Clark County IL Archives History - Books .....Chapter XI 1883
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Book Title: HISTORY OF CRAWFORD AND CLARK COUNTIES, ILLINOIS

CHAPTER  XI.*



*By J. H. Battle.



DARWIN TOWNSHIP—DESCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY—WALNUT PRAIRIE—FIRST STEP TOWARD

CIVILIZATION—WORK AND PLAY IN A NEW COUNTRY— STERLIN —AURORA AND DARWIN—COUNTY

SEATS—RELIGIOUS, EDUCATIONAL, ETC.



" Shall wholly do away,       *      *

The marks of that which once hath been."

                        —Coleridge.



DARWIN Township is the outgrowth of the second settlement in Clark County,

though scarcely later than that of York. The Wabash River was then the great

thoroughfare of this country, and the early immigrants, who appear to have

learned little from the history of the older settlements of the East, cherished

the idea that the subsequent development of the country would leave the

prominence of the river unchanged. It seems to have been expected that

considerable towns would grow up along its margin while the interior would never

be settled, or at least, not until the civilizing influence of the towns should

penetrate the wilderness. The result was that the inflow of population followed

up the course of the river until land was found free for pre-emption, and there

settled to grow up with the country. Darwin was well situated to attract early

immigration. The river bank was covered by a heavy growth of timber, and of

sufficient height to insure against the rise of the river in times of freshet.

The land gently rising as it receded, presented for the most part an unbroken

line of fine timber, while a number of brisk streams converging near the central

point of the river line, marked the site of the predestined city. At this point

the first settlement of the township was made, and a village sprang up that

would have reached the realization of the settler's fondest hopes, had th2ybeen

founded on correct premises. But the railroad and all the vast development of

nineteenth century civilization touched this land, and the vain hopes of the

pioneer vanished like the mirage of the plains.



  The limits of the territory included in the present township of Darwin

coincide with the lines of the congressional survey save on the east side, where

the Wabash makes a deep and irregular curve to the westward, cutting off about

eight sections of what would otherwise be a full township. Like other townships

in the county, in the early history it passed under another name and included a

much larger area, but was subsequently reduced to its present outline and named

from the village that gave it prestige. Its surface is generally rolling,

somewhat bro %en, however, along the streams and in the northeast, and subsiding

into a level prairie in the southeast corner. The general inclination and

drainage as marked by its streams, is toward the elbow of the river above the

site of Darwin village, a little rise at this point forcing the streams to find

outlets into the Wabash above the village. Big Creek, the largest stream, simply

crosses section 2 and finds an outlet by a nearly direct southern course. Sugar

and Patrick's Creeks, rise in the northwestern corner and empty into the Wabash

on section 15; and Bohn Creek which drains the southwest corner, flows

northeastly and enters the same bend of the river on section 22. Walnut Prairie

covers about four sections and is defined by Bohn Creek, the site of Darwin, and

the first" bench" above the river bottoms, and extends southward into York

Township where it is separated from Union Prairie by a narrow strip of timber.

The river bottoms of Darwin were distinguished from those in York by a heavy

growth of poplar and walnut, the latter fringing the prairie here and giving it

the distinctive title of Walnut Prairie. On the higher ground of the township

the principal timber was hard maple, beech, linn, oak and hickory. Nearer the

river, oak and hickory predominated, a considerable portion of the latter being

small white hickory which furnished an important article of commerce. The soil

of the woodland is a light yellow clay which is found particularly adapted to

wheat growing. The bottoms are a rich alluvial soil which is devoted to corn and

continually cropped without signs of exhaustion. The prairie is a sandy loam and

has the peculiarity of never being excessively wet. The first settlers, it is

said, found no difficulty in traveling across it at any season of the year, the

turf not easily cutting up even when excessively traveled upon by wagons. The

community have indulged in very little diversity of farm industry. The early

demands of the pioneer settlement turned an unusual amount of attention to sheep

raising, but this characteristic has long since passed away and the raising of

corn and wheat with enough stock to supply the demands of the farm, is the

occupation of the Darwin community.



  The early settlement of Darwin was hindered by its very attractions. In 1816,

the lands first came into market for sale, and the popular notion in regard to

this country being entertained by speculators, a large part of the more eligible

land was promptly taken up by these capitalists and for years held at such

exorbitant figures as to exclude emigration. Among these were McCall and

Patterson, C. and F. Buttet, Samuel Chambers and others. Others among the actual

settlers, took advantage of the credit offered by the Government and put all the

money they could raise into the first payment on lands, expecting to sell a part

of their lands to subsequent settlers; but there was plenty of land to be got

cheaper and there was no sale for it on such terms. The result was that the time

for the second payment came around, the land had not earned enough to any more

than support the settlers, a panic ensued and good land could not be disposed of

for seventy-five cents per acre. The Government extended the time of payment for

eight years but this in many cases did not save the property to the settler. The

speculators fared no better; and after holding for several years, the interest

and taxes each year adding to the burden, the speculators brought their lands to

the auction block where they were sold below government prices. Great losses

were sustained in this, and the rapid growth of the community greatly retarded.

In 1816, however, the settlement got a beginning in the family of John McClure.

