USA > Indiana > Washington County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Harrison County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Crawford County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Clark County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Scott County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Floyd County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Jennings County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
USA > Indiana > Jefferson County > Biographical and historical souvenir for the counties of Clark, Crawford, Harrison, Floyd, Jefferson, Jennings, Scott, and Washington, Indiana > Part 6
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" This Dome has hardly a superior in the world. Standing on the sum- mit of the mountain, we looked up- wards, but the top was veiled in dark- ness. We cast our glances around us and the same unilluminated night lay beyond the dim light of our candles. But when we had lighted our fire- works, then we could see far above us the bending arch of this majestic temple, rising two hundred and forty- five feet from the base of the moun- tain ; while around us extended in vast proportions a circular wall one thousand feet in circumference. Within this rotunda the ancient Pantheon might be placed or St. Paul's of Lon- don find ample room. At the foot of
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
the mountain is the Augur Hole through which we are ushered into Liliputian Hall and beyond which are Cerulean Vault, Milroy's Temple, Frost King's Palace and many other beautiful rooms which space forbids to note. In the northwest branch of the old cave we have Pygmy Dome, Odd Fellows Hall, Temple of Honor, Pillar of the Constitution and many other celebrities, but language fails to convey anything like a correct idea of the grandeur and immensity of its rooms.
It would take a volume to describe the whole cave. Those who have vis- ited the Mammoth Cave will find this one not a whit behind it in interest. It is evidently worthy of a visit and of the study of all who wish to become familiar with the grand and beautiful in nature and have their minds led through nature up to nature's God.
MARENGO CAVE .- On Sunday, Sep- tember 9th, 1883, S. M. Stewart, Jr., of Marengo, in company with some other boys, getting in pursuit of a rabbit, it fled to a basin where it en- tered a hole. The boys, determined that it should not escape them so easily, pulled away some loose stones that closed the orifice, found that they could go into the . hole themselves, and upon taking out some more de- bris saw that they stood in the mouth of a cavern. They immediately spread the news of their discovery and hun- dreds of citizens of the town of Marengo and vicinity gathered around the entrance and proceeded to explore
its mysteries. Throughout the entire day and the following night, parties pushed into the bowels of the earth. The scenery was so grand, the arrange- ment so varied and the formation so beautiful that they did not tire. Such was the discovery of Marengo Cave, which is situated about one-fourth of a mile from the town from which it took its name. Its entrance is perhaps sixty feet above the low water mark of Whiskey Run Creek, upon the side of a hill, and perhaps one-third of the distance to the top. It is in the St. Louis limestone belt, in the subcar- boniferous strata so common and favor- able to the formation of wonderful caverns. It is perhaps the most beau- tiful cave in the United States if not in the world. Strange to say, it was seventy-two years from the first settle- ment of the community until the dis- covery of this beautiful underground palace. It is one mile north of the Louisville & St. Louis Air Line rail- road. Mr. Samuel W. Stewart, the owner of the land, and the present proprietor of the cave, proceeded in a few days after its discovery to prepare for visitors who came to see this grand panorama of nature's handiwork. IIe widened the entrance, made it more pleasant of ingress, placed steps where it would otherwise be difficult of pas- sage, arranged walks and placed a com- modious building over the entrance. The cave proper is but three miles in length, which taken with the minor avenues is five miles in length. But what it lacks in length it supplies in
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
beauty and gorgeousness of display. It consists of four principal depart- ments; the main cave and three arms or tributaries. The main cave is gen- erally dry and of easy access its entire length, and while not so bountifully furnished as other parts yet it is astounding to the credulous. Wash- ington Avenue, the most extensive of the tributaries, is an entrancingly beautiful piece of nature's architec- ture. The arrangement being most pleasing and attractive. Here the beholder can spend hours looking at its wonderful works and is then loth to pass on. Crystal Palace, another of the arms, is everything its name implies ; the beauty of beauties, the wonder of wonders, and the amaze- ment of all. The multiferous for- mations of every conceivable shape and size glitter in the light as if studded with innumerable diamonds. Here the meditator may ponder and ruminate, and yet realize but faintly the splendors which surround him. The ceiling is everywhere draped and festooned in gorgeous splendor. The sides are pillared and propped by beautiful, clear white stalagmites. The floor is an incrustation of semi- transparent crystal, giving the whole the appearance of the palace royal of the mystic gods of bygone ages. llere is thought for geologists, here is food for the curious and here are hours of pastime for the reader in the pages of Nature's unwritten history. This is truly the grandest combination of natural formations, combining beauty,
picturesqueness and brilliancy, that has yet been given to mortal eye. There are some twelve other depart- ments, each containing varied scenery, some surpassing in one beauty, some in another. Time forbids a more minute description. The only way that a realization of the grandeur and magnificence of this, Nature's picture and art gallery, can be obtained, is to come and see it.
