USA > Indiana > Fayette County > History of Fayette County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 12
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The log house in the middle of Eastern avenue was not, however, within the limits of either of the quarter sections of land first entered by Conner at the land sales at Cincinnati, although it was very close to one of them. Yet this is not inconsistent with the theory that the house described might be his old home. It could be explained by the uncertainties and con- fusion prevalent at public land allotments-with always a possibility of misreading the field notes of surveyors in new sections of a country : or, again, by an enforced absence of Conner on account of duties elsewhere. John Conner retained close relationship with the Delaware Indians, and in the summer of 1811, when the land of the Twelve Mile Purchase was opened for settlers, he was occupied with these duties, in the campaign inaugurated by Governor Harrison against the Indians under Tecumseh and The Prophet. But Conner, by purchase, soon put himself in possession of the adjoining quarter section of land upon which this house was actually
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situated. Its closeness to the scenes of Conner's known activities in Con- nersville, its evident priority and age, and the clear distinction of com- parative size and equipment, besides nearness to a large spring, at the bot- tom of the hill, which still exists back of Conwell's mill site on Eastern ave- nue, gives it every earmark of being the first home of one whose foot- prints lead up to its door, the first site in fact of the founder of Conners- ville. No doubt, could the past be made to speak, this log house would be designated "Conner's Post," and around it would be woven many a tale of the interesting experiences of the days which preceded the year of 1813, when it was the center of the activities of John Conner and his faithful band of Indians who left Cedar Grove in 1808.
CRISIS IN INDIAN AFFAIRS.
The first land entries near Connersville were made in October of 1811. At this time the crisis had been reached in the affairs of the Indians under Tecumseh; and Governor Harrison was determined to break up the con- federacy. As early as July of that year, the famous council took place at Vincennes, in which Tecumseh was surrounded by three hundred of his warriors; and on account of his insolence and the apparent plan to do as mnuch mischief as possible, a forward movement, with the militia and regulars at the command of the Governor, was put on foot against the Indian settle- ments on the Wabash. The culmination of this campaign was the battle of Tippecanoe.
On the whole, the Delawares were friendly to the government of the United States, but not a little diplomacy was needed to maintain this con- dition ; and John or William Conner was the usual agent trusted by both principals. The following quotations from Dawson reveals the points of con- tact in which Conner seems to have participated, in the military expeditions of the summer of 1811 :
Before the governor left Vincennes he sent a deputation to the Delaware tribe to request some of their chiefs to meet him upon the march. that he might employ them in missions to the several tribes which had a part of their warriors with The Prophet. All the chiefs of this faithful trihe, who were able to march, set out from their towns on the 6th of October. They had proceeded but a few miles when they were met by a deputation from The Prophet, requiring a categorical answer to the question, "whether they would or would not join them in the war against the United States? that they had taken up the tomahawk and would not lay it down but with their lives; they had. however, positive assurances of victory, and when they had heaten the Americans, those trthes which refused to join them would have caused to repent it."
The Delaware chiefs immediately dispatched Mr. Conner, the interpreter, and four
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of their men to inform the governor of the circumstance, and that they had determined to go immediately to The Prophet's town to endeavor to divert him from his purpose ; that they would be with the governor in a few days and communicate the result of their mission; and that if they were unsuccessful in their endeavors to prevent The Prophet from striking a blow, they would abandon him to his fate.
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On the 27th of October the Delaware chiefs, who had gone upon a mission to The Prophet, to induce him to lay aside his hostile designs, arrived in camp. They reported that they had been badly received, ill treated, and finally dismissed with the most con- temptuous remarks upon themselves and the governor. *
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On the.29th, the day after the army left Fort Harrison, the governor remained for some hours behind, for the purpose of holding a conference with the Delaware and Miami chiefs. As he had no reason to doubt the information he had received of the in- tentions of The Prophet to burn the first persons he should take, and had apprehensions that he would find much difficulty in opening a communication with him, as the inter- preters had become so alarmed that he could scarcely get them to the front of the army, he proposed to the Delawares that they should send three or four of their young men to be the bearers of another speech to The Prophet.