He was of Irish descent, though born in Kentucky, and made his way through the

wilderness with wagons. For a considerable part of the way there was no trail,

and he was forced to chop his road out before him, guided only by the surveyor's

blazes. He settled on the west half of section 27, and entered this with the

east half of the northeast quarter of the same section. His cabin was built on

what is now the site of Darwin village. After erecting a cabin his first care

was to dig a well which was made permanent by inserting a large hollow sycamore
log.



  The public lands coming on the market for the first time in 1816, attracted

attention to this locality, and quite a number succeeded in securing lands.

Among these was A. Snider, a native of Pennsylvania. He was a shrewd German,

pretty well advanced in age, and of a somewhat penurious disposition. He secured

126 acres where Dr. Mitchell now lives, but subsequently sold it to Armstrong

and removed to Hutsonville. Charles Neely came about the same time; settled on

section 28, on the west side of Walnut Prairie, where the Indians had had a

village and a cornfield. He was made the first probate judge of the new county,

when he rented his farm to John Davidson and moved to Darwin Village. Another

family that came this year was that of John Essarey. He was a native of Kentucky

and made his way here through the wilderness in wagons, cutting his road much of

the way. In the same year came Jesse Ezra. He settled near the village of

Darwin, built one of the first houses erected in the village, and for several

years kept a boarding house. He was a man of some means, and subsequently went

to what is now Wabash Township and improved a fine farm.



  An early settler in 181.7 was Lewis Bohn. He was a native of Lancaster County,

Pennsylvania, and came here across the country in wagons. The route from the

East was not then defined by any trail beyond the older settlements in what is

now the State of Indiana. For a number of weeks he toiled through the unbroken

wilderness, following the uncertain guide of the surveyors' marks and aiming

only to reach the "Wabash country." After a tedious experience of camping alone

with his family by night, and traveling almost unguided by day, he reached the

Darwin settlement. He was well educated in his native tongue, and became a

wealthy and prominent member of the community, living for years on the farm he

entered west of the village of Darwin. The Leonard brothers were early emigrants

from New York. They settled on the eastern side of the township, near the site

of Aurora. Here they built a double log house and small improvements, which they

subsequently sold to Dr. Patrick and returned to New York. In 1818, Zacheus

Hassell came from Tennessee and settled on land adjoining the Darwin plat on the

south. He was a man of considerable enterprise, brought in a good deal of stock

and cleared up a fine farm. In addition to these permanent improvements, he

found time to gain a reputation as a great hunter, and especially for his

success in hunting bees. In 1822 he sold his farm to Zachariah Linton and moved

to Wabash Township, subsequently going to Paris and thence to Texas. Linton was

a native of Ohio, and soon after purchasing the Hassell farm, engaged in boating

on the river. An early trip was to New Orleans with a flat boat load of wood.

Here he got into an altercation in regard £o selling his load, and in a moment

of passion struck a man a fatal blow with a stick of wood. The authorities

arrested, summarily tried him and hung him, with short shrift, in a few days.

His son, Hathaway, continued on the farm, became a fine scholar and prominent in

the community and county; was elected county treasurer and served several terms.



  Samuel Yocum, a native of Kentucky, was a settler of 1821. He was a

brother-in-law of Nathaniel McClure and settled in the village of Darwin, but

died soon after he came. Jacob Harlan was another accession of this year. He was

a native of Warren County, Ohio, and an old acquaintance of the Archer family.

Clark County had in the meanwhile been formed and Wm. B. Archer elected clerk of

the county. The business was small and Archer had so much else to do, that he

urged Harlan to come and take the office-work and its emoluments. Harlan was a

young unmarried man, and accepting this invitation, became a member of the new

community. He was subsequently appointed post master, clerk of the county

commissioners' court, recorder, judge of probate and notary public, and held

these several offices at the same time. He subsequently married a daughter of

John Chenoweth and erected a hewed-log house, which is still standing and used

as a residence. Mr. Chenoweth was a man of considerable wealth, and the official

honors of Harlan seemed to call for a more than ordinary dwelling, and this

building may be taken for a specimen of an aristocratic residence of that time.

It was a story and a half high, had two rooms and a ladder leading to the attic.

The huge fireplace was at one end with one of the first brick chimneys on the

outside, and stood on the corner of Water and ____ streets. Mr. Harlan was

highly esteemed in the new community and held his offices until his death in 1836.



  Nathaniel McClure came to Darwin from Kentucky in 1819. He started with his

family in wagons from Mercer County with the intention of settling in LaFayette,

Indiana, but pleased with the appearance of the settlement here, he stopped with

the intention of raising one crop and then continuing his journey. In the fall

of this year however, Mr. McClure died, the first death in the community if not

in the county, and the family remained here permanently. William Dixon was an

early settler also, a native of Kentucky and an illiterate man. He was, however,

a shrewd man of business, and acquired the name of William X. Dixon because of

his inability to sign his name. In 1822, James P. Jones came to the Darwin

settlement and took a prominent place in the community. He was a native of New

York, had emigrated to Vigo County, Indiana, and thence to New Orleans. In the

latter place he engaged extensively in the lumber trade; but dissatisfied with

the city, he came up the river to Darwin, of which he learned through the

traders from that point. He bought the Essarey property in Darwin and kept hotel

for a time. In 1824, he was elected sheriff, served until 1831, and subsequently

moved to Coles County.



