USA > Indiana > An illustrated history of the state of Indiana: being a full and authentic civil and political history of the state from its first exploration down to 1875 > Part 32
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£52
HISTORY OF INDIANA.
the county seat was removed to Merom, where it remained until 1843, when, after a good deal of difficulty, it was per- manently located at Sullivan. Carlisle being the oldest town in the county, though not the largest, has several historical phases. In the first place, it is one of the oldest American settlements in the State. During the war of 1812, it figured prominently, furnishing many brave soldiers for the field. It was near Carlisle that the "Dudley Mack " massacre took place during the war.
The county is watered by Busseron and Turman's creeks. The latter was named after Benjamin Turman, the first settler on the west side of the county in 1806. The lands lying in Sullivan county are equal to those of the best agricultural counties in the State, and for mineral wealth the county has but few rivals. The Wabash bottoms, which are extensive in this county, are excellent lands for corn. There are large tracts of beach and sugar lands, which are well adapted to the production of clover and timothy, as also oak lands to that of wheat and other grains. The townships of Curry, Jackson, Cass, and Jefferson, have an abundant supply of the very best bituminous coal in the State. These extensive coal fields are being mined, without interfering in any degree with the agri- cultural interests of the surface of the country. Numerous coal shafts are already in working order, from which immense quantities of coal are shipped to Chicago and other cities.
The town of Sullivan, located nearly in the center of the county, is the county seat, and has a population of over two thousand. It is incorporated as a town, having a board of trustees and a town clerk and a marshall. Until within a few years, the town government has not been very enterprising, but recently a new spirit of enterprise has taken hold of both people and government. The public schools, for so many years neglected, are now both an honor and an ornament to the town. The public school building, an engraving of which we present herewith, is one of the finest in the State. It is a magnificent three story brick structure, having been erected at a cost of over twenty thousand dollars, and capable of seating about six hundred pupils, exclusive of the spacious hall for
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SULLIVAN COUNTY.
general exercises, which is capable of seating about five hundred people. There is a well conducted school kept open in this building the whole year. When the town school year is closed, the school is continued as a private enterprise. It is known as the " Ascension Seminary," and is called one of the most successful graded schools in the State. Governor Hendricks, at a visit to this school, two years ago, expressed himself happily surprised at finding it so efficient, and the pupils so well advanced in all branches of study.
PUBLIC SCHOOL BUILDING, SULLIVAN.
Sullivan is situated on the Evansville, Terre Haute and Chicago railroad, and will soon have the benefits of an east and west road, which is now in contemplation, to run through Greene county. With an extensive and abundantly rich agri- cultural region around it, with inexhaustable coal fields on either side, and with sterling business men, may we not expect SULLIVAN soon to reach a position of eminence among the cities of the State. The court house, located here, is a fine building, having cost over sixty thousand dollars. It is located in a pleasant square of over two acres, and will, during the present season, be enclosed by a substantial iron fence.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Merom is also a lively town in this county. It has the Union Christian College, one of the best institutions of the kind in the State, under the patronage of the denomination of Christians (New Lights,) and destined to become a leading college. This institution has a most delightful site, being built upon the highest point on the Wabash, and commanding an extended view of the Illinois prairies. This town is also interesting to the scientist and antiquarian on account of the recent discovery at that place of the 'remains of a once petri- fied town, located on one of the highest points of the Wabash. Investigation in this mound, has revealed stone vaults, human skeletons, implements of war, and many other rare curiosities.
The county was settled principally by Kentuckians, but embraces persons from nearly every State. The citizens are an exceedingly industrious and very intelligent class of people. Sullivan county will keep pace with the rest of the' State, in .its grand march to progress and wealth.
The schools and churches all over the county are in a fair condition, and, what is still better, there is a disposition man- ifesting itself to improve these. The county has fully entered upon a new era of progress in all branches of industry, and in all the professions. The population of the county is about twenty-five thousand.
CLAY COUNTY.
