery voices ring upon the ear, and bright eyes peep through the damask curtains of heat, white Bloomer palaces. Yellow river glides on its course, laughing merrily among the greenwood shades and inviting us to drink of its limpid waters! We were not aware that Plymouth could gather so bright an array of celestial spirits. Many a sigh comes mourning over the green sward from the rosy bowers of Love and tears are falling for many a lost Adonis."


For some time after the organization of the county, merchants and hotel keepers were required to procure a license from the board of commissioners. At the May term, 1837, the board fixed the rate of license for these and other occupations as follows:

"Ordered that license for retailing spirituous liquors be taxed at $100 for the present year.

"License to vend wooden clocks, $100 per year.

"Each traveling caravan, menagerie, or other collection of animals or show of wax figures, or circus exhibited to the people for money, $50 for each day.

"That license to vend foreign merchandise and foreign and domestic groceries be taxed $5 for each $1,000, and $2.50 for each additional $1,000; provided that no license shall exceed $20 for one year."

At the same term of court the following order was made:

"Ordered that Pomeroy & Muncy, merchants, trading and doing business under the name, firm and style of Pomeroy & Muncy, be granted a license to vend foreign merchandise for the term of twelve months from this date for the sum of $10. Their capital does not exceed $1,000."

At the same term licenses to vend merchandise were granted to Chester Rose, Evan B. Hobson, Wheeler & Gregory, Hobson & Cougle.. Jeremiah Grover, William M. Dunham, Grove Pomeroy were licensed to keep tavern.

The mercantile business was not very lively in those days. The whole county did not contain more than 600 people, not more than half of whom were residents of Plymouth and vicinity, and these were generally poor and had little use for dry goods and "foreign merchandise." and consequently many who engaged in the business failed to realize the profits they had anticipated and went out of business. All these old merchants and tavern keepers are long since dead—not one is left to tell the story of the pioneer days in the wilderness.


For a period of twenty-two years Plymouth was without any appliances to assist in extinguishing fires. The first effort in that direction was the organization of what was called Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, which perfected its organization under the law by filing its constitution in the clerk's office February 24, 1858, about half a century ago. The following were the original members as they appear on the constitution: Jacob B. N. Klinger, Daniel McDonald, Adam Vinnedge, Stephen A. Francis, Henry B. Pershing, D. Lindsay, Thomas J. Patterson, Rufus M. Brown, James E. Houghton, J. C. Leonard, L. D. Lamson, Julius Tacke, David How, Eli R. Shook, Henry Humrickhouser, John H. Beeber, Nathaniel B. Klinger, David Vinnedge, Samuel Freese, John S. Woodward, second, Meyer Becker, Adolph Meyers, Henry M. Logan, William W. Hill, S. Vinnedge, Matthew Boyd, John M. Shoemaker, George Anderson, Charles G. Tibbitts, John Noll, Henry Kuntz, Horatio B. Sellon, William M. Kendall, Henry Botset, Christopher Seitel, Charles Ebel, J. Alexander, M. La Pierre. Homer Sluyter, George H. Wilbur, Thomas K. Houghton, Amasa Johnson, John W. Patterson, Henry McFarlin, John W. Houghton, Jerry Blain, Daniel B. Armstrong, James L. Cleaveland, Joseph Lauer, Henry M. Hilligas, J. N. Freese, F. Mullen, D. R. Davidson, William Babington, Michael Stoll and William C. Shirley.

The first officers were: Jacob B. N. Klinger, foreman; Stephen A. Francis, assistant foreman; William C. Shirley, treasurer; Daniel McDonald, secretary, and Eli R. Shook, steward.

The formation of this company grew out of the great fire of 1857, March 22, which destroyed every business house on both sides of Michigan street, between La Porte and Garro streets, entailing a loss estimated at between $75,000 and $100,000, with little or no insurance. There was no fireman's organization here then, not even a bucket brigade, and no water if there had been, except such as could have been drawn from dug wells and from Yellow river, a. considerable distance away.