  Though begun at nearly the same time, there were radical differences between

the settlements of York and Darwin. They were rivals from the very start, though

the competition was not well defined until after the formation of the county. Up

to that date the former settlement was a prominent contestant with Palestine for

the honors of the county seat, but after the formation of Clark, while yielding

all pretensions to such honors on account of its geographical situation, it did

not abate one tittle of its pretensions to commercial superiority. In this, its

claims seem securely founded. York was established by a class of active, wealthy

business men who early gave the community a prestige which is a long stride

toward success. Darwin, on the other hand, had hardly ground to stand upon. The

land was no sooner open to purchasers, than speculators, who had imbibed the

popular notion as to the future of the Wabash country, began to out-bid actual

settlers at the land auctions. The result was that the growth of the settlement

was slow and distorted. The energies of the whole community were concentrated

upon the village and its development seemed at first to begin at the top and go

downward. The fixing of the county seat at this point did little for its early

growth as there was but little business of a public nature and from the nature

of the circumstances could not bring its prime advantage—the attraction of

business—to bear upon the place. Additions to the settlement at Darwin, were

slowly made, however, speculators forced to yield their grasp upon the land,

allowed room for expansion, and with the advantages of a good river landing, and

freed from any powerful rival distributing point for the country to the

northwest and east it rapidly excelled its early rival. The earliest comers were

those whose taste and experience fitted them best for farming, and it was not

until about 1824, that an active business class of people came in and turned the

advantages of the location to a valuable account. Succeeding the lower

settlement with an interval of scarcely two years, Darwin was for the moment

almost on the frontier. The native "lords of the land" had not entirely

surrendered their hold upon the country. The last lingering embers of the war of

1812 had died out, and the recognized home of the Indian had been removed west

of the Mississippi, but large numbers of the different tribes, loth to give up

their hunting grounds to the irrevocable possession of the white, still made

their annual visits to the banks of the Wabash. Hunting, fishing, and making

sugar in the season, they loitered about during the milder part of the year,

begging, bartering and thieving in a petty way until winter when they left for

their stores of corn near their villages. While here the pioneers were on the

best of terms, the boys of both people playing together, and the older ones

engaging in feats of strength and marksmanship. Traders found them profitable

customers with whom whisky was not only a "legal tender," but a highly prized

commodity in comparison with which all other values rapidly shrank.

Notwithstanding this free use of "fire water" the Indians seem to have

maintained the most amicable relations with the settlers until the events of

1832 caused a cessation of their visits. The outbreak of hostilities in 1832,

though menacing a distant point, did not fail to have a disturbing influence

upon the settlement of Darwin. There was quite a strong minority that urged the

advisability of the river settlements doing something to guard against a sudden

incursion of these merciless foes of the whites, but nothing was done in this

direction save the formation of a company under the command of John Stockwall,

which, however, saw no part of the military activities pertaining to this

outbreak of savage hostilities.



  It was upward of ten years before the settlement of Darwin began to depend

upon its own resources for supplies. During the earlier years, Fort Harrison on

the upper Wabash and Vincennes below, were the points to which the settlers made

long, tedious journeys for provisions and mail. These journeys required three

days if there was no delay in securing prompt service, but as that was almost

unprecedented good fortune, the average grist cost much nearer a week than three

days. Care was usually taken that a season's supplies should be provided before

the winter set in, but it was no uncommon thing to find the best judgment

thwarted by unforeseen circumstances when even the ingenuity of the pioneer was

taxed to supply the meagre fare of the frontier table. Corn was the staple

article in the early settler's bill of fare. Lye hominy was easily prepared, but

this could not suffice for even the moderate demands of a pioneer, and various

devices were resorted to, to secure a substitute for meal. Perforated tin bent

upon a board served as a grater on which the corn was torn sufficiently to

pieces to make a sort of mush and dodger. Huge mortars, made by hollowing out a

firm stump or large block, were used in connection with a large wooden pestle

for pounding corn fine enough for food. The coarser part was served up in

hominy, while the finer part did very good ^service as a coarse meal in the form

of dodgers. The early mills of the lower settlement did much to relieve this

embarrassment, and there were few who could not either by themselves or through

neighbors, get meal and later, flour for the purposes of the cabin. The lack of

streams of sufficient capacity and stability, but far more effectively the lack

of available mill-sites in the hands of actual settlers, prevented the erection

of those pioneers of manufacturing interests, and no mills were erected until

about 1830, and then in the vicinity of the village of Darwin.



  Even with no mills in the close vicinity of the settlement, the people were

not obliged to live on a corn diet. The second crop, and often the first, was

wheat, and flour was not a rare thing by any means, after the first few years.

Every settler brought in more or less stock which his earlier experience had

taught him to be necessary to his comfort, and butter and milk, with the wild

fruits and honey, left little to be desired as accessories to a palatable meal.

Besides, cows, oxen and horses, the Darwin settlement was marked for the number

of sheep brought in early. It was hardly to be expected that they should escape

the general fate of such defenseless animals in a new country, but by dint of

great care and fresh importations the stock was maintained. The wolves were

especially troublesome, attacking beside sheep, young pigs and calves and

occasionally a cow. During the daytime these animals kept in the timber and

seldom molested even sheep. At night, however, they were abroad and sheep were

not safe, even in the village, unless protected by a high stake and ridered

fence too high for the animals to jump over. Even persons were not altogether

safe from the large timber wolf that was the prevailing species here, and no one

thought it prudent to go out at night without a torch, which served the double

purpose of light and a means of defense.