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On the evening of the 5th of November, the army encamped at a distance of nine or ten miles from The Prophet's town. * * But no Indians were discovered until the troops arrived within five or six miles of the town on the 6th of November. The Interpreters were then placed with the advance guard, to endeavor to open a communi- cation with them. The Indians would, however, return no answer to the invitations that were made to them for that purpose, but continued to insult our people by their ges- tures. * During all of this time. Indians were frequently seen in front and on the flanks. The interpreters endeavored in vain to bring them to a parley. Though sufficiently near to hear what was said to them, they wonld return no answer. but con- tinued by gestures and menace to insult those who addressed them. Being now arrived within a mile and a half of the town * * * the governor determined to remain there and to fortify his camp.
SEVERAL DEFINITE TRADITIONS.
The location of The Trail towards the northwest, from the point just described, is less a matter of conjecture, as there are several definite tradi- tions which locate it with some degree of certainty. The Trail leaves the portion of Connersville that is associated with the river bank, or, transversely stated, the particular locality last described is the first contact it had with the river when coming down the hill above Edgewood. In traversing this section of Connersville, it crosses the location of the city cemetery, which carries the history of bearing evidences of The Trail when first used for burial purposes. A vague tradition, also, of pony races, Indian fashion, in the early village, days, say in 1830-1840, in the neighborhood south and east of the cemetery, lends some additional weight to this opinion of the char-
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acter of that vicinity. It may be a mere fortuitous happening-an inconse- quent choice of location, for the races-but even so, it is noteworthy that Connersville's first fairgrounds, 1850 to 1862, should be also located at the same place, west of Central avenue and north of the railway. These facts seem to mark the locality as one of frequent use. And it is most likely that The Trail, wending its way across the territory described, in reality explains its popular uses in the early history of Connersville.
After passing the cemetery, in going towards the northwest, a short distance brings the location of Edgewood. The road which still goes up the hill, from the northwest corner of Edgewood, through the Austin Ready farm, is, in fact, a part of the original path. The Trail, at this point, came down into the lowlands now forming the upper part of Connersville; and the use made of it by the whites when following The Trail, in the pioneer days, has left this short stretch of road unaltered and consequently still in use. The fact of the identity of this road with The Trail of the Indians is borne out by every tradition to be found upon the subject. These traditions are more positive than traditions ofttimes are, for the reason that the Indians themselves lingered longest in that direction, and this kept afresh a large store of Indian lore in the families of not a few of the old-time settlers along the route.
One story often told-so often, in fact, that its telling has become inextricably mixed with the humorous-is that, in an early day. an old Indian came into the Harrisburg neighborhood looking for a pot of gold buried at the foot of a large tree along The Trail. He had what purported to be a map, a few marks and scratches on a leathered hide, and was serious enough about his business, although the pathetic side of the simple red man's visions are now only preserved as one of the lighter veins in which he is remembered by the whites. The opinion grew naturally, that the Indian was loath to leave the burial grounds of his fathers, and any excuse to return to them, and again to view his happy hunting grounds, was most welcome-the final leave-taking being made as tardy as possible.
MINOR CHANGES FROM ORIGINAL TRAIL.
After reaching the top of the hill, by following The Trail, as the road still exists. through the Ready farm, there will be found only minor changes from the original path to the foot of the hill when approaching Harrisburg. At the latter point, instead of going up the hill westward, The Trail must have followed the creek bed northward. up past the old Hackleman home, to the
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old Florea home, to Sanford Guard and David Gordon and others who in the very first days established themselves on their lands in reference to the creek bed rather than to the township roads which were created later. The evidence of two other trails in the vicinity of Harrisburg in nowise con- flicts with this theory. The explanation is that the other trails were of later origin, and served for direct communication after Bentonville and Harris- burg came into existence. There is truly reflected in many Indian traditions about Harrisburg the story of a trail which reached that place from Benton- ville by a direct line across the old Joseph Caldwell home farm. And also of another one which bore sharply southward, passing the old Murphy home on the south side. As can still be seen, the Murphy home, west of Harris- burg, is built with a south frontage instead of facing the present road on the north.