The constitution and by-laws are quite voluminous and contain about everything that could possibly be thought of in connection with the duties of members of the organization. The hour of meeting was fixed at 7 p. m., John M. Shoemaker's time being the criterion—he being the town watchmaker at that time. Everything went by sun time then, which was, and is, about fifteen minutes slower than "standard time," which is now in universal use in this part of the country, the change having been made some thirty years ago. There was a good deal of opposition to abandoning the good old-fashioned sun time, but the town clock was set forward to standard time, the town schools adopted it at once, the railroads followed suit, and it was not long until the business houses, the churches and the citizens generally turned their timepieces forward, and everybody began doing business on "fast time." The telegraph office at the Pennsylvania station receives the exact time every day at 12 o'clock noon; in this way the town clock is regulated, as well as the clocks of the watchmakers and others. Each member was required to procure the following uniform: "A black glazed cap, a red woolen sack or wamus, with black velvet collar and cuffs, and a black leather belt."

A two-story frame building for the use of the company was erected on the bank of the river on the south side of Adams street, the upper story being used for meeting purposes and the lower room for trucks, ladders, etc. Later the company moved into the Dawes wagon shop, located where John W. Parks now has his law office, on the south side of Garro street.

April 10, 1859, the residence of David How, on the southwest corner of the public square, caught fire, and had it not been for the Hook and Ladder Company would have been totally destroyed. Speaking of the fire the editor of the Republican said:

"The conduct of the members of Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 1, on this occasion, was honorable to them in the highest degree. No set of men could have done more efficient service with the same means. Our citizens will ever be proud of their firemen so long as they demean themselves in this manner, and will doubtless on all suitable occasions manifest a material regard for them."

With the organization of the old Hand Engine Company, and later the Hose Company, the Hook and Ladder Company necessarily had to take a back seat, but it was the first organization for the protection of property against the ravages of fire in our midst and is entitled to its due meed of praise.

As near as can be ascertained, the books having been destroyed, Adriatic Engine Company No. 1 and Torrent Hose Company No. 1 were organized in 1865. The first officers of the engine company were: Martin H. Rice, foreman ; D. Emmit Simons, assistant foreman ; Sigmund Mayer, secretary ; John W. Palmer, treasurer.

About that time the department was regularly organized and was composed of the following companies: Protection Hook and Ladder Company No. 1; Adriatic Engine Company No. 1; Torrent Hose Company No. 1.

The records having been destroyed, as stated, it is impossible to get any information in regard to the work of the fire department until about the first of the year 1876, when the present city building was erected and occupied by the fire department. From that time up to the present a record of all the doings of the department has been kept, from which it appears that the companies took possession of the new hall February 21, 1876, and dedicated it by a grand ball on the same night, which proved to be one of the best paying balls ever given in Plymouth, the net proceeds being $165. At the regular meeting of the fire department, February 22, 1876, the following resolution was unanimously adopted and ordered printed:

"Resolved, That the members of the fire department of Plymouth take great pleasure in returning their sincere thanks to the citizens of Plymouth for their liberality in purchasing tickets to the fireman's dedication ball, and to the McDonald Brothers, printers, especially, do the firemen feel grateful for their unparalleled liberality in donating all the printing for the occasion, amounting to $13, consisting of tickets, cards and programs, executed on the best of material and in a neat, artistic style."

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


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

The Town Of Bourbon.

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

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

The town of Bourbon was not regularly laid out as a town until April 23, 1853, thirteen years after the organization of the township, although prior to that time it had grown to be considerable of a village. Naturally enough the town of Bourbon took the name of the township and for the same reason. The original proprietors of the town were Samuel Thomas and J. S. Neidig. Since then the following additions have been made: Martin's first and second; J. F. Park's addition and continued addition; Linn's addition and continued addition; Boley's first and second addition ; Ball's addition; Davis's addition; Bailey's addition; Thayer's first, second and third and continued addition; J. W. Thomas's addition; Borton's addition, and Staples's addition.

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

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

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


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

"Now, at this time, to-wit, on the seventh day of March, 1837, here comes in open court James Parks and makes application for the privilege of sending a student to the Indiana college at Bloomington, to-wit: John F. Parks, which request is granted for the term of two years."

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

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


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

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

January 20, 1854, the dwelling house of James Miner was burned; no insurance and nothing saved.