This county is well watered by Eel river, a branch of the west fork of the White river, of which Birch creek and Croy's creek are tributaries. Numerous other small streams flow through the county. We should hasten to say that the general health of the county is good, for the reason that at an early day it gained a bad reputation in this respect. It will be remembered that the Wabash and Erie canal passed through this county, but this canal is now entirely abandoned south of Terre Haute. The supply of water for this section of the canal was obtained from the great reservoirs fed by Eel river and Birch creek, etc. Splurge creek reservoir embraced over four thousand acres, and the Birch creek reservoir about four-
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CLAY COUNTY.
teen hundred. When these reservoirs were created, the exten- sive tracts of land overflowed were covered with a dense forest, but the stagnant water killed the trees and caused the vegeta- tion to decay. This process charged the atmosphere with miasmatic poison to such an extent that a general sickness was engendered among the people for several miles in every direction. These facts were scattered abroad, and did much to turn the tide of immigration in other directions. Being sorely grieved and unable to obtain redress from the courts, the citizens of Clay county, who resided near these "stinking pools," resolved to take the law in their own hands. They assembled in force, cut the embankment, and let the water free. This of course created a great sensation. Those inter- . ested in canal navigation were injured, and the laws were outraged. Troops were sent out by the governor of the State . to bring the guilty parties to justice, but the people doubled their resistance. They had taken a decided stand against having these miasmatic pools in the county and were not wanting in courage when the militia appeared. The governor finding that an armed force was not calculated to enforce the law, and being convinced of the impracticability of keeping up the canal, concluded to withdraw the troops and leave the matter with the citizens. It is hardly necessary to add that the canal reservoirs have not been seen since that day. Not a vestige of them can now be found, and the health of the county could not be better.
There is considerable bog-iron ore in this county, large quantities of which were successfully made into pig-iron in the days of the canal, but when that system of inland com- munication was abandoned, the smelting works were discon- tinued. With the establishment of railroads, these will be re-established and the valuable mineral resources of the State developed. There are also some valuable mineral waters in this county, which will be the means, when brought to notice, of attracting considerable attention.
The agricultural advantages of Clay county cannot be com- pared with those of other counties, but farming is conducted with moderately good results. Stock raising is also profitable.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
There is an abundance of good timber, consisting chiefly of white, red and black oak.
The county seat of the county is Bowling Green. This place has now a population of over one thousand, and is grow- ing rapidly. It has first-class school facilities. The inhab- itants are quite enterprising, and keep pace with the age in their public improvements of all kinds. The schools of the county are, for the most part, very acceptable, yet there is much room for improvement-an improvement that will soon be inaugurated. Brazil, with a population of over three thousand, is the largest town in the county.
The county is very generally settled, and mostly its inhab- itants are in a sound condition financially. The farmers are all increasing their comforts, and adding to their means. In every part of the county may be seen evidences of thrift and good feeling.
OWEN COUNTY.
OWEN county was settled in 1816-17. The first settlers were David Thompson, Philip Hart, Captain Bigger, John Dunn and Robert Blair. The county was named for Colonel Abraham Owen, who was in the battle of Tippecanoe, on the eighth of November, 1811. He was a volunteer aid-de-camp to General Harrison.
The first court held in the county took place at the residence of John Dunn, in March, 1819, located about one mile east of Spencer, Judge Blackford presiding, when Philip Hart, the second settler, was fined twenty-one dollars and costs for com- mitting an assault on Dr. David Thompson, the first white settler of the county. Here is a case where the second settler whipped the first settler. The respect shown to "first set- tlers" in those days, however, is evinced by the fine. The first white child born in the county was John R. K. Dunn, whose father established the first ferry on the west fork of the White river. In the year 1818, William Baker built a mill on Raccoon creek, and soon after a few of the early settlers "rig- ged up a corn-cracker" on a small stream near the present town of Gosport.
John Dunn was the third settler of the county. He came
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GREENE COUNTY.
in the winter, when the ground was covered with eight inches of snow, and arriving on the banks of the White river in Feb- ruary, 1817, with his family, without a house of any kind to protect them from the cold, he commenced life in a rude camp, and at once set about building a log house, which he accom- plished after great difficulty and suffering.
