The Town of Wolcott is the only place of any considerable size and commercial importance in the western part of the county. It is nine miles west of Reynolds, and there is nothing worthy to be called a settlement, either north or south of it within the limits of White County. As the surrounding districts are also productive and settled by a substantial class of farmers, while the townsmen themselves are energetic and enterprising, Wolcott has naturally grown and is growing. It has three elevators, operated by the Rich Brothers, the Wolcott Grain Company and the Farmers Co-operative Company; two good banks, several large and well-stocked stores, and quite an extensive plant, embracing metal works, sales depot for agricultural implements, barbed wire and other farmers' accessories and hardware supplies.

MUNICIPAL WATERWORKS
Further, Wolcott has three church organizations, several flourishing societies, a town commissioned high school of substantial standing, and a pneumatic water system, owned by the municipality. The power house is about half a mile west of town, the supply of water being first filtered through a gravel pit and then through an artificial filter attached to the pressure tank. Water was turned into the mains in April, 1915, and the people feel justly proud of their new waterworks, which furnishes them good water and provides them with adequate fire protection. The latter has seemed the most pressing need of the community since the recent destructive fire.

FOUNDING OF THE TOWN
Princeton Township never increased so rapidly in population as from 1856 to 1860, it having become virtually an assured fact that the Logansport, Peoria and Burlington Railroad would pass through its territory from east to west. As the farmers and settlers had long rebelled at the hardship and inconvenience of hauling their products to Reynolds and buying their provisions there, it was also a foregone conclusion that some station would be established on the line easier of access than that place, which, over the abominable and winding roads of those days, often meant tiresome journeys of from ten to fifteen miles. 

COMING OF ANSON WOLCOTT
In 1858 the savior of the situation appeared in the southern part of the township in the person of Anson Wolcott. He was then in his fortieth year. A native of Oneida County, New York, he was educated and taught in the Empire State, and when twenty-one years of age went to Louisiana and studied law in the office of Judge Petts, in Claiborne Parish. He remained in the South about a year and a half, when he returned to New York, continued his law studies and in 1847 was admitted to the State Supreme Court at Buffalo, and in 1852 to the United States Supreme Court.

TOWN PLATTED
After practicing his profession for six years, Mr. Wolcott started for the Wabash country of Indiana, as he had purchased a large body of land on the line of the Pan Handle Road which had been surveyed through Princeton Township. Some place his purchases as high as 2,000 acres. He commenced at once to improve his land and also to buy grain of neighboring farmers for shipment to eastern markets. When the railroad was completed in the fall of 1860 he prepared to plat a town and arrange for a station under his own name. On the 15th of May, 1861, Mr. Wolcott platted his town on land described as follows: The commencing point of the survey is at the southeast corner of lot 8, block F, and is 180 feet distant at right angles from the center line of the Pittsburgh, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, and thirty feet west of the range line which runs north and south in the center of Range Street north, eighty degrees west, and the town is laid out parallel and at right angles to the railroad. Another description of the original town site is the eastern part of section 25 and the western part of section 30. The plat consisted of ninety-six lots, and the streets were laid out sixty feet wide. The east and west streets were named North, Jackson, Market, Scott, Anderson and South; those running north and south, Range, Second, Third and Fourth.

COMPETITORS
About the time that Wolcott was platted, two towns were laid out on the line of the railroad to the east—Clermont, a mile and a half away, and Seafield, double that distance. At one time Clermont was the leader of the trio, but subsided quite; while Seafield, at least, retired from active rivalry.

THE WOLCOTT INTERESTS
From first to last, for nearly forty-six years, Mr. Wolcott was the inspiration of the place. Soon after the town was platted he built sheds along the railroad track and commenced to buy and ship corn in large quantities. Later he erected a large grain elevator and promoted other enterprises, directly by investment and indirectly by encouragement. The corn crib which he erected was said to be the largest in the world, having a capacity of 45,000 bushels of ear-corn. Eben H. Wolcott, his son, had also come to the front in business, and his hay warehouse was one of the largest in the state. He operated two presses, each of which had a capacity of 36,000 bales for the season.

FIRST ADDITION
Tn 1865 Anson Wolcott made the first addition to the original town, consisting of forty-seven lots. Although he was highly and broadly educated, the founder of Wolcott confined his activities largely to business, but his few deviations from that path indicated mental resources of a high order. In 1868 he was elected on the republican ticket to the State Senate, where he did valuable service as chairman of the finance committee during the sessions of 1869 and 1871. He was afterward prominently mentioned as a candidate for Congress. Later, questions arose upon which he could not agree with his party and for years he was a leader in the national or greenback party, at one time being their candidate for governor.

DEATH OF THE FOUNDER
Mr. Wolcott died at his home in the town he had founded on January 10, 1907, and his deep conscientiousness and broad ability, his public spirit and courtesy, his friendship and abiding affection, will ever be remembered by those who were influenced for so many years by those traits of his sterling manhood.

(Source: Standard History of White County Indiana, 1915) 

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