977.5465
Sch97h
AH-T.J.. SCHWEER-,
HISTORY OF BEARDSTOM AND
AND CASS COUNTY
L)Us)
L I B RAR.Y
OF THE
U NIVLRSITY
Of ILLINOIS
977.3465
Sch97h
Illinois Historical Survey
v.of 111. Library
HISTORY OF
BEARDSTOWN
AND CASS COUNTY
—BY-
MRS. T. J. SCHWEER
1925
Written for Use as a Text Book in the Third Grade
Beardstown Public Schools
HISTORY OF
BEARDSTOWN
AND CASS COUNTY
-BY-
MRS. T. J. SCHWEER
1925
Written for Use as a Text Book in the Third Grade
Beardstown Public Schools
Acknowledgments are due Mr. P. C. Croll for assistance in gathering material and to
Hon. Henry Shaw, who delivered the Fourth of July oration in 1876, on the History oi
Beardstown. rv pc
?^e
J:
CHAPTER I
Illinois dates its white settlements among the first in
North America. Four years before the settlement of Ply-
mouth, Le Baron had explored Upper Canada, and twenty
years later the hardy and ambitious French voyageurs and
traders, and the zealous missionaries had erected trading-posts
and missions along the rivers and upon the lake shores of the
land that now comprises the present states of Illinois and Wis-
consin.
At that time the surface of Illinois was much lower than it
is at the present time, and our early settlers of two hundred
years ago navigated the Mississippi and Illinois rivers to the
Great Lakes.
Two hundred years ago northern and central Illinoiswas
inhabited by tw T o very powerful nations of Indians, the Illinois
and the Miami. The Miami occupied the northern part of the
present state of Illinois and a part of Wisconsin and their chief
town was where the city of Chicago now stands. The Illinois
, occupied the country bordering upon the Illinois river and all
the country between that and the Mississippi. The principal
tribes of the Illinois were the Muscootens and their town was
upon the present site of Beardstown, on the eastern bank of
the river at the foot of Muscooten Bay and was called by the
French, Mound Village. The Peorias, another tribe of the
Illinois, occupied the country between the rivers, having their
town on the west bank of the Illinois river, four miles above
the present town of Frederick.
The present site of Beardstown was at that time an island
surrounded on the north, east and south by almost impassable
swamps containing dangerous quick sands and quaking bogs,
which could be crossed only in canoes, and on the west by the
3 Illinois river.
The Indian town of the Muscooten 's was a beautiful place.
It was built upon a series of wonderful mounds, which had been
- built so long ago that no one remembered anything about theiA
Nh* the people who built them. These mounds were covered
with grass and partially shaded by tall trees, but so placed as
Oc not to obstruct the view of the whole town from the river. The
> island had been selected not onlv on account of its natural beau-
J^ ty, but for its easy defense and safety from the enemies. The
t^vo villages of the Muscootens and Peorias stood in plain sight
1) of each other, the broad river forming a straight sheet of water
4 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
between, while north of Mound Village and directly in front of
the Peorias was Muscooten Bay, separated from the river by a
narrow peninsula which we now call Wood Slough.
Back of the swamp which protected the rear of the town,
was a wide belt of rich prairie bottom land and beyond six miles
rose the Sangamon bluffs between which and the island in the
day time all approaching foes could be seen. This island town
was a favorite resting place for the tired voyageurs and devout
missionaries; a large cross was erected here and friendly rela-
tions established between the Indians and white men. But this
friendly feeling on the part of the French toward the Illinois
Indians excited the jealousies of the Miami and they determin-
ed to have revenge. In vain did the missionaries try to pre-
vent war. The Miami invaded the country of the Illinois, and
took some prisoners. At this time the brave chevalier LaSalle,
who had built a fort where the present city of Peoria now
stands, made a journey alone down the river to the Muscooten
village but his effort amounted to nothing and the war con-
tinued. Moreover, the Muscootens thought La Salle was act-
ing as a spy for the Iroquois Indians at that time the most pow-
erful Indian tribe on the North American continent, who had
formed an alliance with the Miami for the purpose of extermi-
nating them. Many battles were fought between these hostile
nations, but because of the greater number of Iroquois and Mia-
mis the Illinois were defeated and beseiged in their towns.
The Muscootens were at last beseiged in their island town,
and after many fierce battles were finally defeated. It was
savage fighting savage, and death was dealt with relentless
vigor on either side. The Muscootens began to fall back to-
ward the river and their enemies, with yells of victory, rushed
upon them with tomahawks and scalping knives and ended the
battle. A few of the Muscootens swam the river and conceal-
ed themselves in the high swampy grass. A small number fled
in canoes to the village of the Peorias. The women and child-
ren were taken prisoners.
The victorious Iroquois buried their dead in the great
mound on the bank of the river with their bows and arrows and
tomahawks together with the silver and flint crosses of the mis-
sionaries. After these ceremonies were over the Iroquois re-
turned to their own country. The Miamis with their prison-
ers and sick and dying encamped upon the present site of
Chandlerville.
Some years later Mound Island was taken possession of by
the Kickapoo Indians upon which they built their village,
known as Kickapoo Town, although still remembered by the
French as "Beautiful Mound Village." This became a fa-
AND CASS COUNTY 5
vorite trading post and missionary station, and continued in
possession of the Kickapoos until its settlement by Thomas
Beard in 1820.
