Plymouth High School - Mayflower Yearbook (Plymouth, IN)

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Teachers' salaries in the county were: those licensed for 6 months — «30 00 and those licensed for 12 month — «30 00 per month. December 12,1867 Ceremony of laying the comer stone of the Plymouth school building took place on July 4, 1874. July 9,1874 (Plymouth Demo) Someofthe teachrrsm the common schools of the county are in the habit of turning out the hoys and girb at recess together. This » in violation of the rules and regulations of the County board of KAjcation and ts demoralizing in its effect on the children and dioiid be regarded as sufficient ground for revoking the teacher 's icense —November 13.1879«Plymouth Demo» Alumni Association formed in 1878 First banquet held June 30. 1818 First glee club organised in 1873 First brass Band organiied in IRS3 Plymouth Philharmonics organized in 1878 PRELIMINARY ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY From McDonald History I MM Prior to the organization of Marshall county It was a part of the Northwest Territory, which was ceded by Virginia to the United tales os provided in the ( dlnance of 1787 The government had surveyed into congressional townships, six miles square. ■ mtaming MO acres In the course of time these townships were ivided by the gov ernment surveyors into sections. half sections nd quarter sections The lands in northern Indiana were sur- eyed under the direction of Jerry Smith, sent out by the govern- lent to survey the land yet unsurveyed, and especially the lands sewed from the Indians by the various treaties All of Marshall aunty was survey ed by him and his assistants, as well as the ankakre reservations m I jPorte. Starke, Pulaski, Porter and ake counties The first meeting of the board of commissioners of Marshall aunty, after the organization of the county, was held at the house r Grove Pomeroy, on the second day of May, 18» Mr Pomeroy as then a resident of Plymouth and resided in a log house tuated on lot No 42, comer I .a Porte and Michigan streets, the ime now being occupied by the Corbin brick building Mr orneroy was a man of robust build, 5 feet 8 in height. 180 pounds etghl. was a man of good busineaa qualifications and strong in a convictions in regard to the Democrats, although he never k a very active part in local politica. At this meeting Robert Blair. Abraham Johnson and Charles usterhsute were the commissioner Mr Ousterhaute was •rhape the best known to the people at that time of any who irticipatrd in the preliminary organization of the county He aided on a farm on the west si dr of the Michigan road, about one id one half miles south of Plymouth He was a robust, athletic an. a Canadian by birth, and had seen a great deal of the world his time lie spoke fluently the language of the Pottawattomie id Miami tribes of Indians, also French and German He was igaged in the war of 1812, serving his country as a spy. He was •rt of dare-devil and was never saddled unless he was, so to “ ak. at the head of the procession He figured extensively in e politics of his time, and was partially successful He died early his career in this county, of a disease known as gangrene of the nt or Pott’s sore toe.” His leg was amputated twice, but his •stem had become so thoroughly inoculated with the disease that • lived but a short time after the last operation After appointing Jeremiah Muncy deck during the term, the »ard adjourned to meet at the house of Charles Ousterhsule at 1 duck the same day The first business transacted was: Ordered by the board. That the seal of said commissioners shall be a wafer with a paper placed on it in the shape of a HS 1876-1976 diamond, sealed with a seal in the shape of a heart The board then divided the county into three districts It was also ordered that District No I be known by the name of North township. District No 2 by the name of Center township, and District No 3 by the name of Green township The elections were ordered to be held as follows: In North township at the house of Adam Vinnedge In Center township at the house of Charles Ousterhaute. In Green township at the house of Sidney Williams It will be observed by reference to the county map that the territory embraced in North township was what is now German. North and Polk townships, Center township embraced what is now Bourbon, Center and West townships, and Green township embraced what is now Tippecanoe. Green. Walnut and Union. The residence of Adam Vinnedge. the place designated for holding elections in North township, was on the Michigan road abbut six miles north of Plymouth Mr Vinnedge was the father of Adam Vinnedge. many years a resident of Plymouth, some time since deceased He was a man of energy and ability, and took an active part in the preliminary organization of the county. The residence of Charles Ousterhaute. as previously stated, was an the west side of the Michigan road about a mile and a half south of Plymouth, it being more convenient for a majority of the voters of the township as then constituted to reach that place than Plymouth, it being composed then of only about three dwelling houses. The electron in Green township was held at the residence of Sidney Williams, which was at or near where Argos now stands Mr. Williams owned the land at that place, and laid out a village which he called Sidney, to perpetuate his own name, that being his given name. Mr Williams sold his farm not many years af- terwards