Crawford county is so broken that its agricultural possibilities are not the greatest. But the soil is strong, and in the valleys, rich and productive. In the early settlement of the county the pioneers did not enter their land in the bottoms, as they considered them sick- ly, full of chills and fever and "sloughs." So they usually chose a site near some spring on the ridges. Thus it was that upland was taken up first and cleared and has really been under cultivation longer than the low lands. They did not then depend so much upon the ground for subsistence as now. The gun was a more potent weapon than the hoe to supply the table. Crawford county was the home and haunt of vast numbers of the larger game, such as elk, bear, panther, deer and turkey. The old hunter would take his "flint lock " and start to one of the "deer licks" and by noon would have plenty of the finest meat in the world. The soil has suffered from unskillful husbandry. When the land was first cleared it was cultivated in corn year after year, as that was the principal product. Another very bad
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
thing has been the cultivating of the uplands and hillsides in the small grain's, on account of which the rains have carried much of the soil down the Ohio and Mississippi rivers. When the farmers learn to put their hillsides and rolling land in grass and pay more attention to stock raising, then will they stop their farms from going down to the Delta. Crawford was covered with a dense forest of the larger growth of timber, while the wild grape, wild plum, berries and persimmons flourished. The forests have gone but the soil remains. There is room for improvement in the agriculture of the county. The river bottoms, with judicious rotation of crops, will prove fertile for years to come. The level plateau covering the elevated region on the eastern side of the county may be referred to lacustral origin. It has a close, cold soil which, in dry seasons, or when well drained, shows great strength, producing good crops of wheat, hay, etc. This may be greatly enlarged and the crops wonderfully increased by a judicious system of tile and open air drains, and thus enhance the value of the farms. The soil in the hilly regions of the western part of the county is, as a rule, composed of fine silicious material, easily exhausted and requires careful management. Exhaustive crops should be avoided. The stalks, chaff and straw should in- variably be returned to the soil as manure, and a large area devoted to fruit and orchard grass for permanent pastures and clover.
Every five years these exhausted fields should be treated to a dressing of thirty to fifty bushels of lime to the acre. Since the introduction of bone dust into the county these lands are yielding fine crops. Old fields that had been thrown out to the commons have been treated to an application of one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds of bone dust to the acre, and have produced fifteen to twenty bush- els an acre. The greatest benefit to the land derived from bone meal is that it gives a good set to clover or grass. Farmers are learning to sow orchard grass and timothy and clover with their wheat, drilling it all to- gether and are revivifying their dead ground. The principal products are wheat, corn, oats, potatoes, vegetables and grass. Most of the products are held for home consumption. The up- land soil is best adapted to pasturage and hay. Lately much attention has been given to improvement in the breeding of stock. And we find the "Jersey" taking the place of the "scrub" on many of the farms. The following is reported as average crops by a well informed agriculturist : wheat, upland, 13 bushels per acre; wheat, bottoms, 23 bushels per acre; Corn, upland, 20 bushels per acre; corn, bottoms, 35 bushels per acre; onions, 200 to 300 bushels per acre ; potatoes, 150 to 300 bushels per acre.
