History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana, Part 1

Author: Goodspeed Bros. & Co.
Publication date: 1884
Publisher:
Number of Pages: 901


USA > Indiana > Greene County > History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana > Part 1
USA > Indiana > Sullivan County > History of Greene and Sullivan Counties, State of Indiana > 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 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99


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HISTORY


OF


GREENE SULLIVAN COUNTIES,


STATE OF INDIANA,


FROM


THE EARLIEST TIME TO THE PRESENT; TOGETHER WITH INTERESTING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES, REMINISCENOES, NOTES, ETO.


ILLLUSTRATED.


CHICAGO: GOODSPEED BROS. & CO., PUBLISHERS. 1884.


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The reproduction of this book has been made possible through the sponsorship of the Sullivan County Historical So- ciety, Carlisle, Indiana.


Reproduction by UNIGRAPHIC, INC 1401 North Fares Avenue Evansville, Indiana 47711 Nineteen Hundred Seventy Five


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977.241 H629 1975


PREFACE.


UR history of Greene and Sullivan Counties, after months of persist- ent, conscientious toil, is now completed. Every important field of research has been minutely scanned by those engaged in its preparation, and no subject of universal public value has been omitted save where protracted effort failed to secure trustworthy results. The impossibility of ingrafting upon the pages of this volume the vast fund of the county's historic infor- mation, and the proper omission of many valueless details have compelled the publishers to select such matters as are deemed of the greatest importance. Fully aware of our inability to furnish a perfect history from meager public documents, inaccurate private correspondence, and numberless conflicting traditions, we make no pretension of having prepared a work devoid of blemish. Through the courtesy and the generous assistance met with everywhere, we have been enabled to rescue from oblivion the greater portion of important events that have transpired in past years. We feel assured that all thoughtful people in the counties, at present and in future, will recognize and appreciate the importance of the undertaking and the great public benefit that has been accomplished.


It will be observed that a dry statement of fact has been avoided, and that the rich romance of border incident has been woven with statistical details, thus forming an attractive and graphic narrative and lending beauty to the mechanical execution of the volume and additional value to it as a work for perusal. We claim superior excellence in our systematic mannet uf collecting material by workers in specialties; in the division of the sub- ject matter into distinct and appropriate chapters; in the subdivision of the individual chapters into sub-heads, and in the ample and comprehensive index. We also, with pride, call the attention of the public to the superb mechanical execution of the volume. While we acknowledge the existence of unavoidable errors, we have prepared a work fully up to the standard of our promises, and as accurate and comprehensive as could be expected under the circumstances.


May, 1884.


THE PUBLISHERS.


..


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CONTENTS.


PART I.


HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY. CHAPTER I.


PAGK.


GEOLOGY


11


Agriculture


23


Analysis of Iron Ore.


15


Building Stone ...


22


Coal of Greene County.


16 2


Glacial Deposits ..


21 14


Limestone Development.


12


Massive Sandstone.


13


Mammoth Spring. 18


Richland Blast Furnace.


14


Topography.


CHAPTER II.


THE INDIANS.


Burial Vault, A


30


Copper Implements. 83


Cession Treaties.


25


Earlier Race, An


25


First White Visitors


Indian Conspiracies.


Missionary Work Among the Indians. ...


Pottery, Japanese Idol, Vases, etc. 82


Pre-historic Murder, A ..


81


Skull of a Mound-Builder


82


Unprovoked Murder, An


27


Resolutions Passed at Lincoln's Death. 107 Worthington Mounds .. 29


CHAPTER III.


COUNTY CREATION AND ORGANIZATION


Act of Formation.


Acts of County Board. 88


Bloomfield Founded ..


Burlington Founded ...


47


Noteworthy Acts of Board


47


Organization of County


86


Project to Form a New County


48


Report on County Seat .. 87


Relocation of County Seat .. 43


Volunteering. 120 Territorial Period, The ..


CHAPTER IV.


ORGANIZATION-CONTINUED.


