The Early History of Godfrey
Madison County ILGenWeb Coordinator - Beverly Bauser
Scarritt’s Prairie
The earliest
settlements in the future site of Godfrey were made in the year
1826. Nathan Scarritt broke the first ground for cultivation in
the prairie, but the first cabin was built and occupied by
Joseph Reynolds. Nathan Scarritt was a native of New Hampshire.
He was a man of marked piety, who left a religious impression on
the community which existed for many years after his death. With
his wife and four children, he immigrated from Lyman, New
Hampshire, reaching Edwardsville in November 1820. On his
arrival, he had difficulty in finding a house for his family,
but finally found a log house with a stick chimney and hearth.
There were no chairs to sit on, and pure water was hard to find.
During the winter of 1820-21, he built a house of clapboards.
The family moved into the home in March 1821. After five years,
Mr. Scarritt made his home in Godfrey Township, settling on the
prairie near the present village of Godfrey. The prairie soon
took the name of Scarritt’s Prairie, and his farm was the first
improvement there. Scarritt’s Prairie encompassed all the
territory east of Godfrey Road, and north to the Madison County
line. The first religious services in Godfrey Township were held
in his home, and the first school was taught in his barn, which
stood a short distance north of his residence. His daughter
taught at the school, with about sixteen pupils. The first
Sunday School in the township was also taught in his barn. Mr.
Scarritt made brick, and built the first brick house in Godfrey
Township. He died in 1848.
Joseph Reynolds built the
first cabin in Godfrey Township, and sold the cabin to Samuel
Delaplain. Other early settlers of Scarritt’s Prairie included
Henry P. Rundle Simon Peter, James Dodsen, Hail Mason, Joel
Finch, Zebedee Chapman, Ezra Gilman, and Rowland and Oscar
Ingham. Later came John Peter, George Smith, John Mason, Zebedee
Brown, James Meldrum, Richard Blackburn, Henry Waggoner, Samuel
Waggoner, David Rood, and Joseph Whyers – all settling on the
east side of the prairie.
Hail Mason became a resident of
Madison County as early as December 1817, living in Edwardsville
with his brothers, James and Paris Mason. From Edwardsville,
Hail Mason moved to Clifton for a year or two, then made his
home on Scarritt’s Prairie. His house was a short distance
northeast of the future town of Godfrey. He served as Justice of
the Peace. His brother, John Mason, settled on a farm a short
distance northeast of Godfrey. His two sons, Aaron P. and John
Mason, were residents of Godfrey for many years. John Mason died
in 1880.
The Riley – Godfrey Mansion
The first improvement on the
property that became the residence of Captain Benjamin Godfrey
was made by Calvin Riley, who accompanied Judge Webb to Illinois
from the State of New York. He was the brother of the Captain
Riley who endured a captivity in Africa, and published a book
known as “Riley’s Narrative.” Calvin Riley built a stone house,
which was purchased by Captain Benjamin Godfrey, and with
additions made by Godfrey, became the beautiful resident in
which he raised his family. Captain Riley engaged in the
mercantile business in Alton, and then moved to Edwardsville for
one year. He returned to Godfrey Township to farm. He met his
death in Michigan while on a fishing excursion. The first house
south of the Godfrey home was built by Captain Riley, and in it
George T. M. Davis lived for a time. It was afterward occupied
by James Hamilton, who kept it as a hotel. Hamilton was one of
the workmen who came from the East to help build the Seminary.
Captain Benjamin Godfrey
Captain Benjamin Godfrey was born at Chatham, Massachusetts on
May 20, 1794. His early life was mostly spent on the sea. It is
said he began the life of a sailor when only nine years old,
however he acquired a good practical education and knowledge of
navigation. He spent some months when a boy in Ireland, and was
connected with mercantile service during the War of 1812. He
afterward became Commander of a merchant vessel, and made
voyages to Italy, Spain, and other parts of the old world. On
his last voyage he was shipwrecked near Brazos Santiago, and
lost nearly all his property and almost his life. This left him
stranded in Mexico with little means, but his quick business
tact enabled him to seize opportunities for trade, and he was
soon the head of a mercantile house at Matamoras, Mexico, where
he laid for foundation of his fortune. He moved to New Orleans
and carried on a mercantile business in partnership with
Winthrop S. Gilman. In 1832, the firm of Godfrey, Gilman & Co.