  The early members of this community were not especially well-to-do. Most of

them brought sufficient capital only to improve a farm in a country where but

little more than energy and frugality were required, and these were,

fortunately, sufficient to found a home here. After the very first arrivals,

immigrants found open doors, and willing hands to assist in raising a cabin. A

single day sufficed for the united neighborhood to erect the rude structure,

build a fire-place and chimney and saw out the logs for doorway and windows.

Into houses in this condition the new arrivals were generally glad to remove,

for free as the hospitality of the pioneer may have been, it had no power to

increase the capacity of the cabin, and two families packed a little dwelling,

designed for one, to overflowing. Blankets supplied the place of windows and

doors, and furs, skins and blankets spread on brush or the puncheon floor

supplied the beds. Furniture of all sorts was improvised out of such boxes and

barrels as were brought into the country containing household goods, or

manufactured from the timber with the ax and drawshare. Each man was the

architect of his own fortune, and while the whole neighborhood lent willing

assistance in case of special need, each one was too busy with his own affairs

to ply any trade for general hire. There was scarcely any medium of exchange by

which such interchange of labor could be effected on any extended scale. Corn

and wheat were ground, wool carded, and cotton ginned on a system of tolls;

schools a little later were maintained by the subscription of pork, corn or

wheat, and shoes were sometimes made by men who lacked the small means to start

a farm, in the same way, but the interchange of labor was mainly effected by

"swapping work." The cabin once erected, the first care was to provide for a

crop. On the prairie land, this preparatory work consisted of "breaking" and

allowing the land to lie fallow until spring if possible, but generally a crop

was put in at once, the corn being dropped in every third furrow. In the

woodland, of which the larger part of this township consisted, the object was

accomplished with more difficulty. During the winter about ten acres would be

"cut over," the trees felled, cut into logs about twelve feet long, brash

trimmed and limbs cut in suitable lengths to handle. Early in the spring an

invitation was sent out for a distance of five to twelve miles to a "logging

bee." There was sure to be a full attendance, such a thing as "regrets" not

being known to the crude society of the early day. A few would bring their ox

teams, for which there was generally but little use, if any, in the logging. The

timber was raised on "hand-spikes" and carried by five or eight men and placed

upon the heap for burning. When all was prepared, the party invited would

generally be able to pile up the whole ten acres in a day. The work was done

with a hearty good will, and never taxed the strength of the workers

sufficiently to prevent their enjoying the generous meal and dance with which

the occasion generally closed. This done, the heaps were fired and left to the

care of the wife and boys, while the father responded to the invitations of his

neighbors. Thus it was no un-common thing in the earlier years of the settlement

for the male part, of the community to spend a month or six weeks in the spring

of the year, "logging up" the farms for several miles around. Then came the

plowing among roots and stumps and putting in the crop. There was always an

abundant harvest. But a small part was needed for the family or stock and there

was no market for the surplus. In fact, the inroads of game left very little

surplus for the first year or two. This abundance of game was altogether a mixed

evil. When first planted the crop was subject to the attack of crows,

black-birds and squirrels, when further advanced the thousands of wild ducks and

geese and turkeys sometimes threatened to take all that was left. Geese were

especially destructive to young wheat, cropping the blade close to the ground

and their droppings killing what they could not eat. Deer were numerous, and

wolves, while the timber swarmed with the chattering game that found shelter

there. "Painters" were too numerous for a feeling of security though they were

generally easily frightened away or left without danger of their pursuing a

person. On one occasion a man riding along a trail in the woods was considerably

frightened and his horse considerably scratched by one of these animals

springing upon him from a tree, but it lost its hold and was soon left in the

distance. Women out picking berries were often startled by seeing these animals

crouched in neighbor-boring trees evidently meditating the chances of an attack,

but no serious results are known to have occurred from them here. Without this

abundance of game it is difficult to determine how much of the country would

have been early settled. For a time this was the almost sole dependence of the

pioneer for meat and added greatly to his comfort if it did not render one of

the essentials for an early settlement. The ease with which supplies could be

got from the country without labor, and the sport which it afforded at the same

time, led certain ones of every settlement to lose sight of the demand of the

future and to rely upon this uncertain support. A few years brought a rude

awakening. The game gradually decreased or were driven off by the merciless

onslaught of the settlers and many found it easier and more suited to their

tastes to follow the game than to turn to the more exacting duties of farming.



  Darwin, like the settlement lower down on the river, removed from the

advantages of older settlements, learned early to depend upon their own

resources for the comforts of life. This was especially marked in the clothing

of the people and the adornment of the home. The sheep early brought in,

supplied the wool which was carded by hand or taken two or three days journey to

some mill which prepared it for spinning and weaving. Cotton was considerably

grown and added an unusual facility for varying the clothing for the hot and

cold seasons. But deer-skin was very largely in use by the men because of its

durability. It was not very good material to get into on a cold morning or to

wear after getting wet, but these were minor discomforts which were not allowed

to excite discontent. A compromise was early effected between the linsey-woolsey

and buckskin type of frontier clothing, especially for holiday wear. Jeans were

manufactured at home, and clothing reinforced at the knees and on the seat, and

on the front of the coat, with buckskin, were thought exceptionally fine.