49


Aiding Railroads


60


County Pauper 55


County Library.


50


County Seminary, The ...


52


Early Land Entries, The ..


19


Greene County Medical Society


McClure Library, The. 52


McKissick Ditching Company


Population of County .....


Railroada, The .


59


Township Boundary Alterations. 56


Township Libraries, The ..... 51


Timmons' Ditching Company ... 54


White River Bridge, The ...


CHAPTER V.


COUNTY PROGRESS. 61


Agricultural Societies 62


Bonds and Bridges 69


County Finances. 65


County Officers, The 78


Early Justices of the Peace. 72 165


Ninety-seventh Regiment, The. 72 Free School System, The .. 158


Importance of Drainage, The .. 61


Political Summary 76


School Funds, The ... 72


Wabash & Erie Canal, The .. 69


PAGE


CHAPTER VI.


THE BENCH AND BAR.


82


Ad Quad Damnum. 89


Black Creek Mill Dam, The 52


Eminent Lawyers ..


90


Execution of Hiram Bland, The 98


First Court at Bloomfield, The. 86 First Indictment for Murder, The. 85


Famous Slander Suit, The ... 85


Murder of Phæbe Graves, The 93


Mrs. Smith's Ferry .... 91


Murder of William Walker. 97


New Court House, The. 88


87


Rousseaus, The .. 91


CHAPTER VII.


THE BENCH AND BAR-CONTINUED. 99


"Auburn-Haired Child of Destiny," The. 109


An Old Lady's Opinion .. 10 Bennett-Patterson Slander Suit, The ... 107


Caris Land Suits, The. 111


Court of Common Pleas Established 90


Hardin Murder Case, The.


112


Log Chain Case, The .. 102


Mast Case, The .. 103


Murder of Jacob Sicker 110


Murder of Joshua Holding. 105


Murder of James Rainwater 104


Present Members of the Bar 114


·


CHAPTER VIIL.


MILITARY HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY. 115


34 Action at Bloomfield. 120


Army of the Potomac 126


County Militia. The ... 115


Company for Mexican War, The .. 117


Company for the War, The First. 122 Incidents in the Field. 126


Loyalty of Greene County, The 119


Public Sentiment in 1861. 118


Roll of Honor. 180


Veterans, The.


180


CHAPTER IX.


MILITARY HISTORY-CONTINUED .. 185


Banner Town of the State .. 187


Company C, Twenty-first Regiment 185


Company F, Thirty-first Regiment. 188 Company H, Thirty-first Regiment. 143


Company C, Forty-third Regiment. 144


Company A, Fifty-ninth Regiment. 147


Draft of October 6, 1862. 156


Fourth of July, 1861, The. 188


Thirteenth Battery, Light Artillery 149


War Meetings .. 185


CHAPTER X.


MILITARY HISTORY-CONTINUED. 158


Atlanta Campaign, The. 162


Battle of Mission Ridge. 161 Battle of Kenesaw Mountain. 164


Burning of Columbia. .....


166


Co. A, One Hundred and Fifteenth Regt. 177


Homeward Bound ... 169


Ladies in Camp ..


Ladies' and Soldiers' Aid Societies 180


162 March to the Sea. The ..


Off for the Field ...... 159


Record of Companies


172


Summary of Men Furnished ..


180


Six Months' Company


176


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88898


Court House Completed ... Fairplay's Loss ..


26 28 25


First Case of Barratry. 102


Probate Court, The.


11


Economical Geology.


Iron Ore of the County


vi


CONTENTS.


PAGE


FAIRPLAY TOWNSHIP.


272


An Old Ferry. 276


Business of Fairplay 277


Bear Hunting by Indians. 275


Churches and Schools. 278


Dixon Station 277


Fairplay 276


German Settlement, The. 278 Names of Settlers. 273


Removal of the Indians. 274


Sweat Houses, Scalp Dances, etc. 274


CHAPTER XVIII.


