Culver Military Academy
Culver Educational Foundation
301 North Shore Drive
Plat maps do not lie - or do they?
This is touted as - or said to be the original H. H. Culver Farm house - but how could this be? It definetly was not the original Culver farmhouse.
Why?
When the first original piece of farm land that H. H. Culver purchased was purchased on the East Shore drive in 1883
- and already had the "Founder's Cabin" on it and the Culver's built a new home on the property that they called the 'Homestead' - retaining the "Founder's Cabin" to the north of the new dwelling.
One must remember that the grounds the Academy occupies today was his second land purchase from Aaron T. Benedict
after the Homestead property - and was not his first purchase of land - that the purchase of the Aaron T. Benedict property came soon after the purchase of the Homestead land on the East Shore Drive. Of these properties has been stated:
And the Culver Assembly Bulletin of July 1889 the Culver Farm and residence was described:
In 1883 H. H. Culver bought an old farm and home on the east side, and began to improve it. Then the road ran alongside
the lake and the house was on the bluff above the lake shore. He removed it a few feet, and built a handsome cottage at a
cost of $8,000, on the site. The road was chaged to its present line back of the cottage, and the lovely bluff site was
improved until it has been made one of the prettiest parks and summer seats in Indiana...
Also Mark Roeder in his book states that the "Culver Farmhouse" is located next door to the Culver Homestead - at 480 E. Shore Dr.
He met and Married Emily J. Hand in 1864; and purchased his first property of the area - the John Hissong farm 28 March
1884. He further states that the Culver farm house was also the Hissong farm house and Thompson farm house - the long
cabin or "founder's cabin" that is annoateded on some of the lake maps.
He built a home near the "Founders cabin" a Mr. Thompson -
this cabin was moved in 1886 just a little was north of the present residence so it could be built and called it
"Homestead".
The quote from the Thomas Bigley Biographical sketch in speaking of Aaron Benedict is:
He also owned considerable acreage north of the lake along Aubbenaubbee Bay, 83 acres along the lake front and 200 acres thence
north. He built a home approximately a half mile from the lake and planted pine trees around it. He never lived there, but rented it to his daughter, Augusta, and husband William WARNER and family. Later the house burned but the pine trees stand to this day; the site is historically known as the Pine Tree House. His land holdings were later acquired by Henry H. CULVER for the Culver Military Academy.
The the Bogardus property is on was never a part of the Culver properties until the late 1920's or early 1930's. Robert D. Hartman and
Jeffery P. Kenney says of this propery:
Bogardus was a local farmer, whose homestead had no association with the Academy until 1955 when the property was purchased by
Patrick Hodgkin of the English department. Bogardus crossing, which is several hundred yards west of Logansport Gate on Academy Road,
and was the location at which the Pennsylvania-Vandalia rail line — making its way northeast from Culver to Plymouth — crossed
the road. Bogardus crossing was sometimes used as a loading and unloading area for Culver cadets bound for home or returning
to campus Today, the site of the crossing can be viewed on foot by hiking the trail made from the railroad right-of-way, which
extends from Culver’s town park across Academy Road and almost to State Road 10.
One must remember that the rest of the 'Morris Lakefront plats' were purchased along with the Lake View Hotel and Jungle Hotel,
Palmer Hotel properties by E. R. Culver & Bertram B. Culver and the Culver Reality and Investment Company was established in June 1932 by Bertram Culver and the Edwin R. Culver Estate for this purpose. These properties were purchased up during the late 1920's and early 1930's to prevent the possible future encroachment on the Academy property that the properties of the North shore represented. This was done to stop speculators from buying it up and decreasing the outside development by others on the area around the academy. This was when all the properties west of the original Academy ground [acreage of 98 acres] and all the property east of the Culver town park [the "Indian Trails" AKA Lake View Hotel and other private land holdings was bought up. The only thing that could not be acquired at this time period was the Vandalia right-of-way through this area. And also in reality the Dillon properties further to the North were purchased to fo the same reson - encroachment protection.
So who's land was it? - the early plat maps does provide some clues to that. One clue is that it was originally a part of the property of Isaac N. Morris by the 1880 map below.
