 The beginning of Mt. Pulaski can be said to be enveloped in the mists of pre-historic times when the polar world was a desolation of icy wastes. From these dreary realms of enduring frosts, vast glaciers, moving southward with irresistible power, grooved and planed down the rocks, gathering up and carrying with them the abraded material and later melting in the warmer latitudes, distributing this detrital (sic) matter upon the bottom of an inland sea. The track of these ice-formed navies have been indelibly stamped upon the surface of Central Illinois even to this, day, are scientifically known as moraines and the terminus of one of these ancient moraines was Mt. Pulaski hill, now towering gracefully above the surrounding plains, an eminence of beauty surrounded by fields as fertile as the valley of the Nile and as productive as Eden's magnificent bowers. For three-quarters of a century Mt. Pulaski, first settlement, then village, then municipality has occupied this beautiful summit, as a "city set upon a hill, whose light cannot be hid."
The real history of Mt. Pulaski, however, begins with the departure of Jabez Capps from the land of his birth in 1817. He was born in London, England, Sept. 9, 1796, and embarked for the United States in the year before mentioned, landing in Boston, Oct. 7, 1817. Remaining a few weeks in Boston, he walked to New York. In New York, he remained a short time and then walked to Philadelphia. After a short stay there, he walked westward over the Alleghany Mountains to Pittsburg, where he arrived in January of 1818. Here he remained until the Ohio River opened in the spring of the year, when he worked his passage on a flatboat to Cincinnati. After about a year's stay in Cincinnati, where he was employed in pottery making, he was joined by his brother. Ebenezer Capps, who had subsequently come from England. Together they left Cincinnati and walked to St. Louis. Having heard a great deal about the "Sangamon Country" in Illinois, they started, in the spring of 1820. They first stopped at Clark's old mill on the south fork of the Sangamon River and here Jabez Capps taught the first school ever taught in Sangamon County. In 1822, a town had been laid out in Sangamon County by the name of Calhoun. Early in 1824, Springfield was laid out adjacent to Calhoun, with streets corresponding to those of Calhoun, and a few months later Calhoun became part of the new town of Springfield. In 1823, Jabez and Ebenezer Capps moved to Calhoun, where the former taught the first school in Springfield. In 1824, he abandoned school teaching and purchased a log house of Stephen Stillman, the first postmaster of Springfield, and opened up one of the first stores in Springfield, in which he kept an assortment of the various articles needed by the pioneers. In 1828 he married Prudence A. Stafford, daughter of Oliver Stafford, who had located in Sangamon County in 1825. She died May 13, 1836, three children surviving her, namely, Charles S., born in 1830; Ebenezer S., born in 1834, and Oliver T., born in 1834.
In 1828, Nicholas Moore had entered land north of the present site of Mt. Pulaski, in what is now Chester Township, near what was known as Hurricane Point, later as Yankeetown, on the present Lincoln-Mt. Pulaski road. Some time in the early part of 1836, some of the members of Mr. Moore's family were in need of a physician's services and Mr. Moore rode to Springfield and brought back with him Dr. Alexander Shields on a professional call. Dr. Shields boarded with Jabez Capps at Springfield. He afterwards married a sister of Jabez Capps. On Dr. Shields' return to Springfield he spoke to Mr. Capps in the most glowing terms of the country he had passed through and referred especially to a beautiful hill or mound between Lake Fork and Salt Creek, in the midst of the prairie, which in his judgment was an ideal spot for a town site. In another part of the primitive home lived Dr. Barton Robinson. Dr. Robinson had come from England about 1830, with his brother, James T. Robinson, and had first located at Buffalo Hart Grove. In 1832, he went to Springfield, where he married Mahala Barber. Dr. Robinson overheard the conversation between Mr. Capps and Dr. Shields and became interested. Mr. Capps was not well satisfied with his location in Springfield and the idea of founding a new town on the site proposed met his hearty approval. He proposed to Dr. Robinson that they make a visit to the "mound" and if found satisfactory lay out the town site. Dr. Robinson agreed and in a few days they made the trip, first stopping with George Turley at his place east of the "mound." Mr. Turley accompanied them to the proposed location and all were highly pleased with the prospect. Mr. Turley agreed to join the enterprise and abandon the "Georgetown" venture.
