Wilmington Township, it had it all

    In 1878 George Woodruff published his History of Will County, and in it, he described each township and its early settlers.
    When he came to write about Wilmington Township he was lavish in his praise. But he was not the first one to do so. Humans have been coming to Wilmington Township for hundreds of years because “it had it all.”
    He said the following: “The ancient philosophers recognized in nature 4 primary elements, water, earth, air and fire. From the first two came food and drink, and from the last two they derived health and heat.”
    “Certainly, but few portions of the State have been more highly favored with these natural advantages than that of which we write.
    “With a good soil, with water privileges and water-power in great abundance, with timber for fuel and with a salubrious climate, it is not strange that this section had attractions for the early emigrant. Nature seems to have overexerted herself, in this instance, in producing a locality which is at once beautiful, healthy and productive.”
    The many mounds created by the earliest of humans to live in this area give testament to the fact the humans have lived in this area for hundreds of years. The many early trails traveled by Native Americans in Will County tend to converge at the Kankakee River exactly where the city of Wilmington is now. The reason being the shallowness of the river at that point, which afforded an easy passage across.
    However, it was not until after the Black Hawk War that white people came to settle permanently. Thomas Cox and his wife Mary, who were early Joliet pioneers, laid claim to all of the land on which Wilmington now stands. Cox was, arguably, a land speculator.
    With the new I & M Canal under construction, it was only a matter of time, that land prices would soar all along the connecting river systems.
    Woodruff writes, “In 1836, Cox laid claim to all of the land on which the city of Wilmington now stands, laid out the town, calling it Winchester, erected the first saw-mill, built a house and disposed of a few town lots. He followed these improvements soon after with the addition of a corn-cracker to his saw-mill, and still a little later by the erection at the upper end of the race, near where Whitten's flour-mill now stands, of a grist-mill and carding machine (a factory to comb out wool prior to spinning).”
    “These improvements gave the town a wide reputation, and Cox's mills were patronized by many who lived more than fifty miles distant. The old pioneers of Kankakee, Grundy, Livingston and other counties are wont to tell how they took their corn and wheat to the mill at Wilmington, consuming, often, nearly a week in the trip.”
    “Having such a long distance to go, it became necessary to wait for the grinding of the grain before their return; and, as the mill was frequently crowded, they were often necessarily detained several days. The first mill was built without any bolting machinery; but, after a time, a bolt, made to turn by hand, was constructed, and through this the patrons of the mill were allowed to sift their own flour.”
    Also in 1836 came another who had a tremendous influence on local politics. Peter Stewart, an engineer from New York, came to work on the Canal, but having seen Wilmington, he laid claim to several pieces of land here.
    He was a staunch Presbyterian and was influential in starting that church. He was also an abolitionist, claiming he was the “vice-president” of the Underground Railroad. Thus, Wilmington also became a destination for those seeking the freedom of Canada.
    The story Woodruff tells goes like this. “At one time, a company of men from the South visited Wilmington, in pursuit of a fugitive slave. When their business became known, they were at once surrounded by a mob of citizens, at whose hands they could not but expect violence. Having heard that Peter Stewart was a man of influence in the town, they sent for him to intercede for them.”
    “When Stewart arrived on the ground, the would-be slavecatchers implored him to use his influence with the people for their release, and were astounded to find that he was the leader of the Antislavery movement in this neighborhood. But, after learning that they would be only too glad to return to St. Louis, Stewart counseled the citizens to set them at liberty, with an injunction not to delay their return to their homes, which advice was duly heeded.”
    But we have not touched the surface of Wilmington Township's history. That is a story for next time.