USA > Indiana > A History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922 > Part 1
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66
T
.
T
.
..
C
.
هـ
.
·
٠
.
.
1
.
.
.
.
.
SEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY 3 1833 02215 6084 Gc 977.201 V28es v. 3 Esarey, Logan History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2016
https://archive.org/details/historyofindiana03esar
HISTORY OF INDIANA
FROM ITS EXPLORATION TO 1922 BY LOGAN ESAREY, Ph. D.
Associate Professor of Western History in Indiana University
ALSO
AN ACCOUNT OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY
FROM ITS ORGANIZATION
EDITED BY JOHN E. IGLEHART
IN THREE VOLUMES
DAYTON, OHIO DAYTON HISTORICAL PUBLISHING CO. 1923 +
COPYRIGHT 1923 By JOHN E. IGLEHART
1308484
CONTENTS
EARLY EVANSVILLE (by John E. Iglehart) 17-137
Sources (17-20), The Founder of Evansville (21-27), Selection of the Site of Evansville (28-29), Confusion of Identity of Hugh McGary, the Elder, and Hugh McGary, the Younger (30-34), The English Settlement (35-47), Robert M. Evans (47-50), James W. Jones (50-53), Elisha Harrison (53-57, Amos Clark (57-59), Alanson Warner (59-60), The Chandler Family (60-61), John S. Hopkins (61-67), Men of the Second Decade (67-69), John Doug- las (69), Social Life of Evansville (69-73), Historic Names, Places and Environment of the Old Evansville (73- 79), A Social Group (79-86), Pigeon Springs (86-88), The Exchange Hotel (88), Bull's Head Tavern (89), Belle Vue (90), Pelzer Garden (91), Evansville Libraries (91- 94), Evolution of Fire Fighting (94-96), Trade on the River (96-98), Evansville (98-99), Statement of Mr. Mike Craft (99), Evansville Authors (100), Early Court Cases of Note (100-119), Interesting Excerpts From Early Evansville Gazette Files in State Library (119-137).
GEOLOGY AND TOPOGRAPHY-
Topography, Soils, Etc .. 139-140
COUNTY ORGANIZATION AND GOVERNMENT-
Enabling Act, Judge Henry Vanderburgh, Form of County Government, Courthouses, County Officers, Townships and Organization of Each 141-150 TRANSPORTATION ---
River Traffic, Canal Days, Article on Canal by A. Gil- christ, Roads and Highways, Railroads. 151-162
EDUCATION --
Early Governmental Provisions, Early Development of Evansville Schools (Article by Mrs. S. G. Clifford), Evansville School Girls of Sixty Years Ago, The Safford School, Reminiscences of John W. Foster, Contributions by Edith Reilly and Mrs. Lorraine M. Cutler, A Pioneer Schoolmaster, Address by Prof. Adams, Early Schools (by Virginia C. Read) Survey of General School System (pp. 194-196) Survey of Present Day Schools. 163-207
1
CONTENTS
BANKS AND BANKING-
Banking Conditions in Early Days, Evansville Branch of State Bank of Indiana, Bank of State, First National Bank, Increase in Banking Facilities, Banks of County, Building and Loan Companies 208-214
THE PRESS 215-218
MILITARY-
Mexican War, Civil War with Especial Reference to Civil- ian War Work, World War, Gold Star List, Red Cross Activities, War Loan Statistics. 219-227
PAPER BY JOHN W. FOSTER-
The Levee and Wharf, Telegraph and Railroads, Schools, Canal, City Government, Charles Denby, Board of Trade, Mexican War, Civil War. 227-234
MEN PROMINENT IN EVANSVILLE'S HISTORY-
Asa Iglehart, John W. Foster, Samuel Orr, John A. Reitz, Thomas E. Garvin, Samuel Bayard, John Ingle, John Gilbert 234-255
EVANSVILLE-LAMASCO (by Dr. Wm. A. Fritsch)-
An Account of the Lamasco Community and Its Absorp- tion by Evansville. 255-258
LATER EVANSVILLE-
Incorporation, Mayors, Development of Public Utilities, Present Departmentized Government and Its Usefulness, Statistical Information, Commercial Importance. 259-265
INDEX
Adams, Clarence H.
489
Adler, Adam N ..
267
Adler, Hiram J ...
490
Ahlering, George F.
268
Amoroso, Vincenzo
330
Anderson, Fritz
49I
Andres, John
269
Archbold, John B.
