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A HISTORY OF LEXINGTONChapters 4 - 5 - 6
CHAPTER IV Local Government The village grew rapidly in numbers and importance after 1849, and in 1855 was incorporated. At the first annual meeting of the electors of the village held at the school house May 7, 1855, in pursuance of an act incorporating the village, Reuben Nims and Isaac Leuty were nominated and elected to act as judges and W.R. Stafford as clerk of the meeting. The polls were open from nine-thirty a.m. to three p.m. and the election resulted as follows: the whole number of votes cast was 74, of which 69 were cast for John Divine for president. The votes cast for trustees were as follows: Watson Hubbard 71, Jacob Buel 57, Hiram Bacon 60, Dr. Reuben Nims 55, Buel Allen 45, John Waterbury 24, David Hubbell 11, Warren Randall 10, William Mills 12, George Allan 1, Langdon Hubbard 1. Accordingly Watson Hubbard, Jacob Buel, Hiram Bacon, Reuben Nims, and Buel Allen were declared elected trustees. The votes cast for assessors were: William R. Stafford 72, Orlan Maybee 63, and Richard Schenick 9 and the first two declared elected. For recorder Albion W. Hand received 58 and William Mills 14, the former being declared elected. For treasurer John McIllravie received 60, Reuben Simons 12, the former declared elected. The day following the election the common council of the village of Lexington met at the office of the recorder, Albion W. Hand. The law organizing the village was read by the recorder, and the following by-laws were unanimously adopted:
At this meeting Isaac Leuty was unanimously elected marshal, but he soon removed from town and John McIllravie was elected to fill the place. At a later date an ordinance was passed prohibiting the playing of ball in the streets and bathing in the lake in the hours of daylight unless clothed in suitable bathing suits, the person offending to be punished by a fine of not more than ten dollars or ten days imprisonment in jail or both. At the Council meeting on February 4, 1857, a resolution was passed to provide fire protection in the village by forming a Hook and Ladder Company, for which the following were enrolled: Clark Hadley, H.H. Nims, G.W. Allen, Peter Janette, W.S. Mills, W. Hubbard, G. W. Pack, A.B. Nettleton, Bernard Fox, W. Bacon, Silas Davis, A. J. Matthewson, Israel Randall, A.W. Hand, Orlin Maybee, L. Whiting, A.M. Clark, J.C. Waterbury, J.L. Woods, D. Lampman, H. Bacon, W. Ostrander, L. Way, W. Cripp, George Baldwin, N.H. Giles, A. King, J.R. Nims, John Divine, W.R. Nims, C.H. Moore, W.R. Stafford, George Davis, M.A. Kehoe, K.C. Willis, John Simons, R. Graves, J.L. Bell, S. McIllravie, Jeremiah Jenks, H. Squir, Demaline Leuty, C. McCormick, G.W. Carpenter, A. E. Hykes, C. Waterbury, A. Giles, Israel Huckins and John Lutwyche. The company was empowered to appoint its own officers and draft its by-laws which however must needs be approved by the council. At another meeting a resolution was passed regarding the laying of sidewalks in the village. These sidewalks were to be under the supervision of the marshal and should be at least four feet in width, built of planks at least two inches in thickness and placed upon substantial blocks of wood at least one in every four feet. The building of walks and the reports of those who were appointed to assist the marshal in building, occupied much of the time at future council meetings for several years and persons desiring to build walks must petition the council to that effect, while those not inclined to build were instructed to do so. The office of marshal was more or less sought after and he was required to give bonds for one thousand dollars as was the recorder. His salary was ten dollars a year. Meetings of the council during the next few years were intermittent and there are no meetings recorded from October 6, 1864, to May 1, 1865. In 1868 a resolution was passed to purchase a fire engine from the city of Port Huron for eight hundred dollars. On December 14, 1870, an ordinance was passed organizing a fire company to be known as the Huron Fire Company No. 1 and was composed of the following members: Amos James, Charles H. Moore, Nicholas Wolfel, A.D. McGill, William Springer, Harvey Calkins, Ery Brown, Samuel Hunt, William Baker, O.B. Jacobs, John Merrill, Bernard Fox, Ellis Clark, Daniel Clark, Harry Clark, W.W. Sanderson, John Monroe, Lewis Fenton, J.H. Richardson, George Millard, R.S. Brown, Bernard Miller, A.W. Merrill, S.C. Tewksbury, Rudolph Papst, F.L. Walther, William Lawrence, Richard Forman, Milo Smith, Fred Sharpenstine, Alexander Cruickshank, John Hurson, George Baldwin, Howard Hughes, William R. Johnson, A.E. Leonard, William Wolfel, Reynolds Hicks, Robert Willis, Hubert Eacrett, Peter Janette, Rudolph Andreae, John Duthie, Fred Shubel, James Sheldon, William Andreae, W.D. James, H. Gould, and R. F. Eldridge. The council authorized the removal of the toll gate in 1871 at the western limits of the corporation on Huron Avenue which was considered