About 1830 the great mound at Beardstown began to be
dug into by spade and pick-axe of the white man. The decay-
ing bones of the Indian Warriors as they lay in their lovely and
quiet resting places with their bows and arrows, the silver and
flint crosses of the missionaries, even the beautiful mound it-
self which should have been preserved was all shoveled away
and nothing now is left of this once beautiful mound.
During the early part of the nineteenth century immigra-
tion was greatly retarded to this part of the country because of
severe earthquakes. From 1811 to 1813 they were as severe as
ever happened on this continent and the few settlers here were
in constant dread from these disturbances. Then too the
Kickapoo Indians, fierce and powerful as they were, while
friendly to the French, had no use for the Americans and dis-
couraged their settlement in this part of the country. Finally,
negotiations were entered into with the Kickapoos and on the
30th of July 1819 the tribe ceded to the United States an im-
mense tract of land known as the Sangamon County.
CHAPTER II
The first permanent white settlement within the present
limits of the city of Beardstown was made by Thomas Beard,
who came here on horse back when it was a Kickapoo town in
1819. Mr. Beard built his cabin upon the steep Dank of the
river at the present foot of State street and began business as
a trader among the Indians. He was rather unfortunate in se-
lecting the site for his cabin, because the next spring he found
that he had built it upon a den of snakes and (the next spring)
when the weather was warm many thousands of them of all
kinds came out upon the bank by his cabin. Soon after he
built a two story brick hotel where our post office now stands
and this old hotel stood at the foot of State street for 85 years.
Many of the early immigrants going and coming across the
river stopped at this hotel.
Mr. Beard was the father of our town. He came here as a
young man twenty-four years old on horse back from the state
of Ohio. His parents did not want him to go so far from
home but he had the pioneer instinct in him and wanted to seek-
new and strange lands, so he came west as far as Alton and
Edwardsville at first, and while in the latter place he made the
(
HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
acquaintance of a young man by the name of Enoch C. March.
They soon formed a strong friendship for each other and came
to Beardstown together. The first land entry was made by
Thomas Beard and Enoch C. March jointly. Mr. Beard's cab-
in marked the western most out-post of civilization at this
point. He thought it such a wonderful country and wrote most
alluring descriptions of it home to his parents and so interest-
ed did they all become that the whole Beard family moved to
Beardstown, and now most of them lie buried in the Beard cem-
etery at the top of Seamon Hill just five miles out of Beards-
town on the Chandlerville road.
The first licensed ferry across the river was granted Mr.
Beard by the County Commissioners of Schuyler County, upon
his paying six dollars into the treasury of that county. There
was no road from Beardstown through Schuyler County in that
day. Mr. Beard managed the ferry himself using a pole to
propel it. It was so small that only one wagon and a single
team of horses could be accommodated at one time and very
little room was left for passengers.
On the 28th day of October, 1827, Beard and March made
another land entry which extended their river front down
low the great mound. The original town of Beardstown con-
sisted of 23 blocks fronting the river, three blocks deep, reach-
ing from Clay to Jackson streets, of which the block between
the park and Main street and State and Washington was the
central one. The town was laid out and platted by Thomas
Beard and Enoch March, and was named after Mr. Beard.
Now at this time there was not a bushel of corn to be had
in central Illinois. The settlers lived on venison, blackberries
and milk. The men had to go down into the southern part of
the state to buy corn. The southern part of our state was
called Egypt; it was older and longer settled and they gather-
ed corn down there like the sands of the sea, and so the immi-
grants went down there to buy corn as the children of Isreal in
their want went to Egypt to buy and bring forth from thence
corn that they might live.
Money was very scarce in those days and often the early
settlers would gather a lot of bee's wax and loading it in canoes
would take it to St. Louis and sell it to raise money with which
to buy their land.
The winter of 1830 was a remarkable one and will always
be remembered by old settlers as the most terrible for suffer-
ing within their memories. The snow fell at first about 30
inches deep then the weather settled and another snow fell and
another, until it was from four to six feet deep. In drifts it
was much deeper. Fences were covered and lanes filled up.
\
AND CASS COUNTY
There was much suffering everywhere. Stock died for want
of food. Deer stood in their tracks and died. Prairie chick-
ens and quails having alighted in the snow could not get out.
Man was the only animal that could walk, and game alone 01
the food kind was all he had in plenty. That could be had
+ 'or the picking it up from the snow for it was helpless. _ Bui
finally even game became so poor from starvation that it was
unfit for food. The snow stayed on the ground nearly all
winter until March and people ran short of everything parti-
cularly fuel. Thomas Beard remembering a widow with a
small family living at the bluffs, generously walked out there
and found her and her family on the verge of starvation and
hovering over the last remnants of a fire, she having used all
of her fuel. Mr. Beard tore up some fences and chopped a
large pile of wood for her and afterwards carried provisions to
her through the snow on foot, a distance of seven miles, as a
horse could not travel.
In 1831 the Indians became very troublesome and threaten-
ed to over-run the white population. They were led by Black
Hawk their chief and prophet who pretended to have powei
given him by the great spirit to destroy the pale faces. He at-
tacked the whites with so much vigor that Governor John Rey-
nolds who was governor of the state at that time, issued a call
to arms. He asked for seven hundred able-bodied men, who
were willing to fight the Indians, to come to Beardstown on
the tenth day of June 1831. On that day three times that num-
ber came to Beardstown. They were at once organized and
Enoch C. March was made quartermaster. March was equal
to the occasion; he soon furnished the necessary supplies but
the governor was at a loss to know how to arm those who had
not brought rifles. However a man by the name of Francis
Arenz, one of Mr. Beard's good friends came to their aid. He
was a merchant here and a short time before had purchased
Mime light brass barrelled fowling pieces, that had been manu-
factured in the east for a South American government, and not
answering the purpose for which they were made, they were
shipped west to shoot birds with. These served the purpose very
well and the troops were encamped above the town where Mr.
