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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
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Shelby County |
Home 1915 History Index |
CHAPTER VIII - REMINISCENCES OF THE PIONEERS (CONT'D)
In the fall of 1869, D. E. Morris and myself attended the fair in Harlan. The floral hall exhibit was in a small brick school house which stood to the northeast of what is now the court house square, and around this square on the grass was the only race course. The old court house then stood on Seventh street, facing east. There was no fence around the fair. As nearly as I can remember, the next fair ground was over on the bottom, southeast of the present square.
As to thoroughbred stock, there was none when I first came here and I do not remember when it began to be brought in. Mr. Westrope’s Shorthorn cattle were among the first that I remember. I first came to Shelby county in the fall of 1869, and bought three eighties of land in Lincoln township, but did not remain that year. In the fall of 1870 I brought my family, consisting of my wife and four-year-old boy, and settled on the farm now occupied by John Buman, building the main part of the house which still stands there. There were very few in the township at that time, among them being my wife’s brother, Moses Bishop, who lived where L. Buman now lives, and his father, William Bishop, also Jacob Bosley and M. K. Campbell and old Mr. Currier. My nearest neighbors were in Shelby township, being old Mr. Lawson and his sons, Ed and Nathan, Daniel Pierce and Charles McLaughlin. We first went to the old Chatburn mill in Harlan and our nearest market was also Harlan, where we did our trading at a store in North Harlan, owned by the Davis brothers. For several years our nearest school was at No. 2, Shelby township, then No. 9, Lincoln, was built. In the latter were held the first religious services by the early pioneer evangelist, known as old Father McGinnis. This appointment was later attached to the Harlan Methodist Episcopal church. At that time prairie chicken and wolves were very numerous, and herds of deer were frequently seen.
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