Vera formerly called Canaan, Rosecranz

“In 1861, there was not a house where Vera is now – nothing but a switch – and it was called Canaan.” So read the recollections of Marcella B. Doyle, published in The Vandalia Union in 1913 to commemorate its first 50 years of publication.

Mrs. Doyle was one of Fayette County’s many old settlers who responded to the editor’s request for stories about what Fayette County was like "back in the day," as the younger generation phrases it.

In 1863, this switch was called Rosecranz, as evidenced by an Illinois Central Railroad map discovered by local history buff, Dale Reeves. The Illinois Central rail line was constructed through this area 1848-1850.

In the spring of 1861, a man by the name of Baldwin built a two-story store building. He lived upstairs and kept a general store downstairs.

When the post office was established on May 16, 1862, the town was named Vera, a name suggested by a man by the name of Clark who had bought a farm nearby. Except for a three-year period during the Civil War, the Vera Post Office remained in operation until 1931.

John Denton, who homesteaded 128 acres of land in 1817, a "stone’s throw" from where Vera would be located, is credited with being one of the earliest, if not the earliest, settler of this area. Denton was a brother-in-law to Jeremiah Evans, who settled south of Vandalia on the Carlyle Road.

His grandson, Charles Denton, recalled, “He went out into the timber, cut the trees, sawed the logs, hewed them out and built a two-story double-hewed log cabin, which stood into the 1960s.” Nine children were born in this cabin.

Around 1865, Peter Jeppeson built a blacksmith shop and a two-story residence in Vera. Within a few years, Vera grew into a nice little village, with a population of 250, a hotel managed by C. Stanburn and a four-burr flour mill, under the helm of James M. Parks. It burned in 1904.

John Fifer kept a grocery, William W. Duncan and William Pryor, both medical doctors, took care of the sick. The 1878 county history names Dr. John S. Barton as the village physician. Mary McKinney and Celia Hall taught the children.

J.M. Little was the first postmaster, followed by Napoleon B. Jinnett. Leonard Little was the station agent, Joseph Foltz would build you a wagon, Jonathan Wilson and Abner Moore could build you a house to be painted by Elias Osborne.

A.W. Gray made barrels and Frank Baldwin, shoes and harness. By 1878, there were two merchants – Lorenzo Potter and Phillip Johnston. George Crockett was the mill engineer, and Aaron Hook and John Lansing were the millwrights.

Other merchants associated with Vera’s growth include George Crotser and Sim Thoman, who both had general merchandise stores. Frank Parks kept the “Bowery,” also known as a confectionery.

The Illinois Central had a depot in Vera and ran two passenger trains, two mixed and two local daily freights, plus specials. The Jinnett Elevator stood near the depot.

The Hoffman Brothers did smithy work, and sold Deering brand machinery. James H. Lawlor was remembered as the "Happy Irishman" in a 1945 news article. He did blacksmithing and general machine work, the trade he had learned in his native Ireland. He was also remembered as being a buggy maker.

Lawlor converted the second floor of his building into a community center, where pie suppers and square dances were held for a number of years. In 1927, one of the schoolhouse rooms was converted for use as a community center.

A 35-foot-by-21-foot schoolhouse was built early. The ceiling was 14 feet tall, and there was room for 50 desks, each capable of seating two students. This building burned and a replica was rebuilt on the exact site. It stands today as a reminder of an earlier Vera.

Some of the first teachers were Mr. Goodell, Frank Wantland, Zack Burns, Ezra Jenkins, Josie Washburn and Augy Stokes. One of the most well-remembered is Floyd Staff, who taught in Vera for a number of years.

In 1873, a Protestant Methodist Church was built in Vera, some of the members having belonged to the log church of that denomination located at Union Cemetery, a few miles northeast of town.

The Methodists shared their new building with the Methodist Episcopal congregation until they could build their own church house. Some of the founding members were from the Pummill, Buckmaster and Sharp families. The Vera Baptist Church was organized on March 31, 1908, and is still active.

In 1920, the Vera Farmers Cooperative Exchange was going strong. An April issue of The Ramsey News-Journal newspaper reported that they had purchased the Vera Elevator, coal house, warehouse, Sproul’s office and some town lots.

From its humble beginnings as a railroad switch, through rapid growth following the Civil War and gradual wane after the turn of the century, Vera has held on to her population in recent years.

People who were raised in this simple village now raise their children there. It’s that kind of place.