© Copyright by Jean Leeper and the Lewelling Quaker
Museum Board.
New counter on September 13, 2011
Located along the north side of the strip of land between School Street and Pioneer (Pig Alley) Steet that the Lewelling brothers once owned. Extraction of these land records follow the pictures of the Gibson house that William Lewelling may have built. Near first base on the school ball diamond.
Another View
Gibson House. (2
pictures) At one time Isaac Gibson owned and he was the brother of
Tamar and Mary Gibson who married Peter and George Hobson, and the Hobson brothers are
tied to the Underground Railroad and/or the Lewelling house. The
above house was on School Street and sat near what is now first base on the grade school baseball diamond, about three blocks east from the Lewelling House. It
too was destroyed by fire.
It is not believed that Isaac Gibson owned the property during the Civil
War, but purchased it later. Need abstract to verify. Lewis Savage believes that William Lewelling built this house and being a teacher with the gift of ministry did not have the funds his brother's John and Henderson had.
Isaac Gibson
From the Free Press,
Mt. Pleasant, Iowa Sept 30, 1915"Recent investigations have
discovered a strangely planned cellar; what would seem to be a well
but no water; and passages leading underground some distance from the
Gibson house." (Article written right after Isaac
Gibson's death)
From The Iowan
June-July 1956 by Curt Harnack page 23 "Another house is owned
by my father, Jay Long. It has bars on the basement windows yet
and two doors inside that were hiding places." (The house Jay Long
owned was the Isaac Gibson's house.)
From the Mt. Pleasant
News, Nov 25, 1972, "The cellar was divided into several small rooms,
each with a stout door and the cellar windows were
barred."
Picture from Bob Mendenhall to the Lewelling Quaker Museum
This picture shows a bricked cellar room
that goes a little ways back. Some believed used to hide
runaway slaves.
From the Feb 1997 Mt. Pleasant News , Don Young writes "...the Gibson House, where a cavelike area exteneded outward from the basement wall and was concealed by a cupboard.."
Stories of tunnels
running between houses cannot be documented, as no one bothered to
write what they knew down. But Elsie Craig, 86 in 2006 and still with a clear memory, remembers her father,
Charles Ross Pidgeon, who was born in 1877, telling about tunnels
that one person could be in near Pig Alley (her term), that road that
ran east from Whittier College/Academy (later Salem High
School.) The teachers warned the kids to stay out of these
tunnels and the tunnels were boarded up trying to keep kids
out. Her father said they did not appear to run a long ways.
She said they were near Old Grandma Weeks (what the kids called her)
property and from the conversation, south of the house where Isaac
Gibson lived. Mr. Pidgeon descended from Isaac and Phebe
Pidgeon early Salem pioneers and who were part of the group who were
removed from Salem Meeting for joining the Separatist meeting. The information below shows that Henderson and William
Lewelling in 1842 purchased the land that was between School Street
and Pig Alley and where the Gibson house was located.
This leads me to
believe that a tunnel might have lead from a field to the Gibson
house or another, unknown to us, Underground Railroad house south of
School Street.
No other tunnel documentation can be found.
From 1842 Land records we can show that The Lewellings
owned the above properties.
Yellow - Henderson Lewelling Orange William Lewelling and
blue - John Lewelling
On the above map I
have tried to mark some of their property on the south side of Salem
but the abstracts of titles will all need to be searched to
verify. It looks like that Henderson and William Lewelling
owned all of the land between South School Street and East Pioneer
Street (Pig Alley)
31st
day of the 8th month 1842, page 308-309 for
$350
Aaron
Street Jr. and Peter Boyer to Henderson Lewelling
... the first
commencing fifty links south of the South East corner of Block No.
twenty-four in the Town of Salem, thence South eight chains and forty
seven links to the Quarter section line thence west along said line
sixteen chains and fifty links, thence N 24º 46' East
fifteen chains forty links thence South five chains, thence east nine
chains, eighty-two links, to its beginning (Lewelling
Quaker Museum property, abstract documents)
The second
commencing fifty (sic) fifty links South and sixty-two links east of
the South East corner of Block twenty-three in Salem running south
eight chains and thirty four links to the quarter section line,
thence east along said line three chains seventy five links hence
North eight chains twenty eight links, thence west three chains,
seventy five links to the place of beginning. (Believed to
be O. L. 18-19 and part of 20 and 21, Need abstract to document
completely.)
The third commencing
fifty links east of the North East corner of Block # twenty-one in
Salem, running South thirteen chains, seventeen links, thence east
eighteen chains sixty-two links, thence north six chains, nineteen
links, thence west fifteen chains, thence North six chains,
seventy-four links, thence west three chains, sixty-two links to the
place of its beginning containing altogether thirty-one acres and
eighty eight hundredths be the same more or less (O. L. 26 plus
land along diagonal early road up to the side of lot 21. Will
get abstract to prove for sure.) This would contain the Gibson
house as it was called later and the possible tunnel(s) near that
house.
Signed by Aaron
Street, Elizabeth Street, Peter Boyer and Cecilia Boyer
31st
day of the 8th month 1841 page 311-312 for
$120
Aaron
Street Jr. and Peter Boyer to William Lewelling
... the first
commencing fifty links east and fifty links South of the South East
corner of Block # twenty-one in the town of Salem running South eight
chains thirty-four links to the quarter Section line; thence west
seven chains, thirty-four links, thence North eight chains
twenty-eight links, thence East seven chains and thirty-four to the
place of its beginning. It is O. L. 22 and part
of 20 and 21. Will verify with abstract later.
The second commencing
fifty links south of the South West corner of Block twenty-three in
Salem, thence East five chains eight links, thence South eight chains
seventeen links to the quarter section line, thence west along said
line five chains, eight links, thence North eight chains forty-five
links to the place of its beginning. Containing all together
ten acres and thirty hundredth be the same more or less.
Signed by Aaron Street,
Elizabeth Street, Peter Boyer and Cecilia Boyer
O. L. 14-17 10.3
acres. Abstract for Peter Collins house (brick house
across from Lewelling Quaker Museum verifies)
27th
day of the 4th month 1841 page 309-310 for
$40.00
Aaron
Street Jr. and Peter Boyer to Henderson Lewelling
Lots
# 3 and 4 in Block # twenty-two
Signed
by Aaron Street, Elizabeth Street, Peter Boyer and Cecilia
Boyer
31st
day of the 8th month 1842 page 310-311 for
$40.00
Aaron
Street Jr. and Peter Boyer to John Lewelling
Lots
# 1 and 2 in Block # twenty-two
Signed
by Aaron Street, Elizabeth Street, Peter Boyer and Cecilia
Boyer
16th
day of the 4th month 1847 Deed Book F page
415
Henderson Lewelling
and his wife Elizabeth have made constituted and appointed and by all
those present do make constitute and appoint John Lewelling of the
County and State aforesaid our lawful attorney for us and in our name
and stead to convey by a good deed of general warrantee all real
Estate belonging to us and situated in Said County. And further to
ask, demand, sue for and receive all sums of money, debts and demands
which is our shall be due and belonging to us.
10th
day of the 3rd month 1847 Deed Book F page 205 for
$733
Henderson
Lewelling and Elizabeth his wife convey to William Lewelling Lot # 4
in Block # 19
Signed
5th day 4d month 1847 by Henderson Lewelling and Elizabeth
Lewelling
Recorded
6th April 1847
Terms
Rod
16.5 feet or 5.5 yards.
4
rods = 1 chain or 22 yards.
Chain
66 feet long or 100 links
Each
link 7.92 inches.
Come
Again!