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

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

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

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

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

Red Eagle Engine Company was organized April 7, 1879, and had thirty members to start with. James Lilly was the first foreman.

Red Eagle Hose Company was organized June 15, 1879, with fifteen members. T. J. Payne was the first foreman.

The town authorities have since put in a system of waterworks with direct pressure which reduces the losses to the minimum.


Secret and benevolent societies are well represented in Bourbon. The Odd Fellows were the first to organize a lodge in this place, which was done in 1858. This was followed by the organization of Bourbon Lodge No. 227, F. & A. M., in December, 1865. The Knights of Pythias organized a lodge in Bourbon in 1889 with thirty members and have since added largely to that number. The Improved Order of Red Men organized Pottawattomie Tribe No. 16 in 1868. It has continued from that time to the present and has a membership of about seventy-five. Attached to it is a lodge of the degree of Pocahontas for the benefit of the ladies of the male members. It is No. 1 and was the first organized in Indiana. There is also here an organization of the Daughters of Rebecca, and also a chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star, an appendant to the Masonic order. There is also here a post of the Grand Army of the Republic, whose membership is made up entirely of soldiers of the war of the Rebellion.

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


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

Owing to change of residence, etc., the organization was disbanded several years ago.


Along in the seventies the people of Bourbon began the agitation of the feasibility of establishing a college of learning in Bourbon, and it finally culminated in the adoption of the following agreement between citizens of
Bourbon and the German Baptist Church of the northern district of Indiana:

"State of Indiana, Marshall County, Bourbon, May 28, 1871.

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

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

"(Signed) M. Erwin, K. Heckman, H. Barnaby, N. E. Minard, A. C. Matchette, Citizens' Committee.

"Jacob B. Shively, Jacob Beiby, Chairman of Committee."

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

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

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

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


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


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

Whereas, The town plats of Fremont and Sidney lie very near each other; and Whereas, The postoffice of those two places is named Argos; and Whereas, We, the undersigned citizens and petitioners, believing that so many " names are and will continue to be against the interest of citizens of said places, we therefore petition your honorable board to change the names of the above-named towns and consolidate them into one name, namely, Argos, and thus in duty bound we will ever pray. John A. Rhodes, N. E. Manville, J. W. Harris, M. E. Richards, Joseph Lissinger, G. W. Gordon, N. Siple, W. Nichols, John Tribbey, Joseph Rhodes, John Whitacre, J. A. Haig, William Worthington, J. G. Bryant, Joseph Finney,
Martin Bucher, Thomas King, J. J. Hough.

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

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

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

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

The cornerstone of the public school building erected in the town of Argos was laid under the auspices of the fraternities of Masons, Odd Fel-' lows and Improved Order of Red Men, on the sixteenth day of August, 1873. After the ceremonies of laying the stone, addresses were delivered by Rev. J. L. Boyd, Methodist minister of Plymouth; Hon. M. A. O. Packard, of Plymouth; P. S. Hoffman, of Richmond, and Prof. M. B. Hopkins, state superintendent of public instruction. After the close of the services an excellent dinner was served by the ladies of the place, and the occasion was one in every way enjoyable. The building is of brick, forty by sixty feet, and two stories high, well finished and furnished with the latest improved furniture and fixtures.

Abel C. Hickman, whose death occurred in Argos June 11, 1877, waS at the time of his death probably the oldest settler in the county, although that honor was disputed by Robert Schroeder, then living in North township, who claimed to have settled in the county before Mr. Hickman. From his obituary notice the following is taken as being of historical importance: He was born in Harrison county, Virginia, September 1, 1805. He chose the profession of a farmer, emigrated to Indiana in 1832 and settled on the Michigan road two miles south of Argos, as the lands belonging to the road were the only lands in market. This was four years- prior to the organization of the county. As soon as the government lands were surveyed in 1835 he moved off west of the road and settled on the farm now owned by Adam Bixel. Thus he was the first actual settler on state lands after the survey in the neighborhood. Three years after, in 1838, the first society for religious worship was organized at Mr. Hickman's house by the Rev. Mr. Owens, of the Methodist Episcopal church. Thus was Methodism introduced into Marshall county. His house continued a regular place of worship for several years. In 1844 the first house of worship erected in the county was built on his farm. In 1875 he took up his residence in Argos and engaged in the drug business. As a man he was positive to a fault and was a good neighbor. He had been watching the developments of Marshall county for forty-five years, and with great satisfaction he saw the forest give way to the beautiful fields, and the solitude of the wilderness broken by the bustle of busy homes. He saw the population of the county increase 160 times. In the midst of prosperity, surrounded by friends, like a ripe sheaf he was gathered by the harvesters of eternity.


