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SHAWNEETOWN
pg. 92
SHAWNEETOWN, the county seat of Gallatin County, is situated on
the Ohio River, in longitude 88º
10', and latitude 37º 45', and is elevated 353 feet above the
sea. It derives its name from the Shawnee Indians, located
here and in the vicinity from about 1735 to about 1812 or 1815.
It is one of the oldest places in the State, having contained a
few scattered houses as early as 1804. It was first
surveyed by the United States Government in 1810, in accordance
with an act of Congress, and again in 1814. The first
town plat was approved Apr. 30, 1810, and
the establishment of the land office in Shawneetown was approved
Feb. 21, 1812, but no land entries were made until July, 1814.
Shawneetown was laid off and established as a kind of trading
post for the saltworks then being established along the Saline
River "by a few squatters who always precede civilization."
For a number of years salt-making proved a very profitable
undertaking, and diffused activity and prosperity all around,
and as a natural consequence Shawneetown acquired an importance
which departed after the salt works were closed.
Among the very early settlers in the place, after
Michael Sprinkle, he being the first settler in the
county and in Shawneetown, were W. A. G. Posey, Dr.
Alexander Posey, and Thomas L. Posey. Thomas
Sloo, first register of the land office, and his sons,
Thomas and John; Dr. A. B. Dake, Dr.
Shannon, Dr. John Reid, John Marshall, Marmaduke S.
Davenport, James Davenport, Moses M. Rawlings, Samuel Hayes,
Solomon Hayes, Michael Jones, James M. Jones, Jacob Barger,
Peter C. Seaton, Samuel Seaton, John Rohrer, John Shearer, Mrs.
Fatima McClernand, mother of John A. McClernand;
Michael Robinson, John C. Reeves, Alexander Wilson
and his sons, John Hilton, John McLean, James
S. Beaumont, Robert Peeples, father of
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John McKee Peeples; James and Alexander Kirkpatrick,
Joseph Logsdon and Joseph Reid.
A word or two of comment about a
few of these early settlers may not be out of place.
Solomon Hayes was one of the innumerable army who have
believed in their ability to discover perpetual motion; but
different from most of them finally arrived at the rational
conclusion that he could not succeed without overcoming or
neutralizing friction. With friction overcome he
believed he could succeed. Jocab Barger settled on
a farm just outside of Shawneetown, near the present roundhouse.
John C. Reeves was cashier of the first bank established
in Shawneetown, and used to sleep at nigh on top of barrels of
silver in order to prevent its being stolen. He was the
founder of the Congressional Globe. Alexander
Wilson was the first to run a ferry across the Ohio River at
Shawneetown. Dr. John Reid moved out of town and
settled on the farm where now resides Mrs. S. C. Rowan.
Some of these, besides those
mentioned above, moved out into the county and settled on farms.
John Pool, father of Orval Pool, was also an early
settler in Shawneetown, as was Joseph M. Street; Mrs.
Catharine Shelby, a colored woman, whose husband was
kidnaped during the times when "colored men had no right which
white men were bound to respect," but who was rescued, came to
Shawneetown in 1812 and is still living. John Marshall
built the first brick house in Shawneetown; Moses M. Rawlings
built the second, which was long known as the Rawlings House,
still standing, and kept by Mr. Connor as a hotel.
Robert Peeples built the third, also still standing, and
occupied as a residence by the widow of John McRey Peeples,
and standing just above E. F. Armstrong's hardware store
on Main Street. Joshua Sexton and his son
Orville were also among the early inhabitants of
Shawneetown.
Among the very early business men in Shawneetown were
Weier & Vallandingham (O. C.), afterward Mr.
Vallandingham
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alone, who kept a general store; for a short time a Mr.