Several of the women gained a wide-spread reputation for the taste and skill

with which these somewhat ungainly patches were made to take on an ornamental

character.



  Closely allied with all this serious work of the community was its sources of

recreation. The demands of modern development have changed all this. Work and

play have been divorced and so changed in their natures that they have almost

changed places. Division of labor and the application of machinery has relieved

the serious occupations of life of much of their toil, while amusements are

placed under such a tariff of social exactions that a life devoted exclusively

to either shows very little difference in the outcome save perhaps to the

advantage of a life of labor. This change is keenly felt by those who still

survive pioneer days, and they are few indeed, who do not speak with heart-felt

regret at the passing of these "good old times." There was no spirit of caste in

the settlement of Darwin. The richest were poor, and the poor lived in

abundance, and each one who came to share the responsibilities of the community

were at once taken into the charmed circle of frontier hospitality. Logging and

cabin raisings brought the men together for miles around, while quilting,

cotton-picking, spinning, apple-paring, and husking brought together the young

and old of both sexes. These occasions often closed with a supper and a dance

when the men came in. Samuel Yocum and Thomas Carico were the violinists in

demand and gave their services free of charge. On holiday occasions, Christmas,

4th of July, etc., a regular ball was the special entertainment, but

"bussing-bees" as the older ones called them, or games of forfeit were the

general feature of ordinary gatherings. Cards were generally played by both

sexes and an evening call was hardly complete without a few games of eucher or

whist. The sterner sex, however, seemed to demand a stronger excitement and

shooting matches, horse-racing and gambling rapidly grew into favor. In fact

they became the absorbing pleasure and Darwin early gained a reputation for

these excitements that was the reverse of flattering. With all this there was an

unstinted use of whisky which, contrary to the usual statement of "old

settlers," did make the people drunk and incite to deeds of ruffianism. The

women were generally "tee-totalers." Occasionally they sipped a little toddy but

their influence was, as a class, against the use of whisky, although their

education did not lead them to any active persuasion against it. To this should

be added a general disregard for the Sabbath. There were earnest Christian

people in the early settlement, who had imbibed the Puritan notion of Sunday,

but they were helplessly in the minority, and the Lord's day was a special

holiday for this vicious class of excitements.



  The land which was held by speculators came into market about 1831, by public

sale, and the township to which the pages are devoted rapidly settled up. There

had been some development of business interests before this, but the prosperity

of Darwin dates from this change. The farmers found but little demand at home

for their surplus crops and emulating the example of other settlements began

very early to ship their produce down the river. When all were engaged it is

difficult to learn when or by whom the first boat was sent out from Darwin, but

almost every farmer took part in this undertaking to a more or less extent. The

boats were manufactured on the banks of the river by the farmer who used them

though it subsequently became a considerable business to which some devoted

their attention exclusively, selling a finished boat at a dollar per linear

foot. The plan was to take a fine poplar or sycamore tree, hew it in rectangular

shape about 18 by 24 inches. This was split through the middle leaving strips

about 12 by 18 inches and of lengths varying from 55 to 75 feet. These were the

"gunwales" and formed the main strength of the structure. The heart side was

placed outward and on the inner lower corner was cut a "gain" large enough to

allow the two-inch flooring to rest in it and come to the level of the bottom of

the "gunwale." The width of the boats was from 15 to 20 feet and was established

by cross-pieces framed in the "gunwales" at moderate distances apart. Lengthwise

the boat was further strengthened by "streamers" running parallel with the

"gunwales" about four feet apart. Upon this frame work, securely framed and

fastened together, a flooring of two-inch planks was laid double, pinned with

wooden pins and heavy nails. The boat thus far constructed was bottom side up,

and after being well caulked the difficulty was to turn it over to be finished.

The practice was to choose a location on the bank of the river convenient for

launching, and when the work reached this stage, to turn it on the land, though

the more skillful turned them in the water. If it was done on the land, the

neighborhood was invited, and all joined in lifting the one side of the wooden

leviathan and letting it fall on brush heaps and a multitude of hoop-poles

somewhat inclined to break its fall. This was attended with considerable risk of

damage and the other way was preferred. This was to place a temporary board

railing on one side and the ends. Against this an embankment, of earth was

placed on the boat, and thus prepared it was launched into the stream and towed

by yawls into the deep water. The side of the boat weighted with earth was

placed across the current up the stream and while held in this position the

embankment of earth was broken in two places to allow the water to run over the

top. The weight of the earth held one side considerably lower than the other and

on being broken down the current got such hold of it as to turn it right under

the stream. Great care was necessary to prevent the embankment from being broken

prematurely, and for those who managed the turning to escape a serious wetting

by leaping in a small boat kept near at hand. When turned, it was hauled to

shore by a cable previously fastened to it and then completed. The "gunwales"

were trimmed off at the prow to give the boat the proper "rake"; sides about

four feet high were added by nailing clapboards on studding framed in the sills

or "gunwales," and then the whole was roofed over with boards projecting over

the sides to shed the water perfectly, and rounded from one side to the other,

the center being about five and a half to six feet high. About six feet of the

stern was boarded off for a cabin, provided with bunks on either side and a

stone fire-place with "cat and clay" chimney. About three feet of the front end

was left inclosed to prevent the greater damage of snags, and when provided with

sweeps on each side and a steering oar in the rear, the craft was complete.

