Birmingham
Nestled in a prettyand romantic valley, upon the east bank of Crooked creek, in the northeasterncorner of the township bearing the same name, is the pleasant little villageof Birmingham, with its neat little houses, well-kept lawns, and quietbeauty. The bridge spanning Crooked creek, and below, the old mill dam,over which the clear waters flow with a ceaseless roar, add to its beautyand break what would otherwise be a painful silence; while south of thevillage lies the silent city of the dead–the Birmingham Cemetery–on abeautiful knoll, shaded by the trees of the forest, and ornamented withwhite monuments, marking the resting place of the departed loved ones.The cemetery was located in 1835, and is handsomely kept.
The waters of the creek rushpast the village with great velocity and with sufficient volume to makethe place one of the most desirable manufacturing sites in the state. Thesite of the village was surveyed and platted by county surveyor Allen Persinger,July 1st, 1836, for David Graham, David Manlove and Moses Manlove, theoriginal proprietors. It is situated on the northeast quarter of section11. The village at one time gave promise of reaching some prominence, asthere were located some years ago, a large tannery, a harness shop, employingfive hands, two large stores, two cooper shops and a large fanning millmanufactory, but they have long since disappeared, and no sounds of manufacturinginterests now greet the ears of the residents. The first house built inthe town was the double log-cabin of David Graham and Robert Wilson, whichthey built and occupied together while constructing the mill in 1835. HarrisonGraham, in 1838, opened the first store, and had for a partner either Elihuor Cyrus Meredith. The first post-office was established about the year1839, and William Noel was the first postmaster. The first hotel was keptby Jonathan Tucker, in 1845. The first school was taught by William Noel,in a small log building in the village, in the year 1837. The first churchever built in the township, was the small frame building erected by theProtestant Methodists in the village, in 1852.
Present Business, Churches,Schools, Etc.
General Store.–Wilson& Myers.
Postmaster.–G. W.Howell.
Physician.–NicholasWilson.
Blacksmiths.–Groves& Casey.
Wagonmaker.–WilliamAlters.
Shoemaker.–SolomonC. Sell.
Justice of the Peace.–DavidSapp.There is a handsome, littleframe church in the village belonging to the Protestant Methodists, andwas built in 1865. The present pastor is Rev. Winans.
The school-house is a neatframe building, and the annual session of school is seven months. But oneteacher is employed.
Excerpted from the CombinedHistory of Schuyler and Brown Counties, Illinois, 1882
Transcribed by Robin Petersenfor Schuyler County ILGenWeb.Copyright 1999, 2000 RobinL. W. Petersen; all rights reserved. For personal use only. Commercialuse of the information contained in these pages is strictly prohibitedwithout prior permission. If copied, this copyright must appear with theinformation.