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The original survey of
Stanford included the southwest fourth of the
northwest quarter of Section 21, together with
forty acres off of the north side of the
southwest quarter of Section 11. George P. Ela
was the County Surveyor at that time, and he
laid off the town. His certificate of survey
is dated October 7, 1867. The village was
surveyed for John Armstrong. It was then
called Allin. Since the first, there has been
an addition. This includes five acres from the
northwest corner of the southeast quarter of
Section 21, and is called Maurer's Addition.
Stanford is located in the prairie, two miles
north of Brooks' Grove. It is on the
Jacksonville Division of the Chicago, Alton &
St. Louis Railroad, twelve miles from
Bloomington. This railroad was the cause of
its birth. It was begun with the railroad, and
does considerable business. The village is
surrounded by a comparatively level prairie,
which renders the approach in rainy weather
somewhat difficult. The distance from
Bloomington is sufficiently great to give the
place a very lair local trade. The large
elevators attest the amount of grain annually
shipped. There are a number of farmers,
situated to the south and west of Stanford,
that have no other convenient market for their
corn, oats, etc., and the days when men haul
produce long distances to market are passed.
John Armstrong, the man for whom the town was
surveyed in 1867, is still a resident, and one
of the most prominent men of the village. John
Rockhold, who is still engaged in the
business, was the first to start a store. He
runs a large grocery trade. The first station
agent was Henry Daniels. There have been a
number since his time. The agent that remained
longest, and was best known, was A. M.
Berkholder. The present obliging agent is
Jasper Morgan. The first Postmaster was Dr.
Lackey, and the present official is William
Rufwiler. The first school was taught before
the erection of any building for educational
purposes. This was taught in a dwelling-house,
by a Mr. Loomis. For some time, schools were
taught in various dwelling houses. In 1869, a
brick schoolhouse was erected, which has
served the purposes for which it was built
until the present. It is two-story, with the
usual arrangements. Although it is somewhat
worse for ten years' wear, it will probably
answer the purposes until the growth of the
village demands a larger house. Two teachers
are employed; generally a gentleman above and
a lady below.
There are two churches in the village-a
Methodist and a Christian. The Christian
Church was organized by James Robinson, in
1S70. The first meetings of the men of this
persuasion were held in Bozarth's Hall.
Presley T. Brooks, Dr. Lackey, G. M. Wright
and others, were among the prominent men of
the first organization. The church is 30x46
feet. The cost of building was $3,200. This
church is, perhaps, the strongest society in
the village, but is not equal to the
Cumberland Presbyterian Society, whose church
building stands just northeast of town a short
distance. The present membership of the
Christian Church is about sixty. Their Pastor
is the Rev. W. B. Berry.
The efforts of the Rev. Mr. Pilcher secured
the erection of a Methodist Church in 1875.
Prominent among the members whose purses
secured the church edifice, may be mentioned
Messrs. George Bunney and Joan Barnett. The
building is 30 by 46 feet. Rev. Mr. Shinn is
the present pastor. The building was not paid
for at first, and for some time the society
were troubled with the debt.. As a result the
present membership is not large.
As a business directory, we note the
following: S. B. Wright & Co., dealers in
drugs and medicines ; L. A. McReynolds and B.
F. Bowling, contractors and builders; C. Roth,
dealer in hardware and stoves ; Martin Lewis,
agricultural implements ; Rockhold & Gerbrick,
grocers ; also C. A. Naffziger, grocer ; W. C.
Rusmisell, grocer and dealer in hats, caps and
dry goods ; D. C. Dossett, wagon and
blacksmith-shop ; C. W. Naffziger, lumber yard
; A. Jewett and Mr. Morgan, boots and shoes ;
Murphy & Hennershotz, dealers in live stock;
William Ruf, painter; C. H. Wick,
harness-maker: Martin Lewis & Co., meat
market; J. N. Tryner, painting and grinning;
Libbie Cole' dress-maker; Joseph Bachman,
wagon-shop; Roth & Brock, dealers in
agricultural implements and farm machinery:
Linebarger & Bro., grain dealers. From the
foregoing it will be seen that Stanford has
representatives of nearly all the trades. She
has her physicians, but we found no lawyer's
sign. Another item that is missing is a hotel.
So far as we could learn, there never has been
one in the village. But should the weary
traveler find it necessary to remain over
night. he will find himself comfortably eared
for if he should stop with Mr. Morgan, the
boot and shoe man.
As every little town must advertise its trade,
it became necessary that measures be taken to
cheapen the process. This is usually done by
the establishment of a local newspaper. On the
8th of February, 1879, appeared the first
issue of the Stanford Tribune. It is a very
fair country paper, and is well patronized by
the local advertisers. Linebarger & Son are
the editors and proprietors. It is not
particularly partisan, being run in the
business interests of Stanford and vicinity.
The journal is still in its infancy, and will,
no doubt, increase in strength and influence
as it grows older and the village increases in
population.
Stanford has had its experience with saloons
and the intoxicating bowl. At times there have
been licensed saloons in the village. but at
present these do not exist. A very remarkable
temperance sermon was preached by an accident
which occurred during the time that the
village gave licenses. Harry Moore was running
a saloon at the time. A young man by the name
of Woodrum was working for a farmer near the
village. In the afternoon on a certain day,
this young man ran out of tobacco. He
concluded that it was not possible to get
along without a bit of the weed, so he left
the team in the field where he had been at
work, and intended to step over to the store
to get a plug of tobacco and return
immediately. He had not been in the store
long, until he concluded that be must go by
the saloon and get a drink. Unfortunate man !
That was his last drink ! Some one got up a
drinking spree. The question was, who can
drink the most without its hurting him? The
young man from the farm was ambitious and
determined not to be outdone. He drank
fourteen glasses. This was enough to upset any
man, especially as they were taken at once,
without any rest. After the drinking, he went
out of the saloon and walked a short distance
only when he fell. On approaching him, it was
found that he was very seriously affected, and
in a very short time he was dead. Only a half
hour before, he had been in the field working
away, with no intention of taking a drink
even, but now he was a cold corpse lying in
the street - a dead man - one who had killed
himself by the foolishness of over-much
drinking of strong drink.