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

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

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

Of the number of people who taught in this house, the writer of this article can name only Mattie Beame, Franks, A. C. North and W. J.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

The town of Bremen was first called New Bremen, the name being given by George Pomeroy and Joseph Guiselman, who thought the name appropriate, as it was of German origin and a large portion of the early settlers were a German-speaking people. But it was not long until the "New" was omitted, and it soon became known as "Bremen" in "German" township, which indicated the nationality of the people. The first settlement in Bremen was made about 1836, and between that date and 1848 settlement was made by several families, among whom were Hardzog, Heim, Weis, Beyler, Koontz, Yockey, Ringle, and others who pre-empted government lands in the vicinity and here in the wilderness established their home and began the rugged toil of pioneers. Other families soon came in, and it was not long until a village was formed. In 1846 a postoffice was established and named Brothersville, in honor of David Brothers, the first postmaster, and on whose premises the office was held by him two years. In 1848 George Pomeroy and John Bush bought of Mr. Brothers one acre of land. Mr. Bush took the east half and on it built a log cabin, where for two years he resided and followed the cooper's trade, and then sold his possessions to John Parker, a Quaker by faith and a shoemaker by trade, and thus it happened that Mr. Parker became the first shoemaker of the new village of Bremen. He was succeeded by Philip Kenager, who from that time until the date of his death in the nineties occupied the old log cabin and worked at his trade. George Pomeroy erected upon his half-acre a crude frame in which he kept the first store, consisting of a miscellaneous stock of notions, dry goods, groceries, etc., and here he held the postoffice, which had been changed from Brothersville to Bremen. Mr. Pomeroy was the first notary public of the town. In 1848 Joseph Geiselman purchased a lot where is now located the dry goods establishment of John R. Deitrich & Co., on which he built a log blacksmith shop, the first in Bremen, and where he followed his trade several years. In 1850 he erected the first frame building in the new town. In 1851 Gotleib Amacher built a log cabin and opened the first tailor shop. Ben Shane had built a log cabin which John Soice, coming from Stark county, Ohio, in the early fifties, purchased and converted into the first harness shop.

Bremen has an excellent fire department, which was organized September 8, 1874, at which time there were issued bonds of $2,100 for the purpose of purchasing the necessary apparatus and the erection of suitable buildings. In the beginning there were eighty-five members of the departmcnt, divided into four divisions: An engine company, a hook and ladder company, and two hose companies. Hoosier Hook and Ladder Company No. 1 was organized June 5, 1874, and participated in the firemen's tournament at Bourbon in September, 1877, taking first prize, running 300 yards, stacking ladder and putting man over top in thirty-four and a half seconds. September 6, 1877, the engine and hose companies attended the firemen's tournament at Goshen, Indiana, where they made the best time, running 100 yards, laying fifty feet of hose, and throwing water fifty feet in thirtyfour and one-fourth seconds, receiving the first prize, amounting to $80. Hose Company No. 4, in September, 1885, at a tournament at Michigan City, won first prize, receiving $100 and a water service. In August, 1887, at Plymouth, they received $50 and the championship of Indiana. Union Engine Company No. 1 in 1882 won the state championship as an engine company; and it was in 1885, at South Bend, that Ed. Hickeman and Theo. Walter, as couplers from the Bremen department, won the world's championship in that particular line of firemen's duties.

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

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


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

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

Bayless L." D1ckson, Proprietor.

Witness: G. S. Cleaveland, John L. Westcrvelt.
Union Town, June 8, 1844.