CASS TOWNSHIP


279


Church Influences. 286


Coming of the Pioneers 279


First Schools and Teachers 287


Incidents of Interest 280


Marriages, First, etc. 283


Newberry 283


Noted Family, A 280


Old Time Preachers 279


Wabash & Erie C'anal.


284


Wild Game.


282


Township Schools 285


CHAPTER XIX.


STAFFORD TOWNSHIP


288


'Churches and Schools


294


Early Condition 289


Early Industries


First Entries


292


294


First Settlement.


290


Hunting Incidents


293


Marco Village


295


Massey's Cotton Gin 291


CHAPTER XX.


HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP .....


297


Accident, An Appalling 303


Big Tree, The .. 802


Early Ministers, Churches, etc. 300


List of Pioneers ...


298


Pioneer Customs.


801


Schools and Churches


302


Surface and Soll.


297


Township Militia.


CHAPTER XXI.


WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. 803


Education.


808


First Settlers, The. 804


Formation of Township 803


Hunting Anecdotes 306


Indian and Fire Water 906


Land Entries, etc


804


Lyons ..


809


Primitive Industries


807


800 Religion


CHAPTER XXII.


WRIGHT TOWNSHIP.


811


Jasonville 314


Killing & Panther.


313


Organization of Township. 311


Pioneer Settlers .. 311


Schools and Churches.


815


Scraps of Interest


314


Wild Animals.


312


Wright, Richard, Death of. 318


CHAPTER XXIII.


GRANT TOWNSHIP. 316


Black Bears. 317


Business of Switz City


318


Early Events. 316


First School and Teacher 319


Graded School


319


Origin of Name 316


Religious Societies. 319


Secret Societies


318


Valuable Timber


260


Switz City


818


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CHAPTER XVII.


CHAPTER XI.


RICHLAND TOWNSHIP.


182


Bloomfield Press, The. 203


Bloomfield


188


Burlington ..


187


Business of Bloomfield, The. 193


County Seminary


197


Early Industries, Incidents, etc.


186


Fire of 1883, The.


194


Incidents of the Chase.


201


Residents of 1845.


193


Road Districts.


182


Schools and Churches.


198


Secret Societies.


195


Van Bayou and Newtown.


200


CHAPTER XII.


JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP. 205


A Remarkable Wedding. 207


Business of Worthington .. 216


Distilleries, Tanneries, etc .. 210


Early Residents of Worthington 215


Era of Settlement. 205


Fires in Worthington 217


First Schools. 210


Old Point Commerce. 212


Press of Worthington 226


Railroads


217


Secret Societies.


218


Tea Table Rock. 207


Watson's Station and Johnstown 229


215


Worthington


CHAPTER XIII.


JACKSON TOWNSHIP 282


Adventure, Stories of. 238


Business of Owensburg. 240


Coming of the Pioneers. 232


Churches of Owensburg. 240


First Store-keepers ..


238


Hatfield, The Hunter.


233


Manufacturing Interests


239


Election and Officers


297


Press of Owensburg. 241


240


Schools ..


CHAPTER XIV.


STOCKTON TOWNSHIP.


242


Account by Martin Wines 242


Churches. 249


First Settlers.


242


Industries of Linton 247


Linton, Town of.


246


Organization, First Officers, etc. 244


Prairie Fires ...


245


Residents of Linton. 247


248


Schools.


CHAPTER XV.


TAYLOR TOWNSHIP 251


Anecdotes of Hunters. 259 Business of Scotland. 256


Creation of Township. 251


Churches of the Township. 258


First Settlers.


252


Noted Localities.


253


Place of Holding Elections 251


Scotland. 256


Schools 258


CHAPTER XVI.


BEECH CREEK TOWNSHIP. 259


Beards and Politics. 265


Churches and Schools. 271


Early Settlements. 261 Life in the Woods. 266


. Murder of Osborn and Sickers. 270


Mr. Gaston's Letter. 262


Newark 270


Old Methods of Farming. 267


Solomon Wilkerson's Village. 265


Solsberry.


268


PAGE.


First Officers.


182


184


Richland Furnace.


vii


CONTENTS.