and went overland to California during the gold ex- citement of ‘49 and the early ‘SOs. Not many years later additions were made to the embryo village, one of which was called Fremont, in honor of John C Fremont, who was about that time the first Republican candidate for President Through some political manipulation the past office was removed from Sidney to Fremont. Through the efforts of Congressman Schuyler Colfax it was. however, not long afterwards removed back to Sidney, and the name of the post office changed from Sidney to Argos. With the defeat of Fremont for President, the town of Fremont went out of existence, and in course of time the legal name of Sidney was discontinued and that of Argos substituted. Once after he went to California Mr Williams returned to Marshall county, but he had gone blind and was unable to behold the marvelous changes that had taken place during his absence of more than a third of a century. He died in Illinois several years ago. The first election after the organization of the county was held on the first day of August. 18». for the purpose af electing a senator, representative in the state legislature, sheriff, probate judge, county commissioners school commissioner, coroner and justices of the peace. In North township there were thirty seven votes cast John Johnson. James Palmer and Adam Snyder were judge of said election, and James Jones and Abraham Johnson clerks Thomas Packard and Robert Johnson were elected justices of the peace of North township. In Center township there were eighty -three votes cast Of these not one a living Samuel D. Taber was inspector of the election. John Ray and William Bishop judges. Harrison Metcalf and John Blair clerks In Green township there were nineteen votes cast. EweU Kendall was inspector. Fielding Bowles and Samuel B Patterson judges. Jeremiah Muncy and John A. Boots darks Act toOrgaaize Marshall County The act passed by the legislature for the organization of Mar shall county was approved February 4. 18» By whom it was introduced and the prdimmanet connected with its passage, nothing is known At that time Marshall county was designated as unorganized territory. and of course it had no members of the legislature to look after its interests in the general assembly St. Joseph and LaPorte counties had been organized tlx years previously, and it

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Center Township 1. BERKEY 6. HAZELTON 11 2. BRIGHTSIDE 7. INWOOD 12 3. BRUNDIGE 8. JORDAN 13 4. DENMAN 9. LEE 14 5. EWALD 10. LIGGETT 15 LYCURGUS H. MAPLE GROVE 16. SIMONS OAKDALE 17. STOCKMAN PLYMOUTH • 00 WALNUT GROVE ROBERTS 19. WILDERNESS KMS 1 y '6 w 6

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i» probably the member of the legislature from those counties secured the passage of the act. County Heat located On the 30th day of July. 1836. the county seat was located at Plymouth by three of the commissioners named by the legislature for that purpose This was done at a special session of the board of county commissioners The county having been organized, the board of commissioners, consisting of Robert Blair, Abraham Johnson and Charles (lusterhaute. ordered the clerk of the board. Jeremiah Muncy, to file among the papers of the court the deeds for the lands donated, and have the same recorded among the deed records of the county Prior to the organization of Marshall county the territory embraced in it was designated unorganized territoryand St. Joseph county, having been organized in 1830. the territory of Marshall county was considered under the jurisdiction of St. Joseph county From Judge Howard's History of St. Joseph County (IMS page 374) the following in regard to -Plymouth township. St Joseph county, Is taken ns being of rare historical intereat: On September 1. 1834. the board of commissioners of St Joseph count) ordered that all the territory of the county lying south oi the north line of congressional township 33 north, should form a new township to be called Plymouth The township so formed indwfcd the south parts of the present townships of Madison Union and Liberty. and all of lincoln It also included so much of the present counties of Marshall and Starke as then formed a part of St Joseph county. In the order setting off the township the board provided for an election for the choice of two justices of the peace for said township, to be field on the 27th of September. 1834 On October 13 of the same year the election so field was contested before the board the contest sustained and a new election ordered Both elections were held at Grove Pomeroy's, in said town of Plymouth, in St. Joseph county. Mr Pomeroy was himself ap pointed inspector of election until the ensuing April election. At the May term. 18». of the county board. Samuel D Taber was allowed the sum of II 30 for making a return of the election of Plymouth township The town of Plymouth, now the county scat of Marshall county, was situated in and gave its name to the township of Plymouth We have already seen that the plat of this town was filed and recorded in the office of the recorder of St. Joseph county in October, 1134 The rocorcfc of the commissioners show that an December 7, 11» there was reported therein the description and plat of the survey of the state road from Goshen, in Elkhart county, to Plymouth, in St Joseph county 'By an act of the legislature approved February 7, 1835. the north boundary of Marshall county was defined to be the