Feature on Charles Starrett. Topic: PEOPLE &
PIONEER
Written by Barbara Adams & Jim Sayre
in January, 1998
SIDNEY'S FOUNDER MAKES LAND DONATION... Pg 3 |
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| The official document of the land deal read,
in part... "I, the undersigned subscriber....do make a donation to the
Commissioners of Shelby County of seventy acres of land...to fix said seat (of justice) in
said fraction...provided that I do receive one-half of the proceeds of the sales of the
lots..." And, it was signed "Charles Sterrett," with a slight
variation in spelling, but no middle name. A resident of Virginia, Starrett in 1809 had applied for the purchase of 508 acres of Miami County land, later a part of Shelby County. The transaction was completed in 1812 with a government land patent made out to "Charles Sterrett," no middle name nor initial. He likely paid the going rate for that time and location of $1.25 per acre, totaling $87.50 for the 70 acres "donated" for the town of Sidney. Some donation! The early Shelby County land speculator reportedly realized more than $3,000 from the sale of the Sidney lots, thereby netting him about $2,900, or nearly 3,000 percent, on the deal. At today’s Shelby County land prices, this one transaction would have netted Starrett in excess of $3 million and, of course, there were no capital gains taxes back then to diminish the earnings. Certainly a sharp real estate dealer but also public spirited, Starrett stipulated that one acre be set aside for a public square, two half acres for two different denominations of religious societies, one acre for each of two different denominations for cemeteries, and one acre for schools. He also conceded all springs within the property for the use of the town and "the privilege of conveyance to the town" (Sutton’s History of Shelby County). He initialed this clause with a simple "C.S.," not "C.S.S." |
Mr. Starrett's tombstone can be found near a large tree in Section 1 of Graceland Cemetery. [ Back ] [ Next ] |