PAGE


CHAPTER XXIV.


CENTER TOWNSHIP. 320


Bears and Hunters 822


Churches of Township. 825


Close Call, A.


823


Creation of Township.


820


First Land Purchase 821


First Officers. 320


Jonesborough 823


Scraps of History .. 822


Township Schools.


CHAPTER XXV.


SMITH TOWNSHIP


826


Dayhoff Reminisence. 828


Deer and Buffalo Licks. 329


Early Residents .......... 328 First School Teachers 331


First Settler, The ...


828


Formation of Township. $26


Lone Tree Prairie. 832


Re-division of Township. 827


. Scaffold Prairie.


826


PART II. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.


Beech Creek Township. 889


Cass Township .. 406


Center Township. 487


Fairplay Township .. 401


Grant Township


484


Highland Township. 417


Jackson Township .. 370


Jefferson Township. 356


Richland Township 835


Smith Township. 440


Stafford Township.


413


Stockton Township. 375


Taylor Township .. 381


Washington Township. 428


428


Wright Township.


PORTRAITS.


Cavins, A. G. 128 Cavins, S. C ..... 41


Mullinnix L. P.


PART III.


HISTORY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY. CHAPTER L.


GEOLOGY OF SULLIVAN COUNTY .. 447


Carlisle Well, Section of .. 460


Coal Measures ..... 447


Coal, Analysis of ... 462


Coal, Distribution of .... 459


Limestone ... 449


Loess, The 458


Report of E. T. Cox, Extract from 461


Shafts, Sections of. 458


Sullivan Oil Well, The .. 448


CHAPTER IL.


THE INDIANS AND MOUND-BUILDERS 466


Azatian, Fort ..... 472


Dudley Mack Massacre, The 467


Earthworks, Pre-historic. 471


Fairbanks' Defeat. 468


Morrison's Defeat.


409


Mounds, Description of .. 479


Mounds, Sepulchral 471


Pottery, Implements, etc. 476


Saved by Prayer. 468


CHAPTER III.


ORGANIZATION OF SULLIVAN COUNTY. 478


County Seat, Change of 484


Court House Built, The. 487


Court House Remodeled, The .. 491


Counties of White River and Logan 489


Land Patents ..


485


Miscellaneous Items.


488


CHAPTER IV.


COUNTY DEVELOPMENT ... 492


Agricultural Societies, The. 492


Academies .... 506


County Medical Society, The ... 496


County Library, The ...


501


County Teachers' Institute, The


505


County Officers .. 509


Old Settlers' Meetings 496


Paupers, Population, etc ..


498


Railroads.


507


Seminary, The County. 503


Township Libraries. 502


Taxes, Recapitulation of. 514


CHAPTER V.


HISTORY OF THE BENCH AND BAR. 517


Attorneys. The First 520


Bench and Bar, The 517


Bar, Members of the. 524


Common Pleas Court, The First. 626


Mal-practice Suit .... 881


Manslaughter of McGee, The. 518 Personal Sketches. 528


Practices, The Early. 519


Probate Courts, The First. 621


CHAPTER VI.


THE BENCH AND BAR-CONTINUED. 633


Circuit Court, The First. 634 Courts Under the New Constitution 509


John Doe vs. Richard Roe .. 541


595 Lost Documents, How Supplied ...


Murder of Underwood, The 549


Old Jail Building, The .... 588


Personal Notes .... 596


Todd, Execution of. 544


Wooly va. Wooly


540


CHAPTER VIL


THE BENCH AND BAR-CONTINUED. 5.05


Chancellor Kent, Opinion of 548


Circuit Court, The ..... 550


Crime, Prevalence of


Court of Common Pleas Abolished .. 500


Ejectment Suits 549


False Imprisonment Cases .. 554


Murder of Lloyd, The. 554 Murder of a Stranger.


557 Murder of Engle, The ........ 565


Murder of Mary De Hart. 562


Murder of a Negro .... 558


Railroad Cases, The 566


Supper Party, the Bar 558


Vincennes University vs. Samuel Judah ...