Spencer, the county seat, was located in 1820. The site was donated by Richard Beem, Isaiah Cooper, John Bartholo- mew and Philip Hart. It was laid out by James Galletly and others. Spencer is very pleasantly situated in the valley of the west fork of the White river, on the Indiana and Vin- cennes railroad. It has a population of about fifteen hundred, and is in a flourishing condition. The town is named for Cap- tain Spier Spencer, who fell at Tippecanoe.
There is some of the finest landscape scenery in this county to be found in the State. The county has also its curiosities, in the "Boone Cave," and the various Indian mounds. We have been unable to procure as full statistics from this county as we desired, but have ascertained that the schools in the rural districts are in a fair condition, while those in the towns are equal to any in the State.
GREENE COUNTY.
THIS county, which was named in honor of Gen. Nathaniel Greene, was organized in 1821. The county seat was first located at Burlington, but was afterwards removed to Bloom- field. The county has a population of about 26,000, and there is every reason to suppose that it will be nearly, if not quite, doubled in the next decade.
The resources of the county are excellent. The soil is good, and there is an abundance of coal, iron ore, and limestone. The coal and iron are easily mined, and exist in great quanti- ties. Extensive business interests will, undoubtedly, spring up out of the mineral resources of this county, which will be fully developed in the course of the next five or ten years. The extensive coal fields only await increased facilities for transportation.
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
Bloomfield is the county seat, and is in a flourishing condi- tion. The public buildings are in good order. Good schools and school buildings exist in every quarter, with a few excep- tions, and the religious societies represented have all substan- tial houses of worship.
The first settlers of the county were John Van Vorst and Daniel Carlin, who came in the spring of 1818. In Novem- ber of the same year, Peter C. Vanslyker, Sen., and his son, Cornelius P., came with their families. In the spring of 1819, James Warwick, R. Hill, Thomas Bradford, W. Robinson, and Wm. Scott settled near the others. In 1819, the Indians who resided in the county, departed for their western homes. They bid an affectionate adieu to the graves of their forefathers, and to their favorite hunting grounds. The scene was an impressive one, and was long remembered by the settlers of that year.
Worthington, in this county, is also a very, lively town. The White River Valley Times is published at this place. The town has unusual commercial advantages, and is destined to become a prominent business centre.
LAWRENCE COUNTY.
IN 1810, a few heroic pioneers, fearless of danger, accustomed to Indian life and usage, and lovers of border pastimes, settled in Lawrence county. They came originally from Virginia, and had remained one year in Kentucky, intending to settle per- manently there, but changed their minds. At this early day, especially in this section of the State, the hardy settler was not permitted to erect his log cabin in peace. Tecumseh and the Prophet had been at work, and the Indians were, at that time, pretty well aroused. But these pioneers resolved to settle in Lawrence county, and were not disposed to fear the Indians. Their first business was to erect a fort, which was located about one mile and a half north of Leesville, near where the old resi- dence of " Granny White" stood for so many years afterwards. This little fort was put up as a necessary defense of the pro- posed settlement, and, although not of heavy proportions, withstood many assaults from the Indians. The settlement
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LAWRENCE COUNTY.
was made by Daniel Gunthrie, a hero of Braddock's defeat, his sons, and Jacob and William Flinn. These have all, long ago, gone to their rest and their rewards.
The little settlement had scarcely been formed, when the Delawares began to make raids upon it, stealing everything not secured within the fort. Horses were their favorite spoils, and it was difficult for the settlers to keep their animals, with- out the strictest watch. These Indians scarcely ever made open war on the settlement, but, professing friendship in day, they would come in bands by night, and steal anything they could obtain. At one time, a party of these Indians was pursued by Major Tipton, at the head of fifty militia. On this occasion the stolen property was recovered, and the In- dians severely punished.