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

"Union Town is situated in the southeast corner of section 16, town 32, north range 1 east, Marshall county, Indiana. The southeast of said section is the commencing point of this town plat; the streets are all of a width, being 66 feet; the alleys are 16>^ feet; the lots are 66 feet in front and 99 feet back ; so planned by the original survey. All lines running north and south bare no degrees and ten seconds east, and those that run east and west bare south eighty-nine degrees east. The magnetic variation at this date is 50 10' east. I, J. B. N. Klinger, Surveyor of Marshall County, certify the above to be correct."

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

On the 20th of March, 1890, the following affidavit was filed for record in the recorder's office:

"I, J. B. N. Klinger, ex-surveyor in and for Marshall county, state of Indiana, swear that, upon the request of Thomas K. Houghton, then owner and proprietor of the town of Union Town, in said county, he employed me as surveyor of said county, April 24, 1851, to resurvey and plat said L'nion Town. In setting out the location I made a clerical error, locating it in the southeast corner of section 16, township 32, north, range 1 east, when it should read southwest corner of said section No. 16, township 32, north range 1 east, and the same was part of record, the error being overlooked, and further deponent sayeth not."

February 13, 1884, Peter Allerding filed what he called the "Vandalia Addition to said Union Town." The addition is in the west half of the south forty acres of section 16, 32, 1, except Thomas K. Houghton's corrected addition; also except three acres known as Bowles lot, and three acres immediately south of the same. Said addition being divided into 24 lots, and numbered from 1 to 24 inclusive; also 5 outlots and numbered from 1 to 5 inclusive. The length and breadth of said lots being indicated by figures on said plat; also the width of all the streets and alleys.

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

Marmont—The name of Union Town was changed to Marmont when a resurvey was made in 1851. Dr. G. A. Durr was a resident of Union Town at that time. He was of French descent and succeeded in having the name changed to Marmont in honor of a French general of that name. It was many years after the village took the name of Marmont before it was incorporated under the law as a town. The first election was held under the corporation July 5, 1894; the election board being composed of J. H. Koontz, D. G. Walter and E. M. Scates. The following was the result of the election:

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

"Notice—1st. That a meeting will be held at the schoolhouse in Union Town on the evening of March 4, 1858, to take into consideration the propriety of forming a society to be known as the 'Antiquarian and Historical Society,' for the purpose of collecting as many of the circumstances and incidents relative to the settlement of this region of country from the first settlement to the present time, that it may be read by posterity, which we believe will be of great interest.

Union Town, February 15, 1858."

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


Mr. S. C. Shilling is the president of the bank and William Osborn cashier. When Mr. Shilling took charge of the bank in 1901 the deposits were $18,000, the loans $11,000, and the number of open accounts 100. At the present time the deposits are $50,000, the loans $40,000 and the open accounts between 250 and 300. The bank recently purchased an eligible corner lot in the center of the town, on which it erected and is now settled in a permanent home amid surroundings luxurious enough to place it in the front rank with similar institutions anywhere in the northern part of the state. The building is the finest in the town of Culver, and in addition to the bank, it houses that other leading business factor, the postoffice, besides giving space to the Masonic lodge on the second floor, and also three professional men. Not only the owners of the bank are proud of the institution, but the community at large are equally gratified that they have in their midst so important a factor in the building up of the business of their fast-growing town.


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


This place was platted and laid out by Isaac P. Shively September 6, 1854^ It is situated on the south side of the southeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 4, town 33, range 4 east, on the Plymouth and Warsaw state road, about five miles northeast of Bourbon. It did not grow as a town as was expected, and a few years later Jacob Pritch and Adam Moneysmith purchased timber land there, erected a saw-mill in the later fifties and after the completion of the railroad through Bourbon in 1856, furnishing them an outlet for their lumber, they carried on an extensive business, and with the families connected with the mills the little village for a time had quite a boom. For some years there was quite a settlement there, and both political parties during exciting campaigns always held one or more meetings in that place during the year. But with the sawing up of the timber into lumber, the village disappeared, and now it is only the center of one of the best farming regions in the county.


This village is situated about five miles northeast of the county seat, in the southeastern part of North township. The proprietors were Simon Stough, M. J. Link and E. J. Mosholder. It was laid out June 9, 1866, and contains twelve lots. It is a neighborhood village, conveniently situated as to the various parts of the township, and the county seat, as well as on the main road to Bremen and Lake of the Woods.