R. B. Glenn's Ice and Fuel Plant now stands. Some of the
best men in this vicinity assembled here and we are told that
Abraham Lincoln was among them serving as a privateer.
There is one instance connected with the Black Hawk War
which is interesting because it relates to the settling of Chand-
lerville.
David Ephler, a resident of the North Prairie district came
to Beardstown to purchase two barrels of salt. He drove two
8 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
beautiful horses well harnessed and a good wagon, altogether
just what Colonel March wanted for war material. He ac-
cordingly seized them under the law that might makes right,
and took them from Mr. Ephler. But Mr. Ephler refused to
give them up and with his face livid with anger declared that
he would defend them with his life and that the Colonel with
his troops would have to walk over his dead body before he
would give up his best team, at least until he was paid their
value. Colonel March then offered to pay what two disin-
terested men should sav they were worth. This was agreed
to. There were then stopping in Beardstown two comparative
strangers, Dr. Charles Chandler and a man named Crawford.
To them the cause was referred. They having come from the
east were wholly in ignorance with the low prices of this new
country and priced the team at eastern values, which Colonel
March felt in honor bound to abide by and the consequence was
Mr. Ephler got $350 for his team, which was a large price then.
This incident recalls the fact of how Dr. Chandler came here. He
left Rhode Island where he had a good practice in his profes-
sion and a new house which he had just built, and started west
with his family with the intention of settling at Fort Clr-
where Peoria now stands. When the steamer upon which he
came up the Illinois river arrived at Beardstown the hostile at-
titude of the Indians in the vicinity and the preparation for a
general Indian war induced the captain to discharge his pas-
sengers and freight at Beardstown, thinking it unsafe to go
any farther north with his boat. While here Dr. Chandlei
took a ride up the Sangamon bottom with Thomas Beard and
he was so well pleased with that part where Chandlerville now
stands that he determined to go no farther north and settle
there. This was in the spring of 1832. The bottom of the
bluffs had burned over and new fresh green grass and beauti-
ful flowers had sprung up and the trees and vines and shrub-
bery were dressed in their most inviting foliage, indeed it was
a most beautiful sight. Later he took his wife and little
daughter to see their future home and they too were delighted
with it. So the doctor entered sixty acres of land that spring
and although it was late in the spring he raised a crop of
buck-wheat upon it. There was a universal custom among the
settlers at that time, that every man should be entitled to eighty
acres of land on each side of the land already entered by him.
He could have the right to this land until he was able to enter
it at $1.25 per acre from the government, and it was considered
stealing for another man to claim it.
Shortly after this a man named English came to this vici-
nity to settle. He too was much pleased with the prospect of
AND CASS COUNTY 9
living in this new country. The Doctor assisted and befriend-
ed him all he could offering- to give up his claim to one-half of
the eighty acres tract next to the land that English wanted and
let him entei it. English told the Doctor that he was going to
Springfield and enter the whole tract, that he did not care for
the customs of the country, that he was going to have it right
or wrong, and started for Springfield. All the Doctor's ef-
forts to keep him from doing it availed nothing. The Doctor
went to 'his cabin and looked over his little pile of money and
found that he had fifty dollars. He thought that his neighbor
might have some money and so lie saddled his best horse. He
tode to this man's house and borrowed fifty dollars more. Thus
provided, he took a different route through the woods and
prairies from that chose by English and putting his horse to
his best speed started for the land office.
When about ten miles from Springfield, Dr. Chandler over
took two young men on horseback and as his horse was foam-
ing with perspiration and really tired out he rode slowly along
with the young men, as well to rest his horse as to relate to them
the cause of his haste. When he told them of the meanness
of the man, one of the young men was so indignant that he of-
fered the Doctor his own fresh horse that he might make all
baste and thwart the efforts of English, while the young man
would ride the Doctor's horse slowly into town. But the Doct-
or rode his own horse, got safely to the land office and entered
the land before English got there. Sometime after that he
wanted to have his land surveyed and the county surveyor liv-
ed at Jacksonville but a neighbor told him that there was a bet-
ter surveyor living at Salem in Sangamon County named Abra-
ham Lincoln. So the Doctor sent for him and when he came
with his implements to do the surveying the doctor found that
Abraham Lincoln, the surveyor, was the same young man that
1 ad so kindly offered to lend him his horse so that he might
defeat the rascally man named English.
Dr. Chandler was the first physician in Illinois to adopt
quinine in his practice as a remedy. The first to introduce the
practice of the infliction of bodily pain as a remedy for an over-
dose of Opium, and the first who opposed bleeding as a remedy.
When he went to Sangamon bottom he was called into practice
before he could build a stable ami for weeks when at home tied
Ids horse to a tree and milled grass to feed him for he had no
scythe to cut it with. He built the first frame house within the
present limits of this countv. It was ten by twelve feet, one
story and shingled with split and shaved oak shingles, which
made a good roof for twenty-five years — a fact worthy of no-
tice. He built it for a drug store and office, and up to 1876
10 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
it was still in existence. In 1836 he built a large residence.