In 1880 one can see there are no houses in the area of what is to have become the "Evangeline Bogardus triangle" it seems to all be barren or farm land during these periods in time.
The 1898 map above shows what I refer to as the "Bogardus triangle". The black squares in both the 1880 map above and 1898 map below represent the location of dwelling places or structures.
In connection with the property of 301 North Lane:
- It is stated at the time of the purchase the farm land belonged to Bogardus
- Bogardus family built the house during the mid 19th century
- Bogardus family operated the farm that bordered the north shore of Aubbenaubbee Bay on Lake Maxinkuckee.
- the Bogardus family did not sell their house to Henry Harrison Culver but only the farm
- In 1884 Henry Harrison Culver purchased the farmland andopened the Culver Military Academy nine years later
- tbe house has been associated continuously with the Culver Academies since before the first students enrolled in
1893
- memory serves that a real estate ad also proclaimed it to be the orginial farm house and moved to this
location
- Culver had already purchased the Hissong farm with only what is called the "founders cabin" on it and plans had been
made to build his own house, which still stands on a bluff along East Shore Drive.
- The 'Founders cabin' would be considered the ORIGINIAL farmhouse of this property facts:
- this cabin was moved in 1886 just a little was north of the present residence so it could be built
and it was called the 'Homestead'
- No full accurate date of purchase has been stated for purchase of this so called farm house, except 1884 - which the
purchase date of the Benedict farm [which in 1894 became the Acadmey grounds] and not the Bogardus farm
- BY the 1898 map it does appear that Henry H. Culver did have a second home or another cottage just west of the
Academy Grounds or even possible on the Academy grounds depending where the dividing line was between the Culver and
Morris properties was
and by a statement Mc Donald made in the 1905 Early Lake History:
In 1850, Isaac N. Morris, father of Capt. Ed Morris, moved to the
lake, locating on the north shore, on the farm now owned by A. N. Bogardus, His land ran down to the lake, taking in all
the lake front from the Lake View Hotel grounds to and including the Palmer house.
Thus this would defintely make the connection between the Bogardus and Morris property as being one - and never owned by Henry
H. Culver and family till much later.
By the 1908 map below - it still seems that L. C. Dillon's name was attached to the triangle (green dot) that eventually was in Eveline Bogardus' name in 1922. The Bogardus name appears nowhere as of 1908 as of yet only I. N. Morris' son Ed Morris had Lot #3 and a plat was added under the name of "E. M. Morris Plat; the Morris Lakefront still bore its name; C. Bekman had
21.49 acres which in 1898 was in E. Morris' name. Whether the Bogardus property was still in the Morris name or in the DIllon name in 1908 can not be determined by the map below.
This property is farther east (the red dots) of the J. W. Palmer property listed (which is about in the middle of the Morris Lakefront)- which is the Palmer House location - and the above statement said that the Bogardus family owned up and including the Palmer House - but as evidenced by the 1908 plat map this is totally untrue - unless the 1908 plat map as presented is in error no where do I see the Bogardus name attached to any property in 1908!
The 1922 plat map definitely shows a house on the lots [red dot] but no name attached to it again but again one must assume
H. H. Culver heirs still owned the lots; the house is sitting on the property lines by the small square as it is highly unlikely that his heirs gave up any land that he acquired since 1883/4 on Aubbenaubbee Bay but in reality was trying to purchase more to the west of the Academy grounds to prevent future encroachment from the west towards the original Academy acreage. The Morris Lakefront still exists which is highlighted in yellow and to the back of it is the plat listed as the E. Morris Plat on the right in 1908 with an additional plat of E. M. Morris to the left; and the original Academy grounds and shows it butts up to the ground that was platted as subdivisions [Morris Lakefront] of Culver.
By the 1922 plat map (above) the bogardus names is now attached to the property - as Evangeline Bogardus name appears on the 1922 plat map as owning a unstated amount of acreage between the town corporation limits and L. C. Dillon's 238.28 acres the Bogardus property formed a triangle, and later this property is labeled as the 'Bogardus subdivision'.
