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A
name that for fifty hears has been among the
most prominent in Decatur has been that of
Millikin. In the financial records
of our college, churches, hospitals, Y.M.C.A.
and Y.W.C.A., institutional homes, Art
institute, as well as leading commercial and
industrial enterprises, it is most conspicuous.
James Millikin, who
brought that name to Decatur three-quarters of a
century ago, at once became a leader in business
and industry, and was that all his life.
Few men lived such even and steady growth in
success and prosperity as he had. His
intimates were always impressed by his sound
common sense and remarkable judgment of men.
His foresight and ideas as to values seamed
infallible. Reviewing his life one sees
these traits in all that he did. Some men
have ups and downs. His progress jumps,
but with singular evenness and steadiness.
His is no story of struggle
with poverty. There is no record of
privation and sacrifice. On the other
hand, it is one of strength, confidence,
enterprise. While still a student he drove
sheep west and "sold them to good advantage."
So it is all along the sixty years of active
business. He was never a driver. He
had the time for vacation trips and rest.
He liked to visit and did visit with friends.
His tastes were simple. He made little
display. These are only a few
characteristics of the man who left his mark in
so many places in our history.
James Millikin was born Aug.
2, 1827, at Ten-Mile, Washington county, Pa.1
In his boyhood days he helped with the farm work
in summer and attended district school in
winter, later attending Washington college.
He became a member of the Pleasant Hill
Cumberland Presbyterian church near his home May
27, 1843.
Millikin was a strong,
active youth, and showed early that he was
capable of taking care of himself. It was
while he was in Washington college that he heard
stories of the opportunities of the middle west,
and in the summer of 1849 he and his father
drove a flock of sheep to Indiana where they
sold to good advantage. The next year Mr.
Millikin
drove a flock to Danville. That winter be
attended Wabash college. He made a number
of trips back to Pennsylvania in the next few
years to bring sheep back to this state, always
making money out of the venture. He also
bought and traded cattle, renting land on which
to graze them.
He soon became known as a
breeder of fine stock, and has been called the
"first cattle king of the prairie state."
He won six, silver medal spoons, with the stamp
"Illinois State Fair 1857".
Mr. Millikin made his
first visit to Decatur in 1856. He saw a
future in the place and invested in land.
One of his first purchases was the tract of land
west of Pine street, north of Main and extending
west as far as Oakland, the tract on which he
built his home later.
On coming to Decatur to make
his home he disposed of his stock, and some land
he had acquired, including land at Bement which
the Wabash railroad wanted. By these sales
he netted something to the neighborhood of
$75,000.
After the failure of the
Railroad bank in 1860, Mr. Millikin took
possession of the room the bank had occupied on
Merchant street, put up a sign "James
Millikin, Banker", and started in the
banking business. From then on until his
death the bank was one of his chief interests.
Once, in his early years of
banking, he wanted to sell out to his partner,
but the partner insisted on selling to him, so
he was obliged not only to keep his own
interest, but to take that of his partner.
He had various other
interest, though, besides his bank. He
invested heavily in real estate, seeing the
advance in values which was sure to come.
He not only invested in Illinois land, but
bought thousands of acres in Iowa. He was
a member of the firm which ran the Union Iron
works. In later years he was interested in
Louisiana canal and rice companies.
His achievements and his
benefactions were a key to his character.
He had high ideals and he was devoted to them.
He was always ready to respond to appeals.
He not only founded and helped to maintain the
James Millikin University, but he gave
generously to the Decatur and Macon county
hospital, the Girls' Welfare home, the Anna B.
Millikin home, the Art Institute, the Day
Nursery, the Y. W. C. A. and other institutions.
He had also a share in the
civic life of the city and county, serving as a
city alderman and as a member of the board of
supervisors.
Many a man owes his business
success to Mr. Millikin, who furnished
the money to tide him over at critical times in
business. He encouraged people to invest
in Decatur property. In building the first
steel frame building, seven stories high, he set
the pace for construction of splendid business
buildings.
MRS MILLIKIN
Mr. Millikin and Miss
Anna B.
Aston were married Jan. 1, 1857 by Rev.
E. W.
Thayer, pastor of the First Presbyterian
church. She was the daughter of Rev.
Samuel M. Aston, who was formerly pastor
of the Mt. Zion Cumberland Presbyterian church.
Mr. Aston
bought a farm near Mt. Zion and that was the
family home. Mr. Aston died Nov.
17, 1856. Anna Aston had been educated in
the Washington Female seminary in Pennsylvania,
and after coming to Mt. Zion taught school in
that neighborhood.
[INSERT PICTURE HERE]
MRS. ANNA B. MILLIKIN
Mr. Millikin and his
bride first lived at the Revere house, then set
up housekeeping in a house at the corner of
William and Edward streets, where they lived
until 1876 when they moved into their new
residence in Millikin place, the house which is
now the Art Institute.
When they moved there it was
bare land with only two or three buildings of
small value. Every tree and shrub was set
out under the direction of Mr. Millikin
and among them are some of the rarest and
tallest now in the city. One rare tree
that he placed immediately in front of the
residence is the cucumber tree. Another
rare tree here, but common in Indiana and east
of there, is the tulip tree.
Mrs. Millikin was one
of the promoters of the Macon county Industrial
school for girls, which was incorporated Feb.
26, 1890. She also was one of the founders
of the Anna B.
Millikin home, incorporated in 1892, a
home for aged women and dependent children.
That year Mr. Millikin bought the old
Lake hotel at Sangamon and Lowber streets and
gave it for a home for elderly women. It
was occupied for nearly ten years as the old
ladies home. On Feb. 7, 1893, the
directors of the girls' school and the old
ladies' home had a joint meeting and decided to
combine the two institutions. A charter
was secured under the name of Anna B.
Millikin home and Macon County Industrial
School for Girls.
In 1900, Mr. Millikin
agreed to give $10,000 for the erection of a new
building, and three acres of land across from
Oakland park, if the citizens of Decatur would
raise the same amount of money. They
responded to the appeal. Mr. Millikin
added $5,000 more, and the Anna B. Millikin
home, on Oakland avenue, was erected.
Since the opening in 1901 it has given a home to
many a homeless aged woman and helpless
dependent child.
Mr. Millikin passed
away at Orlando, Fla., March 2, 1909. Mrs.
Millikin lived until July 29, 1913.
Mr.
Millikin's estate was left in trust, the
income to be used for charitable and educational
purposes in Decatur. Much, naturally, has
gone to the support of the James Millikin
university. Mrs. Millikin specified
in her will that the old homestead should be
used for the development of art, a subject in
which she had always been deeply interested.
To carry out her wishes, the Decatur Art
Institute was established there. Mrs.
Millikin was a leading member of the Decatur Art
class, an organization of more than fifty years
standing in Decatur.
As public benefactors Mr. and
Mrs. James Millikin have had no equals in
Decatur. The city owes them a big debt of
gratitude.
--------------------------
1.
Van Dyke street was named in
honor of James Millikin's mother, whose maiden
name was Van Dyke.
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