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


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

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


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


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

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

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


Tyner (it was originally called Tyner City), the seat of justice of Polk township, was laid off and platted June 18, 1855, by Jacob H. Miller, Maynard French and Thomas Tyner. It took its name from the last named proprietor. It is located in the west half of section 10, town 34, range 1 east, on the Lake Erie & Western railroad, at that time known as the Plymouth & La Porte railroad, about seven miles northwest of Plymouth. It is laid off into twelve blocks 315 feet square, including alleys, each lot containing twelve lots each 50 by 100 feet. The streets are named Race, Vine, Main, Walnut, May, Miller French, Allen and Boyce. The four first were named after streets in Cincinnati, where some of the proprietors at one time resided, and the remainder were named in honor of railroad men who were engaged in building the new railroad which was completed the following year, 1856.

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

The result of the election is embodied in the following certificate filed in the clerk's office:

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

George E. Leroy, President.

Washington Wilson, Clerk.

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

Thomas Tyner, the founder of Tyner City, and from whom it took its name, died in that place on the 18th of October, 1880. He was born in Kentucky in 1800. He was a worthy and highly respected citizen, and during his long life filled many important positions of trust and honor, always in a satisfactory manner to all parties concerned. In the earlier portion of his manhood he assisted in moving the archives of the state from Corydon to Indianapolis, after the capitol was established there. He was one of the old landmarks, not only in Marshall county, but of the state, and was well acquainted with many of the prominent citizens of Indiana. He was generous, kind and charitable, almost to a fault, and was honored and esteemed while living, and died sincerely regretted by all who knew him.


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

They danced all night till broad daylight,
And went home with the girls in the morning.

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


The following is the description of the location of Teegarden, as filed by Eli Taylor and Calvin J. Wright, the proprietors, November 18, 1873: "Teegarden is located in the southwest corner of the southeast quarter of section 23, township 35, north of range 1 east, in Marshall county, Indiana. The south line of said town is the section line, and the west line is the center line of said section 23; there is fifteen feet left on the north side of the section line for half of a street; also twenty feet on the east side of the center section line for half a street, and forty feet on the south of the right of way, of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad for a street, called Wright street. The south line of Taylor street commenced on the center section line—fifty feet north of the center of the Baltimore & Ohio railroad, and runs east at right angles to the north and south center section line of said section 23," etc. The plat contains thirty-three lots, and they are 100 feet wide by 144 feet in length. The streets are 60, and the alleys 20 feet wide. The Baltimore & Ohio railroad runs through the southern portion of the original town. On the 20th day of June, 1874, Lewis Lemert laid out and caused to be platted and recorded an addition to Teegarden, joining the original plat on the west. The addition comprises fifteen lots of the same size as those in the original town. There are two good dry goods, grocery and notion stores, a saw-mill, a tile manufactory, coal kiln, blacksmith shop, etc. The town is surrounded by a good farming country that is being improved by drainage.


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


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


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

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

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

April 1, 1885, Leonard Logan and Gideon Logan laid out "Logan's addition to La Paz," which contains sixty-four lots of varied length and breadth. The addition lies in the southeast part of the town.


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


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

"Burr Oak station is situated on the east line of the northwest quarter of section 4, township 32, north of range 1 east, commencing 1,255 fee^ south of the north quarter-section corner of section 4, township 32, north of range 1 east, the north line of the right of way of the New York, Chicago & St. Louis railroad; thence north with the center section line 517 feet, thence west at right angles with center section line 332 feet, thence south with the center section line 422 feet, thence east parallel with north line 302 feet, thence south 93 feet to north line of right of way of said railroad, thence southeastwardly with said line 30 feet to place of beginning. November 1, 1882. M1chael Burns, Proprietor."

The above named plat contains eighteen lots, numbered from 1 to 18 consecutively. The streets are fifty feet, the alleys twelve feet wide, and the lots are forty feet wide by 120 feet in length.

On the 8th day of October, 1885, Franklin Overmyer filed the plat of Overmyer's addition to Burr Oak station, properly described and acknowledged. This addition lies immediately east of the original plat of Burr Oak station and contains lots from 1 to 8 inclusive, the lots being the same size as those in the original plat. This village is nearly in the center of what is known as the "Burr Oak Flats," which is as beautiful and productive a region as can be found anywhere.