a nuisance. In the same year a committee was appointed by the president, Watson Beach, to negotiate for a lot on which to place a building to be used as Town Hall and Engine House, and a contract was entered into with John Fitzgerald for the purchase of a lot in Monroe Plat at a price not to exceed eight hundred dollars. Some time later a committee from the Masonic Lodge submitted a proposal to the council to give the corporation an undivided interest in their lot for building purposes and stated that they wished to build a hall in connection with the corporation. A committee from the council was appointed to confer with the Masonic committee and later presented a proposition from that society in which it offered to deed an undivided half interest in their lot to the village for the purpose of building a town hall, engine house and Masonic hall, the village to build the first and second stories, the lodge to build the third story and roof it. The lodge would own and occupy the third story having right of way thereto, the village to own the first and second stories and basement, the building to be constructed during the year 1876. The report was accepted and the committee discharged. The question of erecting this building was submitted to the electors of the village, and the result was a unanimous vote favoring it without limiting the expense, whereupon the president, Levi Wixson, appointed Ellis B. Clark, Israel Huckins and F.L. Walther, councilmen, to act as a building committee. Bids for the erection of the building were called for, and that of Ery Brown and H.J. Parker accepted. A new state law passed in April, 1875, regarding corporations made it necessary for Lexington to reincorporate and a new village charter was approved by the state legislature February 19, 1887. The time of the annual election was fixed for the second Monday in March and required legal voters to register before voting, the board of registration to consist of the village clerk and two trustees. Dr. A.M. Oldfield was appointed health physician in July, 1882, and in April, 1887, Dr. Walter P. Brown was appointed to succeed Dr. Oldfield. In 1887 the salary of the village marshal was fixed at one hundred and fifty dollars per year and his duties to consist of "looking after the peace and quietness of the village, suppressing rows, caring for council room, notifying trustees of time of meeting, lighting and firing the engine room, and lighting the street lamps." The following is a list of the village presidents and clerks from 1855 to 1934: Presidents Date Clerks John Divine 1855 Albion W. Hand Hiram Bacon 1856 W. R. Nims John Divine 1857 Demaline Leuty A. E. Chadwick 1858 S. R. Nettleton Hiram Bacon 1859 J. J. Buck John Divine 1860 A. E. Chadwick Jeremiah Jenks 1861 Watson Beach John Divine 1862 Levi Wixson Levi Wixson 1863 Ery Brown Levi Wixson 1864 Ery Brown Watson Beach 1865 Samuel Burgess Philip Wixson 1866 Arthur M. Clark Philip Wixson 1867 J. E. Cady Philip Wixson 1868 Watson Beach Myron Northrop 1869 Robert Brown Levi Wixson 1870 Robert Brown Watson Beach 1871 Ellis Clark Philip Wixson 1872 Ellis Clark Levi Wixson 1873 Ellis Clark Levi Wixson 1874 Ellis Clark Amos James 1875 Charles S. Nims Levi Wixson 1876 Robert Brown
Nicholas Wolfel 1878 E. B. Clark Nicholas Wolfel 1879 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Rudolph Papst 1880 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Rudolph Papst 1881 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Rudolph Papst 1882 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Rudolph Papst 1883 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Philip Wixson 1884 J. P. Niggeman, Jr. Rudolph Papst 1885 John W. Fead George Henry 1886 John W. Fead George Henry 1887 Orien Moore George Henry 1888 Orien Moore John Bell 1889 John W. Fead John Bell 1890 John W. Fead Daniel Clark 1891 Wilbur Beach Presidents Date Clerks Daniel Clark 1892 Charles Hayward Rudolph Papst 1893 Elmer Graham Albert Sleeper 1894 John W. Fead Daniel Clark 1895 John W. Fead Albert Sleeper 1896 Alfred J. Howey George Smith 1897 John Beers John Bell 1898 John Beers Lewis Fenton 1899 John W. Fead Daniel Clark 1900 Grant Smith Monroe Howell 1901 Grant Smith Daniel Clark 1902 Grant Smith Daniel Clark 1903 Grant Smith