His reason for building so large a house at that time was that
it was exactly like the one he had built and left in Rhode Island
and as his family had sacrificed so much in leaving their com-
fortable home for the wilds of the west, he wished to make a
home as near like their former one as possiblp
CHAPTER III
In 1833 when Andrew Jackson was president of our coun-
try and John Reynolds governor of our state Beardstown was a
flourishing town and port on the Illinois river. The reason
for this was because of its transportation facilities. It was a
great grain and provision market. Most towns from the in-
terior of the state got their supply of goods here and from here
they shipped their supplies to market.
Chicago and Springfield were just small settlements. But
Beardstown really won its public attention chiefly through the
busy scenes at its hog-pens and slaughter houses for this was
its chief industry. As many as seven firms were located here
at one time, Beardstown possessed the most extensive pork
trade of any city west of Cincinnati. ' The average number of
hogs slaughtered was from fifty to sixty thousand every spring.
For pork-growing few regions were so favorable as the
Illinois prairies. The hogs were allowed to run at large and
they multiplied very rapidly and it was often a difficult matter
to decide to whom a lot of grunting porkers owed allegiance.
There was no hog cholera at that time or other disease until
the spring of 1859. Hogs were a good means of converting
the corn of the state into good marketable form. In those early
days Beardstown was often called Porkopolis.
Thus in the early days Beardstown was the commercial
center for miles around. Great wharfs lined the river banks.
Huge side-wheelers brought merchandise from New Orleans
or St. Louis and on the river bank were seen boxes, barrels,
and crates.
These goods were hauled from Beardstown by six or eight
spans of long horned sturdy oxen or steers attached to huge
four wheeled wagons, high in the front and rear with concave
sides, to towns in the state where merchandise and food were
needed.
A plank road was built from the sand ridge to the bluffs
andsometimes caravans of wagons would stretch in an unbrok-
en line from here to the bluffs.
AND CASS COUNTY 11
But the coming of the railroad in 1859 changed the busi-
ness life of Beardstown somewhat. More of the hogs were
taken to Chicago to be slaughtered and the river was not used
so much for transportation. So for some years Beardstown
was at a great disadvantage and desperate efforts were made
by its citizens to secure railroad facilities. Large sums were
subscribed by the corporation and large amounts were subscrib
ed by private citizens and finally the Chicago, Burlington and
Quincy, and The Baltimore and Ohio railroads came through
Beardstown.
The first newspaper north of Jacksonville and south of
Chicago was the Beardstown Chronicle and Illinois Military
Bounty Land Advertiser. Francis Arenz was editor of this
newspaper and J. B. Fulks publisher. This was the only news
paper published here until 1845.
It is interesting to note some of the prices of staples pub-
lished in an 1833 edition of this newspaper. Flour, imported,
per barrel $4.25, wheat, in 90 days per bushel, $.50. Wheat cash,
$.45. Salt, per bushel, $.75. Corn, per bushel $.12 to $.16. Beans,
per bushel $.50. Whiskey, per gallon $.48. Pork, per pound
$.02 1 />. Butter, per pound $.10. Beef per pound $.02V-. Cigars
per 1000 one dollar. Cigars per box, the best, $1.00.
The first church in Beardstown was erected in 1841 at the
corner of Fifth and Washington Streets and was called "The
German Evangelical Church at Beardstown."
Everybody attended this one church no matter to what
church thev belonged before. It is said that every Sunday it was
crowded, people coming from far and near to worship. During
the week days it was used as a school.
The second church in Beardstown was erected at the cor-
ner of Third and Washington Streets in 1845 as a Presbvterian
Church, but in February 1850 it became the First Congregation-
w\ Church of Beardstown.
The Methodist Church was organized in Beardstown at the
early day of 1837 and a church was built on the corner of Fifth
and State Street in 1849, but before it was dedicated to divine
worship, it was used as a hospital during the cholera epidemic
of that year.
The first school house in Beardstown was built in 1834
on the site where the residence of Dr. W. D. Pence now stands.
It was built by Mr. Beard and Mr. Arenz and presented by them
to the town.
Thomas Beard did a great deal for Beardstown. He pre-
sented the Park to the city, a spot that has been made historic
by many public meetings where such orators as Abraham Lin-
coln and Stephen A. Douglas were heard.
LIBRARY ^
university of wrnrn
12 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
But the most noteworthy gift was our City Hall and the
.u.ound upon which it was built. This building should be as
dear to this city as Faneuil Hall or Old South Church is to Bos-
ton or Independence Hall, and the Betsy Ross house is to Phil-
a Iclphia. Built in 1844, it was Cass County's first courthouse.
Here Abraham Lincoln tried many cases, most notable among
them was the Armstrong murder case.
In 1836 Mr. Beard purchased 560 acres of land at the bluffs
about six miles northeast of town just a little east of the Brick
school house on the Chandlerville Road. The property is
now owned by Mrs. Ella Seaman. Here Mr. Beard built his
summer home of oak and walnut, a very substantial house.
Here he planted choice orchards and vineyards, kept open
house and enjoyed life.
The first general Illinois Thanksgiving feast was celebrat-
ed in the Beard homestead.