270
Arnold; Maurice C., D. D. S.
272
Ashby, Paul E.
272
Bacon, Charles P., M. D.
491
Bacon, Hilary E.
493
Baird, L. M. Sons.
494
Baker, Clarence S., M. D.
273
Balz, Harry W ..
495
Barbero, William
498
Barclay, Irvin C., M. D. 274
Barker, Henry
274
Barnes, William E., M. D. 275
Bartholome, Simon, Sr.
276
Beard, George A ..
278
Becker, Edward C. 499
Beckerle, Walter A ..
500
Bedford, Jesse W.
279
Beeler, Bruce H., M. D.
280
Bell, Samuel Barker
28
Bennett, Isaac H.
282
Bernhardt, Frederick J. 50I
Bernstein, David S.
283
Bessel, Louis
284
Beverly, Claude D .. 284
Biggs, Watt A., D. D. S. 285 Bippus, Gottleib H .. 286
Bitterman, Adolph
502
Blythe, James O., D. D. S. 287
Blomer, Charles
287
Bockstege, Fred W. 347
Bohannon, William O.
288
Boner, J. M.
503
Bosse, Benjamin 504
Bosse, Gilbert H. 289
Boyer, Harley H.
507
Boyle, Harry E.
290
Bradley, Charles W., M. D. 29I
Brentano, Sol A ..
292
Brill, John R ..
508
Britt, Francis
509
Brown, Charles N. 293
Browning, William A 294
Bullen, Harry
510
Bush, Charles T.
296
Caden, Albert F.
5II
Caldemeyer, Daniel H.
297
Carr, Owen C ....
297
Cleveland, Walter R., M. D ..
299
Cleveland, William F., M. D.
298
Combs, Pearl B., M. D. 299
Covert, Charles G. 300
Crawford, Boaz
30I
Currey, Leon
302
Cutler, William H. 562
Davis, John J ...
516
· Decker, Adolph F.
303
Dickman, Henry M ..
304
Dieckman, Herbert O.
517
Dieckmann, Charles F.
518
Dieckmann, Edwin F. 518
Downs, Wm. G., Sr., D. D. S .. 304
Downs, Wm. G., Jr., D. D. S .. 306
Droit, Frank B ...
307
Durre, Hon. Edgar
308
Dyer, Wallace C., M. D. 309
Eades, Alvin
519
Edson, John M.
520
Eichel, Charles J.
310
Eichel, Sidney J., M. D.
3II
Elmendorf, Hon. Wm. H.
312
Emig, Henry 313
Endress, Frank 314
Engelsmann, Franz
448
Erskine, Wilbur
52I
Euler, Philip
522
Fairchild, Daniel M.
315
Fendrich, Herrmann
316
Fischer, John C ..
523
Flaherty, Rev. Henry F.
524
Foley, Walter J ..
317
French, William G., M. D .. 318 Friedman, Andrew R., D. D. S. 319
Frisse, Edward N ..
526
Froelich, Charles B.
320
Geiger, Fred, Jr.
321
Goeke, Edward F.
322
Goldman, Moses
527
Gore, Frank C.
527
Grange, Frank C.
322
Graves, William T. 323
Greek, Harry B ..
324
Green, Harvey C.
528
INDEX
Greiner, Louis C. 325
Griese, Frank W 326
Grimm, Albert C. 327
Grimwood, Oscar 328
Groeninger, J. J. Co.
329
Gumberts, Ferd A.
331
Haas, Frank J. 352
Haas, Joe 332
Hardin, Edward E. 333
Hardin, Henry T.
333
Hardy, Cortner M.
334
Hardy, William D.
335
Hart, Carl Byron
529
Hartmetz, John.
337
Hartig Brothers 339
Hartig, Henry W. 3.36
Hartig, Theo. W. 338
Hatfield, Frank H.
340
Hayden, Lucian
34I
Heilman, George D. 342
Heldt, Thomas A.
532
Henning, Edwin C. 343
Henrich, Miss Minnie. 345
Henrich, Sebastian 344
Henrich, Theodore
345
Henrich, William S.
345
Henze, John
346
Herrenbruck, Victor D. 271
Heston, Darwin M.
348
Heuke, Frederick A.
349
Heyns, John W.
349
Heyns, William
350
Hoffman, Michael J. 351
Holland, Allie L. 353
Hornby, George W. 354
Horne, Herman H.
355
Houghland, John L.
