USA > Indiana > The Indiana gazetteer, or topographical dictionary of the State of Indiana, 1849 > Part 1
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M. L!
GENEALOGY COLLECTION
GEN
ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
3 1833 01707 7006
Gc 977.2 IN2464 1849
THE INDIANA GAZETTEER, OR TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY OF INDIANA
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Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Allen County Public Library Genealogy Center
http://www.archive.org/details/indianagazetteer1849indi
Theodorich Brooks
T. BROOKS
SOUTH BEND.IA.
STATE HOUSE INDIANAPOLIS. GROSVENOR & THOMPSON CIN.
THE
INDIANA GAZETTEER
OR
TOPOGRAPHICAL DICTIONARY
OF
THE STATE OF INDIANA.
THIRD EDITION-10,000 COPIES.
977.2 @ 3531
INDIANAPOLIS: PUBLISHED BY E. CHAMBERLAIN. 1849.
₹
From Chapmans & Spann's Power Press, INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.
1139156
CONTENTS.
Page.
Boundaries, Extent and area,
9
Natural Divisions, -
10
Face and Peculiarities of the Country,
12
Natural History,
14
Lakes and Rivers,
19
Public Lands,
22
Internal Improvements,
25
Agricultural Productions,
34
Manufactures and Commerce,
38
Climate and Health, -
40
Education,
42
Political Institutions-Civil Divisions,
64
Population,
67
Religious Denominations,
68
Antiquities,
82
History,
83
State Institutions,
- 131
Second Part, containing Topography and Statistics, - 151
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.
00%
ENGRAVINGS.
Page.
STATE HOUSE, Indianapolis, (Frontispiece.)
STATE BANK, Indianapolis, 134 -
DEAF AND DUMB ASYLUM, near Indianapolis, 137
ASYLUM FOR THE BLIND, Indianapolis, 142
INSANE HOSPITAL, near Indianapolis, 146
167
STATE UNIVERSITY, Bloomington, WABASH COLLEGE, Crawfordsville, - 201
COURT HOUSE, Connersville,
222
FRANKLIN COLLEGE, Franklin, 231 -
ASBURY UNIVERSITY, Greencastle, 238
HANOVER COLLEGE, Hanover, 243
258
HON. O. H. SMITH'S RESIDENCE, Indianapolis, 263
BRANCH BANK, Madison, - 296
CHRIST CHURCH, Madison, 299
RESIDENCE OF A. W. MORRIS, EsQ., Indianapolis, 304 -
STATE SENTINEL BUILDING, Indianapolis, 307
STATE JOURNAL BUILDINGS, Indianapolis, -
309
MASONIC HALL, Indianapolis, 328
MAP OF CANNELTON, Cannelton, -
352
COTTON MILL, Cannelton,
354
HON. A. T. ELLIS'S RESIDENCE, Vincennes, 412
MARKET HOUSE, Vincennes, 414
MARKET STREET, Vincennes, 417
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, Indianapolis,
WESLEY CHAPEL, Indianapolis, 260
INTRODUCTION.
THE publisher of this work commenced about two years since to pre- pare the materials for it, and he has spared no pains or expense to obtain such information as could be relied on. For this purpose he has visited many of the counties in person, that he might excite the necessary inte- rest, and he has addressed circulars containing numerous interrogatories, with blanks for the answers, to the county auditors in all cases, and also to many of the leading citizens, and from their replies the substance of this Book has been compiled. From the counties of Boone, Bartholomew, Decatur, Jennings, Laporte, Ohio, Owen, Perry, Posey, Ripley, Rush, Tippecanoe, Union, and some others, full and satisfactory returns were made, and had similar reports been made from the other counties, it would have been the fault of the compiler if a more useful book had not been made. But no returns, whatever, could be had, either for love or money, from the counties of Knox, Shelby, or Washington: that from Tipton was lost or mislaid before the compiler saw it.
The articles in reference to the counties and principal towns will not be found to correspond in length to their importance, but in no instance has the compiler neglected any means within his power to do justice to the different places attempted to be described. He has been long a resi- dent of the State, and at different, though mostly distant periods, has visited nearly every county and town in it; and though at the time he had no thought of his present undertaking, he was never a careless observer of any thing that concerned the welfare of his fellow citizens. All his own recollections he has tasked for this work, and while he regrets its many imperfections, the blame of them, he thinks, should fall mostly on the citizens of the counties who, when requested repeatedly and when compensation was offered them, would not take sufficient interest to com- municate correct information.