The agricultural report of 1880, taken from the census of the United States, gave the county 1,615 im- proved farms, aggregating 75,645 acres
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
of improved land, valued, including fences and buildings, at $1,452,902. It also shows the value of farming im- plements and machinery to be $59,190; value of live stock, $248,683; cost of building and repairing fences (1879), $20,034; cost of fertilizers (1879), 86,924; estimated value of all farm productions (1879), 8295,371. It gives the following productions for that year: corn, 311,464 bushels; oats, 64,826 bushels; wheat, 70,040 bush- els. Value of orchard products, $17,- 091; hay, 3,555 tons ; Irish potatoes, 34,361 bushels; sweet potatoes, 2,934 bushels; tobacco, 10,920 pounds. We may safely say that with the increased attention given to agriculture and the free use of commercial manures, the increase in the above figures in the last nine years is nearly if not quite 33 per cent above that of 1880. Small fruits and the peach are well adapted to the hilly uplands and with fair culture a failure is rare. Apple orchards are numerous, produce well, and with dil- igent management are highly remun- erative. The estimated average an- nual crop of apples is 600,000 barrels. The favorite varieties are the Roman Beauty, New York Pippin and the Wine Sap. The raising of apples is receiving increased attention. Wil. liam Everdon has the largest orchard in the county. N. R. Peckinpaugh, of Leavenworth, owns a farm in the big bottoni below Schooner Point and gives it as his experience that he has realized more money from his orchard of twenty acres planted
on a rocky hill than from the produc- tion of seventy-five acres in the rich bottom cultivated in wheat and corn. That is the experience of all; that the apple crop is more remunerative. The cultivation of the grape has been begun in the county. Messrs. J. Sacksteder & Son have a vineyard on the south- east hill slope, about three-fourths of a mile from Leavenworth, of twenty- seven acres. They have been engaged in the grape culture for several years and have been very successful. They manufactured in 1887 12,000 gallons of wine, and in 1888, 11,000 gallons of wine. Other farmers observing the success that have attended them have also engaged in the same business.
It might be proper to suggest to the farmers that instead of " corning" their old hillsides, if they would plant them a vineyard or engage in the cultivation of the strawberry or raspberry, their income would be much larger at the end of the year. Now that the greater portion of the timber is gone, the people will be compelled to turn their attention to other things for a liveli- hood and we would suggest stock raising, grape culture, raising of small fruits, increase of apple orchards and more meadows, as a few of the callings that with industry and skillful man- agement will yield good results. There are five hundred forty acre tracts in the county that could be bought for two hundred and fifty dol- lars each, which if put in the cultiva- tion of fruit or grass would yield a support to as many families. Either
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
the soil is injurious to the burrowing grubs, or the sulphurous character of the atmosphere derived from sulphur springs, gas seeps, and the decompo- sition of pyritous sholes, protects fruit from many pests, elsewhere so injurious both to fruit and the trees. The soil seems to be especially favorable to the growth of fruit trees. On the farm of an old pioneer now ninety-seven years of age, may yet be seen apple trees planted by him sixty-five years ago. They are now two and a half and three feet in diameter, thrifty and vig- orous. Of the early settlement of Crawford county we know but little except from tradition. Attracted here by the plenteousness of game, settlers came quite early in the century. In 1800, July 4th, Indiana was organized as a territory. Crawford county was then a part of Clark and Knox coun- ties. In 1809, Harrison county was organized from parts of Clark and Knox counties, and included all of Crawford. Nine years later the pres- ent county of Crawford was cut off from Harrison and organized into a separate county. Almost all the early settlers came from the Southern states. . Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. The reason that so many settlers left their homes in the warm balmy South to find new homes north of the Ohio river, was that they abhorred human slavery. And the descendants of these brave pioneers, who faced wilderness and savage Indians for principle's sake, long years afterwards in the dark days of this
nation's history faced cannon's mouths, bayonets and grape and canister that the same unholy institution might be swept out of existence and con- signed to an ignominious grave. Much of the early history of Crawford county is in common with Harrison county which will be found elsewhere in this volume. There were pioneers in what is now Crawford county-hunters and adventurers were here as early as 1804-among them John Peckin- paugh, but none of them settled per- manently in that year. In 1806 quite a number of families came to southern Indiana. One man settled on Cider Fork of Whiskey Run Creek in what is now Whiskey Run township. This was Thomas Strond. He must, there- fore, be accounted the first settler of Crawford county having settled in March 1806. In the fall of 1806 Mr. Strond was followed by E. E. Morgan, William McKee, and William Frakes. Morgan and McKee settled in the northeastern part, while Frakes settled in the northwestern part of the county.
During 1807 quite a number of families were added to the popula- tion, among whom were Peter Frakes who established himself on Big Blue river near the eastern boundary of the county and William Van Winkle.