CHAPTER VIII.


COUNTY MILITARY HISTORY. 8.67


Buena Vista, Battle of ...


Company, The First .... 672


Company, The Second 578 Company, The Third. 580


Fourth of July, 1861, The 577


Mexican War Company, The .. 567


Public Sentiment in 1860 ..: 570


Relief, Refusal to Grant 577


Union Mass Meetings ....... 570


War Meetings. 575


CHAPTER IX.


MILITARY HISTORY-CONTINUED. 582


Aid Societies, Bounty, oto ..... 584 602 Company, The Fourth ......... 582 Company, The Fifth ...


Company, The Sixth .... 586


Company, The Seventh


588


Company. The Eighth. 589


Company, The Ninth ..... 591


Company, The Sixth Months'. 504


Coulson's Battery ....... 586


Conscript Officers, The 592


Company, The Eleventh. 59€


Democratic Meeting, The 591


Surveyors, The First 486 Draft, the First. 598


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PAGE.


$24 Politics.


515


viii


CONTENTS.


PAGE


Draft, The Second.


599


Mingled Joy and Sorrow 601


Recruiting. 595


Summary of Men Furnished. 602


Volunteering


587


CHAPTER X.


HAMILTON TOWNSHIP. 608


Banking


616


Business Interests. 618


Catalogue of Pioneers 604


Country Schools and Churches 605


Court House Square, The. 609


Early Residents of Sullivan 608


Flat-boating at Caledonia. 604


High School Building, The .. 611


Indian Trails. 605


Merchants 608


Press of Sullivan, The. 617


Sullivan .. 606


Schools of Sullivan


609


Wall's Deed, The


606


CHAPTER XI.


HAMILTON TOWNSHIP CONTINUED ..... 619


Additions to Sullivan. 629


Baptist Church, The 621


Christian Church, The.


621


Catholic Church, The.


624


Incorporation of Sullivan 6:27


Methodist Church, The. 619


Presbyterian Church, The ..... 623


Population, Postmasters, etc. 628


Secret Societies


624


Streets and Sidewalks .. 630


CHAPTER XII.


HADDON TOWNSHIP 631


Carlisle, Laying out of ... 637


Carlisle, Incorporation of. 641


Churches ..


648


Dudley Mack Massacre.


634


Indian Depredations


633


Noted Characters.


646


Organization of the Township


837


Old Settlers, The.


Paxton.


650


Pioneer Preachers


639


Representative Men 645 Natural Wealth 699


Shakers, The ...


640


Old Settlers.


698


Secret Societies.


649


Schools, The


702


CHAPTER XIII.


CURRY TOWNSHIP 651


Adventists, The. 660 Epidemic, A Fearful. 706


Currysville and Burchard 661 First Settlers, The .. 704


Distillery. A


655


Early Schools 657


First Churches 656


Farmersburg. 659


Noted Hunters. 653


Present Churches. 657


Settlement, The 652


Shelburn ..


658


658


CHAPTER XIV.


GILL TOWNSHIP. 661


Big Hail Storm, The .. 662 Churches, The .... 669


Defiant Robber, A. 671


Era of Settlement 661


Indian Depredations 662


Mills, Distilleries, etc.


663


Turman Township. 795 Merom .. 664


New Lebanon


663


New Lebanon Academy. 667


Newspapers ... 672


Public Schools of Merom 667


Secret Societies


665


Union Christian College 668


CHAPTER XV.


JEFFERSON TOWNSHIP 672


Climate and Timber 673


Churches and Preachers 675


Milling, Merchandising, etc. 679


Names of Pioneers 675


Pleasantville .. 600


Schools and Teachers 676


Secret Societies.


681


Township Creation ...


672


Trials and Hardshipe. 673


CHAPTER XVI.


TURMAN TOWNSHIP ...


Bears and Bee Trocs. 688


Cemeteries .. 689


Death of Clark 688


Early Milla ...


