This Lowell Tribune article was found in the August 28, 1947, issue (pages 1and 4) as well as repeated in the April 3, 1952, issue (page 1, column 6 and continued on page 3 of section 2, columns 1-6):
PIONEER, BUILDER AND ADVENTURER OF SOUTHERN LAKE COUNTY -- MELVIN A. HALSTED
THE FOLLOWING PAPER WAS PREPARED AND READ BY MRS. BEULAH (PLUMMER) BRANNON AT THE '46 HISTORICAL AND OLD SETTLERS MEETING
Quoting from the history of Rev. Timothy H. Ball, in his treatise on Northwestern Indiana, in concluding he said, "The work of the pioneers is done." Yes, it's true, these men rest from their labor but their works live on. That is why we, removed one or two generations, like to review annually the life and achievements of such enterprising men as Melvin A. Halsted, Founder of Lowell. Lowell for many years the only incorporated town in Southern Lake county is located in Cedar Creek township, where it has for nearly a century, been the central trading point of this rich farming territory.
Mr. Halsted was a man of foresight and adventure, and because of water facilities which this particular location afforded, saw the possibilities of a great industrial center at Lowell. His life-long endeavor was toward that end. Lowell was his pioneer dream.
Melvin Amos Halsted was born in Rensselaer county, New York, March 29, 1821. The ancestry of the Halsted family can be traced back to William The Conqueror. Three brothers of the name Halsted came to America in early colonial days, settling in New York. Both Melvin's grandfather, Joseph Halsted, and his father, William Halsted, farmed an estate on the bank of the Hudson River. It was here that the lad lived until he was 14 years of age, attending the public schools and later the high school at Bennington, Vermont. In 1837, he moved with his mother to Dayton, Ohio. Mr. Halsted was married in May, 1842, to Miss Martha C. Foster and for three years they continued their residence in Dayton. At the end of this time he came, with his wife and mother, to Lake county, Ind. They located in West Creek township on the farm now operated by Judge Harold Strickland. Mr. Halsted carried on farming until 1848 (3 years). When he left the farm he came to what is now the town of Lowell.
Even before Mr. Halsted came to Lake county, in '45, and to Lowell in '48, there had been squatter settlers and some legal claims put through in the vicinity of Lowell. In 1843 Outlet Post Office was established for this community and it was located at a point one mile east of the site of Lowell. Here a star route was established from Crown Point to this place. James H. Sanger, was the first Postmaster. A few years later it was moved one-half mile west. Persons living at a distance directed their letters to Crown Point, Outlet Postoffice, Indiana.
A small log school house served this community and it was located on the knoll where the residence of Claude Trump now stands. The record shows that in August, 1835, a claim was made by Samuel Halsted on "Timber and Mill Seat" on Section 23, Township 33 Range 9. This Samuel Halsted was not, so far as is known, a relative of M.A. Halsted. This claim was registered but afterwards sold. Finally in 1848 O.E. Haskins and M.A. Halsted purchased a mill site from a canal company, and by January of '49 had a saw mill in operation. This mill was just west of the Halsted house on West Main Street.
For a while the Halsted family lived in a cabin near the present Monon Depot. During this year of '49, Mr. Halsted burned 400,000 brick. A part of these were used in the erection of his home. The house, a mansion in its day, is 97 years old and is still a substantial structure at the corner of Halsted Street and Main.
In connection with the Halsted-Foster families a rather unusual happening took place. On November 29, 1850, Mr. Halsted's mother-in-law, Mrs. Ruth Cornelia Foster, passed away. The following day, November 30th, his own mother, Mrs. Patty Halsted died. These women had been neighbors and friends. Consequently one funeral service was held for both and both were buried in a double grave in West Creek cemetery.
About this time Mr. Halsted was lured by the discovery of gold in California and
ed the very dangerous and deadly plains for the first trip with mule teams. Having made quite a fortune, he returned to Lowell in 1852 to invest his money. He purchased the interest of O.E. Haskins, his former partner in the mill site, and erected a flouring mill, hauling all of the machinery from Chicago in wagons.