These boats differed in size and would carry from two to five thousand bushels

of grain. At first each man was his own pilot, but as the business increased

there were those whose frequent trips down the river gave their judgment a money

value, and providing themselves with published charts of the river, they set up

as pilots. These men were subsequently hired to navigate the boats and were paid

at first from $50 to $75 a trip, and later, according to the length of the boat,

a dollar per linear foot. From three to eight hands were employed as crew at

about $30 per trip, all employes being boarded on the trip, and all paying the

entire expense of their return. The whole cost of such a trip including boats

was from $300 to $400, though a part of this was recovered by the sale of the

boat in New Orleans, which lessened the net cost by some twenty-five to

seventy-five dollars. If the boat was made of carefully selected lumber, and the

market was favorable the cost of the boat was sometimes realized.



  The quickest trips from Darwin to New Orleans were one in fourteen days, and

one in sixteen days, the average trip being somewhat longer and depending upon

the weather. The start was generally made upon the spring flood and if the

nights were clear and light, no snags were encountered, and no delays occasioned

by "tying up" to the bank at night as a matter of prudence, the quickest time

mentioned could be attained. But such a favorable combination of circumstances

were seldom known. These trips though accomplished by men unfamiliar with the

science of navigation were not free from serious risks of personal danger and

financial embarrassment. After steamboats began to ply the Mississippi and Ohio

the danger of being run down by them was very great in dark nights, and the

general practice was to lie by on such occasions. At first the only signal

lights were torches, and later, lanterns. An experience is related when one of

these boats had entered a shute near one of the islands in the Mississippi, the

crew heard a steamer coming up the stream. The channel ran close to the island

and the night being dark there was the greatest danger of a collision. A man was

placed on the bow with a lantern but the steamer seemed to be coming directly on

the boat. The lantern was waved and everything possible was done to indicate the

location of the boat to the steamer's pilot but seemingly of no avail; but just

at the point of contact the steamboat sheered off, but with so small space

between that the name of the boat could be read by the light of the lantern. On

another occasion a snag struck the rake of the boat so far back as to let the

water into the cargo and as it could not be reached the boat began to sink.

Fortunately it was loaded with corn on the ear and after settling down more than

half way the boat floated and was subsequently saved. Though such incidents were

common the voyagers from this settlement never suffered any serious losses or

accidents. This river traffic attained vast proportions, from fifty to

seventy-five boats passing the settlement in a day during the season, and this

continued up to about 1861 with almost unabated vigor.



  With such business activity the development of a village was certain, but long

before the business had attained any considerable proportions a beginning for a

village had been made. A town was platted very early on a part of, or near, the

site of Darwin Village, probably by Doctor Patrick and John Essarey. Septer and

Charles Patrick were emigrants from Auburn, near New York, and came here in

1818. Septer Patrick was a physician of more than ordinary ability, and both

were active, enterprising men, who appreciated the advantages of the landing and

laid out the village of Sterling. In the following year the county was formed

and in connection with Chester Fitch, Doctor Patrick laid out Aurora on the bend

of the river above Darwin, securing the location of the county seat at that

point. It is probable that though the site of Sterling was more eligible for a

town, the persons interested did not command land enough to make the investment

profitable and so moved up the river. The site chosen had but a single feature

to recommend the location. The landing is one of the best on the river, but

there was no room for the town without climbing a bluff which would be the death

of any village enterprise. Nevertheless, the county seat was fixed at Aurora, a

court house was built, but that was the end of the project. The court house

still remains to do service as a stable, and a single residence, that of O. C.

Lowell, marks the site of the ambitious village. The county seat was

subsequently changed to Darwin, which was laid out on land contributed by John

McClure, and it is said received its name from Doctor Patrick after the father

of Charles Darwin, the celebrated naturalist and author. The prestige of the

county seat did little for the growth of Aurora. The Leonard brothers and Doctor

Patrick moved there and began some business enterprises, and Silas Hoskin opened

a tavern, but the failure of this enterprise was a foregone conclusion. Darwin

flourished as though it had no near rival. John Essarey was licensed to keep a

tavern "at his now place of residence, situate near John McClure's at the head

of Walnut Prairie," and McClure was licensed "to keep a ferry across the Wabash

River at his house." Thus competition was fairly begun between the rivals at the

first term of the commissioners' court. There was no difference of opinion in

the minds of the, people upon the merits of the two situations, and it was

simply a contest between the energy and influence of Doctor Patrick on one side,

and the judgment of the whole county backed by the manifest advantage of the

Darwin location on the other. The outcome could scarcely be in doubt and yet it

was delayed until January, 1823, when by act of the Legislature the county seat

was changed. The early competition seems to have aroused no active jealousies,

and the course of Darwin seems to have been henceforward as smooth as could be,

in the nature of things. Acquiring the county seat did little more for Darwin,

at first, than to give it a recognized position as a village and rid it of an

annoying rivalry. In 1824, it received a valuable accession, in W. P. Bennett, a

native of New York, and a prominent attorney. In the same year, John Stockwell,

a native of Massachusetts came. He had wandered to New Hampshire, and in 1823,

had gone down the river as one of a flat boat crew to New Orleans. Here he met

Dr. Patrick and through his influence, in 1824, came to Darwin. In the following

year, Justin Harlan came from Ohio, and Uri Manley from Massachusetts. These

accessions, with others of about the same time, gave to Darwin that which it

most stood in need of, an element fitted to discharge the new responsibilities

laid upon it by the removal of the seat of justice, with credit and ability.