First Settlers. 632


Graysville 685


Log Rollings, Amusementa, etc ..


Old Stage Coach 684


Religious Organizations 687


Schools.


Statistics.


Stock and Grain. 684


CHAPTER XVII.


CASS TOWNSHIP


690


Buell, Town of.


698


Churches.


096


Dugger


First Settlers. 697


691


First Birth Marriage and Death.


692


First Mill ..


Hunting and Hunters. 691


Important Events 698


Living Old Settlers ...


697


Pioneer Supplies


691


Wolf Story, A 695


CHAPTER XVIII.


FAIRBANKS TOWNSHIP. 698


Churches, The. 701


Early Occupations. 700


631 First Birth. 701


Fairbanks, Town of.


702


Hunters and Fishers. 700


Sportsmen, The Early


704


Township Organization, etc.


703


Timber, Coal, etc ... 706


PART IV. BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.


Casa Township .. 808


Curry Township. 765


Fairbanks Township. 816


Gill Township.


780


Haddon Township. 744


711


Hamilton Township


Jackson Township .. 820


Jefferson Township.


786


PORTRAITS.


Akin, R. W 643


Coulson, Sewell. 529


Spencer, J. W 463


O'Haver, W. P.


677


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CHAPTER XIX.


JACKSON TOWNSHIP


708


Pittsburg and Other Towns 707


Early Preachers


655


Schools and Churches ..


706


Township ;Officers


PART I.


GREENE COUNTY


HISTORICAL.


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PART I. HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.


CHAPTER I.


BY PROF. B. T. COX, STATE GEOLOGIST."


THE SURFACE FEATURES SUBCARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE-MASSIVE SAND- STONE-CARBONATE, LIMONITE AND SILICEOUS OXIDES OF IRON-ANA- LYTICAL TABLES-PERCENTAGE OF IRON-THE RICHLAND BLAST FUR- NACE-THE COUNTY COAL-CHEMICAL ANALYSIS SHOWING PERCENTAGE OF CARBON-COAL OF THE EASTERN AND THE WESTERN PARTS-FOSSILS -FIRE CLAY-ECONOMIC QUESTIONS-THE GLACIERS-QUICK-LIME- OCHER DEPOSITS-TIMBER, ETC.


THE county of Greene is hounded on the north by Clay and Owen T


Counties, on the east by Monroe and Lawrence Counties, on the south by Martin, Daviess and. Knox Counties, and on the west by Sulli- van County. In shape, it is a parallelogram, and contains 540 square miles. The principal stream of water is the West Fork of White River, which runs in a southwesterly course through the county, and divides it into two nearly equal parts. The main tributaries of White River in the county are Eel River, Latta's Creek and Black Creek on the west side, and Richland Creek, Doan's Creek and First Creek on the east side. Indian Creek, with its tributaries, waters a portion of the eastern border of the county, and empties into the East Fork of White River.


The county east of White River is quite broken, with hills from 120 feet to 300 feet in height, whereas to the west of the river, with the ex- ception of a ridge running from Eel River on the north to White River on the south, near Fairplay, and passing a short distance to the west of Worthington, the county is generally level, or slightly undulating, a con- siderable part of it being prairie. Latta's Creek Marsh, Bee-hunters Marsh and Goose Pond contain in all about nine or ten square miles of land subject to overflow during freshets. These marshes can be drained, and thus by aeration furnish to agriculture a large body of very fertile land. Previous to the completion of the Indianapolis & Vincennes Rail. road, the county was without a direct and practicable means of communi-


*This chapter, with slight variations, is taken from the report of the State Geologist, Mr. Cox, to whom the proper and customary acknowledgments are hereby tendered. Many additions could be made to this report of 1869, as the mineral resources of the county have been quite extensively developed since the report was made, but this would require months of costly labor. The report is very full and complete.