That same year, '52, a small brick school house was built at the intersection of Clark street and Commercial Avenue. This building served also as a meeting house where the various denominations began to hold regular meetings.
Some one had said the beginning of Lowell was when Mr. Halsted moved from the farm in '48 to develop the mill site location, but I should say that May 13, 1853, might be named Founder's Day for Lowell, since Mr. Halsted laid out the town of Lowell in 16 lots and gave the plat to his mechanics at that time. Community interest and village life were soon commenced. Mr. Halsted named the village Lowell, presumably because its milling industries resembled in a small way, the new England town of Lowell, Mass.
In 1856, the Baptist church was built, also of brick, under the supervision of Mr. Halsted at a cost of $2,000. This he deeded to the Baptist church, and I was told in this church he served as Sunday School Superintendent under the pastorate of Rev. John Bruce.
In 1857, he sold his property in Lowell and moved to Southern Illinois, but in the meantime he had entered upon the records, the land upon which the town of Lowell now stands.
Town Government: Surveys for street levels, sidewalks, real estate transfers, were all a part of his planning and work.
About 1857 he located at Kinmunby, Ill., near Centralia, where he built and operated a grist and saw mill for two years. Again stirred by the spirit of the west, he made a second trip to California in 1859. Another flouring mill was built thirty miles south of San Francisco. This he sold in 1861 for $12,000.00 and returned to Kinmunby. Four months later, he made a third trip to California, arriving at San Francisco and engaged in gold mining at Gold Hill for three years. While at Gold Hill he built four houses which he rented. On the 4th of January, 1864, he started for Indiana, where he found his original property for sale. Consequently he purchased it, together with other property, including a flour mill three miles from Lowell. He put the mill in excellent condition and carried on the business of manufacturing flour for some time. Then about this time he visited Washington, D.C., where he obtained the assistance of Vice President Schuyler Colfax in getting the first daily mail for Lowell. As a result of his visit a stage coach route was established between Crown Point and Lowell.
The close of the Civil War caused many projects to crowd Mr. Halsted's mind. But, naturally, not all of his undertakings were successful. He set out for Mississippi, for the purpose of estimating the cost of sawing lumber.
Mr. Halsted continued in the milling business at Lowell until 1869, when he sold out to make a fourth trip to California. At Valejo, near San Francisco, he erected 14 houses for renting purposes. These he owned until 1872, (3 years). That year he made a hunting tour off the Island of St. Barbara. He captured four sea lions on the expedition which he later sold to John Robinson the showman, for $1,2000.00
Again Mr. Halsted returned to Lowell. In 1872 a two story brick school house was erected on the present site of the Grade School building costing with furniture $8,000.00. At the same time another $8,000.00 brick building, three stories in height, designed for a woolen factory was built. M.A. Halsted superintended the construction of both these buildings.
He built the small brick school house at the foot of Clark street with its intersection at Commercial in 1852. The second school house was erected in 1872 under his supervision, on the present grade school grounds. The marker placed on the grounds bears this inscription -- Founder of the Lowell School - 1862.
His next venture was to the Utah territory where he became superintendent of a mine which he conducted until the demonetization of silver in 1873. After his return from Utah, sometime in 1873, he bacame a stock holder in the Home Manufacturing Company at Lowell. This was a factory for farm implements where wagons, plows, cultivators were made, but the business failed because they could not produce sufficient quantity. Another great project of these years, perhaps the greatest, was the securing of a railroad for Lowell. He began his drive and through his efforts on August 15th, 1874, a two per cent (according to Perry Brannon) tax was voted for a railroad. The tax was cancelled at a later date. It had been voted to the Indianapolis, Delphi and Chicago Railroad. A second tax was voted. This time to the "Air Line," but it failed to complete the road and the Louisville, New Albany and Chicago Company got control and put the road through to Lowell in 1880. The Monon Company later became interested in the project and connected it at Monon with the line from Louisville.