  In 1825 the village was regularly platted and recorded. The original village

comprising sixteen blocks of eight lots each, laid out parallel with the river,

on what was known as McClure's bluff. It was situated on the first "bench,"

commanding one of the pleasantest outlooks on the river, and overlooking a

considerable extent of sloping bottom land, which served as an admirable boat

landing. With the beginning of such individuality came the hotel. Succeeding

Essarey, came Samuel Baldy; in another part of the town, Mrs. Nathaniel McClure

kept hotel for a number of years, and James P. Jones. The latter occupied the

Patrick residence, near Sackrider's home, and was for the time the leading

hotel. Here the court officers lodged, and many a tale of frontier fun and

hospitality is told of this early hostelry. On one occasion, when the august

minds of the county officials were wrapped in slumber, though the "busy

housewife plied her evening care," the whole house was aroused and startled by

the screams of Polly Jones, the landlady. It appears that she had gone to the

smokehouse, intent upon the morning meal, and had been startled by an unusual

stir within the dark precinct. On investigation an opossum was found and brought

in, and the guests having appeared on the scene in various states of dishabille,

the matter was brought up in a committee of the whole and ended by deciding to

eat the opossum for breakfast. The company had hardly returned to their beds

before a second series of screams from Mrs. Jones once more summoned the

household. Again the disturber of the peace was found to be an opossum, and the

offense seemed so grave that it was decided to bring the culprit before the

court. Judge John Richardson presided, Major Bennet and John M. Robinson

appeared for the prosecution, and Bell, an attorney here on business before the

court, was assigned to the defense. A jury was empanneled, and when all was

ready the sheriff, John Stockwell, brought in the prisoner. The appearance of

the culprit was very much against it, and nothing could induce him to plead to

the indictment. But little time was taken to prove the facts, and the defense

seemed to rely more upon its ability to work on the sympathy of the court and

jury, than upon the merits of the facts. The pleadings of the lawyers are said

to have been masterly in their way; that of the prosecution loudly demanding the

protection of a helpless community, and praying for the interposition of the

aegis of just law; while the defense made an eloquent appeal for helplessness

under compromising circumstances, and pictured the grandeur of justice tempered

by mercy. The prisoner was evidently alive to the necessity of the occasion and

slowly crawled under the chair of the judge, an action which his lawyer turned

very effectively. It was apparent, however, that nothing but the satiated

feeling of the court at the prospect of its first victim, could save the accused

from the extreme penalty of the law; and it was doubtless a cause of

congratulation to the defense that the result was no worse. The jury brought in

a verdict for the prosecution, and the judge solemnly declared that the least

outraged justice could demand, was that the culprit should be cropped, bobbed

and transported for life to Indiana. The penalty as to the ears and tail was

summarily inflicted, without eliciting a murmur from the victim, and the

sheriff, accompanied by the whole court, repaired to the river to see that the

further penalty of transportation was effected. Arrived at the river, the

prisoner made his first effort at evading: the mandate of the law. Mutilation

was severe, but the prospect of a life in Indiana was too much even for a

'possum, and in spite of the dignity of the assembled officials and sundry

sticks and stones, he swam back to face indignant justice rather than the

"Hoosier" shore. It was in vain! Even such heroic patriotism awakened no

sympathy in the court. Thrown into the river again and assailed by a shower of

missiles, he made for the farther shore, though doubtless with strong mental

reservations. It will be a cruel blow to those who believe in the reformatory

character of the law, and denounce the theory of "total depravity," to learn

that in the following year this same cropped and bobbed 'possum was found in the

same smoke-house, seized and eaten. The first store was opened by Worden &

Wooster, in a cabin fronting on the river, just north of the Harlan residence,

which was erected by Mr. Kibbey. These merchants first made their appearance in

Darwin about 1829. They were traders on a keel-boat, and were in the habit of

tying up opposite a village for a few days, to supply such trade as the local

stores did not furnish. They were persuaded by some of the citizens to locate

here, though they stayed only about a year. They were succeeded in the fall of

1830 bv John and James Waters, who used the log cabin for a while, but

subsequently erected a brick building, which still stands on the river bank in

the northern part of the village. These men were active, enterprising men of

business, and began buying grain and produce of the farmers in exchange for

goods. The grain they marketed in New' Orleans, sending from six to a dozen

boats down the river in a season. James became somewhat dissipated and did much

to hinder' the success of the firm, and subsequently sold his interest to his

brother. ? John carried the business on until his death in 1847, amassing

considerable property, which he lost, however, in unfortunate speculations. In

the meanwhile, Knott & Philips opened a small grocery store in a building which

stood on the river front, near the present mill. Knott subsequently succeeded to

the sole proprietorship of the business, and built a large frame structure,

which he sold soon after to Clark & Geer, who carried on a large general store

for a number of years.



