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HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. 119 Charles Grable, a prominent citizen of the township, now living one mile from Arnoldsville, came to the township in 1840. Anthony Grable, his brother (now dead), who came with him, sold goods in Arnoldsville with John Chesnut for a period of two years, soon after the close of the war. Eli Arnold came at an early day, and died since the war. Platte River Mills, also called Matney's Mills, was one of the earliest settled neighborhoods of the township. The postoffice at this period, called " Platte River," was established in 1848, and John Bretz appointed postmaster. This was the first post- office established in Jackson Township. Bretz was succeeded in the office by Wm. Matney, the present owner of the mills. Joel Grable started a general store in 185 , and sold goods about one year. In August, 1852, Wm. M. Matney opened, in partnership with E. Cody, a stock of goods. They continued in business together till April 1853, when Matney bought out his partner, and continued to sell goods till 1854, when he sold out to Isaac Brooks. In 1857, Brooks moved his goods to Plattsburg. Wm. M. Matney opened another store at the mills, and did business till 1861, when he closed out. There was no store kept at the mills during the period of the civil war, and the postoffice, as above stated, was moved across the the river into Platte Township, one mile north of the mills to the house of Henry Weltner, with whom it remained until after the close of the war, when it was moved back to its original and present site in Jackson Township. The present postmaster of Platte River, is O. D. Grable, son of Joel Grable, an old citizen of the township, and the merchant in whose store the postoffice is now kept. William M. Matney became the sole proprietor of what is now known as Matney's Mill in April, 1857. This mill is located in Jackson Township, on Platte River, just opposite to the point in Platte Town- ship, where it was first erected in 1838. In August, 1867, the mill was consumed by fire. Mr. Matney rebuilt a frame building, 46x66 feet, three stories above basement. The base- ment wall is stone, twenty feet high, containing more than seven hundred perch. The mill contains two run of burrs, four and four and a half feet in diameter. There is an addition to the main building two stories high. First story is used for saw mill, and contains one circular saw; the second story containstwo double custom roll carding machines, all driven by four Leffel turbine wheels, which cost about $2, 100. The mill is now in successful operation, except during very high or low water.
378 HISTORY OF BUCHANAN COUNTY. The staple yield of the township in ante bellum days was hemp, vast quantities of which were then raised and shipped. Corn, wheat and other small grain grow and produce well. Fruits of all kinds proper to this latitude are excellent. Horses, mules, cattle and hogs are exten- sively raised. ARNOLDSVILLE. About the year 1846 or '47, Eli Arnold, a native of Ohio, erected on the site of the present village of Arnoldsville, about four miles west of the Platte River, a large frame building, which he equipped as a grist mill, and for a time operated it by horse power. Finding this means too costly to be profitable he procured from Cincinnati an engine and boiler, and substituted steam for horse power. The difficulty of procur- ing the necessary water however, proved an obstacle to the complete success of the enterprise, and, after remaining idle for some time, the machinery was, after the war, sold to W. B. Smith, and moved to Agency. The old burrs are still in Cooley's water mill below Agency. The old mill building still remains, a gloomy reminder of the early and mistaken enterprise of a pioneer, who has long since passed to the land of shadows, where grists are not ground and where mistakes never occur. Eli Arnold was the first postmaster of the town. The present post- master is George W. Ray, the leading merchant of the place. The first building erected after the old mill, of which we have spoken, on the site of Arnoldsville, was a blacksmith shop, operated by Thomas Wilkerson. About the time that Arnold built his mill he erected a storehouse, which he afterward rented to different parties. Isaac Brooks first sold goods there. He was succeeded by the Helm Brothers. Others have sold goods in the place. J. Deitz has a grocery store. E. Gilbert, William St. John and - Webber have wagon making and blacksmith shops. There is also a boot and shoe shop and several residences. Dr. Belmont, established near the present site of the town, was among the early physicians. The present and only physician is Dr. J. C. Smith, a son of the founder of Agency. SCHOOLS, TIMBER, ETC. The first school building erected in Arnoldsville was a brick house. In consequence of its dilapidated condition, it was torn down in 1867, and a two-story frame put up, the lower story of which accommodates the Arnoldsville district school. The surrounding country, and especially that along the line of the Platte, is more or less hilly and broken, but heavily timbered and very productive.
BUCHANAN COUNTY AND ST. JOSEPH 55 Arnoldsville was at one time a trading point and postoffice. Eli Arnold built a mill there in 1847. Matney's mill and store are on the Jackson Township side of the bridge.
68 BUCHANAN COUNTY AND ST. JOSEPH. Fidler, John G. Elliott, John Cummins, Eli Cummins, Harrison Whitson and John Rohan, 1838. The first church in the township was built by Judge Nelson Witt. It was of logs and octagonal in shape, with a considerable seating ca- pacity. It was called the Witt meeting house and was used by the Calvinistic Baptists. According to the last census Platte Township has a population of 968. The voting precinct is at Burnett school house and the post office is at Platte River, where there is a general store, a mill, and a bridge over the river. JACKSON TOWNSHIP.-Pleasant Yates came in the spring of 1837; Isaac Farris, Kentucky, 1837; Levi Jackson, Kentucky, 1837; John Johnson, North Carolina, 1837; Robert Prather, Ken- tucky, 1837; Phillip Walker, 1837; Robert Wilson, Ohio, 1837; John Ray, North Carolina, 1838; Christopher Cunningham, 1838; Benja- min McCrary, 1838; Charles Grable, 1840; Eli Arnold, 1840. Jackson is the first township of the southern tier, west of Platte. Its population, according to the last census, was 656. Arnoldsville was at one time a trading point and postoffice. Eli Arnold built a mill there in 1847. Now the people of Jackson, as well as those of Platte, go to Platte River. Matney's mill and store are on the Jackson Township side of the bridge. CRAWFORD TOWNSHIP.-History has preserved the names of the following early settlers of Crawford Township, the second of the southern tier west of Platte: William Fowler, Delaware, 1837; Wm. Harrington, 1837; Caleb Bailey, 1837; Wm. Guinn and Wm. Lock- hart, Illinois, 1837; Bartlett Curl, Kentucky, 1837; James B. O'Toole, Illinois, 1837; Harvey Jones, North Carolina, 1837; O. M. Spencer, father of Judge Spencer, Kentucky, 1837; James Curl, William Payne, Guian Brown, Turpin Thomas, Matt Ferril, 1837; Thomas A. Brown, late judge of the county court, Tennessee, 1838; H. W., Baker, Virginia, 1837; John Hickman, St. Louis, 1837; Levi Judah, Indiana, 1837; Columbus Roundtree, Kentucky, 1837; Dr. Silas McDonald, Kentucky, 1838, first physician in the county; Major Sandford Feland, Kentucky, 1839; Guilford Moultrie, 1839; Nathan Turner, 1839. Crawford Township had, according to the last census, a popula- tion of 1,359. There are three voting precincts, Halleck, Wallace and Faucett, and each of these has a postoffice.
