ftistoryofSURVEYHISTORICALmiflOlSHISTORY OFBARTONVILLE, ILLINOISCompiled and Published byTHE HERITAGE COMMITTEEtheofBARTONVILLE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSIONHERITAGE COMMITTEEMr. Edward W. RoseMrs. Bryon BallMr. Wilbur H. LauterbachMrs. Leroy PetersMrs. Laverne VelpelMrs. Karen DriesBARTONVILLE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSIONMrs. Donald StewartJ.Mr. BlanquartJoeMrs. Norma RebbecJ.Mrs. Isom ZachmanMrs. Virginia BlanquartMr. Zack MonroeMrs. David MarkwalderMr. Richard LauterbachMr. Edward W. RoseThis Commission was authorized by an ordinance passed bythe Bartonville VillageBoard andMayorGeraldA. Stuaan.Forewordloyal Americansis the Bicentennial our nation, allBecause 1976 ofThis commission has publishedhomage to our pioneers.want to payhave gone before us,book and dedicated it to those whothissacrifices and hardships, our greatrecognizing that without theirnation woxdd not be what it is today.Acknowledgementsthis book. We are especiallyMany among us have contributed tophotographs and specificindebted to the following who have donatedinformation:Hazel Randall, Mr. Stephenand Mrs. Charles Paschon, Mrs.Mr.Mrs. Lottie Bruninga, Mr. ArtBarton, Mrs. Amalia Gerdes Burke,Mr.Peoria Public Library,Reidlinger, Alpha Park Library District,Church, Bartonville MethodistKen Hinrichs, Bethel LutheranBaptist Church,Christian Oak GroveChurch, BartonvilleChurch, St. Anthony'sPresbyterian Church, St. John LutheranTrinityOak Grove School, MonroeLiturgical ...
ftistory
ofSURVEYHISTORICALmiflOlSHISTORY OF
BARTONVILLE, ILLINOIS
Compiled and Published by
THE HERITAGE COMMITTEE
theof
BARTONVILLE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
HERITAGE COMMITTEE
Mr. Edward W. Rose
Mrs. Bryon Ball
Mr. Wilbur H. Lauterbach
Mrs. Leroy Peters
Mrs. Laverne Velpel
Mrs. Karen Dries
BARTONVILLE BICENTENNIAL COMMISSION
Mrs. Donald Stewart
J.
Mr. BlanquartJoe
Mrs. Norma Rebbec
J.
Mrs. Isom Zachman
Mrs. Virginia Blanquart
Mr. Zack Monroe
Mrs. David Markwalder
Mr. Richard Lauterbach
Mr. Edward W. Rose
This Commission was authorized by an ordinance passed by
the Bartonville VillageBoard andMayorGeraldA. Stuaan.Foreword
loyal Americansis the Bicentennial our nation, allBecause 1976 of
This commission has publishedhomage to our pioneers.want to pay
have gone before us,book and dedicated it to those whothis
sacrifices and hardships, our greatrecognizing that without their
nation woxdd not be what it is today.
Acknowledgements
this book. We are especiallyMany among us have contributed to
photographs and specificindebted to the following who have donated
information:
Hazel Randall, Mr. Stephenand Mrs. Charles Paschon, Mrs.Mr.
Mrs. Lottie Bruninga, Mr. ArtBarton, Mrs. Amalia Gerdes Burke,
Mr.Peoria Public Library,Reidlinger, Alpha Park Library District,
Church, Bartonville MethodistKen Hinrichs, Bethel Lutheran
Baptist Church,Christian Oak GroveChurch, Bartonville
Church, St. Anthony'sPresbyterian Church, St. John LutheranTrinity
Oak Grove School, MonroeLiturgical Center, Bartonville School,
School, Keystone Steel and Wire, AlliedSchool, Limestone High
Mr. William Luthy, Mr.Hydraulic Company,Mills, Inc., Johnson
Mrs. Herman Meardy,Mr. Ben Taylor,and Mrs. K. C. Jones,
Star, Mr. Kenneth Lane, AnnaBarton, Peoria JournalEleanore J.
