postoffice is at a cross road on low ground in the woods, but in a beautiful situation, and is called "Quaker Hill."
Dr. Joseph C. Cooke, of the Willow Brook farm near Quaker Hill, was a influential physician here for a number of years. He was born in Piqua County, Ohio, in 1819, emigrated to this county in 1845, died January 22, 1875, and was buried under the honors of the order of Patrons of Husbandry, his funeral being attended by probably a thousand persons.
Drs. John Gilmore, Hiram and Lewis Shepard and P. H. Swaim are or have been practitioners of medicine at Quaker Hill or in the vicinity.
The Hopewell Friend's Church was organized many years ago, and is of the same "monthly meeting" with Friends' Chapel and Pilot Grove in Illinois. The present membership here is 230. Ministers, James P. Haworth, William F. Henderson and Ruth R. Ellis. The minister at Friend's Chapel is Noah Dixon, and at Pilot Grove, John Folger, and meetings are held at each of these places in turn. The overseers at Hopewell (or Quaker Hill) are Jonathan E. and Kate E. Ellis, and Albert and Jane Henderson. Dinah T. Henderson is recorder. The church building, a frame, was erected in 1873, at a cost of $1,250.
The Lebanon Methodist Episcopal Church, east of Quaker Hill, was organized in pioneer days. The present membership is about thirty. Class-leader, Robert Holliday; stewards, R. P. Little, J. L. Thomas, Frank Carmack and Samuel R. White. Pastor, Rev. R. S. Martin, of Newport. The church building a frame, 30 x 36 feet in dimensions, was built over thirty years ago. Sunday-school is maintained all the year, with an average attendance of fifty pupils and superintended by Miss Ella Little.
Vermillion Chapel, Methodist Episcopal Church, three and a half miles south and a little west of Newport, has a membership of about twenty. Class-leader, W. P. Carmack; steward, Allen Clearwaters; Pastor, Rev. R. S. Martin, of Newport. The Sunday-school was recently organized. The old church building, erected about forty years ago, has recently been sold, to give place to a fine brick church, costing $1,500 or $1,800.
Bethel Church, United Brethren, two miles southwest of Newport, was organized many years ago. Present number of members, forty-seven or forty-eight. Class-leader, Levi Brindley; steward, Thomas White. No Sunday-school at present. The house of worship, about 28 x 36 feet in ground area, was built twenty-four or twenty-five years ago.
Opedee Church, United Brethren, organized about 1880, has increased in membership from eight to sixteen. No class-leader at present. Steward, Miss Ella Wimsett. A good Sunday-school has recently been established, of which E. D. brown is superintendent. Meetings are held in a school-house.
Ira Mater, of Hillsdale, is a local preacher of this denomination.
A few United Brethren are meeting at the Eggleston school-house, preparatory to organization. They have a Sunday-school, of which Mr. Dixon is superintendent.
Rev. B. F. Dungan, of Newport is pastor of all the United Brethren churches in Vermillion Township.
The location of the county seat of government at this point has already been sketched.
The first dry-goods store here was opened by Daniel E. Jones, with a lot of goods so small that it seemed one could carry them all
in an arm-full or two. He obtained his start thus: He was shipping some hogs, a part of which died. These were rendered into soap, which was sold for the goods. Mr. Jones afterward became wealthy, and went to Chicago, where he became a millionaire and finally died.
The first good residence built at Newport was the building north of the present Methodist Episcopal church, recently occupied by Mrs. Hiram Hasty and now by Frank Turner.
Conspicuous in this town are several very old, large planted trees. A number of locust trees were planted here in 1832, which are now over two feet in diameter, and one apple tree, near the southwest corner of the public square, appears to be over three feet in diameter four feet from the ground, though at this point the tree bifurcates and is hollow. Decay will soon overtake the growth and bring the venerable old tree down.
The old court-houses and jails are noticed in a previous chapter. The present fine court-house was built in 1866, at a cost of over $30,000. County offices below, large and neatly kept, court-room above. The old log jail was many years ago superseded by a brick building on the hill, which is now used as a residence. The present jail, and sheriff's residence, built in 1868, is a good substantial brick structure on East Market street.