There are some circumstances that render it more difficult to prepare a good Gazetteer of this State than of almost any other. There have been few books written about the State to refer to, rapid improvements have been constantly going on, of which little is known, even in the vicinity; other improvements are loudly talked of and supposed to be done almost before they are commenced, and the real business men meet at no common point where they could be consulted and the truth ascertained. Some of them go only to Cincinnati, others to Madison, Louisville, New
viii
INTRODUCTION.
Albany, Evansville, Chicago, Detroit, or Fort Wayne, and almost to no other points. They therefore know little of the State, except where their immediate business lies. The politicians, the speculators in companies and in town lots, and others without pressing business, who assemble at In- dianapolis, have time to talk, when they meet there, but the information they give is not always the most certain. These matters render it the more important that a book like this should be published. It will correct some errors, it will lead to inquiries as to others, and the tendency will be to aid in forming a State character of which the citizens may be proud. Very little may be done at once, but it is important that the movement should be onward. The resources of Indiana, if properly developed, will make it one of the best States in the Union. It will have no great metropolis to attract attention, but it will soon have its scores of cities, with from 5,000 to 20,000 inhabitants each, the pride and boast of the vi- cinity in which they are located. The compiler has been under the neces- sity of modifying many representations, honestly made, from different parts of the State, and no doubt many errors still remain. All he can say is, that under circumstances needless to detail here, he could do no better, and were they known they would be a sufficient apology.
It may be objected that the sweeping statements as to the richness of the soil in whole counties is calculated to deceive, as there must be exceptions. As to this it may be replied, that the purchase of all the land in whole counties in the central part of the State, soon afterit was offered by the Gov- ernment for sale, is proof of the truth of the statement. In other parts of the State, where Government lands have been long in the market, it may be presumed that the most of them are but of little value. The reader, therefore, will not be deceived.
It may be said, too, that from the number of preachers of the gospel and teachers of schools represented to be found in the various counties, it will be supposed there is much more religious and intellectual instruction given here than is actually the case. The quality is perhaps the only thing in dispute. A part of it is not inferior to any other, but a part, too, was correctly described by one who, when receiving furs and skins for his salary, was asked " whether it was not poor pay?" " Yes," he said, but he " gave poor preaching in return."
A careful examination of the proof has not always been practicable, and there may be errors of the press. The paper for the work, which will be seen to be of an excellent quality, was made specially for the purpose by Messrs. Robertson & Rinehart, of Delphi.
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
PART FIRST.
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
Boundaries and Extent ... Area ... Natural Divisions ... Face of the Country and Peculiarities in its Appearance .... Natural History .... Lakes and Rivers .... Public Lands .... Internal Improvements .... Agricultural Productions .... Manufactures and Commerce .... Climate and Health .... Education .... Politi- cal Institutions and Civil Divisions .... Population .... Religious Denomina- tions .... Antiquities .... History.
BOUNDARIES, EXTENT AND AREA.
The State of Indiana is situated between the parallels of 37 deg. 51 min. and 41 deg. 46 min. north latitude, and be- tween 8 deg. 48 min. and 11 deg. 1 min. west longitude from Washington. The extreme length from north to south is 275 miles, and the greatest breadth from east to west is 176 miles. The State is, however, nearly an ob- long; the only irregularities being the Ohio River on the south, and where the Wabash is the dividing line between it and Southern Illinois. The average length is 240 miles, the average width 152 miles, making the contents about 36,500 square miles, or 23,360,000 acres.
By the Ordinance of Congress, of April 19, 1816, the contemplated State was to be " bounded on the east by the meridian line which forms the western boundary of the State of Ohio, being a north line from the mouth of the Miami. On the south by the river Ohio, from the mouth of the great Miami to the mouth of the river Wabash ;
2
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INDIANA GAZETTEER.
on the west by a line drawn along the middle of the Wa- bash, from its mouth to a point where a due north line drawn from the town of Vincennes would last touch the north-western shore of said river, and from thence by a due north line until the same shall intersect an east and west line drawn through a point ten miles north of the southern extreme of Lake Michigan; on the north by the said east and west line until the same shall intersect the first mentioned meridian line which forms the western boundary of the State of Ohio." Indiana is therefore bounded by Ohio on the east, Kentucky on the south, Illinois on the west, and Michigan on the north.