533
Hurst, W. Randolph, M. D.
356
Ichenhauser, Silas
514
Igleheart Family
465
Imbusch, Miss Katherine M.
357
Jacobs, John T.
534
Johnson, Charles È ..
368
Johnson, Gardner C., M. D.
358
Kahn, Clarence B
360
Kahn, Isidor
361
Kamman, Henry
W
362
Kanzler, Christ
564
Kanzler, Gus
565
Karges, Albert F.
384
Karges, Henry J.
363
Kehr, Louise
36.1
Kelsay, Newton
364
Kerth, Edward C.
366
Ketter, Rev. Frederic
366
Kime, Posey T.
367
Kingsbury, Abraham L.
535
Kinkle, Charles
370
Klamer, Oscar A. 370
Knauss, Jacob L. 536
Kniese, Norman L. 537
Kollker, Henry A
372
Korff, Henry, Sr.
373
Krach, Walter P.
374
Krauss, George L. 375
Kreuzberger, O. H. 376
Lang, Walter J. 376
Lannert, Henry N.
377
Lauenstein, Frederick W. 378
Levy, Henry
379
Lindenschmidt, Jos. B.
380
Lindsey, Thomas W., Sr. 381
Lintzenich, Peter J. 382
Logsdon, Hon. Hiram M. 480
Lohoff, Frank 383
Lomatch, Carl R .. 386
Lorch, Edward A. 387
Lorenz, John W., M. D.
387
Lowenthal, Harry
389
McCool, William E., M. D. 390
McCoy, Harlan B.
391
McCurdy, Col. William H.
512
McDowell, Shelby
392
Mckenzie, Pierce, M. D. 393
Mace, William J. 538
Macer, Elva C., M. D.
394
Mann, Martin 395
Meier, Richard E. 396
Meyer, Arthur H. 397
Meyer, Gus C. 397
Meyer, Herman J. 399
Miller, George L.
539
Mitchell, William L
403
Morris, Lewis 404
Morton, Thomas J.
405
Muensterman, William J.
406
Muntzer, Frank
407
Nagle, Ernest C.
540
Nagle, Louis G.
541
Neff, Alvin
408
Neucks, Alfred E.
409
Newman, Charles
541
Nolan, Eugene E. 542
Nolan, John J.
Nonweiler, Philip C.
563
410
Nugent, James L.
544
O'Hara, E. S.
4II
Oliver, Leonard C.
412
Ortmeyer, Arthur
413
Ortmeyer, Daniel H.
414
Osborn, Lane Boyd
415
Paul, Ben N.
416
Peters, John H.
417
Petersheim, Fred M.
418
Purcell, Guy M.
419
INDEX
Raphael, Harry
420
Rechtin, Theodore A
546
Reddinger, Peter H.
421
Reese, Sol A ..
422
Reichert, Manson
544
Riechmann, George E.
423
Ritter, Julius F.
424
Roach, Edward C.
425
Roberts, Louis L.
547
Rosenthal, Henry
426
Royster, George M., M. D. 427
Rusche, Henry J .. 428
Ruston, William E.
429
Rutherford, Warner A.
430
Sappenfield, John W.
431
Saunders, James D.
548
Schelosky, Gus A.
433
Schelosky, William M. 434
Schemet, Herbert K.
435
Scherffius, William, Sr.
436
Schlensker, Walter J.
549
Schlotter, Frank J.
437
Schmidt, Paul H.
438
Schminke, Ervin F.
438
Schnacke, E. F. .
440
Schneider, Rev. J. U.
400
Schoening, Sylvester J.
440
Schor, E. A.
44I
Schroeder, Frederick, Sr.
442
Schu, Harry H.
443
Schultze, George T.
444
Schwentker, William F.
445
Seeley, Charles W.
446
Seter, Rev. Michael P.
565
Shane, Norman A ..
550
Shively, Virgil M. 55I
Sieffert, Frank W.
447
Small, Alfred E.
450
Smith, Walter
45I
Smith, W. Lee ..
451
Sonntag, George W.
452
Spahn, A. Chapin
55I
Speck, Cyrus Q.
453
Stephens, Olen C., M. D. 454
Sterm, Andrew G.
454
Stevens, Eugene T.
455
Strickler, Henry
456
Stringfield, Huber
457
Strouse, Abe
5.52
Swope, Albert E.
458
Temple, Philip
459
Tepe, Henry A.
460
Thayer, Carl B.