"In November 1845 by the recommendation of the gover-
nor of the state, the first day of public Thanksgiving was ob-
served — a venerable custom in New England but of recent ob-
servance in the West and South. On this occasion, invitations
were sent by Mr. Beard to his friends and kindred to come and
enjoy his hospitality. He had been wont to celebrate New
Years Day with similar festivities. But partly out of respect
to executive authority and partly to kindred, who had so re-
cently immigrated he had chosen this day to honor the former
and welcome the latter. People came from all about in great
numbers, but religious exercises, unlike the old Puritan Thanks-
giving were lacking. Probably not a minister in the county
had evv.- conducted exercises on such an occasion. But it was
a wonderful feast. Turkey, everything that goes to make
Tl m ksgiving a happy day was to be had in plenty. Eighty
people, young and old sat down to eat together. Mr. Beard at
the head of the table had Thanks offered and then bid his
friends welcome to the feast. Every one was happy, old
friendships were renewed, new ones made. Mr. Beard enter-
tained his friends with stories of his early days in Beardstown.
He told of his early struggles and his hopes and desires for the
future of Beardstown.
Four years later in 1849 Mr. Beard was taken ill with ty-
phus fever and died at the age of 55 years. Friends came
from all over the county to attend his funeral. The Honor-
able Francis Arenz, a life long friend of Mr. Beard 's performed
the funeral rites. He spoke of the many years of intimacy
they had enjoyed as friends how Mr. Beard had always helped
the unfortunate; how no new settler had ever applied to him
for help and advice in vain; that his character, through an ev-
AND CASS COUNTY 13
entful life was always above reproach; that he never took ad-
vantage of any one in a business transaction; that he was a
man of good judgment, kindly, friendly, a worthy pioneer and
founder of our citv of Beardstown.
CHAPTER IV
The Illinois river has always meant so much to the life and
industry of Beardstown that our history of Beardstown would
not be complete without something written about it. It has
already been stated that the Illinois river was first navigated
by white men in 1640, twenty years after the settlement of
Plymouth Colony.
In 1673 Marquette and Joliet with five followers crossed
the Wisconsin in canoes to the Mississippi river. They paddled
down that stream and up the Illinois to Lake Michigan, the
point of their departure, the entire route being at that time and
for one hundred years later navigable for canoes and a larger
boat called by the French " pirogue. ' : The route was from
Green Bay, and the Wisconsin, Mississippi, Illinois, Kankakee
and St. Joseph rivers. There was another navigable connec-
tion during the whole of that period between the Illinois and
Lake Michigan, by means of the Des Plains and Chicago rivers,
which some of our very oldest settlers have traveled in pirogues
all the way.
Then later we know how La Salle and his followers traveled
up and down the Illinois. Every year more people navigated
this river, until in 1750 forty vessels from the Illinois river
landed at New Orleans loaded with every kind of commoditv.
From this time on, for many years the principal part of the pro-
duce received at Xew Orleans was shipped by way of the Illinois
river.
When St. Louis was founded that gave a new impetus to
commerce on the Illinois river because it was a nearer market.
In 1725 occurred the first of the great floods on the Illinois riv-
er. 1772, 1780, 1786, 1792 were all years of very high water.
In 1844 occured the greatest flood on record in this country or
any country since the days of Noah, so one of the early histor-
ians tells us. But every river west of the Alleghenies and
north of the gulf of Mexico rose at one time and the channel
of the Mississippi was unable to pass out the vast amount of
water which came into it. Four hundred people and a great
number of horses, cattle, and other stock lost their lives.
14 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
Beardstown was again an island with ten feet of water be-
tween it and the bluffs.
In the 1840 's and 50 's the finest river boats in the world
floated on the waters of the Illinois. They were really float-
ing palaces for travel upon the river and canal exclusively,
there being no railroad convenient for first class travel.
During the high water of 1852 and 1856 these steamboats
went entirely around Beardstown without any difficutly.
It is interesting to note that while the river was often
very high at times it was also extremely low. In 1864 fr
September 1 to October 13 with only two feet of water in the
channel, navigation was suspended.
But the coming of the railroad changed all this activity on
the river and fewer and fewer boats plied up and down until
now two or three a week is the average number.
CHAPTER V
Great men visited our town in the early days. Most
worthy pioneers lived and died here. But one great man
America's greatest citizen and president, Abraham Lincoln
made many visits to Beardstown.
He always stopped at a tavern on the corner of State and
Second Street, where the Salon Pharmacy now stands. Many
ot our old residents knew and appreciated Mr. Lincoln, when
he came here as early as 1844, an itinerant lawyer, gathering
evidence for cases to be tried in the courts at Springfield. He
was very friendly with the people who managed the tavern
and this story is told of him, one time when he came in too late
for dinner.
He wanted to find some way to ask for his dinner without
embarrassment. Going around to the kitchen door, and par-
tially opening it, he displayed a large white pebble, and asked
for an old boiling pot and about a quart of water. The re-
quest was granted, but he was asked what he wanted the pot
and water for. Again showing his pebble, he said, ''I want to
make some soup, I am hungry." It is needless to say that he
was invited in and served with a good meal.
The bronze tablet on our city hall once the Court House of
Cass County was placed there by the Woman's Club of Beards-
town in order to commemorate Lincoln's association here and
the event which brought him in close touch with our people.
This was May 7, 1858 when Mr. Lincoln cleared Duff Arm-
strong of the charge of murder which accorded Lincoln great
AND CASS COUNTY 15
er fame than lie gained in any other case he ever tried.
Here is the story of the trial as was told by "Bud" Arm-
strong, a resident of Ashland, Illinois, who was a brother of the
man defended by Lincoln and a boy of 18 years at the time of
the trial.