NATURAL DIVISIONS.
There is such a marked difference between the parts of the State that lie near its principal rivers and their tribu- taries, that they constitute its proper natural divisions. The Ohio Valley, embracing that of White Water, con- tains the counties of Wayne, Fayette, Union, the most of the first tier of counties along the Ohio River, and parts of Ripley, Scott, Washington, and Orange, which lie in the second tier, making about 5000 square miles in all. This is a limestone region; it was mostly covered with very heavy timber; the soil in the bottoms, hill-tops and sides is very rich, but much poorer in the flats back of the hills and near the heads of the streams. The hills are abrupt and broken, and have an elevation of about 400 feet above the Ohio and its numerous small tributaries that break through the hills in every direction. Many of these streams, in dry weather, show only the marks where torrents have disappeared almost as soon as the storms which occasioned them. Of this part of the State, about two-thirds is good farming land; the other third is either too hilly or the soil too poor for profitable cultivation. The poorest part is in the flats at the head of the streams. The White River valley ex- tends north-west from the Wabash through the centre of the State to the Ohio line, containing the principal part of twenty-four counties, and covering about 9,000 square
11
GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
miles. It is almost uniformly level and heavily timbered, except in parts of the six western counties, in which there are a few prairies and barrens, and ranges of rugged hills. There is no stone in all the central part of this valley, except a few solitary boulders; and at least seven-eighths of the whole has a rich soil capable of being farmed to much advantage. Most of the streams are clear and unfailing, and water power is generally abundant where it is wanted. The Wabash Valley, covering thirty counties and 12,000 square miles, inter- locks with that of White River, and the eastern part resembles it. It is equally fertile but more broken, is interspersed with small prairies and barrens or OAK OPENINGS, but these have mostly a good soil, except some large ones of very little value that cover about a third part of the counties of Knox, Sullivan and Clay. For 100 miles along the centre of this valley there is an abundance of water power, but a scarcity in the upper and lower part of it. From the river hills on the Ohio to the Wabash, is a gradually inclined plane which is apparent even to the eye, except when ascending from the intervening streams that have been passed. And it is not a little curious in crossing the State outwards from Madison and other places, to find the water almost from the borders of the Ohio wending its way to the Wabash. The north part of the State, watered by the two St. Josephs and the Kankakee, is very similar in its charac- teristics. High, sandy, beautiful prairies interspersed with others that are wet and spongy; extensive, rich, burr oak barrens or OPENINGS, having some resemblance to old orchards; poor, sandy, black oak or pine barrens; rich sugar tree and walnut forests; white maple, tama- rack and alder swamps; beautiful small lakes and iron ore and marl bogs are scattered promiscuously together, and present ever changing varieties of prospects to the traveller.
One half of the country can be cultivated to much advantage with very little expense, and of the balance, one half will be reclaimed and the remainder can never
12
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
be valuable. Clay predominates in the Ohio valley ; sand and marl in the north part of the State and near the Wabash; while clay and occasionally a mixture of limestone gravel, is most prevalent in the centre.
FACE AND PECULIARITIES OF THE COUNTRY.
About two-thirds of the State is nearly level, and of course there is not much variety of appearance presented to give interest to the description.
There are no elevations having any claim to be called Mountains. Still there are parts of the State well cal- culated to excite attention. That the river hills along the Ohio should be about as high as any part of the State, and while generally of about the same elevation, should still be so diversified in appearance as to have very little resemblance to each other, is a subject of much interest to curious inquirers.
Petrifactions of marine animals are found imbedded in most of the rocks; in them and on their sides are benches which show that the river has had various eleva- tions much above its present bed. The land generally falls off slightly descending from the summits of these hills, and there are many appearances that even the small tributaries of the Ohio, have gradually worn out their present beds from near the tops of the hills.
About five miles below the Falls of the Ohio, com- mences a range of hills called the Knobs, still more singular in their appearance than the river hills. They rise about 500 feet high, are generally from a mile to half a mile in width, are covered mostly with small pines which grow no where else in this part of the State; they are about equal in elevation, each hill sepa- rately is small, often covering less than half an acre; they unite generally 100 or 200 feet below their summits; they extend about fifty miles into the interior, and the country behind them at first falls off very little from a level; a similar ridge of hills extends into Kentucky from the south side of the river opposite. It is not unlikely that they were once united and formed an obstruction,
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GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
the only remains of which at this time are the Falls of the Ohio.