On the tenth of March, 1815, the settlement, which by this time had been largely increased, was attacked by a body of Pottawatomies. This was a desperate day for the few early settlers of Lawrence county. John Gunthrie was shot, and Josiah Flinn scalped and tomahawked. Gunthrie was saved from death by the heroism of his wife, who lifted him up and carried him to the fort, where he recovered. Jacob Flinn was captured at the same time, and carried off, but, after several months, he managed to escape from his persecutors; but, be- fore he reached the settlement, or obtained food of any kind, except roots, he was reduced with hunger until his weight was less than fifty pounds. His adventure was only one among the thousands of thrilling incidents of pioneer life in the north- west that will never be fully recorded.
In the winter of 1813-14, Roderick Rawlins made a settle- ment in the bottoms, near the site of the present town of Scottville. He was accompanied by two other parties. They built a rude cabin in the winter, and felled a large number of trees for a clearing, and, in the spring, visited Jeffersonville, during which time their hut was robbed. In 1815, Edward Johnston made a settlement opposite Scottville, on the farm afterwards owned by Harry Bright. Other settlements were also made, but nothing of importance transpired in the way of improvements in the county until 1816, at the date of the
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
erection of the State, when a new spirit of enterprise seized the settlers, and the great tide of immigration commenced.
In 1816-17 and 18, numerous settlements were made in the county, but during these years, and for several thereafter, there was great suffering among the settlers. They were nearly all very poor, and there was not available market for the scanty produce which their industry yielded. But after many years of toil, and constant hardship, these pioneers have emerged from poverty to wealth, from toil to comfort.
From 1815 the little fort fell into disuse, and finally into ruins, but the spot upon which it stood will always be sacred to the people of Lawrence county, as that around which all the exciting scenes and incidents of pioneer life centered.
Lawrence county was named after Captain Lawrence, of the navy, and was organized in 1818. The county seat was at first located at Palestine. As an object for locating the capital of the county at this point, Messrs. B. and E. Blackwell and H. M. Massie donated the authorities two hundred acres of land. The first court house was erected at Palestine, and was of hewed logs that would "face a foot." It was two stories, twenty by twenty-four feet. The old settlers inform us that there was as much political wrangling over the erection of this log court house, as over the one recently erected at Bed- ford, the present county seat. The first court held in the county, convened at the house of James Gregory, in June, 1818. Hon. Thomas H. Blake was the presiding judge, and John Milroy and William Erwin were the associate judges.
In 1825, owing to the unhealthy condition of Palestine, the county seat was removed to Bedford. This was a happy change; one that marked the commencement of the real prosperity of the county. Bedford is now a town of over two thousand inhabitants, in which is one of the finest court houses in Indiana, having cost over one hundred thousand dollars. The school building, in which the graded schools are located, is an honor to the town and county. It has been erected at a cost of over thirty thousand dollars, and is capable of seating as many pupils as can be properly attended to in one school. This house is elegantly appointed and fully sup-
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JACKSON COUNTY.
plied with all the necessary agencies for imparting instruction in all branches of education.
There are in the county over one hundred and twenty good school buildings. The children of the county, between the ages of six and twenty-one, number five thousand seven hun- dred and seventeen. The population of the county is about nineteen thousand. The town of Mitchell has also a fine graded school, of which the people of that place are justly proud.
The resources of Lawrence county compare favorably with the other counties of the State, while its educational facilities are considerably ahead of most counties of equal population and wealth.
JACKSON COUNTY.
JACKSON county has a good soil, well adapted to the produc- tion of all kinds of grain. Some parts of the county, how- ever, have a clay soil, which is very poor. The county was first settled in 1809, by parties from the falls of the Ohio and from Kentucky. When they first came to the county they met with a few French traders, who complained that the trade with the Indians had been ruined by the war. These French- men left the county, and went, probably, to Vincennes. Among the first Americans who settled in the county, were H. and A. Rogers, Abram Miller, J. B. Durham, James Hutchinson, Thomas Ewing, John Ketcham, William Gra- ham, Abram Huff, Thomas Carr, and Alexander Craig.
In 1812, the Indians became troublesome, and some of the settlers removed to escape their wrath; others sent their fam- · ilies, but remained themselves. They built a little fort for their defense, which alone saved them from the "Pigeon Roost " massacre, where, in 1812, twenty families perished beneath the tomahawk. This little fort was frequently besieged, but always held out. The Indians, however, drove off all the horses and cattle, and otherwise impoverished the settlers.