553
Tolliver, William J., M. D.
461
Torian, Robert C.
461
Trimble, G. Arthur
462
Tucker, William L. 463
Turnham, George W.
468
Van Orman, Hon. F. Harold
432
Vaught, J. Chester
469
Veneman, Albert J.
470
Wack, Walter C.
470
Walden, Reavill M., M. D.
472
Waldschmidt, E. B.
473
Walker, Henry B.
475
Walker, James T.
476
Walsh, William P. 473
Walton, Henry B. 554
Weber, Frederick O. 477
Weintz, Ed J.
555
Weintz, Henry P.
555
Weintz, Jacob
5.56
Weintz, William
5.58
Welborn, James Y., M. D. 496
Welborn, William C.
478
Werner Charles F.
478
Wertz, Daniel P.
558
Wiggers, Harry C. 560
Wilhelmus, Henry F., D. D. S ... 479
Williams, D. Curtis.
482
Wilson, Charles F., D. C.
483
Wilson, John S ..
483
Wolflin, Charles
484
Worthington, Gabriel N.
561
Yeck, Charles W., M. D.
485
Young, John F.
486
Youngblood, Carl W.
488
Zion Evangelical Church.
401
----
-
ABOVE-RIVER FROZEN OVER. BELOW-EVANSVILLE ABOUT 1825
History of Vanderburgh County
EARLY EVANSVILLE (By John E. Iglehart )
In the year 1880, there was organized in the city of Evansville the Vanderburgh County Historical and Biographical Society. It existed for something like a year, and had several meetings called in part for organization, and at several meetings papers of much historical im- portance were read.
A portion only of these papers were published in the Evansville newspapers and thereby preserved. A portion of them remained in the custody of Mr. A. T. Whittlesey, the secretary, who removed from Evansville to Iowa, and the originals of these papers it is stated are lost.
All of the members of that society are long since dead, and no infor- mation is to be obtained except the scattered reports contained in the daily newspapers of the time which did not attempt to furnish a record of the meetings of the society.
In the year 1899 and 1900 Azariah T. Whittlesey, former secretary of the Vanderburgh County Historical and Biographical Society, and who had been the most active worker in it, published a series of articles in the Evansville Sunday Courier containing reminiscences of much historical value, but these had no relation to the work of the Vander- burgh County Historical Society.
In the year 1916 Benjamin Bosse, mayor of the City of Evansville, authorized the organization of a Centennial Historical Commission for the city of Evansville, and requested the writer as chairman of that Commission to select a large list of names as members of the Commis- sion with the view, among other things, to prepare for publication a memorial volume upon the history of the City of Evansville. This Commission was organized with over three hundred members. repre- sentatives of the old families in the city and county, whose descendants were then living in the city of Evansville, several public meetings were held, a number of committees were formed, and definite work assigned to different committees and to individuals. Much interest was shown in the work, and considerable work was done but very little completed in the direction mentioned, but the entering of the United States into the World war so engrossed public attention as to cause the mayor of the city to abandon the work and it was never resumed.
Under the inerta of that movement the writer continued in com- munication with a few of the most active and capable workers, and from time to time received some valuable contributions to our local history, a portion of them during the period of the existence of the Commission, a portion of them later. Substantially all of these con-
18
HISTORY OF VANDERBURG COUNTY
tributions were made by writers who were selected for and assigned to the work. The publication of this volume furnished an opportunity to print some of them as part of our public history, and they are elsewhere printed.
In 1919 and 1922 the Methodist and Presbyterian churches respect- ively held centennial celebrations in the city of Evansville, addresses were delivered and permanent historical literature of local interest resulting from these movements appear in the Indiana Magazine of History*, and in the volume of the history of the Walnut Street Church, published by Mrs. Emily Orr Clifford, in which the early his- tory on that subject by Mrs. Mary Riley was brought down to date by Mrs. Clifford.
On the 9th day of January, 1920, the Southwestern Indiana Histor- ical Society was organized in the City of Evansville, embracing the eight counties of Posey, Gibson, Vanderburgh. Warrick, Spencer, Pike, Perry and Dubois, which has engaged in original research work in the early history of those counties, including the City of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, and the proceedings of two of its annual meetings in 1922 and 1923, held in the City of Evansville, has been published as bulletin 16 and 18 of the State Historical Commission of Indiana. Among other papers included in bulletin 18 of the Sate His- torical Commission in the paper published in this volume of Mrs. Emily Orr Clifford on Early Education in Evansville, which will prob- ably be the last work on that subject so it represents an exhaustive examination of the limited field open for historical research work.