During the year 1808 the Strond neighborhood was increased by a number of families, among whom were Jacob and Jonathan Rice, and Malachi Monk who settled near Big Springs (now Marengo) and John Peckinpaugh settled in the bottom
ยท
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
below Schooner Point. During these years more settlers came than during the following years. In 1810 came Cornelius Hall, Martin H. Tucker and Lazarus Stewart. The first settler on the present site of Marengo was Henry Hallowell, a native of North Carolina. Among the early settlers not already mentioned whose names have not been lost are the following, viz: Richard Weathers, Henry Jones, Potter Harvey, John Weathers, Elisha Tadlock, Thomas Davidson, George Bortwesser, James Vanwink- le, John Samuels, William Doggs, James Brown, Martin Scott, John Best, Squire Green, Brice Patrick, Martin Holack, John Hooten, Daniel Weathers, Wm. Willard, John Poe, George Goodson, Edward Pyles, Jo- seph Tibbs, William Samuels, Joseph Vanwinkle, Abraham Wiseman, Gory Jones, Isaac Shields, Noah Ford, John Lynch, Jesse Lynch, Thomas Lynch, John Wright, John Sturgeon, Wil- liam Anderson, James Barker, Henry Barker, John Seaton, William Babb, Alexander McRae, John Lan- diss, Moses Smith, Caleb Temple, John Crawford, John Ellis, Nathan- iel Hollcroft, Henry Fullenwider. Later on, Leavenworths, Conrads, Clarks, Pankeys, Johnsons, Capt. Posey, General Thom, etc., etc. We might give many other names but these are deemed sufficient. These came to the county while it was yet a wilderness. Many of their descend- ants are reputable citizens of the county. Most of the settlers settled
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near good springs, as that seemed more important than good land. They also usually settled where there were maple trees, that they might manufacture sugar and molasses from the trees. The earliest settlers were molested by the Indians. There was considerable horse stealing. There is no record of any one having been kille ! by the Indians except in a raid after some of them who had stolen some horses. Wmn. Samuels, who was afterward the first clerk of the county, was wounded in the knee. For personal safety from the red-skins Malachi Monk, Cornelius Hall, Mar- tin H. Tucker, Lazarus Stewart, Henry Hallowell and a few others, in the year 1811 built a block house. It was a two-story structure built of round logs. The logs were made to project at the top of the first story to enable persons to shoot down at the enemy that would approach from the outside, and at the same time be protected themselves. In time of trouble the families would take refuge in this house and at times remain there for a week or more. This building was erected about one mile east of the present site of Marengo. The early settlers would go to Jeffer- sonville for salt, pay one dollar a bushel and carry it home on horse- back, making a round trip of seventy- five to one hundred miles. At the time of the early settlement, large game was abundant. Scarcity of bacon was the least privation the pioneers had to endure. There were
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
no hogs at first, but in a few years they became plentiful, running wild in the woods. In the fall they would get fat on the mast and would be slaughtered in vast numbers and shipped to Southern markets.
This was a great branch of indus- try in the early days of the county. Men followed butchering and shipped the pork to the lower counties on the Mississippi. The fact of the hogs run- ning wild, led to many disputes and quarrels about their marks. At one time there were about a thousand hogs driven from Lawrence and Orange counties down into Crawford to fatten on the mast. People in Crawford considered this as an infringement, and procuring guns, killed almost all of them. They were indicted. The witnesses would swear they heard the gun and saw the smoke, but could not tell who did the firing. There were no mills in the very earliest days. They ground corn by hand by the use of the distaff. The first settlers went to Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison's mill which was on Big Blue river. When Gen. Harrison left Indiana, this mill went into the possession of Mr. Wil- liam Wilson. Soon after, several horse- mills were built in different parts of the county. One was on Bogard's Fork, one on Little Blue River. In the year 1818, Seth M. and Zebulon Leavenworth erected a saw and grist mill at the present site of Milltown, run by water. In the few years fol- lowing, several water mills were erected. One was built near Fre-
donia in 1819 by one Leggatt. Corn was the principal product. Wheat was first sown by Natty Stranghn, who is yet living, in 1823. They first threshed the wheat by means of the flail, but soon improved .this by introducing the tramping floor. In opening up the farms the neighbors in the community would gather to. gether and "roll logs" for eighteen to twenty-five days. To endure this "sport" men had to have muscles like bands of steel.
