A History of Indiana from its exploration to 1922, Part 1

Author: Esarey, Logan, 1874-1942; Iglehart, John E. Account of Vanderburgh County from its organization
Publication date: 1922
Publisher: Dayton, Ohio : Dayton Historical Publ. Co.
Number of Pages: 618


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.