John Ketcham lived near the site of the present town of Brownstown, where he had a block house for his own protec-
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
tion. In the fall of 1813, Mr. Ketcham and a hired man named Buskirk, were hauling pumpkins from a field to the house, Mr. Ketcham driving and the other man following the team, when they were fired upon by Indians. Buskirk was instantly killed, and Ketcham was wounded and would have been tomahawked, only that his team became exceedingly frightened and ran away, taking him along on the cart.
The news of this disaster was at once sent to the fort already mentioned, which was at Vallonia, where a company of militia had been organized. The troops started out the following day, and finding the body of Buskirk, buried it, but so bold were the Indians, in their assaults upon the militia, that one of the men lost his life, being fired on by the enemy from some hiding place. During the war of 1812-13, several persons were shot and killed or wounded in this county. The Indians were very hostile, and kept a close watch for an opportunity to pick off the settlers. However, the only battle fought in the county during the war, was at Tipton Island, in 1814. There were about fifty Indians opposed to thirty whites, but they were quickly dispersed, leaving one or two killed upon the field. This encounter was conducted by General Tipton, the commander.
Jackson county was organized in 1815, by an act of the Territorial legislature. In the following spring, the county seat was located at Brownstown, which received its name in honor of General Jacob Brown, who distinguished himself in the war of 1812. Brownstown was laid out in the woods, and, in consequence, the county seat was temporarily located at Vallonia. Very soon after the organization of the county, the population began to increase, and general improvement was pushed forward. The surplus produce of the early set- tlers was generally shipped down the Driftwood river in flat- boats, but since the completion of the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, the trade of the county has been carried to Cincin- nati.
In 1830, a number of Germans settled in the eastern part of the county. They were a very enterprising class of people, and since their first residence in the county their numbers
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WELLS COUNTY - HISTORICAL.
have been largely increased. They have done much to pro- mote the material and moral growth of the county, and are mostly all wealthy.
Brownstown, one of the principal towns in the county, is located on the Ohio and Mississippi railroad, and is in a flour- ishing condition. It has a fair court house and good school facilities; population about one thousand. The largest place in the county is Seymour, a town of over three thousand inhabitants. It has every appearance of thrift, and is press- ing forward in all valuable industries and improvements.
CHAPTER LX.
WELLS COUNTY - HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE.
THE first smoke of civilization, said the Hon. Newton Bur- . well, within the limits of Wells county, curled above the log cabin of Dr. Joseph Knox. That cabin was reared in the year 1829, on the western bank of the Wabash, about five miles below Bluffton, and on the farm now occupied and owned by Mr. Henry Miller. There was made the first foothold on the Indian's hunting ground, on the Wabash river, between Fort Recovery and the town of Huntington. It was there, about forty years ago, in the solitude of that awful wilderness, when the first sound of the white man's axe disturbed the wolf and panther in their jungle, and echoed throughout the wilderness the knell of the red man's destiny.
Messrs. Vantrees and Warner, sons-in-law of Dr. Knox, soon afterwards settled near him, and made the first openings on the farms known, respectively, as the James and Robert Harvey farms. These three families lived there about three years, when, becoming tired of pioneer life, they sold their interests in the lands on which they had settled and left the
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HISTORY OF INDIANA.
country. Mr. Miller succeeded Dr. Knox in November, 1832, and " fell to work with strong heart and arms," and by dint of his industry, the little field and truck-patch that sur- rounded the cabin of his predecessor,' and afforded him a scanty supply of coarse bread and vegetables, have been trans- formed into extended meadows, a fine large orchard, and fields that were last autumn waving with golden grain. His brother, Jacob Miller, settled a short distance below him about the same time.
Following the address of the gentleman referred to in the opening sentence of this chapter, we learn that Mr. Allen Nor- cross had settled on the opposite bank of the Wabash about a year before Dr. Knox and his friends left, and was there when Henry Miller moved into the settlement.
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