In 1922 the Vanderburgh County Museum and Historical Society was organized with Sebastian Henrich as its president, and immedi- ately Mr. Henrich gave to the society for public purposes his collection of Indian relics, which had been gathered by him during his liftime. of much value. This society has a large number of members, and is now entering upon its historical work, and has already established a museum of interest centering around the gift of Mr. Henrich. Among other recent donations are the paintings made in England more than one hundred years ago of James Cawson and his wife, leading mem- bers of the English Settlement, and a number of books brought by Cawson to this country from England upon his first immigration, and from time to time procured by him. These books have assumed un- expected value and importance in view of the attitude of the historians interested in the life of Abraham Lincoln from the time he was nine years of age until he was twenty-one when he lived in Spencer County, Indiana, distant from 20 to 30 miles from the English Settlement else- where referred to.
Among the most important fields of inquiry for facts relating to the first two decades of the history of Evansville and Vanderburgh County, the dark age of our history, of which period no one living has any personal knowledge except a few very old people, are the follow- ing :
*Indiana Magazine of History, vol. XVII, pp. 3 and 119.
·19
HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY
History of Walnut Street Presbyterian Church, by Mrs. Riley and Mrs. Clifford, which contains authentic, though scant, records of the first decade of our history previous to 1830, but preserves for all time contemporaneous evidence of Mrs. Riley's own knowledge of the evi- dence of the second decade between 1830 and 1840 furnished with discrimination and ability, and statements procured by her of former pastors of that church whose descriptions of the latter period men- tioned are of great value, though presented from the view point of religious history. This continuation of that history to date by Mrs. Clifford is very important, and contains many facts from the authentic church records of events in which Mrs. Clifford as active worker, and her father, the late James L. Orr, before her, have been most promi- nent. It is the only complete corporation record for one hundred years in existence in the city or county, except the city, county and township records required by law to be kept, and probably contains more accu- rate information on the religious and social life of the city from con- temporaneous authority for one hundred years than any other single printed volume. Mrs. Riley's history contains incidentally many val- uable statements of persons living here in the second decade of our history, broader than mere church history, and considering the spirit of that age, it may be said that these testimonials of the early minis- ters, are with rare exception free from sectarian bias, and Mrs. Clif- ford's is entirely so and as impartial as it is possible to make it.
Early newspapers before the Civil War in which the history of the city and county is fairly recorded after 1842, but particularly including the early period between 1821 to 1825, covering which period there is in existence in the Library of Congress at Washington the only exist- ing file of about three and one-half years of the Evansville Gazette, an abstract of which is printed in this volume.
The Whittlesey letters above referred to were written by Azariah T. Whittlesey, who is elsewhere referred to in one of the interesting sketches furnished in 1917 for the Centennial Historical Commission by his sister, Mrs. Phoebe Whittlesey Hamlin, who will be remembered by the older inhabitants as Miss Phoebe Whittlesey, one of the attract- ive society young women during her residence in Evansville previous to 1866.
It was to Whittlesey as secretary of the first historical society in answer to a letter of inquiry addressed by him to General Joseph Lane in Oregon that the latter wrote the letter elsewhere referred to, con- taining the only accurate and full history of how Vanderburgh County was organized.
The city and county histories heretofore published. Much of value in these is practically unavailable for want of proper indexing. The remedying of this defect is worthy the attention of our historical society.
In addition to the biographies of our prominent men published in our local histories, a number have been published in various biograph- ical works which covered the field of the entire state.
John W. Foster while editor of the Evansville Journal compiled a
20
HISTORY OF VANDERBURGH COUNTY
report of the Chamber of Commerce of Evansville for 1867, a single copy only of which is preserved and in the Public Library of Evans- ville, which gives information of historical value nowhere else to be found.
During the period of the work of the Centennial Historical Com- mission of Evansville the writer made careful examination of the court records and files of Vanderburgh County previous to 1830 and much of the result of that examination appears in this history.