Patterson; Peeples & Kirkpatrick kept a general
store. The first blacksmith was Michael Sprinkle,
elsewhere mentioned; Hiram Walters was a blacksmith and
wagon-maker, carrying on his trades where now stands Swafford
Brothers' store, and Michael Kane also had
a blacksmith shop between Hiram Walters' establishment
and the river. _____ Tarleton kept a tavern in
early days, down on the river bank, near where the present brick
warehouse stands, originally built for a depot by John
Crenshaw. Thomaos M. Dorris was also an early
tavern-keeper, and John Milne was the first silversmith
in the place. One of the most noted early settlers in
Shawneetown was the widow, "Peggy" Logsden, an
excellent physician and midwife, to whose judgment and skill in
the practice of obstetrics all the other early physicians
deferred. It was her custom to ride on horseback to visit
her patients, and no weather was too severe for her to venture
out, nor obstacle too great for her to overcome. She
practiced across the Ohio River in Kentucky as well as in
Gallatin County, keeping a skiff in which she rowed herself
across in answer to calls, which she could distinctly hear from
the other side when at her house on "Sandy Ridge," in the
southern extremity of Shawneetown. One night after she had
retired, a call came to her from the Kentucky shore. She
answered back that she would be there as soon as she could dress
and row across in her skiff. Going down to the river bank
where her skiff was usually moored, she found it gone and not to
be found, nor was any other in sight. She was, however,
not to be daunted, so calling across again, she said she would
be there as soon as she cold swim the river. A log
happened to be at hand with a short, stout limb standing
perpendicularly in the air. Stripping of all her clothes,
she tied them up tightly and suspended them upon the limb, then
stepping into the water, she swam safely across, pushing the log
before her. She had three sons (John, Joseph and
Butler), and two daughters (Margaret and
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Nancy), and besides being an independent and hardy
pioneer, she was a highly respected woman.
Besides these there were other worthy citizens, and
resides, an over abundant supply of those who gave to the place
a bad reputation for many years. Numerous early
missionaries have left on record their recollections of
Shawneetown. A Mr. Low, who was here in
1816, says: "Among its two or three hundred inhabitants not a
single soul made any pretensions to religion. Their
shocking profaneness was enough to make one afraid to walk the
street; and those who on the Sabbath were not fighting and
drinking at the taverns and grog shops, were either hunting in
the woods or trading behind their counters. A small
audience gathered to hear the missionary preach, but a laborer
might almost as soon expect to hear the stones cry out as to
effect a revolution in the morals of the place." Thomas
Lippincott was here in January, 1818, and says: "We found
a village not very prepossessing, the houses with one exception
being set up on posts several feet from the earth," on account
of the annual overflow.
Mrs. Tillson was here nearly four years later,
in November, 1822. Referring to Shawneetown, she says:
"Our hotel,* the only brick house in the place, made quite a
commanding appearance from the river, towering as it did among
the twenty, more or less, log cabins, and three or four
box-looking frames. One or two of these were occupied as
stores; one was a doctor's office; a lawyer's shingle graced the
corner of one; cakes and beer another. The hotel lost its
significance, however, on entering its doors. The finish
was of the cheapest kind, the plastering hanging loose from the
walls, the floors carpetless, except with nature's carpeting -
with that they were richly carpeted. The landlord was a
whisky keg in the morning and a keg of whisky at night; stupid
and gruff in the morning, by noon could talk politics and abuse
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*The Rawlings' House.
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the yankees, and by sundown was brave for a fight. His
wife kept herself in the kitchen; his daughters (one married and
two single), performed the agreeable to strangers; the
son-in-law, putting on the airs of a gentleman, presided at the
table, carved the pork, dished out the cabbage, and talked big
about his political friends. His wife, being his
wife,,, he seemed to regard a notch above the other members of
the family, and had her at his right hand at the table, where
she sat with her long curls and her baby in her lap. Baby
always seemed to be hungry while mamma was eating her dinner,
and so little honey took dinner at the same time. Baby
didn't have any tablecloth! - new manners to me." All of
which serves to show the customs of the times - which, of
course, still prevail in frontier places - and also the
fastidiousness of the observer.
Another incident which, however, happened somewhat earlier,
shows the character of a portion of the people in a different
phase. The great comet of 1811 spread consternation far
and wide among the ignorant and superstitions, and it is related
that when the first steamboat on the Ohio passed Shawneetown it
was believed to be the comet - tail and all! If this be
true, as it doubtless is, this first steamboat must have passed
Shawneetown very soon after the disappearance of the comet, or
while it was below the horizon.
Another incident in the early history of Shawneetown
will always be remembered with pride and pleasure - the visit of
Lafayette in 1825. It was on the 14th of May when the
boat, bearing this great friend of the United States, came in
sight of the town; as it neared the landing a salute of
twenty-four guns was fired. The people of the surrounding
country had turned out en masse to greet the hero of the day.
Two lines were formed from Rawlings' Hotel to the river, calico
having been previously spread upon the ground, upon which the
Frenchman was to walk. Between the lines the committee of
reception, town officials and
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* The Rawlings' House
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other dignitaries, passed to the landing, received the nation's
guest, and escorting him, returned to the hotel, and passed up
again between the lines of silent, uncovered and reverent
citizens. A large number of ladies was assembled at the
door of the hotel, where the party halted, and an address of
welcome was delivered by Judge James Hall.