In the fall of the year they would frequently meet at the house of some one of them and husk corn, after which, as a general rule, they would stack all of their hats into a pile and blindfold one of the number who would select at random two from the pile, and the owners would be com- pelled to engage in a wrestle or foot- race. Speaking of the sports of the early settlers we will mention that of "Roly Boly," which is played as fol- lows : One man would lie down, and another at his feet, and then another, and so on, until they had seven or eight in a bunch; clinched together they would roll down a hill, and the first fellow that broke his hold would have to treat the crowd to a gallon of good "old corn." On one occasion Aniel Wright was rolled against a stump by the crowd and had to be carried home. The early settlers had very meagre facilities for mails. First post-offices at Mt. Sterling, Fredonia and at Tuckersville. Postage was 25 cents on a letter. All mail came by
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
the way of Corydon, and afterward by the river. After the removal of the capitol from Corydon to Indianapolis a stage line was established from Leavenworth to Indianapolis via Paoli and Bloomington. The contract of the post-office department was that who- ever carried the mail was to run a coach that would carry nine pas- sengers. There was also a stage line from Leavenworth to New Albany in the early settling of the county. There are a number of old pioneers yet living in the county. We would be pleased to give a sketch of each, but have not space further than to mention their names. John Landiss, a very old and respected citizen, lives near English, and is almost four score and ten. He is the father of Wm. Landiss, ex-Com- missioner of the county. Mrs. Nancy A. Clark, of Leavenworth, is past ninety, still vigorous. She is the widow of Samuel Clark, once Sheriff of the county. John Wright died in the winter of 1888, aged 88 years.
The oldest resident of the county is Nathaniel Straughn, of Sterling town- ship, who was born March 8th, 1792. Ilis father was a revolutionary sol- dier. Ile has a brother who is ninety- nine years of age living in Sullivan county, Indiana. He came to Craw- ford county in 1820. He has lived in the same place for sixty-nine years. Ile has five living children, many grand-children and great-grand-child. ren, and one great-great-grand-child living. He gave two boys to the nation during her darkest hours and
both died in the ranks, and yet, while he is almost penniless, he draws no pension from the government. Mr. Straughn was living before all of the colonies had ratified the Constitution, and who was quite a good sized boy before the death of Gen. Washington, and is yet active and vigorous.
Another very noted old man, yet living is Robert Sharp. He was born in February, 1803, in Wayne county, Ky. His father served with Gen. Frances Marion during the Revolution. Uncle Bob, as he is familiarly called, came to this State in 1812, and grew up with the State. He was very fond of hunting, and many deer, bear and panther fell before his old flint lock. He can yet tell about dancing on the "puncheon floor" (when each fellow kept his own puncheon) with the "gals" dressed in deer skin dresses. He gave three sons to the late war, two of whom never returned. He is one of the most entertaining conver- sationalists in the county; his mind is clear and his memory is good.
There are many others who deserve notice; Mrs. Sands and Mrs. Margaret Leavenworth, and others. Before school houses were built, school was taught in private houses. In 1818 and 1819 the people erected several log huts for school and church houses. The house had one log cut out of the side to admit light. To keep out the rain and snow they would fasten greased paper over the orifice. Teach- ers were scarce. Among the earliest teachers were Wm. Johnson, father of
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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.
Prof. J. M. Johnson, of whom more mention is made farther on, Alex. Tadlock and Mr. Barmore. Schools increased with the age of the State until the adoption of the present grand system of schools in Indiana. The early settlers, while they believed in the existence of God, yet they were not as arduous for religious matters as they might have been.
The Methodists first organized a . class at Mt. Sterling where they held church in a private house. The first " circuit rider " was a man named " Hester." The first preaching at Fredonia was in 1818. The Baptists erected their first church in that place in 1824. The United Brethren Church was established very early. One of its earliest ministers was Rev. J. G. Pfrimmer, another Rev. Jacob Antrim and later Rev. Henry Bonebrake. The church has always occupied a very prominent place in religious affairs in the county and is still growing. It has a membership of 1,250.
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