This township, named from the city of Mattoon, is the middle one in the western tier of townships in the county.  It contains thirty-six sections of land - one Congressional township - and is principally prairie land.
     The Little Wabash courses through the southern part, flowing southward until it finds an outlet in the larger stream of that name.  In the southern part, skirting this stream, is a strip of timber, known as the Wabash Point Timber, and is the locality where the earliest settlements were made.  It is the only grove of native forest-trees, of any size, in the township.  the best timber long been cut away for use in the settlement of the country, what is left being used chiefly for firewood.
     The Little Wabash affords the principal drainage in the township.  Its eastern part is known as the "Divide," as the water naturally runs in opposite directions from that point.  It is almost the highest land in Illinois.
     Away from the timber to the north, the face of the country is generally quite level, broken only by long undulations.  It is almost entirely prairie land in this part, and was allowed to remain uncultivated until after the opening of the railroads.  It was largely used for pasturage during this period, and often presented signs of great animation as the herds of cattle, under the care of their drovers, moved about over its grassy, slightly undulating surface.
     The prairies are now the chief producing part of the township.  They easily admit of good drainage and, though to some extent rather level, are exceedingly productive.  Corn is the principal cereal grown.  The others do well, but throughout this part of Central Illinois are not the staple article of agriculture.  Cattle and hogs are raised quite extensively.  Mr. Elisha Linder and a few others have been for many years prominently engaged in this business.  The railroads at Mattoon give a direct outlet to all the chief markets of the world and should maintain a constant sale for farm produce.
     A curious phenomenon exists on the farm of W. M. Champion, in the southwest part of this township.  When digging for a well in March, 1871, after attaining a depth of thirty-one feet, a drill was used which was sunk a few feet farther, and a vein of carbonate gas struck.  It was observed that when the drill was withdrawn the water gurgled up at irregular intervals, and as a vein was supposed to be found preparations were made to wall the well.  No smell was attached to the gas, and no thoughts of it being then entertained.  From the peculiar motion of the water it was feared by one of the men that there might be poisonous gases in the well, and one of them went after a wisp of hay and another for some shavings.  The latter returned first, and, lighting his bunch, was hallooed to by the other to "Throw it down." i. e., on the ground.  Thinking he meant throw it in the well he did, and a frightful report and sheet of flame burst forth.  Mr. Tremble and one or two others who were near were severely scorched about the face, and all were tremendously amazed. The gas

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soon burned out, but would soon accumulate.  Various experiments were made with it.  An iron tube was inserted and the gas allowed to escape in a small stream.  When lighted it burned with a brilliant light.  The well soon became notorious and was visited by scores of people from all sections of the West.  Finally, Mr. Champion bethought himself to utilize the gas, and, conducting it by pipes to his house, soon had it in use in his kitchen to cook by, and in other stoves it was used as fuel.  It made an excellent light, and he has all the appliances of a city in that regard.  He walled the well, and now water stands in it, all seasons, so that from one well he gets light, fuel and water, all without any tax or license.
     Attempts have been made to obtain petroleum in the township, but all have proved unsuccessful.  Coal can be had as it was found in exploring for oil, but at such a depth that it will hardly pay for work.
     With this brief outline of the topographical features of the township, we will pass to that part of more interest to all - the

EARLY SETTLEMENTS.

     As has been intimated, the earliest settlement in this township was made near the timber on the Little Wabash, in the south part of the township.  Emigration to this part of the county came after that part along the Embarrass River had received its first influx of settlers, hence the locality was known before any came to live.
     In the summer of 1826, Mr. Charles Sawyer, a resident of Kentucky, came to this part of Illinois looking for a home.  He remained a short time with the Trues, in what is now La Fayette Township, and examined the country to the south and west of them.  Selecting a location at the north side of the timber, on the Little Wabash, he returned to the True settlement, and hired a man named Bates, for $10, to build him a cabin, while he should return to Kentucky for his family.  Mr. Bates hired Levi Doty, a young man living in the neighborhood, to build the cabin, and, by winter, a very comfortable home was ready for " Uncle Charley " when he should return.  This cabin was the first habitation for a white man known to have been built in the bounds of either Mattoon or Paradise Township.  It stood near the site of Mr. John Sawyer's house in Section 28, and until a few other pioneers could erect similar habitations, was the home of the emigrant while he was selecting and preparing his own fireside.
     During the interval from the completion of the cabin by Mr. Doty, and what few pioneers he could call to his aid, and Mr. Sawyer's return in the spring of 1827, one family made it a temporary home until they could build their own cabins.  The family was that of James Nash.  They were living in the cabin when Mr. Sawyer arrived. Some among the early residents state that another family, that of Miles Hart, occupied the cabin.  Mr. John Sawyer is, however, not of this opinion.  It may be that Mr. Hart remained in it only a

