CHAPTER XV
The period between 1860 and 1870 was marked by the Civil War that tore families apart and retarded the growth not only of Henry County, but of all the rest of the United States; elsewhere in this volume, appears a discussion of Henry County's part in this war. The effect of the war on the county may be seen by the following statement, which is taken from the first issue of the Advocate, January 1, 1866:
"Clinton has a population of 250 inhabitants, white and black." The following boundary of Clinton was described in November, 1866: "The west half section No. 2, and the east half section No. 3, township No. 41, of range 26, or in other words; commencing at a rock near a peach tree, in the yard and directly south of the residence of Doctor McLanev running east to the northwest corner of the fair ground; thence north, to the township line, near one acre, owned by Charles Snyder at the north end of Seventh street; thence west, one mile to the line of George W. Hancock's, or to the northeast quarter of section 3; thence directly south, one mile, to the southwest corner of Oak Grove Cemetery; thence east, on Ohio street, to the place of beginning."
In 1870, the census gave Clinton a population of 840, a gain of fifty per cent in four years' time. On the 23rd day of August, 1870, the town celebrated the building of the railroad and the coming of the railway locomotive to the little village. The year 1870 also marked the building of the Franklin school building in Clinton. This will be remembered as the central or main part of the old eighteen-room building which stood on the spot where now stands the Clinton High School. Two wings were added later.
In 1866, was organized the first Presbyterian church of Clinton, the Rev. J. B. Allen being secured to serve as pastor in the year 1870. In the next year, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized with B. L. Owen and B. L. Coyles, as ruling elders. In 1868, the first church was erected, costing $3,000; this was replaced in 1877 by a fine brick structure, costing the sum of $9,000. This building is the one which is now occupied by the first Presbyterian Church.
It seems that the year 1866 was the year for organizing churches in Clinton, for on the first Sabbath in June, under the leadership of Dr. S. Jones, the Methodist Episcopal Church was organized. The First Baptist Church was organized in September, of the same year, by the Rev. James Wood. The original members included the Barlowes, T. D. Hancock, William H. Dodge, Sallie Avery, P. S. and Laura Jennings. In the same year, the Christian Church re-organized under the leadership of Elder Birge, although the first meeting of the denomination was held as early as 1854.
In 1869, a group of musicians gathered together the Clinton Silver Cornet Band. The second set of instruments which this band bought is said to have cost $1,000. It was one of many such organizations that sprang up throughout the country. A few years later there appeared in the newspapers the advertisement of W. L. Windsor, a well-known merchant tailor, to the effect that he "made a specialty of band uniforms." Few tailors in the country towns such as Clinton was would in these days, waste money by advertising to furnish band uniforms.
The town of Windsor was also hit hard by the Civil War; however, in the last five years of the decade, 1860-1870, it doubled its population, having about 550 people within its limits on the latter date.
In Windsor, these years were noted by the organization of several churches. The Pleasant Grove Baptist Church was moved to Windsor in 1867. It had been organized as far back as 1853. In 1865, the Rev. B. F. Lawler took charge and from that time on, notable progress was made. At this church, the Tebo Baptist Association was formed. 1869 saw the beginning of the Methodist Episcopal Church in Windsor, while the Congregational Church had been in existence nearly a year. The Christian Church of Windsor met and organized in the early part of the decade, while the Mount Zion Church of the Cumberland Presbyterian organization came into existence some five years before the Civil War began. Outside of the towns, the Stone Chapel was organized by the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in 1866 in Germantown. In 1869, the name was changed to Camp Branch; in 1871, it became the Montrose Cumberland Presbyterian Church.
