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         Murray Elliott’s Blacksmith and Machine Shop was established in April, 1877, and is located on Fourth street, east of Court Square. They are engaged in the manufacture of wagons, carriages and buggies, and blacksmithing of all kinds. An upright engine of four and one-half horse power, of the Bookwalter pattern, is used to operate the machinery, an iron turning lathe, the only one in Cedar County, purchased at Hamilton, Ohio, at a cost of $850. These shops are fitted up with grinders, iron borers, circular saws and grindstones of a large pattern. This firm is also engaged in the manufacture of “Sparks’ Windmill,” the inventor of which lives in Tipton. Some new machinery, to be used in the above shops, was received while this work was in course of preparation.

         Samuel R. Neiman is engaged quite extensively in carriage manufacturing, having commodious and well-arranged shops on Fifth street, where the entire . . .

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. . . work is performed. His brother, C. A. Neiman, is associated with him, and Mr. Harry C. Brown has charge of the painting department. A large number of fine jobs have issued from these shops since 1870.

         Jerome Sweinhart is engaged in the production of first-class phaetons, carriages, and especially the “Dexter Spring” buggy. He has been established in Tipton since 1852, and is now located on Fourth street.

         D. K. Deardorf, on Sixth street, in the old Methodist Church building, has a large stock of carriages on hand. He has been engaged in manufacturing wagons and buggies for a number of years, and his work has a good reputation.

         From the above items it will be seen that, although the manufacturing interests of Tipton are limited to this department, it is very well represented therein, and deserves the entire patronage of the community.

TIPTON STEAM MILLS.

         These mills were built in 1850, by a stock company. John P. Cook was elected President, William H. Tuthill, Secretary, and Samuel Long, Jr., Treasurer. The stockholders were named as follows:

         Robert H. Adams, Henry Bagley, Linus Bushnell, Simeon A. Bagley, George Bagley, Jeremiah C. Betts, Luther Bradley, Henry D. Brown, John Culbertson, John P. Cook, Wm. H. Tuthill, George Carl, Alexander Coutts, Peter Dilts, Robert Evans, John Ferguson, P. J. Friend, Richard Hall, Willard Hammond, Mrs. Flora Huff, Solomon Knott, David Klock, Samuel W. Knott, Samuel I. Long, Robert M. Long, William Morton, D. A. McConnell, Cyrus Rickard, James H. Robinson, Washington A. Rigby, Francis Richard, Silas S. Swan, Charles Swetland, James Safley, John Safley, Alonzo Shaw, John S. Tuthill, Samuel Tomlinson, Jacob L. Wright, John W. Wilkinson.

         The first stock was issued January, 1850.

         The mill was first operated by Friend & Culbertson, for two years, but they found it unprofitable, and others tried it, with similar results. The great difficulty was an insufficiency of water. In August, 1854, Henry Bagley, then of Tipton, now of Mechanicsville, took the mill in charge and dug a large mill pond west of the mill, by which a constant supply was received through a quicksand stratum. In 1855, the mill was sold to Stout & Shearer, and it has been operated by the Shearers to the present time. Walter and John Shearer are now proprietors.

         The power used in operating the machinery is a large horizontal engine of fifty-horse power. There are two runs of stone, and all the necessary apparatus for manufacturing flour. It has a capacity of 200 barrels per week. Dennis Welch is the engineer, and Walter Shearer is the miller.

         The elevator of John Culbertson was built in 1874, and has been in active operation ever since. It has a storing capacity of 8,000 bushels, and ships to Chicago and other cities. This elevator is now operated by W. F. Witmer.

         The Stone Mill, on Rock Creek, about four miles south of Tipton, was built in the Spring of 1866, by James Dwiggins. The mill was completed and put in operation in February, 1867. It is a stone structure, two stories high above the basement, and is operated by water power, the water running through a race thirty feet deep and 100 feet long, cut through solid rock, and exhibits a wonderful piece of mechanical engineering. The Leffel Turbine wheel is used. A horizontal engine, made by Noyes, of Clinton, Iowa, of twenty-horse power, to be used in case of low water, is in the mill and ready for use at any time. There are two runs of stone. The “Middlings Purifier” is used in the mill, and . . .

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. . . the firm are constantly putting in new and improved machinery. Five men are employed about the mill, and turn out about sixty barrels of flour per week. The mill is the property of Shearer & Gray, who have operated it since 1868, when it was sold to them by Mr. Dwiggans.