A later plat map has been found - probably dates just around 1929 as St. Rd. 10 is still not been moved and in existence by this map As we know in 1929 - Came the biggest change to the Academy campus with the removal of the east-west road, and opening of St. Rd. 10. Several years prior officials had petitioned the state highway department to move it the north. Exact date is not known - but some major land owner changes had been made. This is a section croped out of it showing the 'Bogardus Triangle' (orange dot).
Of this Bogardus family is found (assuming by Evangaline and initials A. N). They are buried at Culver Masonic Cemetery:
BOGARDUS, Irene, 1881-1963, Mother
BOGARDUS, Alfred N., Apr 21, 1857 - Apr 7, 1905, Father
BOGARDUS, Evangeline, Mar 6, 1853 - Aug 15, 1946
BOGARDUS, Olive, 1887-1936
BOGARDUS, Garland, 1886-1929
BOGARDUS, Eunice, 1885-1948
BOGARDUS, Clark, 1889-1963
BOGARDUS, Alfred married CAILLAT, Evangeline 22 August 1878
Census data:
1870 He is listed with his parents Liberty twp. Wabash, Indiana; Roll: M593_367; Page: 109; Image: 218.:
1880 Union twp., Marshall, Indiana; Roll: T9_297; Page: 199; Enumeration District: 108.
1900 INDIANA MARSHALL UNION TWP
Series: T623 Roll: 392 Page: 214a/14B; Enumeration District: 82.
1910 - Union, Marshall, Indiana; Roll: T624_370; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 114
1920 - Union, Marshall, Indiana; Roll: T625_456; Page: 12B; Enumeration District: 182
1930 - Union, Marshall, Indiana; Roll: 617; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 17;
From the Saturday, April 8, 1905 The Rochester Sentinel is found:
Sir Knights W. C. PETERS, Major SKINNER, E. VonEHRENSTEIN and Bert VANDIEN, went to Culver in an automobile to attend
the funeral of their brother Templar, Alfred [N.] BOGARDUS. [Apr 21, 1857 - Apr 7, 1905; bur Culver Masonic cem, Culver,
Marshall Co, Ind.]
Here is an over all view of the north end - 1908 owned by it Lewis Cass Dillon owned the triangle portion then as
no other name is in that section of land but there are two structures in the lower right portion of this triangle.
In the 1922 map below the triangle is desiganted as Evageline Bogardus thus Alfred N. Bogardus pruchased this triangle portion of land sometime after 1908 from Lewis Cass Dillon possibly or was it still in the Morris name - this can not be determined by this map:
Below is the 1996 plat map it still shows the morris subdivision and it takes in part of the triangle area the was the
Bogardus land and the triangle is labeled as "Sub North SUB".
And here is a current map of the general area of the "Bogardus Farm" or "Bogardus Subdivision" which is in relation to the
western edge of the academy Campus.
By the above plat maps the evidence is that - :
- the house at 301 North Shore Drive was not indeed the Culver farm house
- that it was the orginial farmhouse of the Isaac N. Morris family
- that Bogardus did not purchase property in the 1880's or 1890's as has been implied - that they first purchased
the property some time between the last dated plat map of 1989 and the plat map of 1908 [not listed as Bogardus as yet]
or 1922 [listed as Bogardus]
- Henry H. Culver never purchased any of the property to the west which was the Morris farm as he died on died Sunday,
September 26, 1897.
- The Bogardus property never did belong to Henry H. Culver or his family
- It possibly was purchased in the late 1920's or early not 1930's by the Culver heirs or on behalf of the Academy to
prevent encroachment upon the Academy campus property
- It is doubtful since it is the orginial Morris farmhouse that it was re-located - but it possibly also could have
been
- The real association with the academy did not come about until 1958 when Irene Bogardus sold the house to long-time
chairman of the Academies’ English Department but said to have a change of heart and a battle ensued over the
property
- if they are indeed an accurate accounting of the property in this area for this time period.
And the greatest clue is found in the 'One Township Yesterday's' - Corwin - which sheds more light onto the Bogardus property and ownership of it:
Among these good rememberers is Miss Florence Morris, who of late years has been a resident of Plymouth. Miss Morris is the youngest daughter of Isaac N. Morris and Emily Thompson Morris, and is the only member of the family living.