Another town was incorporated in the year 1870. The petition appearing upon the records of the County Court under date of the 10th of February, is as follows:
"Whereas, a petition was this day presented to the court signed by sundry citizens of the town of Calhoun, in the County of Henry, praying to have the said town incorporated and setting forth the metes and bounds thereof, and it appearing to the satisfaction of the court that two-thirds of the taxable inhabitants of said town have signed said petition, and also that the prayer in said petition is reasonable, it is therefore ordered by the court that the inhabitants of said town of Calhoun be declared to be incorporated within the metes and bounds as set forth in said petition, to wit:
"Beginning at the southwest quarter of the northwest quarter of the southeast quarter of section No. 36, township 43, of range 25, running north 320 rods; thence east 320 rods; thence south 320 rods; thence west to the place of beginning, and to be known and styled by the name and style of the 'Inhabitants of the Town of Calhoun.' And the court doth hereby appoint Tower Thomasson, Joseph Hairrell, J. W. Minish, William Gutridge and J. F. Agnew as a board of trustees for said town, according to the statutes in such cases made and provided."
The growth of the newly incorporated town of Calhoun was dependent upon her pottery business; this continued to be her chief industry until the coming of the railroads and the introduction of machinery made the hand potteries unprofitable. As was done in Clinton, there was a cornet band organized in Calhoun during this decade.
Shortly after the Civil War, the post office in Shawnee was moved from a place about three miles west of the present little village of Shawnee Mound, where it was first established about 1860, to its present location, and called by the present name of Shawnee Mound. In 1869, the Cumberland Presbyterian Church of Shawnee Mound was organized. The other village in this township became the voting precinct on the 11th of November, 1865, when the polls were moved from Kimseyville to Huntingdale. The first house built in what is now Huntingdale, was built by Aaron Kahn, in the year 1855. The first physician was Doctor Royston; the first postmaster, B. L. Quarles, for many years county clerk of Henry County. No history of this part of the county, nor in fact, of the county itself, would be complete without at least a mention of "Squire" William Paul, as he is known to all the present generation, who was born in Hardin County, Kentucky, in 1820, and who came to the. land on which he is now living at this writing, in 1842. Squire Paul built the house in which, on January 1, 1919, he was still living. The stories which he tells of early pioneer life should be printed in a book; many a time he has driven cattle from near his present home to Boonville to ship them by boat to St. Louis. He would return on the train to Sedalia and then walk home.
He relates as the biggest sale which he ever attended, the sale of negroes for which he served as auctioneer; the total sale amounted to $22,500; the highest price of $1,330 being paid for "Big Jim." For his work as auctioneer, he was given $2. He made of walnut logs the bed on which he slept for sixty years. He bought four hundred of the walnut logs for $1 per hundred. He was a justice of the peace for fifty years and many a time held court under the shade tree in his yard.
The first church at Huntingdale was the Mount Zion Presbyterian Church, the organization of which was effected in 1855; the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, was organized in 1869, while the Methodist Episcopal Church appeared in 1871. In Davis township, the La Due Christian Church was organized in 1866. The year 1867 was marked by the establishment of Consville by Captain J. L. Consollis, who was the first postmaster. Two years later, Consville was joined to Brownington, which was first located in 1869 by William M. Doyle.
From 1870 to 1880, the growth, of Henry County was steady, but marked by no unusual events except as are described elsewhere in this volume. The year 1871 marks the purchase of an improved farm for county purposes. One hundred and sixty acres, including twenty acres of woodland, was purchased for the sum of $7,200, the same to be paid in three equal installments of $2,400 each. Robert Allen was put in charge as superintendent and J. W. Stewart as county physician. D. A. Henry became the first farm manager.
The first city of the fourth class to be organized in the county was the city of Clinton. It may be of interest to know the town officers prior to the organization as a city of the fourth class. The list for 1876 is therefore given:
Trustees, William H. Lawrence, chairman; R. C. McBeth, Frank S. Gobar, Henry Reihl, Martin W. Mann; collector, Ernest Snyder; city attorney and city clerk, Samuel E. Price; assessor, Charles Snyder; treasurer, Harry S. Leonard; marshal, Asa Smith; census taker, Samuel B. Orem; engineer, James B. Burgen. In 1872, J. G. Middelcoff was chairman of the board of trustees, and Dr. P. S. Jennings in 1874 and 1875. The latter year the following constituted the board: Trustees elected, P. S. Jennings, J. B. Colt, John Oechsli, James Brannum, Dr. G. Y. Salmon.