In the counties of Harrison, Washington and Orange, is a tract of country called the barrens covering 400 or 500 square miles. The land is nearly destitute of timber, but in most places thickly covered with wild plum bushes, oak and hickory saplings, or grass.
For long distances the country would appear nearly level but for sink holes as they are called, which resemble old and partially filled cellars of various sizes, some of them immensely large. Many of these sink holes lead to caverns, several of which have been explored and found to be miles in extent. Considerable streams run into them and disappear, and Lost River, after running near eight miles under ground, comes out again in the form of a large spring, at which boats are built and loaded for New Orleans.
On the south-east shore of Lake Michigan, the sand has been drifted up by winds so as to form a high mound or wall 150 feet in height, and probably 300 or 400 feet in width at the base. The sand is kept in place mostly by vines and scrubby trees which grow in it, but there are many places along it where there is nothing to ob- struct, and the drifts of sand appear to be moved about like the light snow of winter, by every strong wind.
Another singular feature in the face of the country is, that there are no dividing ridges, as there are in other parts of the world, from which the waters flow in different direc- tions. Before the country was settled there were, a part of the year, between the streams, immense swamps, where the water, dammed up by fallen timber and matted leaves, lay on the ground till the heat of summer caused it to evapo- rate, and the land thus situated was then thought to be of no value. When cleared up, however, such places become dry and make the best of farming land, and where there formerly seemed to be a perfect level, there is generally found to be a sufficient descent to carry off the water readily. At one season of the year, the noble forests, the rich green of the foliage, the flowering shrubs
14
INDIANA GAZETTEER.
and trees, the verdure, scarlet and pink of the prairies, 'entranced the traveller, and he represented the country as a paradise. At another season the forests were naked, the prairies were brown, and almost an ocean of mud was to be waded, and it is no wonder that a very differ- ent description was given. Neither of them was just.
NATURAL HISTORY.
But little attention has yet been given to the Natural History of Indiana. There are probably animals here which have not yet been classed; plants which have never yet met the eye of the botanist, and the larger part of the State has as yet been but imperfectly ex- plored by the geologist. The spirit of inquiry is how- ever abroad as to these matters. A brief sketch, all that the narrow limits of this work will allow, is submitted.
Of the quadrupeds found in the State, the Buffalo and the Elk have disappeared for many years. They must have been very numerous formerly from the great abun- dance of their bones still found in the vicinity of the Salt Licks, and the traces of their "paths" which still remain. These were well beaten tracks leading from the prairies in the interior, where they fed a portion of the year, to the margin of the large rivers where the timber protected and the wild cane fed them in winter. The Bear, Panther, Wild Cat, Beaver and others, are now but seldom met with except in the unsettled parts of the State. Wolves are more numerous. But the Deer, Opossums, Raccoons and several species of Squirrels, are sometimes more numerous than when the country was first settled. When nuts and other food they are fond of in the forests fail, they migrate to the vicinity of cul- tivated fields and supply themselves there, and their numbers are sometimes immense. Besides these, the Fox, Porcupine, Pole Cat, Ground Hog, Rabbit, Mink, Musk Rat, Weasel, Mole, Mouse and Gopher, are found in particular localities, but not usually in great numbers. In place of the animals that have left us we have gained others, by emigration. Rats are not yet found in new
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GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
parts of the State, but they are becoming very numerous in other parts. The usual domestic animals are found here, and for some years the horses, cattle, hogs and sheep of Indiana, would compare favorably with those of any of the neighboring States. In clearing land, breaking prairies and hauling freight in muddy roads, oxen have been preferred to horses, but the latter are now the most generally used on the old farms. A com- plete catalogue of the Birds of the State will not be attempted. Singing birds were rare a few years since, but there is now a variety which has rapidly followed the increase of civilization. Not being carniverous, they are not usually found except where fields of grain are cultivated. Of Birds originally found in this country, the most common are the Wild Turkey, Prairie Fowl, Partridge or Quail, Pigeons, Geese, Ducks and Cranes. All these are sometimes found in immense numbers. A place called the Pigeon Roost, in Scott county, was for- merly so much resorted to by Pigeons, that for miles nearly all the small branches of a thick forest were broken off by their alighting in such numbers on them, and the ground was covered with their ordure several inches in depth for years afterwards. In the south-east corner of Marion county there was a similar Pigeon Roost, and several others in the State have been men- tioned. In the fall of the year it is not uncommon for the traveller, on the large prairies in the north-west part of the State, to pass in a single hour thousands of Sand Hill Cranes, who stand quietly and gaze at him from a distance of but a few rods. Pheasants, paroquets, wood- peckers, Baltimore birds, red birds, mocking birds, hum- ming birds, and indeed most of the birds of the Eastern States are found here, but not usually in great numbers. Of carniverous birds, the Eagle, the Buzzard, Hawk, Crow or Raven, Owl, &c., are occasionally found. Of reptiles, the most formidable are rattlesnakes and copper- heads, and their bites are sometimes so poisonous as to occasion death. In most parts of the State they are now very seldom found. The fires on the prairies destroy
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INDIANA GAZETTEER.