This trail made its way towards the location of the Lick Creek ceme- tery and attached itself to the original trail along the south side of Elephant Hill, near the northeast corner of the Austin Ready farm, whence it came into the valley by means of the old trail as first described. A due measure of credence given to every fact bearing on the subject leaves little doubt of the precedence of the first-described route-the one from the northwest corner of Edgewood, passing along the east foot of Elephant Hill, to the foot of the hill near Harrisburg, and then along Lick creek to its source. This is evidently the original trail. The topography of the country in the channel of the upper portion of Lick creek lends itself readily to the purpose. A comparatively level country stretches across the highlands of Posey town- ship in the direction of Stony creek, straight past the site of New Castle, and on towards the Delaware towns on the White river where Muncie and Anderson are now located.
ORIGIN OF ELEPHANT HILL'S NAME.
The hill along the old road to Harrisburg, commonly called Elephant Hill, is conspicuous from whatever point it is viewed. Its present name comes from an incident which, briefly stated, is as follows: Connersville for some years was the wintering quarters for the Van Amburgh Company circus shows, with which members of the Frost family were associated. In the winter of 1871-1872 a large elephant, which went by the name of Tip-po Saib, died, or was purposely killed on account of his vicious disposition. Although his demise took place in the old brick foundry building on Eastern avenue, which was used for housing the animals, the carcass was divided
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into parts and the same carted to the high hill on the farm then owned by Charles Frost, and buried on the very apex of the hill. The skeleton was later taken up by an official of Earlham College of Richmond, Indiana, where. it is still preserved. The animal's height was over nine feet. and weighed something more than nine thousand pounds. In consequence of this episode the hill came to be known as Elephant Hill; although previously it was known among the first settlers as Indian Hill. It has many associa- tions in pioneer history with the Indians and their doings, and on account of being on The Trail it was a common camping ground for them.
The county south of Fayette county has preserved a knowledge of sev- eral Indian mounds within its limits : although none are definitely recognized in Fayette county.
As a retrospective study, it is uninviting now to attempt to establish any claims for this locality in that regard. If tumuli existed here the evidence is all but lost completely. But in the case of Indian Hill, in the beginning, some results might perhaps have been obtained. Any long-distance view of Indian Hill, say from Dale cemetery, reveals a sky line that clearly shows a crown that seems to be hardly a natural effect. There are traditions extant that lend color to the opinion that there was an Indian mound on the top of the hill, but they are quite harren of definite details. No excavations are known to have been made for discovery.
SITE OF OLD INDIAN CAMP:
Early traditions, as well as the evidence of the sites selected by the pioneer white settlers, the local topography, all fix upon the old Harrisburg road as The Trail that led down to John Conner's post. And it is par- ticularly the lower portion of this ancient road, as it still enters Conners- ville, that retains the largest amount of pioneer evidence, establishing it as the identical path used by the Indians. It cannot be doubted that this is The Trail coming down from the northwest, and in fact, it has no rival claim- ants disputing that honor.
In looking for some final witness on the subject, it may be worth men- tioning that, not far above the old Hackleman home, in the Lick creek channel, is the location of the largest camping grounds of the Indians within Fayette couiity after the" whites came into possession of their new homes. It lies westward of the present bridge across Lick creek, near the old Powell home ; and it was an important point, judging from legends left behind of the num- ber of Indians assembling there and the frequency with which it was used.
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This Indian camp ( a part of the southwest quarter of section 34) became one of the favorite landmarks and centers of activity in an early day. A road formerly led from it towards Harrisburg, and another one, eastward, towards Waterloo; but both of them are now extinct. There was a saw- mill in operation there for many years. It was built some time prior to 1819, and the log-cabin home of its owner still stands, as the oldest pioneer monument existing in Harrison township.
