USA > Indiana > Gibson County > History of Gibson County, Indiana : her people, industries and institutions > Part 29
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107
"Attest V. Clark.
GEORGE CURTIS.
"Recorded the 2d day of August, 1813."
Coming down to the present date. the following market quotations are given as the common prices. Mark the contrast in many items with those named above: Calico, five to seven cents; bleached muslin, ten to twelve cents ; wire nails, three cents per pound ; butter, thirty cents ; eggs, twenty-five cents ; sugar. best, seven cents ; coffee, from twenty to thirty-five cents ; corn, sixty-five cents ; wheat, ninety-five cents; oats, forty-two cents; cattle, $9.50 per cwt. : hogs, $7.50 per cwt. ; sheep, $3.00 to $3.50 per head ; coal oil, ten to fifteen cents per gallon. The chances are that all manufactured goods will always be cheaper and food stuffs and all products of the pasture, field and orchard will, as the population increases, become higher.
VILLAGE PLATS.
The county records show the following town or village plats which have at various dates been laid off in Gibson county :
BUENA VISTA-In Washington civil township, on section 13, township I, range 10 west, March 30, 1848, by Samuel T. Decker and wife.
DONGOLA-March 10, 1851, on the Patoka river, by William Carpenter and Isaac Steele. (Now defunct.)
ECONOMY -- (Defunct ) by Isaac Casselberry, October 15, 1838.
FRANCISCO-In Center township, January 6, 1851. on the north half of the northeast quarter of section 19, township 2, range 9 west, by John Perkins.
3044
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
FORT BRANCH-In Union township, on section 13, township 3, range II west, by Embree McIntire, October 7, 1859.
HAUBSTADT (once Haub's Station)-In Johnson township, on section 31, township 3, range 10 west, by James H. Oliver.
HAZELTON-July 25, 1855, by Gervase and David Hazelton, in White River township.
JOHNSON-April 17, 1911, on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 4, township 3, range 12 west, by Warrick D. Johnson.
KIRKSVILLE-July 4, 1856, by Davis & Price and Hussey & Mills, on the northeast of the southwest of section 19, township I, range 9 west.
MACKEY-In Barton township, on the northeast corner of the east half of section 15, township 3, range 9 west, by Henry Meyer, October 20, 1893.
EAST MT. CARMEL-In White River township, on section 28, township I, range 12 west, by W. D. Daniels and Emily D. Pickerell, June 27. 1897.
McKAW SUMMIT-O11 section 13, township 2, range II west, by Joseph and Olivia McCarty, May 5. 1904.
OAKLAND CITY (originally Oakland)-By James Cockrum and War- rick Hargrove, on section 18, township 2, range 8 west, in Columbia town- ship, January 15, 1856.
OWENSVILLE-In Montgomery township, by Philip Brisco, February 18, 1817.
PORT GIBSON-On section 3, township 3, range 10 west, in Patoka township, May 26, 1852, by E. Embree and Samuel Shannon.
PATOKA (once known as Smithland, also Columbia) was platted Octo- ber 13, 1813, on section 25, township 1, range II west, by Lewis J. Smith. It is in White River township.
SKELTON-On section 17, township 2, range 12, July 26, 1911, by Will- iam T. Watson.
SMITHFIELD-Section II, township I, range II west, by Stephen L. Field, June 9, 1838.
SUMMITVILLE (now Somersville)-April 12, 1854, by John E. Smith, in Barton township, on section 2, township 3, range 9 west.
WARRENTON-On section 16, township 4, range 10 west, by John With- row and W. B. Pritchett, April 30, 1840, in Johnson civil township.
WINDHAM-On section 19, township 2, range 9 west, April 5. 1855, by Franklin and Rebecca Ritchey.
PRINCETON-Original platting was made by County Agent Robert M. Evans, March 28, 1814.
305
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
TOWNS, PAST AND PRESENT.
Among the Gibson county towns that have "passed over" was Buena Vista, in Washingon township, on White river above Hazelton. This was the location of the old Decker ferry, the first on White river in this county. For a while the little town boomed, but when the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad went the Hazelton route instead of the Buena Vista route it proved a death blow and Washington township was left without a town.
King Station, south of Princeton, came into existence with the building of the Evansville & Terre Haute railroad about 1851-2. For a year or more the road's terminal was at the old King farm about a half mile north of the present station. A turntable was used there and a stage coach carried pas- sengers on north.