William L. Fead 1905 George Kinney Alexander Cruickshank 1906 George Kinney Daniel Clark 1907 George Kinney Daniel Clark 1908 George Kinney Grant Smith 1909 George Kinney Grant Smith 1910 George Kinney Grant Smith 1911 George Kinney Frank Sheldon 1912 George Kinney Frank Sheldon 1913 George Kinney Frank Sheldon 1914 George Kinney Frank Sheldon 1915 George Kinney Frank Sheldon 1916 George Kinney Daniel Clark 1917 George Kinney Theodore Wixson 1918 George Kinney W. L. Sheldon 1919 George Kinney W. L. Sheldon 1920 George Kinney W. L. Sheldon 1921 George Kinney Grant Smith 1922 W. P. O’Brien W. L. Sheldon 1923 W. P. O’Brien Herbert W. Emigh 1924 W. P. O’Brien John Ellis 1925 H. H. Walther John Ellis 1926 H. H. Walther John Ellis 1927 H. H. Walther Arthur Fenton 1928 Frank Sheldon Arthur Fenton 1929 Frank Sheldon Arthur Fenton 1930 Frank Sheldon Michael Meyer 1931 Melvin Dingman Michael Meyer 1932 Melvin Dingman Michael Meyer 1933 Melvin Dingman Michael Meyer 1934 Melvin Dingman CHAPTER V A special act of the Legislature in 1848 authorized the separate organization of Sanilac County and fixed the county seat at Lexington. By the same act the sheriff was authorized under the board of supervisors to furnish suitable offices for county purposes and a place for holding court. The offices were located in various places until 1857 when a building was erected on what is known as the Oldfield property on West Huron Avenue. The county seat remained in Lexington thirty years, and one of the greatest political upheavals in the history of the county was caused by its removal to its present location at Sandusky. The fact that three attempts were made before it was accomplished is proof that the feeling in regard to its removal was keen, and the smallness of the majority by which the final triumph was made was in itself a protest. Both sides were on the verge of desperation. The first resolution to remove it was passed by the Board of Supervisors in 1870, but an injunction was procured to stop the clerk from posting the notices. Because of the irregularity of the proceeding the subject was dropped for two years when a second attempt was made by the Board of Supervisors and the resolution was submitted to the electors at the April election. Those favoring the removal had a small majority. The county officers were notified that the county seat had been removed to Sandusky and ordered to go thither with the records, but the officers saw it differently and decided to remain where they were, for the time being at least, since some of the notices lacked dates and others lacked signatures. The matter was laid before O’Brien J. Atkinson, a lawyer of Port Huron, who advised the board to again bring the matter to a vote. This they did, and in April, 1877, the majority vote was in favor of removal, the total poll showing 1,314 for, and 1,201 against. In due time a loan of twenty thousand dollars was authorized for the purpose of building a court house at Sandusky and in January, 1880, the task of removing the county seat was accomplished. An ill feeling existed between county Democrats and Republicans for a time, the effect being to weaken the latter party, but in after years it again became the leading political party. CHAPTER VI Fires In 1871 it became necessary to appoint a night watchman to guard the village from the forest fires which threatened and the foreman of the fire company was instructed to have his men in readiness for trouble. On Tuesday, October 10, the fire of 1871 had reached Lexington and the entire population turned out to fight it. The village lay helpless with her citizens in suspense when a bountiful rain put the fire under control. Boats brought many fugitives of the fire from other sections, and the people here cared for them in every way. The annual county fair which was scheduled for that week was postponed as every person was needed to guard against further danger. While the town escaped the forest fires that year, a more despicable source arose the following week, that of incendiarism. On October 17 an alarm was sounded and it was found that the warehouse of Potter and Wixson was afire. The flames spread rapidly and all hope of saving the town was abandoned when once more the heavens opened and the rain descended. The loss reached twenty thousand dollars. Day after day fires broke out in a mysterious way, causing heavy losses to Michael Meyer’s blacksmith shop, the barns of Nicholas Wolfel and Jesse Howey, and the livery barns attached to the Cadillac Hotel. There was much excitement and a general suspension of business. Finally a boy about seventeen years of age was found who could not give an account of himself, and he with a man similarly conditioned were arrested and the fires abated. Ten years later a deadlier fire swept the country starting in the timber which had been deadened by the fire of 1871. On September 5 the fire swept like a cyclone across the sky. The wind blew a gale and fanned every ember until there was nothing left to burn. Darkness settled like a pall over the earth, coming on gradually like an eclipse, and many consulted almanacs to see if this was not the cause, and failing to find one scheduled, thought that the end of the world was at hand. It had for many, for it is said that three hundred persons in the fire territory perished in the flames. A detailed account of the fire would fill volumes, and although Lexington escaped the flames, for days and weeks thick smoke settled over the village and many of its citizens had friends and relatives in the path of the fire who were rendered homeless and some burned to death. Lexington quickly started relief work and beside sending aid, cared for many who had fled from the fire region.
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