Lafayette replied in a voice tremulous with emotion,
thanking the people for their gratitude and affection. A
collation was served, and a number of toasts were drunk
appropriate to the occasion. During the festivities an
affecting incident occurred, worthy of record because worthy of
Lafayette A poor, and poorly clad, Frenchman stood at the door
of the hotel, with his eyes resting on the General, but not
venturing to approach. At length the General himself
caught sight of the tattered form of the old soldier, recognized
him, and advanced to greet him with extended hands. They
rushed into each other's arms, and thus stood for some time in
an affectionate embrace. The old soldier had once served
on the body guard of Gen. Lafayette in a time of
danger, and had been the means of saving his life. After a
few hours spent in pleasant converse, the General was conducted
back to the steamer, where he reluctantly took an affectionate
leave of his friends, a salute being fired at his departure as a
lasting farewell.
Shawneetown for a good many years continued to grow in
size and importance, on account of its location on the Ohio
River, and the lack of railroads in the interior of the State.
Following are the names of the principal business men of the
place in 1842: Alexander Kirkpatrick, wholesale and
retail dry goods; E. H. Gatewood, wholesale and retail
dry goods, groceries, hardware and commission merchant; John
Marshall & Son, wholesale and retail dry goods; John T.
Jones, dry goods, groceries and hardware Jesse Kirkham,
groceries, liquors, etc.; J. C. Carter, groceries and
liquors; S. N. Docker, druggist; Thomas Morris,
wholesale
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and retail groceries; W. A. G. Posey, wholesale and
retail dry goods, groceries and hardware; W. A. Docker,
wholesale and retail dry goods, groceries and hardware, and
commission merchant. Henry Eddy and
Samuel D. Marshall were
then the leading attorneys at law.
EARLY AND OTHER BANKS.
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THE STATE BANK OF ILLINOIS.
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Liabilities -
Resources -
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The
Gallatin National Bank
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This bank is still in existence, on Main Street, nearly opposite
the First National Bank.
THE FLOODS.
CONSTRUCTION OF THE LEVEES.
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INCORPORATION OF THE TOWN.
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Following is a list of the principal officers of the city since
the adoption of the charter of 1861, with the date of election.
Mayors:
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Clerks:
Treasurers:
City Attorneys:
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THE LAND OFFICE.
The land
office at this place was established by act of Con-
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gress Feb. 21, 1812, and the commissions of the register and
receiver were sent from the general land office at Washington,
D. C., Apr. 30, 1814, their duties to commence July 1, 1814.
Following are the names of the offices, and their periods of
service:
Registers:
Receivers:
SOCIETIES.
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*Father of Miss Mary E. Cunningham, who was
married to John A. Logan, at Shawneetown, Tuesday, Nov.
27, 1855.
† The history of the Land
Office was furnished by Hon. William A. J. Sparks,
Commissioner of the Land Office at Washington, D. C.
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THE PRESS OF THE COUNTY.
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OTHER TOWNS AND VILLAGES.
NEW HAVEN is situated in the northeast corner of the county,
on the Little Wabash River. It claims to be the third
oldest town in Illinois, and assuming that the town was started
when Jonathan Boone* first settled there, the claim is
doubtless correct. Jonathan Boone was a brother of
Daniel Boone, the famous first settler of Kentucky.
Jonathan Boone made and entry of land under date of Aug.
24, 1814, as follows: Southeast quarter of
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* Not Joseph Boone as is published in the
history of White County.
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RIDGWAY.
Ridgway is a flourishing village of about 400 inhabitants
located on the Ohio & Mississippi Railway one and one-half miles
northwest of the center of the county. The first merchant
in the place was John Hamersly, who opened his store in 1867.
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John Mcllrath was the second and about one year after he
established himself in business, W. A. Dickey in 1870,
bought Mr. Hamersly's goods and continued in business
until 1886. The next business established was a family
grocery and saloon by Charles Evans. Within the
past year (1886) the place has very materially improved and
merchants and others are now moving to Ridgway from the
surrounding country and adjacent towns. The present business
interests are being conducted by W. A. Peeples, dry
goods, groceries, etc.; J. L. Boyd, general merchandise;
John Lunn & Son, dealers in furniture; M. J. Moore,
harness and saddle manufacturer; W. R. Rathbone, general
merchandise (Mr. Rathbone, previous to establishing
himself in business in Ridgway in 1876, had been engaged in the
same business for ten years in Harrisburg, Saline County); W.