Lyle's Station, four miles west of Princeton, has the unique distinction of having been settled entirely by colored people. Years ago a colony of colored people bought a large body of land in the Cherry Grove vicinity, and some of them are still living on the lands then purchased.
East Mt. Carmel, on the Wabash, across from Mt. Carmel, Illinois, came into existence about twenty years ago, when W. D. Daniel was getting out piling there. The postoffice name was changed to Fetters, for William Fetters, merchant, because there was a Carmel in Indiana. There is no post- office there now, though it is quite a settlement.
Dongala is another Gibson county town of the past. It was on the Patoka river near the Pike county line, and was laid out in 1851 with a public square and broad avenue-like streets. The Wabash and Erie canal promised to make it a real city, but it died with the canal.
CYCLONES.
In June, 1814, the first cyclone passed over Gibson county, passing from a northwesterly to an easterly direction. The Barker house, on Hall's hill ad- joining Princeton, was destroyed and many other evidences of destruction were left in the path. The trees of the forest were torn up by the roots, crops were leveled to earth, and odds and ends of furniture, farm implements, etc., were scattered to the distance of miles from their base. William Barnes, who lived on a farm north of Patoka, described another cyclone which passed over this section in 1839. About three o'clock in the afternoon, as he relates, the atmosphere became oppressive and dark, the birds gathered close into the
(20)
306
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
boughs of the trees, and a peculiar odor was present. The cloud came up out of the west in a funnel shape, with a ball of fire revolving in its apex as it rolled along. The phenomena crossed a wheat field and burnt the stalks off, leaving a path of black ashes in its wake. Rip Van Winkle might have told this tale to his tavern cronies.
On Sunday evening, February 27, 1876, Princeton was visited with the most severe cyclone which ever passed over the county. The storm came from the southwest. Almost the entire southern part of the city was de- molished by the wind. Many peculiarities incident to the type of storm were present. In 1880 another wind storm visited the county.
FLAT BOATING.
Between the years of 1823 and 1840 the trade carried on by means of flat boats reached its highest point. The Devin brothers were noted during this time as boatmen. Most of the boats were sent to the New Orleans markets, corn and pork, and occasionally wheat, forming the cargoes. The Patoka, Wabash, Ohio and Mississippi rivers formed the highways of travel. Five men usually manned each boat, one of whom acted as captain. Patoka was generally the starting point for produce from this county. In the winter of 1836-37 the Devin brothers packed and shipped nearly a million pounds of pork. Col. James W. Cockrum was also engaged during this time in the flat boat trade.
FEAR OF FIRST STOVES.
When the first stoves appeared, not so long ago as many might imagine, they were regarded with awe and fear in many instances, and when coal first began to be used in stoves some were so afraid of it that they would put the fire out at night. and gingerly, and with constant expectation that something was going to happen, would rebuild it the next day. The same fear was shown for the first coal oil lamps, and it is told of one well known Princeton lady that when her husband brought home her first coal oil lamp she made him take it out into the garden, some distance from the house, to light it.
FIRST LEGAL HANGING.
The first legal execution in Gibson county was that of William Thomas Camp, for the murder of J. R. Bilderback, both men residents of Pike county. The two men had traveled together to Haubstadt. Camp walking and Bilder-
307
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
back on horseback. Reaching Haubstadt they failed to obtain lodging, so decided to camp in the woods a short distance away. Bilderback lay down and went to sleep, and Camp, with a hickory club he had picked up, struck him on the head and killed him. He threw the body into the top of a fallen tree. The motive of the crime was the theft of a note-for seventy-five dol- lars which Bilderback held on Camp. After committing the deed. Camp rode the horse to New Harmony, in Posey county, where he was arrested. He was brought back to Haubstadt and there he pointed out the evidences of his crime and the location of the body. A coroner's jury was obtained, and to them Camp made his confession. After being put in jail at Princeton he made his escape, and for a long time was hidden. He afterward went to Kentucky, where he was rearrested for horse-stealing and placed in jail at Owensboro. He was brought back to Gibson county for trial and convicted at the July term of court, 1872, of murder in the first degree. He was sentenced to be hung on Friday, October 4th, but Governor Baker granted him a respite until Friday, November 22d, when, at two o'clock. he was executed by the then sheriff, F. W. Hauss.
GETTING "CHURCHED."