Armstrong was the son of a man who had employed and
defended Lincoln in his youth, and the charge was that he had
killed a man who had unquestionably died from injuries re-
ceived at a camp meeting riot where Armstrong was present.
This crime was committed in 1857 at Virgin's Grove, three
miles from the South of Salt Creek. These camp meetings al-
ways commenced in the light of the moon and lasted about a
month, and when this crime was committed, the camp meeting
had been running about three weeks, so it was done, if done at
all, in the dark of the moon. Near the camp meeting were
the buskers wagons or whiskey wagons and the men made it a
business to get drunk. The camp was in a hickory grove and
on this particular night many of the men got to drinking and
fighting. Press Metzger came from Petersburg that night,
jumped off his horse and talked and laughed with the boys.
He and Duff Armstrong were good friends. Armstrong was
lying on a bench sobering up a little when Metzger turned over
the bench and spit in his face. They then engaged in a fight,
but it was only a tussle such as that class of people would in-
dulge in, in those days. Another fellow by the name of Jim
Henry Norris, also had a fight with this same Metzger that
same night. When Metzger died a few days later from in-
juries received at the camp meeting, Armstrong and Norris
were arrested for the crime and taken to Havana. The peo-
ple and the newspapers were simply furious, and if both men
had not been securely lodged in jail, they would probably have
been lynched. Armstrong's father was dead, his mother old
and poor, and there was no money to engage a lawyer. The
boy overwhelmed by the circumstances under which he was
placed fell into a melancholy condition bordering upon des-
pair, while the widowed mother, looking through her tears saw-
no hope of earthly aid.
At this juncture, Lincoln hearing of the trouble in some
way volunteered for the defense and was gladly accepted. He
threw himself heart and soul into the case, and fearing that
the poisoned condition of the public mind was such as to pre-
vent the possibility of impanelling a fair jury in the court hav-
ing jurisdiction, he secured a change of venue and a postpone-
ment of the trial. Armstrong was brought to Beardstown and
placed in our city jail. James A. Dick was sheriff at that
time. The man, Norris, was tried in Havana and sentenced to
/
1ft HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWX
eight years at Alton, because lie had killed a man sometime be-
fore this last trouble, bill Lincoln assured Armstrong- that he
would be freed. They tried to get bail for him, but that being
impossible, he lay in jail all winter until the spring term of
c< nil. A fellow by the name of Allen from Petersburg, was
chief witness for the state, and whether he was the one who
really killed this Metzger (or as some really thought he had fall-
en from his horse in a drunken stupor and died from the in-
juries received) we do not know. However, Allen was sworn
in as chief witness for the state. The case was finally brought
for trial. The Armstrong's had taken this Allen to Virginia
and had put him away in the old Virginia House so that he
could not testify, but Lincoln insisted on his being brought in-
to the court room. Collier, of Petersburg, was state's attor-
ney. He gave his testimony and showed, what appeared to
the audience, a strong proof of murder. Lincoln cross-examin-
ed very little; only looking up and ascertaining a few dates and
places. His own witnesses were to show comparatively good
moral character for the prisoner previous to the time of the
murder. Collier feeling sure of his case made but a short and
formal argument. Then Lincoln followed for the defense. He
began calmly, slowly and carefuly. He struck at the very
heart of the state's evidence, that of the chief witness, Allen.
He followed up first one discrepancy, then another and then
another, finally he came to that part of the testimony of the
chief witness where he had sworn postively that by the light
of the moon he had seen the prisoner deliver the fatal blow with
a sling-shot. Then he asked a cousin of Armstrong's, Jake
Jones, by name to go out and get him an almanac at the near-
est store. Taking this almanac, Lincoln showed that on the
night sworn to and the hour sworn to, the moon had not
risen, proving that the whole of this testimony was a perjury.
The audience was gradually moved and changed from a feeling
i f hatred to that of sympathy, and so strong had Lincoln made
his case that a verdict of "not guilty" could almost be read in
the faces of the jury, but this was not enough for Lincoln.
Thorough lv kindled now in his intensely slow but fiery wrath
he held up to the view of the audience, the court and the jury,
this fellow who had attempted to swear away another's life, in
such a horrible picture of guilt and shame that the miserable
fellow felt thoroughly confused and dumbfounded and fled from
the face of the incensed lawyer out of the court room. Then Lin-
coln appealed to the jury to lay aside any personal prejudice
and do simple justice. He explained his own motive for being
there, that of gratitude to the prisoner's father for kindness
bestowed on him in his youth, and he did this in such a touch-
AND CASS COUNTY 17
ing way as to bring tears to the eyes of many. The jury went
out and returned within a short time with the verdict of "not
iiuiltv." The bov was freed, his life was saved and his character
restored, and so ended in triumph a case that few lawyers would
i f.ve eared to take, but Lincoln was showing his wonderful
kindness to the widowed and fatherless.
CHAPTER VI
CASS COUNTY
Cass County was originally a part of Morgan County, but
in April of 1837 a vote was taken to divide the county and form
a new county to be called Cass, with the county seat at Beards-
town until the people should permanently locate the county seat
by election.
On the 14th day of August 1837, the county commissioners
met and organized Cass County. At the first meeting of the
hoard the new county was divided into six precincts, which
were named: Beardstown, Monroe, Virginia, Sugar Grove,
Eichmond and Bowens.
When this county was organized there was not a house,
built exclusively for religious worship, in it and not one in all
Morgan County outside of Jacksonville. Phvsicians were
scarce, and fever and ague quite common. Game was plenty.