  The agitation in reference to a removal of the county seat, which occurred

from 1833 to 1837, had a very depressing influence upon the prosperity of

Darwin. It was felt by its citizens that the town would sink into

insignificance; and this impression had such an effect upon outsiders, that

these years were years of stagnation in business matters. Contrary to all

expectation, however, when once



the matter was decided, the despondent village livened into an unprecedented

activity. Roads leading to Charleston, Oakland, and to Effingham, had been

established, and Darwin began to grow into a distributing point hardly less

important than Terre Haute. About this time James and Harry Boss came from the

latter place and did a thriving business. They handled immense quantities of

grain, built and conducted a large pork packing establishment, and in three

years made a large amount of money. They were succeeded by Allen Sackrider, who

continued this line of business, and gradually worked into the commission and

forwarding business on the most extensive scale. In the season of bad roads,

when country merchants found it difficult to remove their goods, the whole town

seemed to be filled with Sackrider's consignments. The whole flat in front of

the town would be covered, and every empty building and stable filled with these

goods. It was no uncommon thing to see three or four steamboats unloading at

once, and it was a source of considerable strife among the boatmen to secure a

clear space for unloading. Mr. Sackrider carried on a successful business here

until 1868, when he closed out his stock and went to Terre Haute.



  Among the earliest manufacturing interests of the town was a tannery

established by James B. Anderson about 1829. About 1822 the Patrick brothers

built a large log building on the site of Aurora for a distillery. Here they

manufactured the grain obtained of the farmers into whisky and shipped

considerable quantities down the river. The distillery had a capacity of about

two barrels per day, and was continued some seven years, when it was abandoned.

Alexander McClure had another manufactory of this kind at Darwin, but continued

it only some two years. The first mill, a saw and grist mill combined, was built

by LeRoy Cory on the river bank near the central part of town. It was propelled

by steam, and was burned down, and rebuilt by Cory. It was again burned down,

and rebuilt by Thomas Underwood, and still serves the purpose of its

construction. A man of some ingenuity, by the name of Bennett, constructed a

mill on the bank of the river with a wheel situated on a float so as to utilize

the current of the river. It was adapted to the rise and fall of the water, and

served its purpose well until the ice of a spring freshet carried it off. The

prosperity of the town, however, depended upon its success as a distributing

point. The construction of the railroad from Indianapolis to Terre Haute struck

a staggering blow at this success, the effect of which was emphasized by the

Vandalia route in 1870. The present village is a quiet little town of some two

hundred inhabitants, with but little to remind one of its early greatness. A

store, blacksmith shop and mill remain of its business activity, and a ferry

still serves as a connecting link between the ends of the highway which touches

either shore of the river at this point, but it is no longer the metropolis of

Clark County.



  The pioneer preacher in this settlement, and indeed in the county, was Rev.

James McCord. He was a native of North Carolina, self-educated in theology, and

self-appointed to the ministry. Traveling up and down the Wabash valley, he

preached in the cabins and groves, without money and without price. He was a

loud and earnest singer, and never failed to tell his audiences of his trip up

the river on his first arrival at Vincennes. He was instrumental in achieving

much good, and prepared the way for others who gathered much from his sowing.

The first regular Methodist itinerant here was Rev. Aaron "Wood. He was a man of

good intellectual ability, and became a prominent man in church circles here.



  In 1830 Rev. Enoch Bouten, of the Presbyterian denomination, organized a

church in Darwin, among the members of which were James Smith, George and Thomas

Armstrong, Mrs. John Chenoweth and John Welch and wife. Services were held in

the old court house, and for three years Rev. Bennett presided as pastor. He was

a native of Philadelphia, an early settler in Coles County, and a man of good

ability. He held services once a month, but was so strict—actually demanding

order during services—that the people conceived a dislike for him. It is said

that he was an old bachelor, and that this circumstance had soured his

disposition. Rev. Thayer, a native of Massachusetts, and a man of fine

intelligence, succeeded Mr. Bennett, and preached at intervals for upward of two

years. Doctor Baldridge was also an early minister of this society, but moved

subsequently to York, where a church was organized. This organization never

erected a place of worship, and eventually died out.



  In the same year a Methodist Church was formed at Darwin Tillage by Rev. James

McCabe and the Presiding Elder, Michael S. Taylor, of the same circuit. The

original members were John A. Williams, Peleg Sanford and their wives, and Bates

Besser and wife. Services were at first held in the old court house and in the

cabin of John A. Williams, until about 1843, when the church erected a good

brick building at a cost of about $1,100. Among the pastors of the church were

Revs. W. S. Crissey, John Chamberlain, Asa McMurtry, John Adams, W. C. Blundell,

_____ Markle, etc. The church has lost considerable strength by removals, and is

not now in a vigorous condition, services now being held irregularly.



Additional Comments:
Extracted From:



HISTORY OF CRAWFORD AND CLARK COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

EDITED BY WILLIAM HENRY PERRIN.



ILLUSTRATED



CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS,

LAKESIDE BUILDING.

1883.



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