In the old days of Gibson county, sixty or more years ago, it was no trouble at all to get fired from church membership. It is related that in the Methodist congregation here-and it is presumed that the same is true of the other congregations-dismissals were frequent for playing cards, attending races at the old straight race course in north Race street or elsewhere, danc- ing, going to a circus-the latter an unpardonable sin-and various other rea- sons that are today openly or tacitly condoned by most churches. A member would perhaps be called to account and voted out by the congregation one Sunday, if believed guilty, and the next Sunday would rejoin.
STAGE COACH DAYS.
P. R. Baldridge, who has interesting recollections of Princeton from back in the thirties, relates an incident that was carried off by some of the young fellows here during the existence of the old market house, which stood on the north side of the court yard. The stage coach from Vincennes to Evansville was driven by William Green, who died recently in Vincennes at the age of one hundred, and this was the half-way place where the night , stop-over was made. One night after driver Green had gone to bed at the .
308
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIAN.A.
tavern, kept by a widow, Mrs. Ing, about where the Gilbert store now is, Ben Howe, Green Thompson, Samuel Archer, Mr. Baldridge and some of the other mischievous ones put the old stage coach up on top of the market house, which was a low building. The next morning Green fussed and fumed when he saw what had been done, saying he would not be able to make the trip on time, but after worrying him a while, the same ones who had put the coach up quickly took it down and started Mr. Green on his way rejoicing.
Mr. Baldridge says at that time there was also a stage to Owensville and New Harmony, which was known as the "jerk-water." It was driven by Joel Minniweather.
James Scantlin also tells a stage coach story of how his father, the late Thomas Scantlin, and some others, at an early date, one night took the Peters- burg stage coach apart, carried it up on the roof of the court house and there reassembled it. The driver was caused considerable worry until the jokers brought the coach down the same way they had taken it up.
PASSING OF THE OLD SURVEY MARKS.
By Garrard M. Emmerson.
On May 7 in the year 1800 the territory now forming the great states of Ohio and Indiana was cut off or out of the then Northwest territory and subdivided by a line running north from the mouth of the Kentucky river to the lakes, all east of this line being called Ohio and all west of it Indiana. This land at this time was a trackless wilderness. There were no section, township, range or county lines, no roads, no bridges, no ferries, no means of intercommunication from one point to another, except an Indian trail from Vincennes to Louisville. The whole country was one vast unmarked, un- charted wilderness, covered with magnificent trees, oak, poplar, ash, walnut and many other varieties, many of them so large that few men now living ever saw or will ever see anything equaling them in size and beauty.
The present system of dividing the public lands had been invented and adopted, but no work had been done at this time. The system of surveying is sometimes credited to Thomas Jefferson, but he really did not invent it, but did approve and encourage its adoption.
The first surveying within the present boundaries of Gibson county by the United States surveyors was begun on the 27th of October, 1804, by Bradley and Breathitt in the extreme eastern part of the county. The sur- veyors who did the work in this county were Bradley, Breathitt, Brown, Buckingham, Rector and Sullivan. This man Sullivan was one of the ances-
309
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
tors of the Sullivan and Kirks now living in the north part of the county to- day. Rector began surveying in Ohio, worked through Gibson county and over into Illinois, and was finally shot by an Indian, who thought that he had killed him. But Rector managed to fall into a creek, swim across, and get into camp. However, he died the next day. The creek is called Rector's creek to this day. It is in Saline county, Illinois.
Ziba Foote, for whom Foote's pond was named, was another of those United States surveyors, but there is no record of any of his work, as he was drowned soon after beginning his labors. He was an educated man and am- bitious to get on in the world, and was engaged to be married to an intelligent. educated young woman. He had been at work in Michigan, but finished there, went to Cincinnati, secured a contract in southern Indiana, floated down the Ohio to Louisville, walked out here, and probably was drowned the first day he went to work. The killing of Rector, the drowning of Foote, and the fol- lowing items copied from one of the surveyor's books of field notes, will show some of the physical difficulties to be overcome in doing the work :
"Nov. 9-Our horses strayed off.
"Nov. 10-No horses ; all hands hunting horses.
"Nov. II-No horses.
"Nov. 12-An Indian gave us some information of them.
"Nov. 13-In the evening the horses were brought to camp.
"Sunday, March 23, 1806-My pack-horseman and marker declared they could not wade so much water, and would not stay with me longer. I remon- strated with them, but to no avail.
"Returned June, 1806, to finish this township."
