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CHAPTER VIII.
ERECTION AND ORGANIZATION OF BUCHANAN COUNTY:
AT ITS winter session of 1837-8, held at Burlington, the legislature of Wisconsin Territory (which then em braced the territory now constituting the State of Iowa) passed "an act to establish the boundary lines of the counties of Dubuque, Clayton, Jackson, Benton, Linn, Jones, Clinton, Johnson, Scott, Delaware, Buchanan," etc. The boundaries of Dubuque and Delaware having been described in the first three or four sections of this act, it proceeds as follows :
SECTION 5. That all the country lying west of the county of Delaware and between the line dividing townships eighty-six and eighty-seven, and the line dividing townships ninety and ninety-one, north, extended to the western boundary of the territory, shall be, and the same is hereby constituted a separate county, to be called Buchanan.
SECTON 6. That the counties of Delaware and Buchanan shall, for temporary purposes, be considered in all respects a part of the county of Dubuque.
This act, which was approved December 21, 1837, merely planted the seed of the new county. It gave it "a local habitation and a name," but left its develop ment into a living organization to the operation of time and its own internal, germinal forces. The subsequent development of the county may seem to have been slow to one who fails to realize the amount of embryotic growth which it had to make. If it takes sixteen months for an acorn to be developed from the blossom, and twice that number of years for a blossoming oak to be developed from the acorn, it ought not to be regarded as wonderful that it took Buchanan county ten years to emerge fully from its embryotic condition. Especially ought this fact excite no wonder, when it is remembered that all the early development of Buchanan county had to be made without any of that remarkable stimulus which railroads have since given to the growth of new counties.
The act above cited fixed the eastern boundary of the county as it now is, and designated the parallels along which the northern and the southern boundary lines still extend westward; but it extended those lines to the western limits of the territory. That is to say, it constituted as the western boundary of the county, those portions of the Big Sioux and the Missouri rivers included within the two parallels mentioned. The county therefore embraced, theoretically, at that time, a strip of land about two hundred and forty miles long and twenty-four miles wide.
The act locating Blackhawk county, was passed by the Iowa Territory legislature, about five years after this, viz.: on the seventeenth of February, 1843—the boundaries
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beginning at the northwest corner of Buchanan county. Between these two dates there must, of course, have been an act designating the present western limits of the last named county. When such an act was passed we have not been able to ascertain.
As to the origin of the county's name we have also made somewhat diligent inquiry, without being able to obtain any satisfactory information. The prevailing opinion is, however, that the name was given through the influence of an ardent admirer of the Pennsylvania statesman, James Buchanan, who afterwards became dis tinguished as the last Democratic President of the United States.
The act of December, 1837, attached Buchanan and Delaware to Dubuque, and that of February, 1843, attached Blackhawk and Buchanan to Delaware, for election, revenue and judicial purposes; and this latter arrangement continued till 1847, when this county elected its own officers, and assumed an independent jurisdiction.
The first election was held in August, 1847, when John Scott, Frederick Kessler, and B. D. Springer were elected county commissioners, and Dr. Edward Brewer, clerk—an office which the latter continued to hold for twenty-three years. We have been informed by Dr. Brewer (though we have found no record of the fact) that S. V. Thompson was appointed by State authority, as organizing sheriff, and that the election was called and managed by him. Doubtless some of the preliminaries were arranged by the authorities of Delaware county, under whose jurisdiction Buchanan was at the time, and by which the latter had been divided into two election precincts, one called Quasqueton and the other Centre precinct.
The earliest record of the proceedings of the commissioners' court of the county, shows that certain other officers, besides those above named, were elected, or appointed, at or about the time of the first county election. We transcribe the following entries:
September 4, 1847, John Scott (who was also one of the county commissioners) filed his bond and took the oath of office as justice of the peace in and for the centre precinct of the county.
September 8th, Thomas S. Hubbard filed his bond in this office as a justice of the peace in and for Quasqueton precinct, having taken the oath of office before Esquire Holmes of the same precinct.
September 23d, Henry H. Baker fully qualified as constable, and Thomas E. McKinney as a justice of the peace, in and for the centre precinct of the county.
September 28th A. B. Hathaway took the oath of office for coroner of the county.
