Lake County IN Archives Biographies.....Towle, Marcus M. 1843 - 
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Author: T. H. Ball (1904)

MARCUS M. TOWLE.

    Marcus M. Towle, the well-known business man of Hammond, has the distinction
of being one of the founders of this now thriving city in extreme northwest
Indiana. Hammond is best known to the outside world for its dressed beef
industries, and it is a matter of history that Mr. Towle took part in the
establishment of the first packing house in this place, as it was one of the
first in the country, and was one of the energetic and enterprising members of
the firm that sent some of the first consignments of beef abroad. He was not
only thus active in giving birth to the city, but has since been vitally
interested in the material development and progress of the city. While he has
been successful in his own affairs, he has never neglected the welfare of his
city, and with unselfish devotion to its good has participated in many
enterprises, both in the capacity of an official and as a private citizen, and
for that reason is regarded by his fellow citizens as one of the most
public-spirited and progressive of men.

    Mr. Towle was born in Danville, New Hampshire, January 14, 1843, a son of
Amos G. and Mary P. (Page) Towle. His grandfather, Nehemiah Towle, was a native
New Hampshire farmer, and died when about eighty years old. His wife survived
him some years, and they had only one son, Amos G. The latter was also a native
of New Hampshire, and was a merchant, first in Danville and then in Haverhill,
Massachusetts, where he remained up to the time of his death, in 1860, when
forty-four years old. He was postmaster at Danville under President Taylor,
having been one of the eight men of the town who voted for Taylor. He and his
wife were both Universalists. His wife, Mary (Page) Towle, who survived him
until 1900, being seventy-six years of age, was a native of New Hampshire and a
daughter of Thomas Page, who was a New Hampshire farmer, a soldier in the war of
1812, was the recipient of several offices in his township and the owner of
considerable property, and lived to be a very old man, having been the father of
several sons and daughters. Amos and Mary Towle were the parents of sixteen
children, seven sons and nine daughters, nine of whom are living now: Marcus M.;
Mrs. Mary Flanders, of Haverhill, Massachusetts; Charles, of Haverhill; Porter,
of Hammond, Indiana; Amos, of Hammond; Olive, of Haverhill; Mrs. Henrietta Ladd,
of Haverhill; Elizabeth; and Clara.

    Mr. Marcus M. Towle lived in Danville until the age of twelve, and then
moved with the family to Haverhill, in which two towns he received most of his
education. He learned the butcher's trade, and followed it for many years. He
was in Boston for some time, and then came to Detroit, Michigan, where he lived
for six years, and then returned to Boston. In 1869 he came out to where the
present city of Hammond is situated, for there was no town there at the time. In
partnership with George H. Hammond, Caleb Ives and George W. Plumer, he
established the dressed beef business, which was the real foundation of the
town. He also laid out the town and named it in honor of Mr. Hammond. The beef
business was started as the Hammond, Plumer & Company, and at the death of Mr.
Plumer in 1874 the business was incorporated as the George H. Hammond & Company,
with Mr. Hammond as president and Mr. Towle as vice-president. Mr. Towle
continued his connection with the company until 1884. They originated the
dressed beef business in this country, and shipped the first cargo of dressed
beef to England, Mr. Towle going on the first trip and making arrangements in
England for the handling of the product. The enterprise was started on a small
scale, but eventually employed two thousand men. The firm has recently been
removed to Chicago.

    On withdrawing from the meat business Mr. Towle engaged in various
enterprises in the city. He organized the First National Bank in 1886. In 1902-3
he built the fine new opera house known as the Towle Opera House, with a seating
capacity of fourteen hundred persons. For the past ten years he has given his
attention to the greenhouse and florist business, having now an area of
twenty-five thousand square feet under glass, and carrying on an extensive trade
in this and surrounding cities.

    December 25, 1865, Mr. Towle married Miss Irena Dow, a daughter of Jacob and
Mrs. (Stevens) Dow. They have six children: Marcus M., jr., who is a clerk in
the First National Bank, and who married Miss Matilda Gherke; George Hammond,
who is assistant manager of the opera house; Fred Cheney, who is a locomotive
engineer on the Erie Railroad; Annie May; Birdie; and Ida Mary. Mrs. Towle is a
member of the Methodist church. Mr. Towle affiliates with Garfield Lodge No.
569, F. & A. M., and was the first master of the lodge; also with Hammond
Chapter, R. A. M., and Hammond Commandery, K. T. In politics Mr. Towle is a
Republican, but has been interested in party affairs only so far as it would
help his city. He was the first mayor of Hammond, serving for two terms, and was
township trustee two terms, and has also been a delegate to several state
conventions. He owns a beautiful residence, which he erected in 1885, and also
has other city property.


Additional Comments:
Extracted from:

ENCYCLOPEDIA
OF
Genealogy and Biography
OF
LAKE COUNTY, INDIANA,
WITH A COMPENDIUM OF HISTORY 
1834—1904

A Record of the Achievements of Its People in the Making of a Commonwealth and
the Founding of a Nation.

REV. T. H. BALL
OF CROWN POINT, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO   NEW YORK
THE LEWIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
1904


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