- Mrs. Haller.Rosenbohm, Wm. Johnson Mr. and Joseph
Merriman, officialphoto reproduction by Mr. LeePhotography and
Bartonville Bicentennial Commission.photographer for theCHAPTER I
The Beginning
The first white men to set foot in poo, he found the land to be under-
this area were laidFather Jacques Mar- abundantly with coal. Some years
quette and Louis in fol- later, in about BaptisteJolliet 1673, 1765, Jean
lowed by Robert Cavalier, Sieur de Maillet received a grant from the
LaSalle, who Britishcame down the Illinois for 1,400 acres at the mouth
and Mississippi ofRivers by canoe in the Kickapoo, which included one
January, 1680. LaSalle constructed mile on the riverfront extending back
Fort Creve Coeur at the lower end of two miles into the country. It is
Peoria Lake, where the river narrows known that the family of LaVille de
in Tazewell County. Maillet farmed land in the Kickapoo
Because this is now the Village of bottoms into the 1780's. Somewhat
Creve Coeur, which is almost directly later, other Frenchmen occupied
across the river from Bartonville, it is farms there, namely Simon Roi, An-
entirely possible LaSalle may have toine Roi, Hypolite Maillet, Antoine
walked and explored the site of the Cicare, and Francis Montplaiser, to-
present-day Bartonville. gether with Thomas Forsyth, an
In the year of 1723, when this area American. The Kickapoo, at that
was still a part of French America, time, was called Gatinan (possibly
Philip Francis Renault was successful Coteneau). During the War of 1812,
in obtaining a land grant of one these farms were all abandoned when
league on the Illinois River, extend- the Village of Peoria was burned.
ing back five leagues on the Kicka- The first permanent settlers in
poo. Renault was interested in the Limestone Township were Joseph
development of mining. While ex- Moffatt and his three sons, Alva,
ploring the bluffs along the Kicka- Aquilla, and Benjamin. They settled
1toms". At about the same time, OrinThe Harker familythere in 1822.
Moffattthe Hamlin and Alva and Aquillaand settled incame in 1829
vicinity of Mid-township, erected a dam in thecorner of thesouthwest
build a sawmill. The firstCorners, dle Road towas called Harkerswhich
sawn went into the newof Lake timberthe present locationnear
built in Peoria. At aLimestone courthouse beingOther earlyCamelot.
flour mill was erected atHenry W. later date, asettlers wereTownship
which over the yearsHeaton, the same site,Crowe, JamesJones, James
known as "Monroe's Mill".settlers becamePleasant Hughes. Otherand
of this early in-cen- Nothing remainscame in the middle of thewho
came dustry.Conrad Bontz, whotury were
Bartonvillethe The area that is nowChristian Straesser andin 1844;
that nameproper has been known byGeorge Ojeman inHallers in 1847;
Officesince at least 1878, when a Postand Roelf in 1851;1849; Ed John
named inwas opened there andBall in 1852. These peo-and Samuel
Barton. The Bar-descent honor of W. C. H.were mostly of Germanple
Central Illinois invineyards in the ton family came toplanted the firstand
settled in northern Peoriaproduced from 1829 andtownship. Wine was
near the Mitchell Sanitarium. Inbefore their vineyardswild grapes
ofthey came to that partmaturity. 1850,reached
that is nowpeople of Limestone Townshipthe year 1850, theIn
first lived in aestablish a Bartonville. TheyPeoria County voted to
near the present offices ofof government. farmhousetownship form
Steel and Wire Company.chosen as the name Keystone"Limestone" was
they moved to what wasbecause of the large In 1868,for the township
atknown as the Barton Mansionlimestone that could beamount of
homeSouth Adams Street. Thisnorthern part of the 5416quarried in the
contin-occupied by the Bartonswastownship.
death inuously until W. W. Barton'sTownship can be proudLimestone
prob-1958. This house wasfirst flour mills in January,of having two of the
Barton-ably the oldest building inSharp and Johnthe county. George
makeand was razed in 1975 tomill around 1830 ville,Hamlin erected a
for Interstate 474.mile north of the roomabout one-half
andThe Bartons were a large116 (Plankbridge on Highway
fittingprosperous family and it waspurchased inRoad). This mill was
ultimately bethat the village wouldAiken and Robert E.1833 by Joshua
They were largenamed for them.Little. They remodelled and en-
farmers. Owning allto grind landowners andlarged the mill so it was able
ofand fertile bottomlandsday. They also of the richfifty barrels of flour a
Kickapoothe Illinois River andtitle to one thousand acresobtained
were in excessBot- Creek, their holdingsof land known as "Horseshoe
2W. C. H. Barton
-1818 1896
Founder BartonvilleofOffice Keystone Steel WireHome W. H. Barton on site of &C. ofof
at 5416 Adams St.Barton Mansion S.