Most of the grading was done as early as 1874. The road did some freight and passenger business in 1880 but regular trains did not begin to run until June, 1881.
Previously, Mr. Halsted had organized a company, sold stock and graded trackage. He graded to the value of $85,000.00 but only received $65,000.00 thus suffering a loss of $20,000.00. However, the rail transportation was established for Lowell and vicinity, wholly by reason of the work of this pioneer.
On the day the first railroad engine crossed the main street in Lowell, Melvin A. Halsted was saluted as "the railroad king" of that day. Mr. Halsted continued to be engaged for several years in the real estate business in Lowell.
The biographical sketches of T.H. Ball do not relate the life story of Mr. Halsted beyond his 83rd milestone. Consequently, there is a space of some ten years, which to my knowledge has not been carried to completion by more recent historians.
Perry Brannon, a nephew of Mr. Halsted, now 88 years of age and in West Creek also Dr. Melvin Amos Brannon, a nephew of Gainesville, Florida, have kindly given further information concerning Mr. Halsted's later years, as they remember it.
About 1906, Mr. Halsted, at the age of 85, went with his grandson, Clifford Halsted, to Harrison, Neb., where under the Kinkaid Act, each homesteaded 320 acres. Both of these men proved their claiims and Mr. Halsted sold his later on a deferred payment plan.
Mrs. Martha Halsted passed away in 1899. and in 1906 he married the widow of Palmer Cross, mother of Rev. Ellis Cross. Mrs. Halsted passed away before the five years of homesteading were over.
When Mr. Halsted made his 7th trip to the west in 1913, he was 92 years of age, and he went to California alone.
There were two sons born to Martha and Melvin Halsted, William a resident of Kansas and Theron, who live in Lowell.
Mr. Halsted died in Auburn, Kansas at the home of his son, William, at the age of 93 years, 11 months and 25 days (almost 94). He was a charter member of the Masonic Lodge at Lowell and previous to his death, requested a Masonic burial. Members of the Lowell Order met the train bearing his remains and interment was made in the West Creek Cemetery beside his first wife, Martha Foster Halsted.
I shall read Dr. Melvin A. Brannon's tribute to his uncle Melvin Halsted.
"Melvin Halsted was a delightful conversationalist. He knew well such noted men as the Vice-President of the United States, Schuyler Colfax, and he had intimate contacts with engineers, industrialists, noted travelers, and discoverers. He could converse by the hour relative to world affairs and world interests. He was a true cosmopolitan, and he was one of the most untiring pioneers that ever came to Southern Lake County. He was, all in all, one of the most enriching persons who ever lived in Lowell, and he did more for the home, the town and the community, than any person who ever directed the history of Lowell."
The marker placed to his honor on the Lowell Grade School grounds bears an inscription which describes perfectly and completely the life and work of Melbin A. Halsted, "Pioneer, Builder and Adventurer."
Much of the historical data came from histories of T.H. Ball and I wish to thank Mrs. Beatrice Brownell for the Goodspeed Blanchard History and pictures and wish to thank Mrs. Lillian Brownell, Mrs. Ruby Eskridge, Mrs. E.R. Lynch and Edwin Plummer, and especially am I indebted to Perry Brannon and Dr. Melvin A. Brannon.
Beulah Plummer Brannon
References:
A Pioneer Indiana Railroad, by Frank Hargrave, Prof. of Eco. Purdue University, 1932.
Lake County, 1834-1872, T.H. Ball.
Northwestern Indiana, from 1800 to 1900, T.H. Ball.
Lake County, 1884. T.H. Ball.
The History of Lake County, Centennial Ed. Demmon, Little, McNay, Taylor, 1934.
Counties of Porter and Lake, Indiana, 1882, Weston Goodspeed, Charles Blanchard.
Lake County, Indiana, T.H. Ball, 1904.
Lowell Tribune, June 29, 1933 (Centennial No. of Lowell and Southern Lake County.)
