About Jackson Township
MILLS, DISTILLERIES, ETC.
About the year 1830, Joshua Whiteley built a small corn-cracker on Indian Creek, just east of Morgantown. Of course, water was the motor, and the wheel was of the tub or bucket kind. It is said the owner would leave it for hours at a time, and upon returning, would find the grist ground. He had an old dog that became very fond of corn meal, and sometimes when the master had left the mill to run itself the old dog would enter, seat himself on his haunches and lick up the meal as fast as it fell from the spout. The manufacture of meal was so slow that it would not come down as fast as the canine desired, whereupon he would howl dismally until another mite had fallen. The reader may take the story what it is worth. A few years after this corn-cracker was built, James Blair erected another on the creek a short distance west of town. This was operated until about 1840, when it was abandoned. Joshua Bowles also built a grist mill near town late in the thirties, which ran for eight or ten years and did good work. The old Vansicke Mill at Mahalasville was built in the forties, and under various owners and with many improvements is yet in operation. It was originally built by John Coonfield. David Haase owned a small distillery where apple and peach brandy and corn and rye whisky were manufactured. Considerable good liquor was made here. It was moved across the line into Washington Township, and was conducted after the last war.
MANUFACTORIES.
Obenchain & Lake owned and conducted quite an extensive cabinet shop early in the forties. The Feslers were in the same business, together with wagons and buggies, in the thirties. T.J. Lamb conducted a wagon in town. One of the earliest and most noteworthy industries was the linseed oil mill built by John Fee about the year 1835. Much more flax was raised in those times, comparatively than now. Almost every farmer owned a flax field. The seed found its way into Fee’s mill, where it was crushed by iron rollers, heated until the oil had run out and then pressed into cakes, and sold for food to stock. Five or six hands were constantly employed, and hundreds of gallons of the oil were barreled and transported to market. The enterprise continued eight or ten years. Early in the fifties, James McAllsiter built a woolen mill, where for four or five years large amounts of wool were carded, but no spinning or weaving was done. He also owned a saw mill. Mr. Lang built the big grist mill near the depot many years ago. The grinding has run down at present. William Hickey manufactured large quantities of plug tobacco about twenty years ago, continuing about three years. He used all the tobacco raised for miles around, and brought in considerable from outside points. The present population of the town is about 800.
PRESENT BUSINESS PURSUITS
Dry goods, Clarence H. Jones, G.W. Buckner, W.B. Hill, J.H. Hickey & Son, Mrs. M.L. Walker. Groceries, I.N. Coonfield, Gibson M. Berry & Co., M.T. Hancock. Furniture and undertaking, Peter Fesler. Millinery, Mrs. M.L. Walker, Paulina Vandergriff, Mrs. L.G. Karst. Agricultural implements, C.H. Obenchain, J.W. Crawford & Son. Barber, A.L. Gross. Hotels, Charles Saltcorn, James Santifer. Photographer, James Walker. Butchers, George Overstreet, Harry Jackson. Carpenters and builders, Fesler Brothers, Jeremiah Kelso. Doctors, R.C. Griffitt, W.J. Butler, Mr. Selfridge, Ira Willen. Saw mill and lumber, M.J. Bell. Grist Mills, R.M. Dill, W.S. Coleman. Harness, J.M. Neeley. Boots and shoes, James Hickey. Liveries, J.K. Coffman, W.H. Fesler. Lawyers, Judge Ramsey, W.L. Rude, J.V. King. Common sense bee hives, Sprague & Patterson. High School Professor, James Henry, 1882-83. Secret Societies, Masons, Odd fellows and Knights of Honor. The village was incorporated about 1870, but was not continued thus.
EDUCATION
Schools were started in the vicinity of Morgantown, under the patronage of the residents of that neighborhood, about the year 1830. A log schoolhouse was built east of town, and was used until about 1834, when another was built in town. This was used until 1840, when a frame schoolhouse took its place. John Fee donated the lot. The first teacher in town cannot be named. Milton Guthridge, John Vitito and James Hogeland were early teachers, but not the first. Early in the fifties a new frame schoolhouse was built which was used continuously until the present brick building was built, about ten years ago, at a cost of $3,700, Mr. Demoss being the contractor. Cathcart, Kennedy, Shuck, Morris and others have taught in this house. It is a fine two-story brick building, and is a credit to the town and township. It was built by the township, and is called the Jackson Township High School. It was during the latter part of the decade of the thirties that schools were started in the western, southern and northern portions. In 1840, there were four established schools, and in 1850, three more.
RELIGIOUS CLASSES.
A class of the Christian denomination was organized at Morgantown early in the forties, among the members being the families of John Fesler, Albert Roberts, John Trower, George W. McNaught and others. The class was small and did not grow rapidly. After a few years they were strong enough to build a frame church in the eastern part of the town. This house was used until the present brick was erected early in the seventies, at a cost of about $3,000. The Methodists had the first class in Morgantown. It was organized not far from 1836. The early membership comprised among others the families of Reuben Griffitt, A.S. Hickey, David Howell, James Pratt, John Cochran, Samuel C. Hamilton, James A. Coeplin, Daniel H. Warner, Larkin DeHart and others. In December, 1844, James Pratt, for $10, deeded to the class a piece of land 31 x 31 feet on Lot 64, upon which the following year a log church was built. This house was used until about the beginning of the last war, when the present frame structure was erected at a cost of $2,000. The class is considerably run down at present, and needs some evangelist to stir it up. About 1845, a German Methodist class was organized in the northern part. The families of Christian Hess, George Weamer, Michael Knipstine, Fred Miller, David Bowling, Conrad Muth, Fred Truckess, and others belonged. The class divided soon, one branch becoming German Lutherans, at the head being Michael Knipstine, Henry Cook, Andrew Gross and others. Their church was built after a few years. Late in the forties, the Mount Nebo Methodist Church was organized. William Howell, Daniel Moore, Mansfield Moore, Martin L. Creed, Ed Ferguson and William H. Jackson were leading members, the latter being pastor in 1851. Their church was built after a few years. A Baptist Church was built at Morgantown in the fifties, the whole expense, or nearly so, being borne by Col. Vawter. It was a brick building, and is said to have cost $2,000. This church was succeeded, four or five years ago, by the present frame building, which cost $2,100. Later churches have been started by the Methodists and Baptists. There are now in the township nine churches. This speaks well for the morals of the township.
Source: Counties of Morgan, Monroe and Brown, Indiana. F.A. Battey & Co., Publishers, 1884.