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


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


North Salem, according to the plat, consisted of twelve lots laid out in the year 1851 by Barrack Plummer, Basil Roberts and A. G. Pumphrey. It was situated some distance southwest of Inwood. Shortly after it was platted a very large and elegant church building for those days was built, but a few years later it caught fire and was consumed and has not since been rebuilt. There being no prospect that a town would ever be built there, the plat has been vacated.


The original plat of Donelson was laid out October 25, 1871, by D. W. Taft, Cornelius Tuttle and W. J. Richardson. It is located in the corners of sections 29, 30, 31 and 32, township 34, north of range 1 east, on the line of the Pittsburg, Ft. Wayne & Chicago railroad, and is one mile east of the Starke county line. It contains twenty-two lots, their size being 66 feet wide by 132 feet in length. On the 14th day of September, 1875, D- W. Taft laid out "Taft's addition to the town of Donelson," containing twenty-one lots of the same size as the lots in the original plat and lying north and west of the original town, and on the 14th day of September, 1875, Cornelius Tuttle laid off "Tuttle's addition to Donelson," comprising twenty-two lots, being of the same size as the original lots. It is a quiet little village and probably will always remain so, as most of the farm products raised in its vicinity are marketed elsewhere. It has two stores, a drug store, a grain elevator, a blacksmith shop, one doctor, a good schoolhouse, church and all the conveniences and evidences of civilization common to villages of its size.

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


The original proprietors of this town were Joseph Hall, Daniel C. Martin and Joseph Serls. It was platted and surveyed December 12, 1850. It is located on the Tippecanoe river, in Tippecanoe township, in section 18, town 32, range 4 east, and contains thirty lots. For thirty years this place was the only town in Tippecanoe township and during that time it became quite a business center for that part of the country. Tippecanoe river, which meanders through this township, entering it on the eastern boundary about the center, passing through Tippecanoe Town and veering off to the south, furnished an excellent waterpower at Tippecanoe Town for milling purposes. An excellent flouring mill was erected by N. B. and P. S. Alleman, who operated it for many years. During the war of the Rebellion they also erected a woolen factory close by the mill, which they also operated until 1878, when they sold it to J. F. Van Valkenburg, of Plymouth. On the night of October 25, 1878, the woolen mills were fired by an incendiary, and before assistance could reach them were entirely destroyed. An attempt was made to set fire to the grist mill the same night, but a watchman being in the mill, the attempt was unsuccessful. Detectives were put upon the track of the "fire fiends" and in course of time a young man in the neighborhood was arrested on suspicion of having committed the deed. He was incarcerated in the county jail and soon after gave intimation of an intention to confess his g11ilt and turn state's evidence against other parties who he said were implicated. Before the meeting of the grand jury, however, he succeeded in making his escape from the jail. He concealed himself for some time, but finally concluded to return and confess that he fired the property, describing minutely how the act was accomplished. He also implicated a large number of old and respectable citizens of the neighborhood as being particeps criminis in the transaction. He alleged that the object sought to be attained was the removal of the mill damj which it was averred overflowed a large section of country, produced stagnant water, causing malaria, resulting in sickness and death. He stated that meetings of those in the neighborhood affected by the dam had been held at various times, at which the question was discussed as to the most expeditious and safest way to get rid of what they termed an "intolerable nuisance." According to his statement it was finally determined that if the mills were out of the way the dam would soon follow. He was selected, he stated, to do the work, the others agreeing to save him from arrest and punishment. Several of the parties implicated were jointly indicted with him, and after many vexatious delays the cases came on for trial. As to all the parties but one a nollc-proscqui was entered, and the case went to trial as to the remaining party, mainly on the evidence of the party who had confessed that he had been guilty of the burning. The trial lasted several days, creating much excitement and ill-feeling among neighbors and parties interested, and finally resulted in the jury failing to agree. The case was then transferred to another county on a change of venue, but the party implicated left the country and has not been heard of since, and so the case never came to trial again.


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

Source: A twentieth century history of Marshall County, Indiana, Volume 1 Hon. Daniel McDonald Author