The general plan of dividing up the public lands may be stated as fol- lows: A meridian line (north and south) was run. Next an east and west line, called a base line, was run. Then, beginning at the intersection of these two lines, the land was laid out in townships six miles square. The first row of these townships lying south of the base line is called town or township 1 south. The first row of these townships adjacent to the meridian line and west of it is called range i west. Any land lying in the first township laid out would be in township I south, range 1 west. These townships were then sub- divided into thirty-six sections. By this system of designating lands it is plainly seen how easy it is to locate any piece of land by description, viz. : The northwest quarter of section 7 in township 2 south, range 11 west. of the sec-
310
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
ond principal meridian, would indicate the vicinity of Princeton at once to anyone in the habit of following these things.
These surveyors were supposed to keep accurate notes of their work and observations, as follows: "Monday, Nov. 1, 1804-Began at the southwest corner of section 36, township 2 south, range 9 west, ran north 2.70 (two chains and 70 links) to a hickory twelve inches in diameter, 15 chains to a stream ten links wide, course southwest, 20 chains to a white oak 24 inches in diameter ; 40 chains quarter-section corner ; put post from which a white oak 14 inches in diameter bears north 12 degrees, east 14 links, and a hickory 12 inches in diameter south 37 degrees west 20 links; 60 chains a stream 40 links wide, course southeast ; 80 chains section corner of 35, 36, 25, and 26. Put post from which a white oak 24 inches in diameter bears north 25 degrees west 16 links distant ; another white oak 30 inches in diameter bears south 24 degrees east, 22 links distant. Timber, oak, hickory, dogwood, 2d rate land."
The hickory and white oak first mentioned on this line were called line, sight or fore and aft trees and were notched or hacked with three hacks on the south and north sides, and were of use to subsequent surveyors in locating lines and corners. The others mentioned were what are known as witness trees ; at the northwest corner of section 36 a post was planted, and the figures indicate the size, the course and distance of the same from the corner.
Of all the thousands of these witness and line trees only about a dozen remain in Gibson county. Of all these line trees the writer, with an accurate knowledge of the county, remembers only three now standing, one a beech on the north line of location No. 8, now owned by George Peed. One stands on the east line of the northeast quarter of section 33, township 2, range 12, now owned by Miss Martha Waters and others in Montgomery township; and there was, a short time since, another on this same line, north of the northeast corner of this last named tract. There may be one or two more, and some of those named may be gone by this time.
Of all the witness trees the writer only recalls the following: Two on the range line between ranges 9 and 10, both elms, one near the residence of Philip Reinhart, the other seven hundred or eight hundred feet north of the Southern railroad. Another stands at the southeast corner of the northeast quarter of section 17, township 3, range II, near the home of Jesse Dunlap. Another stands at the southeast corner of the home of the late L. N. Mont- gomery on the Posey county line. These last two are the only ones known not to have been chopped into and the marks cut out and practically destroyed. Another stands at the northeast corner of the southeast quarter of 23-3-13, now owned by Forman E. Knowles.
311
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIAN.A.
These witness trees were marked, showing the number of the section, township and range. For instance, the tree mentioned at the corner of sec- tions 35, 36, 25, and 26, was blazed facing the corner. In this blaze was cut the letter S, and the number of the section it stood upon. These figures and letters are as plain today as when cut, provided they have not been disturbed. A few years since another stood just cast of Foote's pond, near where Foote was buried, and probably was the only one marked by him. Whether it is still standing or not is not known.
There may be three or four others, but it is believed this includes all, and it is highly probable that one or two of these are now gone. Many of these would have died and decayed by the natural course of nature, but many have been ruthlessly and uselessly destroyed that might have been preserved for the interest of the antiquary and the old surveyors.
INCIDENTS AND SKETCHES OF EARLY TIMES.
To L. O. Emmerson, of Oakland City, credit is due for the subject mat- ter which follows under this head. Mr. Emmerson has written a great deal relating to the incidents of early times in Gibson county, and these articles have appeared in the local papers from time to time. It is from these articles that the following extracts are made, with such revision as has been deemed necessary for the purpose of this publication :
THE BIG WELL AT SOMERVILLE.
