Pioneer history of Ingham County, compiled and arranged by Mrs. Franc L. Adams, secretary of the Ingham County pioneer and historical society.

494

PIONEER HISTORY OF INGTIAM COUNTY

ciers. What a tale those old walls could tell of the conferences
between these men and their agent about the future growth and
development of this Capitol city in the woods and the prosperous
farms that were to surround it. We can imagine a grave Quaker
listening to the agent's glowing description of the future growth of
the Capitol city, and finally saying, "We will leave the matter
with thee, James, and trust in your good judgment." In those
pioneer days the agent thought more of the trust and confidence
bestowed than he did of the percentage he was to receive.
The brick house on the corner of Clinton and Center streets was
built by Richard Elliott in the late fifties or early sixties. The
bricks show that they were moulded by hand and the square
sills show signs of the broadax, the laths were split with an axe
and nailed to studding with old fashioned cut nails. The workmen find in tearing it down that pioneer workmen put walls up to
stay, as the mortar is as hard or harder than the bricks and the
rough stones in the cellar walls are woven and tied together so they
have to be picked apart with a pickaxe. Such stone building is a
lost art with the stone mason today.
Mr. Elliott came from Ohio to Lansing and opened a small
store on Center street, from this he branched out into the grain
and real estate business. He operated the old North Lansing
Elevator that was east across the railroad tracks from the Breisch
Milling Co.s' present elevator. He was quite a builder, for I remember a row of houses he built on Center street south of Wall
street.
Another old pioneer built a row of houses on West Franklin
street between Walnut and Chestnut streets similar to Elliot's
houses.
In one of the houses on Franklin street lived for years an Episcopal clergyman,his two daughters and son. The son went the
way of a wild youth and finally ended his career with a shotgun in
Mark's livery barn, this city. The father and daughters lived for
years on the good will and charity of the people and finally faded
and died. The last years they lived they were striking figures
when they appeared on our streets both in dress and habits, and
their peculiarities were best seen at a distance.
These houses on Franklin street were built on four by eight
rod lots which were considered small in those times. They were