began operations in Alton. Captain Godfrey became a resident in
Godfrey Township in 1834. He purchased a stone residence built
by Calvin Riley, a mile north of the present village of Godfrey,
to which he subsequently added a wing on the north. With the
exception of one or two years when he and his family lived at
Alton, this was Captain Godfrey’s residence until his death on
August 13, 1862. Captain Godfrey was a large owner of real
estate, at one time owning ten thousand acres, mostly in Godfrey
Township. He built, under great difficulties, the railroad from
Alton to Springfield, which later became part of the Chicago and
Alton Railroad.
His
name, however, will be chiefly remembered as the founder of the
Monticello Female Seminary. The idea of the founding of the
school first came to him in about 1833. With Mr. Gilman, he went
to the home of Nathan Scarritt in 1834 in search of an
appropriate site for its location. Mr. Scarritt accompanied
them, and a place was first selected about three-quarters of a
mile from where he later built. The erection of the original
building began in 1836, with Captain Godfrey donating more than
$125,000 for the construction of the Seminary. The Seminary
opened in 1838, under Principal Rev. Theron Baldwin. The
four-story stone building was 100 x 44 feet. The two upper
stories contained 40 rooms – each designed to accommodate two
young ladies. The second floor was used for classrooms,
recitations and family rooms, and the lower floor was used for
the kitchen, dining hall, and chapel. In 1888, the original
Seminary was destroyed by fire. Due to the hard work and
determination of Mrs. Haskell, the Seminary was rebuilt, and
still stands today. It is now being used as the Lewis & Clark
Community College.
The Village of Monticello (Godfrey)
The village of Monticello was laid out by Captain Benjamin
Godfrey and Enoch Long. The town plat was recorded May 30, 1840.
The name was changed to Godfrey when the post office was
established in 1841.
Early Businesses in Godfrey
The
first store in Godfrey was opened by Timothy Turner. Turner was
the first postmaster, being appointed to that position in 1840.
Turner resigned the office in 1860 due to old age, and Thomas P.
Walworth, his former clerk, took over as postmaster. Walworth
held the position for a short time, and was succeeded by
Benjamin Webster, who was postmaster from 1861 to 1881, when he
was succeeded by Edward A. Mason.
There were two grocery
stores in Godfrey kept by Edward A. Mason and John F. Boyd.
George Churchill operated a dry goods and grocery. John Roberts
operated a restaurant, and a blacksmith and wagon making shop
was carried on by Aaron C. Mason and T. Baldwin. Later, this was
operated by Mark Robidou and the firm of Wirth & Weber. X. Maier
and Carl Wenzel operated shoe shops. A flour mill was built in
Monticello in 1857 by Henry and Uriah Howell, who sold it to
Richard Blackburn. Blackburn died three years afterwards, and
Sears & Dodgson took over the mill. This mill was later moved to
Clifton, where for a time it was operated as a cement mill.
The Godfrey Creamery was located on the west side of Godfrey
Road, near Pearl Street. In 1893, Frank J. Rue and Herman D.
Bull owned the creamery, and sold it to Joseph Blonde. In 1915
brothers Roy R. and Mortan Pattison operated the creamery, and
named it “Golden Rod.” The “Golden Rod” butter was their
specialty, which was shipped to Alton, East Alton, Bethalto,
Wood River, and beyond. By 1941 the creamery closed, and in 1944
the village of Godfrey purchased the property and converted the
building into the town hall/fire department.
Early
Schools in Godfrey
The first school in Godfrey Township was
taught in the barn of Nathan Scarritt on the “Brighton Road”
(Humbert Road). His daughter, Laura, served as its teacher, with
sixteen students. A school was also taught in the years 1829 –
1831 at the residence of George Debaun, near what was later the
South Branch School on Highway 67 (Godfrey Road). Abigail
Scarritt and Elizabeth Peter were the teachers. In about 1832 or
1833, a school was established at the Bethany Church, near the
intersection of Bethany and Humbert Road. For some years, this
was the only school in the township. A West Point cadet by the
name of Johnson taught this school in 1839. Elijah Frost took
charge of the school in 1840 and taught there for three years.
