De Witt - from Brown's Gazetteer - 1869
De Witt, the County Seat of Clinton County. This little city as orignally intended, was admirably calculated to become a failure, for reason of its covering so large amount of land, and therefore failed to come up to the orignal intentions of becoming a city of note and importance. It lies in a rich agricultural country, thickly surrounded by well-to-do farmers, upon a beautiful rolling prairie, only nineteen miles from Clinton, and one hundred and fifty-six west of Chicago. Its low lands are fine grazing pastures for stock raising.
There are some fine buildings in the place, and is perhaps one of the most notable features; there are several church organizations and large buildings recently put up, which give it an inviting appearance. The high school building, completed the past summer at an expense of twenty-three thousand dollars, is perhaps as prominent as any. It was designed by Wm. Carroll, of Davenport, and built by Jacob Kellersing, of De Witt. Its dimensions are 23X52 and thirty-four feet high, the wings are each 30x34 and twenty-eight feet high, all of which is built from the best brick, and laid up in the highest style of mechanical art. Its neat enclosure, convenient arrangements, and well furnished with all the modern improvements in the line of school room furniture, heated by steam, is pronounced by many to excel any in the State for the money. From the graceful tower the sweet toned bell sends cheerful notes calling together four hundred and twenty cheerful faces, students. The school board who prosecuted this enterprise to its successful completion, consists of Wm. Fuller, D. Whitney, C. Schlabach, H. Bairley, J. M. Gates, H. A. Fay and W. R. Ward. The school is under the management of Mr. Charles Robinson, assisted by eight lady teachers, to whom much praise is given for the advancement and discipline of the school.
Of hotels, the Gates House takes the lead of all others, because Mr. Gates knows how to "keep a hotel."
This is another important grain station, having shipped during the month of September fifty-eight thousand bushels of grain.