On the fourth of October the commissioners held their first meeting—their first official act being to divide the county into "three commission districts"—that is (as we suppose) districts from each one of which a county commissioner was thereafter to be elected.
The first of these districts comprised the north half of the county; or the eight congressional townships lying north of the correction line. The second embraced the four southeastern townships, with the exception of the two tiers of sections lying on the west side of townships eighty-seven and eighty-eight; of range eight; and the third comprised all the remaining portion of the county.
TOWNSHIP ORGANISATION.
January 3, 1848, the commissioners divided the county into three civil townships, whose boundaries were made identical with those of the three commissioner districts already established. These townships, like the districts, were first called simply from their numbers; and an election for township officers was ordered to' take place in each of them, on the first Monday in the following April. In township number one the election was to be held "at the store in Independence;" Isaac Hathaway,. John Scott, and John Obenchain to be judges of election. In township number two the election was to be held "at the school-house in Quasqueton;" Benjamin Cong-don, Levi Billings and Malcolm McBane to be judges. In township number three the election was to be held "at the house of Barney D. Springer;" and J. Monroe Scott, Gamaliel Walker and B. D. Springer were named as judges of election.
In July, 1849, the boundaries of these townships were slightly changed, and number one was called Washington, number two Liberty, and number three Spring.
From this date until 1860, the erection of new townships and the frequent changes in their names and boundaries, seem to have employed much of the valuable time of the county authorities. We can give only enough of these to trace the formation of the sixteen townships as they now exist.
The fourth township—Jefferson—was erected May 22, 1852; Buffalo (at first called Buffalo Grove), August 6, 1852; Perry was set off from Washington February 7, 1853; Superior (afterward called Hazleton), July 4, 1853; Newton, the first made conterminous with a congressional township (the same as township eighty-seven, range seven, which limits it still retains), was so erected May 1, 1854.
September 19, 1854, the eight townships then existing, viz.: Jefferson, Liberty, Newton, Buffalo, Spring, Washington, Superior, and Perry, were set forth anew, as to their boundaries; all of them being more or less changed, except Newton. At this time Spring township was very irregular in its form, comprising the south half of the present territory of Fremont, sections twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty- seven, thirty-four, thirty-five, thirty-six, and one-half of sections thirty-two and thirty-three, of the present territory of Byron, the west half of the present township of Liberty, all of the present territory of Sumner, and about three sections of the southeast corner of Washington. At the same time Superior township consisted of the west half of the present territory of Buffalo, and all of present Hazleton except the western tier of sections.
Alton (the same as the present township of Fairbank) was erected March 5, 1855. Prairie (afterwards Fremont) was erected March 14, 1856; and Byron, March aoth, of the same year. The remaining townships were erected as follows: Sumner, March 7, 1857; Madison, March n, 1857; Homer, July 29, 1858; Middlefield, September 21, 1858; Cono, same date; Westburg, August 6, 1860. The name of Prairie township was changed to Fremont, September 5, 1859; that of Alton
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was changed to Fairbank June 2, 1862; and that of Superior to Hazelton, some time during the same year. The last two changes were made by the board of Supervisors—all the rest by the county court.
We will now give, for convenience of reference, the names of the existing townships, in the order of the dates at which they assumed their present form: Newton, May 1, 1854; Fairbank (Alton), March 5, 1855; Hazelton (Superior), same date. Madison, March 11, 1857; Buffalo, same date; Homer, June 29, 1858; Middlefield, September 21, 1858; Cono, same date; Liberty, September 5, 1859; Fremont, same date; Byron, same date; Westburgh, August 6, 1860; Jefferson, same date; Perry, same date; Washington, September 13, 1860; Sumner, same date.
CHANGES IN COUNTY GOVERNMENT.