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few days, while Mr. Nash seems to have used it longer.  Which of the two statements is accurate, it is now difficult to determine, but we are inclined to the opinion that only Mr. Nash lived in the cabin, and that Mr. Hart, did not come until later, as is mentioned further on.  When "Uncle Charley," as he was afterward always known, returned, he brought with him his two sons-in-law, John Young and Henry Cole, who each brought a small family.  Mr. Young settled where B. F. Mooney now lives, and Mr. Cole immediately north and adjoining Uncle Charley.  These three pioneers had not been long in their frontier homes until they were joined by John Houching, known as "Uncle Jack," who settled the farm now owned by Azariah Sanders.  The Hart families, one of whom, Miles H., has already been noticed, came about the same time, and joined the infantile settlement.  Miles H. was joined by his father, Thomas, and his brothers Silas, Jonathan, Moses and Thomas, Jr., all of whom brought families but the last named, who was yet a single man.  The Hart family settled in what is now Paradise Township, and will be found noticed there more fully.  If they all came at once, then the assertion of Mr. John Sawyer, that Miles H. did not live in his father's cabin prior to the latter's permanent removal, is correct.  These families, with James T. Cunningham and Jefferson Coleman came together, and were the pioneers of Paradise Township. The entire settlement at that date was, however, counted as one.
     These persons were about all that came in 1827.  They formed the first settlement and may be truly named the pioneers of that part of the county.
     The next year, John Sawyer, brother of Charles, located on the east side of the timber.  About the same time that he came, George M. Hanson and Dr. John Epperson, the first physician in the county, arrived.  Mr. Hanson settled the farm now owned by John E. Tremble, and the Doctor located farther south, just over the line in what is now Paradise Township.  Though an early settler there, and one whose history properly belongs to that township, some account of him here will not be out of place.
     He was for many years the only physician of all this part of the country, often riding twenty and thirty miles to visit his patients.  He was uniformly kind and faithful in his attentions to the sick, and was greatly respected.  Even after old age came on and he earnestly requested none to call on him for professional advice or aid, his old neighbors and acquaintances would not give him up. but came again and again for him.  If he could not go to the patient, they would ask for prescriptions and advice, and as long as the old Doctor lived, he could not deny them this.  He remained at his old home until his death, which occurred only a little over a year ago.  The old settlers of this part remember well the golden wedding which he and his faithful wife were privileged to celebrate a few years ago.
     About a year after the settlement of the Doctor and Mr. Hanson, came James Graham and family, who located a little east of Charles Sawyer.  Mr. G. was a local Methodist preacher of commendable zeal, and a faithful, earnest,

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Christian man.  He was one of the pioneer ministers in the western part of the county, and was a man extensively known.  Soon after he settled, Elisha Linder arrived with his mother, two sisters and one brother, and settled south and adjoining Mr. Graham.  Mr. Linder had been out here in 1829, and selected a location, remaining about two months.  Early in 1831, he returned, planted a crop, raised a cabin, and then returned for his mother and family, arriving with them in October.  They were from Hardin County, Ky., where many of those we have mentioned had lived, and, like their predecessors, came to Illinois to find a new home, and where they could grow with the growth of the county.  Mr. Linder is still living on his old homestead, in the enjoyment of the comforts a long, busy life has gathered around him.
    

