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From:
Subject: Re: William McClure LEMON
Date: 3 Jun 2006 20:10:47 -0600


This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.

Surnames: LEMON, BRUCE, STEINER, HOCH, BROWN, GROVER, PRATT, HATHAWAY,
Classification: Biography

Message Board URL:

http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/3h.2ADI/956.1.3

Message Board Post:

In 2002, Michael Delorenzo posted the following...

The next entry on DANIEL D. PRATT, page 461 is also found in the Chapter on
the History of Pulaski County, under a section titled "County Buildings".
This talks about the building of the first Court House.
"As will be seen a few pages back, the proprietors of the county seat
donated a small hewed-log building in 1839, to be used four years as a court
house, and then to revert to the owners. For some reason, which was probably
for want of sufficient room, this building was not used either by the courts
or by the County Commissioners. The schoolhouse was the court house; but
this structure was not completed until 1843, though begun in 1840, and so
nearly finished that it could be occupied. At the March term of the board in
1841, in accordance with the provisions of the contract between the
proprietors of the county seat and the county agent, the lots in Winamac
were disposed of thus: The agent chose one lot, then the proprietors two,
then the agent one, the proprietors two again, and so on, until all the lots
had been selected by either of the parties. Those belonging to the county
were immediately offered for sale and disposed of as fast as a satisfactory
price could be secured. Quite a revenue was obtained from this source. At
this time, also ( March, 1841), a suitable building in which to hold court
was sought, but could not be found, and thus the schoolhouse came into use
for that purpose. If the writer is correctly informed, the log building
designed at first for a court house was really and wholly occupied by the
county officers and the land officers. If this is true, it is clear why the
courts were compelled to use the schoolhouse. It was not the wish to build
an insignificant court house that would have to be replaced within a few
years, and the county felt to poor to build a good one. In this dilemma, the
schoolhouse was used. Talk, however, of building a new house was freely and
extensively (at the county seat) indulged in, and this, ere long, discovered
and developed the plan by which the old frame court house was built. In
April, 1843, there were fifty-six county lots remaining unsold. There was
also unoccupied and unsold the land for a cemetery, for a seminary and for a
court house; and there was a note of $1, 575, donated by the proprietors in
1839, which would fall due in the autumn of 1843. These facts and the
earnest desire to have a new court house led 109 property holders to
petition the County Commissioners to give up most of the above donations and
to take in lieu thereof from the proprietors of Winamac a money
consideration of $3,717. The prayer of the petitioners was granted,
specifications were prepared and proposals for the new building were called
for. STEPHEN BRUCE, ABRAHAM BRUCE, JOHN STEINER and RUDOLPH HOCH engaged to
erect the building. About this time the above arrangements were almost
wholly changed, and RUDOLPH HOCH undertook to erect the building, receiving
his pay largely in town lots. WILLIAM M. LEMON, RUFUS BROWN and O. H. P.
GROVER were appointed building committee. The building was begun, but after
the work had reached an important point MR. HOCH found himself unable to
proceed, owing to a lack of money, his consideration for the job being
largely town lots. He refused to continue the work, and CARTER D. HATHAWAY,
County Attorney, was ordered by the Commissioners to bring suit on his bond.
DANIEL D. PRATT was afterward employed for the same purpose. A compromise,
however, was effected by the appointment of appraisers, who estimated the
value of the work done by MR. HOCH at $948.43, which amount was paid him in
money and town lots. He was wholly released from the contract, and the
buildings (court house and jail) were completed by others. The first court
was held in the new house late in 1849. Thus this insignificant frame court
house, which cost something less than $1,000, and the jail, which did not
cost half as much, were struggled over for six long years before completed.
The Fable of the mountain and the molehill comes vividly before the mind"

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