Returning to Springfield, Dr. Robinson and Mr. Capps organized a company to boom the new town. The company consisted of Barton Robinson, Jabez Capps, George V. Turley, George McDaniel, James Scott, J. F. Davis, Wm. L. Hatch and W. A. Knight. Ringrose D. Watson and Ebenezer Capps were also interested. On July 5, 1836. Barton Robinson, on behalf of himself and the company, entered 480 acres of land in what is now Mt. Pulaski Township and on July 20, 1836, he brought with him to the "mound" Thomas R. Skinner, afterwards County Surveyor and later County judge, who surveyed 140 acres of said land into blocks and lots. As an evidence of the loyalty of the new proprietors to the land of their adoption, they named the new town "Pulaski," in honor of the Polish nobleman who came to America during the Revolutionary War and offered his services as a private soldier to General Washington, afterwards rose to be general in the Colonial army and was killed in battle, Oct. 11, 1779. Later in December of 1836, the word "Mount" was prefixed to the name, making it Mt. Pulaski, although in official documents and otherwise the name Pulaski was used until in the forties. The time of the change of name is indicated by the fact that in dividing up the town lots among the members of the company, Barton Robinson deeded to George McDaniel, on Dec. 10, 1836, certain blocks in the "town of Pulaski;" to George W. Turley, on Dec. 17, 1836, certain blocks in the "town of Mt. Pulaski," and subsequently to James Scott, W. L. Hatch, J. F. Davis and W. A. Knight blocks in the "town of Mt. Pulaski."
After completing the survey, Mr. Capps rented a small log cabin of Jeremiah Birks, who resided on the Lake Fork, and arranged with Mr. Birks to have the cabin removed to the south side of the public square as laid out on the plat of the town, this being the same as the present public square. Reference has already been made to the death of Mr. Capps' first wife. Upon his return to Springfield after the survey, he was remarried to Elizabeth Baker, of Rochester, Ill. Preparatory to his removal to his new home, he secured a retailer's license to sell goods and conduct a tavern in the new town, from the Commissioner's of Sangamon County, of which Logan County was then a part, as the following, taken from the records of the County Commissioners of Sangamon County, will show: "Sept. 5, 1836; Jabez Capps came into court this clay and applied for a license to retail goods, wares and merchandise in the town of Pulaski, in Sangamon County, and states the amount of his stock in trade; it is therefore ordered by the court he have license therefore, by paying to the treasurer the sum of five dollars for one year from date and it is farther ordered that the said Jabez Capp, have license to keep a tavern in the town of Pulaski for the term of one year, upon his producing to the clerk the treasurer's receipt for five dollars and entering into bond as required by law."
Soon after, Mr. and Mrs. Capps and three sons left Springfield for "Pulaski." Mr. Capps loaded into his wagon the necessary furniture, some provisions and a few goods and started out on the road leading to the Lake Fork settlement. From this settlement to the "mound" was only a trail, which instead of leading to the summit of the hill passed around the base and on to Salt Creek. Arriving at the "mound" the family moved into the log cabin, the first white settlers in Mt. Pulaski. In the meantime, Mr. Turley had erected a temporary log store room for Mr. Capps on the west side of the square, the location of the same having previously been a wolves' den burrowed in the sand. Into this store room Mr. Capps unloaded what goods he had brought and then returned to Springfield for more supplies. Soon after, he purchased a story and a half frame building, which had been built for Bealer Webster to be erected on a proposed town to be laid out on the present farm of R. H. Templeman. This latter town was abandoned and Mr. Capps erected this building on lot ten, block fourteen, on the west side of the square. In 1838, this building was enlarged and made full two stories, Mr. Capps and family moving into the upper story and the store being conducted in the lower story. The stone for the foundation came from Rocky Ford, 16 miles away. The building was 30 feet square, with attic and cellar. For many years it was known as "Capps' Headquarters." It was torn down in 1867 to make room for a more pretentious structure. |
