money for the original building and the addition having been raised by subscription. The institution is under the management of a board of twelve directors-eight men and four women-but is under the immediate supervision of a "Father and Mother," who are subject to certain rules and regulations. In 1914 J. Dykstra was president of the board of directors; J. S. Rhynsburger was secretary, and Mr. and Mrs. A. Bliek held the positions of father and mother. The annual election of directors is held on the first Tuesday in May. Every person who contributes one dollar or more annually is entitled to vote. A life membership in the association may be obtained for twenty dollars, and the directors have the power to issue stock, not exceeding $10,000 at any one time, for the purpose of perpetuating the institution. Persons sixty years of age or older are eligible for admission to the home, upon payment of a certain sum and agreeing to abide by the rules and regulations laid down by the board. The institution has been a popular one from the beginning and has been kept constantly filled to its capacity, with a number of applications on file for admission.

THE INEBRIATE HOSPITAL

Although this is a state institution, it is located at Knoxville and its history constitutes a part of that of Marion County. In 1888 the Legislature made an appropriation of $1,000 and appointed commissioners to investigate and report on the best method of furnishing employment to the adult blind within the State of Iowa. Upon the reception of their report the Legislature passed an act, which was approved by the governor on April 23, 1890, appropriating $40,000 to build and equip an "Industrial Home for the Blind," with a capacity of 200 inmates. Half the appropriation was to be expended on workshops and a steam heating plant; $4,000 for a men's building and a similar sum for a women's building, the remainder to be used as the commissioners might elect. The act also authorized the governor to appoint five commissioners, one of whom should be a woman, to select a location and erect the buildings.

It was also provided in the act that the commissioners might purchase a site, in case a suitable one was not donated by some county or city that wanted the institution. The people of Knoxville became interested and offered the commissioners fifty acres of land, which was accepted and the Industrial Home for the Blind was opened on January 1, 1892, with F. S. Whiting as superintendent. The first board of trustees consisted of J. H. Nichols, L. T. Richmond, John B. Elliott, Miss Lorana Mattice, John Killen and

Robert Colbert. The first three as above named were president, secretary and treasurer of the board, respectively.

Mr. Whiting was succeeded as superintendent by M. C. Gebhart, who served until 1896, when Cambridge Culbertson, of Knoxville, was appointed and held the position until the institution was abandoned in 1900. During the time the home was in existence its inmates made brooms, hammocks, cane chair seats, bead work and some other articles. The institution was intended as a home for such adult blind as were able to work at some occupation, but the opinion became prevalent that it was intended for all the adult blind, without regard to whether they were workers or not, and this may have had some influence upon the situation that led to the discontinuance of the home by the state.

By the act of the Legislature, approved on April 12, 1902, it was provided that "dipsomaniacs, inebriates and persons addicted to the excessive use of narcotics" might be treated in one or more of the insane hospitals of the state. After trying this plan for about two years the state decided, through the Legislature, to convert the abandoned home for the blind into a hospital for such cases. Accordingly, on April 6, 1904, Governor Cummins approved an act, the first section of which is as follows:

"The Industrial Home for the Adult Blind at Knoxville shall hereafter be called the State Hospital for Inebriates and shall be used for the detention, care and treatment of all male dipsomaniacs, inebriates and persons addicted to the excessive use of morphine, cocaine or other narcotic drugs."

An appropriation of $125,000 was made for the purchase of additional land, domestic animals, tools, implements, etc., and before the summer was over the new institution was opened for the reception of patients. Since then 300 acres of land adjoining the original site have been purchased, giving the hospital a tract of 350 acres immediately outside the city limits of Knoxville to the northwest. Additional buildings have been erected, an artesian well drilled, and in 1914 a large clay working industry was established. At the time the institution was discontinued as the Industrial Home for the Adult Blind it had thirty-seven inmates, who were returned to the counties from which they had been admitted at the expense of the state. At the beginning of the year 1915 the number of inmates in the Inebriate Hospital was 187, with Dr. George Donahoe in charge as superintendent. About that time Doctor Donahoe was appointed superintendent of the Cherokee State Hospital and was succeeded in the Knoxville institution by Doctor Mackin.