What is known as the "big well," at Somerville, was dug in the summer of 1854. There was not even a shower to lay the dust from July ist to September 18th, and the farmers surrounding Somerville joined the Irish on the railroad in digging this well. It is about fifty feet deep and about eight feet in diameter. The work of digging this well was directed by John Martin, father of D. M. Martin, of Oakland City. It was a great work. On reaching the depth of about fifty feet, a heavy blast was placed and a shovel full of fire was thrown in, and a tremendous explosion followed. When all was still there was a gurgling sound heard, but the smoke was too thick to see the results. "Pat" Flanigan could hardly wait to go down to see the results of the big blast, and as soon as he could go he got into the bucket and was low- ered at a rapid rate. All at once he found himself submerged to his shoulders in very cold water. He yelled up as loud as he could, "Mike, by the Holy Saint Mary, draw me up quick, or I will be scalded to death. The well is full
312
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
of boiling water." He had mistaken cold for hot. Parties went to work with buckets to draw out the water so that the loose rock torn by the blast might be removed, but, with all their drawing, in ten hours the well stood thirty feet in the finest water in the whole country. As this was a kind of partnership well between the farmers and railroad people, all came here for water. People for ten miles came and hauled water from this well and after drawing constantly for days at a time would not lower the water more than two feet and it would recover this two feet in just a little while. During many dry years since this time, the big well at Somerville has been Barton township's chief supply.
FAITH IN JOHN M'MASTER'S PRAYERS.
The people in Somerville and vicinity were of the old type of Covenant- ers, and for many years the preaching place was in the woods, under a large sugar tree about three-quarters of a mile south of Somerville. Many a pow- erful sermon was preached here. The people would assemble at ten o'clock and the first sermon would continue until noon. Then there would be a half hour intermission for lunch. Then the second sermon would begin and sometimes last until three or four o'clock in the afternoon. The Rev. John Kell was the first minister to preach at Somerville. Then came Rev. Samuel Baldridge and after him Rev. John McMaster. It was in September, 1854, after a long dry season that Rev. MeMaster eame to preach. The whole country was parched and dry, stock was suffering and dying for water. In the morning service McMaster made a special prayer for rain, and the prayer was fully an hour long. About the middle of the afternoon the worshippers were startled by a keen elap of thunder ; a eloud had formed and was coming on at a rapid pace. The congregation ran to an old log school house nearby, and barely gained shelter, when a perfect deluge of rain came down. Uncle Rube Martin was there and his belief in Rev. McMaster was very great, so when the rain began to pour Uncle Rube struck his fist in the palin of his hand and said: "Dipend men, I told you McMaster's prayer would fetch it," and Rube did truly believe that the rain was in answer to that prayer, and who knows but he was right? Uncle Rube soon went into the army and received his death wound in the cedar woods at Stone's River.
REV. JOHN McMASTER, D. D.,
313
GIBSON COUNTY, INDIANA.
PIONEER INDUSTRIES-OAKLAND CITY.
The land on which Oakland City stands was settled by Jesse Houchins. He sold out to Col. James W. Cockrum about the year 1827. Cockrum soon went south and engaged in steam-boating for a few years, and about the year 1835 returned and repurchased the greater part of the land now occupied by Oakland City, from Richard Barrett. who then lived in a small house which stood near where Mrs. H. C. Vicker's residence now stands. The well of this old residence is the same one that now supplies Mrs. Vickers with water. Mr. Cockrum lived here for several years, and here Col. W. M. Cockrum was born, who still owns the land on which the old house stood and refuses to sell it at any price. He removed the old house several years ago and it now stands in his yard near his residence, with a lot of the old household furniture which belonged to his father and mother in it. His father's old hunting rifle, which he called the "Tormentor," hangs in a gun rack over the door. The old dogirons used by his father are still in the old wood fireplace. In fact this old house and contents are the greatest old relics remaining of Oakland.
Col. James W. Cockrum was the father of the town of Oakland City and did more to build up the town than any other man. Another very prominent man in founding this town was Jacob W. Hargrove. Mr. Hargrove lived on a large farm of several hundred acres just east of town, where he lived the greater part of his life. He was one of Oakland City's first merchants and was also a big dealer in leaf tobacco and other farm products. He was also a stock dealer and a miller. In the year 1855 he, in company with Col. James WV. Cockrum and several other gentlemen, built a steam grist and flour mill on the Old Straight Line railroad, on the ground now occupied by Dr. Mc- Gowan's stable yard and garden, and built a miller's residence where the Doctor's residence now stands. This mill cost about eight thousand dollars. a large sum for this early day. There was a woolen mill in connection with the flour mill. This proved to be an unprofitable investment. This mill burned down about twenty-five years ago.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.