Newport was incorporated as a town early in the spring of 1870. By the records of March 28, that year, we find that the first trustees were -- William E. Livengood, President, Clark Leavitt, Benjamin K. Dicken and E. Y. Jackson; J. A. Souders, Clerk. The presidents and clerks serving since that time have been: Presidents -- E. Y. Jackson, 1871; James A. Bell, 1872-'73; F. M. Bishop, 1874; S. H Dallas, 1875; James A. Foland, 1876-'78; William P. Henson, 1879; Oliver Knight, 1890; James Hasty, 1881-'82; Robert Landon, 1883; Calvin Arrasmith, 1884; Robert B. Sears, 1885; John W. Cross, 1886-'87. Mr. Landon died in 1885; all the rest are living. The clerks have been -- Robert B. Sears, 1871; J. Jump, 1872-'74; J. A. Souders, 1875-'78; J. C. Sawyer, 1879; John N. Hartman, 1880; Oliver H. Knight, 1881; J. C. Sawyer, 1882; O. B. Gibson, 1883-'86' William F. Thornton, 1887.
Newport is divided into four wards, with one trustee from each ward.
Three attempts have been made to dissolve the corporation. The last one was made June 21, 1877, when the question was put to vote, and a majority of nineteen was given in favor of continuing the corporate capacity of the town.
The population of Newport is estimated at 600 to 700. The village is beautifully situated but retired, -- rather more so than the citizens wish. Its only railroad passes nearly a mile distant.
There was for a long time a good grist mill at Newport, on Market street, named the "Eureka Mills," run by steam. It was built by James A. Bell, deceased, who sold to Curtis & White; who in turn sold to B. J. Abbott; and while it was in the possession of the latter, January 26, 1882, it was burned down, by a careless act of some employee, and has never since been rebuilt. The loss was $3,500.
The First National Bank of Newport was organized in 1871, by Josephus and John Collett, Abel Sexton, Isaac Porter, R. H. Nixon and Clark Leavitt, and opened their place of business in a fine brick building, erected and fitted up for the purpose, at the northwest corner of the public square. Its "national" character was afterward surrendered, and the bank changed, by the same board of directors, into the "Vermillion County Bank," with a paid up capital of
$60,000 and a surplus of over $6,000, continuing to do a general banking business. In January, 1880, it was again changed, taking the name of "Collett & Co.'s Bank," and comprising Prof. John Collett, of Indianapolis, Stephen S. Collett, of Newport, Mrs. Mary H. Campbell, of Crawfordsville, and Joshua Jump of Newport. Since then Mrs. Campbell's stock has been transferred to Mrs. Lieutenant M. T. May, of Greencastle; and now S. S. Collett is general manager, and J. D. Collett, cashier. Capital, $27,000.
The predecessor of the Hoosier
State was the Olive
Branch, the first paper printed in Newport, and
established by A. J. Adams, now of Danville, Illinois, and edited by A.
D. Patten. The number for December 29, 1853, which we presume
was the first number, shows the motto of the organ to have been,
The paper was Whiggish in politics, becoming Republican on the organization of that party.
The number above referred to, like all the country papers of that day, has but little local news or original matter in it, the salutatory, a column in length, being about all the original matter in this number. The following gentlemen were advertised as contributors to the paper: Rev. David Taylor, Terre Haute; Robert Ross, Principal of the Terre Haute graded school; Samuel Taylor, Principal of the Newport Seminary; Dr. H. H. Patten, Princeton, Indiana; and Dr. J. S. Sawyer, Vincennes, Indiana.
The latest telegraph news in the paper was dated December 17, twelve days before the date of issue. A long letter from W. S. Turner, Bodega, California, dated October 31, 1853, is published. Charity Moss and Susannah Dyke give notice that they will apply at the next term of the common-pleas court for a divoce; William Utter, the county treasurer, gives notice that he will be at Perrysville the 5th, Eugene the 6th, Indiana Furnace the 10th, and Clinton the 11th, days of January, 1854, for the purpose of collecting taxes due for the year 1853; Joseph Reeder, of Clinton Township, advertises an astray mare taken up by him, and appraised at $55 before Esquire Ben Harrison; Richard Potts, Sheriff, advertises a tract of land in Clinton Township for sale, belonging to Isaac Van Nest, and in favor of Benjamin R. and John Whitcomb. At that time James A. Bell was county clerk.
W. A. Henderson was the only merchant of newport who had an advertisement in the paper. He occupied about one inch of space in notifying the people that he kept drugs, all kinds of patent medicines, groceries and flour. J. M. Hood gives notice that he is a notary public, and also keeps the telegraph office, on the east side of the public square, with W. A. Henderson. Dr. J. R. Willitts flings his card to the breeze as a physician and surgeon. T. C. W. Sale, H. D. Washburn, S. G. Malone and D. M. Jones have cards in this number advertising themselves as attorneys at law.
Most of the advertisements are of Terre Haute business. There is an item of news stating that the Evansville & Terre Haute Railroad was completed between those two points.
The price of the Olive Branch was placed at $1.50 a year if paid in advance, $2 at the end of six months and $2.50 at the end of a year.
The Olive Branch was changed to the Hoosier State in 1855, and published at
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