TH. TLW YORK PUBLIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

CHAPTER VI

TOWNSHIP HISTORY

INTRODUCTION OF THE TOWNSHIP SYSTEM IN THE UNITED STATESACT OF THE LEGISLATURE AUTHORIZING CIVIL TOWNSHIPS IN IOWA -MARION COUNTY DIVIDED INTO TEN TOWNSHIPS IN JANUARY, 1847-LIST OF TOWNSHIPS IN 1914-CLAY-DALLAS-FRANKLIN -INDIANA-KNOXVILLE--LAKE PRAIRIE LIBERTY LOCATION AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF EACH-EARLY SETTLERS AND INCIDENTS PRESENT-DAY CONDITIONS

ETC.

SCHOOLS RAILROADS,

The township system in the United States dates back to 1635, when the Massachusetts General Court enacted that, "Whereas, particular townships have many things which concern only themselves, and the ordering of their own affairs and disposing of business in their own town, the freemen of every township, or a majority part of them, shall only have power to dispose of their own lands and woods, with all the appurtenances of said town, to grant lots, and to make such order as may concern the well-ordering of their own towns not repugnant to the laws and orders established by the General Court."

Four years later the system was introduced in the Connecticut colony, and as civilization extended westward the township was made a component part of each new state. On January 10, 1840, while Iowa was still a territory, Governor Lucas approved an act of the Territorial Legislature providing for the division of the several organized counties of Iowa into civil townships. Marion County was not organized until five years after the passage of this act, but it was under its provisions that the first civil townships were established in the county.

In March, 1846, as narrated in Chapter IV, the county was divided into voting precincts, but these subdivisions did not take the name of townships. The first townships were erected by the board of county commissioners on January 6, 1847, when the county was divided into ten civil townships, to-wit: Cincinnati, Clay, Indiana,

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Jefferson, Knoxville, Lake, Liberty, Pleasant Grove, Red Rock and Washington. The name of Cincinnati Township was subsequently changed to Perry, and other townships have been created until there are now fifteen, viz: Clay, Dallas, Franklin, Indiana, Knoxville, Lake Prairie, Liberty, Perry, Pleasant Grove, Polk, Red Rock, Summit, Swan, Union and Washington.

CLAY TOWNSHIP

This township is one of the eastern tier. As originally established by the order of January 6, 1847, it embraced "That part of townships 75 and 76, range 18, lying south of the Des Moines River," and it is one of the few townships in the county that retains the original boundary lines. It is bounded on the north by the Des Moines River, which separates it from the Township of Lake Prairie; on the east by Mahaska County; on the south by Liberty Township, and on the west by Knoxville and Polk. Its area is about thirty-five square miles. English Creek flows eastwardly across the northern part and empties into the Des Moines River near the Town of Harvey, Cedar Creek crosses the southeast corner. Its principal tributary is Walnut Creek. Along the streams the surface is somewhat broken, but the greater part is undulating prairie with a fertile soil, well adapted to all the crops grown in this section of the state. At the time the township was erected a large majority of the voters were admirers of the celebrated Kentucky statesman, Henry Clay, and it was named in his honor.

It is believed that the first white men to attempt a settlement in what is now Clay township were David T. Durham and Andrew Foster, who visited that part of the county in the summer or fall of 1842, in company with a man named Clark. The following year Durham and Foster returned to the claims they had selected and Andrew Foster built the first house in the township. Clark sought a residence elsewhere. Closely behind these two pioneers came Thomas Kirtan, John Linpod, Benajah Williams and Matthew Ruple, all of whom settled in the township in 1843. The next year the little colony was increased by the addition of John and Garrett G. Harsin, Thomas Gregory, Andrew C. Sharp, Thomas Tong, Squire B. Zane, Jasper Koons, John Wise, David Gushwa, Francis A. Barker and a few others.

Matthew Ruple's daughter Frances, born on Aug. 26, 1843, was the first white child born in Marion County. She grew to womanhood in Clay Township and became the wife of Albert Spaur.