Historic Fall Creek, Pendleton Settlement

A fascinating discovery was made over the weekend. The actual property deed surfaced for the lots that Charles "Pacer" Smith spent a portion of his childhood. Read the full story under the menu tab "From Glory To Gallows" at historicfcps.org

FROM GLORY TO GALLOWS...

He was a hometown boy from Pendleton. The son of Civil War veteran John A. and Rebecca Smith, Charles "Pacer" Smith grew up in a family of ten children. 1880 census records state that the Smith family lived in the 1880 Dwelling No. 423 within Pendleton's original town boundaries. It is estimated that their dwelling was south of State St, and between Main & West Streets and High St. to the south. Young Charles was athletic, smart and popular. He likely dreamed of baseball long before the sport became America's pastime.

"Pacer" rose from the streets and ball fields of Pendleton to become one of the Midwest's finest professional pitchers, starring for the Decatur, Il. White Stockings and earning the attention of the Cincinnati Red Stockings organization.

His remarkable rise would end in unimaginable tragedy. How did one of Pendleton's greatest baseball talents go from glory to the gallows? What happened to turn a celebrated athlete into one of the most infamous figures in 19th-century baseball history?

The complete, fully documented story, filled with photographs, newspaper accounts, and newly uncovered local history is waiting for you.

Visit historicfcps.org and look for "From Glory to Gallows" under the menu.

The Church and Martha Cox Home

308 East State Street is yet another of one of Pendleton’s handsome early 20th-century Craftsman-style homes. Its broad rooflines, brick porch walls, exposed brackets, the home stands stoic along East State Street. In the 1950s, this was the home of Church Cox and Martha Gwinn Cox, a couple deeply connected to Pendleton’s business and civic life.

Church Cox was born in Tipton County in 1896. He first farmed, then worked selling threshing machines and Oil-Pull tractors before returning to Pendleton in the early 1920s. He entered the automobile business selling Fords for Holcomb-Stone Company and later became part of the dealership that evolved through several names, including Falls City Sales and Cox Chevrolet Sales, Inc.

In 1927, Church married Martha Gwinn of Arcadia. Martha attended Purdue and DePauw and taught in the Jackson Township Schools. She was active in the First United Methodist Church, the Pendleton Library Board, the Saturday Club, Daughters of American Colonists, Alpha Chi Omega, and Tri Kappa, where she served as state president.

The Coxes had one daughter, Jane, later Mrs. Robert Rector of Pendleton.

Church Cox died in 1972. Martha remained tied to Pendleton for many years, having lived in Madison County since 1927 before moving to Illinois in 1978. She died in Edwardsville, Illinois, on January 1, 1982, and was buried at Grove Lawn Cemetery.

308 East State Street is another beautiful Pendleton home, and a lasting reminder of a couple whose lives touched the community through business, education, church involvement, library service, and civic leadership.





Sources: Pendleton Public Library, Pendleton Times Post