PERSIFER TOWNSHIP

(Extracted from the History of Knox County, Illinois by Albert Perry, Vol. I, pgs 437-438,
submitted by Janine Crandell)

Persifer township is better adapted to grazing than to agriculture although quite a large portion of the surface is excellent farm land, but there is considerable bottom land which is covered by timber, and there is good timber along the streams. Its mineral resources include coal and sandstone.

Among the old settlers of the township was, John Persifer Frazer Smith, after whom the first post office, which was established about 1847, was named. This, in turn, gave rise to the name of the township.

This township is especially rich in its early pioneers. There were William Norris, who came in 1832; Jessie and Willis Reynolds and Beverly Young; Charles Bradford, from Ohio, and these parties settled about the year 1834, in Persifer township. R.C. Benson, E. J. Wyman, Jacob Lorance, John Spear, are also familiar names. A little later came Edmund Russell, Isaac Sherman, G. W. Mauley, James Maxey, T. D. Butt, John Colville and Caleb Reece. Hon. R. W. Miles was also an early settler in Persifer. These men have always given character to the township.

It is said that the first mill built in Knox County was built by Robert Hendrix in 1834, on Court Creek, in Persifer township. The Elliott Mill was built in 1840, at the north of Court Creek, on Spoon River. It was designed for course lumber but was afterwards turned into a flouring mill. Another mill was built by Charles Haptonstall, about 1848, on Court Creek about a half mile above Appleton bridge. These mills, of course, are now no more.

Persifer has been well supplied with churches. Bethel chapel, built in 1863; Maxey chapel, Mound and Persifer belonging to the United Brethren denomination, and the Mormon Church at Dahinda.

The first school house was built in 1841. Who taught the first public school, is not definitely known.

The Santa Fe railroad runs into Persifer, east and west. Along Court Creek it gave rise to two nice little towns, Appleton and Dahinda.

Dahinda

The present site of Dahinda was once an Indian village as will be learned from the article, in this history, on the Indians. For some years after the arrival of the white man, remains of their wigwams were found and there were 25 or 30 mounds nearby which contain human bones, presumably Indian graves. Many arrowheads and stone axes have been found, and one branch of the Galena trail passed through the township, from north to south, crossing Court Creek at the point where the Appleton bridge now stands.

The first iron bridge was built in 1875, where the present Appleton now stands.

This village was laid out in 1888, by the Santa Fe Road and the Land Company, and it contains about 47 and 3/4 acres. It stands on the northwest quarter of Section 24, as a freight and express office and passenger station. There is a fine bridge over the Spoon River near this point.

Appleton

This village was laid out in the same year on the southwest quarter of Section 15, by those interested in the Santa Fe road. Miles Forest was the surveyor. There were freight and express offices, a store, grain elevator, lumber yard, dwellings, etc. There is also a post office. Grain and a large quantity of stock are shipped here annually.