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     Before the pioneers made outdoor ovens, bread was baked in a skillet or on a board before the fire.  Corn-bread made in this way had a peculiar relish, it is claimed by the old settlers.  Probably their appetites had much to do with the relish.  Mush and milk was also a favorite which even yet has not lost its strength.
     The season following the "deep snow" produced a very fine crop.  A few ore emigrants came to the settlement, and helped swell its numbers.  No troubles with the Indians, who were very few, had been experienced in this part of Illinois, and everything here seemed in a fair way to prosperity.  The northern portions of the State had, however, not been so fortunate in this regard.  The Sac and Fox Indians, whose villages were near the junction of the Mississippi and Rock Rivers, had refused to leave their homes and remains beyond the Father of Waters.  Black Hawk was chief of the Sac nation, whose principal village was on a romantically commanding site just above the mouth of Rock River.  It had been their home for more than one hundred and fifty years, and was endeared to them by all the ties of home and human nature.  By the seventh article of the treaty of 1804, the lands belonging to this nation were actually to accrue to the United States whenever they were sold to private individuals.  Until such a time the Indians cold remain on them and hunt as usual.  In 1816, Black Hawk recognized the validity of this treaty; but when, in 1829, some of the land in his native home was sold by the General Government and became thereby the property of others, he refused the recognize the treaty and to leave his village.  Adjacent to it was a large field of nearly seven hundred acres which had been the common field for the cultivation of corn, pease and squashes.  This field some of the ore lawless whites seized before they had a right to it, and by wanton acts of cruelty to the Indian women and children provoked the savages to retaliatory measures.  The whites also brought considerable whisky, which they sold and traded to lawless Indians, against the law and the express commands of the chiefs, which so enraged them at the carousals it produced, that in one or two instances the exasperated chieftains went to the houses of the settlers, and, knocking in the heads of the whisky barrels, emptied their contents on the ground.  One thing brought on another until war was declared.  The first call for volunteers was made by Gov. Reynolds early in the spring of 1831.  No county south of St. Clair and east of Sangamon was included in this call, as it was thought the Indians could be easily driven across the Mississippi, where they had been for a time living.  Black Hawk refused to go, and fore was used.  At first the Indians conquered the whites, and more calls were made for volunteers.  Numbers responded from every part of the State.  In these calls, Coles County furnished but few men, and the Wabash Point less than a dozen.  Those that went were required to furnish their own guns, ammunition, horses, etc., and provisions enough to last them to one of the forts where the general rendezvous took place.  There they were supplied with ammunition and food, and were attached to some regiment.

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The recruits generally went in companies under self-appointed leaders.  The State militia law was then in force, and each man knew, or thought he knew, the tactics of war.  The sequel showed some ludicrous sides of human nature.  Many brave men at home were cowards on the field, and ready to run at the first opportunity.  It was observed, then, that the bravest were the modest ones, and those that commonly had the least to say about their own valiant deeds were the ones who merited praise.
     It might not be amiss to mention the "old muster-days," as they were called.  They were days of a general gathering, when all able-bodied men were required to meet at some designated point and drill.  The day began to be regarded as one of general frolics, rather than muster, for, as the danger from the Indians decreased, the need of the militia diminished, until, so apparent did its uselessness become, and so obnoxious to those who could not spare the time, that, by a common decree of the people, who ridiculed the day in every way they could, it was abolished by the General Assembly.  From the return of the troops from the Black Hawk war down to the opening of the railroads in1855, but few things occurred out of the regular course of events.  That war settled in Indian question in Illinois, and peace, with the red men in her borders, was the result.  They were gradually withdrawn from their homes in the Prairie State, and, in a few years, none were to be seen.  They followed the course of the westward sun, and seem destined, erelong, to be swallowed up by the mighty race which has taken their country.
     Emigration set in anew to the West, and throughout the entire length and breadth of Illinois a continuous train of settlers poured in.  Chicago was now coming into prominence, and utopian visions of wealth began to dazzle the eyes of the denizens of Illinois.  Before proceeding to note the rise of the improvement system and its inglorious end, we will notice two events of unusual occurrence which happened, and which many of the old residents in Mattoon Township will remember.  The first of these is

THE METEORIC SHOWER

     A most remarkable phenomenon occurred on the night of Nov. 12, 1833, known as the "Falling Stars," which it will be well to notice here.  It appears to have occurred all over the Western country, if not over the entire United States.  Mr. Tremble gives a stirring account of it in his sketches, which we here reproduce.  He says :
     "I was on my way home from a mill, west of Shelbyville, and had arrived at the cabin of an early friend and brother in the ministry, about four miles west of the town, then a village of about two hundred inhabitants. As I was twenty-six miles from home, and had only an ox-team, I desired the brother to get me up at 3 o'clock in the morning, so that I could get home that night. After a pleasant evening, we retired. My landlord was up at the designated hour, and, going out of the cabin-door, saw a sight that utterly bewildered him

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RELIGIOUS AND EDUCATIONAL INTERESTS

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EARLY MILLS, MILLING, ETC.

