II B R.AR.Y OF THE UN IVLR.SITY Of ILLINOIS cop ILLINOIS HISTORICAL SUKTOf Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign http://archive.org/details/historyofmassaccOOmayg AiNncn ixs*-ind HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY ILLINOIS BY GEORGE W. MAY Teacher, Public Schools of Illinois WAGONER PRINTING COMPANY GALESBURG, ILLINOIS COPYRIGHT 1955 BY GEORGE W. MAY A spot of local history is like an inn upon a highway; it is a stage upon a far journey; it is a place the National history has passed through. There mankind has stopped and lodged by the way. —Woodrow Wilson 2 PREFACE As a little boy four years old, the author remem- bers his parents taking him to old Fort Massac one Fourth of July. At the age of seven he was taken to live with his grandparents for one year. The home was in an area which commanded a sweeping view of most of the county and part of Kentucky. Those were impressionable days. At night the grandparents would tell many tales of yore about the region. A love for the home county was thus early engendered in the child. As time went by he became curious to know more about Massac county. Some of the fruits of his inquiry follow in this book. No county in "Egypt", or Southern Illinois, has a more interesting history than Massac. It has played its part under the rule of five distinct peoples. It has held from earliest times a strategic position. Interest in our county history centers around old Fort Massac. It was early visited by the French, and here in 1757 they staged their last struggle for possession of the fairest portion of the New World —Illinois. "Probably the most outstanding event that ever happened in Massac County," said the late Roy R. Helm in a memorial address, "was when Clark landed on the north bank of the Ohio on June 28, 1778." Part of Aaron Burr's conspiracy was planned here. Many other stirring events have occurred in the county and in the adjacent region. Massac has played its part well in the unfolding of the progress of the Nation—through the tide of im- migration, the various wars, and the quiet daily tasks of economic life. Flowing past the entire south side of Massac County is the beautiful Ohio River, "La Belle Riviere/' as the French called it when they first be- held the glistening, undulating body of that stream. It is a river which vies with the Mississippi in im- portance. Nations struggled for it. It is the "Gate- way to the North and the South/' The river has been the scene of many dramatic incidents and also the cause of some leading historical events. The Ohio ranked as a personage in the legends of the Indians, and they reliquished it with much bitter- ness. Illinois and Kentucky both can look with just pride upon "Ohiopechen," "the Deep Broken Shining River," as the native Indian did before the coming of the white man broke the dual continuity. This rich heritage of local history was, until a few years ago, scarcely known to thousands of people in the county. Only brief mention was made of the legend of Father Mermet. Clark's visit in 1778 was vaguely treated. The situation in 1846, such as is now almost unbelievable, was neglected. Social and cultural history was only dimly seen in the discus- sions of the larger State and National development. There has been an upsurge of interest in local his- tory all over America during recent years. Interest in Massac County history has awakened among the local citizens as well. Perhaps the Metropolis Cen- tennial gave the spark in 1939. This former neglect has been only natural and in no way reflects upon the interest and pride which the people have in their county. With the exception of O. J. Page's History of Massac County, published more than fifty years ago, the accounts are frag- mentary. No average person or school child would be expected to read the material in such form. Page's book has been out of print almost since it was pub- lished, and copies are rare. It is the aim of this little book, if not to present many new facts or aspects of our local history, at least to revive interest in its history. There are few attempts at original interpretations of historical points in dispute. That is left for academic research workers with their mass of references and footnotes. The aim has been rather to present briefly some of the high spots for school children and for those adults having only a casual interest. It is hoped a reading will inspire a deeper esteem for Massac County. If certain viewpoints do not seem conven- tional, if the reader detects any gross errors, if there seems to be a lack of literary expression or show, bear in mind that the purpose is to arouse a new in- terest, especially in the children who are now in school. It is suggested that when a period is studied in National or State history, that Massac be drawn into the picture whenever possible. In that way, children will see the relation of local events to points in their regular text books. It is hoped also that a phrase or sentence here and there will generate a spark which will lead some future embryonic his- torian to delve deeper. This lengthy preface may well indicate the possibilities. Let it not be supposed that all available material — has been used. Much detail has been omitted. Several chapters of a secondary character have been entirely deleted. As Samuel Crothers has said in his book, The Gentle Reader: "Kind-hearted historians over- load their works. There is no surer oblivion than that which awaits one whose name is recorded in a book that undertakes to tell all,"* so some principles of selection must guide. Bits of reminiscences, anecdotes, and oddities are interesting but com- promise is made necessary by the demands of reality. The extremely high cost of publication is a very real factor. Often the only alternative to a small book is no book at all. As a convenient book of reference, a "clearing house" for the scattered material, it is hoped this book will commend itself to all. Numbers in parentheses inserted in the text refer to the authorities as numbered in the bibliography. O. J. Page has been largely drawn upon. Much in his book is worthy of being incorporated in any proposed history of the county. In several instances material may not be credited to Page, for which acknowledgment is hereby made. But throughout, the most natural order has been attempted, declining to copy Page's, which, in some instances, does not seem the most logical. Especial thanks are given the Illinois State His- torical Society for blanket permission to use material from its various publications and from the Centen- *Samuel Crothers The Gentle Reader (Houghton Mifflin Company. 1903), P. 182. By special permission. nial History of Illinois. Grateful acknowledgment is made to those who from time to time have had articles printed in the local newspapers. Such ma- terial has been used freely. Among the writers are Mrs. Ella K. Moseley, Mr. Robert Dollar, Mr. Thrift Corlis, the late Roy R. Helm, W. P. Bunn, Tom Willis, Jesse Jones of Joppa, and many others. The writer acknowledges himself indebted to many who granted personal interviews or answered letters of inquiry, among whom are many church pastors and other community leaders. A personal "thank you" is extended to Miss Hattie Mann and Mr. Charles C. Feirich of The Metropolis News; Mr. Howard Miller; Mr. Floyd Cougill; former county clerk, Mr. Henry Morrow; Mr. Clyde Tay- lor; and to the author's wife for her continuing faith. Further thanks are due Dr. Louis A. R. Yates, Head of the History Department, Bradley University, who took time out from a busy schedule to read the manuscript and offer helpful criticism. Gratitude is tendered to all others who in any way helped make this volume possible, and who thereby manifested an admirable interest in their home county. Metropolis, Illinois G. W. M. November 1, 1954 CHAPTER I GENERAL FACTS AREA AND BOUNDARIES—Massac county has an area of 246 square miles. It is much smaller than the average of 555 square miles for Illinois counties, ranking ninety-sixth. It is nearest in size to Scott and Edwards Counties. The county is three and one- half times larger than the District of Columbia, and lacks 48 square miles being one-fifth as large as Rhode Island. Massac County has 157,400 acres, or about equal to the combined area of Chicago and Indianapolis. Massac is bounded on the north by Johnson County. For a short distance, in the northwest cor- ner, flows the Cache River. To the west lies Pulaski County. Along the entire south side flows the Ohio River which, however, is claimed by Kentucky. Pope County borders on the east. In shape, the County resembles a low-topped shoe, if some imagi- nation is used. The boundaries total about 64 miles, of which 24 is the Ohio River. SURFACE AND DRAINAGE—The average eleva- tion of Massac County is 325 feet above sea level. : 16 HISTORY OF MASSAC COUNTY The highest place is at a point not far west of Choat. The elevation of Metropolis is 328.5 feet. The county is divided into three drainage basins Bay Creek, Cache Creek, and the Ohio.