H. Bowling, fancy groceries and queensware; Dr. F. F.
Hanna, drugs, medicines and hardware; Charles F. Barter,
hardware; Massey & Hemphill, confectionery,
tobacco, cigars and country produce; Charles Swager,
boots and shoes; B. F. Porter, livery, feed and sale
stable. In August, 1886, W. W. Davidson established
The Central Star, a newspaper independent in politics and
"wide-awake to the interests of Gallatin County." There
are three regular practicing physicians and one dentist.
There are two blacksmith shops and one wood worker. A
hotel was erected in 1881 by N, the present proprietor.
The town, which was named for Thomas Ridgway of
Shawneetown, contains two churches, a Cumberland Presbyterian
and a Catholic, both having large membership, and the Catholic a
resident priest. The public school has two teachers and about
135 scholars. The Catholic school, which is supported by
subscription, employs two teachers and has a large attendance.
A flouring-mill was built in 1884, which is well equipped with
the new roller process and has a capacity of 100 barrels of
flour per day.
The town was incorporated under the general law of
1872, in
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February, 1886, with boundaries as follows: Commencing at a
point one-fourth of a mile due east of the junction of Main and
Division Streets, as originally laid out and recorded, in
Section 30, Township 8, Range 9 east; thence running due south
one-fourth of a mile; thence due west one-half a mile; thence
due north one-half a mile; thence due east one-half a mile, and
thence due east to the beginning. Elections are held on
the third Tuesday of April each year for the election of
trustees and clerk. The police magistrate is elected for
four years. The first president of the board of trustees
was E. Mills, the second and present one W. S.
Phillips. The first and only clerk was J. H.
Hemphill; the first and present treasurer, F. Y. Hannah
constable, William W. Abbott, and police magistrate,
John A, Crawford. The village attorney is W. S.
Phillips. Spirituous liquors are not allowed to be
sold or given away within the limits of the corporation.
The population of the village is estimated at 400 and is slowly
but steadily increasing.
The Central Star was started here by W. W.
Davidson, Oct. 7, 1886. It is a seven-column folio
paper, neutral in politics and has already (March, 1887),
acquired a circulation of 380 copies each week.
OMAHA.
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EQUALITY
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BOWLESVILLE.
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THE SALINE COAL &
MANUFACTURING COMPANY.
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VILLAGES.
Besides the towns above named there are a few other places,
not villages dignified with names, among them, Bartley,
Blackburn, Buffalo, Country Hampton,
Crawford, Hell's Half Acre, Lawler,
Leamington, Overton, Robinet, Seaville,
South Hampton and Wabash. Irish
Store, New Market and Elba have some
pretentions to villages or towns.
CHURCH HISTORY.
Shawneetown Presbyterian Church. - The first Presbyterian
minister to visit the Illinois country was probably John
Evans Finley, from Chester County, Penn., who arrived at
Kaskaskia in 1797. He remained, however, but a short time,
retiring from fear of enrollment in the militia. The next
missionaries to arrive in this country were John F.
Schermerhorn and Samuel J. Mills, who were sent out
by the Massachusetts & Connecticut Missionary Society, and by
local Bible societies. This was in the fall of 1812.
In Illinois Territory there were then no Presbyterian nor
Congregational ministers. Messrs. Schermerhorn
and Mills touched at certain parts of the Territory, and
went on down the Mississippi River with Gen. Jackson
to New Orleans. The next exploring missionary tour was
undertaken in 1814 by Samuel J. Mills and Daniel Smith,
their expenses being borne by the Massachusetts Missionary
Society, by the Philadelphia Bible Society and by the Assembly's
committee of missions. From Cincinnati, Ohio, they passed
through the southern portions of the Territories of Indiana and
Illinois, and found only one Presbyterian minister in Indiana
Territory - Rev. Samuel T. Scott, at Vincennes - and none
in Illinois. On their way to St. Louis they passed through
Shawneetown, where they found Judge Griswold,
formerly from Connecticut; but they could not find a Bible nor a
place in the Territory where a Bible could be obtained. On
their return from St. Louis they again passed through
Shawneetown,
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Equality Presbyterian Church
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* From Norton's History of the Presbyterian Church in
Illinois.
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The
Methodist Churches. -
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The
Catholic Church -
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SCHOOL HISTORY.
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* For origin of this denomination of Christians see
Saline County.
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THE SHAWNEETOWN PUBLIC
SCHOOLS.
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RIDGWAY SCHOOLS.
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OMAHA AND EQUALITY SCHOOLS.
Page 149 - SALINE COUNTY,
ILLINOIS
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