     We have incidentally noticed the grater and mortar, and described their modes of use.  Following these primitive mills, we will notice those that succeeded, viz., the hand and horse mills.  The hand-mill was quite an improvement on the hominy-block.  It consisted of two small circular stones, 14 or 16 inches acros the face, and made something like the millstones of to-day.  The lower stone was made fast to some timbers, with a hoop bent around it and projecting some three or four inches above, forming a receptacle for the upper stone.  This had a hole in the center, through which the corn was dropped by the hand, and was made to fit the under stone as well as the tools of the day could dress it.  Near the outer rim, a hole was drilled into it about I½ inches across, and of the same depth.  Into this an upright was fastened, its upper end secured in the ceiling, or to some immovable piece of timber.  The lower stone had a ¾ inch hole, drilled from 2 to 3 inches in depth, in the center, and a round piece of iron driven firmly in.  Its top projected about the same distance above.  The top formed a pivot, and by the aid of a flat piece of iron, was cut to a half circle, with flanges on each end, so as to fit the notches cut in each side of the "runner."  This iron was placed in the " eye" of the upper stone, generally called the "runner," with the concave side down.  Its under side was so notched as to fit the pivot and balance, so that when forced around it kept its place.  These simple arrangements completed the outfit.  When meal was wanted, a measure of shelled corn was placed near, from which the corn was dropped in by the left hand, while the stone was turned by the right.  It was given a rapid motion, and, if heavy, both hands were used, and an attendant dropped the corn into the center hole.  At one place, the under stone was sometimes made slightly sloping, and a spout inserted in the iron rim surrounding the stone, through which the meal was forced as it was ground.
     It will be observed by the reader, that this kind of mill is spoken of in the Bible, only that the handle was commonly a foot or more in height. It is as old as

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the world, almost, and, in ancient times, was almost always operated by women.  The Savior referred to the custom of women grinding at the mill, when He said, "The one shall be taken and the other left."
     The horse-mill was simply the hand-mill made too large and heavy for one person to turn, and was rigged something after the manner a common circular sweep is now made.  To this a horse or mule was hitched and driven in a circle.  It was often rigged with a pulley made of a leather band, and thereby given an increased motion.  The hand-mill was also rigged with cogs and bands, and arranged so two or four men could turn it with a crank.  It was tolerably hard work, but it was often the case that, when properly rigged in this way, a bushel of grain could be ground in forty minutes.
     After the horse-mills came into use, the hand-mills were largely abandoned.  They were too slow when a better way was known, and gradually came to be a a thing of the past.
     It is not stated that any horse-mills were built in Mattoon Township.  The older parts of the county had them first, and to them the settlers were accustomed to go.  Many of the old settlers now living, well remember getting up at 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning, preparatory to getting early to the mill, hoping to get there in advance of any one else, only to find, perchance, a whole "string of wagons ahead of them," as they express it, and being obliged to remain a day or two awaiting their turn.  No water or steam mills were built in Mattoon Township till after the city was started, when they were erected there.  As their history properly belongs to the history of the city, the reader is referred to that, where the subject, as concerns this township, is concluded.

EARLY MILLS AND THE OLD STAGES.

     The first mail facilities enjoyed in this part of the country were indeed quite meager.  Letters were few and far between, while newspapers were a rarity.  The postage, was, in the early days of post-routs, governed by the distance the letter was sent, ranging from five to twenty-five cents.  After the express companies started and began to carry them at a cheaper rate, the Government lowered the cost form time to time until the present rate was established.  The first post office, says Mr. Hiram Tremble, for the Little Wabash Point settlement was established at George M. Hanson's, who drew up a petition for one, obtained the necessary signatures and sent it on to Washington.  Capt. Adams states also, that this was the first post office in the county, and that it was established by George M. Hanson, who was the Postmaster.  The office was named Paradise, in memory of Paradise Post office in Virginia, in the county where Mr. Hanson was born.  These two were the only post offices of that name in the United States.  The office was located here in 1829, and remained with Mr. Hanson about two years, when it was removed to the State Line Road, just then being opened.  There it was kept by Mr. William Langston, who had what was known as the "relay House," i. e., where the stage-horses were changed.  This stage-road, or, more