Ancient Maple Trees Believing that people of the present day would be interested in the history of trees, Miss Morris tells us about some ancient maples, now landmarks near the shore of Lake Maxinkuckee. "My father, Isaac N. Morris," writes Miss Morris, "bought the farm on the north end of' Lake Maxinkuckee in about the year 1850. The 160 acres of the farm on the north side of the road are now owned by the Dillon heirs; a few acres and the old farm house are owned by Mrs. A. N. Bogardus, and the rest by the Culvers and a few lot owners on Indiana Avenue. And the part of the farm on the south side of the road extended from the road to the lake and from the railroad east to the Academy, and is now owned by the Culvers.
"What I want to give, especially, is a history of the large maple trees on the north side of the road or street from the house owned by Mrs. Bogardus to the top of the grade, or, to be exact, to Colonel Rossow's lot. Likewise, I would mention the maple trees on the south side of the street, opposite Mrs. Bogardus' house, and extending east along the street to the Academy.
"These large maple trees I have mentioned were set out by my father and two brothers, Milton and Edmund Morris, before the Civil War - - probably about 1858 or 1859.
"I thought these trees were old enough to deserve mention. "Nearly every one calls that street Faculty Row, but the recorded name of the street on the Plat is Indiana Avenue.
"The maple trees on Morris Street from Indiana Avenue south to the Maxinkuckee Inn were set out by my brother, Edmund Morris, in the year 1884.
"I deeded away the last bit of the Morris farm to the Culvers in 1932 and moved to Plymouth."
thus by this statement from Isaac N. Morris' daughter Florence - we find the that the 'Bogardus Triangle' was a part of the Morris farm - that the farmhouse was the orginal farmhouse of the Isaac N. Morris family and not the Culver family as has been touted for many a year. Not given is the date that Bogardus purchased it and as to whether it was purchased directly from the Morris heirs or from the Dillon hiers - that still remains to be determined.
Irene Bogardus joined the State Exchange Bank staff as bookkeeper-auditor. Miss Bogardus is remembered for her family
home which is now the Bruce Holaday residence. The house she built for herself was later bought by "Bud" Roberts, an
instructor at the Culver Military Academy, and is now owned by Chan and Dorrie Mitzell. The rest of the Bogardus farm
became the North Shore Lane.
It is said that Miss Bogardus never married and that she was a strong willed person and that she had lived in the house until 1959; even tho she had sold the house a year earlier and built a more modern house across the street at 1010 Academy Road. It is said that Miss Bogardus had a change her mind about the house and refused to vacate the house. It required getting a court order from the Marshall County Court in order to get her to vacate the house and give up possession of it.
It is said the house was sold to Pat Hodgkins and that they had resided in the house until the late 1970s when in the late Bruce and Diana Holaday purchased. It again was sold in 2005 to Don and Tracy. North Shore Lane was has acquired the name of “Martini Lane.” And that many still know the area by that name.
It is indeed listed today as being in the Bogardus Subdivision: BOGARDUS SUB LOT 5 LOT 5 BOGARDUS SUB. - this is very likely a very good hypothis at the present time?
The above 2005 map locates the house surrounded by the yellow; the Bogardus triangle of 1922 in green. The Palmer House
located in the middle of "the Morris Lakefront" in pink, along with the house in H. H. Culver's name still in 1898 even
tho he had died on 26 Sep 1897, is represented by the blue dot.
Thus more work needs to be done on the previous ownership of the so called "farmhouse" at 301 North Shore Lane, where it was originally located and or if it indeed was even moved to its present location as stated.
But pretty much the plat maps presented above tell the history of the North Shore campus of the Culver Military Academy and the quotes from printed histories give a reasonable account of the Bogardus property and that it was originally owned by Isaac N. Morris and possibly for a brief time by Lewis Cass Dillon - thus never ever being owned by the Culver family unless they purchased it from the Bogardus' during the late 1920's and early 1930's.
What is needed is the detailed plat's of the area over the years and the changes to the area; an abstract if it even does exist any longer. A look at recorded deeds and plats of the general area. And follow the purchases of the Culver Reality and Investment Company. This will mean many long hours in the Recorder's office at Plymouth digging through all the old land records.
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