north Une of congressional township 34. leaving all of township 35 in St. Joseph county This congressional township, as we have seen, was included in the civil township of Plymouth The act of February 7. It», does not teem to ha vs been intended to complete the organization of Marshall county, but by an act passed at the next session of the legislature, February 4.18». the county was finally organized and the north boundary of the county was extended to the middle line of congressional township 33. thus leaving in SI. Joseph county only so much of Plymouth township as was In- cluded in the north half of congressional township 35 The con- sequence was that Plymouth as a township of St Joseph county censed to exist, the territory still remaining being attached to the adjacent townships of the county, as their boundaries were defined by successive orders of the board of county com- missioners ' As been stated elsewhere m this history, the hoiae of Grove Pomeroy where the election referred to in the above extract was held, was an the northwest corner of Michigan and LaParte streets, now known as the Corbin corner Samuel D Taber, also spoken of in the extract, reaided on the east side of the Michigan road south of Plymouth about three mile He called hka place Pash-po for an Indian chief of that name. For road purposes the whole of Marshall county was attached to St. Joseph county and was called Road District No. 19, and Grove Pomeroy seems to have been the supervisor At the first meetinj of the board of commissioners of Marshall county after lb organization in 18» he made a report of his doings as sud supervisor, which is as follows Now comes Grove Pomeroy, supervisor of the nineteenth roa district for the county of St Joseph. Plymouth township, for th year 18». and makes return or report Account of work done b hand» liable to work on public highways in nineteenth roa district in county of St Joseph. Indiana, during year ending th first Monday in April. 18» Lot Abrams. Charles OiBterhautr John Brown. Grove O Pomeroy and Jtneph Evan each worke one day Twenty-one others paid 91 each cash What disposition was made of this 921 the recorda do not show At that time April 1. 18» - Marshall county had not yet bee organized, that important event in our history not occurring unt July 20. 18». nearly four months later A few white settlers began to locate here in 18». and under a unorganized condition the inhabitants were under the protretin care of St Joseph county, which was organized in 18» At tha time St Joseph county was bounded on the north by Michiga territory; an the meat by LaPorte and the unorganized territor south of LaPorte. on the south by the unorganized lands, and o the east by the unorganized lands and Elkhart county Its exter wm about thirty miles from north to south, and twenty seve mikw from east to west, including an area of about 749 squar miles, or 473.600 acres Its population in 18» was 287 inhabitanti in June. 1832. it was estimated at 1.J00 and so great had been th immigration it is said that in 1833 the population was estimated t two thousand The legal organization of Marshall county began in May. 183 by the formation of North. Center and Green townships, i previously stated Pl.YMOl THORGAM F!» S ATllttS Plymouth was organized as a town corporation under a chart granted by the legislature under an act approved February 1 1831 Poor to the adoption of the new constitution the legisJalu passed special acta for aim cat every conceivable kind of pur pcs among which was the incorporation of towns After the taku effect of the new constitution the legislature passed a general a which enabled towns of a certain number of inhabitants to i corporate under It. thereby saving the legislature the u necessary trouble of passing special acta In 1831 an act was passed by the legislature permitti Plymouth to organize as an incorporated town, which was do some time during that year, but precisely the date, or who t first officers were is not known, at all the records were destroy in the disastrous fire of 1857 From the Plymouth Pilot, which w started here about that time, the following information is lamed The town council, which had Just then been created b) special act of the legislature, passed an ordinance providing th sidewalks be built on each side of Michigan. LaPorte and Cent streets, four feet wide, ef white oak or yellow poplar plank The were the first sidewalks built on these streets They extend from LaPorte street north to Garro street Ordinances were a! passed Pro ho biting ball playing within the limits of the town. Pro hi biting the shooting or firing of guns upon the original p of said town, also Prohibiting horse r a icing in the streets Prior to this there was no town organization whatever a everyone did as he pleased without let or hindrance Town b was a favorite game on Michigan street between UPorte a Garro streets, every day when anough of idle men and boy» wi around to make the game interesting. For a time horae raci was a favorite amusement Old Jade Smith came here as shoemaker He was an all-around sport and was the owner o twin little runner which he exercised up and down Michu street almost every day. and occasionally another horae v pitted against his horse. The track was on Michigan street fr Jefferson to LaPorte streets, and was a sight to behold 1 passage of the ordinances stopped all this, and the streets w ev er after used for the purposes for which they were intended PHS 1876 19 —10-