SHELBY PRECINCT

SHELBY PRECINCT

Transcribed by Laurie Selpien from Edwards County Sesquicentennial 1814 – 1864

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The first prominent white settlement in Edwards County was made by a group who came from Tennessee by wagon and spent one year in Graysville prior to settling in Shelby Precinct in 1815. The group included families of Jonathon Shelby, brother of the governor of Tennessee, Thomas Carney, John Bell, Lot Sams and Isaac Greathouse. Shelby built a cabin on the NW ¼ of Sec 34 T 1N Range 10 E and soon established himself as a successful farmer with several acres under cultivation. In 1831, he moved to the present site of Bennington and constructed a water grist mill on the Little Wabash. Carney located near Shelby’s first home and become a well known civic leader of that area. For a common water supply, the two men dug a well half way between their two homes. During the second year they had six acres of corn which was considered a good showing. In 1852 Carney constructed a grist mill operated by horse power. Bell settled just north of the Shelby farm. Lot Sams came by packhorse instead of wagon and settled about one mile east of Shelby but later moved to Sec 25 where he founded Samsville. The little village operated a post office for the surrounding area and was home of Dr. Buxton for many years. Isaac Greathouse stayed only a short time then returned to Kentucky because of his fear of Indian raids. However, he returned in 1821 and settled just east of the present Route 130 in Salem Precinct. Others who entered land in this area within the next few years included Isaac Rogers, L. White and L. May, Mathias Mounts, Henry Ayres, S. Hill and J and J. Dunlap. A small community grew up here in the vicinity of the present Black Store known as Centerville. In later years it consisted of a blacksmith shop, a store and two or three dwellings.

Early settlers in the north part of the precinct included M. Doherty, R. Marshall, H. Warmoth and C. Madding. Best known of these was Champion Madding who came from Tennessee. He was a captain in the Black Hawk War and led a company in the final attack which crushed the rebellion. He was also well known as a Baptist minister. In 1820 a group of Indian hunters entered into Shelby Precinct and in a short time killed 500 does. This they accomplished by hiding near water holes and imitating the cry of a fawn.

Bennington had its origin when Shelby constructed a water mill here in 1831. in 1837 Dr. Ezra Baker, a well know physician, founded a town here of which he was sole proprietor. The town was elaborately platted with a public square, 30 blocks and 14 out lots with an area near the river reserved for hydraulic purposes and manufacturing. Dr. Baker erected a frame water mill here in 1842 while Jones and Walser erected a fine 2 ½ story mill in 1865 which burned five years later. The town of Bennington failed to meet expectations of the owner as only one or two lots were sold. However, in 1896 the town was resurrected as a trade center for the surrounding area and at one time boasted two stores. It also served as a sawmill center and fishing center.

Several members of the Blood family, well known as civic leaders in the county, resided in the community. Maple Grove post office was established in 1850 with Robert Marshall as Postmaster. There is some controversy over the location of the post office. Present Maple Grove was for some years, a trade center for the area with a store, Shelby School and four or five dwellings.

The town of Marion was laid out in the Northwest Quarter of section 4 township 1 North, range 10 East in December 1836. the original plat contained 130 lots and wide named streets as surveyed by Sidney Springs. A few lots were sold to speculators, mostly from Albion for $8.00 each but it was eventually disbanded with only the present day church (1964) as a reminder of the paper town. Failure of the towns of Bennington and Marion to grow as expected is blamed by some on the movement of the state capital from Vandalia to Springfield in 1838. most of the early counties of Illinois were formed in the southern third of the state and the new Edwards County towns expected to do thriving businesses with people passing through going to and from the Capital. However when the capital was moved to Springfield they were no longer so advantageously located.