Rensselaer Republican, Volume 19, Number 18, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1887 — IMPROVEMENTS In JASPER COUNTY. [ARTICLE]

IMPROVEMENTS In JASPER COUNTY.

For the Tear ISH6. The appended, list of improvements m the county, outside of Rensselaer, is necessarily very imperfect, owing to the difficulty of obtaining accurate reports from the out townships Many of the values given, also, are only approximately, correct, being not the figures given by the owners, but the estimates of other persons, more or less familiar with the improvements estimated upon. The report is sufficiently full and correct, however, to show that a very commendible spirit of improvement and development is abroad among the farners and vil- . lage residents of the county. It is a spirit which has done much, during the last few years, to improve and beautify the home surroundings of many of our people, and which we confidently believe, will continue its work until small and comfortless • houses and poor and insufficient out-buildings will be much less common than at present, on the farms and in the villages of this count}’. The great feature of the improvements for the year, in the county, has the building of a new railroad through it; the extension of the Chicago <fc Indiana Coal Railway. The length inside this county of the main line of the new road is almost exactly 18 miles, and of the side-tracks probably six or eight miles. It is a remarkably well built road, throughout It would probably be- a tolerably fair estimate to place the,total cost of that part of it within the county at §250,tK)0. In the matter of public improve- • ments in the county, may be mentioned six new iron bridges, four in Carpenter tp., one in Marion and ,-one in Jordan, The total cost was very nearly 84,800. BY TOWNSHIPS AND TOWNS. ' Marion Township. The following named persons have built residences or other buildings during the year, of about the value in dollars specified in each case: Milroy Stackhouse, residence and improvements at tile mill 82,000; Wm. Baker, house 82.700. Thos. Monnett, rebuilt bouse, 81,500; J. V. Parkison, house. 81,200; Susie Monegan, house, 81,000; Richard > Grow, house, 81,000; T. P. Daugherty, house, 8400; - ••• Pruett, house, 8300: Andy lvohler, house, $300: F. M. Parker, barn, 8800, Wm. Coen, addition to house, 8330. Fair Oaks and Union Township. In Fair Oaks the following persons have erected residences or business houses during the year: Ed. Johnson, M. B. Coy, Ben Mtv Colly, Wm Hudson, MiltonSwaim, Henry Barker, Wm. Johnson, D. Medary, C. Hayes, M. F. Johnson, Kessler, Geo. Graves, T. Thornton, Chas. McColly, Willis McColly, Clark Pierson, T. H. Davisson, Wm. Helsel, Wm. Pattee, T. J .Mallatt, Isaac Middleton. These buildings are' mostly small and their total cost was probably from 84,500 to $5,000. A 'school house, worth 8500 has also been built at Fair Oaks, and the C. I, Crlias built a brick round house, a large boarding house, water tanks <kc. to the value of $3,000 or §4,000. In Union tp., D. H. Alter, house, $l5O. Jordan Township. A. J. Yeoman, residence 81,000; Wm Essen, barn, s‘3oo. - Remington and Carpenter Tp., In Remington the improvements so far as reported, have been very, extensive, sufficient, certainly, to indicate that the town has very fully recovered from the “set-, back" resulting from its overgrowth of ten or twelve years ago. In Remington Stiller, Goldsberry 4 Co., have remodeled and increased their store building, verv extensively; J. E. Hollett built a fine business room; Phelps Bros, added very largely to their store building; Wm Green, W. H. Coover, D. W. Green, W. R. Love and Robert Shearer, all built new residences; D. R S. Tntjtle, Chris Hardy and J. Skeffler made ex* tions to their* houses; and the Presbyterian church has been practically rebuilt. Many minor improvements, not here mentioned, have added to the appearance of Che town and the comfort of its

people. In Carpenter tp., outside of Remington, tew improvements in the way of buildiug liuve been . noted. A great deal of money has been well expended in tile draining, however. A very large barn, the largest perhaps in the county, has been built by Treat Durand, near Remington. Babkijev Township. Capt. G. W. Payne, house, $800; Belle Barkley, house, $600; James Longstreth, house, $500; Wm Bull, add. to house, $l5O. A. Parkinson, large barn. *. In Milroy township, James Lashbaugh, A. W. Cleveland and Peter Hinds have built new houses or additions. In Hanging Grove H. 8. Bailey has built a new house and other buildings, to the value of S6OO. Jesse Gwin has built h good barn. In Newton township, Milton Makeever has built a good residence of the value of about $1,200. John Martindale, house, SBOO. Fred Lang, house at Surrey, $1,500. James A. Powell, house, SSOO. E. Wuerthner, house S2OO. Iu Walker tp., Mr. Pearson and Mr. Nichols have built store buildings at the proposed new town at Hogan’s school house. A Start In (tie Right Direction.

At the regular meeting of the Town Board, Monday evening, only three members were present and not very much business was tran sacted. A few unimportant claims were allowed, and the petitions for street lamps and a night watch, were laid upon the table. In one respect the Board made an important move, and in the right direction: They voted that they would receive sealed proposals, at their next meeting, for constructing five large fire cisterns, at convenient points iu the town. The specifications call for cisterns made of white pine, heavy and well made, and to hold about 100 barrels each. A Letter from Rev. Wm. 11. v Sayler. Epitob Republican:— l have thought that it might interest friends at Rensselaer, and vicinity, to hear from one who never forgets old home and. old friends. Our lines on earth have fallen in pleasant places. Last March wo received and accepted a call to preach for the Homer Fiee Baptist church, at Troy Grove, 111. Wc commenced outwork here the 4th Sabbath in March, last. At first we were somewhat discouraged. The church was badly scattered and discouraged. They had had no preaching for a longtime, no Sabbath school, “no nothing’'. Their former pastor was a bad man, and had very nearly broke up the church. But God has said, that a bruised reed he will not break and a smoking flax, he would not quench. Therefore we sat to work to gather up the fragments. The first step was toorganjze a Sunday school. We did that the lirst Sabbath in May. with about 40 scholars, and it has grown to 128 scholars at present, and is still on the increase. Our town is located on a branch of the North Western railroad, and is a iSaSHfut village of 400 inhabitants, has two churches and one saloon. The latter has daily converts And runs night and day. The people here aro kind and very generous, and we have received only good from them, ever since we came among them. Last Tuesday, the 28th, We were invited by a good brother out to take dinnerand of course we went aud were having a good time, generally, when in came a friend and said there was company at the parsonage aud we must go home, for it as | an urgent case, so we went, aud behold, ! the church and the friends had broken i into the house and it was filled from j | cellar to garret, and they had set a j i table the full length of the dicing hall l arid that was laden with everything that heart could wish. After dinner we were again surprised a - the many presents bestowed upon ; us, in value nearly STo. Thus closed one of the happiestlTays of our lives. ° Wm. H. Saykek. At the Trade Palace can be found the best stock of Gloves and Mittens in the' county. Bucklen’s Arnica Salve- ~~” The Best Salve in the world for (h is Bruises, Sores, Ulcers,Ssh. Ilhectri, Ft*ver Sores, Teller, Chapped Hands Chilblains, 'Guru's, and ail Skin Eruptions, and posii lively cures Piles or uo p*y required. It »guaranteed to give perfect satisfaction or moiitv refunded. Price 25 cents f>tr boi For sale by F. B. Meyer, 18-8-ljrt