The commissioners' court was abolished in 1860, and the board of supervisors was established in its place. About the same time the office of county judge was given up. and that of county auditor was adopted. The duties heretofore performed by the county judge now fall in a great measure to the board of supervisors. This body consisted at first of sixteen members, one from each township. At present, however, the number is reduced to seven—all being elected by a general vote of the county. The first supervisors were elected in the fall of 1860, and entered upon their duties January 7, 1861. Their names, with the township from which they were elected, are as follows: Elisha Sanborn, of Alton, (Fairbank); E. P. Baker, of Byron; C. H. Jakway, of Buffalo; E. D. Hovey, of Cono; James Fleming, of Fremont; S. S. Alien, of Homer; John Johnson, of Jefferson; William Logan, of Liberty; J. B. Ward, of Madison; James M. Kerr, of Middlefield; N. W. Richardson, of Newton; D. B. Sanford, of Perry; V. R. Beach, of Sumner; William C. Nelson, of Superior (Hazelton); George W. Bemis, of Washington; William B. Wilkinson, of Westburgh.
PRESENT COUNTY OFFICERS.
The present officers of the county are as follows: Au ditor, George B. Warne; clerk of courts, O. M. Gillet; treasurer, J. A. Poor; recorder, J. W. Foreman; sheriff, E. L. Currier; school superintendent, W. E. Parker; surveyor, J. N. Iliff; coroner, H. H. Hunt.
SUPERVISORS,
C. R. Millington, of Washington, chairman; H. M. Coughtry, of Byron; G. M. Miller, of Hazelton; A. H. Grover, of Homer; T. E. McCurdy, of Buffalo; W. H. L. Eddy, of Liberty; W. H. Gates, of Perry.
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CHAPTER IX.
THE COUNTY SEAT WAR.
IT IS said that an early History of Ireland contained a chapter entitled: "The Snakes of Ireland"—the whole of which consisted of six short words, as follows: "There are no snakes in Ireland."
To those who have never written a history, there may be nothing in that announcement but the cool, unimpassioned statement of a historical fact. But to us who have "been there"— i.e., not in Ireland, but in the history business—it is the laconic expression of an almost inexpressible regret. We think that we can read between the lines"—or, rather under the line; for there was but one line written—the confession of a sad disappointment.
We can fancy that historian—who was probably not an Irishman, though he had learned to manage the vernacular like a native— setting out upon the composition of that chapter with high hopes of pleasurable excitement, both for himself and his readers. With what marvelous "snake stories" he was about to garnish his work! Monsters of fabulous length and fleetness were to rush out upon the defenceless inhabitants, from the reeds along the banks of the Shannon, or from the peat bogs of Kildare. Pitiless as an English landlord, they would make nothing of distraining the last pig of some widowed Kathleen; and only the valorous spades of the paternal Patricks would save the infant Pats from a like tragic fate.
He sharpens his well-worn pencil (we always write history with a pencil) sets down the heading of his chapter, and then he thinks himself to consult authorities in regard to the herpetology of the Emerald Isle. As he reads, the fine frenzy disappears from his eye; and when, at last, the utter snakelessness of his condition becomes apparent, he closes the encyclopedia in despair. However, "what is writ is writ." The heading must stand; and the few brief words written under it, while they embody an interesting historical fact (or fiction), shall, at the same time, record his own grievous disappointment: Alas! "there are no snakes in Ireland."
And so, when we recall the thrilling, warlike incidents which, in so many counties, have 'attended the removal of the county seat—the harsh clashing of pecuniary and sectional interests—the vigorous political campaigns— the fiery eloquence of orators, subsidized by the friends of removal on the one side, and by its enemies on the other—the gathering of the hostile clans around the ballot-box— the frequent defeat and the final victory at the polls—the refusal of obstinate (though obsolete) officials to deliver up the county archives—the siege of the old court house by the new sheriff, with his comic possetatus, bearing the decree of the court as their banner with its strange device—the defiance of the besieged who, with guns in their hands, stand at the port-holes and hurl back, as their war-cry, the legend on the banner of their foes: "mandamus, if we yield!"— when we recall all this, and think of the opportunities for fine writing which the scenes thus hinted at afford, it is with a feeling of regret similar to that of our Irish historian, that we find our-
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selves compelled to set down, as the pith and marrow of this chapter, an announcement which is only a parody of his:
"There was never any county seat war in Buchanan county."
Independence has been the capital ever since the county was organized; and there is not now, and prob ably never will be, any other place that will be either able or disposed to compete with it for that honor. The county archives are there, and, in the language of the immortal Webster, "there they will remain forever."
Chapter X
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