There were wolves and once in a while a panther w T as seen.
The wolves very seldom did violence to any human being;
but when the weather was stormy and cold, and the ground
frozen, they were so bold and threatening that nobody cared to
risk himself out alone at night. It is said that once a man was
returning home from town carrying a quarter of beef on his
shoulder. A gang of wolves attacked him, took the beef and
ate it and it was only because he happened to be near a cabin
that he himself was saved from being devoured.
There were a few large grey wolves also, and they were
much feared. This is another story told about a grey wolf.
( me bright cold night, there was a great fuss with the dogs out-
side a cabin door here in Beardstown. The man opened the
door to see what was happening and his favorite little black
dog pounced into the cabin, and the largest grey wolf he had
ever seen was after him and tried to get in the cabin. The
door was open and there was no time to get a rifle. So he
grabbed a stick of fire wood and threw it at the wolf. The
wolf was driven away, but in a short time a loud noise was
heard over at a neighbors and crack went a rifle and then in a
18 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
short time all was still. It was found the next morning that
the wolf had been killed. He was the largest wolf ever seen
around here and measured 9 feet, 9 inches from his nose to
the end of his tail.
In 1836-37, old settlers tell us about what we call a sudden
change in the weather. It was the most remarkable of any
we had ever seen, heard or read of. On a Saturday morning-
there was snow on the ground. The following Sunday was a
very warm day, and Monday, until about four o'clock in the
afternoon was still warmer, and on both of these davs there
was considerable rain. The snow had melted to slush and
water, which was standing in ponds on the level ground. At
that hour the weather turned suddenly very cold. In four
hours after the change began the slush and water was frozen
solid; and in two hours from that time the men were hurried
crossing the river on ice. A vast amount of cattle, fowls, and
game and many persons were frozen to death. One man who
was crossing the prairie on horseback, killed his horse, took out
the entrails, and crawled inside for protection and was found
frozen to death.
Money was very scarce in the early days of Cass County
and it was hard for farmers owning good farms to get money
to pay their postage. It was not necessary then to prepay post-
age. Domestic letters cost from 5 to 25 cents a piece, accord-
ing to the distance they had come; and foreign letters were
still higher.
What was worse they must all be paid for in silver and it
often happened that a letter would lie in the post-office for
weeks before its owner could get the silver to redeem it, If
the farmers wished to get goods from the store, they were forc-
ed to buy on credit, and pay in grain or other produce, or take
butter, eggs, poultry, game, honey, wood or other articles, to
exchange for skin goods.
Produce continually changed in price, even in store pay.
Corn was known to sell at 6 cents often and farmers thought 10
cents in cash was probably all that corn ought to, or ever would
bring and that farmers could get rich at that price. Wheat
was sold in Beardstown at 35 cents per bushel and pork often at
1 1-4 cents per pound.
Cass- County has many fertile lands and has always pro-
spered. But the people had to develop this wealth. ' There
were just a few farmers at first and the little town of Beards-
town was all. But now it has many cultivated lands and beau-
tiful farm houses . Wheat and corn are easily grown. And
the sand-ridges scattered along the river bottoms are good to
grow melons, sweet potatoes, beans, etc. The towns of the
AND CASS COUNTY 19
comity are prosperous. We have the Illinois river for naviga-
tion and several railroads.
Cass Countv is bounded on the north bv Mason county, on
the east bv Menard Countv and on the south bv Morgan and on
the west by the Illinois river.
The surface of the county is for the most part gently sloop-
ing. Some pretty big hills, like the Chandlerville hill and
then some broad flat prairie lands.
The soil is very productive.
Different kinds of trees, oak, hickory, elm, sugar maple,
black and white walnut. Then in the bottom lands willow,
soft maple, sycamore, cotton wood, pecan.
There is some coal found in the hills.
The principal towns of the county are Beardstown, the
largest and oldest, Virginia, Chandlerville, Ashland, and Ar-
enzville and Bluff Springs.
CHAPTER VII
EARLY SETTLERS
I.
In 1821 the reputation of the "Sangamo County" for
wonderful fertility had reached the states of Ohio, Kentucky
and Tennessee. And the fact too, that the Indians had sold it
to the United States government and the settlers could have a
clear title to it, caused a great migration into this country.
The people travelled in those days in an enormous covered
wagon, called a prairie schooner. It made no pretentions to
beauty, but was a most substantial wagon. It was construct-
ed with four huge wheels, upon which rested a great box and
this box was really a room, because there was a frame work
over it and that was covered with white canvas. This great
wagon with four horses or a team of oxen before it, and the
driver in his saddle on the near wheel-horse jerking at a single
rein looked, at a distance like a ship on the ocean, and so was
called a prairie schooner.
This wagon was often the home for a large family for
many months, and it held everything that a family would need,
bedding, cooking utensils, provisions, ammunition, tubs and
buckets. Upon the sides of the wagon hung the crow-bar, axes,
spades, chisels and augurs; and underneath hung the kettles,
tar-buckets, water buckets, and baskets. An extra big chain
was coiled around the coupling pole under the wagon for use
in emergencies which frequently happened.
20 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
II.