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     Sometimes exciting drives occurred, especially when the driver wanted to give a team "all the running they wanted."  He would ply them with the whip, and keep them at a full gallop until completely broken of their desire to run away.  If the road was a few inches deep in mud, the condition of the passengers, unless securely inclosed, can be well imagined.  They came out of the race considerably sprinkled with the prairie soil.  These days of the stage continued till the opening of the railroads in 1855, when they it farther west, only in time to be obliged to give way to the fleet iron horse, destined in time to entirely supersede it.

EARLY COURTS

     From the first settlement until society became established, the settlers were generally a law unto themselves.  They were too remote from the county seat before Coles County was erected, and settled disputes among themselves.  They were exceeding honorable in their dealings with each other, and rarely did occasion require of them recourse to law.  When it did, the punishment was sure and swift.  They abhorred the petty vices, stealing, lying, etc., and would completely ostracize any one found guilty.  As all were poor and mutually dependent on each other, they were strict in their observance of the right, and would aid one another to the farthest extent of their ability, did he show ay disposition to try to do for himself.  At every house-raising all did their part; all wanted to, and should any one evince a disposition to shirk, he was made to feel his dependence whenever he wanted any help from his neighbors.  Mr. Tremble says he does not remember of but one theft occurring in the neighborhood from the date of its first settlement in 1827, till after the first election in 1831.  The theft and its punishment were characteristic of the times, and will suffice as a good illustration for the "court proceeding" of the day.
     One of the settlers had killed a beef, and, to secure the hide, bent down a small sapling, attached the hide to the top branch, and allowed the tree to sring back to its place, bearing the hide aloft, far out of the reach of wolves or any other species of thieves.  He never once thought of any person stealing it, and hence allowed it to remain in the tree-top over night.  The next morning it was gone.  By what means, he could not determine, but he felt sure nothing but a human being could have secured it.  He sent word to a few of the neighbors, and soon word was all over the settlement that a theft had occurred; something so unusual, that all left their work and gathered at the settler's cabin, determined to find the offender and give him his merits.  By some means, the hide was tracked to its place of concealment.  The guilty man was now to be apprehended, in case they could find him.  He had been suspected, it seems, from the start, for, in a scattered community like this, every one was pretty well known, and two citizens were deputed to search his premises.  They returned in an hour or so, with the information that they could not find him, though they had given the cabin and its contents a thorough examination.  The settlers were not satisfied, and a second search was

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ELEVATORS, MILLS, MANUFACTURE, ETC.

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revenue.  When people learn that small things, closely attended, are profitable, the large farms about Mattoon will disappear, more attention will be given to details, and the remedy for heard times will come of its  own accord.
     The other and remaining industries of Mattoon are various shops of all kinds found in all towns.  To describe them is unnecessary here.  They came with the first house in the place and will remain while it lasts.

THE BANKS

     The first bank in Mattoon was established in 1858 or 1859 by James T. Cunningham, John Cunningham and Thomas A. Marshall, and O. B. Ficklin, of Charleston.  It was founded, under the existing laws of that day, as a private bank, did not issue notes, and confined its business mainly to loaning money.  It occupied a room in a frame building, where Kahn's clothing store is now situated.  It continued until the financial depression occasioned by the failure