great numbers, and the hogs running at large are their inveterate enemies. The writer travelled along the Upper Wabash in 1836, when settlements were sparse, and he must have seen hundreds of large snakes in a day. Very few can now be found where they were once so numerous. The variety of fishes in the State is not very great. Those in the south part where the streams empty into the Ohio, are the pike, perch, sucker, shovel-fish, garr, buffalo, &c., while perch, trout, white- fish, &c., are found in the northern lakes and small streams that empty into Lake Michigan.
Of the forest trees in the State, much the most nume- rous are oak and beech. They are not only found in almost every part of it, but they probably constitute not less than two-thirds of the whole number of forest trees. Next follow the sugar tree, hickory, ash, walnut, poplar, elm, sycamore, cherry, hackberry, linn, coffee tree, honey locust and white maple, which are found in almost every part of the State, and the writer has attempted to enu- merate them in the order in which he supposes they are found, as to number. The black locust is abundant near the Ohio River, but not found in the interior until it is cultivated, but then grows well in dry, rich soil. The chestnut is found only in Washington, Jackson, and small portions of the adjoining counties. The pine is found only on the knobs and near Lake Michigan, and the tamarack only in the swamps of the north. The cypress, catalpa and pecan are found only in Knox and Gibson counties, and the cottonwood is rare except on the bottoms of the southern streams. Of the smaller trees, the dogwood, pawpaw, spice, plum and thorn bushes, the persimmon and crab apples, either by their fruits or flowers add to the beauty and interest of the forests. Poplar, oak, walnut and sycamore trees are frequently found from five to seven feet in diameter, and more than 125 feet in height. Many of the forests of Indiana are not inferior to any others in grandeur and beauty.
Through the most of the State there is found a variety
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GENERAL VIEW OF THE STATE.
of indigenous fruits. Wild plums, haws, persimmons, pawpaws, wild cherries, mulberries and crab apples are found in many of the forests and near the borders of the prairies.
Cranberries are abundant in the north; and wild grapes, blackberries, gooseberries and strawberries of excellent qualities grow spontaneously and give assu- rance, which has been confirmed by experience, that the corresponding domestic fruits can be produced by art to an indefinite extent. Walnuts, hickory nuts and hazel nuts are usually abundant; and generally oak and beech mast is found in such quantities as to contribute largely both to feeding and fattening hogs.
It appears by the Reports of Mr. Owen, the State Geologist who made exploratory tours through the State in 1837 and 1838, that none of the precious metals will ever be found in Indiana, unless in minute portions in boulders, or in small quantities in combination with other metals, because primitive formations in which productive mines of gold and silver are found do not exist in Indiana. The only metals that can be expected to be found here are iron, lead, antimony, magnesia, zinc, cobalt and some varieties of copper and arsenic ores.
The bituminous coal found in Indiana occupies an area of 7,740 square miles in the south-west corner of the State. It commences on the Ohio River 80 miles below Louisville, thence north-west passing near Putnamville, and crossing the Wabash near Independence, 15 miles below Lafayette. It is part of the same field which embraces eight or ten counties in Kentucky, and the most of southern and western Illinois. The bituminous coal of Indiana shows very distinctly its vegetable origin.
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