One could never think of a journey in one of these wagons
as a pleasure trip, but pleasant things happened on these trips
too, though sometimes they met great dangers, hardships and
had hair breadth escapes. Generally every member of the
family would be in robust health, sickness rarelv afflicting-
these early travellers. There were few woods and bridges in
those days, and the prairies had to be crossed on Indian trails,
Hie rivers forded where there were no ferries, and the creeks
and brooks where the banks were steep were still more diffi-
cult to cross. In such case sometimes a bridge was improvised or
a tree was felled across it, the limbs removed, the wagons taken
all apart and each separate piece and article of freight carried
by hand across over the fallen tree, and set up and loaded in
the other side. Sometimes one man would do all this alone.
But, for convenience these immigrants travelled in companies
and in that way could assist each other and thus make the
journey much more pleasant, safe and expeditious. These imi-
grants generally drove a few head of cattle and horses, also a
coop of chickens, so that they would have something to start
life with in the new country.
III.
It was very hard for the first settlers to live in. this new
country. They had to do without all sorts of things we have
now, but they managed to get along and have a pretty good
time. They did not have friends or people about them as we
have now. The brave pioneer who boldly cut away from his
old home and friends and turned his face toward the land of
the West, after days and weeks, perhaps months of weary
travelling over prairies, where there were no roads finally set-
tled upon a spot where his future home was to be. At once lie
began to build his little cabin, then break up a small piece <
ground and plant a little corn. Soon other people come to this
same spot and then a little town is formed and it grows into a
bigger and bigger place until it is large like Beardstown. But
at first some of our grandmothers would not see the face of a
white woman for six months, and all the people they saw were
Indians.
For food they had game and corn-bread with wild hono^
and that was their bill-of-fare every day for many years. The
women made all the clothing worn both by the men and women.
They used an old-fashioned spinning wheel to make their cloth.
The men dressed deer skins out of which they made their pants,
hunting shirts and moccasins; they made their shoes from
leather that they dressed at home, of course this was a pretty
AND CASS COUNTY 21
rough shoe, but they needed good durable shoes in those days
to travel about in because they had to walk through brush,
briers, swamps and grass.
Everything that was not made at home was called a
"store" article, as, "store" shoes, "store" hat, and any one
who could afford store clothes was wealthy indeed. If any
young man or girl could buy some "store" clothes they were
just very much dressed up.
In those early days people got along without nails, glass,
sawed lumber or brick for the reason that they could not get
them.
Their houses were small, just one story high, built of logs.
The cracks between the logs were filled with sticks and cover-
ed with clay. The doors were made of boards fastened in
place with wooden pegs and hung with wooden hinges. A
wooden latch raised by a string fastened the door, the string
had one end tied to the latch and the other passed through a
small hole above it, and when the door was fastened, one end
of the latch string was hanging out. "The latch string out"
was an invitation to come in, with the early settler.
Every cabin had a wonderful fire-place because beside
warming the cabin, the women did all the cooking in these fire-
places. They were big 6 — 10 feet in width and on cold winter
nights they rolled in large logs, warming the entire house-hold.
On one side of these old fireplaces always stood a huge kettle,
filled with "blue dye" with which the old ladies colored their
yam for weaving. The kettle when not in use was generally
covered with an old barrel head or something of the kind and
used as a seat. One old man told how he wooed and won his
bride seated on a kettle of "blue dye" by the blazing fire of
his grandfather's cabin.
On the outside of the cabins one would see a number of
raccoon skins and deer skins stretched against the wall to dry
and sometimes the skin of a wild cat, wolf or bear. The ends
of the logs sticking out, at each corner of the cabin, served as
places to hang the various utensils used on the farm, such as
hoes, rakes, bridles and harness. The house generally had
but one room and two doors but no windows. Usually one
door of the house was left open, no matter how cold the weather
was to admit light and rarely both doors were closed except
when the family was about to retire or rest. So accustomed
were people to open doors that they left their doors open long
after the introduction of glass into the cabin for windows. It
is related that on a very cold day an eastern man who was visit-
ing a friend in his log cabin proposed to close the door to make
the house warmer. The owner expressed his surprise at the
22 HISTORY OF BEARDSTOWN
request. But did not object to trying it as an experiment.
Af ter the door had been shut a few minutes he seemed much
pleased with the results and said, ''Well I declare I believe it
does make a difference." Even beds were more accommodat-
ing then than now and would hold many more occupants. There
was one usually in two corners in every log cabin and under
each of these was a trundel bed which pulled out at night and
then there was bedding to spare in most houses and when
friends called and stayed all night, which they usually did, a
field bed was made that accommodated all. When meal time
came a large amount of good wholesome food would be sup-
plied considering the few cooking utensils that were used. Ev-
en in well-to-do-families the articles for cooking consisted of a
Dutch oven, in which first the bread and then the meat was
cooked, a coffee pot, and a kettle to cook vegetables when they
had any. But this is all past. The old land marks of the
pioneer have long since disappeared. We of today, have for-
gotten about the hardships and struggles of our pioneer fore-
fathers. Yet, we know that they did conquer this great wild-
erness with a bravery and fortitude that is somewhat difficult
for us of a newer generation to understand. And we know that
they made it possible for us to live in this great and glorious
land, and we are grateful to them for their spirit of adventure,
for their courage and daring to open up new lands.
1 ' Ye pioneers, it is to you
The debt of gratitude is due;
Ye builded wiser than ye knew
The broad foundation,
On which our superstructure stands;
Your strong right arms and willing hands,
Your earnest efforts still command
Our veneration — ' '
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA
977.3465SCH97H C001
HISTORY OF BEAROSTOWN ANO CASS COUNTY B
3 0112 025391738