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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.


cation with the distant centers of trade, consequently up to that time there was no incentive or inducement offered the citizens to attempt any development of its mineral resources. And even with the coming of this road, and later of the Narrow Gauge Railroad, the wealth of natural minerals has been slow of development, but enough has been discovered to render it certain that Greene is one of the richest counties in the State in stone and coal, in valuable clays, ocher beds and iron ores. The geo- logical formations represented by the succession of strata in this county are: 1. Subcarboniferous limestone period. 2. Millstone grit epoch. 3. Coal measures epoch. 4. Glacial epoch. The continuous vertical sec- tion of the coal and subordinate limestone formation are similar to those of Clay County.


SUBCARBONIFEROUS LIMESTONE.


At the mouth of Fish Creek, in the northern part of the county, limestone belonging to the Chester group of the subcarboniferous lime- stone formation outcrops on the bluff bank of the creek, and is exposed to the depth of fifteen or twenty feet, and is at this place overlaid by drift, but at a short distance southwest it is increased by the addition of two to five feet of shale, with an irregular thin seam of Coal A and the millstone grit. Some of the layers of this limestone contain a few fos- sils, but they are difficult to obtain sufficiently perfect for cabinet speci- mens. The following comprise all that could be recognized: Orthis um. braculum, Archimedes Wortheni, Athyris subtilita, Pentramitis obesus, P. pyriformis, Spirifer incrassatus, Productus carbonarious, P. Cora, and an abundance of encrinite stems. It belongs to the upper member of the subcarboniferous limestone, and is designated by Prof. A. H. Worthen in the Geological Report of Illinois as the Chester group.


The greatest development of this limestone seen in Greene County is on Beech Creek, a branch of Richland Creek, on Section 12, Township 7 north, Range 4 west, where it forms a great mural precipice, capped with a massive sandstone of the millstone series. The following section was obtained at this locality:


Brownish gray sandstone, in thick beds, which has the appearance of being most excellent building stone. 25 feet


Shale, which thickens up to many feet, and in some places contains Coal A. 1 inch


Buff-colored limestone, in which were seen Pen- tramitis obesus, P. pyriformis and Archimedes Wortheni . .20 feet


Gray siliceous shale, partly covered. .25 feet Bluish limestone (in which could be discovered no fossils), with intercalations of sandstone, mostly covered by talus. 50 feet


Total 120 feet 1 inch ..


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HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.


At the junction of the sandstone and limestone at this locality, there gushes forth a mammoth spring of good, cool water, which was at one time utilized to run an overshot wheel that propelled the machinery of a grist mill. The subcarboniferous limestone makes its appearance at the base of the hills along this creek for a distance of several miles, and is overlaid by'a few feet of shale and the massive sandstone at the base of . the millstone grit. It also makes its appearance at the ore banks on Ore Branch of Richland Creek, in Section 28, Township 7 north, Range 4 west, and on the eastern border of the county, near the Virginia - Blast Furnace (now abandoned), and south from the furnace along Indian Creek.


MILLSTONE GRIT.


This epoch follows the subcarboniferous in regular sequence, and is principally represented by a massive sandstone, usually in two benches, and separated from each other by a bed of shale, varying from a few inches to four feet or more in thickness, and at some places carries a thin. coal, B. This massive sandstone is, apparently, in the position ocon- pied by the conglomerate sandstone most usually found at the base of the coal measures, yet in this part of the State it is, so far as 1 have been able to discover, entirely free from the admixture of quartz pebbles, which give rise to the latter name. The millstone grit covers fully. three-fourths of the county. Its boundary on the west may be approxi- mately laid down as passing from Johnstown, on Eel River, across the county in a southwesterly direction to Marco, on the Indianapolis & Vin- cennes Railroad, while the irregular margin of its eastern outorop is in Monroe County, some miles east of the Greene County line. Between this massive sandstone and the subcarboniferous limestone there is inter- posed a bed of argillaceous shale varying from a few inches to thirty feet or more in thickness, that contains in many places a bed of good, block coal A. Above the sandstone are argillaceous and siliceous shalee. with benches of flags and other stones of good dimensions for building purposes. In all, this group may attain a depth of 300 feet or more in Greene County.




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