THE FOUNDER OF EVANSVILLE
The earliest beginnings of Evansville center around Hugh McGary, the younger, alone. He entered the ground in 1812 upon which the central part of the present city is now located. The boun- daries of fractional section 30, T. 6 S., R. 10 W., were furnished by the late Sebastian Henrich as follows: Beginning on Water Street at the Ohio River so as to include outlot 1, upper enlargement to the city just above Chandler Street, thence east to Second Street at outlot 2 and 3, upper enlargement, thence north to Chestnut Street beyond Eighth Street to the north corner of outlot 8, in the upper enlargement, thence north to where Baker Avenue strikes Pennsylvania Street, thence to along Fifth Avenue to the Ohio River, thence along the Ohio River to the place of beginning.
McGary lived upon the land in a log house built by him not long after he entered the land, the exact date is nowhere recorded. In 1812, immediately after the certificate of land entry was issued to McGary, he advertised in the Western Sun, published at Vincennes, that he would at the next term of the territorial court at Vincennes apply for license to run a ferry from his land in Indiana Territory across the Ohio River to Kentucky. As the land on the Kentucky side of the ferry was below high water and subject to frequent overflow, the person operating the ferry was compelled to live on the Indiana side which was well above all high water, and the probability is on estab- lishing his ferry he immediately built the openface cabin used for sev- eral years for temporary purposes, of which Joseph Lane speaks in one of his letters. On July 5, 1814, Hugh McGary and wife conveyed one hundred acres in fractional section 30 to the county agent of Warrick County in consideration of the establishment of the county seat of War- rick County, mentioned in the deed as Evansville, and in this deed he refers to his house and stable then on the ground as a landmark .* From the beginning he had dreams of a future city. General Joseph Lane in a letter, dated June 21, 1878, from his residence in Roseburg, Oregon, to Colonel William Cockrum of Oakland City, author of "A Pioneer History of Indiana," says:
"The first time I was ever on the site of where the city of Evans- ville now stands, was in 1815. Col. Hugh McGary lived there in what was called a faced camp. Soon after this he built a hewed log house, which was a very good one for that day. The Colonel was a very gen- erous man and his latch-string hung on the outside at all times for everybody.
"I spent hours going over with him what he was pleased to call a fine town-site. At that time the evidence of there having been a large Indian town at that place was very plain. The ground on which the tepees stood was plainly marked."
In another letter elsewhere referred to General Lane speaks of the enthusiasm of Hugh McGary when talking of the future city while he
*Deed Records of Warrick County, Book A, page 4.
1
22
HISTORY OF VANDERBURGHI COUNTY
walked with McGary over the ground. The fact that Lane describes the very plain evidence of there having been a large Indian town on this site is not elsewhere stated, so far as the writer knows. The writer personally remembers that when a small child, as early as the middle fifties, upon the rear of the lot located near the southeast corner of Second and Chestnut Streets, the flint arrow heads, finely finished, were found in great number on and near the surface of the ground.
McGary left behind him very scant records of his life. No biog- raphy has ever been written of him by any one who knew him. No complete, careful original research of the records of Vanderburgh County, which are quite extensive in their reference to him, has ever been made by any historian.
The only composition ever attempted by Hugh McGary, of which the writer has seen any record, is a card in the Evansville Gazette, referred to elsewhere, in which he gave as a reason for withdrawing from the race for the position of representative in the legislature fron Vanderburgh and Warrick Counties, was his domestic affairs result- ing from the death of his wife ; also a public notice published by him in the Western Sun of Vincennes in 1812 giving notice of his intention to apply to the territorial court for a ferry, and a notice given by him in the Western Sun of Vincennes that a certain note held by a third party, purporting to be signed by him, was a forgery, warning all per- sons to take notice of the fact. He was never sued on the note accord- ing to the records.
The most authentic account of McGary's occupancy of this location is found in a letter from General Joseph Lane, who in answer to a letter from A. T. Whittlesey, secretary of the Vanderburgh County Historical and Biographical Society, wrote a most interesting letter in which, speaking of Hugh McGary individually, his occupancy of the land, and his dream of a future city, says :
"In 1816 I delivered logs to the steam saw mill of J. J. Audubon at Red Banks (Henderson) and rowing back in our skiff I became acquainted with every one living on the bank of the river and especially did I get well acquainted with Col. Hugh McGary, and was rather pleased with him. He talked well on the subject of his town and the ultimate greatness of his prospective city. I walked with him over a portion of the land and I found him quite in earnest about his town. Not long after this he put up his hewed log house, not far from Mitch- ell's corner (southeast corner of Main and Riverside Avenue). Upon this occasion we camped near his house and he spent most of the night with us. . . . The county seat was located and the name of the new proprietor was perpetuated in the now famous city of Evansville."
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.