On February 14, 1878, an election was called at which by a practically unanimous vote - only one vote being cast in opposition - Clinton decided to incorporate as a city of the fourth class. The following April, the first election was held. It resulted in the election of S. Blatt as mayor, defeating Mr. Bollinger by thirty-eight votes. Doctor Britts, Mr. Brannum, who built the Brannum Mills; Mr. M. A. Fyke, who is now assistant city counsellor of Kansas City, were three of the six aldermen elected. C. A. Calvird, now circuit judge of the judicial circuit composed of Henry, Bates, St. Clair and Benton Counties, became the first city clerk.
The year 1875 saw the erection in Clinton of the Catholic Church, it being one of the last organized in the town. During the decade, 1870 to 1880, two citizens of Clinton were singularly honored in the State, Harvey W. Salmon being treasurer of the State in 1872 and B. G. Boone, afterwards attorney general, being chosen as Speaker of the House of Representatives in 1874.
The year 1876 witnessed one of the most destructive fires in the history of the town. It destroyed several buildings on the northeast corner of the square, east side, the Fulkerson and Parks building being one of the finest in Clinton. Fulkerson and Parks lost on building about $15,000 and on drug stock $7,500, insurance $15,800; Doctor Dimmitt, surgical instruments and library, $800; Clinton Cornet Band, instruments, $300; furniture, etc., Odd Fellows, insured $500; furniture, etc., Ancient Free and Accepted Masons $1,200, insurance $800; Heckler's saloon $300, insured; the building belonging to Doctor Williams $500, insured for $300; Samuel Williams' loss, $500, no insurance. Goods in the express office were destroyed upon which were charges amounting to $75; value of goods not known. This was the principal damage. The heat broke some glass and other light damages were sustained, but not of any great value. The fire was believed to have been the work of an incendiary.
On the 5th of February, 1873, the County Court granted the petition of the City of Windsor to be incorporated and from that date, the town of Windsor ceased to be a village. The trustees appointed by the County Court were as follows: C. C. Morse, J. W. Gray, W. J. Colbow, W. J. Livingston and W. B. Pomeroy.
This board met on the 8th of February and elected W. J. Colbow as chairman and appointed W. J. Clark as clerk and A. Cliff Clark, marshal. This organization continued until 1878, when by act of the board of trustees, Windsor was incorporated as a city of the fourth class. The first mayor was James M. Burress. At the same election, E. N. Jerome was elected marshal. E. Bass, M. A. Owen, David Black, Frank Ham, M. L. Stafford and J. C. Beatty were elected aldermen.
In the census of 1870, Deepwater township was the second township in the county in point of population. In 1872 it was divided into two voting precincts, Montrose having been founded in 1871; it was located on land belonging to Joseph Patton and D. C. Cross. Brad Robinson was the first resident and built the first house, but he was soon followed by the business houses of the town of Germantown. Twice in the history of the county have towns moved as wholes - the second time being when the town of Urich moved from what is now known as Old Urich, to the present site on the railroad.
In 1875, Montrose suffered what is known as "The Big Fire." All told, eleven business houses and their contents were destroyed; the total loss running up to $75,000. The town had been organized but a year, the petition for incorporation being presented to the court on the 23rd of July, 1874. In 1882, the town was organized as a city of the fourth class and George W. Dunn elected as first mayor, with a salary of fifty dollars per year. Other churches were organized during this decade; the Hickory Grove Methodist Episcopal Church, being organized in Tebo township, in 1874 by the Rev. John A. Murphy. The Brownington Presbyterian Church came into existence in 1873, although no building was erected until 1880. The first pastor was Rev. J. F. Watkins. The Mt. Zion Methodist Episcopal Church erected a building in 1872 within about a mile of the St. Clair County line. While the building was not built until this late date, yet it was one of the oldest churches in the county, its history extending back to the fifties.
Calhoun also suffered a great fire, on December 3, 1877, an entire block of buildings being consumed.
In April, 1871, H. C. McDonald built the first house in the old town of Urich.