of so many State banks a year or two after it was started, and, owing to this suspension, was obliged to close its business.  In the fall of 1862, Pilkington & Green opened a bank in the building vacated by the former bank, using their safe and fixtures.  This they continued until Jan. 1, 1864, when the firm was changed to Pilkington & Co., the members of the firm being Mr. Pilkington, C. G. Townsend and W. B. Dunlap.  The bank was removed two or three doors west of its former location, and under the new management continued till May 1, 1865.  The national banking system had now been devised, and it was decided to organize a national bank.  A number of wealthy gentle- men met, subscribed the necessary funds, purchased the business, fixtures, etc., of Pilkington & Co., and as soon as the arrangements were perfected, opened the First National Bank.  It was opened on the above date - May 1 - with a capital of $60,000, with the privilege of increasing to $200,000.  That fall, their present building was completed, vaults were put in and a time-lock placed on the safe.  The Directors were C. M. Dole, William Miller, Samuel Smith, J. C. Dole, I. R. Herkimer, Hiram Cox, Alonzo Eaton, L. Chapin and S. W. True.  Mr. C. M. Dole was chosen President; Mr. True, Cashier, and Mr. Dunlap, Teller.  Mr. True resigned the cashiership early in January, 1879, and Mr. Dunlap was elected to the vacancy.  He remained in this position until Jan. 1, 1874.  When the Mattoon National Bank was organized in July, he was elected President.  He resigned the Cashier's place to engage in the real estate and loan business, as he desired a more active, outdoor business.  He was only nominally President of the Mattoon National Bank, drawing no salary, and after a few years' work in the position, he sold his stock in this bank, and went entirely out of the business.  When he left the First National Bank, Mr. C. G. Weymouth was elected to the Cashier's office, having been promoted to that position from the Teller's place.  No change was made in the bank's officials until the spring of 1878, when Mr. Dunlap was again elected to the Cashier's place, which he still holds.  Mr. J. E. Steele is

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Teller.  Mr. Dunlap was elected President of the bank, but declined, and Mark Kahn was chosen.  He held the place until January, 1879, when he resigned, and William B. Warren, of Terre Haute, was elected.
     The capital stock was reduced to $50,000 not long since, that amount being abundant for all purposes; all doubtful paper was thrown out and properly charged, and now the bank is in an excellent condition, with a large surplus.
     The next bank established in town was by Hinkle & Champion and Mr. M. B. Abell.  It began business May 1, 1866, under the name of the Merchants' and Farmers' Bank, in a room now occupied by Craig & Craig as a law office.  It continued business till a few years ago, when it failed, and closed.  Mr. Dunlap, as Receiver, wound up its affairs.
     The last bank, the Mattoon National, was organized July 1, 1874, with the following officers: W. B. Dunlap, President, and James H. Clark, Cashier.  The Directors were E. B. McClure, J. Richmond, John Rapp, Moses Kahn, G. T. Kilner, M. Walsh, T. C. Patrick, Joseph H. Clark and W. B. Dunlap.  Two of the Directors afterward sold their stock - W. B. Dunlap and M. Walsh, and two, Moses Kahn and John Rapp, died.  The stockholders met and elected S. B. Gray, J. F. Drish, S. Isaac and A. J. Sanborn in their places.  W. B. Dunlap sold his stock in November, 1877, and retired from the Presidency.  The Directors elected Joseph H. Clark to the vacancy, elected E. B. McClure Vice President, and chose W. A. Steele as Cashier and George Robinson, Teller.  These officers are yet in the bank.  It has an abundant capital, a large surplus, and is doing a good business.  When the Merchants' and Farmers" Bank suspended, this bank lost some money through the failure of some of its borrowers, who were obliged to suspend owing to the failure of that bank.  These losses and all doubtful paper have been charged up, and now only the best of paper is held.  This bank and the First National are the only two in town, and are all its trade will justify.  Both are well backed, and are careful to conduct only a legitimate banking business.
     An examination of the amount of business performed at the various railway offices in Mattoon shows a good average with all towns in Central Illinois.  Up to the war, the business of the town was all the time on the increase.  For the first years of that conflict it fell off, owing to many men being taken from various pursuits of life to enter the army.  As the war progressed, business again revived, and building, which had in a measure ceased, was renewed with great vigor.  When the war closed, business of every kind experienced a forward move seldom equaled.  It was in a measure unhealthy and too rapid for permanent benefit.  For awhile after the war closed, buildings went up in Mattoon - this time of a substantial character - with something like the days of its earliest existence.  When the re-action came, Mattoon experienced it keenly.  From the books of the two railways of Mattoon, the trade of the town, we take the following table of the shipments from Oct. 1, 1866, to Oct. 1, 1867, as compiled

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from the reports published in the Journal  of Feb. 1, 1868.  The agent of the Indianapolis & St. Louis Roads reported:

     The agent of the Illinois Central reported:

     The same number of the Journal says that there are in number the following business houses:

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