LOCATION OF THE OLD BLOCK-HOUSE.
On the top of a sharp bluff, the high bank to the southward of the Indian camp just described, and just where a spring still flows, at the bottom, is the location of the block-house of 1812. The commanding position of this primitive fort, as it sweeps the channel of Lick creek in either direction, is surely well suited for its purposes. Something more than beautiful scenery will come into the mind of the student of local history when viewing it. A calm survey of the situation allows the mind's eye to trace out, even today, a very probable route for The Trail to follow in wending its way toward the setting of the sun. The traditions of the Caldwell family, whose original home is nearby, makes it certain that the block-house was of importance to the first settlers of the neighborhood, and that it was garrisoned by a small squad of soldiers. And also that it was picketed after the fashion of the more important blockhouses of those days ; that is, surrounding the fort there was a solid timber-built fence, made up of short logs planted in the ground. by first setting them on end in a ditch. and then filling back the earth as is done with fence posts. The topography of the locality, if studied from the position of the fort, furnishes ample proof that along the foot of this steep bank, and where the spring is, and where only a short distance below, less than a mile, it joins on to what is commonly known as The Trail, must have traveled the main body of Indians. who were wont to go down to John Con- ner's on the west bank of the White Water, for trade and barter.
Before dismissing the matter of block-houses and the collateral evidence to be found for the location of The Trail by the presence of these rude forts of the most trying period of pioneer Indiana, it should be noted in conclu- sion that Connersville has also the distinction of occupying a site which had one of them once as a garrisoned fort, and the history of which helps mark out the exact spot upon which the future town was to arise. It was inside of what became, in 1813, the first part of Connersville, and it touches the par- ticular parts denominated "the public square" in the original plat laid out by
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John Conner. As The Trail came down from the northwest, it first touched the river bank at Conner's Post, which was no doubt the point of high ground above Eighth street on Eastern avenue: from there it made its course towards the foot of Water street. In doing this it crossed the Fifth-street school- building site to reach Water street. At Fourth street, as is still to be noticed, there is ground somewhat higher than the surrounding locality, and of course but a few hundred feet removed from the bank of the river. It was upon this spot, say one hundred and fifty feet north of the German church, and twenty-five feet eastward, the block-house was situated that was built that year, and which sheltered a detachment of soldiers sent up there by Com- mandant William Helm in 1812.
WHOLE FRONTIER IN A TREMOR.
That the hostile Indians were in their ugliest mood in the spring and summer of 1812 is written in large characters in the traditions of pioneer Indiana. The severe defeat administered to them the previous fall, on the battle ground of Tippecanoe. was a bitter recollection to them; but with the opening of the war with England-June 18, 1812, events seemingly brought them a moment for reprisals on the whites.
On July 17th the American post at Mackinac surrendered to a force of British and Indians. . \ large force menaced Detroit, and early in August the commander of Fort Dearborn- Chicago -- was ordered to abandon that place and come to the relief of Detroit. But the hostile Indians fell upon the whole party of soldiers, men, women and children, leaving only a few alive to tell the details of the horror of the massacre. At this time the prin- cipal outpost of Vincennes was Fort Harrison. This place was treacherously assaulted by them on September 4th, but less successfully. And as if to wreak their vengeance for the failure. the Pigeon Roost massacre, in an out- lying district, to the eastward and to the south of Vincennes, was enacted on the same day.
As this was an onslaught on an unsuspecting settlement of white pioneers, it naturally put into a tremor the whole of our frontier region. And as central Indiana was still the red man's domain., the border. districts, of which the west fork of the White Water formed the eastern alignment, , were quickly put in a state of open warfare. It is not strange, under the cir- cumstances, that the pioneers who had just come into the valley all fell to work building block-houses. There was a double purpose served by it. In the first place it was protection, but secondarily the buildings served later for
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other purposes and besides helped in the general plan of clearing the ground for the raising of crops.