Pupils came to attend this school from Clifton and Jersey
County, which bordered to the north. Subsequent teachers were
Mrs. Russell Scarritt, Mary Jane Scarritt (the youngest daughter
of Nathan Scarritt), and William Cunningham.
A
three-room schoolhouse was constructed in about 1843 on the
hillside on Godfrey Road, on the north side of the present
Godfrey Cemetery. The Principal was James Squire, with Fannie A.
Burgess as assistant. The basement of the school served as
classrooms for the colored children. J. M. Anderson was in
charge of that school. During the Civil War, the school was the
meeting place of Northern sympathizers called the Union
Leaguers. A group of Southern sympathizers, who had their
headquarters on Piasa Creek to the north, threatened to show up
and cause physical harm. The Union Leaguers were well prepared,
but the Piasa Creek boys failed to make their appearance. In the
Fall and Spring, students would sit on the steps between the
schoolyard and the Godfrey Cemetery next door. Occasionally the
students could hear through open windows the sound of
gravediggers digging a fresh grave. The older boys and girls
would frighten the younger ones by telling them the water which
ran into a nearby well from which they drank ran over the dead
bodies in the cemeteries. This school was in use until 1910,
when it was destroyed by fire. A two-room temporary school was
quickly erected in its place. After much discussion, Edward
Wade, an Alton banker and trustee of Monticello Female Seminary,
agreed to sell a corner of its property for a schoolhouse for
$1500. The home on the property was sold and moved to Humbert
Road. A new brick schoolhouse was completed in 1912 and was
located just to the south of the cemetery. An addition was made
in 1937.
Early Churches in Godfrey
Early religious
services were held at the home of Nathan Scarritt, and there the
first sermon was preached in the summer of 1828 by Rev. John
Hogan, a Methodist minister. Mr. Hogan was then operating a
mercantile business at Edwardsville, and subsequently became a
resident of Alton, and afterwards St. Louis.
A Methodist
class was organized at the time of settlement in Godfrey, but
not regular church organization existed until 1842.
The
Bethany Church
On December 26, 1842, the Bethany Church was
organized. Among the original members were Hail Mason, Nathan
Scarritt, Josiah Randle, Simon Peter, James Meldrum, John Mason
Jr., Aaron P. Mason, Richard Blackburn, Elijah Frost, David
Rood, and William Squire. Simon Peter donated the land on which
the church was constructed. The Randles, Scarritts, and others
were supporters of the Methodist Church, and it was customary
for them on Wednesday nights to drive around the neighborhood in
a big wagon, collecting a good number of people to go to Upper
Alton and attend the weekly class. The Sunday School, formed in
1829, had a sporadic existence until 1841, when on May 6, a
Sunday School was organized at the Bethany Church.
The
Church of Christ
The Church of Christ in Godfrey was
organized on November 2, 1839, with twenty-six members. At the
first meeting, of which the Rev. Theron Baldwin (first principal
of Monticello Female Seminary) was moderator, a constitution,
confession of faith, and covenant were adopted. Timothy Turner
and Benjamin I. Gilman were appointed elders. Rev. Theron
Baldwin was installed pastor of the church on November 22, 1840.
Abijah W. Corey was appointed elder in October 1841. Captain
Benjamin Godfrey, who had united with the Alton Presbyterian
Church in 1833, became a member of the church at Godfrey in
1844, and on October 5 of that year was appointed an elder. In
the fall of 1842, a large addition was made to the church. Rev.
Elisha Jenny was at that time taking the place of the pastor,
who was absent in the East. In the spring of 1844, the Rev. Mr.
Baldwin resigned as pastor, and Rev. George Pyle took over from
that time until 1846. This church was built at the joint expense
of the congregation and Monticello Seminary, on land belonging
to the Seminary. The church was organized on an independent
basis, and not connected with any denomination. Members were
Presbyterian, Reformed Dutch, and Congregational. In 1854, the
church became strictly Presbyterian, and united with the
Presbytery of Alton. In 1867, the church withdrew from the
Presbyterian connection and returned to its original independent
basis.
The Baptist Church
The Baptist Church, on the
south side of Godfrey, adjoining North Alton, was built in 1858.
Rev. Mr. Bevins was pastor in 1882.