CONNERSVILLE A MILITARY STATION.
To most persons the statement that Connersville had a military station at one time will be so novel that a resume of the evidence upon which its location has been determined may be appropriate. It does not appear any- where in print what its location was, but the following considerations seem definitely to settle the point, in the absence of documentary proof.
First -- At the old settlers' meeting in 1862, Doctor Mason makes this statement :. "One of these block-houses was located near the present site of our county seat (i. e., the present court house), and was commanded by Col. William Helm, who resided six miles below the present town of Connersville."
Second-In a local paper, of about fifty years ago, a short sketch con- tains the following: "About that time ( 1812) Rev. John Strange, preached in a block-house, at this point, at another near Laurel and still another on the present site of Cambridge." This person represented the Methodist denomination, and when the latter erected a building of their own, in 1825, it was put on the present site of the German church.
Third-Hawkins Hackleman, who first saw the block-house, as a boy, in 1815, has left behind descriptions of its location. The neighborhood had been built up with other houses during his young manhood, and consequently reconciling the changed conditions with the original aspect of things was difficult, especially as the names of the streets were changed in his later years. He described the location of the block-house, usually, however, as "not far from the road now coming up the hill, from East Connersville."
Fourth-In the sale of lots by John Conner, after 1813, lot No. 8 was first sold jointly with two other lots, and brought a price which clearly indi- cates that one of them had a building upon it. Lot No. 8 carries this apparent feature again in a sale in 1833 and in 1844. In 1849 David Jennings bought the rear of lot No. 8 and the rear of lot No. 7. which made his purchase front on Fourth street: and he paid a price in advance of what lots alone sold for at that time. A niece of Mr. Jennings, Mrs. Macey, who still lives there, knows that a large log house stood in the rear part of the purchase. The location of this honse consequently would be the rear part of lot No. 8, which . had maintained an enhanced valuation in the previous transactions.
The position of this log house in the rear of the lot, one door facing the present alley, says plainly that it was built before Connersville was platted in
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1813. and that when it was put up it was made to front on the reorganized highway of that day, viz .: The Trail leading down to the ford at the foot of Water street.
Fifth-In the traditions left behind with the descendants of the pioneer family of Alexander Saxon, it would seem the location given above is about correct. The traditions are to the effect that among their earliest experiences, after settling on their land in 1812, east side of the river, south of the present ball park, were the occasional visits of soldiers from "the fort." Also that they maintained a ferry boat at the ford, which was used by the soldiers.
Sixth-Samuel Merrifield, who still lives near Connersville, is of the opinion that in his youth it was a generally accepted view of the matter, that the block-house-built when the Indian disturbances were active was on the high ground on the north side of Fourth street, between Eastern avenue and Water street.
Seventh-In conclusion, it should be stated that Col. William Helm, who commanded the force of soldiers in this neighborhood, became an early asso- ciate judge of Fayette county, and he bought lot No. 7. which touches the block-house site on the south side; and lot No. 9, bordering on the north side. was donated by John Conner to the county for the fund to procure the county seat for Connersville. These facts, in connection with the other one, that the "public square" denominated in the first plat by John Conner touches the block-house site on the west side, gives the immediate vicinity an air of civic importance, hardly equaled elsewhere.
A PIONEER HAVEN OF SAFETY.
That no open hostilities are recorded, that no bloody deeds mark the period that brought us these military fortifications, is surely a better heritage to all who now look out upon the beautiful scene of hills and valleys, and count it a part of home. than would be any number of heroic encounters whose measure could be taken only in sanguinary acts and in human misery and death. Viewed from the standpoint of forestalling possible attack or as a harbor for fleeing refugees, the block houses of our pioneer history amply justify their erection: and the two which have been mentioned were certainly placed with wisdom and with reference to ready access. Especially is this quality to be noted in the case of the Connersville fort. The trading post of John Conner. in its position on the best eminence to be found when first coming down The Trail from the northwest, commanded a full view of the river channel about Eighth street .. It served very well at that point as a
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